Wipro Moves Ahead With Six-Day Working Option To Offset Re Rise
Mini Joseph Tejaswi | TNN
Bangalore: Looks like the five-day working week enjoyed by over 15 lakh technology professionals in the country would soon be a thing of the past. This newspaper had first reported last month that such a thing was being considered by some companies to offset the impact of the rupee appreciation on their margins. Now we hear some are actually moving ahead on the idea, and implementing it in certain sections.
Employees in IT companies say that new recruits in certain companies, notably Wipro, are being told they would be working on Saturdays, though for an additional payment. "Some delivery and business unit heads are also being asked to convey to their team members that they may need to move to a six-day regime once they start working on new projects," a Wipro employee said. There is no official communication yet, but that, employees think, may be because the company does not want to upset overall morale. "There may not be any compulsion, at least to start with. The strategy is to get freshers, bachelors and employees who are willing to work extra hours/day to do so on certain projects. In fact, Wipro Technologies is definitely looking at a six-day working option,'' said an employee.
However, Wipro executive vice president (HR) Pratik Kumar said, "Some of us are already working on Saturdays depending on delivery schedules and deadlines. But there is no plan to introduce a sixday working regime, although the idea sounds good.''
Mohan Karupiah, an independent HR consultant who works with half a dozen tech firms, says a working Saturday is very much on the minds of people and project managers of IT and BPO firms, excluding product companies, R&D firms and captives. "They are checking the viability. They may start with new projects and new recruits, keeping in mind factors like its productivity advantage, additional cost to bring employees to work and keep the systems running, clients' consent and the possible attrition,'' he said.
Companies are thinking of various combinations to keep the conversion heat away. It could be adding extra hours to a five-day regime or a soft introduction of an additional working day. "Six-day working fits very well with fixedprice projects and companies can deliver projects faster to take time and cost advantage. However, it may not make sense for projects with a specific time-line. So, billing patterns and clients' consent are going to be key decisive elements,'' Karupiah added.
The fact is, all domestic firms whose primary market is the US are looking at ways to minimise the damage done to margins. "At the same time, no one wants to scare their employees away. But they are unofficially talking about it. Certain divisions, project-teams and new recruits have already been told to work on Saturdays. Every corporate is waiting for its peers to make a bold announcement,'' said B S Murthy, CEO, HumanCapital.
US clients work five-days a week and many projects require seamless interaction and data sharing with clients. It's more so when it comes to support projects. "But with mobility increasingly blurring the time-lines between work and life, the whole world may get into an extended work regime,'' said Amitabh Das, CEO of HR consulting firm Vati
Source:TOI
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