Cognizant orders work from home amid Bengaluru’s heavy rains and flooding chaos

US-based IT giant Cognizant Technology Solutions mandated work from home for its Bengaluru employees on May 20, responding to relentless downpour and severe flooding that has disrupted the city’s tech hubs. The firm employs around 40,000 people in Bengaluru, India’s IT capital.

Bengaluru received nearly 240 mm of rain over two days, with 104 mm on May 18 alone, flooding roads, underpasses, and parts of major residential and commercial areas. Key tech neighborhoods like Koramangala, HSR Layout, BTM Layout, and Marathahalli were heavily waterlogged. Manyata Tech Park saw submerged entry points, forcing employees to turn back.

Despite the chaos, many companies did not issue formal work-from-home advisories, leaving employees scrambling. Infosys follows a hybrid three-day work-from-office policy, which likely reduced commutes. L&T Technology Services reportedly left work-from-home decisions flexible, based on individual arrangements.

The Silk Board Junction became nearly impassable, with flooding blocking interstate buses and crippling traffic. Bengaluru traffic police temporarily closed a stretch of Hosur Road, including the elevated expressway to Electronics City, home to major IT firms.

Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan urged all companies to declare at least two days of work from home due to the rains. Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar acknowledged the city’s crumbling infrastructure and stressed that the government aims for long-term sustainable solutions rather than temporary fixes, highlighting that these issues have been ignored for years.

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