OutSystems India and the Covid-19 Crisis
Last month, as the Covid-19 was hitting India strongly, we talked to four members of our India-based engineering team, in a mission to find out how they were doing. We also asked them to show us their home office’s view because we’re curious and we like the idea of travel again, even through a picture (that’s how much we miss seeing other places).
Let’s read and view from the OutSystems engineering team in India, and wish them well.
Anand Yashwanth, Head of Engineering
Hi Anand! Where are you located?
I work remotely and I’m in Pune, India.
Can we see a picture of the view from your window?
What’s the situation around you?
The society where I live is much safer than the outside. We don’t see a major issue here.
How are you being supported by OutSystems?
The support has been extremely good. I appreciate the way the company cares for us. I have just taken the first vaccine for myself. Will be getting it done for my family soon.
Jaikrishnan Ravindranath, Lead Technical Program Manager
Hi Jaikrishnan! Where are you located?
Bangalore, Karnataka.
Can we see a picture of the view from your window?
What’s the situation around you?
Karnataka is one of the states that got severely affected by the second wave. As of now, 27 million cases are reported, and we had 32,291 deaths. I lost two of my relatives and one of my friends. Also, my family and I were infected, luckily the symptoms were not severe.
I’m deeply sorry. How are you being supported by OutSystems?
My management was very supportive when my family and I got infected. For me, symptoms came suddenly one day. I was down with a very high fever and had to stay offline without any preparation or handoff of my work. But my management supported me by sending frequent motivational messages through WhatsApp, saying not to worry about the work, and my teammates made sure to run all my work smoothly in my absence.
Our Vice President (Sanju Nair) reached me daily, assuring all support from him, team, and company. That gave me a high level of confidence to stay strong and recover.
Since my family and I have already got infected, we can’t take the vaccine immediately. We need to take it after 3–4 months. (I am still working with the health authorities on the timeline).
Prakash Nair, Lead Technical Program Manager
Hi Prakash! Where are you located?
I’m working remotely now, connected from my native place Kerala, the most southern state of India, where my family is settled.
Can we see a picture of the view from your window?
What’s the situation around you?
The whole state is on lock-down and vaccination drives are in progress. Though there has been a shortage of vaccine availability, the government is doing its best by providing vaccines for people with comorbidities and also to the general public in batches, based on priority.
Experts’ observation is that the virus spread is probably even worse than the official statistics suggest. However the lock-down, wearing masks, and social distancing help a lot in stopping the virus spread and keeping it in control. Also, a few volunteering organizations do a great job to help people with finding resources like hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, and medication, which helps to avoid panic. People are also now coming forward for vaccinations and cooperating with the vaccine drives, though many were a little reluctant in the early stages.
How are you being supported by OutSystems?
It is great to see that we have OutSystems as an organization coming forward to support us in this crisis situation. The messages and guidelines we received from the leadership team have been a confidence booster and encouraged all of us to fight back against the crisis: “There are no rigid rules here. What works for you, works for OutSystems,” a true statement of thoughtfulness!
I had my first dose of vaccination last week. It was government-organized (free) for me and my parents. However, we had to go for paid vaccination for my wife and maid due to the shortage of vaccination slots for lower age groups (18–44). The paid vaccination will be taken care of either by my wife from her workplace, or I can submit it for OutSystems sponsorship.
Bejoy Raveendran, Solution Train Engineer
Hi Bejoy! Where are you located?
I work remotely. I’m in the state of Kerala, which is located in the South of India.
Can we see a picture of the view from your window?
What’s the situation around you?
We’ve been in lockdown for more than a month. The situation is improving now, though far from good. In the previous months, the new cases reported were around 40,000 per day, which is now reducing to 19,000.
How are you being supported by OutSystems?
The existing infrastructure enabling remote work makes it easy and less impactful during these times. The reassuring communication from the team, manager, and even from the CEO makes it comfortable to face the current challenges. My wife and I have already taken the first dose of the vaccine and are waiting for the second one. I will schedule for my kids once available. The vaccine is given free of cost in my region. However, the challenge is the availability. Maybe I’ll submit it for the OutSystems sponsorship, which helps us to get vaccinated without waiting for the general availability.
OutSystems is consistent in everything that we do: the same employee-first principles that have been guiding our approach to all regions since the beginning of the pandemic, apply to India. We know this is a distressing situation, so what matters to us is that our people take care of themselves and their families. We strive for work-health balance and we trust our collaborators to make the best possible decisions for themselves. Well-wishes for a swift conclusion to the crisis for everyone around the world.
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