More workers return to offices in Delhi, Mumbai

As India reopens after a hiatus of two years, cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Pune have seen employees returning to workplaces at a relatively faster rate, a new report showed on Thursday.

Domestic companies have been at the forefront of bringing employees back to offices in a phased manner.

Service-oriented markets such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which have a strong technology base, have also seen a steady return of employees to their workplaces, according to the report by global real estate consultancy firm Colliers.

"We are seeing companies opening offices with greater fervour only now. Q2 2022 will be a crucial period as we expect more companies to open up workplaces to their employees through a hybrid model," said Ramesh Nair, CEO, India and Managing Director, Market Development, Asia, Colliers.

"We have already started seeing companies encouraging in-person team meetings, team huddles and brainstorming meets that were done virtually over the last two years," he added.

The overall market is seeing a surge in workplaces opening in the last few months after the diminishing impact of the third wave of Covid-19, and good vaccination coverage among the eligible population.

Beginning March, several technologies and IT companies have started calling employees to the workplace at least two times a week, with most of these majors opting for a hybrid work policy.

Some global companies and MNCs have reopened with a hybrid model of working, but many continue to chalk out their hybrid policies, according to the report.

Indian IT companies have started opening offices in March, with many of the companies planning to return to offices in a phased manner beginning in April. At some companies, the senior management employees are coming into the workplace a few times a week.

Consulting companies have also adopted a hybrid work model with employees coming into the workplace 2-3 times a week on a rotational basis, said the report.