WFH effect – These companies are paying for employees' power bills, internet cost and more

• To make the ‘new’ office setting normal for employees, companies are offering work from home allowances.
• The allowance is to help employees buy the appropriate furniture or set up internet routers and more.
• Employees are also asking for the extra allowance to make up for the increased electricity and internet bills.

When thousands of employees across India retreated to their homes to begin working from home in March, almost every other person thought this was going to be a short-term phenomenon. Cut to July, and it has become part of the new reality. The government has already directed IT companies to extend work from home until December.

Many startups like OYO, Zomato are also looking at permanent work from home set up for their employees.

And to make the ‘new’ office setting normal for employees, companies are offering work from home allowances to help them buy the appropriate furniture or set up internet routers and more. Employees are also asking for the extra allowance to make up for the increased electricity and internet bills.

When tech giant Google had announced work from home until the end of the year, it had also set aside $1000 for each employee for them to buy work from home furniture. The likes of Uber too followed.

Bengaluru-based G7 CR Technologies has recently announced a work from home allowance of ₹18,000 for all its employees. Another startup – the artificial intelligence company Bobble.ai has also set aside a one-time allowance for its employees.

Startups have also been helping their employees by sending them office chairs or laptops and also helping them set up internet connections at home. “Ensuring employees can work comfortably from home is the primary need. Some may not have high-speed internet, others might not have a comfortable work chair. We have found that providing a no-questions-asked allowance to set up a home office and partnering with brands offering such products like ergonomic chairs at a subsidised cost goes a long way in making the employee’s life that much easier,” said Anuradha Bharat, Head, People Operations at Razorpay.

Meanwhile, gaming unicorn Dream11 has planned ‘seasonal surprises’ that is doorstep delivery of goodies to cheer up employees.

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