As the world has come back to its normal pace, many big companies have started calling their employees back to office. TCS is the recent one added to the list ending work from home following other tech giants like Meta, Google, and Infosys. However, the decision has resulted in a rather serious complication.
The discontinuation of remote work at TCS had an unintended consequence as a greater number of female employees opted not to resume office work compared to their male counterparts.
The company experienced an increase in female attrition, which is atypical for the IT behemoth where historically, the attrition rate among women has either been lower or comparable to that of their male colleagues. The company is currently experiencing a significant staff exodus of 20 per cent in FY23.
Speculating on the reasons for this high attrition, Milind Lakkad, chief human resources officer, TCS, believes that the shift to remote work during the pandemic may have disrupted domestic arrangements for some women. As a result, even after the situation returned to normal, they chose not to return to the office.
Out of TCS’s workforce of 614,000 employees, 36 per cent are women, who comprise the majority of those who have left the company since the return to office policy was implemented. The requirement to physically work from the office has been a key factor driving women away from TCS, alongside other contributing factors.
However, the company has made it clear about its commitment towards gender diversity. Despite the unusual attrition, the company will continue to hire more individuals of both genders. According to Lakkad, the company is actively working towards enhancing their representation, particularly in leadership positions.
