Software company Cognizant has issued a warning to its employees, stating that those who do not return to the office may face termination.
With approximately 254,000 employees in the country, Cognizant’s directive follows similar moves by other major software firms such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys, which have also mandated a return to office.
The international software giant has cautioned its employees that failure to comply with the return-to-office guidelines could result in termination. Earlier reminders had been issued by the company to encourage office attendance, a trend also observed in other software firms.
In February, Cognizant had instructed its Indian employees to attend the office three days a week. A media report quoted the company stating, “Please note that failure to follow instructions will be considered misconduct as per company policies and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against you, up to and including termination.” Ravi Kumar S, CEO of Cognizant, emphasized that all associates in the country were expected to be present in the office three days per week.
TCS, which has also made office attendance mandatory, updated its policy related to variable pay to enforce the return-to-office mandate. The policy was introduced after the company announced its quarterly results and includes four attendance slabs to determine variable pay.
According to the new policy, employees with less than 60 percent office attendance in a quarter will not receive any variable pay. Those with 60-75 percent attendance will receive 50 percent of the variable pay, while those with 75-85 percent attendance will receive 75 percent. Full variable pay will be granted only to employees with over 85 percent office attendance. The policy also warns of disciplinary action against employees who consistently violate the 85 percent office attendance rule. TCS CEO K Krithivasan emphasized the importance of returning to the office, echoing the company’s earlier reminders to employees.