Capgemini plans quarterly appraisals for entry-level workforce

To add 25,000 techies this year through mix of campus and lateral hires

Capgemini India is planning to add 25,000 employees and introduce quarterly appraisals to its entry-level workforce.

Talking to BusinessLine on the sidelines of the Nasscom Leadership and Technology Forum here, Pallavi Tyagi, Chief - HR, Capgemini India, said the company is looking to hire 25,000 techies through “a mix of campus and lateral hires.” The company had hired a similar number in 2019.

The French multinational tech major employs one lakh people in India, which is 50 per cent of its global workforce.

Hiring speed bumps

The IT sector, which fuelled the growth of the middle class in India, has seen several speed bumps in terms of hiring in the last six years, said Tyagi. It is estimated that by 2027, India will have the world’s largest workforce in the 15-to-64 age group. This workforce is seeing technologies such as artificial intelligence becoming mainstream but is not yet ready to embrace them as colleges have not yet made significant changes to their curriculums. Also, the business models of IT companies are changing from the traditional headcount-based one to more quantifiable results-based projects involving the latest tech, said Tyagi.

However, hiring at some of the top software services companies this fiscal has been positive. In the December-ended quarter, Infosys added 7,000 freshers across the world. TCS also added a similar number.

Appraisal system changes

Capgemini is looking to change its appraisal system for entry-level employees from yearly to quarterly in an effort to align the process with changing business requirements, said Tyagi.

“Around 70 per cent of our India workforce is made up of millennials and we are looking to give out promotions or changes in career paths every quarter,” she said. Additionally, the assessments will be done on metrics such as project delivery and what value the individual has brought to the client, amongst others.

Also, this assessment will not happen at just the immediate managerial level; points will also be given on the client’s feedback, she added. “There is a significant premium on what an employee can ‘value add’ in a project and how it has or can bring in revenues for the client.” This assessment will touch 70 per cent of the workforce. “For the middle and top management, the assessments will happen twice and once a year, respectively,” Tyagi said.