Infy warns via media
By Sandhya

Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is the world's leading business publication. Boasting more than two million subscribers, the Journal is the largest newspaper by total paid circulation and has the largest individually paid circulation of the top 25 U.S. newspapers. The Wall Street Journal franchise has a global audience of 3.8 million. 

On May 11, 2010, Techgoss had reported on how a Wall Street Journal article titled ‘Can Infosys keep workers with hefty raises?’ had resulted in more than 960 comments most of which were critical of some key HR players at the tech major.

Whenever Infosys sees such critical comments in the India media, its well connected PR team contacts the Indian newspaper or magazine and manages to get most comments removed.  Admittedly, while most commentators make logical points in a balanced tone, some angry employees use coarse profanities and worse.  

While many of the Indian newspapers and magazines clean out majority of the anti Infosys comments, it is a different story with the world’s biggest business newspaper – Wall Street Journal.

On June 25, 2010, Techgoss had reported on how the Wall Street Journal blog had become a hub for discussions about Infosys.  As the WSJ follows the American standards of freedom of speech, it is easier for any Infosys employee to say what they feel like. By July 15, there were 1520 comments in this WSJ blog.

Not surprisingly, the senior Infosys managers who are the subject of many of the blogger comments are unhappy.

Coincidentally, on July 14, 2010, both DNA and Business Standard ran articles about how Infosys is developing a social media policy that would allow the tech major to take legal action against those employees who ‘leak’ information on social networking sites.  On the same day, PTI and Times of India also reported the story. To anyone associated with the media, it was clear that someone in Infosys management was feeding the story to these highly regarded media organizations with the intention of warning Infosys employees that they should cease and desist from attacking the company.

The only problem?  Infosys leaked the news to the media before sending a single email to their own employees!  The message is management can leak but employees should not.

Among all the Indian media organizations that ran the story on July 14, Times of India had the most robust debate in its comments section.  For some reason, there was not a single comment left in Business Standard.

And as in the past, current and ex Infosys employees turned to the Wall Street Journal blog to air their views on this new Infosys social media policy.

(Techgoss had published the following on June 25, 2010)

WSJ Blog: Anti Infy hub?
By Sandhya

Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is the world's leading business publication. Boasting more than two million subscribers, the Journal is the largest newspaper by total paid circulation and has the largest individually paid circulation of the top 25 U.S. newspapers. The Wall Street Journal franchise has a global audience of 3.8 million. 

On May 11, 2010, Techgoss had reported on how a Wall Street Journal article titled ‘Can Infosys keep workers with hefty raises?’ had resulted in more than 960 comments most of which were critical of some key HR players at the tech major.

Whenever Infosys sees such critical comments in the India media, its well connected PR team contacts the Indian newspaper or magazine and manages to get most comments removed.  Admittedly, while most commentators make logical points in a balanced tone, some angry employees use coarse profanities and worse.  

While most of the Indian newspapers and magazines clean out majority of the anti Infosys comments, it is a different story with the world’s biggest business newspaper – Wall Street Journal.

In May, 2010, the Wall Street Journal article ‘Can Infosys keep workers with hefty raises?’ had 960 comments.  Today, it has 1,370 comments most of them critical of Infosys.  Serving and ex Infosys employees have realized that US-based Wall Street Journal will not censor them and so they have started using it as a hub to exchange stories and give more inside facts about the Indian tech major.

One Infosys insider has even published the recent salary increases given to employees in USA

“
12:36 pm June 20, 2010
Salary survey in US wrote:
CRR 1+ –>4.00%
CRR 1 –>3.25%
CRR 2 –>2.75%
CRR 3 –>2

This is the average hike given for the following CRR ratings in USA.
“

Will Wall Street Journal continue to provide a platform to Infosys employees?  Or will it lock down the comments section once it crosses a certain threshold?

(Techgoss had published the following on May 11, 2010)

Commentators trash Infy
By Sandhya

By any parameters of a successful technology business, Infosys is one of our leaders.  Its co-founder Mr. Murthy is widely accepted as a wise, ego free, transformative figure.  Like all technology companies, not every employee is happy.  And they let management know through leaking information to reporters as well as leaving caustic comments at the end of news articles.

Please read previous Techgoss reports on how Infosys had suffered bad media in the recent past. Rightly or wrongly, Infosys HR bosses Mohandas Pai and Nandita Gurjar have becoming the lightning rod for some employee’s anger.

Now this bad press has percolated to international media.

Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is the world's leading business publication. Boasting more than two million subscribers, the Journal is the largest newspaper by total paid circulation and has the largest individually paid circulation of the top 25 U.S. newspapers. The Wall Street Journal franchise has a global audience of 3.8 million.  A WSJ article titled ‘Can Infosys keep workers with hefty raises’ has resulted in more than 960 comments most of which are critical of some key players at the tech major.

Some of the commentators have even linked to evidence which shows that the Infosys job contract for its workers in California may be breaking some local laws. Some commentators have launched vicious personal attacks on key HR figures.

The highly skilled Infosys PR team had the media eating out of their hands till early 2009.  How things have changed in the last year and half! Infosys is no longer treated as a sacred cow by media houses.