Infosys has launched a new cash incentive programme that rewards senior employees for participating in lateral hiring interviews. The initiative, effective from 1 January, is intended to acknowledge employee involvement in the recruitment process and boost internal morale during a period of cautious hiring across the IT industry.
Under the scheme, eligible employees will receive Rs 700 for each interview conducted. The reward system is retrospective, allowing staff to claim incentives for interviews held over the past five months. This is the first time Infosys has introduced such a monetary reward mechanism for interviewers.
The programme is meant for employees at job levels 5 and 6, including track leads, project managers, and architects, who regularly assess candidates during the two to three rounds of technical interviews before final HR evaluation. However, the policy excludes members of the HR and talent-acquisition teams, contractors and senior leaders. Additionally, interviews cancelled or missed by candidates are not eligible for rewards.
The incentive is limited to interviews for roles based within India, reflecting Infosys’s current emphasis on lateral hiring over campus placements. The move comes as the Indian IT sector faces a shortage of experienced professionals, particularly in niche areas such as artificial intelligence, and grapples with low global demand.
Infosys has been holding intensive weekend recruitment drives, during which a single employee may conduct 10 to 15 interviews in a day. The cash reward, it is hoped, will motivate employees to participate actively and wholeheartedly, and reduce panel fatigue.
This new policy tries to address employee concerns about modest pay hikes and reduced performance bonuses.
