Even as Infoscions mourn the death of their colleague Raghavendran Ganeshan, who fell prey to the terror attack at Brussels last Tuesday; techies at Infosys and other IT firms say the prospect of imminent terror attacks will not deter them from taking up onsite projects abroad.
Incentives
The big draw of a plum salary package that allows for substantial monthly savings, exposure from working at client locations where they get the larger picture, and a chance to explore the world are reasons why techies yearn for onsite assignments.
Pavan Pavithran (29), hired by Infosys a few years ago with the promise of an onsite assignment and now in the US on a client project, told BusinessLine that he does not regret his decision despite reading about the Paris attacks last November, or the Mindtree techie being stabbed to death in Sydney last March.
“Terror attacks can happen anywhere and I will not allow such acts to influence my career decisions. This assignment has given me the right kind of exposure,” he said. Some of those whom BusinessLine spoke to did want to be identified, and hence their names have been changed.
Playing it safe
Amardeep (27), a techie with Cognizant Technologies, says he has applied for an H-1B Visa and is willing to accept onsite assignments in any location except the Gulf and African countries, which he feels are very risky locations.
“My role is all about knowledge-sharing with end customers, which involves travelling from one location to another. While I may first have to go to Johannesburg, after a few weeks I may have to travel to Nigeria or Somalia, which I am not prepared to do.
“More important, what I earn in one year in India, I can earn in 2 months onsite.”
Echoing similar feelings, Anupama (28), a techie with Hewlett-Packard, said she was likely to go on an onsite project for 3-4 months, and would not accept assignments in Saudi Arabia or South Africa. “While my parents would have a say in where I go, I would certainly not go during local elections or festivals. One has to take precautions in order to be safe. Terrorists can strike anywhere and anytime, even here in India, and everyone is at risk,” she said. Former techie and talent acquisition head of Mindtree, Sanjay Shelvankar, who is the founder CEO of talent acquisitions start-up ScaleneWorks, pointed out that a techie who earns ₹50,000 a month in India typically receives an annual package of $70,000-80,000 for an onsite project, where he can easily save upwards of $1,500 (₹1 lakh) to $2,500 (₹1.6 lakh) per month.
For shorter assignments of three months or less, techies are paid a per diem allowance for living expenses while travelling on work.
“Onsite assignments boost a techie’s career prospects. The possibility of terror attacks will not diminish the sheen of an onsite assignment,” he said.