Infosys Slammed For Forced Night Shifts, Woman Employees Can¡¯t Refuse To Work In Lonely Offices

Two days after Rasila Raju OP was brutally murdered inside the Infosys office in Pune, a cloud of gloom was hanging heavy over the campus, several issues have come to the fore. Many of which have been points of contention between employees and the management for a while now.

Most of them are pointing at how women in the IT company are made to work late night shifts even on weekends when they could ideally be given laptops and work remotely.

BCCL

Female employees say that they have not been in favour of working night shifts, especially on weekends when the office is empty. There have been occasions when employees have taken up the issue with their managers or the human resource (HR) department, only to be told that they had agreed to work in shifts while being hired.

¡°I too work in the same ODC (offshore development centre), that too, sometimes alone in the night shift. Initially, I said no to the project because of the night shift. But, our very own HR told me that I had already agreed to work on shifts and that so many other girls work in shifts. Now, I am feeling completely blank after this incident (sic),¡± said one of the employees on a social networking site. Another said she has been pulled up for rejecting to work on a project which involves reporting to work in the night. ¡°I have rejected one project because of night shift and I have a warning letter with me now, which is given by our proud HR team (sic),¡± the employee stated in her post.

BCCL

Most employees Mirror spoke to echoed similar sentiments. They pointed out how they have been uncomfortable working in an empty office but had no choice. ¡°Some of us have taken it up with our respective managers, but in vain. They think we are trying to shirk work,¡± said an employee, while others around her nodded in agreement.

Some of the employees have tried telling their managers that they should be allotted laptops so that they can work from home on weekends or late nights.

¡°Most of our projects involve working with teammates in different parts of the country or the world. It isn¡¯t as if one can shirk work sitting at home. We have to be online and the progress of work is constantly monitored. Moreover, before calling it a day, we have to submit a report of tasks accomplished to our managers. It is really weird that an IT giant is allergic to letting their employees work remotely,¡± said another female worker from Infosys.

BCCL

After Rasila¡¯s murder, several expressed their anger and even refused to work night shifts.

¡°I will save the screenshot of this incident till my last day in Infosys. If at all my manager asks me to come on weekends and holidays anymore, he will get a fitting reply,¡± stated an employee on a social networking site.

Male employees, too, came out in support of their female colleagues, claiming it¡¯s about time the company paid more attention to security ¡®than focusing on simply meeting deadlines for projects¡¯.

¡°Giving a laptop to those who work on weekends or late night shifts is a sensible idea. Although I agree that girls are more vulnerable, boys, too, can become victims of such psychopaths. They get robbed, thrashed or sometimes killed by such people,¡± said a male employee.

Most employees believed it was about time Infosys changed its outlook towards employee welfare. The mood of the employees was apparent throughout the day and many of them took a tough stand with their mangers.

BCCL

Infosys-Speak

A spokesperson from Infosys issued a statement, claiming they were taking care of security issues and working towards eliminating late night shifts.

¡°We are continuing to seek recommendations and suggestions from different stakeholders on how we can try and strengthen the safety of our employees at our campuses and offices,¡± stated the release. They claimed that they already had several measures in place ¨C a 24X7 safety helpline, an Infosys Emergency App, a safety committee, among others. ¡°Beyond this, we encourage our employees to leave campus latest by 8 pm. And, whenever female employees are travelling at night we ensure that travel arrangements are made for them and that follow-up calls are arranged for their safe travel,¡± said the statement.

I have rejected one project because of the night shift and I have a warning letter with me now, which is given by our proud HR team (sic)