Ratan Tata's TCS's new bench policy makes several employees anxious about layoffs

TCS news: Many TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) employees are reportedly facing job uncertainty as the company’s new bench policy completes its first cycle this week. TCS's new bench policy limits time without project allocation to 35 days. The policy came into effect on June 12 and applies to all employees across the company. A group representing India’s IT workers has sent a letter to the labour and employment ministry, accusing TCS of 'coercive' and 'punishing' practices under its new bench policy, a Business Standard report said.

What does remaining on the bench mean?

It is a period when employees are not assigned to any billable project. When unallocated, employees are expected to take the initiative in finding new assignments. As per an ET report, a company document notes, "In the event an associate is unallocated, it is the primary responsibility of the associate to proactively engage with the Unit/Regional RMG for seeking allocation and take initiative towards pursuing suitable opportunities provided by the organisation”.

What is TCS’s new 35‑day bench limit and deployment policy?

TCS’s new deployment policy requires each employee to be billed for at least 225 business days within a 12-month period. This limits the bench time, periods without project assignment, to a maximum of 35 business days per year. Employees who fail to find a project within this period risk career stagnation or termination.

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TCS market cap

India’s largest IT services company, TCS, has a market cap of Rs 11.60 lakh crore, as of July 17. Its share price was Rs 3,207.70 on Thursday. The IT major has rolled out 100 per cent variable pay for more than 70 per cent of its employees for the April–June 2025 quarter (Q1 FY26), according to a company statement. Employees not covered under the full payout bracket will receive variable pay based on how their individual business units performed, it said.