Tech Companies Reinstate Office Attendance Policies: Here’s How

Technology companies are making moves to encourage their employees to return to the office. After a period of flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, firms are now reasserting their standards for in-person work.

Employees find themselves at a crossroads, needing to comply with company directives or face potential consequences for non-compliance.

Cognizant’s CEO, Ravi Kumar, introduced plans for a new app designed to help managers create work schedules based on company needs. This app, alongside the FlexiSeat app for seat bookings, aims to ensure adherence to in-office work policies introduced earlier this year. “Our collective goal is to ensure that we are in the office with a purpose,” 

Employees at Cognizant are expected to attend the office at least three times a week, as directed by their supervisors. The company has also launched the NextGen program to optimize office spaces for the hybrid work model post-pandemic.

TCS has rolled out a policy tying employees’ quarterly variable pay to their office attendance. Those spending less than 60% of their time in the office will receive no variable pay, while those attending between 60 to 75% will receive 50% of it. This move underscores TCS’s emphasis on in-office presence and motivates employees to prioritize workplace attendance.

Dell Technologies is implementing electronic badge swipes, VPN tracking, and a colour-coded system to monitor employee attendance. This system categorizes presence with colours like blue (consistent on-site), green (regular on-site), yellow (partial on-site), and red (limited on-site).

In contrast, Wipro is taking a more flexible approach. The company’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Saurabh Govil, announced the formation of local councils to enhance employee engagement, interaction, teamwork, and connectivity. Govil also mentioned plans for increased on-campus activities to encourage working from Wipro’s facilities across India.

Infosys’s InfyMe platform allows employees from specific business units to request work-from-home for up to 11 days per month. Last year, Infosys required certain junior and mid-level employees to return to the office for ten days monthly starting November 20, departing from some competitors enforcing a five-day work week.

As tech firms navigate the post-pandemic work landscape, these varied approaches highlight the evolving nature of office dynamics and the importance of balancing flexibility with organizational needs.