Cos cut down on travel near border, offer WFH to staff amid India-Pakistan escalation

Companies are urging employees to postpone non-essential business travel and work from home in key cities and border towns, amid the escalating conflict with Pakistan. They are also advising them to be alert to phishing and misinformation attempts by elements who may use the opportunity to spread panic or extract sensitive information.

Voltas and Ikea have cancelled public engagements while a top hospitality chain deferred a celebratory event earlier this week.

An Airtel spokesperson said the company has issued a work from home (WFH) advisory for border circles.


Staff in locations near the border such as Jammu, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Chandigarh have been instructed to work from home, said Vijay Ranjan Singh, head of HR at LG Electronics India.

Also Read: Border on high alert- Pakistan offensive repelled again

"Specific to our corporate office in the NCR (National Capital Region), we have offered employees commuting from far-off locations the option to work from home and have disallowed all work-related travel to any sensitive border areas," Singh said.

"We are also keeping a close watch on other vulnerable border states such as Gujarat and Rajasthan. We are continuously monitoring the situation and will make real-time decisions, as may be needed, basis any new or emerging developments."

Vedanta advised corporate office staff in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai to work from home on Friday.

Also Read: From Baramulla to Bhuj, India thwarts Pakistani drones at 26 locations amid rising tensions

A Coca Cola spokesperson said the company is advising its associates to stay vigilant, make informed decisions and opt to work from home, provided there are no business-critical activities requiring their presence in the office.

Dip in Hotel Bookings
"If airports are non-operational, associates should adhere to local shelter-in-place guidelines. If airports are functional, they are advised to return to their base locations at the earliest possible opportunity," the spokesperson said.

Mahindra & Mahindra has advised its employees to avoid all "non-critical" business travel.

"If any associate has travel plans to sensitive border areas or affected regions, please discuss with your manager or HR partner," it said in an internal email seen by ET. Mahindra has also set up an internal core crisis committee that comprises the HR departments of all group companies.

Employees at HCLTech's offices in Chandigarh, Gurugram, and Noida have been advised to work from home, said people with knowledge of the matter. Among the Big Four, KPMG said its staff in Gurugram, Delhi, Noida and Jaipur were asked to exercise caution and work from office, home, or client location in consultation with respective managers.

Sources said the EY India team was working from home on Friday in the northern and western regions of the country. Deloitte said people in the north were asked to work from home, and that the company has a hybrid policy in the rest of the country.

Travel and hospitality industry insiders said business bookings in hotels have been hit and some overseas delegations may cancel plans to come to India for conferences and events in the near term. As many as 27 airports are temporarily shut in India and hundreds of flights have been cancelled following Operation Sindoor.

"The travel market and segments such as meetings, conferences, events and exhibitions will be impacted and we are seeing cancellations--we can't deny that," said Hotel Association of India president KB Kachru. "But we are expecting a quick revival. All assistance is being provided to stranded guests by operators."

Davinder Juj, general manager at Eros Hotel New Delhi said events and conferences are being rescheduled or cancelled due to concerns about travel restrictions and safety.

ITC has advised employees to closely monitor and follow local guidelines and avoid non-essential travel in border geographies.