India likely to continue WFH policy into 2022

As the ongoing pandemic shows no signs of ending soon, the Central government is working on a plan to bring a legal structure that is aimed at defining the liability of employers for their staff who work from home, according to media reports.

The central government is also working on a legal framework for new models of work that have arisen from the pandemic. Such a framework would include the work from home model, as well as the hybrid work model where employees must go to the office for a certain number of days in a week, reported Economic Times.

In addition, the Central government is considering fixing work hours for employees and payment of additional expenditure incurred by them for internet connectivity and electricity due to working from home.

A government official said that a consultancy firm has been tasked to determine the future of ‘work from home’ culture against the backdrop of the pandemic and the benefits it brings to stakeholders. He further said that in the new structure, companies of all sectors will be asked to follow the guidelines. 

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In January this year, the Central government formalised the work from home structure for the services sector which allowed the employers and employees to mutually decide on working hours.