How we work, and treat each other.

Status, ownership and version history

Purpose, scope and applicability

This policy sets the standard for how people work and behave at HyperNext, and sets out the working arrangements, leave and benefits we provide. It works alongside our other group policies, including Governance and Ethics, Health and Safety, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• It applies to all HyperNext entities and to every employee, full-time or part-time, permanent or fixed-term.
• Contractors, consultants and visitors follow the conduct and premises rules of this policy while they work with us or are on our sites.
• For our Indian campuses, Indian employment and labour law applies; our international campuses follow the law that applies to them. Where any law sets a stricter standard than this policy, the stricter standard applies.

The standards we hold to

The way we treat each other, our customers and our partners is the company's reputation, made real every day. We ask everyone to hold to a simple set of standards.

• Act with integrity and honesty. Be truthful, keep your commitments, and never misrepresent facts to a colleague, customer, regulator or auditor.
• Treat people with respect and dignity. Be courteous and inclusive; there is no place here for bullying, harassment or discrimination.
• Follow the law and our policies. Comply with the law wherever we operate and with the group policies that apply to your work.
• Manage conflicts of interest. Declare any personal interest that could influence a HyperNext decision, and step away from that decision.
• Protect what is entrusted to us. Safeguard customer data, personal data, confidential information and company assets.
• Keep accurate records. Ensure the records you create or approve are complete and accurate.
• Speak up. Raise concerns in good faith, knowing we protect those who do.

Working hours and the hybrid model

We measure contribution by outcomes, not by hours at a desk. The standard working week is fixed, and where you work it from is flexible.

• A fixed 40-hour week. The standard full-time working week is forty hours, normally across five days. We do not expect or reward routine overwork.
• A flexible hybrid model. Most roles blend time on campus with time working remotely, agreed with your manager around the needs of the team and the work. We set light-touch core collaboration hours and leave the rest flexible.
• Operational and shift roles. Roles that keep our data centers running around the clock follow published rosters and shift patterns, with the rest breaks, weekly rest and limits the law requires.
• Reasonable boundaries. Outside working hours and during leave, colleagues are not expected to be available except for genuine, agreed on-call duties, which are recognised and compensated.
• Overtime and time in lieu. Where additional hours are genuinely needed, they are authorised in advance and handled fairly, in line with the law.

Leave and time away

Rest is part of doing good work. We provide generous, clearly defined leave, and we expect people to take it. The exact entitlements for each location are set out in the HR leave schedule; the headline provisions are below.

• Annual, casual and sick leave. Paid earned leave, casual leave and sick leave, plus the public holidays of your location.
• Period leave. Paid menstrual leave of up to two days each month for colleagues who menstruate, taken at home or in the office, with no documentation, approval hurdle or explanation required.
• Parental leave. Maternity leave at least to the standard the law requires, alongside paid paternity and adoption leave, to support every kind of family.
• Care, bereavement and life events. Paid leave for bereavement and major life events, and reasonable time off to care for an unwell immediate family member.
• Wellbeing days. A small number of no-questions-asked wellbeing days each year for when you simply need to step back and reset.

Mental health and wellbeing

We treat mental health with the same seriousness as physical health, and we make support easy to reach and entirely confidential.

• A dedicated counsellor. A qualified, professional counsellor is available to every employee at no cost, for confidential one-to-one support, in person and remotely.
• Voluntary mental-health assessments. We offer confidential, voluntary mental-health check-ins and assessments so people can understand how they are doing and get help early. Participation is always the individual's choice.
• An employee assistance programme. Round-the-clock confidential support and counselling, extended to immediate family, for personal, financial or legal worries as well as mental health.
• No stigma, and reasonable adjustments. Asking for support is encouraged, never penalised. Where someone needs reasonable adjustments to their work to manage their health, we make them.
• Confidentiality. What is shared with a counsellor or through the assistance programme stays confidential and is not shared with managers or used in any work decision.

Medical insurance and family cover

Good health cover should not be a worry, and it should not stop at the employee.

• Free medical insurance. Every employee is covered by group medical insurance, paid for in full by HyperNext.
• Immediate family included, at no cost. The cover extends to the employee's immediate family, normally a spouse or partner, dependent children and dependent parents, also at no cost to the employee.
• Cashless and practical. Cover is provided through a cashless hospital network, with a defined sum insured and clear claims support set out in the benefits handbook.
• More than hospital cover. Personal-accident and term-life protection are provided for employees, with the details in the benefits handbook.

A pet-friendly workplace

HyperNext offices are pet-friendly. We know a friendly dog in the room makes for a better day, and colleagues are welcome to bring well-behaved, healthy pets into our designated pet-friendly office areas.

• Where pets are welcome. In designated pet-friendly office and common areas only. For safety, hygiene and security, pets are never allowed in data halls, technical and electrical rooms, restricted operational zones, labs, or food-preparation areas.
• Healthy and vaccinated. Pets must be in good health, fully vaccinated and free of parasites, with records available on request. Unwell pets stay home.
• Under control, and your responsibility. Owners keep their pet under control and supervised at all times, clean up after it, and are responsible for its behaviour and for any damage or harm it causes.
• Colleagues come first. Allergies, fears and individual comfort are respected. We keep pet-free areas available, and if a colleague nearby is uncomfortable, the pet owner accommodates them.
• Good behaviour expected. Pets that are aggressive, disruptive, not toilet-trained or otherwise unsuited to a shared workplace may be asked not to return. Facilities may set a simple registration or notice step for bringing a pet in.

Respect, dignity and anti-harassment

Everyone has the right to a safe, respectful workplace, free from harassment and discrimination.

• We have zero tolerance for harassment, bullying, victimisation or discrimination of any kind, in person or online.
• For our Indian operations we comply fully with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, including an Internal Committee and a confidential complaints process; our international campuses meet the equivalent law that applies to them.
• We hire, develop and reward on merit, and we treat people equitably, in line with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy.
• Anyone who raises a genuine concern is protected from retaliation.

Protecting information and assets

Customers trust us with critical systems and data. Protecting them is part of everyone's job.

• Keep confidential and personal information secure, and handle personal data in line with our Data Protection and Privacy Policy.
• Use HyperNext systems, devices and accounts responsibly and follow our Information Security Policy, including in the hybrid and remote setting.
• Look after company and customer property, and do not use company resources for unlawful or improper purposes.
• Never access customer environments except where your role, a contract or the law allows, and only with the appropriate approval and logging.

Raising concerns and speaking up

If something is wrong, or simply does not feel right, tell us. Speaking up early is how problems get fixed.

• Start with your manager or with Human Resources, who can help with most workplace matters.
• For a breach of this policy or the law, including any concern about conduct, harassment or wrongdoing, you can use our confidential speak-up channel at confidential@hypernxt.com, with access to the Audit and Risk Committee for serious matters, as set out in our Governance and Ethics Policy.
• You may identify yourself or report anonymously; either way, your report is treated in confidence.
• We do not tolerate retaliation against anyone who raises a concern in good faith.

Definitions and references

Key terms

Hybrid model

A way of working that blends time on campus with time working remotely, agreed with the manager.

Core hours

A light-touch window when colleagues are generally available to collaborate, around which the rest of the day is flexible.

Period leave

Paid menstrual leave provided each month, taken without documentation or explanation.

Immediate family

For benefits, normally a spouse or partner, dependent children and dependent parents.

Employee assistance programme

A confidential support service for personal, financial, legal and mental-health matters, extended to family.

Laws and references

• The Code on Wages 2019 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020 (India).
• The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 (India).
• The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 (India).
• The applicable Shops and Establishments law of the relevant state, and applicable employment law for our international campuses.
• Our Governance and Ethics, Health and Safety, Data Protection and Privacy, Information Security, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies.

Questions about this policy can be raised with Human Resources, or sent to confidential@hypernxt.com.