The buzz around Genpact’s extended work hours is refusing to die down. What started as internal discontent has now taken on the form of widespread online backlash, so much so that the company had to issue a clarification.
In response to media reports and growing criticism on social media, Genpact clarified that it follows a 9-hour workday, not 10, as previously speculated, as per TOI. However, the company did not offer further clarity and failed to answer to email queries, leaving employees and observers with more uncertain.
Internally, there is an atmosphere of confusion n lack of trust. Employees would have been more at ease if the information regarding extended hours had come from official leadership instead of immediate managers. Many had hoped the company would reconsider the move after the uproar, but so far, there seems to be no such intention.
Reports also suggest that Genpact has introduced a system to track daily productivity, logging ‘active hours’ of employees. Staff are awarded points for working for the required number of hours each day, with those points translating into minor incentives. However, employees argue the bonuses being offered are not sufficient to compensate for additional workload, especially in the absence of a pay hike.
Meanwhile, other IT giants are also relooking at work schedules. Accenture, for instance, has made a nine-hour workday official for corporate roles from 1 June, but capped the weekly hours at 45 in compliance with state labour laws. Infosys requires a daily login of nine hours and 15 minutes, and HCL continues to follow a nine-hour workday.
Human resource professionals and employees fear the potential risk to employees’ mental health and productivity following such a taxing schedule. If this trend spreads across the industry, employee wellbeing will suffer. For now, the lack of transparency from Genpact’s leadership is adding to the unrest.
