WorklifeIndia

From the Olympics to the Indian Premier League, many major sporting events have had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Every part of the sporting value chain is affected. In addition to suffering heavy financial losses, sportspeople are having to deal with an uncertain future.

So, what happens next? As some countries like Germany and South Korea try to partially resume the sporting calendar, what will be the new normal in the sporting world? Will major leagues be held to empty stadiums to follow social distancing norms? And how will masks and gloves, and strict new conditions, affect players’ performance on the field?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss how can sports survive this pandemic.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Dinesh Karthik, cricketer and captain, Kolkata Knight Riders; Ashwini Ponnappa, badminton player; Manisha Malhotra, head of sports excellence & scouting, JSW Sports

Lockdowns across the world have grounded flights and shut down factories. But as countries battle the coronavirus pandemic and prepare for an impending economic recession, we are also witnessing one of the largest carbon crashes ever recorded. People across the world are talking about and sharing pictures on social media of azure blue skies, fresh air, clean water and even rare wildlife sightings within human settlements.

But environmentalists warn all this may be temporary, as economic recovery would get prioritized before the environment in a post-pandemic world.

So, are there lessons the pandemic can teach us about living with nature? And will countries go for greener policies as they rebuild their economies?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we bring in guests from China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India to discuss what the lockdown has meant for some of Asia’s – and the world’s – most polluted places.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment, India; Ahmad Rafay Alam, environment lawyer, Pakistan; Shababa Haque, senior research associate, International Centre for Climate Change and Development, Bangladesh; Yifei Li, assistant professor of environmental studies, New York University Shanghai, China

India has relaxed restrictions on farming and related industries, as it prepares to emerge from a countrywide lockdown. The move is aimed at easing the country’s food supply chain and alleviating economic impact.

More than half of India’s workforce is engaged in farming, and agriculture contributes nearly 265bn dollars to the GDP. But the extended lockdown has hurt farming activities. With winter crops just harvested, farmers are facing acute challenges in transporting and selling their produce. Many say they have had to simply leave the harvested produce to rot.

The government has announced a 23bn dollar relief package to provide food security and cash transfers to the poor, but it has been criticized for being inadequate. So, how are India’s farmers coping and is the country’s food security under threat?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss the struggle of the Indian farmers and look at measures that can help them survive.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Yogendra Yadav, activist and founder, Farmers’ Movement; Ajay Vir Jakhar, chairman, Farmers’ Forum India; Chhavi Rajawat, head, Village Soda

India has taken tentative steps to ease lockdown restrictions for some industrial and agricultural activities.

According to a recent study, the country is facing an economic loss of nearly 234 billion dollars due to the lockdown, which has now been in place for more than four weeks. The focus now is to restart the stalled economy and save jobs. Nearly 120 million people are presently unemployed.

The International Monetary Fund has estimated a sharp economic recovery for India in financial year 2022, at 7.4 per cent. But how soon can recovery take place across different sectors, and what will it take to restore consumer confidence?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss whether India’s coronavirus-hit businesses are ready for a comeback.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Vikram Kirloskar, president, Confederation of Indian Industries; Radhika Khandelwal, chef and restaurateur; Upasana Taku, co-founder, MobiKwik

As India extends stay-at-home orders to fight the coronavirus outbreak, social media usage has seen a huge spike. According to a recent study, Indians are spending more than four hours every day on social media - nearly an 87% increase since before the lockdown.

So social media influencers are faced with the difficult challenge of delivering fresh content and making money, despite severe restrictions on movement.

Experts say the economic impact of coronavirus is starting to bite and may lead to a 15-25 per cent drop in what influencers earn for sponsored posts while events get cancelled and businesses trim budgets. Travel influencers are particularly hit by an industry-wide meltdown as nearly 75 million jobs are at risk worldwide - one in eight of them in India - according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

So, how significant are the challenges in the near term? And what are social media influencers doing to cope with the lockdown?

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Prajakta Koli, MostlySane content creator; Ankita Kumar, travel content creator; Harish Bijoor, brand and business strategy consultant

With India on coronavirus lockdown, are families feeling the strain? It has been more than 15 days since India shut its $2.9 trillion economy, issuing strict stay-at-home orders to more than a billion people. Now as the country’s government looks to extend the rigorous 21-day lockdown, how will it impact parenting?

According to a UN Women report released in 2019, nearly 80% of households in India include couples - or extended families - living with children. Is it easy to manage work, home chores, taking care of the elderly and keeping children engaged?

While most of the emotional pressure-cooker points have clearly defined exits – like stepping out for work, socialising with friends – it’s not the case with the ongoing lockdown. Is it leaving parents seething with irritability or bringing them serenely closer than ever before? Are they taking this time to celebrate with children and contemplate life or is the uncertainty an ingredient for increased stress?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss how parents are keeping their kids engaged during the coronavirus lockdown.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Neerja Birla, founder and chairperson, Mpower; Divya Gokulnath, cofounder, Byju's; Ritika Kumar, cofounder and CEO, The Young Chronicle

Millions of migrant labourers in India have set off on foot for their villages, sparking a crisis as the country observes a lockdown to cope with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many are walking hundreds of miles as public transport has been suspended.

The migrant workers form the backbone of the big city economy. They mostly work in informal sectors, as construction labourers on building sites, domestic helpers in housing blocks, or food delivery staff at takeaways. Most live in poor conditions in congested urban ghettos, but they are now expressing fears that they will starve to death as the lockdown has turned them into refugees overnight.

What are their stories of the long journey back to their villages? And what are the measures being taken by the government to help these people? In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss what is happening on the ground and what are the solutions to resolve India’s massive migration crisis.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Ronnie Screwvala, entrepreneur and founder, Swades Foundation; Chinmay Tumbe, assistant professor of economics, Indian Institute of Management; Bhakti Sharma, head, Barkhedi Abdulla

As the world adjusts itself to the coronavirus pandemic, one of the biggest changes is enforced home working.

Quarantines and social distancing measures have become the new norm in India, the world's second-most populous country. As companies adapt to remote work amid a health crisis and a government-imposed nationwide lockdown, fresh new challenges are emerging at workplaces.

How can companies shed off conservative corporate culture? Is it easy for employees to stay motivated and retain work-life balance? Does working from home affect mental health and productivity?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss how a global health crisis is changing the way we work.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Companies around the world are rolling out mandatory remote work due to the coronavirus outbreak. Is shifting to the remote office the new normal? And how is it impacting the business of sharing your workplace with other companies, freelancers and startups?

India is one of the biggest markets for shared workspaces with over 200 players in the industry. But will all be able to survive in this price-conscious market?

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Photo: Office workers in a shared working space Credit: Getty Images

Worried customers were seen queuing up outside Yes Bank's branches in India earlier this month. The reason? The country's fifth largest private bank suspended its operations and was placed under a 30-day moratorium by the Central Reserve Bank of India. The troubled lender's collapse comes after the fall of another big bank in 2019.

In the last four years, several other cases of fraud have been reported in the wider finance sector. The latest case has worsened fears that India's banks are under stress and not doing terribly well. So should people be worried about the safety of their money?

Are there any safety nets in place? And are there any knock-on effects? We ask how depositors can better divide savings and whether there are any quick fixes to their immediate troubles.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Photo: A bank counter in India during a period of anxiety amongst savers Credit: Satyabrata Tripathy/Hindustan Times via Getty Images