TCS Layoffs: Employee Forced Into Early Retirement After 30 Years, Claims No 'Severance Or Compensation'

Update (12.01pm IST): TCS has denied all the information quoted by the Reddit user and has called it "absolutely incorrect and false.”

Ever since TCS announced cutting off 12,000 jobs over the course of this year, employees have been reporting of harrowing incidents of job losses. A recent Reddit post has sparked outrage again, highlighting the alleged mistreatment of a long-serving Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) employee. The user claims that their brother, who dedicated nearly 30 years to TCS, was forced into early retirement with no severance pay or compensation.

According to the post on the r/IndianWorkplace subreddit, the employee was called into a meeting and given just 20 minutes to decide between accepting early retirement or facing termination. The Reddit user stated, "There was no proper notice, no discussion, and no time to evaluate options. Despite his long service, he was provided with no severance pay, no compensation, and no support." The employee, over 50 years old, now faces limited employment opportunities in a market that the user described as unfavorable for experienced professionals at this stage of life.

The post further alleges that while TCS is currently laying off over 12,000 employees and providing them with severance packages and compensation as per industry norms, the employee in question received "zero severance back in June" despite his three decades of service. The user emphasised, "This is not about corporate ideology – it’s about one company’s decision to treat a long-serving employee without the dignity or fairness that should be standard after 30 years of work."

The Reddit thread, which garnered over 700 upvotes, saw users expressing shock and offering advice. One commenter suggested that the employee could have been pressured to avoid severance obligations, stating, "The way it works in layoffs as per Indian labour laws is .. last in first out in that department/role. Your uncle will be the last person to come in layoff queue.. that’s why they don't know what to do and hence they came with the threat of termination/early retirement."

Users recommended reaching out to the Karnataka IT Union (KITU), which is pursuing a case against TCS. Other users pointed out that under the Industrial Disputes Act, the employee may be entitled to 15 days of wages for every year of employment, potentially amounting to 450 days of pay. Another user noted that the employee should be eligible for gratuity, which could result in a significant non-taxable payment based on 30 years of service.

The post has ignited discussions about workplace practices in India’s IT sector, with users like cybernev warning, "All corporate employees should know that they can be pressured into quitting. So never quit. Let them fire you..then the law will be on your side."

The case underscores broader concerns about labor rights and fair treatment in India’s private sector, particularly for long-serving employees.

Published on: Tuesday, September 09, 2025, 10:26 AM IST