Shops, restaurants and cafes in Egypt have been told to close early as part of a raft of temporary measures to combat soaring energy prices caused by the Iran war. Retail and dining premises will have to close by 21:00 (19:00 GMT) each night for the next month, beginning on Saturday.Shops
As temperatures rise across India this summer, a quiet shift is taking place on plates and menus alike. Diners are rethinking what a ‘complete meal’ looks like by opting for lighter, cooler, yet nutritionally balanced options that align with both climate and lifestyle
Dhurandhar 2 Box Office Collection Day 10 Worldwide: Ranveer Singh aka Hamza, continues to rule the box office globally with Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge. The film has now surpassed the lifetime earnings of Prabhas' Kalki 2898 AD ( ₹1,042.25 crore) and Yash's KGF Chapter 2 ( ₹1,215 crore)
Karnataka MLAs finally get free tickets to watch Indian Premier League (IPL) tomorrow at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. After a state-wide stir over the free tickets, the wish of “VIPs" is fulfilled by the Congress-led state government. As per a report by India Today
India and Russia are boosting technological ties. The Indo-Russia Innopraktika Technology Hub has partnered with Indian academic institutions. This collaboration will establish a state-of-the-art Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Satellite Laboratory
The hidden cost borne by Indians working for global tech giants
IT workers in India keep a lot of the world’s technology ticking over. They may be operating your company’s helpdesk, or responding to a query about your latest gadget.
They may also be working from home. And in India’s IT hubs, like Bangalore, Chennai or Hyderabad, this is likely to be from a cramped apartment filled with backup battery systems the workers have paid for themselves.
For despite often working for some of the biggest companies in the world, research I carried out with colleagues shows that working conditions for many of India’s IT workers are far from pleasant.
Ever since COVID, the pros and cons of remote working have been tested across the world. In some places, for some people, a switch to hybrid or fully remote working represents a degree of freedom and self-determination.
But not everywhere. So what does working from home actually look like for the 5 million Indian IT professionals who keep the digital infrastructure of big western companies running?
One of the biggest challenges is space. In India, more than half of the population live with members of their extended family. Many of the 51 workers we interviewed share their homes with children, parents, grandparents and in-laws – all squeezed into small apartments which now double up as offices.
For them, remote working means organising large family groups in small spaces so that one person can have a quiet corner in which to work.
A professional background for a video call required careful choreography in a crowded household with two rooms where babies might be crying next to elderly relatives with medical complaints.
For the workers we spoke to who had care responsibilities for various family members, the juggling required was extraordinary. We were told of profound knock-on effects for family life, with chaotic mealtimes and evenings hijacked by calls.
But perhaps the biggest challenge we learned about was to do with basic infrastructure. Power cuts are routine in many Indian cities. Internet bandwidth, shared among other family members working or studying from home, is often unreliable.
We met many IT professionals, doing identical work to their counterparts in London or San Francisco, who had spent their own money on domestic backup power systems so they could stay online.
During home visits, we saw battery units occupying valuable domestic space on balconies, in hallways and porches – equipment these homes were never designed to hold. A proper unit – the kind needed to run a laptop, router, and fan through India’s routine power cuts – costs up to £400, roughly equivalent to a month’s take-home pay for a junior IT worker.
Meanwhile, internet bandwidth had to be carefully rationed. Television schedules were reorganised around work calls. Most meetings defaulted to audio-only, with video reserved for special occasions.
Along with power supplies and other equipment, some said workplace surveillance had also moved into their homes. One 33-year-old male IT worker said his employer’s online system would “calculate how many hours you work, and which other websites you visit”. He added that lapses would “automatically trigger a [message to my] manager”.
The surveillance extended into absurd territory. When power cuts struck – a routine occurrence – some workers were expected to prove it. A 28-year-old male engineer told us: “The boss said ‘go out and take photos of your house and send it’. He needed proof.”
These frustrations are not going unheard. In 2025, hundreds of IT workers took to the streets in Bangalore carrying placards which read “We are not your slaves” and demanding a legal right to disconnect and the enforcement of limits on working hours.
When the state government proposed extending the maximum working day from ten to 12 hours, workers protested again. So far, India’s IT sector remains exempt from key labour protections, and no right to disconnect has been brought into law.
A key part of their protest was to do with workplace inequality – which had simply been relocated from the office into the home.
Organisations saved on office space, utilities and equipment. Those costs didn’t disappear – they were transferred to workers and their families.
In some countries that might mean buying a desk. To many of the Indian IT professionals we spoke to, who keep the digital infrastructure of big western companies running, it meant investing in domestic power backup systems, rationing internet bandwidth, rearranging entire households, and absorbing the emotional toll of work without boundaries – all while managing infrastructure failures.
A software developer in Bangalore with identical skills to one in Boston faces entirely different remote work realities. If remote work is to deliver on its promise, organisations and policymakers must recognise that “working from home” means fundamentally different things depending on where that home is – and who bears the hidden costs of making it work.
Vivek Soundararajan is Professor of Work and Equality, University of Bath.
This article was first published on The Conversation.
Source: Scroll
Related Posts: Tech giants facing higher cost burdens amid supply chain disruptions The Hidden Health Cost Of Poor AQI Why tech giants are offering premium AI tools to millions of Indians for free Delhi's lonely African elephant was killed by rare rodent-borne virus Delhi's lonely African elephant was killed by rodent-borne virus - official Mumbai Indians Women vs Gujarat Giants Women Playing 11 Nvidia strikes bumper AI deals with Asia tech giants Data centre surge reaches India as American tech giants invest billions California enacts AI safety law targeting tech giants Passwords under threat as tech giants seek tougher security
Indian stock market: The Indian stock market closed the week on a subdued note, extended its losing streak for a fifth straight week, as rising volatility driven by shifting global cues and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East
Just now
The president of the Maldives has formally told the UK that it does not recognise the deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. President Mohamed Muizzu's office told the BBC the Maldives had expressed its opposition to the "deeply concerning" deal in two written objections and a phone
Just now
Amid the ongoing Iran-US-Israel war, US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that Iran’s top leadership has been wiped out, deepening uncertainty over who is in charge in Tehran during the ongoing war. Speaking publicly, Trump said Iran’s supreme leader is no longer alive and suggested that
Just now
Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi asserted that Iran's regime transition will be orderly, emphasizing the need for its complete removal. He credited US military operations, "Midnight Hammer" and "Epic Fury," for weakening the establishment and eliminating key figures and capabilities
Just now
There may be 80 days before England begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Texas, but this international break has been widely seen as last-chance territory. A final opportunity to mould a team capable of competing in this summer's tournament - and for any players hoping to force their
Just now
Loan Rule Changes 2026: In a move aimed at improving transparency and borrower convenience, the Reserve Bank of India has introduced several new rules effective from 2026. These changes will impact loan borrowers, jewellers, and bank account holders across India
Just now
Key takeaways:Discount & Offers: The iPhone 16 Pro price drops below Rs 60,000 through a combination of instant bank discounts (~Rs 4,000) and exchange offers up to Rs 68,000, mainly on online platforms.Key Features: Features a 6.3-inch ProMotion display, A18 Pro chip
Just now
Rakesh Bedi says Jameel Jamali from Dhurandhar 2 isn’t his first acclaimed role, cites this Kamal Haasan filmRakesh Bedi is gaining stupendous recognition for his role as Jameel Jamali in Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar: The Revenge also starring Ranveer Singh. Mar 29, 2026
Just now
Every day, food scraps disappear into trash bags, are hauled away and forgotten. But that waste could be turned into something productive. Across the United States, about 97 million metric tons of food waste are discarded each year, of which about 37 million metric tons end up buried in landfills
Just now
Shah Rukh Khan praised Mohit Suri for keeping Ahaan Panday, Aneet Padda away from spotlight before Saiyaara's releaseFilmmaker Mohit Suri recalled how Shah Rukh Khan praised the promotional strategy of Saiyaara at Siddharth Anand's Diwali party. Mar 29, 2026
Just now
PDP MLA Waheed Para voiced serious concerns regarding security for political leaders in Kashmir. He highlighted the eviction of Mehbooba Mufti from her official residence and reduced security for leaders like Tariq Karra and Sajad Lone. Para described these actions as an 'attempt to murder' and a
Just now
There are no reported dry-out at LPG distributorships and online LPG cylinder bookings increased to 91 per cent on industry basis yesterday, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. New Delhi: government on Saturday said that more than 54 lakh LPG refills were delivered yesterday and
Just now
Bihar Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar on Friday said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has time until March 30 to resign from the Legislative Council, in view of his election to the Rajya Sabha, The Hindu reported. Prem Kumar was referring to the 1950 Prohibition of Simultaneous Membership Rules that
Just now
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin walked away from a terrifying high-speed crash during second practice at Barber Motorsports Park. Charging down the front straight at around 165 mph, McLaughlin clipped the grass on entry to Turn 1. Then, in a chaotic turn of events, the rear snapped loose
Just now
Royal Challengers Bengaluru kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign with a dominant six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Chasing 202, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal set a strong foundation, guiding RCB to the top of the points table with a swift chase. Earlier
Just now
Union Home Minister Amit Shah campaigned in Guwahati with a roadshow. The Bharatiya Janata Party expelled nine leaders for six years for standing against official nominees. Six other workers were removed from primary membership for supporting rebels
Just now
![Taipei [Taiwan], March 29 (ANI): Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense detected the presence of 19 sorties of Chinese military aircraft](http://newsorbit360.com/files/news/en/imgs/taiwan-detects-19-chinese-sorties.webp?height=520)
Taipei [Taiwan], March 29 (ANI): Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense detected the presence of 19 sorties of Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels and two official ships operating around its territorial waters as of 6am (local time) on Sunday.Of the 19
Just now
Did you know that Akshaye Khanna, Sunjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal were hesitant to sign Dhurandhar? Ever since its first instalment, Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar has dominated conversations. At the heart of its success are the film’s standout performances
Just now
Software developer refuses call from IITian CEO who used AI to write email: ‘I definitely won’t have time'A UK-based software engineer publicly declined a meeting request from an IIT-educated founder, citing his AI-written email as the reason. Updated on: Mar 29
Just now
Key takeaways:Heavy Rain Alerts: Orange alert for Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam on 27 March; scattered rainfall expected in northwest plains till 31 March due to active Western Disturbances.Thunderstorms & Gusty Winds: Forecast includes thunderstorm, lightning
Just now
Dhurandhar has been getting attention since its release in December and now its second part is also receiving a lot of love from viewers. Along with the story and acting, many have been talking about the film’s shooting locations. Scenes from places like Bangkok
Just now
On Friday, MCX gold April futures added 0.15 per cent while MCX silver May futures declined 0.09 per cent. Currently, gold futures stand at Rs 1,44,500, while silver futures at Rs 2,27,750 per kg. New Delhi: Gold prices gained 5.77 per cent during the week
Just now
The government on Friday cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre, reducing it to Rs 3 per litre on petrol and Rs 0 on diesel. According to a government order dated Thursday, the excise duty on petrol has been reduced from Rs 13 per litre to Rs 3 per litre, a cut of Rs 10 per litre
Just now
Filmmaker Vetrimaaran stirred conversation at the trailer launch of Neelira after speaking out against what he described as “hate propaganda" in cinema. His remarks quickly caught attention online, with several users speculating that he was referring to Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh’s
Just now
Income Tax Rules 2026: From April 1, 2026, the credit cards of individuals will function as extensions of their tax identity under the new rules of the Income Tax framework. This is in line with the new rules and regulations that are being enforced in the country
Just now
In today’s high-pressure world, anger often slips into daily life, whether through stress, frustration, or emotional overload. But what happens when these moments become routine? Experts warn that persistent anger isn’t just an emotional response; it’s a physiological trigger that can quietly
Just now
Samsung Galaxy S26 review: Refining the compact flagship formula with meaningful upgradesCan the Samsung Galaxy S26 deliver a complete flagship experience in a compact form? Lets check out in this review. Published on: Mar 28, 2026 3:00 PM IST Share via Copy link You may be interested in Samsung
Just now
