Infosys has found itself in hot water over tracking its employees’ work hours in France.
In the filing, the French authority concluded that Infosys’ working time recording system did not fully comply with French labour laws.
French authorities have found that Infosys’ working time recording system did not fully comply with French labour laws.
What France’s law says on employees’ work hoursThe issue has put a spotlight on France’s laws on the issue of working hours.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIt’s important to note that the French case isn’t pertaining to work hours.
Infosys has found itself in hot water over tracking its employees’ work hours in France. French authorities have slapped a €175,000 (Rs 1.91 crore) fine on the Indian IT services giant for not complying with local labour regulations.
Infosys disclosed the news in a stock exchange filing, saying it had received communication from the French authorities on the issue of the penalty.
Why Infosys has been fined
In an exchange filing dated July 25, Infosys has revealed that it has been fined by the French labour authority, DRIEETS Île-de-France (Direction régionale et interdépartementale de l’économie, de l’emploi, du travail et des solidarités), after its employee working time recording system was found to be non-compliant with local legal requirements.
In the filing, the French authority concluded that Infosys’ working time recording system did not fully comply with French labour laws. The regulator identified shortcomings related to the system’s reliability, auditability and monitoring capabilities for certain categories of employees.
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As a result, the authority has imposed a total fine of €175,000 on the company.
French authorities have found that Infosys’ working time recording system did not fully comply with French labour laws. File image/Reuters
Infosys has downplayed the impact of the fine imposed by French authorities. The IT giant Infosys said the fine would not have a material impact on its financials, operations or other business activities. It is reviewing the communication and evaluating the next steps.
What France’s law says on employees’ work hours
The issue has put a spotlight on France’s laws on the issue of working hours. Labour laws in the European nation state that employees will work 35 hours a week, which could be extended in some positions and roles to 48 hours.
Employers are also mandated to maintain a working hour record. In fact, in 2019 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) passed a significant ruling on mandatory time tracking for employers in the European Union. The court decided that EU member states must implement a system to ensure employers record the daily working hours of each employee to comply with labour laws.
In France, this means that employers must track hours for employees on hourly contracts. For salaried employees on forfait jours (fixed number of days per year), employers must track days worked rather than hours. Overtime beyond 35 hours is compensated at 125 per cent for the first eight hours and 150 per cent thereafter.
Internet reacts to penalty on Infosys
Shortly after the news of a fine was reported, some netizens on social media celebrated the news.
One netizen noted on X, “France’s move is absolutely right. Forcing employees to work excessive hours at the expense of their mental health and family life is completely unacceptable.
Another posted this meme:
Murthy sir after seeing french employees not working for 70 hours per week: pic.twitter.com/AxXvEeMhXt — VIVEK (@Mr_Vivekji) July 26, 2026
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Another wrote, “Will Mr Narayana Murthy explain his 70 hour workweek ideology to France?”
The issue of the penalty comes after Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy received much flak for his 70-hour workweek comment. File image/Reuters
Infosys head Murthy’s 70-hour workweek row
Many netizens made it a point of linking the French issue with Narayana Murthy’s previous comment of asking people to work for 70 hours.
In 2023, in a podcast, the Infosys co-founder said India’s work culture needed to change, and youngsters should be prepared to work for 70 hours a week if the country has to compete effectively on the global stage.
“India’s work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, unless we reduce corruption in the government at some level, because we have been reading, I don’t know the truth of it, unless we reduce the delays in our bureaucracy in taking this decision, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress,” said Murthy. “So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say ‘this is my country. I’d like to work 70 hours a week’,” he added.
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His remarks set off a firestorm of reactions with CEOs and others chiming in. Ola Cabs co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal gave a thumbs-up to Murthy’s viewpoint and said “It’s our moment to go all in and build in one generation what other countries built over many generations”.
However, not all CEOs agreed, with Ronnie Screwvala, founder of upGrad, saying: “Boosting productivity isn’t just about working longer hours. It’s about getting better at what you do - Upskilling, having a positive work environment and fair pay for the work done. Quality of work done > clocking in more hours.”
And earlier in March, Infosys was once again in the news when it expanded its office attendance mandate to include more mid-level employees in India. Under the revised policy, employees at job level 6A and above, including a section of mid-level managers, would have to work from the office at least four days a week. Earlier, the stricter attendance requirement primarily applied to senior leadership roles at higher job levels.
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It’s important to note that the French case isn’t pertaining to work hours.
With inputs from agencies
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