Chennai rains have forced tech giants in the city to enforce contingency plans. Extremely heavy rains in Chennai during past couple of weeks have given birth to a challenging situation for companies like IBM, Infosys, and Cognizant.
As much as 15% of India’s 3-million technology workforce is based in Chennai. Chennai rains have posed serious problems for these workers who handle major clients like Citigroup, Walmart, JP Morgan Chase, and others. Also, as an automotive hub, extreme weather conditions in Chennai have left companies like Hyundai, Renault-Nissan, and Hyundai in a state of bother.
One of the top priorities is to ensure safe passage for the employees who have been left stranded due to Chennai rains. Makeshift camps and temporary shower stalls have cropped up in most companies. In-campus transportation is being carried out using hired boats, while key personnel have been shifted to Bengaluru. Interestingly, Bengaluru has also received record rains this month, but the situation in Karnataka’s capital is far better than Chennai.
Another major challenge is meeting targets and delivering clients’ requirements. In order to ensure that work isn’t affected heavily, some companies provided the option of ‘work for home’, and declared holidays for a week or so. One of HCL’s largest campuses in Chennai had to shut operations due to flooding.
Chennai rains have emerged as a serious challenge to the tech industry based in the city. TCS maintains 65,000 employees in Chennai, HCL and its associates employ close to 24,000 workers, and Wipro 18,000. Heavy rains in the region have affected work as tech giants continue to juggle the safety of their employees and clients’ expectations.
Although only light rain is forecast for the next 24 hours, a fresh system is likely to give good rains in Chennai by November 27. Contingency measures are likely to remain in place as the backbone of India’s tech industry continues to battle Chennai rains.
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