As air pollution rises, companies revert to hybrid work model in Delhi-NCR

As air quality worsens in the National Capital Region, companies scramble to minimise the exposure of their employees as far as possible

The increase in air pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR) is causing trouble to not just children and the elderly but also the young workforce who have to commute daily amid a fog of the hazardous tiny particles that now envelop Delhi and its satellite cities Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad.

The air pollution, expected to peak immediately after the Diwali festival, has reached severe levels in Delhi-NCR, according to monitoring agencies. With this, companies are scrambling to minimise the exposure of their employees as far as possible. They are taking several measures to ensure that.

According to a report in The Economic Times, these measures include: implementing flexible office timings, hybrid work culture and installing air purifiers and plants in offices.

Some companies have reverted to the hybrid work culture. They have allowed some employees to work from home to avoid unnecessarily exposing themselves to toxic air. Having already tried this model during the Covid-19 pandemic, implementing the work-from-home model is seamless this time.

"We are continuing with work in the office. We have sent an advisory for wearing masks, specifically N95, and are installing air purifiers in the office," said the co-founder of the edtech startup UpGrad, Mayank Kumar.

Aditya Mishra, chief executive of CIEL HR Services, told the publication that at least half of the companies following hybrid working models are encouraging employees to work from home because of the deteriorating air quality.

"We are aware of even manufacturing companies encouraging employees in roles like legal, finance and HR to work from home for a few days due to high pollution levels," he said.

Sunit Sinha, partner and head of people, performance and culture at KPMG in India, told ET they are monitoring the situation closely and will continue with the hybrid working model. "Safety of our people and doing our best to serve clients seamlessly stay at the centre of our actions."