Wipro, the big shot in Indian IT, just threw a legal curveball at its ex-Senior Vice President, Mohd Haque. They’re accusing him of breaking the non-compete rule in his contract when he hopped over to rival Cognizant, taking on the role of SVP and Business Unit Head for life sciences. He made this leap before his non-compete clause was set to expire on August 1, 2023.
According to Wipro, when Haque made his exit, he carried seven secret files about Wipro’s inner workings. Also, he sent them through his personal Gmail. Wipro’s IT team caught wind of it, and they’re saying more files went from Wipro to Haque’s personal email.
They’re not buying Haque’s exit story either. Wipro claims he slyly uploaded a bunch of files right before he resigned, playing coy about his plans. Even though Wipro says he fibbed about not heading to Cognizant, his LinkedIn still hasn’t spilled the beans, according to reports.
Haque, who climbed the Wipro ladder from Vice President in 2010 to the Senior VP and Unit Head by 2023, had his hands full – managing 21,000 employees, P&L, sales, strategy, delivery, consulting, and account management.
This legal showdown is just one act in Wipro’s high-profile departures drama of 2023. The company waved goodbye to ten top dogs, including CFO Jatin Dalal. And all this drama is playing out against the backdrop of CEO Thierry Delaporte wrestling with growth worries and shrinking margins.
Wipro’s also rolling out a mandatory hybrid work policy from November 15, 2023. Employees need to clock in at the office for at least three days a week. Wipro’s HR honcho, Saurabh Govil, says it’s all about boosting face-to-face collaboration, strengthening the company culture, and improving communication. An internal memo’s already made the rounds, reminding everyone to show up at the office.
