Well, Wipro is not necessarily keen on pushing for employees to take their work home too, but installing Wi-Fi on company buses is close enough. The tech biggie is said to be in talks with Sistema Shyam Teleservices (SSTL) over setting up of the said system so that it can squeeze more productivity out of workers.
If the deal is made, SSTL will supposedly be given the task of bringing Wi-Fi connectivity to 100 Wipro buses in Bangalore which ferry employees to and fro. For some of the staff, the journey can be as long as 2 hours. Passengers could take advantage of up to 9.8mbps in internet speeds while on their commute.
The proposal is already facing a split vote, going by opinions gathered by The Times of India on this matter. Some feel that access to the internet at high speeds could crank up productivity to a certain level, especially if employees use their travel time to check and respond to emails.
One unnamed employee thinks critical coding and other jobs which need back-up logistical support may prove impossible to execute on a bus, Wi-Fi connectivity or not. Sometimes, the mere issue of being in a vehicle and riding out bumpy roads is enough of a distraction from any work that can be done while on the move.
What we think:
Unless employees have collectively demanded for a service such as this, it’s not fair for companies to expect their staff to work even when traveling. Even if seated comfortably, commuting itself feels like a stressful activity to a lot of people.
So unless the Wi-Fi comes without expectations of increased productivity, we’d say no to the concept.