Worsening air quality in the Delhi-National Capital Region is forcing India Inc staff to take cover by working from home, temporarily shifting to less polluted areas in the Himalayan foothills or any other location offering cleaner air.
The past few weeks have seen the air quality index (AQI) deteriorating to the very poor to severe range, considered hazardous, leading medical experts to warn against long and short-term effects on health.
Deloitte, Diageo, and Mondelez are among companies in hybrid mode with employees given the flexibility of remote work when needed with their manager's approval. “Our existing hybrid work model gives employees the flexibility to make choices that work best for them,” said Nagina Singh, senior director, people lead, Mondelez India.
“We trust our employees to exercise discretion and make decisions that best support their wellbeing and work requirements. This approach is consistent across all our locations in India, including Delhi & NCR.” Hybrid work allows teams to balance business priorities with personal safety and wellbeing, said Shilpa Vaid, CHRO at Diageo.
“We have a strong culture of trust and flexibility that empowers our people to make choices that support their wellbeing and performance,” she said.
Some of those who don’t have the option of remote work are taking leave to escape the worsening air quality in the national capital region. Hill and heritage getaways are seeing a 24% week-on-week surge in line with the decline in AQI, said Abhishek Daga, cofounder of Thrillophilia, a travel company.
“As air quality in Delhi–NCR tipped into the very poor to severe zone this week, residents are making quick travel decisions to get out of the smog,” he said.
Drive getaways that are less than six hours dominate with a 62% share of incremental bookings, while flights accounted for 38%, according to Thrillophilia.
“People are reserving vacations on short notice just to get away from the polluted air,” said Vikas Katoch, founder and CEO, Adotrip. “With AQI levels crossing 400 in several parts of the city, families are being forced to take what we now call ‘smog breaks’ to escape the toxic air.”
Adotrip has seen a 30–35% rise in last-minute vacation bookings from Delhi-NCR, mostly by families with toddlers or elderly members seeking cleaner air zones in Rishikesh, Manali, Shimla, Nainital and Goa.
The story is similar at travel firm WanderOn. “Over the past few weeks, we have noticed a sharp uptick in last-minute travel bookings from Delhi, largely driven by rising pollution levels,” said Govind Gaur, CEO.
Greener destinations, especially the hills and coastal regions, are popular. “Weekend getaways to Himachal (Manali, Kasol, Bir), Uttarakhand (Rishikesh, Nainital, Mukteshwar), and even short coastal retreats to Goa, Gokarna, and Varkala have seen significant traction, with people opting for quick detox breaks to breathe fresh air and rejuvenate,” Gaur said. He added that in the past fortnight, searches for hill destinations from Delhi have surged nearly 35-40%.
On its part, the Delhi government is taking many measures to combat pollution, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said recently. This includes measures like switching to electric buses and cloud seeding.
The past few weeks have seen the air quality index (AQI) deteriorating to the very poor to severe range, considered hazardous, leading medical experts to warn against long and short-term effects on health.
Deloitte, Diageo, and Mondelez are among companies in hybrid mode with employees given the flexibility of remote work when needed with their manager's approval. “Our existing hybrid work model gives employees the flexibility to make choices that work best for them,” said Nagina Singh, senior director, people lead, Mondelez India.
“We trust our employees to exercise discretion and make decisions that best support their wellbeing and work requirements. This approach is consistent across all our locations in India, including Delhi & NCR.” Hybrid work allows teams to balance business priorities with personal safety and wellbeing, said Shilpa Vaid, CHRO at Diageo.
“We have a strong culture of trust and flexibility that empowers our people to make choices that support their wellbeing and performance,” she said.
Some of those who don’t have the option of remote work are taking leave to escape the worsening air quality in the national capital region. Hill and heritage getaways are seeing a 24% week-on-week surge in line with the decline in AQI, said Abhishek Daga, cofounder of Thrillophilia, a travel company.
“As air quality in Delhi–NCR tipped into the very poor to severe zone this week, residents are making quick travel decisions to get out of the smog,” he said.
Drive getaways that are less than six hours dominate with a 62% share of incremental bookings, while flights accounted for 38%, according to Thrillophilia.
“People are reserving vacations on short notice just to get away from the polluted air,” said Vikas Katoch, founder and CEO, Adotrip. “With AQI levels crossing 400 in several parts of the city, families are being forced to take what we now call ‘smog breaks’ to escape the toxic air.”
Adotrip has seen a 30–35% rise in last-minute vacation bookings from Delhi-NCR, mostly by families with toddlers or elderly members seeking cleaner air zones in Rishikesh, Manali, Shimla, Nainital and Goa.
The story is similar at travel firm WanderOn. “Over the past few weeks, we have noticed a sharp uptick in last-minute travel bookings from Delhi, largely driven by rising pollution levels,” said Govind Gaur, CEO.
Greener destinations, especially the hills and coastal regions, are popular. “Weekend getaways to Himachal (Manali, Kasol, Bir), Uttarakhand (Rishikesh, Nainital, Mukteshwar), and even short coastal retreats to Goa, Gokarna, and Varkala have seen significant traction, with people opting for quick detox breaks to breathe fresh air and rejuvenate,” Gaur said. He added that in the past fortnight, searches for hill destinations from Delhi have surged nearly 35-40%.
On its part, the Delhi government is taking many measures to combat pollution, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said recently. This includes measures like switching to electric buses and cloud seeding.
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