The first episode for the topic COVID-19 & the New Business Regime revolved around the opportunities and shortcomings escalated by the Work from Home Arrangement for the IT businesses in Pakistan and all across the world.

The panelists for the discussion represented diverse domains from the IT industry such as Fin-Tech, BPO, SaaS & Recruitment and shared viewpoints based on their experiences. To facilitate work from home, it is vital for all employees in the organization to be provided with adequate resources including a stable internet connection, a good computer, and any other devices/ software/ training pertinent to their productivity.

An important point emphasized by all panelists was the inculcation of empathy, communication and trust in the workforce when working amidst a global crisis. Employees should be made comfortable in their homes without invading their space or micromanaging them from afar.

Some of the communication tools mentioned by the panelists were BaseCamp, Slack, Ms-Teams, Rooms and a few other conventional platforms such as WhatsApp, ZOOM and Skype.WFH has also shown promise for people, especially women, living in remote areas looking for employment since it allows people to operate from any part of the world. This can be a great opportunity for businesses to improve their workforce diversity and provide assistance to female workers who have great potential and can deliver quality work from home. The talent pools for any desired skill-sets are likely to increase exponentially with this situation. Where layoffs could be an unavoidable possibility in the future as some businesses may stop generating revenue at their previous pace, it can also result in talent and skill diversification.

Freelancing and availability of people willing to work from home is expected to rise which is a golden opportunity in terms of outsourcing. This is the right time for Pakistani companies to digitally transform their business models and create robust avenues which allow them to be available for outsourcing when the other countries are not. This not only helps retain the customers but also builds goodwill for the new ones.

While it is difficult to see the positives during these tough times, a pandemic just might prove to be the turning point in the fate of the IT industry which we have been waiting for, provided we play our cards right and reinvent the wheel accordingly.