Infosys Implements Stricter Work-From-Home Policy with New Conditions
Infosys, India's second-largest IT services company, has reportedly tightened its work-from-home (WFH) policy by introducing new conditions for employees seeking additional remote work days. This development comes as several major software firms in the country, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Wipro, have been revising their remote work policies to encourage greater office attendance.
New WFH Caps and Requirements
According to a report by The Economic Times, the Bengaluru-based IT giant has capped extra WFH days, or exceptions to working from office (WFO), at just 5 days per quarter. The company's system reportedly will not permit any requests beyond this limit except in cases involving critical medical conditions affecting either the employee or their dependents.
Employees seeking medical exceptions must provide supporting documentation, including doctor's verification, to back their requests. For employees at job level 5 and below, the policy mandates working from the office for at least 10 days each month. The new cap specifically applies to requests seeking additional WFH days beyond what the standard policy allows.
How Employees Learned About the Policy Changes
The report indicates that Infosys employees became aware of the new WFH policy through emails sent by managers. One such email explained that the manager had noticed a substantial increase in requests for approval of additional WFH days. The communication instructed team members to obtain pre-approval for any WFH request through the official system rather than via email.
The manager emphasized that employees must plan and raise requests well in advance to avoid last-minute complications. "If a request is not approved as per policy, there is very little that we, as managers, can do," the emails reportedly stated. However, Infosys has not yet provided an official comment on these policy changes.
Sources familiar with the matter clarified that the company does offer up to 30 additional days of remote work to employees facing critical medical situations, providing some flexibility within the stricter framework.
Contrast with Previous Statements
Interestingly, this policy tightening appears to contrast with recent public statements from Infosys leadership. During the company's post-earnings press conference earlier this month, Infosys indicated it was not planning any changes to its hybrid work policy.
CEO Salil Parekh stated at the time, "We will remain flexible in the way we are today and the way that our employees are interacting with the company and with our clients." This suggests the new restrictions may represent a more nuanced approach to flexibility rather than a complete policy overhaul.
Background and Industry Context
Infosys, which employs more than 300,000 people across India, initially introduced its return-to-office policy on November 20, 2023. That policy required employees to work at least 10 days per month from the office, but the company only began enforcing it on March 10, 2025. Under these rules, employees must spend a minimum of three hours in the office during their in-person workdays.
The IT sector's shift toward stricter office attendance policies extends beyond Infosys. Rival firm Wipro implemented its own tightened work-from-office policy effective January 1, mandating that employees spend at least 6 hours in the office for 3 days each week. This represents a shift from earlier flexible hours and reduces the number of remote workdays from 15 to 12.
TCS, India's leading software exporter, has also moved toward a five-day work-from-office policy while linking employees' variable pay to their office attendance in 2025. However, TCS does allow two days of work-from-home per month for employees with health issues.
Industry Trends and Expert Analysis
These policy changes across major IT companies come at a time when the $283 billion Indian IT sector is experiencing slower revenue growth. The industry is simultaneously grappling with how artificial intelligence (AI) is reducing reliance on traditional people-based delivery models.
Industry experts suggest that the need for better collaborative environments amid rapidly shifting project timelines has driven tech companies to tighten their remote working policies. Aditya Narayan Mishra, managing director at staffing services company CIEL HR, told The Economic Times that as projects become less long-term and companies need greater agility in manpower deployment, 2026 could see many organizations wanting employees back in the office full-time, at least on their scheduled office days.
Mishra explained, "As projects are not long-term anymore and companies need to be agile (in their manpower deployment), 2026 could be a year where many companies would want their employees back in the office full-time, at least on the days they are working from the office."
The evolving work policies at Infosys and other major IT firms reflect broader industry adjustments as companies balance operational needs, employee preferences, and changing business realities in the post-pandemic work environment.
