These startups are proving Work-From-Home to be the new normal in future

Work From Home (WFH) may become the new normal for startups as the world is witnessing an extended lockdown due to the Covid-19 situation.

The lockdown was implemented by the Government of India on March 22, due to which may companies had implemented the WFH policy and even plan on doing the same post the lockdown.

The digitally equipped Indian startups have shifted to remote working. The startups are now using Google Docs, Hangouts, WeConference, Zoom, and Skype for communication, as well as cloud-based process management tools such as Jira.

Here is a list of a few startups that have made working from home a new normal:

Khabri

India’s digital audio platform providing content in the regional language, used to function from a co-working space before the lockdown. However, after the restrictions were implemented, the company had to switch to the digital space to continue working efficiently. The startup claims that the WFH has driven its business effectively and yielded better results. The startup company has now given up their co-working space. It has seen an increase in in-app engagement during the lockdown.

Oppo Kash

OPPO had announced its entry into the financial services sector with ‘OPPO Kash’ that offers users to invest in mutual funds, along with free credit reports, personal loans up to two lakh, business loans up to Rs 2 crore and screen insurance. However, days after the establishment of the new branch, India witnessed a nationwide lockdown.

According to Zafar Imam, Chief Business Officer, OPPO Kash, initially, there were a few difficulties in sticking to the routine but now the employees at Oppo Kash have adapted to the environment and are able to deliver business values as per their bandwidth. He is now considering to increase the frequency of Work-From-Home for employees post the lockdown.

"As far as Business is concerned, Work-From-Home has not impacted our business. We have observed a constant increase in employees’ energy and a flexible work schedule has made employees more productive in delivering business values. Tech has completely changed the world as we are able to track the daily health status of employees and take care of each and every person in the organisation. We are also keeping them engaged through various fun activities like cooking competition, treasure hunt, singing competition, etc,” he added.

CloudConnect Communications

A cloud-based unified communication company mentioned that it had a lot of employees working remotely even before the lockdown. The company has five offices across India but the employees are currently working from home to ensure the health and safety of the entire team. CloudConnect Communications claimed that it has created created and leveraged every technologically advanced tool that enable seamless remote-working. Therefore, it is more than equipped to continue working from home - even after the lockdown is lifted, the company said.

“Moreover, Covid-19 is still gaining scale. It is uncertain when the pandemic will pass and global reports are suggesting that 2020 will be the year of remote working. As a unified communications company with tools that allow us to continue business as usual in such a scenario, we are prepared to work from home throughout 2020,” the company mentioned in its official release.

Haptik

A conversational AI platform and a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has been working from home since lockdown and nothing changed in their working norms, the company claimed. Haptik mentioned that there have been no pay cuts from the employees’ salaries. The company said that it has taken people on board at a time when the world is staring at a recession.

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