Back to work: These tech companies require employees to work from the office

The epidemic is truly over. Companies that have adopted remote and hybrid work setups are slowly returning to their old habits of having people come into the office every week. The tech industry is facing the most pressing need for employees to return to work and not sign in to work sheets at hill stations or beachsides.

Not only are these companies based in India, but we’re talking about some of the biggest names in tech, and they are pushing people to change the way they work or face serious consequences. Most brands started communicating the changes to employees at the end of 2023, but they are now fully effective. Here’s a roundup of companies mandating employees to work in the office.

Google

Google reportedly revised its hybrid work policy in 2023, forcing employees to stay in the office at least three days a week. Google will monitor employee attendance and take action against those who don’t comply with new requirements, according to a new report. Fiona Cicconi, Google’s chief people officer, recently wrote an email to employees that included doubling down on office attendance. Remote working is only an option in exceptional circumstances, in other words, you no longer have that option.

Yuan

Google isn’t the only tech giant to issue the order. Meta (formerly Facebook) has a similar order requiring its employees to work in the office three days a week. It also warned employees that those who did not report to work on time could lose their jobs. The email was sent to Meta employees by Lori Goler, the company’s “director of human resources.” “Beginning September 5, those assigned to offices will be required to spend at least three days per week in person to foster healthy relationships and strong collaboration,” an excerpt of the email reads.

TCS

TCS, an India-based technology company, recently changed its policy to make it mandatory for employees to work in the office for five days, failing which their appraisals and salary increments will be affected. TCS seems to have taken the order to work from offices and the policy seems to be the same for all departments, giving a “final warning” to everyone about its decision. Such major changes may force some employees to look for new options if the policy doesn’t work for them.

HCL Technology

HCL has slightly more relaxed requirements for its employees, requiring them to come to the office three days a week. Even HCL has asked all employees to adhere to the new policy, which will come into effect from February 19, just a few days away. The media quoted an email from HR indicating that HCL’s message did not have a warning tone, but only informed employees of inevitable changes.

Amazon

Amazon is another global tech giant that is discouraging remote or even hybrid working. The company also wants employees to work from home at least three days a week or risk their promotion opportunities.

Infosys

Finally, Infosys, another Indian technology company, also wants its employees to work at least 10 days a month, which roughly equates to three days a week.