IT employees set to return to Japan

With crises-hit Japan slowly getting back on its feet, many information technology companies which had brought back employees from there are planning to send them back.

These include India’s largest IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant, Patni Computer Systems and MindTree.

Shortly after after the twin earthquake-tsunami that hit Japan, Indian IT firms had started calling back employees. Staffers had also been offered a choice of working from safer places such as Osaka, China or Singapore.

TCS had close to 200 people in its Tokyo centre. Of these, 10-15 had chosen to remain and the rest returned. Beginning this week, the company has started to send these employees back. Bangalore-based MindTree, which had around 20 employees in Japan, has planned to do the same. According to Krishnakumar Natarajan, MD & CEO, the employees who came from Japan are working on the same projects from India.

“We are planning to send a team of employees back to Japan this weekend. The employees who are going in the first batch are based more on the needs of clients who want some work done out of their premises. All our facilities in Japan are safe and the condition in Japan has also improved. Most probably, the first batch will go this weekend,” he said.

Mumbai-based Patni Computer Systems gets almost five per cent of its revenue from the region and has already sent some of its employees back to Japan. “Others will be doing so over the next week. We are working closely with our employees and customers on this, on a case by case basis. Many India-based employees had chosen to continue to stay in Japan through this period,” said Sunil Chitale, chief marketing & strategy officer.

He did have a note of caution. “We believe the situation is stabilising slowly, though it is difficult to predict. However, we continue to closely look at direct sources of information for radiation readings and other developments and have established thresholds for action at different levels to protect all of our employees in Japan, no matter their country of origin,” he said.

“We are watchful of the situation,” said Ganesh Natarajan, vice-chairman and CEO of Zensar Technologies. “But I think the people and the country will be back on their feet in a week or so. We will be sending our delivery services in charge towards the first week of April and the team leaders will join him soon thereafter.” Along with seven Indian employees, Zensar had 18 locals working out of its Tokyo centre. The company has an additional 120 employees working for the region from India.

Some are still to decide. Nasdaq-listed Cognizant, which had 98 employees in Japan, is one. According to a company spokesperson: “Our projects are done out of various locations and also from employees working from home in Japan.” Sending employees back depended on client demand, he said. “Cognizant is closely watching the development in Japan. Tokyo and other cities are safe. We are concerned about safety, but the employees can take a call,” he said.