Indian conglomerate makes remote working permanent

RPG Enterprises, an Indian diversified conglomerate holding companies such as CEAT, RPG Life Sciences, KEC International, Harrisons Malayalam and RPG Enterprises, will ask all sales employees to work from home (WFH) beginning from September 1, while office-based staff will WFH for 50-75% of the time.

In explaining the new ‘RPG Remote Working Policy’, the company said in a note to 30,000 global employees, “Empowering employees by giving them a chance to work remotely from home or another location for a significant number of days in a month, will enhance employee efficiency and business output.”

Location and workplace-agnostic, the new policy is applicable to RPG’s global operations, and also covers factories and plantations for workers who do not work on machines. In a month, an office-based employee can work two weeks from home, and in certain circumstances, will be allowed to work remotely for three weeks.

READ: WFH for Indian companies to continue through 2020

Prior to the announcement, all RPG offices have been 100% closed, even as operations have continued. According to S Venkatesh, president group HR, and member of the group management board, RPG Enterprises, employee productivity has increased during the last few months, leading to the decision to make remote working permanent beyond the pandemic.

He said, “Our early investments in building digital capabilities has give us the confidence to roll out this path-breaking policy for perpetuity. What is noteworthy and unique is, this policy is industry-agnostic and covers employees in all our group companies in all geographies around the world, including CEOs and senior leadership.”