HCL's back-to-office plan: come in three days a week, or forget about holidays
(2024/07/22)
- Reference: 1721629927
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/07/22/hcl_india_wfh_leave_eligibility/
- Source link:
HCL Technologies has devised a measure to make sure its India-based employees change out of their pajamas and head into the office: making on-premises attendance a condition of eligibility for leave.
Indian union Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) told The Register HCL Technologies is mandating employees work at least three days a week, and at least 12 days a month, or kiss leave eligibility goodbye.
It's a move the labor org has condemned as draconian and illegal.
[1]
"Under the Indian labor laws, particularly the Shops and Establishments Act, any modification in leave policy should be made in consultation with the employees and should not lead to undue hardship," NITES argued.
[2]
[3]
"In the post-pandemic era, flexible working arrangements have become the norm, and imposing such rigid requirements is a step backward," it added.
NITES said workers were informed of the policy change verbally by their managers.
[4]
This may have been followed up with an email from HR, as [5]reported by media outlets that also alleged that the policy has already taken effect.
Accrued annual leave will be applied to the days the employee isn't in the office, claimed one news outlet – rather than a preferred date of choosing by the employee. Once leave is over, pay could potentially be docked.
HCL Tech employees in India receive 18 days annual leave and one day personal leave if they've worked for the company less than three years. That increases to 20 days annual leave and two personal days after three years' tenure.
[6]
An HCL spokesperson sent The Register the following statement:
"Our hybrid work policy provides flexibility where people in middle and senior level management follow any three days a week work from office arrangement which supports collaboration. All other employees follow the working arrangements as necessary to meet the client commitments and these are planned by the respective managers."
HCL Technologies called employees back into the office for three days a week around four months ago. Employees who were a part of the services giant's Digital Foundation Services (DFS) were [7]told in February that non-compliance could result in a pay cut. Graduate recruits were required to attend the office every day.
Managers were required to track compliance on a designated portal.
[8]Transformation chief leaves Asda amid Walmart divorce IT projects
[9]The hiring frenzy is over at India's services giants
[10]Google HR hounds threaten 'next steps' for slackers not coming in 3 days a week
[11]Working from home never looked better: Leopard stalks around Infosys and TCS campuses
Over the last two years, businesses around the world have been pulling their employees back into the office after COVID-19 lockdowns saw many work remotely.
HCL's fellow IT outsourcers Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), [12]Infosys , and Wipro have all [13]ordered three-day weeks in the office.
TCS has [14]worked to enforce its policy by linking it to variable pay – the Indian term for performance bonuses. It's a strategy HCL Technologies CEO C Vijakumar has said he isn't considering – although as Moneycontrol notes, HCL doesn't use bonuses as widely as its rivals.
Quarterly variable pay accounts for less than three percent of annual compensation, and is not applicable for mid- and senior-level employees at HCL Technologies.
Strike threat
NITES has also submitted a letter to the Ministry of Labour and Employment in the state of Karnataka opposing an amendment that would extend working hours of IT employees – even threatening a strike should the proposed change go through.
The amendment to the Shops and Commercial Establishment Act would extend a day's work to up to 14 hours.
"We wish to emphasize that if any such amendment is enacted, we will have no choice but to resort to a nationwide strike," NITES told The Register.
In the letter, NITES notes that in some IT hubs like Bangalore, employees may commute up to three hours a day, making a 14 hour workday even more of a health hazard.
Outside India, Google also [15]told its employees to come back on campus for three days a week last June. Those who don't could get a call from HR to outline "next steps."
And in May Dell [16]ordered employees to be onsite at least 39 days per quarter – the equivalent of three days per week.
The Reg was [17]told before the announcement that workers below a certain pay grade would have the option to choose to be fully remote – at the expense of career advancement opportunities.
Whether that threat is being exercised is unknown, however, as half of the PC maker's US staff reportedly [18]opted for remote work.
The Reg understands that Dell managers are required to track attendance and excuses for not coming to the office, but no corporate requirements or punishments have visibly materialized – yet. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
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[5] https://www.moneycontrol.com/technology/no-office-no-leaves-hcltech-links-employee-leaves-to-office-attendance-article-12772551.html
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zp4turPVqG3SG6e-c6mXkgAAAI4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/hcl-technologies-asks-employees-to-work-from-office-3-days-to-avoid-pay-cut-11708061619907.html
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/09/transformation_chief_leaves_asda/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/30/hcl_tcs_wipro_infosys_results/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/08/google_three_day_week_enforcement/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/17/leopard_infosys_tcs_india/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/17/leopard_infosys_tcs_india/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/08/wipro_office_return/
[14] https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/tcs-wont-give-variable-pay-to-employees-with-less-than-60-attendance-in-office-report-12691461.html#goog_rewarded
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/08/google_three_day_week_enforcement/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/10/dell_remote_work_revision/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/03/dell_return_to_work/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/20/half_of_dell_us_staff_wfh/
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Indian union Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) told The Register HCL Technologies is mandating employees work at least three days a week, and at least 12 days a month, or kiss leave eligibility goodbye.
It's a move the labor org has condemned as draconian and illegal.
[1]
"Under the Indian labor laws, particularly the Shops and Establishments Act, any modification in leave policy should be made in consultation with the employees and should not lead to undue hardship," NITES argued.
[2]
[3]
"In the post-pandemic era, flexible working arrangements have become the norm, and imposing such rigid requirements is a step backward," it added.
NITES said workers were informed of the policy change verbally by their managers.
[4]
This may have been followed up with an email from HR, as [5]reported by media outlets that also alleged that the policy has already taken effect.
Accrued annual leave will be applied to the days the employee isn't in the office, claimed one news outlet – rather than a preferred date of choosing by the employee. Once leave is over, pay could potentially be docked.
HCL Tech employees in India receive 18 days annual leave and one day personal leave if they've worked for the company less than three years. That increases to 20 days annual leave and two personal days after three years' tenure.
[6]
An HCL spokesperson sent The Register the following statement:
"Our hybrid work policy provides flexibility where people in middle and senior level management follow any three days a week work from office arrangement which supports collaboration. All other employees follow the working arrangements as necessary to meet the client commitments and these are planned by the respective managers."
HCL Technologies called employees back into the office for three days a week around four months ago. Employees who were a part of the services giant's Digital Foundation Services (DFS) were [7]told in February that non-compliance could result in a pay cut. Graduate recruits were required to attend the office every day.
Managers were required to track compliance on a designated portal.
[8]Transformation chief leaves Asda amid Walmart divorce IT projects
[9]The hiring frenzy is over at India's services giants
[10]Google HR hounds threaten 'next steps' for slackers not coming in 3 days a week
[11]Working from home never looked better: Leopard stalks around Infosys and TCS campuses
Over the last two years, businesses around the world have been pulling their employees back into the office after COVID-19 lockdowns saw many work remotely.
HCL's fellow IT outsourcers Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), [12]Infosys , and Wipro have all [13]ordered three-day weeks in the office.
TCS has [14]worked to enforce its policy by linking it to variable pay – the Indian term for performance bonuses. It's a strategy HCL Technologies CEO C Vijakumar has said he isn't considering – although as Moneycontrol notes, HCL doesn't use bonuses as widely as its rivals.
Quarterly variable pay accounts for less than three percent of annual compensation, and is not applicable for mid- and senior-level employees at HCL Technologies.
Strike threat
NITES has also submitted a letter to the Ministry of Labour and Employment in the state of Karnataka opposing an amendment that would extend working hours of IT employees – even threatening a strike should the proposed change go through.
The amendment to the Shops and Commercial Establishment Act would extend a day's work to up to 14 hours.
"We wish to emphasize that if any such amendment is enacted, we will have no choice but to resort to a nationwide strike," NITES told The Register.
In the letter, NITES notes that in some IT hubs like Bangalore, employees may commute up to three hours a day, making a 14 hour workday even more of a health hazard.
Outside India, Google also [15]told its employees to come back on campus for three days a week last June. Those who don't could get a call from HR to outline "next steps."
And in May Dell [16]ordered employees to be onsite at least 39 days per quarter – the equivalent of three days per week.
The Reg was [17]told before the announcement that workers below a certain pay grade would have the option to choose to be fully remote – at the expense of career advancement opportunities.
Whether that threat is being exercised is unknown, however, as half of the PC maker's US staff reportedly [18]opted for remote work.
The Reg understands that Dell managers are required to track attendance and excuses for not coming to the office, but no corporate requirements or punishments have visibly materialized – yet. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zp4turPVqG3SG6e-c6mXkgAAAI4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.moneycontrol.com/technology/no-office-no-leaves-hcltech-links-employee-leaves-to-office-attendance-article-12772551.html
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zp4turPVqG3SG6e-c6mXkgAAAI4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/hcl-technologies-asks-employees-to-work-from-office-3-days-to-avoid-pay-cut-11708061619907.html
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/09/transformation_chief_leaves_asda/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/30/hcl_tcs_wipro_infosys_results/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/08/google_three_day_week_enforcement/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/17/leopard_infosys_tcs_india/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/17/leopard_infosys_tcs_india/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/08/wipro_office_return/
[14] https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/tcs-wont-give-variable-pay-to-employees-with-less-than-60-attendance-in-office-report-12691461.html#goog_rewarded
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/08/google_three_day_week_enforcement/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/10/dell_remote_work_revision/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/03/dell_return_to_work/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/20/half_of_dell_us_staff_wfh/
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
COVID really threw a wrench in things
Pascal Monett
During COVID, we were all locked down, nobody was in the office, and yet companies not only survived, but many thrived.
Now, management is desperately trying to get back to before, but there is no going back. We proved that we could do the job with suffering the commute. Stop with the threatening, we know this works.
Re: COVID really threw a wrench in things
simonlb
But those companies still have to pay for those big, flashy, fully managed office spaces they have under a long-term leasing agreement, and they need bodies in there to make it look like they have staff. We were promised remote working decades ago and finally got it, so unless you really do, definitely need to be present in the office, working from home is the obvious, logical choice. Pity these companies still don't get that.
I know of one company whose UK based call centre staff moved from office to home based when the first lockdown started (18th March 2020 - seems so long ago), and they've never changed back.
Landlords
elsergiovolador
It's all about landlords being worried their property portfolio is going to lose value.
Re: Landlords
Uncle Slacky
Where's Mao when you need him?
Re: Landlords
Anonymous Coward
There's another knock-on effect of the lack of need for office premises....a lot of investment funds, including company pensions, have significant holdings in the commercial property sector. I know that the value of my personal pension took something of a hit back in 2020 when the value of shares in commercial property firms slumped (to the point that funds were suspending trading of those shares.
ChoHag
So you're saying the two days of the week spent at home ARE the holiday?
14 hour workdays + return to office + commute time
Dan 55
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
India always seems to be in the headlines for the wrong reasons...
Indians are hard workers, but why do you think most of them GTFO of India as soon as they can.
But then we have indian companies operating out in thr world, takin with them, the indian brand of employee abuse. Take Accenture (aka Anderson Consulting), I have contracted for this company 2x but never again, they way they abuse the perm Indian and non-Indian employies, I am suprised they havent faced multiple tribunals at this point. The salasry rate is well below industry average and they take the royal piss when paying expenses, as in they take months to pay, so the employee ends up incurring interest rate costs.