With the staff officially being informed of this exercise in Pune on Friday itself, the programme will rolled out in two week, according to a senior spokesperson of Tech Mahindra.

The IT firm had announced a plan to send the excess staff on a sabbatical to address higher staff costs, which account for more than half of the company’s expenses now. The pool will see nearly one fourth of Satyam’s workforce, that comes to around 10,000, as part of the exercise. “These employees were on the bench for the past three months,” the spokesperson said.

The exercise will be implemented for six months, during which the employees will get 40 per cent of the total income — that includes the basic salary, provident fund as well as medical insurance. According to a letter to the employees, they will be initiated into various training programmes to hone their skills and they can be taken right back if there is any project coming up.

The spokesperson said the employment status will be undisturbed and based on business requirements, while associates may be recalled and reinstated on full pay and benefits.

On upgradation of skills, the employees have been asked to upgrade their skills utilising Satyam’s learning programmes and resources, equipping them for the evolving business landscape.

According to the letter issued to the company, the programme is a unique way of retaining associates and developing them further through training, while ensuring the financial viability of the company.

However, the employees are not fully convinced. A Pune employee, visibly upset over the news, said it will mean a major pay cut. “It was very sudden and unexpected. They should have done so with a prior notice,” he said. Another employee said he was too shocked to comment and was not very sure whether they will be roped in for the training programmes.