The Satyam Fiasco : VPP Call-back a lie

The recent media reports had suggested that 380 associates had been called back from VPP within the first week of being doled [pun intended] out to them.

The real picture is a bit different. These 380 associates include people whose Reporting Managers did not take proactive stand to ave them from VPP earlier on, and realised later on that the ship had sailed. Not a problem. They promptly assign these associates to other projects just to keep them in. They would not be doing any credible work as they would not have the know-how of the new projects. Its just that the associates had been licking the soles of these RMs for a long time and they have been 'rewarded'!

Another group that has been recalled would fall in the category of associates whose presence was demanded by the client. This shows how incompetent and blind the process was. The client had to force a recall as Satyam management had put deserving and critical employees on VPP.

The projects follow a rotating billing policy. Deserving associates were put into VPP because they were in between billing periods.

The HR department claiming that it was a fruition of their efforts that 380 associates were called back within a week is farcical and a blatant lie.

The Satyam Fiasco : Total Layoffs

The question of the hour is : How many people at Satyam are going to be put on VPP?

The answer : A total of 16,000.

In the first wave, 9,000 associates and their fate was consigned to VPP. There would be another round of VPP assignment process and would encompass another 7,000 associates.

There is another aberration that might lead to more people being accommodated in VPP.

A few of the associates who had been handed over VPP in the first wave had already been shortlisted to be absorbed into TechMahindra. There was some miscommunication on part of the management of the two entities, and thus, these people would be called back from VPP and will ake way for others to get into VPP.

The Satyam Fiasco : Layoffs for HR

So, the mess-makers become the target now. A total of around 30 HR personnel are responsible for handling 20,000 odd TechMahindra employees. Compare that to the 800 HR personnel at Satyam to manage 40,000 odd employees.

Today is the 'D-Day' for layoff/sabbatical for almost 600 HR personnel and around 300 Finance people.

These people were made to do the dirty work of putting many a deserving associates in VPP and now they are going to be a part of the same team.

Talk about time!