Security drills and overnight strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK prompt WFH, early departures from offices in Gurgaon

GURGAON: Planned security drills and India's late-night strike on terror targets in Pakistan prompted several city residents to opt for work from home while some companies gave their staff the option to leave office early.

A firm in the city asked its client visiting from Singapore to cut short their trip as India-Pakistan tensions escalated on Wednesday.

Some employees said it felt safer to stay at home and avoid going outdoors. "It was early in the morning, around 6am when we received an email from our firm, informing us to work from home due to the drill and also because of a late-night operation carried out by the Indian forces. I live in Delhi and usually commute to my office in Gurgaon, so I was getting ready to leave when I received the e-mail. I stayed back and worked from home," said Sonali, an HR professional.

Another private firm in the city requested foreign clients to leave the country soon. "They were supposed to stay here for a week, but the company immediately booked their flight tickets and sent them to the airport. Other employees were given the option to work from home if they felt unsafe stepping out of their houses. Our firm said that offices will remain open, but it's up to the employees whether they want to come in or work from home," said Sanjay Verma, who works in the IT department of a Gurgaon-based firm.

Deepshikha, who works in the finance department of another company, said she left her office around 4pm to get home in time for the "blackout". "We usually leave the office by 6pm, but today we were asked to leave around 4pm. So, everyone wrapped up their work," she said.

There was no power outage, but Gurgaon residents were asked to voluntarily switch off all lights at home between 7.50pm and 8pm to participate in the drills, which involve simulating the civil response mechanism in case of an air attack.

Abhishek Yadav, who works for a company in the city, said his office did not issue any circular to work from home but he chose to.

"I was watching news about the strikes all night, so I didn't feel like getting ready for work in the morning. In the current situation, anything can happen, so it's better to stay at home for a few days," Yadav said.