Infosys fined Rs 2 crore over employee time tracking system
Infosys has been fined around Rs 2 million by French labour authorities after its system for recording employees’ working hours was found to be non-compliant with local legal requirements. The €175,000 penalty was imposed by DRIEETS Ile-de-France, France’s regional labour authority. Infosys revealed the development in a stock exchange statement, saying it had received communication from the authority regarding the collection of fines.
According to the regulator’s findings, Infosys’ system for recording working time did not fully comply with French regulations. Concerns were related to the reliability of the system, its ability to maintain auditable records, and its monitoring capabilities for certain categories of employees.
French labour rules require employers to track working hours, including the legal 35-hour workweek, overtime, and mandatory rest periods. These records must also be reliable and able to be audited when necessary. The filing does not specify which categories of Infosys employees were affected by the findings. It also does not say whether the company has been asked to make specific changes to its time recording system.
Infosys, however, has downplayed the financial impact of the sanction. The company said the fine would not have a material impact on its finances, operations or other business activities. You are reviewing communication and evaluating next steps.
The development comes as Infosys has been asking more employees to spend additional time working from its offices in India.
Previously, the company had required employees at job level 7 and above to work from the office four days a week. In March, it was reported that this requirement was expanded to employees in band 6A in some business units, subjecting more senior staff to a stricter attendance policy.
An internal email, seen by a famous publication, told employees: “Please note that as per our unit guidelines, JL6+ is required to be in the office four days a week.” The communication also noted that some employees had not completed the required 10 days of office attendance each month.
Despite stricter attendance expectations, Infosys continues to describe its workplace setup as a hybrid model. The company has said the agreement aims to foster teamwork, innovation and effective delivery of work.
The newest fine adds another part to the discussion about how many hours people work at Infosys. The person who started the company, Narayana Murthy has said before that employees in India should be ready to work hours to help the country do better in the world.
When talking about the 9-9-6 work style in China Murthy said, “no person, no group, no nation has succeeded without working ” I explained that the 9-9-6 schedule means working from 9 in the morning until 5 in the evening every day for six days, which’s 72 hours total.
The French punishment however is not about how hours Infosys workers have to work. It is about whether the company can track and keep records of work time as required by French rules.