100% WFH allowed for IT units in SEZs

India on Thursday allowed 100% work from home (WFH) for employees of IT and ITES special economic zones and extended the regime by one year to December 2023. The move is in line with IT and tech industry’s demand for liberalisation of work from home rules.

As per the latest rules, units will not need to take prior permission and only inform about it.

The commerce and industry ministry has notified key changes to the rule 43A of the SEZ Rules, 2006, permitted units seeking WFH in future to email an intimation on or before the date of commencement of WFH.

Under the amendment, permission has been granted till December 31, 2023, and the same would apply to all employees of the unit. “Thefacility for work from home or from any other place outside the SEZ may cover all the employees of the units,” the commerce and industry ministry said in a notification.

“Work from home (WFH) regime is significantly liberalised based on consultation with all stakeholders,” said a government official. Nasscom in a tweet termed it as a major step towards ease of doing business.

“In a major step to enable the IT BPM industry in SEZ to operate in a flexible hybrid work model, the @DoC-GoI has today simplified the rules. This will enable the hybrid model to stabilise and evolve over the next year,” it said.

As per the latest rules WFH has been permitted up to 31.12.2023 and units already availing WFH under earlier regime can send an intimation by email till 31.01.2023. As per the new rules, these units are not required to submit lists of employees working from home, but would have to maintain a database.

The development commissioner can ask for the database for verification whenever required.