Infoscion@NGO.com!

Infoscion@NGO.com!

Yet again, Infosys has shown what sets it apart from most corporates by offering socially-conscious employees a sabbatical to do community work of their choice

By Niranjan Kaggere
Posted On Sunday, October 19, 2008

In a time of global meltdown, one would have thought a software major like Infosys would be focused, to the exclusion of all else, on revenue projections and cost-cutting measures. Not so. In line with its socially sensitised corporate philosophy, it has come up with a one-of-a-kind management initiative: a sabbatical offer to those of its employees who wish to work in the community welfare sector.

It’s a move that has much to do with the desire of many Infoscions themselves to show they care for society and aren’t what the general public perceives them to be: Overpaid, lavish-spending techie brats cocooned from the real world in their swanky workplaces.

Kicking off the initiative, aptly titled ‘Community Empathy’, the HR department has sent an e-mail to all eligible employees urging them to ‘show you care’ and contribute to society. The policy is applicable to all Infoscions whose current work location is in India and who have been with the company for at least two consecutive years. According to a copy of the e-mail accessed by Bangalore Mirror, the policy allows each Infoscion to go on a sabbatical for a minimum of six months and a maximum of one year.

All worked out
A senior Infoscion, speaking to Bangalore Mirror, said, “The mail has all the terms and conditions required for anyone who is interested. The policy is effective from October 1, 2008. An employee can choose between 100 engineering colleges and 50 management institutes selected by the company, where he/she can work as a lecturer for a period of one year, or take up socially relevant research with recognised R&D organisations.”

Besides, there are some 100 NGOs, yet to be selected, with whom the employees can work.” He added, “I feel the initiative is a golden chance for all of us to express our solidarity with others while contributing to the development of society.”

Explaining the importance of the policy, T V Mohandas Pai, member of the board and director, human resources, said, “If any of our employees wants to teach in a school or college for a year, or if he wants to work in the Government of India, it is fine with us. Today, the real challenge is not about getting funds but managing people and solving management problems amicably. Hence, we have come up with a policy helping our employees who want to do social work and add value to themselves.”

According to officials from the HR department, the only condition laid down is that the organisations the employees choose to work with as part of their sabbatical must be in the fields of education, health and public policy, and industry-related organisations, whose aim is to do good to society.

Paid sabbatical?
While some Infoscions told this paper that the employees would be given their full salary during the time they spend working with NGOs, Mohandas Pai said, “Infosys will pay a substantial part of the employees’ salaries as the NGOs they are working with will also pay for their work. More than the issue of paid labour, it is a labour of love. However, we will ensure that they are not economically hurt.”

Comparing the functioning of society to an ecosystem, Pai said, “We are all part of an ecosystem and if that ecosystem improves, we also improve. If a person wants to work with the traffic police, help them set up cameras, provide them with IT infrastructure and help them manage the existing IT system better, the benefits will reach everybody in society.”

“The offer of a sabbatical was launched a month ago and we feel that employees may need three to six months to decide whether to take up the initiative or not. There will be a team of experts from different fields who will screen and select employees interested in a sabbatical,” said an official of the HR department.

Choosing NGOs
Infosys’s taking part in societal initiatives is not new. Through its Infosys Foundation under the chairmanship of Sudha Murty, the company has funded several such initiatives across India. However, there is no linkage between the former and the company’s ‘Community Empathy’ policy. “The employee chooses the NGO of his choice and applies for it,” a senior HR official clarified. “By doing this kind of service, we create a team of people who, by working in the social sector, get a new perspective and emerge as better individuals,” she added.

Collective idea
When asked who had thought up the initiative, Pai remarked that it was an idea that could not be credited to anybody. “Infosys is not a company where individuals take credit for initiatives,” he said. But when further asked to name at least the team that mooted the concept, he said it was the HR department. Company officials clarified that at the end of the sabbatical, there would not be any assessment to judge the employee’s contribution. What if some employees decide to stay on in the social sector and not continue with Infosys? “That’s okay,” remarked Pai philosophically.