Recognizing the slow but sure shift of the official workspace from cubicles to the screens of hi-tech devices and the online space, the Indian government has recently introduced new guidelines needed to accommodate the transition of an adapting workforce to the new, flexible and technologically aided virtual workspace.
The virtual workspace employs people in the work-from-home mode, a work model adopted by Indian businesses and employers during the lockdown when COVID-19 was at its peak.
With active cases still being detected in India and scientists predicting that the virus will not be completely gone until the next few years, government has drawn guidelines that will steer the transformation of the workspace for professionals in coming times. Companies are keeping their employees’ health and safety as a top priority and the new guidelines for the ITES sector have been warmly welcomed by the corporate world which was struggling to find a proper work model following unlocking of the country.
According to the new rules introduced by the government, other service providers, such as KPOs, BPOs, and call centres, which come under the ITES sector, no longer have to follow a frequent reporting model and other formal obligations that usually require employees to visit their office spaces physically. The new rules have also taken out registration requirements for OSPs, letting them work without the necessity of producing bank guarantees, publication of network diagram, penal provisions and static IPs.
The removal of these additional guidelines is important so that the road to transforming how India works in future is paved from today. The OSPs needed these modified rules as it would facilitate flexible work schedules and a dynamic work environment while embracing a technologically driven work process for the ITES sector, and thereby increasing the efficiency of the IT workers.
After the announcement of the new guidelines for the functioning of the ITES industry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in support of the ITES sector, hailing it as a globally recognized and relevant industry. He has further said that the government is committed towards helping it grow and the facilitation of a flexible work model is one of its innovative and widely appreciated moves that is set to revolutionise the industry as the world know it.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITES industry was one of the fastest-progressing industries as all other industries depended on IT solutions to function. The ITES sector easily adapted to the new work challenges posed by the pandemic as it is obviously the best industry in implementing technology.
The new guidelines have given a solid framework to the ITES sector and increased the convenience of working in the sector while ensuring the health and safety of its employees. The sector in India is expected to grow tremendously in the next five years and a flexible and amicable work environment will maximise its productivity, while providing opportunities for IT professionals from remote areas of the country to work in leading ITES companies of India.
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