To beat WFH stress, IT companies come up with virtual perks for employees

The pandemic is still here, and most of the workplaces are empty with employees working from home. When the coronavirus pandemic started to trouble India, the government in March imposed a complete lockdown due to which, many companies allowed their employees to work from home. However, now that the economy is being opened gradually with less COVID-19 restrictions in place.

The government made it easier for some industries to allow employees to work permanently from home. The Centre has announced simplification of guidelines for companies offering business process outsourcing (BPO) and IT-based services (ITeS).

In this difficult time, as employees are feeling stressed out with their work-load, various IT companies have arranged virtual perks to keep the employees entertained. From online music concerts to stand-up comedy sessions-the companies are leaving no stones unturned to help the employees to relieve the stress.

Earlier certain IT companies used to deliver certain amenities like gyms, sports areas etcso that the employees felt right at home. However, with these facilities being of no use, the companies have resorted to online entertainment activities to keep their employees happy. It is to be noted that close to 40 Lakh IT workforce is not working from the office.

According to an article in BusinessLine, TCS through its #OneTCS channel hosted a concert of singer Jonita Gandhi on July 2.

Milind Lakkad, Global Head, Human Resources, TCS said that the OneTCS channel was developed to 'focus on the physical and emotional well-being of its employees.'

 “Our OneTCS channel has hosted inspirational leaders, mental health experts, virtual town halls and global talent hunt competitions, all designed to reduce stress and the feeling of isolation, and to boost morale,” he said.

Meanwhile, Infosys, India's second-largest software company has arranged virtual reality (VR) technology for new employees to experience the workplace and interact with colleagues.

“We have sessions where teams can get together to maintain a fitness schedule; we provide virtual rooms for collaborative meetings and have substantially increased online leisure and wellness options,” Richard Lobo, Executive Vice President, Head HR, Infosys said to BusinessLine.

Moreover, Accenture had a  ‘speaker series’ with cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle to keep the employees' mind occupied with all things cricket.

All in all, the IT companies are doing everything in their capacity that the minds of the employees working from home are rejuvenated amidst tremendous work loads.