Mass Layoffs Jolt TCSers

An air of disbelief hung over Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) offices on Monday morning, a day after the largest information-technology (IT) services company sent out an unexpected communication to its employees, announcing its biggest layoff.

- SHIVANI SHINDE & AVIK DAS

At TCS—long seen as an ideal destination for steady and secure jobs—employees found it tough to come to terms with the layoff announcement that broke the Sunday afternoon peace.

There were many, however, who had no clue on Sunday. Since the official communication that 2 per cent of the workforce, or over 12,000 employees, would have to leave was sent out on a holiday, many employees learnt about the layoffs through Monday morning newspapers, just before heading to office.

"I think the internal portal carried the update on Sunday afternoon, but most of us wouldn't have checked it.

Reading about our own company's layoffs in the newspaper was shocking," said a mid-level employee. "There was no prior indication from human resources (HR) department). No announcement.

Nothing," he lamented.

This is the first time that TCS has officially announced a large-scale layoff. The only comparable instance was in 2012, when it let go of around 2,500 employees. For a Tata Group company, especially TCS, which weathered past crises like Covid-19 and the 2008 financial meltdown without cutting jobs, this marks a dramatic cultural shift. "TCS was considered a safe company. It stood by employees during every downturn. That's what makes this harder to digest," said another employee. Several expressed discomfort over what they saw as a departure from the "Tata values".