Infosys executive chairman NR Narayana Murthy has started to woo back some of the senior-level employees who left the company in the recent past to join rival firms. Since taking charge of the company?s operations on June 1, Murthy has begun reaching out to former employees, particularly those involved with the sales function, sources said. The executive chairman has collected data on many of those people, especially at the senior level, who left Infosys in the last one year.

The importance given to the sales force was noticeable when Infosys announced the salary increase on Thursday. The hike in salaries for the global sales team was effective from May 1, 2013, while for the rest it was from June.

Murthy?s attempt to woo those who have left also reveals the depth of the crisis at Infosys. The company, known for its strength in sales and branding, was fast slipping in this area over the last four to six quarters, which coincided with numerous members from the Infosys sales team leaving and joining rival companies like Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services.

Sangeeta Lala, senior vice-president, TeamLease Services said, ?Today markets are tough and companies would stretch a long way to get a dream client. To get alumni back is a great strategy and it shows that the company is not just focusing on volume but also quality. When a former employee joins back, the individual brings the global network and their best teams along with them.?

Murthy, known for his skills in the area of sales and inter-personal relations, is expected on work on forging closer relationships with customers as Infosys had been getting a tag of being a difficult company to work with.

At the same time, there have been other changes at Infosys, including a very stringent review of the finance and delivery departments. There is also a similar review of the delivery department, which has been viewed as becoming complacent and with a huge bench to manage.

CLSA in a recent note said, ?Murthy?s return would definitely bring back the operational and review rigour which has been definitely missing during the current CEO?s tenure and has resulted in a unidirectional slide in margins and a continuous miss on the company?s own financial guidance. Seen in conjunction with the recent raise in base salary of employees across the board, Murthy?s comeback should also raise employee morale and revitalise the company.?

n Wage hike to impact Infy?s operating profit margin by around 150 bps, Page 5