IT bytes: Techies in the firing line

HYDERABAD: Hire and fire. They are the two sides of the same coin for employees in IT and ITeS companies in boomtown Hyderabad. Even as recruitments are in full swing, hundreds of junior and middle-level employees have lost their jobs in the past few months. While some have got the boot for "non-performance", the majority have been fired due to "fake experience certificates".Industry sources estimate that about 600 to 750 workers have lost their jobs in the past one month.
While big recruiters such as Satyam and HSBC are not shy about their firing policy, other top companies ducked the issue when querried by TOI. "We have done background checks on over 20,000 employees. This has been done to identify employees who might have presented fake credentials," says Mukund Menon, head of Satyam's global talent acquisition team. While sources say the company has fired 1,000 professionals, Menon pegs it "between 400 to 500".
Adds HSBC spokesperson Avani Ekbote Mahendra: "Our HR practices include mandatory background checks on candidates before they are employed. We also have initiatives for further validation checks." Though she did not specify the number, it's considered to be around 300. Analysts say many sacked employees can do nothing because the practice of faking experience is widespread. But there are others who accuse firms of using "non-performance" as a pretext to fire workers. "I have got several pay hikes for my performance.
However, when it came to showing me the door, my bosses are calling me a non-performer," says Lakshman (name changed). He now intends to show the appreciation letters to his bosses and request them to fire him on any reason other than by labelling him a "non-performer". While ITeS companies are using performance benchmarks for firing people, IT majors are digging the employees' past. "I was working in a small company before working for two IT majors. I joined my present employers three years ago. The HR department is now questioning the genuineness of the service certificate given by my first employer," says Venkatesh (name changed).
Some analysts say the firing policy is actually designed to get rid of highly-paid middle-level employees and increase the number at the entry level. The firms too are taking advantage of employees' disinclination to make the issue public. "Once the employee's name is known to the industry, it would become difficult for them to land jobs. So, they are left with no option but to bear it quietly," says a source in a head-hunting firm. When talent was scarce, companies were liberal, but now no that's not the case.