New Delhi: The move by technology and services giant Genpact to extend daily work hours to ten has drawn criticism from both its staff and human resource (HR) professionals, who claim that work pressure is severe and attrition rates are increasing, The Hindu reported.
There is a tense atmosphere at the company’s Hyderabad offices due to the change which was internally revealed 20 days ago. With the implementation scheduled for mid-June, many employees are unsettled, The Hindu reported.
Atmosphere is tense
According to an employee, the atmosphere at one of the company’s Hyderabad offices was tense. “I used to log in at 12 p.m. and wrap up by 9 p.m., and even that was exhausting. Now, with the new policy, I’ll have to start at 11 a.m.,” the employee said on condition of anonymity.
The employees clarified that productivity will now be tracked via an internal portal that keeps tabs on daily active hours. “If I clock the allotted time, I earn 500 points per month, which is worth ₹3,000. We have been told that 5% of it, which is ₹150 in my case, will be paid for the additional time. It hardly feels like an incentive.”
Attrition is rising
A senior employee said on the condition of anonymity that work pressure is intense and attrition is rising. “I’m seeing experienced staff walking out everyday and new faces being hired. What’s worse is that this 10-hour policy isn’t even official. It’s passed through managers and agents. If you question it, you’re branded with ‘behavioural issues’ and let go. Earlier, HR maintained transparency in hiring numbers. Now, even that’s controlled entirely by management,” the employee said.
Employees use social media to voice concerns
Employees have also used social media platforms to voice their concerns. “This absolutely pathetic and company increased working hours to 10, without increasing salary,” wrote one Reddit user. “Not just that, you have to complete “WAM” that basically is an abusive tool which logs keystrokes. You have to maintain 9 hrs of those out of 10 now, or you get warning mails. 3-4 of such emails and they deduct your bonus and kill appraisals (sic),” the user added.
This may encourage others to do the same
According to an IT-enabled services industry veteran who started his career at Genpact over 20 years ago, this will encourage other businesses to do the same. In this case, HR has not been a voice of reason.
Extended hours may make employees leave voluntarily
Executive search consultant Achyut Menon said that companies are bringing in harsh policies like extended hours and strict office mandates to force employees to quit voluntarily, while hiring cheaper replacements, reported The Hindu.
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