IT union NITES seeks govt mandate for WFH following PM Modi’s fuel conservation appeal

IT employees’ union NITES has written to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya seeking a government advisory mandating work-from-home for the IT and IT-enabled services sector wherever operationally feasible, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to conserve fuel and revive Covid-era remote working practices amid the escalating West Asia conflict.

In its letter, the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) said remote work could help reduce fuel consumption, ease traffic congestion and support national efforts to conserve foreign exchange reserves at a time of geopolitical uncertainty and rising crude oil prices. The union also cited employee safety and operational continuity as key reasons for implementing work-from-home arrangements wherever possible.

The move comes a day after Prime Minister Modi, during a public address in Hyderabad, urged citizens to adopt austerity-style measures in light of the ongoing conflict in West Asia and its potential economic implications for India. Modi asked people to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption, avoid non-essential international travel, postpone gold purchases for a year and cut excessive edible oil consumption. He also specifically called for a return to work-from-home practices and virtual meetings that became common during the Covid-19 pandemic. “We have developed work from home, virtual meetings, video conferencing and many other methods during corona. We got habituated to it. The need of the hour is to resume those methods,” Modi said during the speech.

Referring to the Covid-19 pandemic, the body drew a comparison to how the IT sector switched to the work from home model without disruption to productivity. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, almost the entire Indian IT industry transitioned to Work from Home within a very short period. Major technology companies, multinational corporations, support services, software development teams, customer operations, backend functions, and delivery units continued functioning efficiently from remote locations for several years. Despite one of the most difficult global crises in modern history, the Indian IT sector maintained operations, delivered international projects, supported global clients, protected economic activity, and contributed significantly to the stability of the Indian economy,” the letter read.

Citing long travel hours leading to fuel consumption and pressuring the urban transport infrastructure, the employee union requested for mandatory remote work. “Employees in metropolitan cities spend several hours daily travelling despite performing work that can effectively be delivered remotely. This not only impacts physical and mental health, but also results in avoidable fuel usage and environmental burden at a time when the nation is consciously discussing conservation and efficiency,” the letter said.

“NITES therefore humbly requests the Ministry of Labour and Employment to issue an advisory directing IT/ITES companies and digitally deliverable service sectors to implement mandatory Work from Home, wherever operationally feasible, for an appropriate period in the larger national interest,” the letter further continued.

Separately, industry body Nasscom said technology companies continue to operate on hybrid work models and have enabled remote or hybrid work “where operationally appropriate” amid the ongoing Middle East tensions. In a statement, Nasscom said companies were adopting energy optimisation measures across campuses, including rationalising non-essential energy consumption and reducing commuting requirements where feasible. “While this remains an evolving situation, we are closely monitoring developments and remain engaged with industry stakeholders and government authorities to ensure a coordinated and responsible response,” Nasscom’s statement read.

How IT companies wanted to bring the workforce back to office

 The latest developments have once again brought work-from-home discussions back into focus nearly six years after the pandemic triggered one of the largest remote-working shifts in corporate India. In 2020, IT companies including TCS, Infosys and Wipro moved lakhs of employees to remote operations almost overnight as lockdowns shut campuses and offices across the country.

Recently, earlier this year, Wipro announced changes in its hybrid model, where one has to come to office thrice a week and stay in the office for at least 6 hours on those days. Wipro chairman Rishad Premji had earlier said employees should return to offices “in some shape or form”, arguing that physical workplaces improve collaboration and organisational culture.

Infosys and TCS have also tightened office attendance expectations in recent years as companies increasingly pushed employees back to campuses. Infosys made four-days-a-week at office mandatory for certain units in their organisation. “We continue to follow a hybrid model of work that enables self-development, collaboration, innovation, and business deliverables, and as managers, it is imperative for us to lead by example and ensure our teams adhere to the hybrid working guidelines,” an internal email read.

TCS had even introduced its widely discussed “25/25” vision during the pandemic, under which only 25% of employees would need to work from office by 2025. However, the sector has gradually shifted back toward office-led hybrid models over the last two years.