Infosys: IT services company Infosys has found itself embroiled in a big controversy after it laid off more than 300 freshers in its Mysuru campus. Now Infosys has postponed the internal assessments arranged for trainees for an indefinite period. The company had on February 18 deferred it for a week. It says that the deferment is aimed at giving them additional time for preparation. Infosys on Monday February 24 sent an e-mail to the concerned employees informing them about the development. It stated the internal assessments the third attempt from the company and originally scheduled for February 24 have been postponed helping the employees better. The company said that the revised dates of the assessment will be conveyed to the concerned employees soon. “We are here to help you prepare better and have decided to provide additional training and support from subject matter experts so you can successfully clear the assessment. Therefore the third attempt of the generic FA2 Assessment originally scheduled for February 24 has been rescheduled. We will soon convey revised dates” says the email from Infosys as accessed and quoted by ET NOW. However the laid off employees expressed discontent over the company’s reasoning saying that this was a cover-up. They alleged that Infosys gives “no such liberty to 700 employees terminated on February 7.” Shaji Mathew Chief Human Resources Officer of Infosys stated that the company did not use any force or threats to lay off employees. He mentioned that the company has invested money and effort in training employees and it is in their best interest for everyone to succeed. Mathew also stated that the company has only laid off employees who failed internal assessments three times. Shaji Mathew however conceded that assessment failure percentages this time around have been slightly higher than in the past but dismissed charges that the tests had been designed for failure. On the repercussions that these layoffs would have on Infosys’s image as the company goes out to campuses for FY26 hiring Mathew said that plans to hire 20000 freshers for next fiscal are on track and they should have nothing to worry about as they will get one of the best corporate trainings. There have been allegations that testing parameters assessment criteria and syllabus were altered and intimidation tactics were used that led to the 300 plus terminations at Mysuru campus. Mathew clarified that given that the company invests money and effort to select and put trainees through the training program it is in the interest of Infosys to see that all these people are successful and that is when we are able to put them into our projects. Earlier this month Infosys which is Indias second largest IT services company faced a backlash after it laid off over 300 freshers who underwent foundational training at its Mysuru campus but could not clear internal assessments. The trainees had been onboarded just a few months ago in October 2024 after a two-year wait. (With agency inputs)