Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has made a paradigm shift in its associate deployment by launching the New Bench Policy 2025. This policy is more than a process change, it is a strategic deployment to help manage efficient workforce utilization, facilitate ongoing skill-upgradation, and connect performance at the individual level to the company’s broader goals.
Understanding the TCS New Bench Policy 2025 Changes
At the core of the reform is the mandate that each employee must be deployed for a minimum of 225 business days within a 12-month period. This leaves a maximum allowable bench time of just 35 business days per year. In simple terms, the policy aims to minimize idle time and guarantees that every associate remains engaged with client projects or upskilling activities during the vast majority of the year.
This revision signals TCS’s commitment to a proactive work culture. No longer is it acceptable for an associate to have extended periods of inactivity without a purposeful focus on learning or transitioning into new assignments. In doing so, TCS is setting a higher benchmark not only for its own employees but also, potentially, for the entire IT services industry.
What is the new policy of TCS 2025?
As of June 2025, TCS’s new bench policy introduces several major updates:
Employees will now be allowed a maximum of 60 days on the bench. If they are not allocated to a project within this time frame, they will be automatically enrolled in reskilling programs or offered inter-departmental project shifts.
2. Mandatory Reskilling During Bench Period
When employees are on the bench, they should consider participating in digital learning programs (TCS Elevate, iON, and/or other internal platforms). These programs focus on technology domains in high-demand, including AI/ML, cloud, cybersecurity, and data analytics.
3. Performance-Based Bench Evaluation
Bench employees will now receive monthly performance assessments based on:
- Learning progress
- Participation in mock projects
- Interview readiness for internal projects
4. Project Shadowing Opportunities
To enhance real-time learning, TCS will allow benched employees to shadow live projects and work under the mentorship of project leads. This is a strategic move to reduce bench-to-billable transition time.
5. Exit Clause and Notice Period Adjustments
If no allocation or reskilling progress is shown within 90 days, TCS may offer a mutually agreed separation or contractual exit pathway with a reduced notice period and job placement support.
Impact of the New Bench Policy on TCS Freshers and Experienced Employees
The TCS New Bench Policy 2025 represents a strategic shift that will affect freshers and experienced employees in different ways. For freshers, this policy promotes faster ramp-up and encourages skill development from their first day of employment with TCS. Employees will now have a maximum of 60-days on the bench, and will be expected to develop skills quickly through mandatory learning programs, and be project-ready sooner than employees on the bench prior to the policy launch. This translates to lesser downtime and increases early career exposure. For experienced employees, this policy introduces a performance-based expectation during the bench, meaning that employees need to get ready to adapt to new and emerging technologies quickly. Employees with experience will have less idle time, as they will be required to engage in reskilling or pursue internal skilling opportunities to stay relevant. Overall this new policy supports a culture of learning, agility, and accountability. Importantly, the new policies will make it clear that the bench within TCS is not a break from employment, but an opportunity to transform.
Why the TCS New Bench Policy Matters
The new policy is not simply an administrative change, it is a strategic framework that emphasizes a number of important priorities:
- Increased Resource Utilization: By reducing idle time and maintaining engagement, TCS can better manage the responsiveness to client demands.
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Employee Accountability: The rigorous metrics reinforce that every associate must make a positive contribution, whether this is completing billable client work or engaging in deliberate learning activities.
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Industry Leadership: In a competitive IT services environment TCS is demonstrating a model and potential for other organizations that could lead to a similar model of policy implementation in the industry, with implications for how organizations think about the allocation of resources and the development of employees.These factors taken together represent the change that TCS envisions: an agile workforce that is learning and in-line with organizational intentions.
In Conclusion
2025 TCS Bench Policy signals a major shift towards a more disciplined, employee growth-oriented work culture. By requiring 225 deployment days per year and limiting bench time to a maximum of 35 business days, TCS ensures each day is utilized positively for performance and career advancement. This policy for employees and the IT services sector, as a whole, shows a shift and resetting of activities where active engagement, upskilling and accountability are required for long-term relevance and success..
allowed a maximum of 60 days on the bench.