TCS Tightens WFO Rules, Stalls Appraisals For Some Employees Over Non-Compliance

The move underscores a tougher stance by India’s largest IT services firm on full-time office presence, even as much of the sector continues with hybrid work models.

To back the policy, the company revised its WFO exception framework last year. Employees may cite personal emergencies for up to six days per quarter, with no carry-forward of unused days.

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Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has stepped up enforcement of its work-from-office (WFO) policy, with some employees seeing their final anniversary appraisals put on hold due to non-compliance with attendance requirements in earlier quarters. The move underscores a tougher stance by India’s largest IT services firm on full-time office presence, even as much of the sector continues with hybrid work models.

Appraisals Cleared Locally, Stuck At Corporate Level

According to information reviewed by The Times of India, the decision impacts employees who failed to meet WFO norms during specific quarters of the current financial year. In these cases, the appraisal process may have been completed at an operational level but has not received corporate clearance, effectively freezing performance outcomes for now. TCS did not respond to queries on the issue until the time of publication.

How Anniversary Appraisals Work At TCS

At TCS, final anniversary appraisals are part of a structured annual cycle linked to an employee’s work anniversary. Freshers typically receive a formal anniversary email after completing a year, with the update reflected on the company’s internal portal, Ultimatix. TCS had discontinued final anniversary appraisals for lateral hires in 2022, making the latest action particularly significant for fresher cohorts.

Warning Over FY26 Banding Cycle

An internal email cited in the report stated that while the anniversary appraisal exercise for certain employees had been completed, it would not be processed further due to WFO non-compliance up to Q2 of FY26, covering the July–September 2025 period. The communication also warned that if the appraisal is not committed within the stipulated timeline because of continued non-compliance in subsequent quarters, the employee could be excluded from the FY26 banding cycle altogether, with no performance band released for the year.

Attendance Becomes A Gatekeeper

Under normal circumstances, the anniversary appraisal process begins with a formal initiation by the organisation. Reporting managers then create goal sheets, which employees review and submit after aligning expectations. Performance is evaluated against goals and tracked parameters before banding results are declared. With the latest enforcement, compliance with office attendance has effectively become a prerequisite for the entire cycle.

Five-Day Office Mandate And Exception Rules

TCS requires employees to work from the office five days a week, placing it among the first major IT firms in India to adopt such a strict mandate. While many peers continue with two or three in-office days, TCS has gone further by linking both performance outcomes and variable pay to physical attendance.

To back the policy, the company revised its WFO exception framework last year. Employees may cite personal emergencies for up to six days per quarter, with no carry-forward of unused days. The system also allows exceptions for operational issues such as space constraints, permitting up to 30 exception requests in a single entry, while network-related issues can be logged through five entries at a time. However, the company has ruled out bulk uploads or backend adjustments for attendance exceptions, effectively closing potential loopholes.

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