Infosys lays off 350 Mysore campus employees after two-and-a-half-year wait for onboarding
Bengaluru: Infosys has laid off around 350 employees who were onboarded in October, following a prolonged wait of over two-and-a-half years after receiving their offer letters, according to sources familiar with the matter, Business Standard reported.
India's second-largest IT services company had hired approximately 1,000 engineering graduates at the time, amid an industry-wide slowdown in fresher recruitment due to muted demand and an uncertain macroeconomic environment.
The company stated that it follows a "rigorous hiring process" for all freshers.
"All freshers get three attempts to clear the assessment, failing which they will not be able to continue with the organisation, as is also mentioned in their contract. This process has been in existence for over two decades and ensures a high quality of talent availability for our clients," Infosys said in a statement, according to the report.
Affected employees, who had been undergoing training at the company’s Mysore campus, described the layoff process as harsh.
"Our phones are taken away as we enter the room. They are just asking us to sign without any discussion. If you ask for a discussion, they say, 'Sign first'," Business Standard quoted one employee on condition of anonymity.
The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has announced plans to file a complaint with the minister of labour and employment, calling for "immediate intervention" to "uphold the rights and dignity of Indian IT workers."
Employees claimed they were dismissed after failing to meet the minimum requirements in three qualifying test attempts.
However, sources alleged that the syllabus and criteria were changed later.
"First, the company kept us on the bench for three years, and now they seem least bothered. We could have done well in the test, but it was extremely tough. Initially, we were told that there would be no negative marking in the third attempt, but now they have changed it," said one of the laid-off employees, reported Business Standard.
Infosys had issued offer letters in 2022, with freshers initially expected to join in 2023.
However, onboarding was delayed as the industry grappled with a slowdown due to global economic uncertainty.
Similar delays were reported by other IT giants such as TCS and Wipro.
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