As India discusses the return to work from home to reduce fuel consumption amid global uncertainties, Sridhar Vembu has firmly stated that Zoho will not be increasing remote work options for its employees. The Zoho founder emphasised that in-person collaboration yields superior results, particularly for teams focused on research and development. This comes even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged corporates to revive some of the habits adopted during the Covid era, such as virtual meetings and remote work, to help lower fuel consumption.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Vembu shared that the topic was discussed internally at the company, following his previous remarks about workplace culture that attracted some sharp feedback. Ultimately, he announced that Zoho decided against expanding work-from-home opportunities, as in-person collaboration remains more effective for solving complex problems.
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“Ultimately, after a lot of people inside weighed in on my X post, we decided not to expand WFH because the productivity of face-to-face problem solving is much higher in R&D," Vembu said.
He mentioned that his personal experience with development groups indicated that problems frequently take longer to resolve when staff are working from a distance. In his view, informal teamwork occurs more effortlessly when teams are situated together, resulting in enhanced ideas and quicker resolutions.
Vembu added, “I have experienced this in my own development team – issues take longer to resolve when you are not meeting the people involved in solving the problem. Collaboration happens more fluidly face-to-face, and we come up with better solutions.”
“We are looking at electric bus fleets and electric cooking in our canteens to save fuel. We have made heavy investments in solar already,” Vembu further added.
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Vembu's comments come at a critical time when the government is motivating individuals and enterprises to reduce unnecessary fuel usage, amid the economic strains linked to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. PM Modi positioned the fuel conservation request as an economic and energy-security strategy rather than a health-related caution. He emphasised that India ought to brace for global turbulence by reducing reliance on imported fuel and minimising unnecessary consumption of petrol and diesel.
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