Amid massive rains and waterlogging in Bengaluru, Twitter users demanded that companies and businesses make working from home a permanent regime. India's Silicon Valley was marred with extremely heavy rains, a few days ago and it was totally impossible for people to commute to work.
Twitter was filled with 'tweet-petitions' where people demanded to shift to work from home permanently and let nature heal the situation. The crisis is so bad that the city may not be able to handle so many people, and working from home is better for the environment as well. A user claiming to be a Cardiologist tweeted that only if he leaves at 10 in the night, he might reach the hospital in time for the morning rounds. Due to the bad weather conditions, many multinationals faced tremendous losses as well.
Employees also remarked that they could either work from home or come to the office in a boat. The reaction from the employees across the city came as heavy rains resulted in waterlogging, incidents of tree fall, damages to city infrastructure and power outages in several parts of India's Silicon Valley.
During the lockdown, working from home was initially a pain that was soon converted into an opportunity by enterprising Indians. Many used the time away from formal office space to earn some extra money by taking up part-time gigs or moonlighting in another job. The concept in which employees who have been 'two-timing' their primary employers as Wipro's Rishad Premji said recently, by taking up and working on second jobs simultaneously, is called Moonlighting. For example, an employee may work a 9-to-5 job for his primary source of income and additionally work during the nights for another job to earn extra money.
The shift back to the office has taken that liberty away for most, who now crave to go back to that lifestyle where they could do what they want without the prying eyes of the manager or the tech admin. If companies shift to a permanent work-from-home system, employees could start freelancing or working two/three jobs again that could provide them with extra income on the side to pay off some debts, earn some extra money, get additional work experience, pursue their passions and heck, even invest for their future.
While the pandemic has resulted in work from home culture for the majority of the population, it has surged the number of moonlighting cases as it has become easier for employees to work on a second job or business without their primary employer’s knowledge. With tech companies around the country taking harsh calls to bring such employees back on track, Bengaluru can kiss this clever idea of WFH for the rain goodbye for the foreseeable future. But we could say, well tried!
© Vygr Media Private Limited 2022. All Rights Reserved.
