Infosys is doing all it can to reduce the impact of the global slowdown and not sack employees -- right from offering 1-year sabbaticals to hiring on a part time basis. Infosys BPO has initiated a part-time employment scheme and will initially run a pilot in Pune targeted at students, housewives and retired people.

“It is a step towards the future. There is scope for anyone who is keen to work and make a career but is constrained because of timings or personal commitments.” said the company’s VP and head, HR, Raghvendra K. “It will help to expand our talent pool, meet requirements for jobs and take care of those who cannot dedicate their full time to work.”

The company is primarily looking at 30 part-time employees to start with. The candidates should be basically graduates with excellent communication skills and willing to spend four-and-a-half hours daily. “We are in the process of fine tuning the entire process and will also involve the clients, so as to reap richer benefits and create a win-win situation. The part-timers will get all the benefits of a full-time employee,” Raghvendra said.

Industry sources estimate temporary employees in the IT industry at a bare 2% with an even lesser share of part-time employees. However, sources say that in the future many IT/BPO companies will opt for part-time employees that can serve as a cost effective and dependable option.