India's largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) denied sending strict warnings to employees who have not followed its "return to office" policy.
A TCS spokesperson in a statement said that the company has encouraged employees to work from the office three days a week but hasn't "communicated or implemented any linkages to career or compensation".
Business Today reported TCS had begun sending memos to employees who did not complete at least 12 days of work in the office per month.
"We are excited to see our campuses buzzing with energy and want all our employees to be a part of that vibrant ecosystem. A significant number of employees have joined TCS in the last two years. It is important for them to experience the TCS environment to collaborate, learn, grow and also have fun together, thus developing a stronger sense of belonging to the organisation and enabling better integration," said the company spokesperson.
The spokesperson stated that the company is committed to providing a hybrid work environment and that it is constantly assessing the situation and will make adjustments as needed.
"Over the last several months we have been encouraging associates in India to return to office and spend 3 days a week at the workplace. This has yielded good results with many of our people returning to office. Our objective is to have all associates work from office for at least 3 days a week on average in the month, and towards the same we continue working with all our groups to have everyone participate. For now, we have not communicated or deployed linkages to career or compensation," the spokesperson added.
Business Today reported on Wednesday that the recent email sent to employees stated, "You are warned and directed to start reporting to work from your office location according to the assigned roster with immediate effect."
The email sent to managers read, “Hi All, I request all the appraisers to assign the below RTO (Return To Office) goal immediately to all your team members.”
TCS is not the only Indian IT services firm that has struggled to get workers back to the office. In recent months, several other firms, such as Infosys and Wipro, have also relaxed their return to office policies.
The reluctance of IT workers to return to the office has been attributed to a number of factors, including the convenience of working from home, the desire to save time and money on commuting, and concerns about the spread of Covid.
It remains to be seen how TCS will be able to get its employees back to the office on a more regular basis. However, the company's statement suggests that it is willing to be flexible and that it does not plan to take any drastic measures to force employees back to the office.
In FY 2023 TCS successfully onboarded over 44,000 freshers. During the quarter ending March 2023, Q4FY23, the company added 821 employees to its workforce, bringing the total headcount to 614,795 as of March 31, 2023. TCS reported a net addition of 22,600 employees for FY23.
In terms of financial performance, TCS announced a 14.8 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit, amounting to Rs ,436 crore, for the quarter ending March 31, 2023. The company's consolidated revenue from operations also experienced growth, reaching Rs 59,162 crore, a 17 per cent increase compared to the year-ago quarter's Rs 50,591 crore.
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