After the departure of Ratan Tata, the country’s largest IT company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has started making several changes.
The company is now enforcing stricter rules, especially related to work policies. In a recent move, TCS has put the anniversary appraisals of fresher employees on hold if they did not follow the five-day work-from-office (WFO) rule in the last quarter.
This information was shared through an internal email dated January 8, 2026.
Office Attendance Now Linked to Performance
TCS has clearly stated that office attendance is now an important part of employee performance. As per company rules, an automatic email is sent when an employee completes one year with the company.
After this, managers prepare a goal sheet, which employees need to fill out. A discussion then takes place,
and performance is evaluated based on goal completion, quality of work, teamwork, meeting deadlines, and overall contribution. Based on this assessment, performance bands are released, which decide salary hikes and promotions.
Five-Day Work-from-Office Made Mandatory
TCS has made it compulsory for employees to work from the office five days a week. Like many other IT companies, TCS has linked attendance to variable pay. The attendance policy was revised last year.
Under the new rules, employees are allowed six exceptions per quarter for personal emergencies, up to 30 days for seating-related issues,
and five entries for network problems. The company has also stopped bulk uploads and backend edits related to attendance.
Appraisal Impact and Employee Reactions
The internal email also warned that employees who did not follow the rules in the third quarter of FY26 will not be considered for the January 2025 appraisal.
They will not receive any performance bands for the entire FY26, which can directly affect their career growth. This decision has become a major topic of discussion among freshers.
Many believe that WFO is no longer a guideline but a strict rule. This move has come as a setback for those hoping to continue working from home. TCS has not responded to media queries regarding this matter.
