TCS New Bench Policy Caps Annual Bench Period To 35 Days: What It Means for Employees
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has introduced a revised associate deployment policy that restricts bench time to a maximum of 35 business days
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has introduced a revised associate deployment policy that restricts bench time to a maximum of 35 business days per year, requiring employees to be deployed for at least 225 billed days annually. Effective June 12, the new rule aims to enhance workforce utilisation and align individual contributions with organisational goals, according to an internal document reviewed by The Times of India.
The update, communicated by Chandrasekaran Ramkumar, global head of TCS's Resource Management Group (RMG), stresses that prolonged unallocated periods could negatively affect compensation, career growth, international postings, and even continued employment with the company.
Associates not currently assigned to projects are expected to proactively engage with RMG to find new opportunities. While on the bench, they must dedicate 4 to 6 hours daily to upskilling through platforms such as iEvolve, Fresco Play, VLS, and LinkedIn, complete mandatory training, and use the company's Gen AI interview coach to improve readiness.
To facilitate faster deployment, physical office presence is now mandatory. Work-from-home or flexible arrangements are generally discouraged, except under exceptional circumstances with prior RMG approval.
Earlier in January, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) revised its work-from-office (WFO) policy, introducing stricter norms for requesting exceptions. According to a company communication cited by The Times of India, employees in India can now cite personal emergencies for a maximum of six WFO exceptions per quarter. However, unused exception days cannot be carried forward to the next quarter.
To address logistical challenges like space constraints, TCS has also allowed employees to submit up to 30 exception days in a single request, offering greater flexibility in planning short-term remote work.
Additionally, TCS has warned against frequent short-term project allocations, noting that such patterns could lead to HR investigations and disciplinary action.
First Published:
June 17, 2025, 12:27 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Bengaluru-Based CEO Says India Has "Talent Problem", Sparks Online Debate
Umesh Kumar, a Bengaluru-based CEO, sparked online debate after he said that India has a "big fu**ing talent problem" and there is artificial intelligence-generated crap everywhere. Mr Kumar expressed his anger as he struggled to find qualified candidates for a backend engineering role, for which he received around 1,000 applications in 2-3 days, and didn't find any decent resumes. India seriously has a big f***ing talent problem. We got around 1000 applications for a backend engineering role in just the last 2-3 days, and guess how many were actually decent? < 5. We asked for a basic, simple coding task. The submissions? Mostly absolute trash.… — Umesh Kumar (@itsumeshk) June 30, 2025 "India seriously has a big fu**ing talent problem," Mr Kumar, who is co-founder of Runable, a platform where anyone can build AI agents, said in a post on X. "We got around 1,000 applications for a backend engineering role in just the last two to three days, and guess how many were actually decent? [Less than five]." Mr Kumar said that most of the submissions for a basic and simple coding task were "absolute trash". "AI-generated crap everywhere. But that's ok. Code that doesn't even run. F**k Running Code, libraries needed for the code to work are even missing," he pinpointed. The Indian tech job market is booming, with a 22% growth forecast and over 2 million cloud professionals needed by FY25, a report said. Despite the high demand, there's a shortage of skilled candidates, particularly those with practical skills in emerging technologies. Mr Kumar also weighed in on the hiring process, he said, "We pay a damn good Rs50 Lakh base salary plus relocation, food, and the chance to work with some of the best talent out there. So yes, at this pay scale, expecting code that actually runs is justified." Such issues have forced companies to become more selective and focus on practical skills over formal education. "I am confused, Am I the only one facing all this or this is becoming the new normal in hiring nowadays?" Kumar said. His post grabbed massive traction, with one user saying, "I totally get you, Umesh. I've manually reviewed 300 resumes in the last 2 months, 15 were decent, 2 got the offer." "Its gonna get a lot harder to find great talent with students using AI in college," another said. A third suggested, "There are good talent out there. When you post a role, LinkedIn without a proper corporate Recruiter account is already limiting who can view, hence what you need is Discovery of Talent who haven't seen it (Recruiters reaching out). Second, think of the role to be remote with travel as needed. Your budget is not a constraint here at all."
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
India's digital decade, next 10 years will be more transformative: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a blog titled "A Decade of Digital India" on his official LinkedIn handle, celebrating 10 years of the Digital India mission. He described how India has transformed from limited internet access and digital services in 2014 to becoming a global leader in digital technology in Modi said that earlier, people doubted if Indians could use technology well. But the government trusted the people and used technology to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Today, digital tools have become part of everyday life for 140 crore Indians -- from learning and business to accessing government services. In 2014, India had about 25 crore internet connections. Now, it has over 97 crore. High-speed internet has even reached remote areas like Galwan and Siachen. The country's 5G rollout is one of the fastest in the world, with nearly 5 lakh base stations set up in just two years. PM Modi highlighted platforms like UPI, which now handles over 100 billion transactions yearly. Through Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), ₹44 lakh crore has been sent directly to people, saving nearly ₹3.5 lakh crore by cutting out middlemen. He shared how platforms like ONDC and GeM are helping small businesses grow by connecting them with big markets. ONDC recently crossed 200 million transactions, and GeM has reached over ₹1 lakh crore in sales in just 50 days. The SVAMITVA scheme has given more than 2.4 crore property cards and mapped over 6 lakh villages. India's digital tools, such as Aadhaar, CoWIN, DigiLocker, and FASTag, are now being used and studied by other countries. CoWIN helped in managing the world's largest vaccination drive, issuing 220 crore certificates. India is now among the top 3 startup ecosystems in the world, with over 1.8 lakh startups. The country is also growing fast in artificial intelligence (AI). Through the India AI Mission, India is offering access to powerful AI tools at very low cost, making it a global hub for digital innovation. PM Modi said that the next 10 years will be even more transformative. India is moving from using digital tools to leading the world with them. He called on innovators and entrepreneurs to build technology that helps and unites people, and to make India a trusted global partner in the digital world.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Best Monday ever: Whole office logged off at 3 pm. Who gave this brilliant idea to CEO? An intern
Internet reacts What started as a light-hearted addition to a topical calendar ended up redefining Mondays for an entire office. At Yoho, a seemingly innocent move by an intern—adding 'Leave the Office Early Day'—sparked a chain reaction no one expected. What began as a joke quickly snowballed into action, and suddenly, employees were logging off at 3 PM on a Monday. No meetings, no Slack pings—just silent desks and surprised Siddique from Yoho took to LinkedIn to narrate how it all unfolded. While reviewing the month's topical calendar, she noticed the quirky entry and decided to roll with it. The post went live. Someone cracked a joke—'Should we actually do it?' The joke gained traction. Soon, it became a genuine pitch to the founder. And in just an hour, HR gave the green signal: 'Cool. Everyone logs off at 3.'The result? A quiet, empty office by 3:01 PM—and possibly the best Monday of the year. What began as a tongue-in-cheek calendar note became a reminder of how spontaneity, fun, and a little rule-breaking can lift workplace spirits. A big win for the intern initiative The internet had a field day reacting to the intern-led early log-off at Yoho. Many praised the refreshing approach to workplace culture , with one user applauding the company for recognising that productivity isn't about clocking long hours but maintaining balance. Another joked about wanting to apply to this "intern-powered utopia." Several others chimed in with witty takes, calling the intern the 'best employee of the year' and imagining how powerful they must've felt that Monday. The overall sentiment? Pure admiration—and a touch of envy.
