Allow 25-35 % IT staff to work from campuses: Mohandas Pai to

The government must allow 25-35 per cent of total staff of information technology companies to work from their campuses because they maintain systems of their clients worldwide and industry in this country, IT sector veteran T V Mohandas Pai said on Tuesday in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

"IT companies have a business continuity plan as it is; it is for any catastrophe. They are doing it," the former Chief Financial Officer of the IT major Infosys Ltd told PTI.

His only request is government must allow critical staff -- 25-35 per cent people of the total workforce -- to work by remaining in their campuses because they have to maintain the systems of the clients world-wide, he said.

"Everybody cannot work from home.And they have to work from there (campuses) to maintain the IT systems of Indian industry. That's very important.

So, it's very, very vital that they (IT companies) are given some flexibility because we must make sure that this does not result in people losing jobs after they come back (when the situation returns to normal)," Pai said.

"After 15 days (after the COVID-19 crisis), the jobs should not disappear. So, we have to be careful and plan it properly, and not panic," he added.