Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has stepped up enforcement of its work-from-office policy, with some employees seeing their final anniversary appraisals put on hold due to earlier lapses in office attendance. The move reflects a firmer stance by the country’s largest IT services firm as it pushes for consistent in-office presence, even as several peers continue to follow hybrid work models.
The action applies to employees who did not meet the company’s prescribed office attendance requirements during certain quarters of the current financial year. In these cases, the appraisal process may have been completed at the business or unit level but has not received final clearance, effectively pausing the release of appraisal outcomes.
At TCS, anniversary appraisals are part of a structured annual cycle linked to an employee’s date of joining. Freshers typically receive confirmation of their appraisal after completing one year, with updates reflected on the company’s internal systems. Lateral hires, however, have not been eligible for final anniversary appraisals since 2022, making the current development particularly significant for newer employees.
Internal communications reviewed by media reports indicate that some employees were informed that their appraisal exercises would not be processed further due to non-compliance with work-from-office norms up to the second quarter of FY26, covering the July–September 2025 period.
The messaging also carried a stronger caution. Employees were warned that continued non-compliance in subsequent quarters could result in their anniversary appraisals not being committed within the required timeline. This, in turn, could lead to exclusion from the FY26 banding cycle, meaning no performance band or rating would be issued for the year.
The development underlines TCS’ intent to tightly link performance processes with attendance discipline as it reinforces its return-to-office strategy across the organisation.
