GOA’S IT INDUSTRY GRAPPLES WITH AFTER-EFFECTS OF WORK-FROM-HOME MODE

PANAJI: The IT industry in Goa, is grappling with the after-effects of continual preference of work from home (WFH) over the work from office (WFO) mode; even as the end of pandemic is in sight.

Www.livenewsgoa.com got in touch with some of the IT industry stakeholders in the State, and this is what they had to say.

“Productivity was high at first, strangely – as everyone thought it was for a short while only. But sadly as it became the de facto work state – productivity levels started dipping. Team members started to relax.. No one can really check on what they’re doing… So yes, it has been a problem – maintaining productivity, etc,” explains Americo (Ricky) Noronha, Director of Online Productivity Solutions Pvt Ltd, Verna.

“If this WFH state and attendant fear psychosis is continued, it will kill Goa IT. Seriously! The only ones doing well will be the outside folk that come to Goa and WFH here. Our kids won’t get a proper work culture or training or anything and will be back in the tag of ‘susegad Goans are useless at IT’ and that will surely kill Goa IT,” fears Ricky.

“Too many start-ups and existing companies have closed down. Many are sustaining huge losses, but continue to run determinedly. This is not a good state to be in. The government should announce that it’s to be taken as part of life, insist that unless mandated by a company – everyone needs to get back into the offices and work from office. That will help,” he added.

Rohir Naik, CEO of Coderix, shed light on the disadvantages of WFH. “Delivery rate has slowed down. I don’t feel work from home, will work at all as there is huge communication gap and people don’t take it much seriously. Sometimes, we have also seen people indirectly working for others or freelancing,” he pointed out.

Rohir also picked his option, saying: “I will go for WFO, as it helps staff to gain much more experience while at office and communicating with seniors or managers. Again, it also gives them industrial exposure and people who work in a team by discussion work faster; and finish it on time thus increasing productivity.”

Managing Director of Xerviz Wlobal, Rohan Warty emphasised on the change in the scenario, while putting in perspective the work-from-home mode vis-a-vis work-from-office.

He says: “The WFH scenario today is definitely extremely different from the one in March / April 2020. With the pandemic on the rise, we were forced to adapt WFH without much preperation in terms of infrastructure and of the overall employee mindset. In the initial days, we witnessed a higher resistance to this new work style and noticed some hindrance in work due to unreliable internet network and electricity especially in the remote parts of Goa. However, we quickly settled ourselves in the ‘New Normal’ and got our productivity at optimal levels as when handling a client’s work, we need to always give our best.”

Rohan also revealed that the option of WFH can be maintained, according to the employees’ requirement.

“The future looks bright with companies now functioning in hybrid mode, which gives more flexibility in operations. In our company we have noticed that WFH v/s WFO option is largely based on the employee’s personal choice. While some yearn for the physical workspace with all their colleagues around them; some lean towards the comfort of working from home where they can be more present in other roles in their lives. However, certain job profiles demand their physical presence in the office,” analysed Rohan.

“Continual WFH has opened some new avenues for the IT industry in Goa. As Goa has better infrastructure comparatively than other states, outsourcing work to Goan IT has increased. Also with WFH, there are no geographical restrictions in hiring a resource. Most of Goan companies adopting Hybrid mode it gives better Work-Life balance,” he added.