TCS puts anniversary appraisals on hold over non-compliance of WFO rules: Report

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has placed final anniversary appraisals on hold for some employees following non-compliance with its work-from-office (WFO) policy in prior quarters, as per a report. The affected employees, predominantly those who failed to adhere to the five-day office attendance requirement, have been directly informed of the repercussions for their appraisal cycles. 

Eligible employees typically receive an anniversary email and see updates on the company’s Ultimatix portal upon reaching their work anniversary. However, TCS discontinued final anniversary appraisals for lateral hires beginning in 2022, narrowing the scope to freshers and existing staff, as per a report in Times of India.

The company stated in its communications to employees: "Please note your anniversary appraisal process is completed but not processed further by corporate since you are WFO non-compliant till Q2 FY26 (July 2025 to September 2025). If your anniversary is not committed in January 2025 due to WFO non-compliance in Q3, as a consequence, you will be excluded from the FY26 banding cycle and no performance band will be released."

Appraisal processes at TCS follow a structured sequence, beginning with a formal initiation, supervisor-assigned goal sheets, and an employee-appraiser discussion. Performance is evaluated based on criteria fulfilled throughout the year, culminating in banding results that impact compensation and career progression.

TCS is the first among India’s largest IT service providers to enforce such action for WFO non-compliance. Rival firms generally require staff to be present two or three days weekly, whereas TCS maintains a stringent five-day in-office policy.

The company has further linked variable pay to attendance, the report added. 

TCS updated its WFO exception policy last year, limiting personal emergency requests to six days per quarter and prohibiting the transfer of unused days to subsequent quarters. Space constraints can be cited in up to 30 exceptions per entry, while network-related issues allow for five entries together. Bulk uploads or backend entries for exceptions are not permitted, the report added.