CHENNAI: Infosys has begun collecting household electricity consumption data from employees working from home as part of a broader sustainability initiative linked to its hybrid work model, the company said. The data is being used to estimate the environmental impact of remote work and to offset it through higher clean energy output.
In an internal email circulated among work-from-home employees, Infosys chief financial officer Jayesh Sanghrajka asked staff to share details of their household electricity consumption. Employees were requested to respond to questions covering power usage of home appliances, the wattage of lighting, whether they use solar power, and other related details, along with suggestions on ways to save energy at home, say reports.
The move reflects Infosys’s effort to account for emissions beyond its physical campuses as hybrid and remote working arrangements become a permanent feature of its operating model. By tracking electricity usage at employees’ homes, the IT major aims to create a more comprehensive picture of its indirect carbon footprint and align mitigation measures accordingly.
According to the company, the information gathered will not be used for monitoring individual behaviour but to assess aggregate energy consumption arising from work-from-home arrangements. The estimated impact is then offset through increased use of renewable energy and other clean energy initiatives already embedded in Infosys’s sustainability strategy.
Infosys has been among the early adopters of formal environmental, social and governance practices in the Indian IT sector, with long-term commitments around carbon neutrality, energy efficiency and renewable sourcing. As hybrid work reduces commuting-related emissions while increasing residential electricity use, companies are increasingly grappling with how to measure and manage this trade-off.
From an analytical perspective, Infosys’s approach signals a shift in how large employers view responsibility for emissions in a post-pandemic workplace. While work-from-home reduces office energy use and travel emissions, it effectively transfers part of the energy burden to households. Accounting for this shift allows companies to make more credible claims about net environmental impact.
However, the initiative also raises questions around data privacy and employee consent, even if the data is collected in aggregate form. Transparency around how the information is gathered, anonymised and used will be critical to ensure trust among employees.
Overall, the programme underscores how sustainability frameworks are evolving alongside workplace models. As hybrid work becomes the norm, companies like Infosys are attempting to recalibrate their climate strategies to reflect where and how work actually happens, extending environmental accountability beyond office walls and into the distributed workplace.