How the recession is helping the social sector in India

In a move that could have a huge impact on the social sector in India, Infosys Technologies is reported to have launched a program where the some employees are provided an option to work with a non-profit for a year and the company would pay half the salary. The program was announced by Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani, in a interview with Forbes.com:We’ve also launched a program where an employee can go work with a nonprofit organization for a year and we’ll pay him half the salary for the duration.

The Indian Express reported that the program is open only for some of the top 50 senior employees:

Mohandas Pai, a board member and Director, Human Resources and Education and Research and Administration, told ‘The Indian Express’ that the option was available to 50 of its seniormost employees. “They come immediately after the top deck,” he said. Pai said the company has restricted the kind of non-profit organisations employees can work with. “It has to be in the areas of public health and education or in regulatory bodies and industry associations,”

Whatever may be the scale of the program, its is still game-changing and possibly the first of kind launched by a major Indian company. It is seen as a good way of retaining employees and avoiding painful layoffs. The program would also help shift the perception of non-profit and social entrepreneurial careers in India