Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram celebrates employees returning to the office after two years

Companies at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram organise programmes, contests and team outings to welcome back employees, who in turn are setting social media abuzz with ‘#back2office’ photographs and videos

In Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, #back2office is trending this week. After over two years of working from home, employees are gradually getting back to work-from-office mode at the IT hub and celebrating with selfies, group photographs and video on social media handles.

Pre-pandemic, the IT hub had a workforce of over 63,000, with over 460 companies operational on the campus spread across 766.86 acres. “At least 30% of have returned to work as of now. If there is no surge in COVID-19 cases, we expect more employees to come in, especially once the schools reopen in June,” says an official with Technopark.

The most excited are freshers, hired after March 2020, who are meeting colleagues and seeing the office premises for the first time. Companies have initiated a phased return to work where new recruits are welcomed first. Meanwhile, at most companies, a hybrid work model continues, wherein employees can work from home as well as office.

Employees who hail from other districts continue to work from home while those in and around Thiruvananthapuram are reporting to work. There is a flexible arrangement, like attending office two days a week. “We are using smart scheduling of spaces as well as campus zoning to ensure social distancing and contact tracing,” says Richard Lobo, executive vice president, Head HR, Infosys, adding, “While our overall experience with remote work has been good, we believe that for optimal engagement and productivity, renewing and creating fresh social equity is essential; for which in person connect and activities help immensely.”

Krishna Gaadha, who joined Simplogics Solutions early this month, posted a video of her grooving with her colleagues Ambily KR and Tinu Achamma Thomas to the track of ‘Criminal’ from Ra.One. The video, shot by another colleague Thehsina Ibrahim, has made them quite famous on the campus. “When we went to the food court, some people recognised us! I was looking forward to work in the IT park and we are having fun exploring the sprawling campus. There is a warm atmosphere at office with team outings and get-togethers,” says Krishna.

Amritha CS of PIT Solutions says that although she joined the company last year, she has been working from home all these months. “Prior to that we were confined to homes with online classes and examinations due to the lockdown. After I got the job, I had come to the office a couple of times to collect work-related equipment. I had no clue about how it was like to work from office as we employees ‘met’ over video calls only. It was exciting to meet every one in person finally,” says Amritha.

On April 18, she was among the freshers who were officially welcomed by the company at an in-house event. Over 120 people who joined the company after March 2020 and a few other employees attended the fun-filled party. “We started out with the freshers because it was important for them to experience corporate culture. Many of them appeared to be in the college mode when we conducted the training sessions online,” says Amina Zeenath, senior project manager with the company. The office was decorated; there were games and entertainment programmes at the event attended by senior staff as well. “We have seen a huge improvement in productivity after they started coming from office. There is better communication and understanding about their jobs,” she adds.