Tracking apps, variable pay: How IT firms are nudging staff back to office

Cognizant, TCS, Dell, Wipro, and Infosys are deploying various tactics including compliance apps and linking variable pay to attendance to ensure their staff return to office

As the pandemic’s impact weakens, technology firms are using various ways to prompt employees to return to the workplace. ‘Work from home’ is now being curtailed as companies reaffirm their expectations and assert control over the work setting.

Here is what companies are doing.

Cognizant calls employees to office ‘thrice a week’

Earlier this year, US-based information technology firm Cognizant said it expects India employees to be in office at least thrice a week. The company's CEO, Ravi Kumar, said in a memo in February that all India associates are "expected to be in the office an average of three days per week or as defined by their team leader".

He urged employees to use the in-person time to prioritise activities "that benefit greatly from being together" such as collaborative projects, training and team building.

Around 254,000 of Cognizant's 347,700 employees are in India, making it the firm's largest base, according to its annual report.

According to a Times of India report, the company also unveiled plans for a new app enabling managers to establish rosters based on needs, supplementing the existing FlexiSeat app for reserving seats across company facilities. This app will facilitate monitoring of office attendance compliance.

Furthermore, Cognizant has initiated the NextGen program aimed at streamlining its operational framework and consolidating office space to align with the post-pandemic hybrid work model, TOI said.

TCS ties variable pay to office attendance

Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) has introduced a policy tying employees' quarterly variable pay to their office attendance, the report added. Those present in the office less than 60 per cent of the time will forfeit variable pay entirely, while those with attendance between 60-75 per cent will receive 50 per cent of the variable pay.

Employees attending the office 75-85 per cent of the time will be eligible for 75 per cent of the variable pay, with full variable pay reserved for those compliant above 85 per cent, TOI said.

Colour-coded attendance for Dell Technologies workers

Dell Technologies also has plans in place to monitor employee presence using electronic badge swipes, VPN usage, and a colour-coded system indicating presence frequency. The colours signify blue (consistent on-site presence), green (regular on-site presence), yellow (some on-site presence), and red (limited on-site presence), TOI said, citing technology news outlet The Register.

Dell has a significant presence in India, but it does not disclose the exact number of employees in the country.

Wipro, Infosys take softer approach to call back employees

Wipro has adopted a more lenient approach. In a recent communication to employees, Chief Human Resources Officer Saurabh Govil mentioned the establishment of local-level councils to "enhance associate participation, engagement, collaboration, and networking."

Govil also announced increased in-office activities to encourage employees to work from Wipro campuses across India, the TOI report added.

Meanwhile, Infosys's employee experience platform, InfyMe, permits select business unit employees to apply for up to 11 days of remote work per month. Last year, Infosys asked certain junior and mid-level employees to return to the office for ten days a month starting November 20, differing from some competitors enforcing a five-day work week.