Why Is Infosys Keeping 2,000 Freshers Waiting For 2 Years? Is This The New Norm For The IT Industry? 

In a shocking turn of events, Infosys, one of India’s largest IT giants, has come under intense scrutiny for its alleged mistreatment of nearly 2,000 freshers who were offered positions in 2022. The Pune-based IT employee union, Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), has filed a formal complaint with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, accusing Infosys of “exploitation and unprofessional treatment” of these young professionals.

The affected candidates, selected for roles such as System Engineers and Digital Specialist Engineers, have been subjected to a harrowing ordeal, with their onboarding process being repeatedly delayed for over two years. Despite receiving offer letters as early as April 2022, these graduates have been kept in limbo, forced to participate in unpaid pre-training programs and unexpected additional assessments, all while being denied a clear timeline for their official entry into the company.

The incident has sparked intense debates on corporate ethics, hiring policies, and even the way forward for the Information Technology sector in a post-COVID world. The event has angered the applicants and drawn the attention of labour unions and the broader public, to whom the reputation of one of India’s marquee companies is now in question.

Unmet Commitments of Infosys

Many affected candidates have termed the Infosys onboarding process maddening and demoralising. The company scheduled pre-training sessions for these candidates; the last one was as recent as August 19, 2024. The truth remains that most of these candidates have yet to receive their credentials to log in to the company’s online portals, making them sit in a lurch.

One among the candidates narrated his horrific experience. An HR representative at Infosys had reached out to declare that his pre-training results would come within two days and that he could go ahead and prepare to join work by the year 2024 on September 2. But now, with the promised date passing by, there has not been another call either, leaving the candidate and many others in a dicey situation.

This delay has put many of these youngsters through severe emotional stress and has caused them financial hardship as well. According to the report, youngsters had rejected other job offers based on Infosys’ promise. The postponement has resulted in them fighting their needs, and many even wonder whether they decided to accept the job at Infosys.

NITES Intervention; Union Stands Up For Freshers

The independent union of Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) in Pune has stood firm. NITES, a union of IT employees, complained officially at the Ministry of Labour and Employment against Infosys for the exploitation and ill-treatment of these freshers. Union president Harpreet Singh Saluja condemned Infosys for a “serious breach of trust”.

“The merit-selected graduates now find themselves in a very piquant, frustrating, and compromising position and for that, they seek exemplary punishment of the Respondent Corporation,” the lawyer has pointed out. Saluja has also argued that Infosys’ procrastination and delaying tactics have not only frustrated these young professionals but also caused financial losses amounting to lakhs of rupees to these professionals and tarnished their career prospects. Saluja said that with this act, the government needs to stay proactive and strict against Infosys so that this exploitative practice does not occur.

NITES’s involvement highlights the increased apprehension of work practices in the Indian IT industry. Unions such as NITES are critical in protecting workers’ rights, more so in an industry such as the one in India with enormous organisations that possess tremendous influence over their workers. The union’s decision to take the issue to the Ministry of Labour and Employment showed that the situation was horrible, and Infosys was to brace for solid government actions.

A Larger Crisis in the IT Industry

While Infosys is in the limelight, one must realise this is a more significant issue than just one company. For the last couple of years, especially post-COVID-19, the Indian IT sector has been under extreme stress. The slowdown in global economies, with the impending threat of a severe recession, is currently bringing down the level of discretionary spending by clients, consequently making IT companies relook at their approach toward hiring.

Infosys itself has seen a dramatic decline in onboarding freshers. The company hired over 50,000 freshers in 2022-23 but could onboard only 11,900 in the next financial year, 2023-24. This sharp reduction reflects the broader struggles of the IT industry, where companies are grappling with uncertainty and shifting market demands.

What Infosys is going through nowadays is precisely what other major IT firms are suffering. In fact, among the chief global IT giants, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, and even Accenture have announced a slowdown in personnel hiring, including delays in onboarding. 

Accenture has faced severe criticism for recruitment errors, as it laid off vast numbers of freshers with ignorance of onboarding delays. This trend raised severe concerns regarding job security and the long-term health of the IT job market.

The Effect on Freshers

The wait for induction into Infosys alone last year, where almost 2,000 freshers have been stalled, has been much longer. Many youngsters, supposed to start fresh careers in prime Indian IT firms, suddenly find themselves in a soup. Many have been forced to reconsider their career choices as the lack of income and job security takes its toll.

The financial implications of this delay can never be overstated. Most fresh graduates, especially those of middle-class backgrounds, really needed the first job to start the repayment of their student loans and support their families. This prolonged delay has thrown most candidates into deep financial constraints, with some opting for temporary or freelance jobs to earn a living.

Emotionally, the toll has been just as brutal: the stress and anxiety over not being able to start, knowing not when, have led many to have feelings of disillusionment and aggravation. For hundreds, working at Infosys has turned out to be a nightmare, contrary to their glowing dream till the other day.

The broader question now comes to the sustainability and dependability of the Indian IT sector, where Infosys is one of those potential opportunities and bright destinations for young professionals. It is famous for sky-high salaries, growth opportunities, and the chance to work on some of the latest technologies. The current crisis, however, threatens that once-promising future.

So, for Infosys, the delayed onboarding process package is symptomatic of something bigger than ails the whole industry. What was once seen as a promising sector to sustain the Indian growth drive now shows jerks and tremors that will impact the workforce in the long term. This cutback translates to less hiring of fresh graduates and a slowed-down onboarding process, which generally suggests the industry is adjusting poorly to the economic state of affairs.

The trust of the youth has been eroded due to the lack of transparency and accountability of companies like Infosys. Vague promises and delays in the recruitment process have left several livid, causing an ever-increasing sense of disillusionment among the next generation of IT professionals.

What Needs to Change?

The delay in the onboarding of migrants has caused great agitation that demands accountability and transparency in the IT industry of India. Infosys, one of the biggies in the Indian IT industry, should act as a precedent on such fronts. However, handling this situation raised grave concerns about one’s commitment to ethical employment practices.

There is growing unanimity over the need for the IT industry to be brought under a much tighter regulatory regime and stipulated conditions while hiring, especially during onboarding. This will ensure that a repetition of this incident is staved off at all costs in the future and that a company is held sufficiently accountable. Labour unions like NITES are now demanding more stringent provisions to protect employees, including timely salaries and benefits and proper communication on the status of jobs and onboarding processes.

The government also has a role to play in ensuring that the rights of employees are well protected. The Ministry of Labour and Employment should work ahead to inquire into complaints, like the one by NITES, about doing business under fair and transparent hiring modes. It may introduce specific new regulations, making it mandatory for companies to clearly state a timeline for onboarding and compensating employees for such delays.

WAY AHEAD OF INFOSYS

With further investigation into how Infosys conducted itself in onboarding, the company realises its future hangs in the balance. Infosys needs to get this right to recover its reputation and regain confidence in the future workforce. For this, they need to take immediate and decisive action. This would mean, first and foremost, clarification on all onboarding timelines, compensation for all pre-training programs, and support to those under distress regarding the held-up process.

The communication should be two-way, very open, and honest. The firm has to express its challenges to the freshers and assure them that their problem is taken seriously. It could also include periodic updates on the progress of their onboarding process and the steps Infosys is taking to resolve the delays.

Infosys must look at the larger picture and the immediate interventions needed with affected candidates. The company needs to modify its hiring practices and workforce management strategies to prepare for future challenges better. This may involve more flexible and adaptive hiring models responding to the market changes experienced while providing job security for the employees.