Infosys, HCL Tech, Cognizant, Zoho and More: How India's IT Giants Are Tackling The LPG Crisis
· Free Press Journal
The commercial LPG shortage triggered by the ongoing West Asia conflict has rippled far beyond Indian households and restaurants, hitting the campuses and cafeterias of the country's largest technology companies. From Bengaluru to Chennai to Pune, IT giants are scrambling to keep their workforce fed, mobile, and productive - with each company responding in its own way.
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The crisis at a glance
Companies such as Infosys, HCLTech, Wells Fargo, and Cognizant have begun taking precautionary steps ranging from changes in cafeteria operations to work-from-home options and alternative food arrangements to ensure that employees face minimal disruption during the ongoing LPG crunch.
1. Infosys: Cafeteria Services Scaled Down
India's second-largest software exporter, Infosys, has informed employees across its campuses in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune about temporary disruptions in food court services due to a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. In an internal email, the company said it was dealing with an "impending situation" related to LPG availability and would implement operational adjustments from March 12.
As part of these changes, certain food items are being limited and live cooking counters have been temporarily suspended. Popular counters serving freshly prepared dishes such as dosas and omelettes are among those affected as these require high gas flame cooking.
Infosys, which employs over 300,000 people, has trimmed its cafeteria menus and asked staff to bring food from home amid supply shortages for commercial LPG.
2. HCLTech: Work from home for Chennai employees
IT services major HCLTech allowed employees at its Chennai centre to work from home on March 12 and 13 after its canteens ran out of LPG cylinders, disrupting cooking operations. The company, India's third-largest IT services firm by revenue, however, has not reported similar issues at its campuses in Noida, Lucknow, Bengaluru or Hyderabad.
3. Cognizant: Bring your own food (BYOF)
Cognizant has issued an advisory encouraging employees to follow a "Bring Your Own Food" (BYOF) approach wherever feasible. The move aims to reduce reliance on office cafeterias as the company monitors potential supply disruptions linked to the ongoing West Asia crisis. Cognizant is also exploring alternate food vendors that rely on induction or solar-based cooking rather than LPG.
4. Zoho: Two weeks of work from home starting March 16
In the most sweeping response by an Indian tech firm so far, Zoho Corporation has asked most of its employees in India to work from home for two weeks starting March 16, citing concerns over fuel availability that could affect commuting.
In an internal email to employees, the company said the temporary move was aimed at reducing travel during the current situation, stating: "Considering the current operational situation and also our social responsibility during this period, we would like to minimize commuting to the office."
All employees who are not part of business-critical functions have been encouraged to work remotely during this period. Staff members working in essential or critical operational teams have been advised to coordinate with their respective managers regarding their work-from-office schedules. For those required to be present at office locations, the company noted that workplace facilities would remain operational, though with limited services.
Zoho reportedly said it will continue to monitor the situation closely and share further updates with its workforce as circumstances evolve.
5. HTC Global Services: Canteen shutdowns across three cities
US-based HTC Global Services informed employees that canteen services at its Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad offices had stopped, and only packed snacks would be available until the situation normalises.
6. Wells Fargo: A call for corporate responsibility
At Wells Fargo, Chandrasekar Cuttackam, Vice President at the company, suggested that organisations should consider enabling work-from-home wherever possible. In a LinkedIn post, he said reducing daily commutes could help save fuel during the crisis. He described remote work during the crisis as an act of corporate social responsibility, noting that cutting down commutes could free up fuel for more critical services such as healthcare, logistics, emergency response, and public transport.
The crisis has exposed how deeply corporate India's daily operations depend on commercial LPG. The LPG supply crunch, linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic following the US-Iran conflict, has set off a wave of workplace adjustments across Indian industry - with the country's IT sector, which runs some of the largest corporate campuses in the world, finding itself at the sharp end of the disruption.