1 day ago

Infosys fined in France over employee work-hour tracking failures

Infosys, the Indian technology giant whose founder Narayana Murthy has been at the centre of a global debate over long working hours, has been fined €175,000 (about Rs 2 crore) by French labour authorities after regulators found gaps in the company’s system for recording employees’ working time.

The penalty, disclosed by Infosys in a regulatory filing, follows an inspection by France’s Labour Department that identified shortcomings in the monitoring of employees’ daily and weekly hours, overtime records and rest periods. The action reflects the strict oversight of workplace practices in France, where companies are required to maintain detailed records of employee working hours.

The country’s labour rules set a statutory 35-hour work week and impose obligations on employers to ensure transparency in overtime and working-time arrangements. The fine arrives at a time when the global technology industry is facing renewed scrutiny over workplace culture and employee expectations.

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s call for a 70-hour work week had sparked a fierce discussion in India over productivity, ambition and work-life balance. The French action, however, relates specifically to compliance with local labour regulations. Infosys said the penalty was imposed because of deficiencies in employee time-tracking processes and that the matter would not have any material impact on its financial performance or operations.

The company said it is reviewing the order and evaluating legal options under French law while reaffirming its commitment to meeting regulatory requirements across the countries where it operates. For multinational technology companies, the episode underscores a growing challenge: navigating different workplace rules across global markets while balancing demands for efficiency with increasingly strict protections for employees.