Wipro tightens work-from-home policy, links office attendance to leaves

Wipro is enforcing a new policy requiring employees to work from the office at least three days a week. Those found violating the rules will be at risk of losing a day's leave

Bengaluru-based IT major Wipro has become the latest company to tighten its work-from-home policy after months of attempts to persuade employees to return to office, Mint reported on Friday.

In an internal email sent on September 2, Wipro mandated employees to work from the office at least three days a week or risk losing a day’s leave. With this, the company joins a host of IT services firms adopting strict work-from-office policies. The company’s human resources team has been directed to reject employee requests to work from home under this new policy. 

LTIMindtree also adopted similar measures earlier this month. Under its new policy, LTIMindtree said it would deduct up to 1.5 days of leave per month in case of a violation by any employee. Wipro has not specified anything about this. “The management will cancel a day of leave for every day missed in office,” a Wipro employee told Mint on the condition of anonymity.

Popularity of work-from-from jobs

The work-from-home model became popular during the Covid-19 lockdown. As the pandemic receded, companies began calling employees back to the office, with some offering hybrid work arrangements. However, this shift in work culture has triggered a new trend in employee preferences. Due to the flexibility of remote work, which offers an improved work-life balance and increased savings, more workers are seeking fully remote positions.

According to a report published by Forbes in June, 71 per cent of remote workers in the US believe that their work arrangement helps them maintain a better work-life balance. Another estimate by Upwork says that by 2025, about 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely, comprising 22 per cent of the workforce.

For India, a Forbes report cites a CXOToday survey, which projects that by 2025, an estimated 60 to 90 million Indians will be working remotely, making up to 15 per cent of the workforce. At present, some 12 per cent Indian workforce works remotely, the report said.