India’s giant outsourcing firms are facing a two-front challenge: protecting the health of millions of employees as the nation suffers the world’s worst Covid-19 crisis, and ensuring that their work continues as usual for the big Western companies on their client lists.
Work capacity at Indian companies may have been down as much as 30% in recent weeks, said Peter Bendor-Samuel, chief executive of Everest Group, a Dallas-based firm that advises companies on outsourcing. With the nation’s medical infrastructure struggling to treat all the infected, workers may have little choice but to stay home and focus on domestic issues when family members get sick, he added. Yet some workers who were sidelined earlier are now returning, and Mr. Bendor-Samuel said he is not hearing of significant delays on any projects.
