Indian techies get lessons in post-attack etiquette

Bangalore: For thousands of US-based ethnic Indians, it is not just business that has been affected by the September 11 attacks on the United States. Employers have turned cautious after some Asian ethnic groups including Indians fell prey to suspicion and barbs after the attacks. Their advice to staff: Be culturally sensitive, avoid heated political discussions and dress as Americans do.

Some hate crimes against Indians have been compounded by media reports that dealings with clients have become testier. Indian companies have moved fast to contain potential damage.

“It’s better to be safe in the present circumstances. We are making sure that (our employees) don’t stick out like a sore thumb,” a spokesman for privately held Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest software exporter, told Reuters.

About 5,000 of the company’s 16,000-strong workforce are based in the United States. For nearly a decade Indian software workers, either employed by US companies or Indian subsidiaries, have been at the heart of a technology-fed boom in the US economy. The attacks changed the mood.

More than 10,000 employees of India’s top five software exporters work in the United States, the main market for the country’s software services sector. Tens of thousands of Indians work for US firms.

Most Indian software companies are being careful to make sure their workers are sensitive to their US clients. Companies like TCS and i-Flex Solutions Ltd, a privately held financial software firm, have asked their US employees to stick to a western dress code.

“We have asked our staff not to get into any extreme public discussions and behave like good corporate citizens,” said Ganesh Natarajan, Chief executive officer of Zensar Technologies, just back from a week’s visit to the United States.

Caution
The United States has accounted for more than 60 per cent of India’s software exports, which crossed $6.2 billion in 2000/01 (April-March).

“Everyone in the US is exercising caution, especially the Asians,” said R Vidyasagar, head of human resources at i-Flex. “There is no major fear psychosis but we have asked our staff to be careful,” he said. Indian software firms cater to a diversified mix of technology, banking and telecom companies, with staff employed at client sites.

“Our belief is that the US is an open society and we are very confident of the American people’s ability to help their customers and partners act in a free and fair manner,” said Hema Ravichandar, head of human resources at Infosys Technologies, the second largest software exporter.

Ravichandar said Infosys’ US employees have been asked to carry identification cards and related documents with them. “We are reinforcing our message of heightened security and sensitivity to the geography our employees are working in,” she said.

— Reuters