Tech Mahindra to shut offices, move mission critical tasks to home

Information technology services firm Tech Mahindra said it will close all of its offices and move mission-critical tasks to employees working from home.

Most Tech Mahindra employees have already been asked to work from home due to Covid-19 pandemic but a few workers have been reporting to work to support critical functions.

“In accordance with the government’s order and guidelines, we have decided to shut all our office spaces, even most of our essential and critical services are being managed from home,” Harshvendra Soin, chief people officer at Tech Mahindra said in a statement, adding that well-being and safety of employees was the company’s biggest priority now. 

Tech Mahindra employs close to 131,000 workers worldwide in over 60 countries, with a majority working out of India. It is India’s fifth-largest IT services organisation.

It has offices in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkatta and 11 other cities.  “We are working in parallel with the backend IT and security teams to ensure smooth transition,” Soin added.

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Also read: Frontline IT services firms suffer big losses as Covid-19 spooks stock markets

One of Tech Mahindra’s clients is Big Bazaar, the retail brand of Future Group. The company has begun doorstep delivery service even as supply chain issues have affected ecommerce players such as Flipkart and Amazon.

IT services companies have ramped up work from home (WFH) for over 50% of the headcount in India but face key challenges around logistics and infrastructure.  On the logistics side, several firms have not been able to procure laptops for all their employees. In terms of infrastructure, a lack of reliable high-speed internet is expected to affect business delivery, according to a recent report by Kotak Institutional Securities.