TCS employs more than 500,000 people. It’s ready to ditch office life for many in India

But when India announced its The Indian IT behemoth — which employs more than half a million workers all over the world — also needed to head off any concerns about data and privacy for a global client list that includes Deutsche Bank, SAP and Virgin Atlantic.”We had to go and talk to our customers and get their nod as well, because contractually, we are expected to perform the work only from an approved location,” Subramaniam said.TCS employs more than 500,000 people. It declined to reveal how many of them are based in India, but it says it is the country’s largest private employer. And like most other large companies in Asia’s third largest economy, TCS had hardly ever experimented with remote work before the pandemic. But within three weeks of India’s lockdown taking effect last year, 96% of TCS staff were working remotely. The company says the model has worked so well that it never wants to go back.The company, which has a stock market value of $166 billion, now predicts that by 2025, no more than 25% of its employees will need to work from the office. Rival IT services firm Infosys, which employees over 250,000 people, is also planning to switch to a hybrid model after the pandemic.That kind of shift could have major implications not just for India’s massive IT industry, but the country’s entire economy. Productivity and sustainabilityBefore the pandemic many Indian bosses were suspicious of remote working because of productivity concerns, recruiters told CNN Business. But, companies have been surprised by the positive impact working from home has had on efficiency and the diversity of the workforce. In some large enterprises, the number of women in leadership roles has Like the rest of the Indian economy, TCS suffered in the months following the 2020 lockdown, as its net profit slumped nearly 14% in the June quarter, compared to the same time in 2019. But profits have started to bounce back. Last month, TCS reported a In the United States, employees at some of the biggest tech companies — including Google (GOOGL) — could see a pay cut if they switch to working from home permanently, according to a Reuters report.”We’ve got to think through all of this,” said Subramaniam, when asked whether people would be paid the same if they worked in a smaller city, rather than in places like Mumbai or Bangalore.Mishra also believes that other IT rivals may suffer when it comes to “attracting good talent,” if they do not offer the kind of flexibility that TCS is planning.