Work-From-Home Policy Could Be The Answer To Many Urban Woes

In a move that is targeted to generate more investors' interest in special economic zones (SEZs), the commerce ministry has decided to allow work from home to the employees of IT (information technology) and ITes (information technology-enabled services) units here. However, this would be subject to certain terms and conditions. Now, while this would make IT jobs in SEZ more attractive, extending similar benefits to other sectors will also be a positive move.

Except some IT companies, most employers in India discourage the practice of working from home, based on the assumption that monitoring people when they are not working in an office set-up is difficult. The fact that employees who have to spend hours in travelling and have to clock a stipulated number of hours in offices are likely to be less productive than people who have the comfort of working from home, do not have to exhaust their energy in travelling and admire their employer for its staff-friendly policies is largely undermined and overlooked. Employees who admire their employers are more likely to stay with them for longer, too.

On the other hand, such a move will impact real estate, too, in a good way.

When employees have the option of working from home, they would save a fair amount of money, too, that goes every month as travel charges. It has to be understood that people who live close to their workplaces have to spend more money in travelling short distances and paying a higher amount as rent, while people who live far from their places have to spend more time in public transport. When travel expenses are nil, the savings are more likely to be used for buying residences. Studies are indicative that real estate is the preferred investment class among Indians.

Companies can help authorities decongest cities by implementing work-from-home policies. More people working from home would mean less number of cars on road and lesser number of people in public transport during rush hours. Cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai which are notorious for traffic jams would see a lot of improvement in their brand image as property destinations.