Infosys asks executives to avoid hiring Indian-origin candidates and women with children
The startling revelation was made by one of Infosys’s former Vice-presidents of talent acquisition.
Jill Prejean, former Vice-president (VP) of talent acquisition in the US leg of the Indian IT company Infosys made a startling revelation when she alleged that she was asked not to hire people of Indian origin, women with children at home, and those aged 50 and above.
The issue came to light when Prejean filed a lawsuit against Mark Livingston, former senior VP and head of consulting, and former partners Dan Albright and Jerry Kurtz. Jill moved to the court citing wrongful discharge as the company partners turned hostile towards her when she did not give into their unethical demands made during the process of hiring.
The statement in her complaint mentioned that she was “shocked to find a rampant culture of illegal discriminatory animus among the partner level executives based on age, gender, and caregiver status.” It also said that when Prejean tried to change this culture she was met with Kurtz and Albright who even tried to circumvent her authority to evade compliance with the law.
Infosys and the executives involved in the issue had filed for dismissing the suit on grounds that the specific comments were not submitted as proof by the complainant. However, the court rejected the company’s plea and asked the defendants to file a reply within 21 days starting 30 September.
This has not been the first time that the Bengaluru headquartered company has found itself amidst accusations of discrimination in the process of hiring. Back in 2021, four female employees had filed a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming that the company favoured male workers.
