Accenture asks employees to skip vacation leave for work, changes policy

Accenture is allowing employees to carry unused vacation days into the next financial year as it pushes for more business before August 31. The move comes just a few days after Infosys faced a Rs 2 crore fine in France over its employee working-hour tracking system.Accenture gives staff more time to use vacation days by allowing them to roll over unused leave. (Image credit: Reuters)For many employees, the end of the financial year can mean one thing and that is using up the vacation days that are about to expire. Accenture, however, is taking a different approach this year. The consulting giant is allowing employees to carry unused vacation days into the next financial year, effectively removing the pressure to take leave before August ends.The unusual one-time change comes as Accenture prepares to close its 2026 financial year on August 31 and pushes employees to bring in more business. The new financial year begins on September 1. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the policy is partly aimed at keeping more employees available during the crucial final weeks of the year.For employees, the move offers more flexibility. Instead of rushing to use their remaining leave, they can save it for later. But the timing also makes the business reason difficult to miss.Accenture CEO Julie Sweet has been asking employees to focus on winning new business and generating more revenue before the financial year closes. In an internal memo seen by Bloomberg, Sweet wrote, “Our shareholders are counting on us to deliver a strong quarter in Q4 — everyone can contribute.” The push follows a difficult third quarter for Accenture. New bookings fell 2 per cent in the quarter ended May 31, while the company's revenue forecast for the August quarter was below the average analyst estimate. Its shares dropped sharply after the results, although they have recovered part of those losses since then.The company is also dealing with investor concerns about whether AI could eventually reduce demand for some traditional consulting and technology services. That makes the final quarter particularly important as Accenture tries to show stronger business momentum.Infosys facing a different work-hours issue The Accenture development also brings another recent technology industry story into focus, this time involving Infosys and working-hour compliance in France. Infosys was recently fined €175,000, or roughly Rs 2 crore, by French labour authorities after its system for recording employee working hours was found not to fully meet local requirements. The penalty was imposed by DRIEETS le-de-France, the regional labour authority.The issue was not simply about how many hours Infosys employees were working. French authorities raised concerns about whether the company's system could reliably record, maintain and monitor working-time information for certain categories of employees. French labour rules include requirements around the 35-hour working week, overtime and mandatory rest periods, with records expected to be reliable and auditable.Infosys disclosed the penalty in a stock exchange filing and said it would not have a material impact on its finances or operations. The company is reviewing the communication and considering its next steps. The two developments are not directly connected, but together they show the complicated relationship between business demands, employee availability and working-time rules at large technology companies.- EndsPublished By: Ankita GargPublished On: Aug 18, 2026 16:42 IST