As many companies continue debating whether employees should return to offices or continue working remotely, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has said the company will not expand its work-from-home policy after internal discussions concluded that in-person collaboration works better, especially for research and development teams.
The remarks come at a time when rising global crude oil prices and fuel-saving measures have once again pushed the work-from-home debate into focus.
Vembu said Zoho had reconsidered its remote work approach after Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged people and organisations to reduce fuel consumption and avoid unnecessary travel amid tensions in West Asia and pressure on global oil supply chains.
“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. 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,” Vembu wrote.
He said working together physically often leads to faster discussions and better outcomes for technical teams.
“Collaboration happens more fluidly face to face and we come up with better solutions,” he added.
Zoho looks at other ways to reduce fuel use
While ruling out a wider work-from-home expansion for now, Vembu said the company is exploring alternative methods to cut fuel consumption and improve sustainability efforts.
“We are looking at electric bus fleets and electric cooking in our canteens to save fuel. We have made heavy investments in solar already,” he wrote.
His latest comments come just days after he had hinted that Zoho could revisit its office attendance policy in response to PM Modi’s appeal.
On May 11, Vembu had posted, “I hope all of us heed the Prime Minister’s appeal. As a company, we adopted Work From Office fully in recent months, but we will revisit Work From Home now. We have adopted natural farming in our farm and we are also actively looking for ways to cut diesel use.”
The statement had triggered fresh conversations online, especially among employees who continue to favour flexible work arrangements after the pandemic years.
PM Modi had urged fuel-saving measures
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to adopt austerity measures amid global uncertainty and rising crude oil prices linked to the conflict in West Asia.
Highlighting India’s dependence on imported crude oil, Modi said the country imports more than 88% of its oil requirements and urged people to reduce petrol and diesel consumption wherever possible.
The Prime Minister encouraged citizens to use public transport, opt for carpooling and avoid unnecessary travel. He had also suggested that employees should work from home wherever feasible to help reduce fuel demand.
However, Vembu’s latest comments underline how many technology companies are still weighing the balance between employee flexibility and the perceived benefits of in-person collaboration, particularly for innovation-driven teams.