Cognizant issues termination threat to employees defying return-to-office directive
Cognizant, a leading IT firm listed on NASDAQ, has reportedly issued a severe warning to its employees. The company communicated through a letter, that non-compliance with the return-to-office directive could result in termination. The letter explicitly stated, "Please note that failure to adhere to the directions will amount to serious misconduct as per company policies and accordingly appropriate disciplinary action will be initiated against you which may lead up to termination."
Return-to-office mandate explained
Earlier in February, Cognizant had directed its workers in India to work from the office for three days every week. This instruction was communicated by CEO Ravi Kumar S through an internal memo. The memo stated that all Indian associates are "expected to be in the office an average of three days a week, or as defined by their team leader." However, it did not specify an effective date for this move.
Cognizant's significant presence in India
Cognizant has a substantial presence in India, with approximately 254,000 of its total 347,700 employees based in the country. This makes India the largest employee base for the company. The return-to-office mandate from Cognizant follows similar directives from other Indian IT giants like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, and Wipro, which mandated their employees to return to office in 2023.
Steps to enforce return-to-office directive
Cognizant has implemented measures such as tracking employees' office hours, and managing seat allocation to enforce its return-to-office directive. Employees who defy the directive have been benched, an anonymous employee informed LiveMint. The source revealed that "a person reporting to me was benched for not coming to office despite receiving warnings by HR, me, and the project manager."
Other IT firms in India follow suit
Other major IT firms have also taken steps to bring workers back to the office. TCS has linked office attendance with pay hikes, stating that employees working in the office for fewer than three days a week, would not get a performance bonus. Similarly, HCL Technologies and Wipro have mandated employees to work from the office, three days per week. Infosys has asked its staff to work from the office for a minimum of 10 days a month.
