TCS Layoffs Spark Anger and Despair Among Employees as Reports of Forced Resignations Emerge
TCS Layoffs Spark Anger and Despair Among Employees as Reports of Forced Resignations Emerge
India’s top IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), is facing growing criticism from employees and unions after reports of sudden job cuts surfaced across social media platforms. Nearly two months after news broke that the company planned to reduce its workforce by around 2%, or roughly 12,000 positions, the impact of these decisions is now becoming all too real for those affected.
Despite the company’s official stance that this reduction is a routine part of workforce management, employees are sharing deeply emotional stories online—painting a picture of distress, confusion, and pressure to resign without notice or explanation.
Across Reddit and LinkedIn, former and current TCS employees have opened up about being pressured to quit, with some alleging coercion, lack of communication, and insensitivity during internal discussions with HR. One anonymous user recounted how they were summoned to a meeting and told to resign immediately.
“It’s been 3 days since I was asked to resign in a meeting room. I denied it. I was crying and afraid, but TCS is my first company—I have nothing to lose. They threatened me that they will give a bad review after termination, so I said, ‘Okay, do as you like, but I’m not going to resign,’ and I came out of that meeting room. I was crying, I was scared, but I tried to be strong at that time.”
Another individual shared a similarly distressing experience, stating they had been questioned about their availability and project status despite being consistently active and upskilling.
“A panel was waiting for me to resign. The HR first questioned why I was reporting to nearby locations, even though I was completing 5-7 to 7-9 hours daily. I explained clearly that RMG never told me anything, never mailed me, and I always attended every call, every mail, every gChat message. I told them I wasn’t sitting idle—I went there to study and upskill. I proved it by showing my external certifications, I begged. I told them to give me even 1 day or 1 hour, and I could arrange a project. I repeated that I am the sole breadwinner of my home, and that even my marriage could get cancelled if I lost my job like this. But the HR just said: ‘Don’t talk in circles, I don’t like that.'”
The emotional toll has been enormous, with several now actively job hunting while struggling to process the experience.
“Now I’m job hunting on Naukri and LinkedIn. But this entire experience has left me feeling humiliated and hopeless,” wrote another employee anonymously.
The situation escalated further this week as the Union of IT & ITES Employees (UNITE) organized protests across major Indian cities, demanding that TCS reconsider its decision and calling for government intervention. Backed by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), these demonstrations challenged the official narrative of “limited job cuts.”
As reported by The New Indian Express, UNITE leaders alleged that the actual number of impacted employees could be as high as 30,000, far more than the company’s public estimate. Protestors claimed that the layoffs are being implemented under the guise of performance issues or “unavailability,” but in reality, many are being pressured to resign without cause or clear explanation.
The union urged the government to step in, warning that if no action is taken, it could set a dangerous precedent for arbitrary dismissals in the IT industry.
In response, TCS issued a statement to Business Line, rejecting the union’s claims. The company stated that the allegations were “incorrect and misleading”, and reaffirmed that the workforce adjustments would be limited to about 2% of its global employee base, which currently stands at over 600,000.
While TCS insists the downsizing is minor in scale and part of standard organizational restructuring, the lived experiences of affected employees tell a different story—one of fear, emotional distress, and uncertainty. From being the sole earners in their families to postponing important life events like marriages, many are now navigating unplanned unemployment and reputational harm in the job market.
The growing number of personal testimonies also raises questions about how layoffs are being executed, especially in a company known for its size, influence, and global presence.
