The Top 10: 8 - Infosys Technologies: Is Feel-good Enough?

Even if you compare only apples with apples, Infosys ranking
below IBM and Capgemini definitely marks the beginning of a new phase: a phase
where managing employees better is not the prerogative of companies
headquartered here.

But the flattening of the world does not stop there. What is
equally noteworthy is that Infosysthe poster boy of offshoringand IBMthe
symbol of the traditional mightshare two of their three high rating and low
rating parameters. While their employees appreciate them for their high
standards of corporate governance and fair business practices, they are not too
happy with the salary and perks. So the large companies now have similar issues
to tackle, irrespective of where they are headquartered.

Infosys still scores high on the HR front and ranks #2, same as
last year. Slipping in employee satisfaction ranking is partly because of new
entrants like IBM and Capgemini who had the late mover advantage of addressing
the newer needs of employees, such as work-life balance. Also, partly, because
of too much reliance on feel-good HRwelfare activities, facilitieswhile
not doing enough in core areas of work like growth opportunity, valuing peoples
opinion, independence at work, and technology.

Bikramjit Maitra, VP & head, HR
High Ratings Industry rank Standards of corporate governance 11 Professionalism towards employees, suppliers, and customers 16 Fairness of business practices 18 Low Ratings Growth opportunities 20 Adequate compensation 20 Relevance of perks and benefits 20 Best Showing Facilities/resources/support/intranet 1 Company image 1 Welfare policies 1

Salary and compensation is an area most large companies have
done badly, including Infosys. This is understandable because many smaller
companies do compete on that, while large companies cannot afford to do so.
Interestingly, a few years back, when Infosys used to pay not so well, the
employees were more satisfied about the salary, but today not only has the
industry salary level gone up, employees expect that as a leading company, it
should be a leader in pay as well.

Bikramjeet Moitra, VP, HR however defends his companys
compensation policies saying they are at par with industry standards.

Infosys, even today, scores heavily on brand image, better than
TCS and IBM, and that acts as a pull for its prospective employees, most of who
come from campuses directly.