Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services firm, has introduced a new benching policy that limits the time employees can remain without a project to 35 days annually. This move, announced on June 12, has caused concern among employees as the first cycle of this rule ends in July.
Employees fear this signals a wave of silent layoffs at a time when global tech layoffs are already widespread. Several posts on Reddit under the r/Layoffs forum have warned of “forced resignations” and a “bloodbath.” One user wrote, “So basically mass layoffs without the company taking the blame. Employees will be forced to ass-kiss their managers.”
Another Reddit user, reflecting on the changing work culture, noted: “Cannot believe TCS is doing this. When I was working there, it used to be referred to jokingly as a ‘government company’ because of the work culture (in some projects) and people having secure jobs. Times have changed.”
Earlier this year, Infosys laid off 300 freshers after they failed internal assessments, and major global players like Amazon and Microsoft have also trimmed their workforces. The wave of job losses across the tech industry is partly being driven by AI, which is automating many roles. Recently, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivasan remarked that recruiter jobs could soon become redundant due to the company’s AI browser, Comet.
The company has maintained that employees are expected to use bench time to upskill, and has instituted support mechanisms to help them transition onto projects. However, critics argue the policy’s rigidity leaves little room for those struggling to find immediate placements. The IT employee union NITES has accused TCS of “forced exits,” and has approached the Labour Ministry, alleging denial of experience letters and pressure to refund salaries.
In response to the criticism, TCS CEO and MD K Krithivasan told TOI that the policy was a formalisation of long-standing internal expectations. “It’s always been expected that associates take responsibility for their careers… HR supports project placement, we also expect associates to proactively seek new assignments,” he said.
Defending TCS' new benching policy, a user wrote on Reddit, "I have seen people join TCS and stayed there for 2 years, prepared for higher studies and left without even doing a single day's worth of work. TCS people have some crazy stories." One user even said that this may help TCS in trimming some seriously underperforming resources, 'those stuck on TCS like a leech.'
