India Inc keeps its guard up to ride out third wave

The rapid rise in Omicron cases in Delhi and Mumbai has triggered fears of a sweeping third wave, pushing businesses to take measures to protect their workforce while ensuring minimal disruptions.

Companies are strengthening work-from-home mandates, reviewing safety protocols and checking the vaccination status of employees. To be sure, having coped with a severe second wave, the view is that another spike can be managed. Some are planning to ask eligible, fully vaccinated employees to take additional shots when enrolment begins.

Leading international garment brands such as Zara, Mango, and Ralph Lauren among others have called Covid audits at manufacturing units in Tirupur to assess vaccination status and adherence to safety protocols. Others are reverting to work from home.


"Starting from Jan 1, JSW Steel's Mumbai office will have only 50% capacity. Rest will work from home," said a spokesperson. It has about 1,000-1,300 employees at the corporate office in Mumbai.

Industry had been watching the situation closely and the sudden rise in cases has triggered preventive plans earlier than expected.

Industry Confident
Delhi's Covid cases rose from 180 last Friday to 1,313 on Thursday. Over this period, Mumbai saw a spike from 683 to 3,671.

Mahindra & Mahindra, which announced a work-from-home shift for its employees during the second wave, has extended it till January 31 as a precautionary measure.

Tata Motors is also implementing a hybrid model of work that requires a limited number of employees to be present in the office by rotation. "We have advised employees to avoid unnecessary travel and entering into crowded places, use personal transport preferably when travelling, wear a proper mask and ensure frequent washing of hands properly plus use of sanitisers," a company spokesperson told ET.

ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel is monitoring the situation. "We tightened the safety norms since mid of November 2021. We will continue to take further precautions," said a senior official.

On the shop floor, companies are seeking to ensure production is maintained with a minimal workforce.

"We will follow all the government protocols and encourage employees to work from home as much as possible - 99% of our employees are fully vaccinated. There is no case of the new virus reported in our workplace," said an executive at a top south India-based cement maker.

Companies that have already made vaccinations compulsory for employees and their families are encouraging workers who are 60 and above to go for additional shots, apart from getting those above 15 inoculated.