Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

The Covid-19 pandemic drastically changed the way we work, with <keyword id="20665553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="remote-work" source="keywords">remote work</keyword> quickly becoming the new normal. Employees across the globe adapted to working from home, enjoying newfound flexibility and a better <keyword id="19901232" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-life-balance" source="keywords">work-life balance</keyword>. And for a long time, we all thought that this was the new world and going to the office every day would be a thing of the past. However, as pandemic restrictions eased, many companies began rolling back these remote policies, pushing employees to return to the office. Tech giant <keyword id="19904608" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Amazon" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> recently ended remote work for its employees and told them to come to office five days a week, just like how it used to be before the pandemic. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, in a blog post, said that working from offices has its benefits and therefore all employees will have to start coming to work the entire week. He added that even though they will permit work from home in case of emergencies (taking care of your sick kid, running emergency errands etc), remote work will no longer be the norm. <h2>Companies are calling employees back to offices</h2>Amazon isn’t the only company that has implemented the <keyword id="20007258" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rto" source="keywords">RTO</keyword> (<keyword id="20408795" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="return-to-office" source="keywords">return to office</keyword>) mandate. Companies like <keyword id="19945574" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wipro" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Wipro" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Wipro">Wipro</keyword>, TCS, X (earlier called Twitter) and Infosys also require employees to be there in office for at least three days a week. While X boss <keyword id="19903807" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Elon-Musk" source="keywords">Elon Musk</keyword> had once asked those seeking work from home to “get off of their moral high horse,” Infosys CEO N. R. Narayana Murthy had made headlines for saying that workers in India should work 70 hours per week. In wake of Amazon’s recent RTO mandate, many young professionals are reacting strongly on the internet. While some feel that the RTO mandate will hamper their productivity, others feel that it is simply unnecessary. And then there are also some people who think that this is a good decision. Let us take a look at how people are reacting on being called back to offices. <h2>How are people reacting?</h2>Social media sites like Reddit, X, and LinkedIn are full of reactions on the RTO mandate. Many employees feel that this will increase their cost and time spent on commute. Amazon’s recent decision to bring its employees back to offices has not sat well with many, especially those accustomed to the <keyword id="20445439" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hybrid-work-model" source="keywords">hybrid work model</keyword>. On LinkedIn, Samrat Bhardwaj, who has previously interned with Amazon India, questioned the rationale behind the shift, asking whether the company truly considered employee well-being or was more focused on its own benefits. He also voiced concerns over the increased cost in case employees think of moving closer to tech hubs. He also added that if people start living at a distance from tech parks, rent will be lower, but you'll be wasting a lot of time to and fro from the office every day. On the other hand, Erin Mantz, a former Meta and Amazon employee, pointed out the stark difference between previous work norms and the flexibility of today's workforce in a LinkedIn post. “Gen Xers, for decades, used to have to go in every day... no working from home, no midday walks or being home for the dishwasher repairman,” she said, reflecting on how work-life balance has evolved. She concluded that the shift back to in-office work might not align with modern expectations, suggesting that today’s workforce has experienced a better way of working. <h2>“Working in the parking lot isn’t a bad idea”</h2>People aren’t just concerned about the increased cost and wastage of time in commute. Some also pointed out the irony of commuting to the office only to continue working in their cars due to a lack of proper space and resources. One Reddit user said, “Genuinely had no idea how bad RTO would be until it hit. I'm as unproductive as ever and half my work is done in the parking lot at this point for these exact reasons. Going back to the office isn't the end of the world, but when there's zero space or even disability accommodation for the employees? Unacceptable, especially considering the ones who usually enforce the arrangements all have their own private offices with the best gear their department offers.” Another user, Oracle-2050, quipped that working from their car was a makeshift solution, noting, "At least I can attend Teams meetings and make phone calls." The absurdity of the situation was highlighted by yet another commenter who sarcastically remarked, “Only in clown world would a worker drive to the office in order to do work in their car.” Another user pointed out that the decision-makers pushing these mandates “all have their own private offices with the best gear their department offers,” leaving regular employees to struggle in far less conducive work environments. <h2>The “Fake work” problem </h2> Annie Dean, who earlier used to work as Director of Remote Work at Facebook, took a critical stance on LinkedIn, highlighting that return-to-office mandates don’t address the core problem which is “Fake work.” This term, popularised by Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, refers to tasks that feel like work but don’t actually create value for the business. Dean explained in her post that employees are drowning in endless meetings and messages, which detract from productivity. She argued that instead of mandating office attendance, companies like Amazon should focus on “pioneering new, more efficient modes of work.” This argument has resonated with many on X as well, where employees have expressed frustration over the return-to-office mandates being viewed as a quick fix. One Twitter/X user remarked that "commuting to do the same virtual meetings in person isn’t solving anything," while others echoed that the core problem lies in work structures, not location. Here are some other reactions on X: <div type="image" title="negative reactions" msid="113528739" hostid="261" sizebytes="64721"></div> <h2>A quiet layoff strategy? </h2> Yet another take on the RTO mandate comes from Jennifer DeLorenzo, a former senior recruiter at Pinterest. She suggested that the move feels like a “quiet layoff strategy.” According to her, by mandating full-time office attendance, companies may be hoping for a wave of resignations without having to deal with the negative press of formal layoffs. “This tactic allows them to reduce headcount while avoiding the negative optics of layoffs,” DeLorenzo wrote on LinkedIn, adding that it may backfire as hiring becomes challenging again when the economy shifts. Many others seemed to agree with her view. On Reddit too, there are many people talking about how companies might be carrying out soft layoffs by implementing an RTO mandate. Her comments tapped into a broader conversation on how companies may be using return-to-office mandates to indirectly reduce their workforce. Other social media users pointed out similar trends across industries, where companies tighten office attendance policies to nudge employees toward leaving voluntarily. <h2>Some mixed reactions too </h2> While the return-to-office mandates are frustrating for many, not all reactions are negative. Some employees, particularly newer hires, see value in the traditional office setting. Bhardwaj, for example, also noted that going to the office is beneficial for freshers who want to learn. “I do believe that going to the office makes you learn a lot as freshers,” he wrote in his post, suggesting that for those early in their careers, the in-person experience might be crucial for growth and networking. Some users on X too seemed to be in support of this mandate. Here’s a look: <div type="image" title="mixed-reactions" msid="113528718" hostid="261" sizebytes="77770"></div> This duality reflects the ongoing debate around the future of work. On one hand, companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta are focusing on building stronger in-office teams, believing that physical presence fosters better collaboration, innovation, and mentoring. On the other hand, employees, especially those who experienced the benefits of remote work during the pandemic, are pushing back against these mandates, valuing the flexibility and improved work-life balance that working from home provides. As companies continue to adjust their RTO policies, the tension between employee expectations and corporate strategies is likely to persist. However, one thing is clear — the future of work is still being negotiated, and both sides are making their voices heard across the internet.

'I'm unproductive, this is not the real solution': Internet reacts as Amazon, Wipro and others call employees back to office

<ul><li>A threshold relaxation of ₹7 lakh per financial year from <keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword> has been given only for overseas spending using international debit or credit cards. </li><li>TCS shall be applicable at 20% on forex cards and cash exchanges without any threshold limit unless a specific clarification is issued by the relevant authorities. </li><li>Individuals <keyword id="648371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="travelling-abroad" source="Orion">travelling abroad</keyword> separately or as a family may separately spend amounts up to ₹7 lakh per financial year on credit and debit cards. Group tours are set to cost more.</li></ul>Tax collected at source (TCS), and not the IT giant, was trending earlier in May after the Finance Ministry issued a notification stating that international credit cards would also be covered under the liberalised remittance scheme (LRS) – meaning a TCS of 20% would <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/credit-card-now-under-lrs-ambit-20-tcs-to-be-charged-on-spends-using-international-credit-cards/articleshow/100323990.cms">apply to credit cards as well</a>. After facing a backlash, on May 19, another clarification was issued stating that payments made using international credit and debit cards up to ₹7 lakh shall be excluded from LRS. Hence no TCS shall be applicable on payments made by international credit and debit cards up to ₹7 lakh in a financial year. Any payment beyond ₹7 lakh shall attract TCS at the rate of 20%. However, confusion still prevails, and there is uncertainty on how this will impact foreign travel. People are wondering if there are ways to minimise the impact. We spoke to experts to find out. TCS to apply on forex card, cash exchanges without threshold limit “No specific clarification has been provided on the threshold limits for applicability of TCS on forex cards and cash exchanges, it is assumed that new TCS rules shall apply on forex card and cash exchanges,” says Kunal Savani, partner at law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Hence, TCS shall be applicable at 20% on forex cards and cash exchanges without any threshold limit unless a specific clarification is issued by the relevant authorities. Says Suresh Surana, founder of RSM India, an audit, tax and consulting firm, “Assuming that a forex card would generate foreign exchange liability, the same would be covered under the scope of LRS, and TCS under section 206C(1G) would be applicable on the same without the threshold limit of ₹7 lakh as applicable in case of international credit, and debit cards.” TCS @20% applicable on entire amount when booking foreign tours “In case of overseas tours the Finance Act has amended section 206C(1G) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 thereby making TCS applicable on such overseas tours at the rate of 20%. No threshold limit has been provided, and hence a 20% TCS shall be applicable on the whole amount,” says Savani. The tour provider shall collect TCS at 20% in addition to the tour cost. This was introduced in Budget 2023, and has not been amended. It should be noted that the threshold relaxation of ₹7 lakh per financial year (FY) from TCS has been given only for overseas spending using international debit or credit cards. “This relaxation shall not be available for any remittances made from India for tour booking; and TCS on tour operators shall continue to be levied from ₹1,” says Vivek Jalan, partner, Tax Connect Advisory, a professional services firm. For example, if two people are going on a tour, and if the total cost is ₹5 lakh, then this will come under LRS, and the ₹7 lakh exemption will not be applicable. However, if they spend ₹5 lakh overseas on shopping, with international credit or debit cards, then the exemption will be applicable. Exemption applicable on a cumulative basis on all credit, debit cards “The exemption of ₹7 lakh applies to payments made through credit/debit cards only, and not to forex cards. From a reading of the press release, it appears that it is a combined limit applicable to payments made through credit, and debit cards taken together,” says Riaz Thingna, partner, tax, Grant Thornton Bharat, an assurance, tax and advisory firm. So, let us say that when travelling abroad with family in a certain financial year, someone spends ₹5 lakh on a credit card, and ₹5 lakh on a debit card. The first spend of ₹5 lakh from the credit card will not attract TCS as it is below the threshold of ₹7 lakh. The next spend of ₹5 lakh from the debit card will attract TCS in the following manner – there will be no TCS on ₹2 lakh, but a TCS @ 20% will apply on the balance ₹3 lakh. “However, if one uses a forex card, TCS @ 20% will be applicable on the amount of the foreign exchange credited to the forex cards without any exemption limit,” says Riaz. Minimise the impact of TCS on a foreign vacation When booking a tour package, there is no way one can minimise the impact of TCS when travelling abroad. “However, one may book in components, such as flights, hotels, etc., instead of booking a whole tour package,” says Nishant Pitti, chief executive officer and co-founder of EaseMyTrip. If the booking is done through a credit or debit card, one can get the benefit of the exemption limit. Also, LRS is available to all resident individuals including minors. Further, effective 1 July 2023, these new regulations would be applicable on all aggregate card spends above ₹7 lakh in a financial year, calculated separately for each resident individual. “Therefore, individuals travelling as a family/individuals travelling together, may separately spend amounts up to ₹7 lakh per financial year on credit cards, debit cards, while travelling abroad. In that case, TCS would not be applicable since it is below the threshold limit for each individual,” says Rajesh Srinivasan, partner at Deloitte India. If the total spend is exceeding ₹7 lakh, one may use credit or debit cards of different family members for booking to not pay any TCS. How to claim tax credit on TCS From July 1, 2023, Reserve Bank of India (RBI)- authorised banks would need to collect TCS. They would need to file quarterly returns, and provide necessary details including PAN of the Indian resident individual, and the amount remitted under LRS. TCS amount collected by the authorised bank would not be a sunk cost, and can be set-off against the tax payable on the individual’s total income (or) claimed as a tax refund in India. “Once quarterly TCS returns are filed by the authorised bank, the TCS amounts would reflect in Form 26AS of the Indian resident individual. Form 26AS refers to taxpayer’s records as available to the income-tax office, and contains details of taxable amounts remitted, and corresponding TDS and TCS,” says Srinivasan. TDS refers to tax deducted at source. He says that, therefore, no separate records need to be maintained by the Indian resident individual to claim tax credit later. Based on the Form 26AS (available in the individual’s login on the income-tax portal), the Indian resident individual can claim TCS as a tax credit or tax refund, while filing his/her income-tax return for the financial year. Also, the Indian government recently announced that it intends to automate the process of granting immediate TCS credit in case of salaried taxpayers. “The government proposes to link, and grant 20% TCS as credit against the monthly TDS due on the salary income of taxpayers. Procedures, and further announcements in this regard are expected in the coming weeks,” says Srinivasan. However, there is something that one needs to keep in mind. “The foreign exchange spend should be in proportion to the earnings. A person who spends say ₹10 lakh on a personal foreign tour in a fiscal year cannot declare an income of say just ₹12 lakh, or for that matter ₹15 lakh, all other things being constant,” says Jalan. TCS will make foreign tour packages more expensive upfront. However, the good news is that you can avoid TCS on your expenditures abroad, and get a tax credit easily in case you pay any TCS. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/ott-releases-to-watch-for-june-2023/articleshow/100643939.cms">OTT releases to watch for June, 2023</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/icc-top-brass-seeks-pcb-assurances-that-it-will-send-team-to-india-for-odi-world-cup/articleshow/100643947.cms">ICC top brass seeks PCB assurances that it will send team to India for ODI World Cup</a>

New TCS regulations may pinch your wallet while travelling abroad. Here’s how you can minimise the impact

<ul><li><keyword id="6357585" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-consultancy-services">Tata Consultancy Services</keyword> (TCS) plans to open up lateral hiring again which had been temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. </li><li>It also plans to bring back 5% of its employees to offices by the end of the month. </li><li>In the last quarter, TCS chief human resources officer claims that over 4,500 positions were filled as a result of learning intensity increasing by 25%.</li></ul>India’s largest IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), is planning to open up lateral hiring again and things begin to return to normal after the coronavirus pandemic affected its operations worldwide. It also plans to bring back employees into offices to up to 5%. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76875445" title="TCS revenue dips by 6.3% ⁠— CEO says nearly all verticals were hit by COVID-19 crisis" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> TCS claims that its plans to restart lateral hiring are going to come into picture again due to increased demand. “We have decided to open up on the lateral hiring side and have started onboarding new associates into the TCS ecosystem,” said CEO Rajesh Gopinathan. Since they weren’t hiring, TCS chief human resources officer Milind Lakkad says that the company has been filling in positions using ‘strategic talent development’. “Our learning intensity has gone up by nearly 25%,” he said. As a result, over 4,500 positions in the company were filled even though there was no junior recruitment happening over the last quarter. Coming back to work “We are still very conservative in bringing people back to work. Our strategy varies according to the COVID situation in each country, in each city,” said TCS chief human resources officer Milind Lakkad. Currently only has 1% of TCS employees are in offices across the globe. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76865753" title="TCS and Infosys to face least impact — Indian IT companies likely to report sharp decline in revenue during first quarter" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> The company says it will employ a campus-specific approach to bring employees back into the office in line with their 25/25 vision for 2025, which entail only 25% of employees in offices spending 25% of their time to deliver 100% productivity. "The location-independent way of working is gaining traction. Our customers are quite comfortable integrating the remote workforce, using new collaborative technologies to get work done,” said TCS COO N. Ganapathy Subramaniam during the first-quarter earnings call. “It was extremely important for us to connect with fresher recruits during this period,” explained Lakkad since onboarding has been delayed due to delays in academic terms. TCS plans to honour all existing offers. Gopinathan believes that the road to recovery for TCS will be better than it was after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). According to him, the recovery trajectory was one step ahead this time around due to early response and better coordination. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-reported-revenue-dips-but-profit-grows-in-q1-fy21-results/articleshow/76875445.cms">TCS revenue dips by 6.3% ⁠— CEO says nearly all verticals were hit by COVID-19 crisis</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-infosys-and-microsoft-execs-share-ideas-on-world-productivity-day/articleshow/76462291.cms">From TCS and Infosys to Microsoft and Kissflow ⁠— this is what top execs have to say about productivity in remote working</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-infosys-wipro-and-tech-mahindra-what-to-expect-from-earnings/articleshow/76865753.cms">TCS and Infosys to face least impact — Indian IT companies likely to report sharp decline in revenue during first quarter</a>

TCS to kickstart lateral hiring and bring back 5% of its employees to offices

Former <keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword> CEO Rajesh <keyword id="221979" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="gopinathan" source="Orion">Gopinathan</keyword>'s overall remuneration jumped 13.17 per cent to Rs 29.16 crore in FY23, his last year as the chief executive of the largest IT services player. In the annual report for the fiscal year 2022-23, TCS said Gopinathan earned over Rs 25 crore as commission, a salary of Rs 1.73 crore and Rs 2.43 crore in other benefits. Gopinathan, who helmed the company for six years till May 31, had earned a salary Rs 25.76 crore FY22. Despite heading the largest company, Gopinathan's pay cheque is lower compared to peers and also lower than what his predecessor <keyword id="97017" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="n-chandrasekaran" source="Orion">N Chandrasekaran</keyword> drew in FY17 before being appointed as the Tata Sons Chairman. On his elevation to the CEO's seat from being a chief financial officer, Gopinathan drew Rs 6.22 crore in FY17 which doubled to Rs 12.5 crore in FY18 and had been steadily rising since but for a blip in FY20. Gopinathan has committed to help TCS in the leadership transition by being available till September, and is yet to reveal his future plans. K <keyword id="16817833" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="krithivasan" source="Orion">Krithivasan</keyword>, Gopinathan's successor, will be getting a basic salary of Rs 10 lakh per month which can go up to Rs 16 lakh, commission as decided by the board and other benefits like rent-free residential accommodation. The company's chief operating officer N G Subramaniam earned a total remuneration of Rs 23.60 crore for FY23, up from about Rs 20 crore in FY22. The annual report said the increase in managerial remuneration is at 13.58 per cent as against the median hike of 5.11 per cent across its 6.14 lakh permanent employees. Chandrasekaran thanked Gopinathan and also wished the best for Krithivasan in his note, and said TCS is significantly investing in building AI capabilities which include products and platforms that are AI-powered. "We will also invest in research areas important for the future, in collaboration with our global academic partners and start-up ecosystem," he added. Krithivasan, who has been with TCS for several decades, said he has interacted with customers, leadership teams and employees as part of the leadership transition and added that an order book of USD 34.1 billion, coupled with strong pipeline of replenishment, gives it a good visibility for the medium-term. Chandrasekaran also said that companies need to focus on building talent for the future as the energy, supply chain and AI (artificial intelligence) transitions are going to require companies to reskill or upskill existing talent base, hire and integrate new talent and invest in research. In his note to shareholders, Gopinathan spoke about overcoming the challenges on the HR front, and said TCS' best years are ahead. "We broke out of the vicious cycle of hiring and counter-hiring within the industry by investing in onboarding an unprecedented number of fresh engineers," he said, pointing out that it hired 1.10 lakh fresh engineers in FY22 and 44,000 in FY23. Its global head for human resources, Milind Lakkad, said half of its over 6 lakh workforce has been hired since March 2020 and underscored the need for staff to return to working from offices. "New employees get acculturated through physical interactions with senior colleagues and leaders, by observing and following their behaviors and ways of thinking. Without those interactions, employee engagement as well as acculturation got badly impacted," Lakkad said. Amid the talk of newer technologies like generative AI, Lakkad said the "linearity" between revenue and headcount is not going to go away any time soon. "With ever-increasing dependence on technology for competitive differentiation, we expect enterprise spending to keep growing, for which we will have to keep hiring new talent," he said. The company scrip was trading 0.89 per cent up at Rs 3263 a piece on the BSE at 1348 hrs as against gains of 0.27 per cent on the benchmark. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-looking-to-grab-opportunities-arising-due-to-global-shifts-in-energy-and-supply-chain-says-chandrasekaran/articleshow/100815501.cms">TCS looking to grab opportunities arising due to global shifts in energy and supply chain, says Chandrasekaran</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/maruti-suzuki-jimny-vs-honda-elevate-comparison-of-features-and-style/slidelist/100815083.cms">Maruti Suzuki Jimny vs Honda Elevate – Which SUV suits your need</a>

Former TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinath got a 13% pay hike last financial year

<ul><li>Over half of <keyword id="4970209" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="genzs" source="Orion">GenZs</keyword> and millennials surveyed say they prefer ‘only office’ working models.</li><li>Gen X Plus, over 50, crave for flexibility with work, as they miss work-life balance.</li><li>High cost of living in cities, reverse migration and long commutes are challenges that employees cite about working from offices. </li></ul>One of India’s largest companies TCS has recently reversed its pandemic-time WFH policy and asked its employees to come back to work. The reason? It wants teams to work together, co-exist and especially new hires who have never seen ‘office’ to learn from their colleagues. It looks like employees are half-way there too, and miss being a part of teams. “Collaborating with their teams, socializing and bonding with colleagues, and having in-person meetings with clients are among the top reasons why employees want to go back to the office,” says a report by Awfis and Savills India. The generation that’s most eager to come to office are the GenZs and millennials. Over half of them surveyed prefer an ‘only office’ working model. This preference among the younger workforce might be linked to the significance they place on interpersonal interactions in the workplace, the report says. “Despite the common belief that the younger workforce seeks remote isolation, our research uncovers a significant desire for the indispensable impact of human interaction in a physical workplace. In a digital age, it is heartening to observe the enduring significance of the physical office as a center for fostering creativity, innovation, and shared learning experiences,” said Sumit Lakhani, deputy CEO of Awfis, a co-working space network. GenX Plus respondents, i.e. those over 50 years of age, veered towards hybrid or office-dominated work models as they crave for flexibility, the report adds. Metro office want them back In the survey, 66% respondents said that they have been mandated to go to office. But half of them also said that they prefer it that way. The location of the office also matters when it comes to calling people back-to-office. In Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, 71% of employees are required to work exclusively from the office in contrast to 63% in other cities. “In the top three cities, the only-office model is more prevalent, indicating a higher emphasis on in-office work. Other cities are more likely to adopt only-remote and remote-dominant hybrid work models, highlighting a greater preference for remote work or a mix of remote and office work,” the report added. Reverse migration and commutes The shift from work-from-home to back-to-office is riddled with challenges. Not only has a lot of the workforce shifted to their hometowns, a few have gotten used to managing work and personal life – a habit that would be hard to shake off. While going back-to-office will relieve people from the fatigue of working from home, it also means dealing with early morning traffic and more. As many as 31% of respondents considered commuting to work as their biggest concern, while 26% of respondents considered the high cost of living to be their primary challenge. For 16% of them, relocating from their hometown is a challenge. And, for 15% poor work-life balance to be a reason to not return to office. The higher costs are pinching Gen Zs the most as they face the after-effects of reverse migration. Gen-Xers say that poor-work life balance as a reason, early millennials believe that inability to focus will creep in as they work from office only.

GenZs, millennials want to be back to offices even as costs pinch

<ul><li><keyword id="6358021" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="budget" source="Orion">Budget</keyword> announcement of 20% tax on foreign investments to make investments in the US markets less appealing. </li><li>Direct investments in the US markets remain viable only for a tiny minority of high and ultra high-networth individuals (HNI/UHNIs). </li><li>Retail investors should consider exposure to the US markets through Indian mutual funds that invest in US <keyword id="6354298" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stocks" source="Orion">stocks</keyword> and funds. </li></ul>While one cannot buy a Tesla car in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> yet, one can buy shares of the electric vehicle (EV) giant. Similarly, one can also invest in shares of Apple, Meta (earlier Facebook), Alphabet (parent company of Google) and other US tech giants. To invest directly in US stocks from India, one needs to send money abroad under the liberalised remittance scheme (LRS). However, a budget proposal to impose a 20% tax collected at source (<keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword>) on foreign remittances under LRS without any threshold limit has made investing directly in foreign stocks, especially in US stocks, less attractive for investors. Earlier, a 5% TCS was applicable on outward remittances above ₹7 lakh. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="20% tax on foreign investments to hit retail investors hard" comment="subhead2" text="20% tax on foreign investments to hit retail investors hard">20% tax on foreign investments to hit retail investors hard</cmsannotation> Manish Chowdhury, head of research at Stoxbox, a subscription-based value broker, says “The budget proposal would prove to be a deterrent for small-time investors, as it would mean a large upfront cash outflow. Moreover, we believe that the change in TCS will adversely affect investing platforms, especially aimed at retail investors, who are more glued to direct investing in international stocks.” Currently IndMoney and Vested Finance are two such platforms that help Indian investors invest in US stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Pratik Oswal, head, ETFs and Index Funds, Motilal Oswal Financial AMC says that since this means that 20% of the sum invested abroad will be used for tax purposes and locked away at zero-percent interest till you file your taxes, it will mean an additional cost to the investor. It is to be noted that the tax paid can be claimed as credit. “While the TCS of 20% is a sentiment damper for Indians who would like to create a corpus outside of India and invest to meet future dollar commitments, it should not be confused as a sunk cost or additional cost. The TCS will be reflected as tax credit in your Form 26AS. So, the amount of TCS can be claimed as credit against tax payable while filing income tax returns,” says Sumita Pillai, chief executive officer of Torus Private Wealth. In case the TCS is higher than your tax payable, you will get a refund. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Direct investments in the US markets to get costlier" comment="subhead2" text="Direct investments in the US markets to get costlier"> Direct investments in the US markets to get costlier</cmsannotation> In another development, in January 2023, RBI asked SBM Bank to stop LRS transactions till further notice. Both IndMoney and Vested Finance have tie-ups with SBM Bank to make the process of investing faster and cheaper. “Vested Direct, our unique, low-cost digital fund transfer solution is supported by SBM India. With the help of Vested Direct, we were able to lower the overall cost of depositing funds to investors,” says Viram Shah, founder and CEO, Vested Finance. However, after the RBI directive, that is no longer possible. Shah clarifies that the introduction of this ruling means they will not be processing any new deposits using Vested Direct in the interim. This means that investing abroad through the LRS route is now more cumbersome and costly, the way it was a few years ago. This is definitely a dampener when it comes to Indians investing abroad. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Alternative option for investing in the US markets" comment="subhead2" text="Alternative option for investing in the US markets">Alternative option for investing in the US markets</cmsannotation> The above platforms provide investors an option to directly invest in US stocks. However, Indian investors can also get exposure to the US markets indirectly through international mutual funds that invest in the US stock markets. Says Chowdhury, “With the policy change, investing in equities globally through a direct route has definitely become more expensive. However, investors can continue to take exposure in global equities through mutual funds and ETFs because they are still exempt from LRS. We continue to advise small investors to invest in global equities through the indirect route as it saves them from the hassles of setting up the infrastructure for direct investing and also does not involve upfront costs.” Agrees Oswal, “Investors looking at global options should look at mutual funds because they are a lot cheaper right now.” However, a lot of these mutual funds in India cannot accept fresh <keyword id="6355120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Investment" source="Orion">investment</keyword>s because they have either already exhausted or are about to exhaust the limit of $7 billion to invest in overseas securities and funds. The entire industry is hoping for higher limits to be put in place. “When these mutual funds stop accepting fresh investments, direct investments outside of India via LRS will be the only route available to invest outside of India. That route will make sense for only a very tiny minority of HNIs ( high-networth individuals) and UHNIs (ultra high-networth individuals),” says Avinash Luthria, a financial planner &amp; SEBI registered investment advisor, referring to high and ultra-high-networth individuals. Investors who want to invest in the US market through mutual funds should reach out to the asset management company (AMC) and find out which funds are still accepting fresh investments. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/india-a-long-term-investment-destination-even-among-g-20-countries/articleshow/97875443.cms">India a long-term investment destination even among G-20 countries</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/passenger-vehicles-recorded-highest-ever-sales-this-january-says-siam/articleshow/97874958.cms">Passenger vehicles recorded highest-ever sales this January says SIAM</a>

20% tax on foreign remittances make foreign investments unviable for retail investors

<ul><li>Indian IT services giant <keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword> reported a subdued first quarter of FY23, with its profit missing analyst estimates.</li><li>The company also reported an increase in attrition rates and a slowdown in hiring, reflective of a challenging business environment.</li><li>It revealed that its headcount is now over 6 lakh, despite 1 in 5 employees quitting in the June quarter.</li></ul>India’s largest tech company TCS today saw the full impact of resignations, churn and the resultant salary hikes for the quarter — all of which shaved off its profit margins by 150 basis points. Even in this high cost regime, the company chose to add employees - with net additions touching 14,136 over the last quarter. And, it also crossed a milestone of 6 lakh employees – and its total headcount is now at 6,06,331. That means it added 155 new employees every day. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Quarter </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Attrition rate </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q1 FY22 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">8.6% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q2 FY22 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">11.9% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q3 FY22 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">15.3% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q4 FY22 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">17.4% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q1 FY23 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">19.7% </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Source: Company reports Last quarter, it added over 35,000 employees. This is also a reflection of the number of people who have been quitting, as its attrition rate hit the highest at 19.7% — that’s more than double of what it was in the same quarter last year. TCS admits that it’s a grave problem, but it will continue to ‘spend’ money to acquire talent. “We are making these investments to capture demand,” said Rajesh Gopinath, the CEO of TCS, at the earnings press conference. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Salary hikes in 5-8% range but top performers got better hikes" comment="subhead" text="Salary hikes in 5-8% range but top performers got better hikes">Salary hikes in 5-8% range but top performers got better hikes</cmsannotation> The company said its employees received salary hikes ranging between 5-8%, while top performers got even bigger hikes — without divulging details. Overall, TCS has set a target of hiring 40,000 freshers this year. This went down from the 1 lakh target it had set last year. However, the company said it is on track to achieve its FY23 fresher hiring target. TCS said that its workforce is diverse, comprising 153 nationalities and with women making up 35.5% of the base. It also claims to invest in organic talent development. “In the first quarter, TCSers clocked 12 million learning hours, resulting in the acquisition of 1.7 million competencies,” the company said in a press release. It also accelerated its ‘return to office’ programme in Q1, with about 20% of the workforce now working from the office. Tata Consultancy Services or TCS posted a 5% growth in net profits in the first quarter of FY23 at ₹9,478 crore; but its net profits fell by 5% on a quarterly basis – as it was hit by increased costs most of which was employee benefits. Its travel costs too ate into the profits even as its revenues grew by 16% on a yearly basis. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/dmarts-growth-momentum-could-be-impacted-by-high-inflation/articleshow/92747965.cms">DMart has more stores and no disruptions like it wanted – and investors are excited</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/not-just-crude-gold-silver-and-even-wheat-and-edible-oil-prices-are-going-down-in-india/articleshow/92748130.cms">It’s not just crude, gold, silver and even wheat and edible oil prices are going down</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/why-investors-are-giving-mm-and-tata-motors-ev-businesses-the-same-value/articleshow/92742893.cms">Tata Motors sells 100x more EVs than M&amp;M – but both are valued at around $9 billion</a>

TCS crosses the 6 lakh employee milestone even as 1 in 5 quit in the first quarter

<ul><li>For education and medical treatment there is no change to the earlier tax of 5% on remittances in excess of ₹7 lakh</li></ul><ul><li>Overseas tour packages will get more expensive as <keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword> has been increased from 5% to 20%</li></ul><ul><li>TCS paid can be settled against tax dues and refund claimed if applicable</li></ul>The Union Budget 2023 has proposed a tax collection at source (TCS) of 20% for foreign outward remittance under liberalized remittance scheme (LRS) (other than for education and medical purposes). This will be applicable from July 1, 2023. Before this, TCS of 5% was applicable to foreign outward remittance in excess of ₹7 lakh. Now, apart from education and medical treatment, there will be no threshold limit for other instances of remittances. “ There is a proposal to increase the TCS to 20% from 5% for exchange remittances under LRS as prescribed by RBI. The TCS can be claimed as a credit in the tax return. This impacts the remittances being made under LRS, such as investing in foreign stocks, property overseas travel, maintenance of relatives abroad,” says <keyword id="8998975" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rohinton-sidhwa" source="Orion">Rohinton Sidhwa</keyword>, partner, Deloitte India. Let us take a closer look at how this will affect overseas remittance under LRS. Overseas education and medical treatment: For both overseas education and medical treatment, the 5% TCS is charged on the total amount of remittance in excess of ₹7 lakh. The budget proposes no change in that. Plus, when someone takes a loan to study abroad the TCS is charged only at 0.5% of the total amount in excess of ₹7 lakh. It is to be noted that education includes tuition fees and hostel expenses. “In case a student goes abroad and lives in a school/college hostel and remittance for foreign exchange is made for the same, then it can be considered as remittance for educational purposes. However, in case the student spends for food/lodging and where there is no link of such spending with the school/college, then it may be sought to be classified as other than education purposes and the field officers may seek to demand a levy of TCS at 20%. In case this happens, then education abroad would become quite cash intensive,” says <keyword id="1256264" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vivek-jalan" source="Orion">Vivek Jalan</keyword>, Partner, Tax Connect Advisory. Overseas tour packages: Overseas tour packages will get costlier and attract a TCS of 20% without any threshold limit. If an Europe tour package costs ₹10 lakh, one now has to pay ₹12 lakh for the same package going ahead. “However, this is applicable only to your packages and will not apply if someone is making bookings of hotels etc on their own,” says Rachit Sharma, Company Secretary, Taxmann Group. “While various boosters have been provided for integrated domestic travel in this budget, yet this increase in the rate of TCS would act as a dampener for foreign travel. Hence the policy of The Government seems clear,” says Jalan. Overseas investments: When investing abroad, one has to pay 20% TCS without any threshold limit going forward. Over the last few years more and more Indians have been investing overseas, especially in the US. Since every dollar one invests will now have a 20% tax imposed on it, this will affect their returns (earlier one did not have to pay any TCS on up to ₹7 lakh invested). Buying property abroad: “Similarly, if the person wants to buy an immovable property outside India, in addition to the money he has to pay for the purchase of the property, he will be required to pay 20% of the the purchase price by the way of TCS to the bank from where remittance is made,” says <keyword id="47558" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ved-jain" source="Orion">Ved Jain</keyword>, founder, Ved Jain Associates. Hence, if you are buying a property in Dubai worth Rs 3 crore, an additional ₹60 lakh needs to be paid. However, one can get a tax credit on the same as explained later. <div type="image" title="budget-table" msid="97555446" hostid="261" sizebytes="76684" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Source: Taxmann Group, Only for remittance under LRS&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> TCS can be settled against tax dues: TCS on remittances essentially means that a person making a remittance will have to pay an additional 20% at the time of making the remittance, i.e. there will be an additional 20% cash flow paid towards TCS. However, it can be settled against tax dues. “This amount then will appear in their Form 26AS since TCS is linked to their PAN and can be settled against their tax dues. This is tax already collected from them. In the event the taxpayer has a refund situation, the excess tax collected via TCS shall be refunded to the taxpayer,” says Archit Gupta, founder and CEO, Clear. “However for everyone this implies more funds locked in which are only adjustable while paying taxes, or refunded after the FY once income tax return is processed,” says <keyword id="3707077" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sidhwa" source="Orion">Sidhwa</keyword>. One may infer that this move is aimed at discouraging people from sending money abroad. When sending money abroad, one thus needs to plan accordingly.

Budget 2023 proposes 20% TCS on foreign expenses under LRS

<ul><li>Companies have faced significant resistance when they have asked employees to come back to the office. </li><li>The hybrid working model has gained widespread acceptance and is likely to stay. </li><li>Some of the organisations incentivising employees are offering discounted meals, commuting benefits, etc.</li></ul>Life after the pandemic has returned to normal, but for those who had got used to working from home, returning to office is not a preferred option – not yet. Added to that, there is a disparity between how leadership and employees perceive working from home. In June 2020, TCS announced that it will allow 75% employees to <keyword id="123591" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="work-from-home" source="Orion">work from home</keyword> even after the pandemic is over. However, they have now backtracked on that claim. TCS has been encouraging employees to get <keyword id="9081434" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="back-to-office" source="Orion">back to office</keyword> three days a week and has ruled out a scenario where employees can work 100% from home. Infosys founder Narayana Murthy has warned younger employees against moonlighting and asked them not to work from home. Wipro chairman Rishad Premji recently made a statement saying that more employees should work from the office rather than from their homes. And, it’s not just tech companies. As much as 71% of Indian business leaders said that they prefer their employees to work more frequently from the office as opposed to working from home according to C-Level Linkedin Research. fo However, post-Covid, returning to work is a mindset shift. A report by ADP Research Institute reveals that 76.07% of employees in India would prefer having control over their working hours and would take a pay cut to guarantee the flexibility of working remotely or have the opportunity to alternate between home and office. According to a global survey by ResumeBuilder.com, 66% of employers currently require employees to <keyword id="8954729" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="work-from-office" source="Orion">work from office</keyword>, 90% of companies will require employees to return to office in 2023, 21% of companies will fire workers who do not return to the office and 88% of companies are offering incentives to get employees to return, including catered meals, commuter benefits, and higher pay. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="To work or not to work from the office" comment="subhead2" text="To work or not to work from the office">To work or not to work from the office</cmsannotation> Like companies across the world, Indian companies too are trying to adjust to the new normal. “Companies are aware that employee engagement is crucial to their performance. As a result, they have been willing to add some flexibility to the equation. Occasionally working from home for an office job is acceptable, but only with permission.,” says Mayur Taday, chief business officer, TeamLease Services, a staffing and HR firm. However, companies have faced resistance when asking their employees to come back to the office. “Like many other organizations, we encountered significant resistance from employees, particularly those who were working remotely from their hometowns. However, over time, the situation has evolved. A substantial percentage of our workforce attends the office five days a week, while others enjoy the hybrid approach. However, there is a small group of employees who still show resistance,” says Jayita Roy, VP - HR, Adecco India, a staffing and HR solutions company. Tadays says that businesses have been tolerant and non-obtrusive in permitting a gradual transition over the past nine months, but increased adherence is anticipated in the upcoming fiscal year. “Employees have largely adapted to the new normal as a result. However many who want a permanent WFH have looked for or changed jobs and landed WFH roles,” he adds. Organizations across sectors want their employees to come back to office, but each industry has its nuances. According to Pratik Vaidya, Founder &amp; MD, Karma Global, an HR and compliance organization, when it comes to BFSI, the principle is well settled. Even during pandemic times, the entire banking and financial sectors were working normally with all transactions going online. The need for physical presence of a customer in a bank was negligible and this trend continues even today. Hence the second and fourth Saturdaysh as holidays for banking and government offices are widely accepted and there is no likelihood of any change unless the Banking Associations’ demand for all Saturday offs is met by the government. However, in tech the situation is not as simple. “This is because the tech industry’ demographic holds the younger generation of people in the age group of 23 to 30. The vibrant lot seeks nourishing and nurturing of talent, career path and employee friendly workplace which they can consider as their second home,” says Vaidya. Also he says that the younger lot is more inclined towards work from home or a <keyword id="45402" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hybrid-model" source="Orion">hybrid model</keyword>, a mix of both working from office and a few days at home. The mid-level workforce is fully inclined towards the hybrid model so that they are able to stay focussed on their career growth and balance days in remote working, where they can attend to family and personal demands. The senior level is more inclined towards work from office so that they can focus on organizational goals and drive the purpose and objective of the organization. The year 2023 will thus witness a lot of experimentation in organizations. Some will settle down faster, while others will take a little longer to settle, especially those organizations with multi locational units, multi job roles, multi grades and cadres, multi objectives and goals, as expectations will be huge. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Hybrid work could be the future" comment="subhead2" text="Hybrid work could be the future">Hybrid work could be the future</cmsannotation> Linkedin Research has also revealed that 82% Indian leaders believe that hybrid work is expected to stay here for the long term. “It is true that the hybrid working model has gained widespread acceptance and this will become the norm of the future,” says Vaidya. However he adds that it will totally depend on the suitability and needs of an organization. It cannot be a standard practice across. It will vary between industries and organizations. The hybrid model comes with 4 days a week, 3 days a week, 2 days a week, once a week, few times in a month or once in a month. So it will be idealistic for each organization to decide what suits them best taking into account their vision, mission, values, culture, goals and objectives, competition, product demand and penetration, delivery and ultimately customer satisfaction. “The hybrid work model presents an advantageous arrangement for employees, as it empowers them to structure their workweek to suit both their personal needs and the needs of their team,” says Roy. She adds that a substantial percentage of their workforce attends the office five days a week, while others enjoy the hybrid approach. “We don’t see a world where employees return to the office five days a week. For now, it’s one or two days with an emphasis on flexibility,” says Chad Herring, CHRO, Zoominfo, a software and data company. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The way ahead" comment="subhead2" text="The way ahead">The way ahead</cmsannotation> We were taught of this motivational theory of carrot and stick, during school days and it holds its relevance even today. In fact, fortune 500 companies CEOs even today use a combination of carrot and stick which helps them to achieve faster progress. An element of compulsion is necessary at the same time when carrot is being offered as an inducement. Some of the organizations incentivising employees are offering discounted meals, commuting benefits, offering a decent raise, improving office space with re-decor, casual dressing on Fridays, team events on weekends, child care facilities, learning training and development programmes, and so on. At Zoominfo, employees are regularly treated to free lunches at the office. There are also snacks and drinks available at all times. For many, the last few weeks marked the first time many employees met their colleagues in person since they were hired, so teams have planned group lunches and outings. It is accepted that the pandemic has changed the way individuals view their work life as the two years of ingrained family style of work at home, and it will take some time for the employees to come out from this cocoon or home shell. Therefore, it will be imperative to build employee centric and customized work plans depending on each organisation's needs and wants, maintaining a healthy balance between the two. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/yes-bank-shares-tank-over-12-as-3-year-shareholder-lock-in-period-ends/articleshow/98601576.cms">Yes Bank shares tank over 12% as 3-year shareholder lock-in period ends</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/how-does-the-oppo-find-n2-flip-stack-up-against-the-samsung-galaxy-z-flip-4/slidelist/98601155.cms">How does the Oppo Find N2 Flip stack up against the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4?</a>

Companies want their employees back to office, but it is turning out to be difficult

<ul><li>The second-largest city of <keyword id="20154" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tamil-nadu" source="Orion">Tamil Nadu</keyword> is all set to host the most prosperous business of the day – technology.</li><li>After the pandemic, most IT employees have been working from home and have been reluctant to come back to work, after they have shifted base to their hometowns.</li><li>IT companies have started moving closer to talent, most of which resides away from large cities.</li><li>As per a report by Naukri.com, <keyword id="6361828" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="coimbatore" source="Orion">Coimbatore</keyword> showed the maximum year-on-year growth of 60% in hiring across all non-metro cities in June this year.</li></ul>A year after Coimbatore shifted hands from Tipu Sultan to the British, a failed coffee merchant Robert Stanes kickstarted its long journey of industrialization. Apart from motor works and other foundries, he also helped establish textile mills. By the time the Bombay textile boom had started to wane, this Southern city on the other end of the country picked up – and prospered as road and rail connectivity improved. A similar revolution seems to be afoot in this second largest city of Tamil Nadu, and is all set to host the most prosperous business of the day – technology. <keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword> already has a small office in the city. <keyword id="6354512" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="infosys" source="Orion">Infosys</keyword> and IBM’s ‘future of work’ strategies are making them set-up offices in tier-2 cities and on the top of these lists is Coimbatore. <keyword id="43217" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tech-mahindra" source="Orion">Tech Mahindra</keyword> however has already inaugurated its new campus there, which it hopes will drive business growth in unexplored markets. “The campus will focus on developing new technology stack pertaining to intelligent automation, artificial intelligence/robotic process automation, full-stack development, customer experience (CX), and other next-gen application development and management skills (ADMS) skills,” Harshvendra Soin, global chief people officer and head of marketing at Tech Mahindra told Business Insider India. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="IT companies are going where talent is" comment="subhead" text="IT companies are going where talent is">IT companies are going where talent is</cmsannotation> After the pandemic, most IT employees have been working from home and have been reluctant to come back to work, after they have shifted base to their hometowns. Rental expenses and other increased living expenses have been holding them back from returning to cities. IT companies have started moving closer to talent, most of which resides away from large cities. “Through this new campus, we will aim to provide growth opportunities and make the most of the immense potential held by several individuals residing in Coimbatore,” Soin said. Most such people graduated from top engineering colleges in and around the city like <keyword id="748277" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="coimbatore-institute-of-technology" source="Orion">Coimbatore Institute of Technology</keyword> (CIT), GCT Coimbatore and many more – providing them with ready-made talent. After the city of <keyword id="12864" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="chennai" source="Orion">Chennai</keyword> has expanded to its zenith with various IT offices, the state government too is keen on promoting Coimbatore to tech companies. On July 4, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the Rathinam Business and IT Park in Coimbatore which will be home to at least 20 companies – and aims to create over 3,500 job opportunities both directly and indirectly. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Better than metros and then some more" comment="subhead" text="Better than metros and then some more">Better than metros and then some more</cmsannotation> This city has already been creating jobs and is the best amongst all non-metros. As per a report by Naukri.com, Coimbatore showed the maximum year-on-year growth of 60% in hiring across all non-metro cities in June this year. The overall hiring in tier 2 and 3 cities is expected to rise in the coming months. Coimbatore is also high on livability index a<a href="https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/310317/coimbatore-ahead-of-metros-study.html">nd has been </a>beating Chennai, Bengaluru, Gurgaon and all other tech hubs for years now. Livability index is calculated on the basis of the cost of living, pollution, traffic, quality of living etc. As per reports, cost of living in Coimbatore is around 22% less than Gurgaon and as many as 65% techies would rather work at tier-2 and tier-3 towns rather than a metro. Moreover, Coimbatore city is well-known for its diverse offerings to tourists and residents alike with malls and temples and history that dates back to none other than Romans. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/this-is-why-it-costs-more-to-order-online-on-zomato-and-swiggy-than-to-dine-in/articleshow/92798769.cms">This is why it costs more to order online on Zomato and Swiggy than to dine-in</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/dmart-gets-it-mojo-back-from-monsoons-and-school-going-children/articleshow/92796927.cms">Unlockdowned - DMart gets it mojo back from monsoons and school-going children</a>

Coimbatore – from a textile hub to tech hub

<ul><li>IT and <keyword id="9739801" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="media-employees">media employees</keyword> are in no rush to return to their offices until more stringent measures are in the place, according to the latest edition of LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index. </li><li>Those who can’t wait to get back to the ‘physical workplace’ are professionals in the recreation, travel, and consumer goods industry. </li><li>Across the workforce, one-third of professionals believe that their savings will increase in the next six months but they are uncertain about job security. </li></ul>As coronavirus restrictions across India reach their fourth month, many are looking forward to returning to the ‘physical workplace’. According to a survey conducted by LinkedIn, professionals in the recreation and travel space, as well as those in the consumer goods industry, are most eager to work from offices/on-site, as soon as it’s allowed. <div type="image" title="Copy of BFSI rev and tech spend (1)" msid="77486085" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Professionals in recreation and travel as well as the consumer goods industry are most eager to get back to work&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> But not everyone is as excited. People working in the IT industry are leaning towards WFH even if the restrictions are lifted. LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index report believes that this could be because the transition to remote work for <keyword id="6467356" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IT-employees">IT employees</keyword> was a lot smoother than it was more employees in other sectors of the economy. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77407573" title="No coffee breaks or water cooler gossip – work from home is hurting office friendship and the team vibe" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Professionals in transportation and logistics, as well as media and communications, share the same concerns and are likely to continue working from home until absolutely necessary. <div type="image" title="sanitisation at work_edited" msid="77486261" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sanitisation at work&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Concerns about returning to the office It is not that the professionals in the IT and Media industry prefer staying at home. But their major concerns are poor workplace sanitisation and lack of cleanliness that would increase the exposure risk to COVID-19. <div type="image" title="Copy of Copy of BFSI rev and tech spend" msid="77486138" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Concerns about peers not taking COVID-19 precautions seriously is the primary concern for employees looking to return to office&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> While one may follow guidelines to a tee, many employees aren’t confident that their colleagues will do the same. Exposure to those not taking such safety measures seriously is another worry that weighs heavily. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77099043" title="Indian government extends work from home norms for IT and BPO companies till the end of the year" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> On the flip side, many employees are expecting their personal savings to jump in the next six months. But that is shadowed by the fact that when it comes to job security, employees aren’t as optimistic. More than people who work at large companies and multinationals, the workers at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are worried about keeping their jobs, according to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index. The online professional network, LinkedIn, surveyed 5,553 professionals across India over the last two months and asked what they were the most concerned about when ‘returning to the physical workspace’. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/tcs-infosys-hcl-tech-and-wipro-open-up-lateral-hiring-as-more-people-walk-out-the-door-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/articleshow/77045880.cms">TCS, Infosys, HCL Tech and Wipro open up lateral hiring as more people walk out the door during the COVID-19 pandemic</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tech-mahindra-cfo-says-lateral-hiring-will-take-time-and-only-after-utilisation-improves-to-pre-covid-levels/articleshow/77440879.cms">INTERVIEW: Tech Mahindra CFO says lateral hiring will take time — and only after utilisation improves to pre-COVID levels</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/uber-starts-hiring-engineers-in-india-after-reports-said-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-is-eager-to-shift-engineering-innovation-to-india/articleshow/77369162.cms">Uber starts hiring engineers in India – after reports said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is eager to shift engineering innovation to India</a>

IT and media employees are in no hurry to get back to office — not until there are proper policies in place

<ul><li><keyword id="455856" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="form-26as" source="Orion">Form 26AS</keyword> is an annual statement of how much tax you have paid to the income tax department.</li><li>A taxpayer has to ensure that the <keyword id="104359" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="income-tax-return" source="Orion">income tax return</keyword> is in sync with form 26AS.</li><li>Since the tax department will consider form 26AS as its authentic document it becomes crucial for taxpayers to check if there is any mismatch in tax credits filed.</li></ul>If you have been paying income tax, there is something called 26AS you should be aware of. It is an annual statement that provides you with all the details of tax credit i.e., how much tax you have paid to the income tax department. It is basically a consolidated annual tax credit statement that has all the details of various taxes deducted on your income at source. Form 26AS is a very important document to check before filing income tax returns. It helps one check that the tax deducted or collected has been deposited on time. The form is available on the income tax website against a taxpayer’s permanent account number (PAN). The form also shows details of sale/purchase of immovable property, mutual funds, cash deposits or withdrawal from savings account etc. For example, cash deposits of over ₹10 lakh in your savings accounts in a financial year or if you purchased a property worth over ₹30 lakh, it will show up in this statement. An assessee can claim the tax deducted reflecting in their form 26AS while filing their income tax return for a financial year. Now, a taxpayer has to ensure that the income tax return is in sync with form 26AS. Another important aspect of form 26AS is that banks and other institutions can now ask for form 26AS for due diligence before lending money to the person/corporations. Details in form 26AS <ul><li>Tax deducted at source (TDS)</li><li>Tax collected at source (TCS)</li><li>Details of advance tax, self assessment tax</li><li>Information about income tax refund</li><li>Details of tax deducted on the sale of immovable property</li><li>Details of the high value transactions in respect of shares, mutual fund etc</li></ul>How to download the form <ul><li>Login to income tax new website <a href="https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/">incometax.gov.in</a> with your PAN number</li><li>Go to ‘e-file’ menu and select ‘View Form 26AS (tax credit)’</li><li>You will be asked for confirmation to be redirected to the Traces website regulated by the government of India. Click on confirm button</li><li>Then click at 'View Tax Credit (Form 26AS)’ option</li><li>Select the assessment year</li><li>Click at 'View/Download'</li></ul>How to handle mismatch in the form 26AS is your tax passbook just like a bank passbook. Now, since the tax department will consider form 26AS as its authentic document it becomes crucial for taxpayers to check if there is any mismatch in tax credits filed. Mismatch or errors could occur because you may have missed paying tax on some capital gains or amount of tax deducted from salary is incorrectly reported by the employer, TDS deduction is reported in wrong section, incorrect PAN being punched in the TDS return by the deductor or your employer or client may have deducted tax, but not deposited. In either case, you must immediately take it up and get it rectified. Therefore, while preparing your tax returns, you must tally the income details and tax deducted shown in the form 26AS with the details as per your records. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/mukesh-ambani-enters-100-billion-club-as-ril-stock-hits-a-record-high/slidelist/85969961.cms">Mukesh Ambani enters $100 billion club as RIL stock hits a record high</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/tcs-ceo-says-70-80-percent-employees-will-be-back-at-office-by-early-next-year/slidelist/85970869.cms">TCS CEO says 70-80 percent employees will be back at office by early next year</a>

Do not forget to check form 26AS before filing your income tax return. Here’s why

<ul><li>A strong CEO-CFO partnership can determine the success or failure in digital transformation – especially in uncertain times like a pandemic.</li><li>With the right approaches, CFOs can help CEOs drive growth, manage risks, and boost organisational performance – starting with transforming the finance function.</li><li>Building a digital finance function will streamline financial reporting and accelerate and deepen a company’s ability to pinpoint both opportunities and threats.</li></ul>The Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) have been heavily involved in their companies’ digital transformations. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, global spending on digitising business practices, products and services is expected to grow by more than 10% to reach $1.3 trillion in 2020. Now CFOs must work closely with chief executives to steer their enterprises through the worst economic crisis in a generation. This CEO-CFO partnership — whether it is effective or not — will determine whether enterprises can withstand the financial impact of this crisis and move their organisations forward. Recent TCS research sheds new light on the unprecedented pressure that the pandemic has unleashed on organisations and particularly on their finance functions. A global survey of 287 companies, in July, with more than $1 billion in revenue found that 68% of them saw revenues decline. Moreover: <ul><li>Fewer than one-third of companies surveyed had implemented essential digital capabilities that enable them to pivot quickly in response to the crisis.</li><li> Only 23% have strong automation of core business processes</li></ul>For finance organisations with a mission to mitigate risks, shore up liquidity, understand how performance is changing and know precisely where the company and its customers stand. Lacking such capabilities is a wakeup call. Not having a sufficiently digital finance function means lacking accurate real-time data, and therefore navigating the crisis without a reliable compass. These organisations are now racing to catch up. Most are maintaining or accelerating their digital investments despite revenue pressures and the need to operate remotely. Companies have realised that such investment is critical to resilience and competitiveness during the pandemic and beyond. The investment also enables the CFO to better manage the organisation’s finances and support the CEO. The CFO’s unique role during a crisis A successful CFO generally sees herself as a strategic partner to the CEO. But during uncertain times, the CFO’s role typically changes. Risks and responsibilities rise. In some cases, crises also pose strategic opportunities. Some key matters that the CFO needs to address during a crisis include: <ul><li>External business risks: During uncertain times, litigation is likely to rise. Contracts that protect commercial and legal interests help the organisation stay focused and avoid unnecessary distractions. At the same time, having measures in place that help the company access what is rightfully due — such as contract clause monitoring, and early warning indicators — can assist with revenue growth and profitability.</li><li>Talent: As crisis-related anxiety levels soar, small steps can reinforce employee morale, loyalty and engagement. The CFO should ensure that payroll is processed on time, particularly if employees are concerned about the company’s stability. Additionally, the CFO should support empathetic policies for workers affected by the crisis. Especially in a services company or any organisation with a sizeable resource pool, it is beneficial in the short term to carry, as necessary, excess staffing capacity that will get absorbed once growth returns. This can help morale while boosting productivity when it is most needed. And the organisation can manage other costs to pay for the investment.</li><li>Driving growth: Uncertain times also present an opportunity to take a fresh look at the business and consider deploying different processes or frameworks. The finance function can help plan for such initiatives, building scenario analyses of how proposed changes will impact efficiency or optimisation. The function is also a key player in executing finalised plans.</li></ul>The CFO should also look at market penetration to assess opportunities for expanding the organisation’s horizons. Embarking on such projects demands not only investment capabilities but also the long-term conviction needed to make big moves despite economic turmoil. A wise decision during a crisis often delivers the best returns. A final consideration on growth involves the volatile currency and financial markets. It is critical for the treasury team to manage the enterprise’s currency and interest-rate exposures and continually take appropriate measures. This will help the CEO and business teams focus on business response, recovery and revival. <ul><li>Accurate forecasting: Always important, and it becomes even more consequential in times of uncertainty and disruption, when forecasts are more difficult. Of course, maintaining transparency and avoiding surprises is also important for investors and market participants.</li><li>Mergers and Acquisitions: There is usually a distinct ramp-up in M&amp;A activities during a crisis. The pandemic could present opportunities at attractive valuations. Companies often look to divest their non-core activities, which could constitute core businesses for another company. Having deployable funds and a long-term vision assists in such decisions. The CFO can play an important role by keeping the organisation in a state of readiness.</li></ul>Establishing the CFO as a strategic partner to the CEO TCS has observed that companies with highly digital finance functions have performed better over time, and particularly during the crisis. A CFO can be an effective partner to the CEO by seizing the opportunity to deploy digital capabilities that can improve efficiency and inform the executive team’s strategic decisions. In brief, a highly digital finance function helps a company and its CEO in several key ways. It is able to close the books and report financial results publicly on time and without extra manual effort. Digitisation ensures that team members can produce financial statements regardless of where they are working, and a timely release of financial results helps to reassure stakeholders that the company is operating smoothly despite crisis-related disruptions. Additionally, a digital finance function can more easily identify troublesome business areas and offer helpful ideas for addressing their challenges. For instance, the department can help determine which costs are strategic and should not be cut, and which costs can be delayed or reduced. Finally, the digital CFO can keep a close watch on collections, liquidity and any delinquency and take proactive steps to mitigate risks. These capabilities are always advantageous but given the sudden and intense disruption that many companies are experiencing during the pandemic, they are more important than ever. TCS’ finance department’s digital transformation Our observations about the effectiveness of highly digital finance offices are based not only on research and client experience, but also on the TCS finance department’s digital transformation. This experience offers instructive lessons for CFOs across industries, particularly during the current crisis. The pandemic hit TCS at perhaps the worst possible time for the finance function, just a few short weeks before the fiscal year ended (March 31, 2020). Even though all members of our finance team and auditors were working remotely from their homes, we were the first Indian public company to announce our fully audited results of operations from more than 50 countries where we do business. Results were released on schedule in April. This, at a time when, for instance, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had issued a 45-day earnings extension and a number of companies in the S&amp;P 500 were delaying their quarterly earnings releases. Moreover, TCS was the first company in India to hold a virtual annual shareholder meeting. This occurred on June 11, 2020, the same date that had been scheduled months before the pandemic hit. This was only possible because we had extensively digitised our finance function over nearly two decades. TCS is a $22 billion company with 470,000 employees and more than a thousand large customers. Such a business cannot run efficiently or effectively without an integrated, enterprise-wide, single-instance financial accounting and reporting system. We undertake so many transactions that no one person — or even a team of people — in finance can see patterns rapidly or with the needed microscopic granularity. Technology is the lynchpin, the enabler. Capitalising on the digital transformation of the finance unit As the COVID-19 pandemic has made abundantly clear, every enterprise needs a digitally sophisticated finance function. Such a function is a means by which the CFO can be an indispensable partner to the CEO in running an organisation that is resilient and financially stable. Digitisation also enables the CFO and C-suite colleague to ensure that the organisation maintains adequate liquidity, generates strong cash flow, reduces the working capital cycle, and mitigates enterprise risks. A digitally transformed finance function also empowers the CFO to prioritise strategic investments and interventions that let the enterprise realise its core purpose. Of course, digital transformation cannot be achieved overnight. The initiatives and investments need to be made over time. Teams must be trained and oriented toward working in a highly digitised environment with a culture of adaptability tied to the organisation’s purpose. For the journey to succeed, having the right team is essential. Digital finance teams are content to let technology serve as bean counters while they focus on the company’s goals. They form an organisation that enables business unit leaders to understand what is happening based on key metrics and help implement interventions to deliver better results. This way the CFO can fulfill their role as an effective partner to the CEO and help the organisation thrive. The article has been exclusively curated for TCS Perspectives - TCS' Management Journal (by TCS Thought Leadership Institute). SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-is-using-the-quad-alliance-to-get-help-from-the-us-japan-and-australia-to-match-chinas-covid-19-vaccine-push/articleshow/81408044.cms">India is asking the QUAD for money to boost vaccine production and counter China’s moves on the global stage</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/gold-prices-are-falling-and-the-worlds-biggest-market-for-the-yellow-metal-is-hoping-for-more-shoppers/articleshow/81406658.cms">Gold prices are falling and the world’s biggest market for the yellow metal is hoping for more shoppers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-blockchain-tech-to-make-sms-more-secure-is-leaving-users-locked-out-of-their-account/articleshow/81409145.cms">India’s blockchain tech to make SMS more secure is leaving users locked out of their accounts — and potentially more at risk</a>

You Searched For "tcs return to office" and got 13 results

'I'm unproductive, this is not the real solution': Internet reacts as Amazon, Wipro and others call employees back to office

Divyanshi Sharma

New TCS regulations may pinch your wallet while travelling abroad. Here’s how you can minimise the impact

Anagh Pal

TCS to kickstart lateral hiring and bring back 5% of its employees to offices

Prabhjote Gill

Former TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinath got a 13% pay hike last financial year

PTI

GenZs, millennials want to be back to offices even as costs pinch

Katya Naidu

20% tax on foreign remittances make foreign investments unviable for retail investors

Anagh Pal

TCS crosses the 6 lakh employee milestone even as 1 in 5 quit in the first quarter

Rounak Jain

Budget 2023 proposes 20% TCS on foreign expenses under LRS

Anagh Pal

Companies want their employees back to office, but it is turning out to be difficult

Anagh Pal

Coimbatore – from a textile hub to tech hub

Vaamanaa Sethi

IT and media employees are in no hurry to get back to office — not until there are proper policies in place

Prabhjote Gill

Do not forget to check form 26AS before filing your income tax return. Here’s why

Bhakti Makwana

EXCLUSIVE: TCS CFO explains how the role of a finance head has been changed by the pandemic

V. Ramakrishnan

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides