Post the gruesome murder of Infosys employee, Swathi, security was further beefed up at the campuses of IT firms. A few companies developed apps that would come to the aid of women employees in distress.
A TCS employee in Chennai, who wished anonymity, said that the firm had an app for its employees even before the incident. A TCS spokesperson, said, “As an IT company, we have leveraged technology through our very own Safety First app. During crisis, this enables an employee to reach pre-defined phone numbers.” An employee of Infosys, working at its Mahindra World City, office said that they too had developed an app. “It has many safety features and details on what women need to do in case of emergency.” Infosys officials refused to comment on this.
Cab protocol
IT firms have made it mandatory for women employees to commute through office cabs. The cabs are monitored from the security control room. “After the women employees are dropped, the cab driver calls us and informs us. We also keep track of the trip sheet that the female employees sign when they get dropped,” said the security officer of an IT firm at MEPZ.
Companies have been conducting self-defence classes for women employees. Some firms conducted seminars on how to use pepper sprays and what needs to be done in case of an emergency. “Our self-defence programme goes by the name of 5S, which stands for survey, shout, stun, sprint and share,” said the TCS spokesperson.
