TCS takes the social media way to bring employees back to office, but employees are not convinced

Indian IT giant TCS has taken to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to convince employees to come back to work with evocative posts and videos about working from the office.

In a campaign started a few weeks ago, the software services company has been trying to evoke nostalgia about working from the office via social media posts. The following post from Facebook from two weeks ago talks about “favorite office nooks.”

The company has also been using the hashtag “TogetherWeBelong” to promote work from office. This post from Instagram and many others use this hashtag.

The tech behemoth has also been featuring individual employees on its social media handles with the hashtags “OneTCS” and “PeopleOfTCS.” These employees shed light on their experience of working from the office.

The company's social media accounts have also been featuring different office campuses, like the TCS Think Campus Bengaluru, TCS Sahyadri Park Pune, among others. 

They also recently posted a virtual campus tour of the TCS Olympus Mumbai to engage employees.

Some of these posts have also been delving into the camaraderie that employees might feel when they work from an office with other employees.

What do employees feel about this campaign?

An employee working in TCS’ Bengaluru campus told Business Today that they prefer working from home over working from the office. “Working from home is more about convenience. I personally feel like I am more efficient if I don’t have to spend time in commute to and from work.”

The employee also shed light on TCS’ 25/25 model. They said, “So basically, in the 25x25 model, by 2025, all employees who can work remotely only have to spend 25 per cent of their time in the office. And at a given point in time, only 25 per cent employees need to be physically present at work.”

It is worth noting that TCS announced post-pandemic that they would adopt the 25/25 model in a phased manner by 2025.

The employee further said, “I wish the 25/25 model was in place already, would make life relatively easier.”

Furthermore, several employees did not take TCS’ social media campaign in a positive spirit. Many started complaining about the lack of amenities at different campuses while some said that traveling to offices puts a burden on their pocket.

One person commented, “Coffee vending machine has run out of coffee. Been complaining for the past 1 week. House keeping says it's out of stock. Admin politely tells you to have tea instead. #TCSKolkata.”

What is the company’s take on this?

N Ganapathy Subramaniam, Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Director, of TCS believes that working from the office is essential for the overall growth of a young employee. He told Business Today, “I am from the old school of thought, I think that we all build our careers looking at role models. And that can not happen on a screen.”

Subramaniam also explained why the company is taking a staggered approach to the 25/25 operating model. He said, “The 25/25 operating model requires a certain amount of change, in terms of processes, compliance as well as regulations. For example, if someone is working in Chennai or Delhi, there is a certain way of billing.”

He further added, “If somebody is operating out of Mexico, there is a different way of working. All this will have to be settled in. between now and 2025, we will define all of this.”