While multinational companies (MNC) and large enterprises will have their projects already up and running, some experts believe that it will be the small and medium IT enterprises (SMEs) which may see a loss in business from other countries
Hyderabad: The Coronavirus pandemic is causing havoc across the globe with many countries announcing a complete shutdown. This, in turn, is leading to many IT companies — both big and small — losing out on future projects which require onsite work to be done. In addition, employees working onsite are facing high work pressure as the companies are unable to send replacements due to travel restrictions.
While multinational companies (MNC) and large enterprises will have their projects already up and running, some experts believe that it will be the small and medium IT enterprises (SMEs) which may see a loss in business from other countries.
“Clients in onsite projects are also providing work from home option to the employees and many companies are making sure that the work is distributed. However, it is a fact that future business will be severely impacted as there is no visibility for the clients with no visas being issued to employees to travel from India. In addition, many clients are still on tenterhooks on taking any decision on future projects,” Murali Bollu, president, Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (Hysea).
He also added that March-September is the main business time for many companies and some SMEs are likely to report loss while some may shut shop and some layoffs might also happen. “Meanwhile, there is a lot of pressure on large companies on coordinating projects on the clients’ side,” Bollu informed.
Onsite is usually a term used in the IT sector for employees sent from India to other countries — mostly the US — to work on a particular project for a client. This work is usually viewed as a promotion among the IT employee community.
“While people working onsite are usually happy to be there, but due to Covid-19 and eventual lockdown, it is impacting the psyche of the employees. While some must have gone for just 2-3 months period and would like to return to their families, the travel restrictions are hampering their plans. In addition, the work is high for these employees as they are the only direct contact for the clients. We have got many complaints from employees on work pressure and also homesickness,” said Sundeep Kumar Makthala, president, Telangana IT Association.
