NITES Files Formal Complaint Against TCS Bench Policy Over Mass Employee Distress

Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has officially submitted a formal complaint to the Ministry of Labour and Employment against Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) following deeply troubling reports received from over seventy-eight employees across the country. These employees have raised serious concerns regarding the company’s newly enforced Bench Policy, which has created an atmosphere of fear, coercion, and immense psychological pressure within the organization. What is being presented publicly as a strategy for resource optimization is, in reality, a deeply flawed system that punishes employees for circumstances beyond their control and robs them of their dignity and stability.
Employees who are between projects, commonly referred to as being on the bench, are being pushed to chase allocations continuously, with little to no support from the company’s internal systems. Instead of treating bench time as an opportunity for reskilling, realignment, or recovery, TCS has converted it into a phase of uncertainty and harassment. Associates are being forced to engage with the Resource Management Group (RMG) even before their current projects end. They are expected to be fully available, report daily through timesheets, complete four to six hours of mandatory learning modules, and attend frequent check-ins, all while facing veiled threats of performance reviews and disciplinary action. The policy punishes unavailability and frames lack of allocation as a personal failure of the employee rather than a reflection of the company’s inability to manage workforce planning effectively.
NITES has received credible reports that many employees are being asked to resign if they fail to find a project within thirty-five days of being on the bench. Employees are being pressurised to take up roles outside their domain or core expertise, and if they refuse, they are told their employment will be terminated. In several shocking cases, Java developers have been forced into .NET roles, and employees have been asked to take on work they were neither trained nor hired for, only to be penalised if performance suffers. New joiners are not exempt from this harsh environment. Even they are expected to be deployed immediately, and if not, they must independently navigate the project allocation system without guidance or support. The policy has no provision for transitional periods or any acknowledgment of shifting business needs.
There is also deep resentment among employees regarding the continuous non-payment of variable pay, which has now stretched over four consecutive quarters. Despite fulfilling their responsibilities and working from the office full-time, many associates have not received compensation that was clearly committed to them in their employment contracts. At the same time, the company is offering large bonuses to new external hires, creating a painful divide between those who have stood by the company for years and those being brought in as replacements. Employees who remained loyal during uncertain market phases are now being overlooked, underpaid, and driven out, while outsiders are welcomed with lucrative incentives.
In an even more distressing development, some employees have reported being told to repay the salary earned while on the bench, on the grounds that they were not physically present in the office even though they were available online, attending calls, and contributing wherever required. Such demands are not only unfair but also unheard of in any ethical corporate practice. Moreover, those who have tried to raise concerns internally have faced threats that their experience letters will be withheld, essentially forcing them into silence.
This policy is not about empowering employees or strengthening the organization. It is about control, numbers, and optics. It places the burden of allocation on individuals, dismisses their efforts, and diminishes their self-worth. It fails to treat employees as human beings who deserve trust, respect, and stability. Instead, it fosters a culture where survival replaces growth and where silence is safer than speaking up. NITES strongly condemns these practices. The organization has urged the Ministry of Labour and Employment to take immediate notice of this situation and intervene to safeguard the interests of thousands of IT workers whose mental health, job security, and livelihoods are at risk.
At a time when India’s digital economy is being celebrated on global platforms, it is painful to witness how the very employees who build and support this industry are being subjected to such regressive treatment. NITES believes that every worker deserves to be treated with fairness and compassion. No one should be punished for circumstances outside their control. No one should be silenced when they speak out against injustice. The policies of any organization must reflect values that honour people over profits, ethics over efficiency, and integrity over image.

NITES remains committed to standing with the employees of TCS and every IT and ITeS worker across the country. If you are facing similar issues, we urge you to come forward. Your voice matters, and we are here to ensure it is heard.

Harpreet Singh Saluja
Advocate, Bombay High Court,
President,

Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES)