West Asia crisis triggers WFH, travel curbs at IT firms, GCCs & banks

Bengaluru: With the West Asia crisis escalating and recent Iranian strikes targeting the UAE, several IT companies and global capability centres (GCCs) have activated business continuity plans (BCPs), introducing measures such as work-from-home arrangements, travel advisories and temporary office closures.Amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, many tech firms and GCCs are increasingly relying on India as a stable hub for global operations. Many are running mirror command centres from India and activating BCPs to ensure operational resilience and continuity during disruptions. TCS, for instance, which has over 9,000 employees across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, has asked its staffers to work remotely. The company has activated a call tree, with associates in impacted and neighbouring regions being contacted on priority. A call tree is a structured chain-based communication method used to quickly relay alerts or critical updates to teams. “We are also coordinating closely with local authorities and the Indian embassies to track developments and will continue to provide timely updates as the situation evolves,” the company told TOI.Infosys has updated its internal advisory, introducing tighter travel restrictions in response to rising security concerns in the Middle East. The company said only critical travel will be permitted for now, with group meetings, events, offsites and conferences currently restricted. Employees seeking essential travel must first obtain approval from their respective segment head, after which the request will undergo further review by the chief delivery officer’s office before final confirmation.Wipro, which has over 5,500 employees in the Middle East, has asked its few hundred employees in the UAE to work remotely.Vikram Ahuja, cofounder of ANSR, said organisations that were in the middle of setting up or expanding GCCs in the region have paused non-essential travel and executive visits as a precaution. “If the situation persists, we could actually see an acceleration of GCC ramp-ups in India. Global firms will look to deepen their India presence as a stable, high-capability anchor — a trend that was already underway,” he said.JPMorgan, which has offices across the Middle East including in Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Cairo, Doha, Dubai, Manama and Riyadh, has asked employees in the region to work from home as it monitors the evolving situation. “Our employees in the Middle East are currently working from home, and we are continuously assessing developments. Our businesses continue to operate as usual, and client servicing remains uninterrupted,” a spokesperson told TOI.Goldman Sachs has also activated precautionary measures to protect employees and maintain business continuity, asking staff across the region to work remotely and follow guidance from local authorities. Standard Chartered said it continues to maintain normal services in the Middle East under work-from-home arrangements. “Our focus is the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues. While we continue to monitor developments closely, the UAE and our other Middle East markets remain an important part of our global network, through which we continue to support clients navigating a complex and fast-moving environment,” the bank said. Source: ANSR Research