Infosys will grant shares to staff over next 4-5 years, says HR Head Krishnamurthy Shankar

BENGALURU: Infosys, which recently granted stock units to employees after a gap of 13 years, said it will give these units every year for the next 4-5 years so that employees feel a sense of involvement in the growth of the company .

In the first grant, 250 to 500 stock units have been given to 7,800 mid-level managers, consultants and technical leads -that's about 25% of the employees in those categories. The stocks will vest over four years, with 25% of units vesting each year. A vested stock can be sold by the employee. The stocks are being given at par value (Rs 5). This means the value of the total shares being granted to each employee varies between Rs 2.68 lakh (for those getting 250 shares) and Rs 5.36 lakh (for 500 shares), given the share price of Rs 1,077 on Thursday .What the employee actually gets will depend on the share value on the day she sells it.

“We need employees to be a part of the growth journey of the company . It's not a one off grant. We want to do it every year and at this point, we are looking at giving units to employees over the next 4-5 years. Most equity plans work on a continuous basis and that's when it kicks in huge benefits for the employees,“ Infosys group HR head Krishnamurthy Shankar told TOI.