New Bench Policy at Wipro Gives Junior Employees More Time

As several IT companies tighten their bench-time policies, Wipro has introduced a more extended window for junior and mid-level employees. From October 1, employees in Band 2 and below can remain on the bench for up to 180 calendar days, or six months. The period will be counted from the day an employee is released from a billable project or returns to India from an onsite assignment without being allocated to another billable project. Employees who remain unallocated after 180 days may face separation in accordance with company employment terms.

The extended period could give employees more time to upskill and move to available projects within the company. Industry experts say the policy may also help Wipro make better use of experienced employees instead of immediately hiring and training new staff. In contrast, several other IT companies have shortened their bench periods. Under TCS’s revised deployment policy, employees are required to be billable for at least 225 days a year, effectively limiting bench time to 35 business days. Some Wipro employees have also reportedly approached the labour commissioner over the company’s Extended Bench Leave Programme.