CSR REPORT

CSR AT INFOSYS
Presented by: Group 10
Vaibhav Arora I005
Sachin R C I007
Arpit Gwal I024
Rasika Kakde I028
Deshaj Pandit I048
Bakti Shetty I060
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................ii
1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................1
2 SUSTAINIBILITY AT INFOSYS........................................................................1
2.1 Foundation-Led Projects................................................................................1
2.1.1 Infosys Foundation....................................................................................1
2.1.2 Infosys Foundation USA...........................................................................2
2.1.3 Infosys Science Foundation......................................................................2
2.2 Organization-led projects...............................................................................2
2.2.1 Campus Connect.......................................................................................2
2.2.2 Catch Them Young (CTY)........................................................................2
2.3 Employee-led projects...................................................................................2
2.3.1 I, Citizen of Earth (iCOE).........................................................................2
2.3.2 Infosys CSR app.......................................................................................2
3 INFOSYS APPROACH TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE...........................................3
3.1 WORKPLACE..............................................................................................3
3.1.1 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND COMPLIANCE……………………….3

3.1.2 5E FRAMEWORK……………………………………………………………..3
3.2 MARKET PLACE.........................................................................................5
3.3 COMMUNITY..............................................................................................6
3.4 ENVIRONMENT..........................................................................................7
4 CRITICAL ANALYSIS........................................................................................8
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................9
1 INTRODUCTION

Corporate Social Responsibility is a management idea whereby companies combine

social and environmental concerns in their business activities and associations with
their stakeholders (UNIDO, What is CSR? web page). CSR is by and large
comprehended as the means through which an organization accomplishes a balance of
economical, ecological and social objectives ("Triple-Bottom-Line-Approach"), while
in the meantime tending to the expectations of shareholders and stakeholders.
At its core, Corporate Social Responsibility is about an association assuming
responsibility for the effects of its choices and exercises on all parts of society, the
community and the earth.

2 SUSTAINIBILITY AT INFOSYS
Infosys is committed in serving the communities around and enhancing the lives of the
lower segments of society. Through direct and indirect investment of time, effort and
funds, Infosys work is predominantly focused on education and the creation of
economic development. They also promote personal volunteering efforts and
responsible citizenship culture. Infosys is transforming how the communities learn,
live and work through its employees, grants and trusts. Infosys has been a signatory to
the UNGC since 2001 and have embraced the UNGC standards in the corporate
administration structure. Infosys operations are subjected to human rights audits.
Infosys is also a member of the Dow Jones maintainability indices. In fiscal 2018, with
regard to impacts on society, Infosys did not have any grievances. The community
engagement work at Infosys can be extensively classified into three streams
 Foundation-led Projects
 Organisation-led Projects
 Employee-led Projects

1.1 Foundation-Led Projects

The CSR activities at Infosys are mainly conducted through three trusts- the Infosys
Foundation, the Infosys Foundation USA and the Infosys Science Foundation

1.1.1 Infosys Foundation

Infosys Foundation was established in 1996, it supports programs in the areas of

education, rural development, healthcare, art and culture, and destitute care. The
Foundation prides itself on working with the poorest of the poor, selecting projects
with infinite care and working in remote areas that are normally not looked by the
larger society. The foundation has strives to make difference among local communities
by partnering with various organizations such as non-profit and non-governmental
organizations.

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1.1.2 Infosys Foundation USA

The   foundation   focuses   on   imparting   quality   education   in   the   field   of   computer   science

including coding skills to school going students from communities with lesser representation

thus bridging the digital gap. 

1.1.3 Infosys Science Foundation

A non-profit trust, Infosys Science Foundation, was set up in February 2009 by

Infosys and some members of its Board. The organization awards ‘The Infosys Prize’
to strengthen the prestige of science and promote research in India.

1.2 Organization-led projects

Infosys through its organization-led projects has successfully harnessed its reach and
resources to encourage students in rural India to pursue higher education, provide
infrastructure for government schools, and train faculty across schools and colleges
(Sustainability Report 2012-13).

1.2.1 Campus Connect

Campus Connect (CC) which was launched in May 2004 is a first-of- its-kind
industry-academia partnership program that aims at raising the employability of
India’s engineering students.

1.2.2 Catch Them Young (CTY)

This 10-day summer vacation program which opens up the world of IT to promising
students from city schools. This program is held at various Infosys campuses.

1.3 Employee-led projects

Infosys employees demonstrated passion for helping the needy through their actions.
Through relief operations or helping the underprivileged students in their education,
Infosys employees have been at the forefront.

1.3.1 I, Citizen of Earth (iCOE)

A platform used to build a culture of responsible citizenship among Infosys employees

around the world.

1.3.2 Infosys CSR app

This app helps in listing all the upcoming CSR events around the user based on the
user’s location. The user can also share the invite with their friends and family.

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2 INFOSYS APPROACH TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE

3.1 Workplace
As mentioned in the sustainability report of Infosys Limited, the company focuses
on its employees through many initiatives. Major initiatives taken by the company are:

2.1.1 Corporate Governance and compliance

The company seeks to attain best practices followed internationally in all their
disclosures. Ensuring long term shareholder value and respecting the rights of minority
shareholders is a point of impetus for the organization. Every employee has to
compulsorily attend a session on company values during the induction programme and
agrees to follow Code of Conduct and Ethics of the company. A strong grievance
redressal board and additional policies like Whistleblower policy and Gift policy make
a case for uncompromising stand of the company on value transgressions
(Sustainability Report 2017-18, Infosys)

2.1.2 5E Framework
The HR strategy of the company focuses on the human capital to help employees
build a satisfying and fruitful career.
A 5E framework has been built around this idea.

Furthermore, each part of the framework addresses the organizational goals as

follows:
 Entrepreneurial Energy

Zero Distance: A process that instils everyday innovation at the organization.

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 Zero Bench: A system that helps employees take up short, modular mini projects,
with a maximum duration of four weeks, and work between projects.
Compass: A digital platform that enables the employees to create and charter career
paths as well as provides learning and networking opportunities.
 Organizational Effectiveness

Innovations in performance management: At

Infosys, a performance management system –
iCount – ensures that employees, teams and
departments are in sync with the organizational
priorities.
Renewed Employee Engagement: A
continuous approach towards employee engagement – a quarterly feedback survey
‘LITMUS’ and a real-time customizable survey ‘PULSE’ – has led to insights used to
create new paths for actionizing.
Internal Career Growth Opportunities: A process of ‘refactoring’ to fill the external
vacancies through internal movements.
 Talent Engine
Talent Management: Adherence to local employment and labour laws wherever the
company operates is ensured. Also, there is no differentiation based on gender in
compensation offering.

Work-life Balance: Paid and extended maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption
leave, sabbatical leave and work from home are some HR policies that provide support
to work-life balance.
Collaborative
Learning: An ecosystem
that targets continuous
learning of employees to
make them contribute in
an efficient and
productive manner
towards organizational
goal of meeting ever-
changing client
requirements.
Apart from these efforts, foundation programs, opportunities for higher education,
anti-discrimination/anti-harassment policies and effective resolution hubs for
employee grievances contribute to retaining talent and creating a positive ecosystem.
 Employee Experience

Diversity and Inclusion: IWIN (Infosys Women’s Inclusivity Network), Women

Wizard Rule Technology initiative, Aspiring Architect Program and Return-to-work-
post-maternity initiative are some initiatives that focus on diversity and inclusion.

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 Persons with disabilities: A system of volunteers and employee resource groups has
added tremendous value to prove accommodation and integration of employees with
disabilities.
Employee Resource Groups: Groups like Creating common ground, Family
matters, Infosys Gay, Lesbian employees and You (IGLU), Infyability and Samaritans
Network helps in creating a shared corporate culture.
 Leadership Edge

Infosys Leadership Institute (ILI) works towards developing leadership programs

that enable the organization to train future leaders and existing leaders on various
leadership tracks.

1.4 MARKET PLACE

A key to company’s reputation and long-term viability is ensuring that day-to-day

operations, such as buying and selling, are done in an ethical and sustainable manner.
In other words, it’s how the company manages its relationship with customer and
suppliers. Let’s have a look on how the company has linked its CSR strategies to their
business goals and competencies.

A) Client Relations

Infosys is committed to operate in the interest of its clients. In order to improve

the client experience, Infosys focusses on four major areas: client expectations
and fulfilment, client disposition, client priorities and service line feedback.

 In order to strike balance between client’s expectations and company’s goal,

Infosys enables clients in 45 countries to stay ahead of emerging business
trends and outperform their competition
 The company not only transforms their business, but also, actively listen to
their clients to understand their changing needs and expectations
 Infosys also releases an annual Client Value Survey. The survey helps company
to understand the clients’ needs and expectations. The data collected is used to
implement improvement actions in order to serve the clients better
 Infosys also promotes exciting innovation along with clients across industries,
which have yielded rich results to both the parties

B) Supplier Relations

Infosys recognizes its suppliers as one of the most valuable stakeholders in its
business system.
 In order to strengthen responsible business practices with the supply chain, the
company conceptualized a four-stage integrated framework known as VIVA
(Sustainability Report 2015-16, Infosys). The framework includes:
1) Visioning: Drafting policies and guidelines and operating code for
the supply chain
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 2) Inculcating: Focusing on process improvements
3) Valuing: Creating awareness and providing training and
competency building
4) Assessing: Assessing supplier performance on environmental,
social parameters
 Infosys ensures that the suppliers are not practising any kind human rights
abuses. In order to assure that, company formulates contracts for the suppliers
which contain clauses and checks to prevent the employment of child labour.

1.5 COMMUNITY

Objective - “Strive for economic development that positively impacts the society at
large with minimal resource footprint. Embrace responsibility for the Company’s
actions & encourage a positive impact through its activities on hunger, poverty,
malnutrition, environment, communities, stakeholders and the society.” (CSR policy,
2014)

Focus Areas

 Hunger, poverty, malnutrition and health

 Education

 Rural development projects

 Gender equality and empowerment of women

 Environmental sustainability

 National heritage, art and culture

Examples of Infosys Foundation led work in communities

 Upliftment of the Devadasi Community - Ancient tradition practiced in parts of

north Karnataka and neighbouring states of southern India where the women
were condemned to life of exploitation and poverty. In 2003, Infosys
foundation help setup ‘The Navajeevana Mahila Okhuta’ in Raichur to work
closely with these women and help them and their children to live life of
dignity. Foundation supported more than 6000 children through scholarship to
complete their graduation and post-graduation of technical courses such as
nursing, engineering etc. The Infosys foundation help setup bank to provide
credit facility, it is run by devadasi women which supports more than 2000
families.

 Higher standards of education for the underprivileged - Agastya and Infosys

Foundation have together made higher standards of education for the nation's
underprivileged by furnishing them with training workshops, mobile labs, and
a hands-on educational methodology
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  Providing Infrastructural Facilities at Aalo - The Ramakrishna Mission has set
up a school in Aalo, an inaccessible and backward tribal area in the West Siang
District of Arunachal Pradesh. The centre is more than a school and is an
organization that includes 16 non-formal schools, coaching centres, a dairy, a
bakery unit, a small farming facility, a dispensary, and a printing press (Infosys
foundation, Rural Development web page). Infosys Foundation helped in
building better infrastructural facilities such as drinking water, toilet,
classrooms renovation etc to help promote education among the tribal children

1.6 ENVIRONMENT

For an environmentally sustainable future and a sustainable world, responsible

corporations need to value natural resources and make abstemious use of them.

Energy - Infosys has reduced its per capita electricity consumption by 53% compared
to 2008. It also has the world’s largest LEED platinum certified campus in Pune.
Infosys has also invested heavily on generating renewable sources of energy. 43.7% of
its electricity needs are met by renewable sources. Infosys also intends to install new
solar PV that will take their total installed capacity to 40 MW. This would help them
meet 50% of their electricity requirement from renewable sources.

Water - Over the past 10 years, the company’s per capita consumption of fresh water
has reduced by 57%. It has achieved this by investment in technology, coupled with
rainwater harvesting. Infosys relies on treating and recycling water to reduce its
dependence on fresh water. The company has also adopted other water conservation
methods like low flow fixtures, artificial lakes, deep injection wells etc.

Waste - Infosys is committed to manage its waste for a minimal impact on the planet.
It has implemented various sustainable waste management technologies across its
campuses. It has a large number of automated biogas plants and composting units to
treat 3.6 million kgs per year of organic waste, country’s first solar-assisted automated
sludge dryer, scientific scrap yards and multi-waste shredders to improve the
recyclability of our waste, thereby reducing waste to landfills.

Emissions - Infosys is committed to become carbon neutral by 2020. It has

implemented six community level carbon offset projects. These projects have had
large environmental benefits in terms of reduction of CO2, soot, and other air
pollutants, these projects have also created significant socio-economic benefits and
are well-aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The goal of Infosys is to
become carbon neutral by 2020.
4 CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Infosys claims to be an early adopter of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives,
a statement which can be substantiated with the fact that ‘Infosys Foundation’, a non-
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profit nodal body dedicated towards development of community, was established in
the year 1996. It is solely funded by Infosys and no external donations are accepted.
They also have been a signatory to UN Global Compact (UNGC) Principles and have
adopted the same in their corporate governance framework. They are a member if
Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.
In the year 2014, Infosys became the first IT Company in the world to publish
sustainability disclosures in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative’s G4
guidelines (Sustainability Report 2016-17, Infosys). The disclosures made by Infosys
in their Sustainability report are reviewed and verified internally by Corporate
Certifications and Assessments (CCAT). An external audit is also conducted by DNV
GL Business Assurance India Pvt Ltd. This indicates that the sustainability report
published by the company is authentic.
The CSR committee is a body which is responsible for the formulation of the CSR
policy and its presentation to the Board of Directors, recommending the expenditure
amount and monitoring the CSR activities from time to
time. The CSR committee consists of independent
directors and the COO of Infosys. The Infosys
foundation receives requests for funding of projects,
the ones that fall under the purview of Infosys
Foundation are then evaluated by a panel of experts
and their recommendations are forwarded to the CSR
Committee. This ensures and indicates the autonomy
CSR committee has when it comes to undertaking
appropriate CSR initiatives and projects which are
aligned with the CSR policies and objectives of
Infosys.
As part of its various employee benefit initiatives,
Infosys has implemented a robust CSR structure when
it comes to their workplace. Despite these efforts,
Infosys was the top Nifty company with the highest
‘Ratio of CEO salary to median wage’ for the financial
year 2015-2016, demonstrating the wide wage gap
between high level executives and other employees. This is detrimental to employee
morale. Moving ahead, Infosys can focus on the ground level implementation of these
initiatives.
Currently, through Campus Connect, a program initiated as the industry-academia
partnership, 135 engineering colleges have extended the programs offered by Infosys
as part of their curriculum. Infosys can try to expand its partnerships with engineering
colleges from tier 1 and tier 2 cities. This will enable the students to learn about the
current technology and be up-to-date with various technology trends, thus reducing the
gap between the academic knowledge of the students and actual industry requirements.

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REFERENCES

1. Website references:
 Infosys Foundation. Rural Development web page. Retrieved from
https://www.infosys.com/infosys-foundation/initiatives/rural-development/
 UNIDO. What is CSR? web page. Retrieved from
https://www.unido.org/our-focus/advancing-economic-
competitiveness/competitive-trade-capacities-and-corporate-
responsibility/corporate-social-responsibility-market-integration/what-csr

2. Articles on websites:
 Kiran Kabtta Somvanshi. Nifty CEOs’ salary 237 times the median pay at 

their companies. Economic Times web page. Retrieved from 
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-
trends/nifty-ceos-salary-237-times-the-median-pay-at-their-
companies/articleshow/57320307.cms, Feb 2017

3. Reports and Publications:

 Sustainability Report 2017-18, Infosys Limited, Bangalore, 2018
 Sustainability Report 2016-17, Infosys Limited, Bangalore, 2017
 Sustainability Report 2015-16, Infosys Limited, Bangalore, 2016
 Sustainability Report 2012-13, Infosys Limited, Bangalore, 2013
 CSR Committee. CSR Policy, Infosys Limited, Bangalore, 2014
 Annual Report 2017-2018, Infosys Limited, Bangalore, 2018
 Annual Report 2015-2016, Infosys Limited, Bangalore, 2016