Bengaluru rain forces Infosys, other IT giants to remote work
BENGALURU, INDIA — Bengaluru’s major IT companies, including Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Accenture, and Cognizant, have urgently shifted to work-from-home (WFH) arrangements as relentless pre-monsoon rains cripple the city’s infrastructure.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Bengaluru and a red alert for Karnataka, with forecasts of continued heavy rainfall and thunderstorms through May 26.
Roads across key tech hubs, such as Electronic City, Outer Ring Road, and Whitefield, have been submerged, flyovers blocked, and commutes stretched to hours.
Companies prioritize employee safety, business continuity
With vast areas waterlogged and emergency services on high alert, IT giants have prioritized employee safety and operational continuity.
Infosys advised staff to coordinate with managers and “choose to work from home on Wednesday (May 21, 2025),” according to an internal email. Cognizant, which employs 40,000 people in the city, also mandated WFH for its workforce.
The decision follows a public request by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP PC Mohan, who urged all companies to “declare two days of work from home due to rains.” The city recorded 105.5 mm of rain in just 24 hours, the second-highest single-day rainfall since 2011.
All companies in Bengaluru, including Infosys, must declare two days of work from home due to rains.
— P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) May 19, 2025
Urban planning, infrastructure under scrutiny
The city’s rapid urban expansion and inadequate drainage have left it ill-prepared for such weather events. Waterlogged roads and reports of electrocution in flooded buildings have made commuting unsafe, forcing companies to revert to remote work—a move reminiscent of the early pandemic days, but driven now by infrastructure failure rather than public health concerns.
Remote work: Temporary solution to a recurring problem
While WFH offers temporary relief, the frequency of weather-triggered disruptions is rising. For now, IT firms are leveraging their post-pandemic remote infrastructure—secure VPNs, cloud collaboration, and digital project tools—to stay operational.
Experts suggest that tech firms may need to consider decentralizing operations and that public-private partnerships are essential to bolster the city’s resilience.
For now, remote work remains the only viable option for thousands of IT employees, as Bengaluru’s Silicon Valley status is tested by nature and infrastructure alike.
