This Article is From Aug 14, 2009

Pune IT firms battle to keep H1N1 at bay

Pune IT firms battle to keep H1N1 at bay

AP image

Pune:

Pune, one of India's IT hubs and home to over two lakh employees, is battling to keep the swine flu at bay. From daily checks on employees to ordering home quarantines, companies are doing whatever they can to keep the flu at bay.

From the man who drops the employees home to the man who drives the company, everyone at Fujitsu Consulting gets a temperature check before entering the office complex. One whose temperature crosses 100 degrees Fahrenheit is sent back home.

This is just one of the measures at firms like Fujitsu to tackle the swine flu threat.

"We told them if anyone at home is unwell then stay at home. You may not be affected but you may be a carrier. When they return they have come back with a medical certificate saying that they are healthy. Otherwise they will not be allowed to return to their work stations," said Anagha Wankar, head, Human Capital Management, Fujitsu Consulting India Ltd.

Pune has over 200 IT companies with over two lakh employees. All the top names operate out of the city.

Giving that IT firms have centrally air-conditioned environments, employees have also been given the option of working from home. But if you have to travel on important work, the company gives you a travel pack, which includes a hand sanitiser and a mask.

IT giants like Infosys have issued travel advisories restricting travel in and out of Pune.

Others have told employees entering the city from flu hit areas to stay homebound for a week. So video conferencing has now replaced face-to-face meetings. Even company canteens now wear a masked appearance.

"It is reassuring to know that safety comes above all else," said an employee at an IT firm.

"My family is relieved that if I want to, I can work from home," said another employee.

Clearly for Pune's IT companies, the bill that prevention runs up, is far more acceptable than one they'll have to pay if their offices get flu-ed out.

.