IT companies in Hyderabad can decide on work-from-home option: Telangana government

The Telangana government on Sunday clarified that it has not issued any order to IT and other companies in the state, directing employees to work from home in the wake of coronavirus fears, even as some multinationals have offered the option to their staff.

The clarification comes after the government announced a slew of measures, including closure of all educational institutions till March 31, to prevent the spread of the pandemic, following two confirmed coronavirus cases in the state.

"The state government has deliberately decided not to issue any specific direction to all the companies. They are expected to make their own assessment of the situation and take a prudent call.. Some companies have received global directions (to work from home). If they have directions, they are free to follow it," Principal Secretary, IT and Industries, Jayesh Ranjan told PTI.

E-tailer Amazon is recommending its employees including those stationed in Hyderabad to chose work-from-home option.

"We continue to work closely with public and private medical experts to ensure we are taking the right precautions as the situation continues to evolve. As a result, we are now recommending that all of our employees globally who are able to work from home do so through the end of March," an Amazon spokesperson told PTI in an email reply.

Tech company Qualcomm has also provided the work-from- home option to majority of its employees to help prevent the contagion, sources said.

When contacted, Executive Chairman of Cyient Ltd, BVR Mohan Reddy said they were evaluating the situation and have not taken any decision on asking the company employees to work from home as of now.

"No. Not as of now. They (senior management) are evaluating the projects which employees can work on from home. Some of our projects are very complex. So therefore we have not still asked anybody to work from home," he said adding Cyient's Business Continuity Programme (BCP) is working on these issues.

Hyderabad Software Exporters' Association (Hysea) President, Murali Bollu said the body as well as small and medium IT firms were finding it difficult to rent laptops that could be provided to their employees. According to him, Hyderabad IT industry employs about five lakh people.

Meanwhile, the city Police issued a warning against spreading false information on coronavirus and asked citizens not to believe in any unverified news or message.

"If anybody is found spreading false or unverified news or message to create fear and panic in the society, legal action will be taken against them under section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005," police said in a statement.