Earn, learn, have fun, Wipro tells employees

Source: livemint

Wipro said it has a staff utilization rate of 78% and the number of benched employees could increase as it plans 6,000 new hires this year

Software services firm Wipro Ltd is asking its employees to take a break.
As it struggles to manage rising human resources costs, India’s third largest software provider is offering sabbaticals and reduced work days to benched employees. Benched employees refer to staff not engaged in any specific project.

The company has recently introduced what it calls a skill augmentation and flex employment programme that has two components, called Project Enrich and Project Rejuvenate.

Project Enrich, targeted at benched employees, allows them to work 10 days a month at 50% of their cost to company (CTC). They will be absorbed back into projects once deployment opportunities come up.

Project Rejuvenate, though primarily aimed at benched staff, will also be open to some senior employees and allow them to take a sabbatical for one to one-and-a-half years. They will be offered 25% of their CTC.

“They are good resources and we don’t want to lose them,” said Pratik Kumar, head of human resources at Wipro. “We don’t want to do anything drastic as well.”

Wipro said it has a staff utilization rate of 78% and the number of benched employees could increase as it plans 6,000 new hires this year.