About 3 million people are living under a lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The havoc for tech companies came much earlier and it quickly turned into disrupted supply chains. Chinese tech giants shut down as early as January and several tech conferences scheduled for the year were cancelled in February. India is in its third day of curfew and here’s how some tech companies are dealing with it.
Online delivery services
Essentials first. Ecommerce companies Flipkart and Amazon had initially announced that they would shut down operations in India in light of the lockdown and curfews in several states. However, after the government allowed the supplies of essential items, both ecommerce firms announced to resume operations. Notably, both companies have already curbed the delivery of non-essential goods on their websites.
Furthermore, India’s leading supermarket chain, Big Bazaar has also launched its own doorstep delivery service in several cities noting the current crisis. It is currently available in Delhi, Mumbai, Belgaluru, and Gurugram.
Future Group owned Big Bazaar will also start doorstep delivery services in Noida, Ghaziabad, Ranchi, Faridabad, Jammu, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
Tech giants hope to come out strong
Despite the many challenges, experts in the tech industry suggest that the tech industry is likely to return stronger after the coronavirus crisis. Remarkably, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has also asserted that he is confident that the company will come out pretty strong following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a heartening news, mobile company Lava has announced to pay 20 per cent of the salary in advance to its factory workers to help them amidst the abrupt lockdown. On the other hand, Zomato has shared that hundreds of its employees have taken deep voluntary salary cuts to help the company maintain a steady cash flow.
Also Read: 7 Expert Tips to Work from Home during the Corona Crisis
COVID- 19 has significantly impacted the tech industry including the leading players with hundreds of professionals working from home or sent on leave. Thus, it is bound to cause considerable economic damage to these companies. However, it would be worth noting how tech companies deal with the current crisis and bounce bank in the long run.
