Amazon India extends work from home plan till Oct amid Covid-19 spread

Flipkart to reopen offices in graded manner

With Covid-19 cases continuing to rise in the country, e-commerce major Amazon India has allowed its employees to work from home (WFH) until October.

“We will continue to prioritise the health of our employees and follow local government guidance. Employees who work in a role that can effectively be done from home are welcome to do so until October 2,” said Deepti Varma, director, human rescource, Amazon India.

The company, however, did not clarify employees under which roles would have to report to work. On the other side, its rival Flipkart will be resuming work on its campus in Bengaluru in phases.

 

“For those working out of our corporate office in Bengaluru, we are looking at returning to office in a staggered manner beginning today. We are beginning with teams that are currently unable to work optimally from home, owing to limited infrastructure,” said Krishna Raghavan, chief people officer, Flipkart.

The Walmart-owned company said it had advised expectant mothers, employees with young children and elderly parents at home, employees with underlying medical conditions and who are differently-abled, those dependent on public transport, outstation employees and those residing in Covid containment zones to continue working remotely. The firm is also making arrangements on campus keeping in mind the importance of social distancing with regard to seating, cafeteria facilities, and common area access.

 

According to Amazon India, it is taking necessary measures to keep those who choose to come to office safe through physical distancing, deep cleaning, temperature checks, and availability of face coverings and hand sanitizer. Globally, several technology companies such as Google, and Facebook have extended work from home for the remainder of 2020.