All employees of IT companies in Technopark, an information technology park in Thiruvananthapuram, are set to be fully vaccinated by the end of September. Some companies in the IT park have already fully vaccinated their employees, while other companies are in the process of completing the drive for the second dose of vaccines. The first dose was completed in June. Once all employees have been fully vaccinated, the IT companies will resume normal operations.
"The second dose vaccination drive is in full swing with many companies inoculating their employees and family members and also support staff,” said a release from the Technopark. The drive for administering the second dose, led by Technopark Employees Cooperative (TEC) Hospital, started last month.
Technopark Cooperative (TEC) Hospital procured two lakh Covishield doses and 30,000 Sputnik V vaccine for the IT employees and their family members across Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, read the statement. Each company took responsibility to ensure their employees are vaccinated. Many companies had made vaccination compulsory, too.
Since the companies coordinated it individually, it was easy to ensure a wider vaccine coverage, said sources in the IT park. “Some companies that have already given two doses of vaccines have resumed operations. There will be a gradual increase in the number of employees returning to campus, which is closely related to the vaccination numbers and school reopening. However, while companies may not completely shift from the work-from-home mode, more companies will return to IT parks in the coming months,” said John M Thomas, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kerala IT Parks.
He added that by June next year, 90% of the IT workforce will come back to Kerala.
"As the US and Europe (companies) are coming back to the office in larger numbers, you would see those clients pushing their Indian vendors also to come back to offices," he said.
He also said that many of the companies will be functioning in a hybrid fashion, and that the WFH option has created a positive impact on the IT industry. "The hybrid model is not necessarily going to shrink the workforce. The paradigm shift in the preferences of the companies will be work culture-specific. The WFH has gained more acceptance and it is here to stay," he added.