A photo of a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) employee sleeping outside the Information Technology (IT) giant’s Pune office has gone viral, sparking widespread outrage on social media.
The employee, identified as Saurabh More, has been protesting since July 29, demanding that his pending salary be credited.
The viral image shows More lying on a footpath, with his backpack as a pillow, and a handwritten letter placed beside him. He claims he was forced to live outside the TCS Sahyadri Park campus after repeated requests for salary and system access were ignored, as per a report by Financial Express.
What the letter says
More’s letter, placed beside him on the pavement, read, “I have reported back to TCS Sahyadri Park Pune Office on July 29, and still my ID is not active on Ultimatix and TCS systems, and I haven’t received my salary, which was confirmed at the 30th July 2025 meeting…"
He added that he was promised his dues by July 31.
“I’ve informed HR that I don’t have money and will be forced to sleep and live outside TCS on the footpath,” the letter stated, “HR has not responded to that and kept quiet. Hence, I have been living on the footpath since July 29 in front of TCS.”
Industry body shows support
The Forum for IT Employees (FITE) issued a statement expressing solidarity: “We stand in solidarity with the TCS employee protesting outside their Pune office for his pending salary. His courage to raise his voice in such dire conditions is commendable.”
FITE also urged IT workers not to shy away from legal recourse: “However, salary delays and job-related issues should also be formally reported to the Labour Office. Protesting is a strong visual message, but combining it with a legal complaint strengthens the fight and compels accountability.”
Here's a rephrased version that retains the original quotations:
The IT company has confirmed the incident, clarifying that More’s salary was withheld due to his unauthorised absence from work. “This is a case of unauthorised absence where the employee has been absent from the office. In accordance with standard procedure, payroll was suspended during this period,” TCS said in a statement to financialexpress.com.
The company also noted that More has since returned to work and requested to be reinstated.
“We have currently provided him with accommodation and are working to support him in resolving the matter in a fair and constructive manner,” the statement further said.
Social media users have expressed strong opinions on the matter. “Very unfortunate. TCS appears to have abandoned the very values the Tata Group once stood for,” said one user.
Another questioned the timing and context, remarking, “Was the employee on Loss of pay and reported back to work only after payroll cut off? This is pretty normal. Salaries are not processed individually but in batches….”
“After Ratan Tata, the TCS management has gone berserk. No ethics…,” commented a third.
Another simply said, “Shameful,” while another wrote, “More tech layoffs will continue as AI progresses and is adopted by business, releasing human manpower.”
The controversy follows TCS’s recent announcement of a global workforce restructuring, which is expected to impact roughly 2 per cent of its employees worldwide—around 12,000 staffers.