Whats a PIP in TCS ? – Performance Improvement plan

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TCS is trying desperately to damage the name had with associates few years back. Now the has totally different role in this organisation, how to reduce cost at any cost.

Earlier TCS had – Process Improvement process which were suggestions given by to improve company in any area. But now after the TCS numbers started going down, the company has come up with one more way of employees – PIP (). Though TCS claims this process is for improving and motivating employee the truth is this is one more tool in blackmailing employees into submission and firing them when they need to reduce the employee count of highly paid staff.

A PIP is sent to the supervisor of the employee who has a lower score in annual evaluation and bar for lower score has been increased recently which will cover almost 20% of employees. Since TCS has curve fitting model for giving performance rating ,15-20% of its 1,20,000 employees will get or Rating 2.  Now they have introduced PIP to send out this employees out. The funny part is this whole performance evaluation never reflects actual performance of individual rather it  depends on various factors as I had mentioned in my previous post here.

Now what happens if your supervisor gets a PIP for you ? . Either he can save you by giving you a rating(this is PIP rating) of  2.5 or above (for 5) or he can give you a lesser feedback and get you fired. As if the PL's and PM's in TCS doesnt have enough say in your salary now one more way he can make you a slave.

So how does this process work and what is the criteria for receieving a PIP (ie ur supervisor getting one for you).  Refer the below table for verifying the criteria for PIP this year (and past year)

TCS PIP chart for 2008 -2009

According to this chart released by TCS HR anyone at C3B level and above will be fired if they get continous 2 rating or Band D as I ahd earlier mentioned in the previous post. For employees Below AST ir ITA or ASE, they will be fired if they get a Band E or Rating 1  twice. In all other scenarios they will get a PIP and your PL / PM has to save you.

So do pass the word to other TCSers and also cautions the others interested in TCS about the same.

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31 Replies to “Whats a PIP in TCS ? – Performance Improvement plan”

  1. Yes, TCS is already damaged its image. Everybody is waiting for the market to improve.Few people are enjoying in TCS with a schield from their jacks. But actually they are living on a short term vision.
    The funniest thing in TCS is Curve Fitting, I think this is the world’s top joke on corporate ethics and employee performance governance. It is just a process to use the unjacked employee as a bomb with remote in supervisors hand.
    Earlier all TCSer are used feel as they are working like a family so when situations worst they understand the situation and stretch themself accordingly whether it is point of salary or working beyond call of duty.
    Now when this jack theory started in highest leadership level,all those feelings gone away and gradually TCS is moving towards a dangerous situation.
    TCS’s main problem is inexperineced and biased management layer
    Time is strongest, so time will say what theory is going to work to get its vision.

  2. I absolutely agree that the performance evaluation is almost a joke as most of TCS knows, and I completely sympathize with any single human being who lost his job in TCS.

    But then, if a combined force of 1,20,000 intelligent people think broadly of the situation and a creative solution, we can come up with something. Here is my attempt:

    Let’s think broadly:
    -> Why does a company require performance-based rating (in principle) ? Simple — those who worked more, should get a little more. Those who did not, need to feel the bite.
    -> Why the curve fitting (in principle) ?
    Simple — Like a grading system in education, someone has to come first, someone else (like me) will always come second. Now I can come 2nd because I worked hard but someone was more productive.

    So we need to have BOTH – performance rating as well as curve fitting.

    Now for the solution in TCS —–
    Suppose there were 500 people in a “curve”. All worked very hard and got ratings (average of 2 half years) as 4.110, 4.109, 4.108, 4.107 ……. Even the last one on the list is 3.997

    The curve fit should say that — people between 4.060 and 4.008 needs to get 2. This means not that I have performed badly, but that others have performed better. A very typical Darwinian definition of the “survival of the fittest” in the cut-throat environment of industrial competition.

    However, if the performance appraisal lists both the rating as well as the grading, Then it would not hurt so much. If tomorrow, I were to quit TCS and go somewhere else, I can show that “I was a good performer getting 4 or greater always. But since I was in a curve where everybody performed too well, I was getting lower Bands. The Band structure is simply for Financial purposes internal to TCS.”

    Adoption of the above solution would go to a great extent in preventing the incorrect attitude of most managers towards ratings and could stop them from saying all those ridiculous things that you have listed. All that a PL and PM would have to do is to grade honestly and let the system decide the rest automatically.
    Call me naive if you will, but I believe that there is still a lot of honesty left inside people. Providing a fair opportunity will being that out.

  3. Whats this about TCS suing employees..? Where would TCS be of Employees started suing them for the non-adherence to their so-called TCS policies ??!!

  4. I got rating 3 in PE and and yet got band D.
    Now to whom PIP will come..my new supervior or old suverviser(who gave the rating) ?
    and to save my job in the next H1 I need to get better rating.m I right?

  5. I am C3A, I got 2 Ds continuosly. My IPF is 3.1 or something. TCS has closed my onsite project with the customer and I am returning offshore.
    Do I have to be prepared for the worst?

  6. I got ‘D’ rating this time..h1 – 1 and h2 – 3.5
    My previous ratings are

    this year ‘D’
    next-‘3’
    next – ‘4’
    Confirmation – ‘3’

    whats the implications of it?

  7. Hi..I have completed 3 H2 ratings till now.
    Theye are :

    First H2 😀
    Last year H2: C
    This year H2 : D with Ipf 3.2

    and my conf rating was 3…

    ..please help ..am I in danger???

  8. Hi..I have completed 3 H2 ratings till now.
    Theye are :

    First H2 : D
    Last year H2: C
    This year H2 : D with Ipf 3.2

    and my conf rating was 3… and I am an ASE

    ..please help ..am I in danger???

  9. Hi … I Joined in TCs on Feb2008. My confirmation Rating was(H1) 3.1. and H2(2.493)… So My currect Year Rank is ‘D’. ..please help ..am I in danger??? How much should i get for next H1 and H2……

  10. Alfan: They stopped firing people a long time ago, relax, they probably won’t fire anybody after this except for guys got E rating….

    You are especially safe as their primary target are ITAs, even ASE who got 2 Ds in H2 are safe and have not been fired, so relax sit back and enjoy doing nothing at TCS

  11. Tanx Bro………..Thank u so mcH 4 such koolest comment…:) May i know Your name or Emply ID Pls…………

  12. My suggestion: TCS never believes in the fact that it’s employees will work with 100 % accuracy and 100% faith. Hence stay in office for 15 hours. Work actually for 8 hours. This is the crux. Try to do a lot of work with 30% accuracy. You will be praised. Do not do work with 90 % accuracy because you will not be able to complete your work.

    Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!! TCS is a global company. Experience certainty..

    1. PIPs based on appraisal ratings are more or less justified,but what can an employee do in cases the insecure idiotic management will put you in a plan just to make themselves feel good, and ensure that the career of a talented employee is marred!

      Companies like TCS call for an unbiased body, that will curb such unethical, and unprofessional actions by a company and protect basic employee rights.

  13. well… i was recently put into Pip….. my project was an internal one…. and yes to all the experienced TCSers….Internal projects suck….. never go for them….. well…. after being given no choice to choose my project…. i was never recognised as a good worker … i was always compared to the other ppl….. in fact the HR…. which was totally on my side initially saying that yes freshers are exploited here , was with me in the beginning for like 6-7 months…. when i had escalated the issue to the senior HR…. even they were very helpful(only in saying) that yes they wanna root out such bad element s from TCS….. now even after that i was put into Pip… under the bullshit of an excuse from my supervisor that he wants to mold me and make me a better worker….. where was all this consent and care 7 months ago before i complained to the HR ???
    Soon after my Pip Initiation , even the HR suddenly talking rudely to me and telling me that if i dont perform i will have to leave the company….. now at the brink of my Pip closure….. my HR has already told me that its better for me to leave / resign the company rather than handing the termination letter,,, way before even my Pip rating has still to come out….. This clearly shows that these ppl (the team heads) had already decided to sack me…. because of wat?? a grudge they had??? ….. This my friends is how the middle management of TCS operates…… if any of you guys wanna know more …mail me at rockingbastard@gmail.com

  14. I got a ‘D’ too.I was afraid that the internal politics would come to this and I would take the beating as I was the only outsider in the team.So I planned in advance got a call from ‘Accenture’ and would definitely resign.I would ask you guys to plan likewise.The entire rating system is a sham designed to give less pay to people even after good work and capablity.The company does this to save money and the HR’s support this.Don’t stay in their control use the company to learn the job and as soon as they start giving bad rating resign.

    1. well said

      This happens in tcs. Focus on how much you learn … Move out once you get a bad rating ..
      TCS Nortel mumbai is on the same lines .. where the managers excell in politics , none of them are technically sound .. most of them dont even know the diference between c++ and C

  15. I think it’s the time to have 360 degree appraisal in TCS.. so that team members can also appraise their supervisor…

  16. Agree with krish…. supervisors should be evaluated too…. and the GLS and TLS should get their H1 and H2 evaluated from there team members :-P…. and then they must get the appraisal accordingly… 😀

  17. PIPs are issued based on IPFs(H1&H2) or are they based on final bands?
    My opinion is that they are based on IPFs only as IPFs signify the actual performance of the employee,while on the other hand,band signifies the relative performance i.e. when compared to others in the same unit.
    Pls post ur comments.

  18. Hi Folks,

    Look @ my comment which posted on july25/2009- !!

    Now am happy, safe & enjoying life !! Bcoz of Accenture :):)

    TCS has oozzam good brand name . Agree !! but, if PPL are not satisfyng n their performance rating though those are perfor well …. ??????????????

    I always prefer personal & proffessional growth rather than Brand name !!!

    Cheers !!
    AlFan
    mohd.alfan@gmail.com

    1. TCS Nortel is on the same lines .. where the managers excell in politics , none of them are technically sound .. most of them dont even know the diference between c++ and C

  19. Hi guys,
    I have joined tcs in Feb2010, i dont understand how the rating process works,
    for the first year after my good performance i have the ipf 4 but the band is D.how is that possible i really dont understand and now in the second year of my stay in tcs i have got the oniste as well once i return offsore will my job get effected in any means!! pls help me out else do i need to look for new job? 🙁

  20. I joined TCS last year as a ASE-Trainee .
    My ILP rating was 2 though I was not in LAP.
    Now for my final aniversay the ipf is 2.16 and final confirmation rating is 3.
    Will this have impact on my career growth ???
    Please suggest i am really confused!! 🙁

  21. hello fellow tcsers…i joined tcs in june 2011.my ilp rating was 3..i was mapped to delhi.i have been reporting to the rmg here since september.but have not yet been allocated..infact, i have not been sent for a single interview in last eight months.my confirmation is due in june..Can anyone tell me what i should do..Can rmg initiate the confirmation process??Should i escalate the issue?

  22. Hello, I got 3 ILP rating, 3 in FA and 1.2 in H1 as my TL had disputes with me and she gave me this as a revenge. I am on bench, What band should I expect from the new project?

    1. Previous ratings or mid years doesn’t matter as long as you have a good rapport with your new TL.

      System will not force based on these scores.

      When you get to your new project be nice, and try to be extra cautious and spend more effort.

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