HCLTech ties employee leaves to office attendance amid return-to-office push
NOIDA, INDIA — HCLTech, India’s third-largest IT firm, is set to implement a new policy linking employee leaves to their office attendance to encourage them to return to the office.
HCLTech’s new attendance requirements, leave deductions
According to a Moneycontrol report, the company plans to require employees to be physically present in the office at least three days a week, totaling a minimum of 12 days per month.
Under this new policy, employees who fail to meet the attendance requirement will face deductions from their leave balance.
HCLTech currently offers 18 annual leaves and one personal leave to employees with less than three years of service, while those with longer tenures receive about 20 annual leaves and two personal leaves. The new policy could impact these allocations.
The decision comes as HCLTech has reported strong financial results. The firm recently reported a 5.6% year-over-year (YoY) revenue growth, reaching $3.36 billion for the quarter ending June 30, 2024 (Q1 FY2025).
Industry-wide shift to office-based work
Other major IT firms have implemented similar strategies.
Cognizant has asked India-based employees to come to the office three times a week and introduced a system to monitor attendance.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) faced backlash for linking quarterly variable pay to office attendance, with those spending less than 60% of their time in the office receiving no variable pay.
Dell Technologies uses a color-coded badge system to track employee presence, categorizing attendance from “consistent on-site” to “limited on-site,” which caused their employee satisfaction to drop.
As the IT industry continues to adapt to post-pandemic work norms, employees may need to adjust to these new policies or face potential consequences.
