With the entire nation in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian corporates, while adhering to HR compliance, are encouraging employees to work from home and assigning special leaves with full pay to slow down the coronavirus outbreak. Several Indian corporates are bending the rules or introducing new norms aligned with HR compliance to help employees stay motivated and productive during the lockdown. Since many of the corporate organizations had early on started notifying the employees about the potential situations due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was easier for them to manage the situation when the 21-day lockdown was declared on 24th March 2020. However, the same could not be said about the organizations that hire contract labourers daily and in huge numbers. Despite facing a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic, they continue to adhere to HR compliance and support daily wage laborers with essential supplies.
Corporate Responsibility and Financial Support
The economists are already predicting the looming financial crisis and recession, and despite the potential perils of the COVID-19 pandemic, several corporates have come out to support the employees by ensuring on-time salary pay and no lay-offs. To make these testing times for employees less strenuous, employers are ready to take pay cuts and give out advance salaries if need be. They are also introducing new leave policies for those who are working from home or are quarantined due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Meanwhile, Dalmia Bharat Group, yet another leading Indian conglomerate, is abiding by HR compliance and extending complete support to the employees. Not only have they preponed the salary payments process to prevent stress due to the lockdown, but they are rolling out salaries to contract employees in two batches through the month to prevent a monetary shortage. As for the new joiners, the company is switching to online onboarding and ensuring they will be paid too without any delay, deduction, and disruption.
At Hero Motocorp, several town hall meetings were conducted, and full salary payments were guaranteed to the workforce.
Setting a great example of robust HR compliance between company and employees, IDBI Federal Life, an insurance company, is not only paying salaries in advance to their employees but outsourced employees as well to help the workforce stay motivated and encouraged during the coronavirus lockdown.
Employee Safety and Leave Policies
In compliance with rules and regulations, here’s how India’s leading corporates are extending support to their employees during the COVID-19 lockdown:
One of India’s leading multi-national companies, Tata Steel, introduced a ‘special leave’ for employees who are infected or advised self-isolation. The policy grants indefinite leaves with full pay to all affected and self-quarantined individuals to help them recover before they resume work. Also, their annual and sick leaves are to remain unaffected in due course. For Tata Steel, employee safety is a top priority, and to promote social distancing, they have informed that no salaries will be deducted if they opt to work from home. The organization also encouraged expecting mothers to take paid leaves without any time limit to cut down the stress. As for the salaries roll-outs, the employees have been ensured that there will be no delay or disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
RPG Enterprises, too, have introduced an ‘exceptional’ leave policy with full pay and an ‘employee-first’ approach. Calling the coronavirus lockdown a never-anticipated situation, the RPG Group has advised its employees to work from home and take leaves as long as they need to recover as no salaries shall be deducted.
Work-from-Home and Communication Policies
Hewett Packard Enterprises, on the other hand, instilled the idea of social distancing early on in the organization by arranging laptops, WiFi dongles, and power backups for its employees. The company has directed the managers to socialize more with the staff and stay updated on their well-being.
Freshworks, an international software firm with a franchise in India, has been conducting internal webinars and workshops on remote working to keep employees motivated during self-isolation or while working from home.
India’s leading conglomerate, Reliance Groups, has adopted work-from-home policies for their employees in India and overseas. Considering the group operates in essential sectors as well, only 10% of staff strength has been advised to work on a rotation basis with the company covering their transport expenditures.
India’s top consumer goods and healthcare products manufacturer, Dabur India, has created an online situation room to stay connected with the employees and also to update them on guidelines to stay healthy during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Support for Contract Workers
Larson & Toubro, the multi-national construction corporation, is into hiring contract labourers in huge numbers who are totally dependent on them to make daily ends meet. To make sure no worker suffers due to the lockdown, the corporation is making full provision of essential supplies at the camp or worksite for them.
Conclusion
Taking the lead at the front line along with the government, healthcare sectors, and essential workers, Indian corporates are taking all immediate measures to an extent to even tweaking the HR compliance if need be to put employee safety first. With the key intent at the moment being to slow down the coronavirus outbreak, the HR compliance officers and managers are charting new policies to ensure the employees do not bear the brunt of the 21-day lockdown. From making the best use of communications, that is, through emails and webinars, to ensuring indefinite leaves with full pay, the Indian corporates are doing everything in their power to help the nation sail through the perils of the COVID-19 lockdown.
References:
- How Employers in India Are Responding to the National Lockdown | Shefali Anand | 26 March 2020
- Coronavirus: ‘Special leave’ to ensure isolation doesn’t hit pay | Rica Bhattacharyya | 18 March 2020
- Title – India Inc sets up task forces as staff anxiety rises due to Covid-19 lockdown | LIJEE PHILIP & KALA VIJAYRAGHAVAN | 28 March 2020
- India under lockdown: Jobs, salaries safe despite disruption, companies tell employees | Rica Bhattacharyya | 31 March 2020
- COVID-19: Construction disruption across India in Q4 may hurt companies | Rachita Prasad | 27 March 2020
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