Tech Mahindra joins IT peers, initiates return-to-office plan

In an internal communication, reviewed by Mint, India’s fifth-largest IT services company said that employees were yearning for “spontaneous interactions, collaborative environments”, and a deeper “desire for human connection” that was echoing across industries.

“With this in mind, I am pleased to announce that Tech Mahindra is preparing to welcome you back to office. We recognize the value of face-to-face interaction and the benefits it brings to our team dynamics. Therefore, we have devised a plan to reintroduce office-based work gradually, starting with three days in-office per week (12 days per month) starting 1 April 2024,” according to the mail by Tech Mahindra’s HR team.

The mail was sent on 27 February. However, Mint has learnt that while the internal memo urges employees to be back in office from 1 April, managers wanted their employees to start three-day-work-from-office from 1 March.

“Managers want their employees to start coming to office three days-a-week from March itself. Failure to do so would lead to salary deductions,” said a person privy to the development.

The management wants employees to start work from office for two days in a week from March before transitioning to a three-day work-from-office setup.

“To facilitate a smooth transition, we will commence with a settling period in March, during which you will be expected to be in the office for two days per week (eight days in March). From 1 April onwards, we will transition to three days per week. If your business unit or project is already operating from the office, your current arrangement will remain unchanged,” read the mail.

With this development, Tech Mahindra joins the four leading Indian IT firms, which have recalled employees back to office for two-three days per week, either formally through mailed memos, or informally.

Mint could not independently ascertain if the three-day from office work week was for all teams, across the board.

“Tech Mahindra was lagging on this front while other IT companies had already recalled. The company is doing this because demand is still uncertain from its telecom vertical, and the company would like to increase productivity of its employees. By doing this, Tech Mahindra would also expect a positive impact on its margins,” said Omkar Tanksale, equity research analyst at brokerage Axis Securities.

An email sent to a Tech Mahindra spokesperson remained unanswered at the time of publishing.

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Published: 29 Feb 2024, 10:36 PM IST