Kritika 
(C): Unsplash
The Uttar Pradesh government’s announcement to promote work from home for IT companies and startups for two days a week has generated a lot of discussion, not just in the offices but even in people’s social media feeds. The UP Hybrid Work advisory, which was released by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the wake of the Prime Minister Naveen Dangawaram’s call for fuel conservation, is being interpreted in two opposing ways – as a milestone towards a better working environment for employees or as a disguised traffic and energy management tool.
What the UP Hybrid Work Advisory Actually Proposes
There are three pillar components to the policy. The first is that big companies like private offices, IT units and startups are encouraged to provide their workers two days of work from home per week. Second, the state departments are looking into staggered working hours, an increase in public transport and “No Vehicle Day” to alleviate congestion during peak hours, especially in areas such as Noida and Lucknow. Third, in the context of an energy austerity campaign, 50% of all internal government meetings are now held by video link and government buildings’ air-conditioning temperatures are limited to between 24°C and 26°C.
The hybrid work policy in Uttar Pradesh seems to be a fair one on paper. To date, however, the framing has caused a lot of confusion to all, from IT employees in UP to HR heads.
The Work-Life Balance Argument
Flexible work has been proven to be beneficial, and proponents of the UP work-from-home advisory are quick to mention it. Research consistently demonstrates that hybrid working arrangements have a positive effect on reducing commuting stress, on mental health and on increasing flexibility in the day-to-day working arrangements. For the techies in coastal Noida, which is a sprawling tech hub with a daily commute time of two to three hours, this would be a big change, as the employees can get a break at least once a week.
Wellness enthusiasts say that the Noida WFH policy can be replicated to spread a flexible work culture in India, which has been slow to adopt. If done well, it can help companies to adopt outcomes-based methodology instead of seat-time accountability, which is badly needed in the Indian tech space.
The Traffic and Energy Control Counterargument
This isn’t the case for employers and economists. They have targeted the reasons given for the advisory: Not an employee-first program, it is a national fuel conservation call. The UP Hybrid Work model may unintentionally become a logistical equation with employees as variables, rather than people with work-life needs, when the government’s overarching goal is to manage public infrastructure and cut its carbon footprint.
The practical is also a concern. If the government forces remote work without the employer and employee agreement, it raises a lot of pertinent questions – such as how it is going to make work more efficient, how it will affect the promotion process (the proximity bias) and how it will affect the ability to set boundaries for remote work (which will make it sustainable in the long run).
Corporate and Public Reaction
Most industry groups, such as Nasscom, have pointed out that most IT companies have flexible structures. A Noida hybrid work policy imposed by the government on top of the existing policies and guidelines may lead to conflicts with client SLAs and contracts, which mandate attendance on-site.
The UP Hybrid Work advisory has triggered an avalanche of relatable content on social media, but there is a real concern that if the working from home approach is seen as a means to address UP traffic congestion solution, rather than an employee right, then workers will be less empowered to be able to advocate for it as a benefit. How will the fuel crisis affect the people once it’s over?
The Bigger Picture: Hybrid Work in India
In UP, the debate is a reflection of the unresolved conflict on hybrid working around the world in India. While in the West, remote work advisory India style has become commonplace over the years, India still has to negotiate the culture and practices of flexibility in the workplace. Whether it was to start that conversation or to cover it up, the UP advisory has brought it to light.
The actual danger is not the policy but the lack of clarity of purpose. A UP Hybrid Work strategy based on employee welfare and with clear guidelines and rules may prove to be transformative. If it’s based on infrastructure alone and does not have accountability measures, it’ll surely not satisfy anyone.
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