Employees of information technology (IT) solutions company Cognizant are puzzled by rumours that the company is preparing to sack about 2% of the workforce in the country.
Employees said of late, they walk into the office at Sector 48 with the fear that it might be their last in the organisation with rumours of layoff spreading on social media, news websites, and in the frim’s offices.
Reports say the IT major is looking to sack over 6,000 employees of its 1.55 lakh workforce in the country.
An employee who lives in DLF Phase 4 and has been with the company since 2007, when it began operations in Gurgaon, says her biggest fear is managing the expenses of an eight-year-old daughter, paying a monthly instalment of a three-bedroom apartment and paying the car loan if she gets sacked. Despite her vast experience with the company, she remains insecure of her position.
“There is no job security in the IT sector. Your performance does not guarantee job security and it depends on the management team. There are multiple factors such as bias and changes in company policy that are beyond your control. Until I receive clarity from the management, I’ll be worried,” the 39-year-old said.
An employee of the company’s human resource department does not see the 2% layoff as a threat to his position but fears the rumours can result in a mass exodus.
“The IT engineers face a large risk of being sacked. Most IT engineers (of the firm) are based out of Gurgaon at the company’s other centres (at Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Kochi, Mangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune). Hence, the chances of loss of jobs at the Gurgaon centre are low…. The main worry is that due to the uncertainty and job insecurity, many employees here may seek jobs in other companies. This could affect the company’s optimisation significantly,” the HR employee said.
Company officials said the layoff is a routine exercise initiated for better output.
“As part of our workforce management strategy, we conduct regular performance reviews to ensure we have the right employee skill sets necessary to meet client needs and achieve our business goals. This process results in changes, including some employees transitioning out of the company. Any actions as the result of this process are performance-based and generally consistent with those we’ve made in previous years,” a spokesperson of the company said.
