From Sridhar Vembu to Sunil Mittal: What India Inc feels about work from home

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:02]Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for work from home, virtual meetings, and reduced travel amid the West Asia crisis is receiving a mixed response from India Inc. Speaking in Hyderabad, Modi framed energy conservation and reduced [music] travel as a form of national duty during a period of global uncertainty.

[00:00:22]The appeal comes as a conflict in West Asia disrupts global energy markets, pushes up fuel prices, and raises concerns over India's import bill. While several business leaders back the broader message of conserving energy and strengthening domestic resilience, many companies are stopping short of announcing full-scale work from home policies.

[00:00:43]>> [music] >> Importantly, we need to vote with our feet within our country.

[00:00:48]Spend more here, put more capex here.

[00:00:51]Sunil Bharti Mittal urged businesses to increase domestic investments and reduce dependence on imports. Speaking at the CII annual business summit, Mittal called on companies to focus on local production and domestic demand. Sridhar Vembu from Zoho said that Zoho will revisit work from home arrangements following the Prime Minister's appeal.

[00:01:13]Vembu said that the company had recently shifted back to work from office, but may now reconsider remote work to reduce fuel usage. Harsh Goenka echoed the Prime Minister's appeal on social media, urging citizens to contribute in whatever way we can. The RPG Group currently operates the hybrid work structure and around 50% work from home flexibility. Not everyone, however, is fully convinced about how companies should respond operationally. Sunil Kant Munjal said that conserving energy makes sense for India, but added that widespread work from home is not currently happening. Companies including Deloitte, EY, Tata Motors, Coca-Cola India, and Mercedes-Benz India are expected to continue with existing hybrid work policies. KPMG India said that the announcement is being evaluated while balancing business continuity and client commitments. India's technology sector has shown stronger support for the work-from-home push. NASSCOM said that most IT firms already operate in well-established hybrid work frameworks.

[00:02:16]IT employee body NITES has written to the labor ministry seeking a formal advisory mandating work-from-home for the IT sector. In its letter to the labor minister, NITES said that the prime minister's statement was not merely operational but a call for collective national responsibility. The employee body also argued that the IT industry has already proven during the pandemic that large-scale remote work can continue without hurting productivity. For now, corporate India appears to be taking a calibrated approach backing the larger message of conservation while avoiding sudden operational shift. As geopolitical tensions fuel energy uncertainty worldwide, Prime Minister Modi's appeal has once again pushed work-from-home, hybrid offices, and responsible consumption back to the center of India's corporate debate.

[00:03:05]We will keep tracking every move here on Mint. Stay tuned for more news and updates.

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