26 February,2023 10:54 AM IST | Mumbai | Nidhi Lodaya
Sanam Rawal
How would you react if your computer flashed a message reminding you that the work day was over, and it was time for you to finally go watch the sunset? Indore-based IT startup, Softgrid Computers, has been in the news for something just like that. Recently, Tanvi Khandelwal, an HR Specialist at Softgrid, took to LinkedIn to share a post that showed a warning on the computer screen. "Your shift is over. The office system will shut down in 10 mins. PLEASE GO HOME!", the warning read. "The staff here has permission to go home once their shift is over. We have built a time-tracking software for the pop-up to appear as the shift is about to get over," says Ajay Golani, CEO of the firm in a video interview with a news wire agency. "The basic motto is for employees to maintain a work-life balance so that they can spend time with their family and friends," he adds.
According to the latest reports coming out of UK, about the largest four-day work week trial, employees are seeming less stressed and burned out. The findings of the trial, in which 61 companies participated, showed that the reported revenue largely stayed the same during the trial period from June to December 2022 and even grew compared with the same, six months earlier. "We feel really encouraged by the results, which showed the many ways companies were turning the four-day week from a dream into a realistic policy, with multiple benefits," said David Frayne, research associate at the University of Cambridge, who helped lead the team conducting employee interviews for the trial. "We think there is a lot here that ought to motivate other companies and industries to give it a try."
While this has been a successful trial, Sanam Rawal, founding partner at Metamorph, an HR advisory firm, believes that Indians inherently have seen their fathers leave for work early in the morning and come back late at night. But this trend is slowly changing with startups in the picture now. "Startups have become cognisant of the fact that if they lose employees, some other company will hire them. As an HR professional, I see a lot of startups putting in a lot of effort towards their employees," says Rawal. She believes that there was a time when employees were exhausted and working long hours because they were paid high salaries, but now the priority is maintaining a work-life balance. "Work-life balance is not a choice a company is taking, but more like an additional effort so that the employees feel cared for," she says.
We spoke to three other firms who are putting their money where their mouth is.
WHAT Reimbursements for any funky whim
WHO Whoppl, a content to commerce company in Mumbai with 20 employees
Besides offs so that employees can work on their mental health, which has become a common feature at most workplaces, Whoppl has policies to ensure that they are contributing to the employee "experience". Their #TheWGuide offers a series of reimbursements for the "funkiest of reasons" without any questions asked. Have a pet you feel guilty about leaving at home? Treat them to a spa. Imagine going on a first date, getting a tattoo or a piercing and getting it reimbursed by your company? This is exactly what Whoppl is offering its employees in policies they launched in January this year. "Since we are in an industry of content and influencers, the kind of people who work with us are mostly Gen Z and millennials and we wanted to address them in a way that resonates with them," says Ramya Ramchandran, Founder and CEO of Whoppl. "We believe in being a part of people's experiences because they live with these," she explains. They work with a cap of Rs 1,500 per experience. Besides these experiences, employees can also redeem their hobby bills and if they want to upskill, they can do that as well. Aakanksha Solanki, an employee who saw the company pay for her driving lessons, and thought "it was amazing to see that someone was interested in all the things you want to do." Last month, 23-year-old Aarya Nair got reimbursed for her first piercing and she appreciated how there were no questions asked.
WHAT Pay a fine if you trouble an employee during "unplug" time
WHO Dream Sports, Parent company of Dream11, a fantasy sports platform in Mumbai with over 800 employees
Unlimited leaves? A company spokesperson over an email interview with mid-day, shared that at Dream11, it's all possible.. Besides this, they have introduced the Unplug policy. As part of this, employees can completely log-off from all work-related communication channels, including WhatsApp and email for one week in a year. Anyone who contacts an employee during "unplug" time has to pay a fine of $1,200, (approx R1 lakh). Proximity to Stadium, is a programme for employees to move closer to the Dream Sports office, by the office contributing close to 50 per cent of the rent for those living within a radius of 30 minutes. "After the COVID-19 lockdown, we offered an instant relocation policy under which new and current employees could move back to Mumbai from their hometowns with their families, and their end-to-end relocations to the city including temporary accommodation, was wholly paid by the company," says the spokesperson. They also shared how this policy was among the top reasons why more than two-third of their employees resumed work full time last February, after the pandemic restrictions were lifted.
WHAT Flexible options for mothers, period leaves
WHO Pataa Navigations, a digital addressing system in Indore with over 70 employees
Last week, Spain became the first European country to pass a law for menstrual leaves. While this is still not a law in India, a GPS navigation system company has had it as a policy for over a year now. Pataa Navigations provides one or two days of period leaves to women every month. And for mothers with young children, the firm has a flexible work option or an option to take three to four days off to spend time with their children. These leaves are not included in their annual set of leaves which is common for all employees. The office also has a crèche; giving mothers the option to bring their children to work. After seeing her female employees struggle, Samadhi Parashar, HR Manager at Pataa Navigations, says that the company felt it was the need of the hour. "This worked in our favour because at the end, we feel that the employees need to be at peace and their families should also be satisfied," she says. Aanchal Nigam, who has been working at Pataa for more than a year-and-a-half, admits that she has used the option of period leaves. "When the company respects you and allows you to spend some time with yourself, you will automatically be more efficient and happy at work," says Nigam.
