HCLTech offers work from home as LPG crunch disrupts office cafeterias
New Delhi: HCLTech has offered employees at its Chennai office the option to work from home on 12–13 March as a cooking gas shortage disrupted cafeteria operations, two senior executives aware of the development said.
Several cafeteria vendors were unable to operate due to the ongoing LPG crunch, prompting the company to allow staff to work remotely on the two days, the executives told Mint.
The LPG crunch, despite the government’s assurances, has pushed many restaurants across to shut their shutters. Meanwhile, India Inc is slowly feeling the domino effect of the US and Israel’s battle against Iran.
The price of a 14.2 kg domestic cooking gas cylinder was raised by ₹60, while the 19 kg commercial cylinder has become costlier by ₹144 across major cities and states of the country.
Queries emailed to HCLTech for a confirmation were yet to be answered.
Separately, food-related disruptions have also prompted the second-largest Infosys Ltd to issue advisories at at least two of its locations, including Bengaluru and Chennai.
Infosys issued advisories to employees in Bengaluru stating that cafeterias would function with fewer menu items “amid an impending situation regarding availability of commercial LPG.” Live counter operations have been plugged at offices, and employees are being urged to get home-cooked food.
Infosys and HCLTech ended last year with 337,034 employees and 226,379 employees, respectively. At least three-fourths of their workforce is stationed in India.
Global search firms say companies with planned or existing exposure to the West Asia region are putting senior-level hiring on hold amid rising uncertainty. Consulting firms also warn that bonuses could come under pressure for companies exposed to the region as the conflict disrupts sectors such as energy, real estate, construction and logistics.
The conflict, which began nearly two weeks ago after the US and Israel attacked Iran, has drawn in several countries in the region and forced governments to take sides. For India, the implications are significant: more than nine million Indians live and work in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. The region attracts the largest number of migrant workforce, including white-collar employees.
India Inc. has mapped staff location, advised safety protocols and created war rooms for their safety, but the domino impact will play out over the next few months.
