04-28-2009, 03:00 AM
<b>IT firms try to push out benched staff</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Excluding trainees, <b>Infosys </b>[Get Quote] officially agrees their bench strength is <b>3,500-4,000 people</b>. This will increase once the <b>8,000 people </b>undergoing training join in the next two months. Besides, the company has issued joining letters to around <b>16,000 campus recruits</b>, who were given offers last year.
To mitigate such pressures, Infosys has already announced an increase in the current training duration from the three months to almost six months.
<b>Wipro </b>[Get Quote] has already given an option to its bench resources to <b>work for only two days a week and take a 50 per cent cut in their salary. Close to 1,000 employees</b>, including senior managers and project managers, have availed of this offer so far, according to the company.
In some cases, the company is encouraging the bench resources, including managers, <b>to come to office 10 days a month at a stretch and take a cut in salary</b>.
The company is also encouraging some employees to take a sabbatical for six months or more to go for higher studies.
About <b>10-12 per cent of Wipro's employees with the IT services business are said to be on the bench now</b>. "We want to keep our efficiency level fairly high. We don't want to create laxity there. It is not just the question of a bad economic situation, but working habits, too, get spoiled by doing so. It is better to keep a tight bench and keep everybody fairly engaged," says Girish Paranjpe, joint CEO of Wipro's IT business.
<b>HCL Technologies</b> [Get Quote] has urged its benched employees to take a pay cut of 25 per cent. It is also asking them to find opportunities inside the company on their own, failing which they may lose their jobs.
<b>TCS </b>[Get Quote], India's largest IT firm, which added 32,000 employees last financial year, including close to 25,000 freshers, says it is very important to ensure <b>utilisation is at least at 74 per cent</b>, though the company claims the increasing bench is not much of a problem.
It, however, says the plan is to increase the training period of new recruits
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Excluding trainees, <b>Infosys </b>[Get Quote] officially agrees their bench strength is <b>3,500-4,000 people</b>. This will increase once the <b>8,000 people </b>undergoing training join in the next two months. Besides, the company has issued joining letters to around <b>16,000 campus recruits</b>, who were given offers last year.
To mitigate such pressures, Infosys has already announced an increase in the current training duration from the three months to almost six months.
<b>Wipro </b>[Get Quote] has already given an option to its bench resources to <b>work for only two days a week and take a 50 per cent cut in their salary. Close to 1,000 employees</b>, including senior managers and project managers, have availed of this offer so far, according to the company.
In some cases, the company is encouraging the bench resources, including managers, <b>to come to office 10 days a month at a stretch and take a cut in salary</b>.
The company is also encouraging some employees to take a sabbatical for six months or more to go for higher studies.
About <b>10-12 per cent of Wipro's employees with the IT services business are said to be on the bench now</b>. "We want to keep our efficiency level fairly high. We don't want to create laxity there. It is not just the question of a bad economic situation, but working habits, too, get spoiled by doing so. It is better to keep a tight bench and keep everybody fairly engaged," says Girish Paranjpe, joint CEO of Wipro's IT business.
<b>HCL Technologies</b> [Get Quote] has urged its benched employees to take a pay cut of 25 per cent. It is also asking them to find opportunities inside the company on their own, failing which they may lose their jobs.
<b>TCS </b>[Get Quote], India's largest IT firm, which added 32,000 employees last financial year, including close to 25,000 freshers, says it is very important to ensure <b>utilisation is at least at 74 per cent</b>, though the company claims the increasing bench is not much of a problem.
It, however, says the plan is to increase the training period of new recruits
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