Kamal Ghorui
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity measures to curb fuel consumption, including reviving work-from-home, companies have begun reviewing the possibility of getting at least some employees to come to office on fewer days.Large conglomerates, including the Tata Group and Reliance Industries, are reassessing workplace policies and exploring greater flexibility for employees amid ongoing concerns over fuel and supply disruptions.Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, currently requires employees to work from office without a hybrid option. “We are assessing the situation,” a Reliance spokesperson said. The Tata Group is also said to be examining flexibility measures across several operating companies, though no broad group-wide decision has been taken.For infrastructure and engineering firms such as Larsen & Toubro and KEC International, the issue is more complex because a large section of employees work at project sites, making blanket work-from-home policies impractical. However, following the escalation in West Asia, L&T has issued internal advisories asking employees to avoid non-essential travel and conduct meetings virtually where possible.CII president Rajiv Memani, who is EY’s chairman for the India region, said PM’s message must be taken seriously. “I don’t view it as a crisis. I view this as a sensible and pragmatic ask to the country to ensure we are mindful of the current geopolitical challenges. One way is to moderate consumption and the PM’s request is to say that if we can moderate consumption, especially in areas where we are importing, we should take necessary measures.“Vir S Advani, chairman and managing director of Blue Star, said the measures may have a modest impact on business, but are in the country’s larger interest.But it may complicate return-to-office plans in the IT sector, where companies are steadily increasing office attendance mandates. Firms argue that working from office helps build social capital, strengthens collaboration, and improves productivity monitoring. India’s technology sector workforce rose by 1.3 lakh to 5.9 million in 2026. Many IT firms currently require employees to work from office two to five days a week under hybrid models.
Industry body Nasscom said the sector already operates on well-established hybrid models, balancing WFH and office attendance based on business and customer requirements. Amid the ongoing tensions, companies have stepped up energy-saving measures across campuses, including optimising non-essential power consumption, rationalising select facility services, and enabling remote or hybrid work where operationally feasible to reduce commuting and energy use.“These measures are not new; they are part of the industry’s broader approach to operational resilience and sustainability,” Nasscom said, adding that the sector’s distributed delivery models allow companies to operate seamlessly and flexibly when required.TCS, for instance, has mandated five days of office attendance and linked compliance to variable pay and career progression. Wipro requires employees to work from office at least three days a week, while HCLTech has mandated 12 compulsory in-office days a month. Cognizant, Tech Mahindra, and Capgemini have also tightened office attendance norms.Meanwhile, IT employees’ union Nites has urged the labour ministry to mandate work-from-home for the technology workforce.
