'We Train, Then Deploy'—Infosys Stands Apart From TCS’s 35-Day Bench Policy

As Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) faces internal unrest and a formal union complaint over its recently introduced 35-day bench policy, rival Infosys has taken a markedly different tone—choosing training-first, flexibility, and employee readiness over rigid deployment timelines.

What Infosys Said

When asked about TCS’s new deployment model, Infosys refused to comment directly, but made its own philosophy clear: training, learning projects, readiness, and flexibility. “We have no comment on the other company’s bench policy," said Salil Parekh, CEO and MD, Infosys.

“You know, the way we have looked at this is—employees are provided opportunities for training and through learning projects. Then they are deployed onto client projects when they’re ready. That’s the process we follow, and we’ve been following it for a long time now," he said.

Infosys emphasised that employee readiness—not time pressure—is central to their internal resourcing strategy.

Also Read: Will AI Cut Jobs At Infosys? Here's What Company Said

Hybrid Work and Onboarding

Infosys further highlighted its hybrid and flexible approach—from onboarding to workplace choices. “We want to make sure we put in place an approach that works well both for the prospective employee and the company,” Parekh said.

“Even on our employee side, we have a very flexible approach. Every quarter for the last many quarters, we’ve seen an increase in the number of employees who are on campus. But overall, at a company level, we have a flexible approach,” he added.

What Is TCS’s Bench Policy?

Effective June 12, 2025, TCS rolled out a policy mandating employees to be billable for at least 225 business days per year, limiting bench time to just 35 days. Employees unable to find a new project within this window may face serious consequences, including stalled career growth, missed compensation, overseas opportunity denial, and even termination.

Thousands of employees are reportedly affected, while the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has formally complained to the Ministry of Labour, calling the policy “coercive, punishing, and mentally distressing.”

Many have taken to platforms like Reddit to share stories of being pressured to accept unrelated roles, being pushed to resign, or even being asked to repay salaries for bench time.