Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Mar 23: A new trend in work-from-home is emerging in coastal Karnataka where individuals are employed by foreign IT companies and paid by their respective countries while working from the comfort of their homes in India.

Swati of Bantwal, for instance, works for an IT company based in Dubai, but has not been to Dubai in over a year. "I got a job in a Dubai-based IT company. Within a week, the Covid lockdown began and we were asked to leave for our native places. Within two months of reaching our native place, we were asked to work from home. The same arrangement is continuing. I go to Dubai once every six months to extend my visa for a week or two. I still do not know Dubai well," she says.

The continuation of work-from-home arrangements has allowed IT companies to save on office rent, electricity bills, vehicle and accommodation charges, which accounts for roughly 60% of the cost they incurred earlier. In addition, companies can also save on their staff's time. With modern technology, assessing the performance of employees working from home is not difficult.

Akshatha, an employee of a Dubai-based IT company, says, "Working from home allows me to avoid worrying about the expensive room and lifestyle in Dubai. Moreover, working with family around at home also helps."

Many individuals who visit their native place once a year for vacation also work for a month or two from home so that they can enjoy their vacation for longer and then return to their overseas workplace.

According to a study, over 30% of those employed in overseas IT companies work from home. Most of those who work from home in the coastal region work for IT companies based in Arab nations.