Cognizant gets strict about return to office mandate, warns employees of being fired for defying rule

IT giant Cognizant has warned its employees that they could be fired for defying the diktat of returning to office even after repeated reminders, reported Mint. As per the report, Cognizant in a April 15 letter to the employees asked those who have not returned to office despite warnings to refer to earlier communications from business leaders on in-office expectations.

"Please note that failure to adhere to the directions will amount to serious misconduct as per company policies and accordingly appropriate disciplinary action will be initiated against you which may lead up to termination," said the letter to an employee as viewed by Moneycontrol

Work from office diktat

Cognizant in February asked its employees in India to work from office for three days a week. As per Reuters in a memo in February Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S said all India associates are "expected to be in the office an average of three days per week, or as defined by their team leader".

As per Cognizant's annual report, around 2,54,000 of Cognizant's 347,700 employees are based in India, making up the company's largest employee base. Other Indian IT giants including TCS, Infosys and Wipro also mandated employees to return to the office in 2023. TCS had also laid down a five-days a week schedule.

Also Watch: Infosys mandates 10 days work from office for select employees starting November 20