TCS incident: Harassment claims rock IT sector; companies call for trust, stronger safeguards

After sexual harassment allegations at the Nashik facility of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) rocked the IT industry, social media is witnessing a surge in posts claiming harassment and disrupting work culture in many companies. On Wednesday, IT services firm Tech Mahindra rubbished claims of religious bias after a post on X alleged that the company’s office pantry had been declared a ‘Footwear-free zone’. 

Responding to the allegation, Tech Mahindra spokesperson said that they take such concerns seriously and conducted an internal review, which found these claims to be inaccurate and unfounded.

“We confirm that the image titled ‘Footwear Free Zone’ is not from any of our offices, and the anonymous post regarding hiring practices is false.

"At Tech Mahindra, we are firmly committed to building an inclusive, respectful workplace where every individual is treated with dignity and fairness, without discrimination of any kind, including on the basis of religion. We will continue to review our policies and processes to ensure that our values are upheld consistently, and that no coercive or inappropriate conduct is permitted or carried out in any manner whatsoever,” the spokesperson added in the statement.

Following a social media post that alleged misconduct at the Infosys Pune BPM unit, Infosys also stated that it maintains a zero-tolerance approach to any form of harassment or discrimination.

Despite established systems, employees report workplace harassment and misconduct. HR experts said this is a critical moment of introspection for organisations. They must strengthen escalation pathways, ensure independence in investigations and build accountability into the system, they said.

“Preventive vigilance, such as periodic checks, early-warning mechanisms and continuous awareness initiatives, is equally important to ensure issues are identified and addressed before they escalate,” Aditya Narayan Mishra, MD and CEO of CIEL HR, said.

According to him, the presence of well-defined policies and grievance mechanisms does not automatically translate into their effective utilisation. Most large organisations today have strong institutional and legal frameworks in place; however, the real gap lies in employee trust and awareness. Many individuals still hesitate to come forward due to fear of retaliation, being singled out, or scepticism about whether their concerns will be handled fairly and confidentially.

Additionally, some behaviours, especially those rooted in personal biases or misuse of authority, may go unnoticed until they escalate. When such issues are not addressed early, they risk becoming normalised within teams. “Employees should be encouraged to escalate concerns through multiple available channels within the organisation, such as whistleblower mechanisms, ethics committees or higher leadership oversight bodies, which are typically designed to function independently of immediate reporting lines. If internal avenues do not result in action, individuals can also seek recourse through external legal and regulatory frameworks, as India has well-established laws addressing workplace harassment, coercion, and discrimination,” Mishra said.