Recent controversies at major IT firms like TCS and Infosys have highlighted a persistent gap between workplace conduct policies and their implementation in corporate India. While companies assert zero tolerance for harassment and discrimination, employees and experts point to uneven enforcement and the need to embed ethical behaviour into organisational culture.
Recent controversies at major IT firms like TCS and Infosys have highlighted a persistent gap between workplace conduct policies and their implementation in corporate India. While companies assert zero tolerance for harassment and discrimination, employees and experts point to uneven enforcement and the need to embed ethical behaviour into organisational culture.
Top female executives are calling for corporate India to redesign workplace systems to support women's advancement into leadership roles in the technology sector, particularly in emerging fields like artificial intelligence.
The Nifty IT index hit a more than nine-month low, trading at its weakest level since April 17, 2025.
'Perhaps unlike any previous era of software, this one requires a rethink in even the lifecycle of how we build.'
'Companies will need to revisit compensation structures, contracts, staffing models, and human resources system.'
After startups and Big Tech, the layoff season may have begun at the $245 billion Indian information-technology (IT) industry. Bengaluru-based IT major Wipro is looking to cut hundreds of jobs, targeting mid-level employees working onsite as the company looks to improve margins, according to a media report, citing two sources. The company has said it is aligning its business and talent to the changing market environment.
While TCS cited evolving business needs and future readiness as reasons, industry experts say the action is a cost-cutting measure aimed at improving operating margins that have remained below the firm's aspirational range despite multiple efforts.
Offer of backdoor employment in various MNCs were made.
Information technology major Wipro has asked candidates who have successfully completed their training and who were offered Rs 6.5 lakh per annum earlier whether they would be willing to take up projects for an annual compensation of Rs 3.5 lakh. Wipro told Business Standard that it had to adjust its onboarding plans "in the light of the changing macro environment and, as a result, our business needs". "Like others in our industry, we continue to assess global economies and customer needs, which factor in our hiring plans.
'Our phones are taken away as we enter the room.' 'They are just asking us to sign without any discussion. If you ask for a discussion, they say, 'Sign first'.'
IT attrition rate is expected to be around 12% to 13% this year.
Wipro on Tuesday asked its employees to be in office at least three days a week. It has informed its employees that offices will be open for four days a week, starting October 10. In an e-mail to its employees, Wipro said: "Starting October 10, Wipro's office will be open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays. We will not be open on Wednesdays." The company said in the e-mail, seen by Business Standard, that the move will "help us enjoy the camaraderie and team spirit of connecting in person while maintaining hybrid work flexibility".
As the job markets open up, top IT services firms may look at a tiered strategy in which they hire entry-level talents at higher salaries, amid a major technological shift, say HR analysts.
India's largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Thursday posted an 8.7 per cent year-on-year rise in its consolidated net profit at Rs 12,040 crore in the first quarter ended June 2024. The net profit for the year-ago period stood at Rs 11,074 crore.
HR Guru Mayank Rautela offers practical advice.
'Both campuses and talent should brace for a low-velocity campus hiring season that might extend into the off-campus period.'
So far, all three have launched their own initiatives to train teachers and students in information technology. While Infosys BPO has Project Genesis to train faculty, which in turn teaches students, Wipro recently launched a similar programme called Mission 10x.
Trouble started brewing after Cognizant announced that Ravi Kumar, former Infosys president, would take over as the Nasdaq-listed company's CEO.
'Young people are digital natives.' 'Hence, their ability to learn coding and to become a full stack engineer is far more.' 'The demand for such people is more as we feel that if we hire people from campuses, we can train them to become what we want.'
It had reorganised its India business by carving out public sector undertaking and government businesses. Besides the company had also split its India and West Asia businesses.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's largest IT services firm, is planning to increase salaries by an average of 7-8 per cent for its offsite employees and 2-4 per cent for its onsite staffers in 2024-25. High performers can expect a raise of 12-15 per cent. The company, which had a headcount of 603,305 as of December 31, 2023, will be closely looking at the promotions and the process may also get pushed to the first quarter of FY25, revealed a source on condition of anonymity, because he is not authorised to speak to the media.
Technology market research firm Tech Market View said the contract, which is one of Wipro's largest deals group-wide, signals the growing influence of offshore-centric IT-BPO players in large scale UK outsourcing market.
'The top five IT giants are not hiring, but most of the freshers want to start their careers with the top five IT firms.' 'In today's scenario this is a challenge.'
'AI may perform tasks, but deep expertise and specialisation remain uniquely human.'
The hiring scenario is for the batch that passes out in 2024. These are graduates who will be impacted, given 2022 graduates are not fully absorbed and 2023 onboarding still incomplete.
India's information technology (IT) sector will witness subdued hiring in 2023-24 as macro uncertainties impact demand environment, with clients either taking a pause on spend or stopping discretionary spend, say human resource experts. To begin with, unlike earlier years, the three large IT players TCS, HCLTech, and Wipro have not provided any new hiring targets for the financial year. And Wipro has said that its hiring target will depend on the demand environment.
'Companies are coming to the campuses, and we have companies booking their slots for the placement season, but the overall number of companies signing is low, and the hiring numbers are also lower.'
'IT companies do not have a large presence there either in terms of market and team. So, the impact of the war will be minimal. But West Asia is an emerging economy.'
Indian IT services companies have seen several CEO changes that have, over the past few months, led to some crucial exits at the mid-senior level in a trend that is likely to continue. According to a recent Motilal Oswal report, "Movement of mid-to-senior leadership at IT services firms is a reality, partially on account of multiple CEO-level changes.
While industry leaders Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro have announced deferring wage-hike plans, other players such as Infosys and HCL Technologies are expected to follow suit, according to industry insiders.
Top Indian IT services companies - TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Tech - have said that they would continue to hire freshers through campus interviews, though lateral hiring will be mostly on exception basis.
It has taken a pandemic to move the needle on the salary packages for greenhorn engineers hired by the Indian IT services sector. The country's third-largest IT services player, HCL Technologies, has decided to boost the entry-level packages from Rs 3-3.6 lakh to Rs 4.25 lakh for FY23, in a bid to attract fresh talent and keep them for longer to counter the impact of rising attrition. This new package would also be applicable to those freshers who joined the firm in FY22.
Employee costs for Indian IT services players have touched an all-time high as salaries soar in their effort to retain talent. Engineer salaries are going through the roof. According to a news report, Infosys, which reported a 27.7 per cent attrition rate for the fourth quarter of FY22, plans to have an average salary hike of 12-13 per cent. High potential employees will get increases of 22-23 per cent.
HR experts estimate that up to 70 per cent companies in the manufacturing and services space including sectors like auto components, edutech and construction equipment are looking to restore the salary cuts over the next couple of months.
Infosys has shot off a missive to its employees, asserting that dual employment or 'moonlighting' is not permitted, and has warned that any violation of contract clauses will trigger disciplinary action "which could even lead to termination of employment". "No two timing - no moonlighting!" India's second largest IT services company said in a strong and firm message to employees on Monday. Put simply, moonlighting refers to employees taking up side gigs to work on more than one job at a time.
This is expected to benefit subcontractor firms such as Manpower Group, Randstad, Adecco, Kelly Services, Allegis Global Solutions and a host of other boutique staffing firms which supply skilled manpower to technology companies in the US.
Their fears were not unfounded, since the average salary increases of information technology professionals was down to 1.4 per cent for 2009.
Software major Tata Consultancy Services on Wednesday reported a 14.8 per cent rise in net income to Rs 11,392 crore for the fourth quarter of last fiscal against Rs 9,959 crore in the year-ago period. The country's largest technology services company by market value said its revenue rose 16.9 per cent to Rs 59,162 crore during the reporting season from Rs 50,591 crore a year ago.
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