IT services company Cognizant on Friday said it will give employees who are at associate level and below in India and the Philippines, an additional payment of 25 percent of base pay for April, in recognition of their efforts amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The move is expected to benefit over 130,000 Cognizant employees in India. Cognizant CEO Brian Humphries in a note to employees said the additional payment will be processed with their April paychecks, and that the company will be reviewing this approach monthly.
TCS, Mumbai-based IT services company and the main rival of Cognizant, did not offer additional payment to its IT workers during the coronavirus attack.
TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan earlier said that TCS has launched a massive program to ensure business continuity using its Secure Borderless Work Spaces infrastructure, which allows the company’s associates working from home, both onshore and offshore, to ensure business continuity with support from a minimal number of associates working from offices.
Cognizant, like all global companies, is experiencing the effects of this public health emergency on both the demand and fulfilment sides of its business, from London to Mumbai to Manilla and New York, PTI reported.
The IT company has enabled majority of offshore delivery teams to work from home by provisioning new laptops and encrypting desktops and moving them to employee homes, as well as by providing for additional bandwidth connectivity and other requirements, with client permissions and security protocols in place.
“In recognition of the extraordinary continuity-of-service efforts of our associates in India and the Philippines, and as a tangible sign of our gratitude for their perseverance, we will provide those at the associate level and below with an additional payment of 25 percent of their base pay for the month of April,” Brian Humphries said.
The company had 203,700 employees in India as on December 2019 and two-thirds of them (over 130,000 employees) are expected to benefit from the latest move.
