IT industry body Nasscom has urged its member companies to avoid travel to affected parts of the Middle East and allow employees in the region to work from home as the conflict between the US and Iran widens.
The warning came after the United States and Israel launched coordinated military operations against the Iranian regime on February 28.
In response to the attacks, Iran launched waves of retaliatory ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli population centers and Gulf Arab states that host US forces, according to several reports. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) said it was closely monitoring developments, adding that employee safety remained “the industry’s top priority”.
“As a precautionary measure, Nasscom has advised member companies to postpone travel to the affected areas. Member companies have also been advised to allow employees currently in the region to work from home,” the industry body said in a statement.
The IT industry is business as usual
Furthermore, Nasscom noted that operations across the IT industry are continuing “as usual” at this stage. However, companies have been asked to remain vigilant and be prepared to take additional measures as the situation evolves.
“We are in constant touch with the Nasscom Middle East Council and all employees in the region are advised to stay in regular contact with their respective local embassies and take all necessary measures as communicated by the relevant authorities and employers,” the body said, according to PTI.
Indian IT firms issue employee referrals
The situation in the Middle East has become very tense due to the escalating conflict between the US, Israel and Iran, which according to many reports has killed Tehran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It disrupted air travel and raised security concerns for international travel and operations. Major Indian IT companies such as TCS and Infosys have responded accordingly, advising their employees to exercise caution along with issuing travel advisories, Mint reported earlier.
Both TCS and Infosys have several offices in the Middle East, which were damaged over the weekend by the war in Iran when Tehran fired missiles at key Middle Eastern regions, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, a News18 report noted that executives of other major IT firms such as Infosys and HCLTech were stranded at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports due to the outages.
In view of the situation, the Center is also fully prepared to bring back Indians stranded in the Gulf region and is in touch with Indian missions abroad to ensure their safety, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi told a news portal on Monday.
