Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has unveiled a new associate deployment policy effective June 12, 2025, limiting the annual bench period for employees to 35 business days. The move is aimed at improving workforce utilisation and aligning employee productivity with company goals.
As per an internal memo reviewed by The Times of India, employees are now expected to be deployed for at least 225 billed days each year. The communication from Chandrasekaran Ramkumar, global head of TCS’s Resource Management Group (RMG), noted that extended periods without project assignment may lead to consequences such as reduced compensation, limited career growth, fewer international opportunities, and possible termination.
Employees currently without project assignments must actively collaborate with RMG to seek deployment. During their bench period, they are required to spend 4 to 6 hours daily on skill development using platforms like iEvolve, Fresco Play, VLS, and LinkedIn Learning. Additionally, the use of TCS’s Gen AI-powered interview coach is encouraged to boost deployment readiness.
To streamline the deployment process, TCS has mandated physical office presence during bench time. Remote work or flexible arrangements are discouraged unless specifically approved by the RMG under exceptional circumstances.
This update follows TCS’s January revision of its work-from-office policy, which limited employees in India to six WFO exceptions per quarter, restricted to personal emergencies only. Unused exception days cannot be carried forward.
The revised deployment framework underlines TCS’s focus on accountability, performance, and continuous upskilling, particularly in a competitive global IT environment.
