The horror of the second surge is taking a deep toll on all of us- both physically and mentally. Many of us have felt stretched and anxious over the last couple of days. Constant inpouring of deaths and desperate visuals are rattling even for those staying at home.
Despite the current environment, some companies have gone ahead and made sure that their employees are safe and aren’t compromised in any way whatsoever. Some of them are:
Swiggy, Edelman, MSL, Lintas Live, and Revolution have offered a 4-day work week for an entire month to combat burnouts and to ensure their employees’ wellbeing and safety.
They reasoned that people everywhere have become privy to their colleagues who are suffering themselves or have family members infected or even employees who are just feeling pathetic with whatever is happening around them, and need this downtime to support whosoever needs their help or just legit take a breather so that everyone can fight this second wave more fiercely.
Companies like Tata Steel, Google, Amazon, Schneider Electric, Deloitte, and more have provided their employees with 14 special sick leaves for them to recuperate and recover. Some companies like ITC, Optum, and Phillips have provided their employees with unlimited leave policies. These companies have allowed the affected ones to rest with a clear-cut mandate of not to resume work until they recover.
Companies like Amazon are providing advanced salaries for employees who need it. Microsoft announced that they will cover the expenses of their employees and dependents in case there is hospital admission for COVID-19 up to 10 days. Apart from increasing the insurance cover by 2.5 lakhs.
Companies are also taking measures to ensure the long-term financial stability of the employees and their families. Borosil Ltd and Borosil Renewables announced that the family members of employees losing life due to COVID-19 will receive salaries for the next two years, in addition to other benefits. The company also announced that the education of the children of such employees will be borne by the company until graduation level in India.
Paytm, Founder, Vijay Shekhar Sharma has announced that he will not take a salary for the next two months, and he committed the money to the needs of Paytm staff amid the pandemic. Sharma was inspired by Marriott International President and CEO Arne Sorenson, as the Chief Executive Officer of Marriott who refused a salary for 2020.
Reliance Industries issued a statement where it said that all employees who are earning below Rs 30,000 per month would be paid twice a month to protect their cash flow and mitigate any overwhelming financial burden.
Panasonic has come up with multiple virtual programs to engage the employees one of the specific initiatives is HR Business Ambassadors. These are in regular touch with all employees to keep a check on their wellbeing and ensure their safety in this critical hour.
Smartphone brand, Itel Mobile is constantly driving responsible communication and internal engagement campaigns to help employees cope up through spiraling negative thoughts about this uncertain time. The company is organizing comic-styled tips & tricks to efficiently manage work from home. The mobile brand has also introduced fitness challenges, quiz and games to keep the employees fit and stress-free.
In order to maintain the well-being of the employees, ITC Hotels is maintaining a personal connection with the employees. Each HR Manager calls a minimum of 10 employees daily to enquire about their health and safety and that of their family members. More than 1200 employees have been reached at their homes & extended necessary support.
The whole world hopes that this crisis will come to an end soon as several steps are put in place. And as everything comes to a close, every company will be remembered for what it did to its workers during the crisis. It’s the crisis we have learned from this as we hope for a better future, not the only one that’s happened in history. It will come and go.
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