Wipro Doubles Down On A Longer Bench Period
Wipro has revised its bench policy for junior- to mid-level employees, allowing those in Band 2 and below to remain without a billable project for up to 180 calendar days.
The new policy came into effect from October 1, 2026, giving employees significantly more time to find another project compared with the shorter bench periods followed by several other large IT companies.
Who Is Covered Under The New Policy?
The revised six-month bench period applies to employees in Band 2 and below.
The 180-day period starts when an employee is released from a billable project or returns to India after an onsite assignment without immediately receiving another billable project.
Employees are expected to use this period to secure a new project allocation, potentially with additional training and skill development.
What Happens After 180 Days?
The extended bench period does not mean employees are guaranteed employment indefinitely without a project.
According to the revised policy, employees in Band 2 and below who do not receive a suitable project allocation within 180 days could be separated from the company in accordance with their employment contracts.
This makes project allocation and redeployment particularly important for employees approaching the end of the six-month period.
Capability Development Also Gets More Importance
The revised policy also incorporates a Capability Development Plan into the compliance and consequence-management framework.
A capability development process can be initiated when persistent competency gaps are identified through structured interviews or role-specific assessments.
However, a single unsuccessful interview does not automatically trigger the process. The policy provides for action after three successive interview rejections when the roles involve comparable competencies and the identified gaps are documented.
Six Months Applies To Junior Employees, Not Everyone
The 180-day rule does not apply to all Wipro employees.
For employees in Band 3 and above, the standard Extended Bench Leave Programme continues to provide a 45-day bench period. Employees with disabilities have a 75-day bench period under the stated provisions.
The distinction means the new six-month window is primarily targeted at junior- to mid-level employees.
Why Is Wipro Changing Its Bench Policy?
The change comes at a time when India’s IT sector is focusing heavily on workforce utilisation and controlling hiring costs.
Wipro has not hired freshers in recent quarters, making internal redeployment and reskilling an important way to fill available project requirements.
A longer bench period could give the company more time to match existing employees with projects instead of immediately replacing them through external hiring.
How Wipro’s Policy Compares With Other IT Firms
Several large IT companies have moved towards tighter bench-time requirements.
TCS, for example, requires employees to be billed for 225 days annually, effectively limiting bench time to around 35 business days in a year. Other companies have also reduced their permitted bench periods over time.
Wipro’s new 180-day window therefore represents a different approach, giving junior employees more time for redeployment while maintaining separation provisions if no suitable allocation is found.
Summary
Wipro has extended the bench period for employees in Band 2 and below to 180 calendar days from October 1, 2026. The period begins after release from a billable project or return from an onsite assignment without a new allocation. Employees without a project after 180 days could face separation, while capability development and internal redeployment remain key parts of the revised policy.
