Wipro bucks tech industry trend and enables hybrid work • The Register

Indian IT outsourcer Wipro bucked recent trends this week when it announced it would allow its employees to work remotely.

HR chief Saurabh Govil shared the news about the hybrid work policy on LinkedIn on Tuesday.

“We expect our employees to work in the office space three days a week and select those days based on their collaboration needs,” Govil wrote. “Our approach also provides employees with the opportunity to seek remote work for certain days of the year to care for themselves or to get loved ones back to health.”

Govil promoted the policy not only to enable work-life integration, but also to address and accommodate special needs.

“We trust our employees to do their best work because they hold themselves accountable,” Govil commented.

The policy does not appear to be significantly different from the policy in place since the end of 2023, other than allowing more flexibility in grouping days into a package for self-care or family care.

According to local media, employees could work remotely for up to 30 more days per year starting October 1, subject to manager approval. 15 days can be used for sick people and a further 15 days for those in need of care.

The move contrasts with the tech industry’s trend of bringing employees back into the office full-time. Dell announced a full-time, five-day-a-week on-site schedule last month, as did Amazon.

However, Indian IT outsourcer HCL requires its employees to commute three days a week and at least twelve days a month. Anyone who fails to meet this requirement must expect the unusual consequence of potentially losing their right to holiday.

HCL reportedly sweetened the deal this week when it announced a 7 percent salary hike for its employees effective October 2024. High performers can look forward to an even larger salary increase of up to 12 to 15 percent.

It is not yet clear how many will see the hike. This number is said to depend in part on the outsourcing giant’s review cycle. ®