Infosys CEO Salil Parekh has responded to allegations of toxic work culture raised by a former employee, whose viral LinkedIn post sparked widespread debate. “At Infosys, we have a clear approach to ensure that everyone is treated fairly. We hold ourselves to high standards,” Parekh said in a recent conference call.
Bhupendra Vishwakarma, a former senior systems engineer, raised systemic flaws, regional biases and an unhealthy working environment within the company. Despite being his family’s sole breadwinner, he quit without another job offer. “For three years, I worked hard, met expectations and contributed to the team, but I saw no financial recognition of my efforts,” he wrote.
He described how his promotion came with additional responsibilities but no pay increase, leaving him disillusioned.
Attrition within the company was another key issue highlighted by Vishwakarma. The size of his team was reduced from 50 to 30 people, but management chose to redistribute the workload rather than hire replacements. “Instead of hiring replacements or providing support, management took the easy way out: overburdening the existing team without compensation or recognition,” he said.
Assigned to a deficit account, Vishwakarma described limited opportunities for salary increases or career advancement. “The account I was assigned to was in deficit, as my manager admitted. This has a direct impact on salary increases and career advancement opportunities. Staying in such an account felt like professional stagnation, with no light at the end of the tunnel,” he wrote, adding that the lack of direction ultimately forced him to leave.
Vishwakarma’s most serious accusation related to the high-pressure environment at Infosys. He said constant escalations, unrealistic customer demands and lack of support created chronic stress. “This pressure has spread, creating stress at all levels of the hierarchy. It was like a constant state of firefighting, with no room for personal well-being,” he explained.
He alleged that Infosys prioritized customer demands over employee well-being, thereby contributing to a toxic culture.
