The layoffs at Infosys created chaos as hundreds of trainees found themselves in a helpless situation. This incident occurred at their Mysuru campus, where more than 300 employees were dismissed without prior notice and told to vacate the premises the same day. Infosys explained that these freshers were provided with “three attempts” to pass an assessment, resulting in their termination. While it is not uncommon for freshers to be let go for not passing internal assessments, the extent of the current situation is raising concerns. According to a report by Moneycontrol, previous termination rates were below 10%, but they have now surged to between 30% and 40%.
What might be the cause of this widespread dismissal?
Trainee employees, who had been waiting 2.5 years for onboarding, were summoned in groups of 50 starting at 9:30 am. They were escorted to a room overseen by security personnel and bouncers, where they were required to sign a mutual separation agreement.
The IT corporation issued a statement indicating that they adhered to a stringent hiring process, after which the freshers receive comprehensive foundational training at the Mysuru campus and are expected to complete internal assessments successfully.
“At Infosys, we have a rigorous hiring process where all freshers, after undergoing extensive foundational training at our Mysuru campus, are expected to clear internal assessments,” said the company, as reported by PTI.
“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 clarification.
Nonetheless, trainees have asserted that the criteria for the 2024 group were made significantly stricter.
“This is unjustified because the tests were very tough and made to fail us. Many trainees have fainted as the future looks bleak now,” said one of the terminated employees quoted in the moneycontrol.com report. This situation has sparked worries regarding ethical practices in the management of mass layoffs and the mental health of the terminated employees. NITES, an organization dedicated to advocating for the rights and welfare of IT and ITES workers, has indicated that the number of layoffs is considerably higher and has called on the government to take action.
The Nascent Informational Technology Employee Senate (NITES) has submitted an official complaint to the labour ministry.