Telco operators provide better data packages to help work from home
In a bid to help companies and workers prepare for remote working amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRC) has got operators to provide subsidised/no charge data packages, TRC officials said.
“Many people are working from home. As such we got the operators to introduce special packages to double up data. Now there will be more data usage and certain operators aren’t charging for applications such as WhatsApp and Viber,” TRC Chairman Oshada Senanayake told the Business Times.
A top company chairman is very confident in this model of working remotely. “We were one of the first to make the switch to remote working for all our staff, building on pre-existing infrastructure such as office chat groups, remote access to critical tools, and the fact that much knowledge work can be carried out remotely,” he told the Business Times.
He added that it’s important to lower the chance of spreading the coronavirus to coworkers, families and communities. “It is important to practice social distancing and keep to the 1 meter distance rule when possible. It is also really important to not congregate,” he added.
Some companies in Sri Lanka are also getting their white-collar work force to adhere to the work-from-home mandate as in the US and Europe, he said.
A company CEO said that his firm is holding videoconferences instead of meetings and letting employees work from home. Some companies are considering alternative schedules or staggered shifts.
Many Colombo based firms are encouraging employees to work remotely to suppress the spread of the coronavirus.
The work-from-home policy can only be used by certain employees whose jobs allow them to work remotely, another CEO pointed out. “Not all can work remotely, so some companies are adjusting work schedules in manufacturing, development, customer care and aftersales and contact centres to have staggered work shifts,“ he said.