HCLTech offers work from home to Chennai employees as LPG shortage hits cafeterias – Business News
HCL Technologies, the country’s third-largest IT services company, has asked its employees to work from home on Thursday and Friday as a commercial LPG shortage disrupts cooking operations across the city from corporate cafeterias to hotel kitchens, hostels and PG accommodations.
Remote Work Advisory
In an email advisory to staff, the company said: “As a precautionary measure, employees working in Chennai are advised to work from home in consultation with their reporting manager starting March 12.”
Employees stationed at client locations have been asked to follow their respective client advisories. Those who have already been rostered for company cabs during the period have also been requested to cancel their bookings if they opt to work from home.
“We have given an option of work from home for our Chennai-based employees because of the cafeteria situation, but all our other campuses are functioning normally,” a company official told FE, adding that the arrangement is optional and only for two days – Thursday and Friday.
HCLTech said the advisory follows restrictions affecting the movement of certain essential commodities across the country. “While business remains unaffected, some of our food vendors are experiencing commercial LPG supply disruptions impacting cooking at some of our facilities,” the company said, adding that the situation is being closely monitored.
The company said vendors are currently offering limited menus in cafeterias due to the constrained LPG supply. It is also working with vendors to explore alternative cooking arrangements, including induction-based solutions, and providing frozen or pre-cooked food that can be reheated using microwave facilities.
Industry-Wide Impact
The development comes as the country’s second largest software exporter Infosys informed employees across its campuses in Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune about temporary disruptions to food court services due to the shortage of commercial LPG. In an email to staff on March 11, Infosys said it is dealing with an “impending situation” related to LPG availability, prompting operational adjustments from March 12. The company advised employees to avoid planning events on campus that require catering and to bring food from home where possible. At its Chennai campus, some food court items may be unavailable or offered in limited quantities.
HCLTech had 226,379 employees as of December 2025. While the headcount at its Chennai campuses could not be independently confirmed, industry estimates suggest it could be over 15,000 employees including in a sprawling IT facility located in the ELCOT Special Economic Zone in Sholinganallur IT corridor.
