Infosys has come up with a software application similar to Uber as part of their new Zero bench initiative. This application is aimed at the employees of the company to apply for projects in look out for resources matching their skill sets. Just like the Uber app connects drivers to commuters nearby to pick them up, this app will move the employees to the respective departments to be part of new projects.
This move is a part of the efforts taken by Infosys to maintain a leaner and more disciplined bench as well as to make use of the existing resources in a better way. This is initiative is termed Zero Bench and it is aimed to achieve 100 percent utilization. The information was revealed by three sources familiar with the advancements in the company.
One of the sources stated that the idea behind Zero Bench is to make use of the already existing resources in a better manner and to eliminate the requirement to hire numerous employees as before. This way, the existing resources will be utilized effectively to the maximum possible extent.
This move will let the country’s largest software company hire employees only when it is needed. This is also expected to bring down the attrition as the employees will be given chances to work on the projects they would like to be a part of matching their skills.
The Zero Bench by Infosys might be a trendsetter in the outsourcing industry in the country where the dominant players have been feverishly maintaining a strong bench that kept the rates of utilization low.
Basically, the term bench refers to those employees who are on rolls with an IT company, but not involved in any project. Since 2000s, as the demand for the outsourcing was high, India’s leading outsourcing firms started keeping a strong bench. With the advent of automation and retardation of growth rates, the software firms including TCS, Infosys and Wipro have stopped hiring in droves as they did earlier. They have started working towards achieving leaner benches with concepts such as Zero Bench.
