Workplace – Dutch Uncles

5 Ways to Prioritise LGBT Inclusion to Your Hiring

DU Desk — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 09:41:54 +0000

Over the decades, India as a nation, has come a long way in terms of accepting and incorporating the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community into our society. In recent years this has translated well into workplace inclusion for companies big and small. In fact, it has become a vital part of how a company is perceived in the public eye in terms of workplace ethics.

Ways in which you can prioritise LGBT inclusion in your hiring process:

1. Show Your Pride – Be Loud and Clear

Show your company’s support for the fight for inclusion and the LGBT community, take it a step further and build a very blatant and publicly visible image for the company that shows your commitment to people of different gender identities. Participate or even sponsor events as part of Pride Month, get out into the community and initiate awareness campaigns. Whatever the course of action, remember that celebrating and advocating for the LGBT community does not have to be restricted to just Pride Month.

2. Make the Message Ring Clear: No Discrimination Whatsoever

Make it clear and well-heard that, as a company there is no discrimination or preferential bias towards those of a different sexual orientation. Establish strict anti-discrimination policies within the company and ensure that all your employees and staff know that there is zero-tolerance for any such behaviour. Provide all staff and management with educational and diversity training on a regular basis.

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It is crucial to consider both the existing employees as well as new employees from the LGBT community when making sure that an inclusive work environment is created.

3. Be Proactive in LGBT Recruitment

Even if you state clearly that the company hires without any bias to gender identity or the LGBT community, that does not necessarily mean you will attract the diversity you are aiming for. Expand your recruitment efforts beyond your immediate network to local community job boards, job fairs, schools and universities. Go as far as to get in direct contact with members of the LGBT community to help spread the word. Get in touch with event organising like Pride Circle, an organization founded in 2017 to promote the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual and intersex people in the workforce.

4. Make LGBT Inclusion Part of the Brand’s Mission

Re-orient your brand’s mission to be inclusive of the LGBT community. Beyond just words on a page that state inclusivity, display that inclusion to candidates. Many companies have taken to redo their logos to display the Pride Flag or rebrand their advertisements in favour of LGBT support. The point is to physically display your support as opposed to just words on a page.

5. Don’t Forget to Consider Your Existing Internal Team

Keep in mind that for many of your existing employees, especially in the Indian context, it might be the very first time that they interact with members of the LGBT community. Give them the sensitivity training they need in order to ensure that they do not inadvertently offend someone of a different gender orientation. Reach out to LGBT support organisations to help you in this awareness-building process. Something as simple as addressing a person the right way, for example, goes a long way.

An LGBT Friendly India: A Nation on the Move to Progress

The LGBT acts in India have witnessed a major overhaul over the past few years. One of the landmark changes that happened took place in September of 2018 when the Supreme Court came to a historical verdict by decriminalising homosexuality by partially striking down Section 377 of IPC. Even as recent as 2019, The Parliament passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, which has its own shares of pros and cons as it provides the protection of Transgender rights but prevents the self-determination of oneself as Transgender. While these new acts are far from perfect, they do set a precedent for a new wave of thinking, and are a positive indication of change on the horizon.

As the world watched, the second oldest High Court of India – Madras High Court – gave a loud and clear message of upholding the rights of people of the LGBT community in the case of Sushma Vs. Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai and others on June 7, 2021. The landmark decision came after a Lesbian couple from Madhurai, eloped to Chennai to seek protection from their disapproving parents and harassment from the police with whom the parents has registered an FIR.

Some of the major highlights of the case were:

The High Court asked the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) to enlist the aid of NGOs and community-based groups to aid in these LGBT community issues.

The Court ordered sensitivity programmes to be conducted for police and prison authorities, district and state legal service authorities, officials in the judiciary, physical and mental health professionals, education institutions, health work, public or private institutions as well as parents of people from LGBTQIA+ community.

The High Court also ordered the Union government to prohibit and take action against any and all attempts to ‘medically cure’ or change the sexual orientation of people of the LGBT community.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh made it abundantly clear that in any event where such FIRs are filed against people of the LGBT community when they elope and given that they are legal adults, no action is to be taken against them and that there should be no harassment from the authorities.

The High Court also ordered for changes to be made in short-stay homes, Anganwadi shelters, and “garima greh” (a shelter home for transgender persons) for any member of the LGBT community, who require shelter.

Above all, what makes this such a historical move is that Justice N Anand Venkatesh, moved for all parties involved in the case, including himself to be thoroughly briefed, educated and counselled by psychologist and LGBT community members to better understand same-sex relations before he passed a verdict. He was quoted as saying, “I have no hesitation in accepting that I too belong to the majority of commoners who are yet to comprehend homosexuality completely. Ignorance is no justification for normalising any form of discrimination…”

For a 23-year-old writing on this topic makes me proud of the paramount Indian judiciary system. It is ruling such as these, which proves India’s acceptance of the Westminster model of governing a state works; continuing the faith in the Indian judiciary.

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Founders! Are You Listening: When It is Not All Good Do Not Shy to Ask for Help?

Joseph Varughese — Sun, 02 May 2021 03:35:04 +0000

‘To be the person who will give and not take, is not a matter of pride or generosity, but probably a conceited view of your superior self-sufficiency’, is an apt statement with regard to founders, for that matter anyone, who has inhibition in asking for help when needed.

It takes a lot of courage, confidence and willingness to seek help in order to be a great leader and entrepreneur who can forge a new path and achieve what others have not been able to accomplish in the past. It is also very important to be self-aware that you are going to make a bunch of mistakes during your journey, and be more than just okay with it.

Shying away from asking for help when in need would lower your chances of coming out of difficult situations and achieving success. I have no second thought to say that finding the help you need is part of your job as an entrepreneur, and learning to ask for it will bring you that much closer to success.

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Confident leaders are those who are prepared to admit they don’t have all the answers and are willing to ask for help

Founders always have the pressure of many responsibilities on their shoulders of conceiving a world-changing vision for their new product, impressing potential investors, rallying employees and exhibiting the business acumen to navigate through various stages of growth of their business among others. The challenge emerges when you have to be dynamic in your approach and thoughts to pivot in volatile and changing situations like recession, pandemic. That is when the urgency of the need for help by way of advice arises.

There is a natural inclination for founders to retreat and turn inward in face of crisis. They feel insecure and demeaning to look out for advice from outside and even within the company whether the situation, for example, is of unprecedented spike in demand or slowdown in demand.

Founders shouldn’t feel that they have to go it alone. An abundance of support and high-quality advice can make all the difference in difficult times, which means the importance of getting the most out of your existing network of advisors and investors need not to be overemphasized. Research shows that most founders do not know how to ask, can’t ask, or do not want to ask.

Founders are aware that there are no tried-and-true play books available on demand for the difficult situations founders are facing during the course of their path. Advice is by no means a silver bullet. The truth is that no one person — founder, investor, advisor or otherwise — has all the answers to every problem. An ability to effectively seek and hear out different perspectives from various sources can make a meaningful difference as founders try to fix the things for their startup. In other words, the mere act of listening, collecting and evaluating advice, even if it’s ultimately discarded, can be a useful guide for founders when all are not good. .

Confident leaders are those who are prepared to admit they don’t have all the answers and are willing to ask for help. Acknowledging your fear to ask for help but moving forward in spite of it makes a leader who knows when to ask for help, learns how to accept it with grace and is willing to offer help in return.

Building a successful business all alone simply is not possible, yet many entrepreneurs shy away from asking for help are support even within the company. The main reason for this is fear of rejection. You may consider the following points to remove your fear of rejection and increase the chances of getting what you need.

People want to help.

Researchers, academicians, theologians, founders, investors, and leaders all agree that helping others gives them a greater purpose and makes them feel good about themselves. The want to help others is a natural instinct that some studies show is present at birth. Give others an opportunity to help you, it makes everyone feel satisfied and happy.

In the midst of uncertainty and shifting priorities, your advisors will be more than interested to give you a helping hand by involving in the decisions you’re making as a founder. But without the right structure in place for asking and receiving advice, even a well-intentioned advice can only create more noise that complicates your decision-making process.

Patrick Ewers, an early LinkedIn director and relationship-building expert, agrees that the concept may sound remarkably simple, but he rarely sees people taking advantage of it. Ewers introduced the idea of ‘value payloads’. “I love the term value payload because it sounds so tangible,” says Ewers. “Value payloads are anything you provide to people that could help them. They could be introductions to people they want to meet, articles about a problem they are trying to solve, a note saying you saw their work and sent it to someone else. Most of the time it requires sending one email, which is easy to make a habit.”

Allusion of transparency.

Thinking that others should see what you’re struggling with and voluntarily step in to help is referred to by psychologists as allusion of transparency. I have heard some founders talking about their belief that someone in their life should know what they need and that they shouldn’t even have to ask. This is a misplaced expectation that may lead to disillusionment at times. Just ask for help, it makes life much simpler because no one is a mind reader.

No one will stop liking or respecting you.

It is nice to be kind and respectful, but let them know that you will understand if they are unable to offer you help, and ask your question outright without beating around the bush or becoming overly apologetic.

There are numerous important decisions resting on your shoulders as founders. You feel the weight of your employees, investors and advisors trusting you to make the right decisions, often with imperfect information. Asking for help from one of your advisors or investors or peers or senior employees can feel like you’re admitting that you don’t know something you’re supposed to. The best way for building deeper and meaningful relationships with your advisors and investors is by being candid and vulnerable.

First of all, you need to stop thinking that asking for help will be inconvenient to others. Asking for someone’s help is a sign of respect and will make them feel good. Follow these rules: try to figure out the answer before you ask for help? Next, think about the problem. Lastly, make a list of questions to ask. This will help your preparation make it more comfortable for you to ask for help.

Check how your colleagues ask for help

Your fears may not be unfounded that asking for help where you work could be perceived as a sign of weakness. If that’s the case, then find the ways others ask for and accept help at work. Watch and even ask someone who could help you with this critical, simple but important question: “What might be the best way to ask you for help on this project?” Let people give their perspectives on how to do it.

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The truth is that no one person – founder, investor, advisor or otherwise – has all the answers to every problem.

Give them details.

Rather than living with the problem and waiting for the other party to jump in to save you, tell them exactly what you are looking for. Sure, it feels better if they step up and offer help without you asking for it, but it’s not fair to expect that from them.
Take the guesswork out of it for the other person; when you lay it all out you set them up for success and you’ll get what you need from them.

Instead of seeking advice, ask for their candid feedback, additional information, more data which is a whole different story. Look for someone who can help you think about a problem in a way that you haven’t considered.

Everyone needs help in life, no matter who you are. The important thing is knowing who to go to for help and doing your due diligence in researching the issue first. After that is completed, approach the expert and let them know what you have found during your research and then your problem. This will show them that you are in real need of their expertise.

Here are the four areas to navigating advice:

First, choose who is in your network of people giving advice
Second, manage the psychology of advice – both your psychology and that of the advice giver
Third, differentiate the types of decisions you are trying to make when getting advice
Fourth, make judgement about good advice vs bad advice

Maximize strong advisor relationships.

As a founder, you’re used to measuring the success of your business with quantitative numbers, from pipeline to revenue to customer retention. However, advisory relationships have limited metrics to measure success and rather feedback tends to be qualitative. Amy Chang, founder of Accompany (a networking startup acquired by Cisco) and current EVP and GM at Cisco Collaboration, has mentioned that she amassed many advisors over the years but struggled with measuring the effectiveness of these relationships and their contributions.

Tell them why you chose them specifically.

In some instances, it’s a good idea to let the other party who is the advisor know why you chose them for help in the first place. You preempt the advisor by saying that it’s sometimes difficult to do everything for yourself. By stating the facts and your needs up front you can avert any attempt on the part of the advisor to dismiss your needs. He also knew exactly which of his many skills you are depending on to help you out.

When a specific someone comes to mind, be forthright about it. They will feel good about your observations and it helps to move the conversation right to the point.

Thank them but don’t make it transactional.

Like all successful relationships, advising is a two-way street. As a founder seeking advice from your mentors, investors and advisors, it’s crucial to make sure that you are demonstrating appreciation for those that help you tackle the twists and turns of running a startup. However, right now things are so chaotic that just saying “thank you” to those that have provided game-changing advice can get lost in the midst of other to-do list items.

Offering a favor in return for a favor can backfire on you as it can seem manipulative because we all know that offering a return favor makes it harder to say no. Thank them tactfully. A small gift card in the mail, flowers, or an otherwise meaningful token of your appreciation are all appropriate gestures.

Your friends, colleagues, peers, investors and relatives all have good reason to help you since they respect and care for you. Give others an opportunity to lend a hand, because it can make everyone happy.

Know what it means to follow up

This is one of the most important things that many don’t care about much. Whatever advice someone gives you, give them feedback on how it was considered, acted on or applied, and what happened as a result. Your advisors care deeply about giving advice or creating connections that make an impact for your business and want to know their time is being well spent. Letting them know that their guidance had an impact on you and your business is a critical best practice that will help you, them and other founders. However, one of the challenges involved in the follow-up process is staying organized and keeping track of where advisors have been helpful, especially when you spread your search for help across multiple advisors, investors and mentors.

Advice Paralysis

A piece of caution here. One of the best pieces of advice about advice I have heard came from Dennis Hightower, the former head of Disney International. “There are 13 ways of doing anything, and 11 of them will work. Just pick one and do it,”. In other words, there is not usually only one right choice. So most of the time, making a decision quickly and moving forward is the best way to take advice. Don’t worry about finding the one true path because often there may be many paths that can lead to success. Don’t get caught in advice paralysis.

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What Are the Employee Benefits in Private and Public Organisations?

Roopali Kotwal — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 03:30:27 +0000

Benefits in any form will delight and make an individual to definitely lookout for what’s there for him/her before taking up an offer or buying any product/service in the market. When we talk about employee benefits, it is certainly more than the salary which one would get upon joining a particular organisation. And, why they should not be there as you are going to spend more time and energy at the workplace than at home.

The standard work day has a minimum work requirement of 9 hours in any private or a public/government sector that shall include the rest time while at work. At times, the work goes beyond 9 hours as deliverables at work demand more time and attention. So, it’s kind of fair to expect and know what perquisites (perks) or benefits one would get post taking up a role in an organised sector where employment terms are fixed for the skilled labour. The job is regular with fixed working hours with the employer being a government organisation, a start-up or an established multinational company (MNC)/private organisation.

What are Employee Benefits?

Anything above and beyond the monthly take home salary or wages, that an employee gets from an organisation shall be classified as ‘Benefits.’ In other words, any indirect and non-cash compensation paid to employees is ‘Employee Benefits.’

Why are Benefits offered?

Recruitment is a time consuming process. After all, you have scanned uncountable Resumes to fill a particular role or a critical position. The process isn’t complete without having the employee on-board. At times, the employees may leave the organisation during the probation period which varies from 15 days to 3 months or at times after years switch across companies due to better job offers and better security outside the organisation. Of course, the probation period is for both the employee and the employer to see the fitment of the employee in the culture code, organisation’s set up and check the initial behaviour and adherence to protocols and the initial performance pace. But, it is critical for an organisation to ensure that they don’t lose their new employee to competition due to inadequate employee benefits for the full time employment. So, ensuring a proper strategy for employee benefits becomes crucial.

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It is critical for an organisation to ensure that they don't lose their new employee to competition due to inadequate employee benefits for the full time employment. So, ensuring a proper strategy for employee benefits becomes crucial.

Employee Benefits: Types

There are several types of benefits which an employee could get but broadly they can be categorised as:

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

Usually, trending in start-ups in India and across the world as a part of compensation, ESOP is a way to reduce attrition and offer a stake to the employees in the organisation. All big MNCs such as Accenture and Genpact and even the start-ups have the ESOPs. However, at a selected category of employees based on their ability and impact on the organisation. They usually get ESOPs at a reduced value than the market share price. In start-ups, ESOPs are offered to attract the best talent without having to pay huge salaries. Thus, making the employees and the executive a shareholder in the company by subscribing to the shares at a future date and at a predetermined price.

Health Insurance

Medical costs for any treatments can be huge so a company usually ties-up with the vendor to provide it as a benefit to the employees. A minimum premium amount in the salary of an employee is added. And in case of any emergency the hospitalisation expenses as listed in the paperwork are covered by the organisation.

Accidental Death Coverage/Life and Disability Insurance

Companies as a benefit provide life insurance, disability insurance (disability while performing the duties) and an accidental death allowance as financial compensation to the dependant/beneficiary. In the case, of a married employee, the dependant or beneficiary is the spouse and if unmarried, they are dependant parents.

Concessional family coverage

Some companies also provide an option to add the parents as dependant even if the employee is married by paying a minimum premium amount.

Employee Benefits in Public Sector

Child Care Leave

It is generally granted to women employees for a maximum period of two years during the entire service. The age of the child has to be less 18 years to avail the benefit.

Housing facility

The government sector or public sector still provides the housing facilities on application and approval basis to the education institute staff, government officers and gazetted officers.

Work Travel and Stay

Business trips are usually covered by the private organisation as the employee travel requirement is for work. So, the accommodation and stay arrangement is usually taken care of by the companies.

Maternity Leave Policy

26 weeks of Maternity leave for women employees to take care of the new-born is a law and a benefit to female staff.

Paternity Leave policy

15 days of paternity leave upon the birth of the child can be availed by the male employees.

Gratuity

Provided in case, an employee completes the service period of 5 years in an organisation.

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Because of the changing trends in lifestyle, millennials (Generation Y) is very focused on healthy lifestyle but long working hours may be straining. Hence, a lot of start-ups provide the basic gym equipment and facility to its employees.

Employee Benefits in Private Established Organisation and Start-ups

Apart from Maternity, Paternity leaves, Gratuity and Work travel and Stay Facilities, an employee working in a private organisation gets the following benefits:

Accommodation Stay

7-15 days’ stay at company guest house or company accommodation for out-stationed employees.

Relocation Allowance

Intercity/Interstate movement for the Job offered. New employees get the benefit of relocation allowance where the charges for broken packages during relocation is covered.

Work from Home

This benefit is one of the important factors for an employee to stick with the company as it gives the flexibility to balance work-life. It is more of a necessary factor for any to join an organisation.

Joining Bonus/Statutory Bonus

Joining and Statutory Bonus ensure the shortlisted candidates take up the offer and stick with the company for long.

Employee Discount Program

Corporate employees get exclusive discounts for products or services or Food and Beverage items at some selected place as a part of the program. Some companies also provide meal coupons to employees that also helps them to save some tax.

Crèche Facility

Crèche facilities are a great relief for a working parent and having the kid in the close vicinity to check upon in between if required gives a mental freedom to work efficiently at the workplace.

In addition to the above, you shall notice the below listed benefits are more prominent in start-ups:

Gym at Workplace

Because of the changing trends in lifestyle, millennials (Generation Y) is very focused on healthy lifestyle but long working hours may be straining. Hence, a lot of start-ups provide the basic gym equipment and facility in addition to the other standard services in any private organisation.

Flexible working hours and Sleeping Room

Working in start-ups definitely gives flexible working hours. However, the work sometimes demands long hours so to ensure employees get proper rest, a sleeping room or bunker is set up for employees to take rest and rejuvenate.

Corporate Wellness

Apart from the insurance policies, an organisation big or small/start-up plan for a healthy environment for their employees. Thus, dedicated wellness programs are conducted from time to time to avail the benefits along with Health Care facilities, emergency medical room with a doctor’s visit and periodical physical and eye check-up facilities are available through different camps programs.

Notice-Period Buy-out

Private companies including start-ups provide this benefit to buy out the notice period in case he/she is required to join the new organisation asap. Hence, the compensation to the previous employer to break the contract is taken care of by the new organisation.

Should high performers get more Benefits?

To be fair, one would want to get compensated well for something which they are really expert at. After all, they have showcased their higher skill set in the previous job and performance reviews that reflect in the incremental process from time to time. You would want to pay better for better work to keep the motivation high. You would not want to lose a potential employee or an existing employee who really adds value to the organisation. So, you take care of such cases with a differentiating factor for what they have achieved, will possibly achieve and in turn benefit the organisation with higher productivity.

Conclusion

Any one joining a start-up would expect these above stated facilities now as they are simply the necessities. An employee may want to stay in the job for long term when these basic necessities are taken well care of by the companies.

As a business owner or an entrepreneur, you don’t want to fall behind in attracting the right talent and retaining your existing workforce so why not take the opportunity especially in corona times to ensure the best of the benefits to the employees to keep them involved, motivated and of course to make their work experience from home as productive as possible. Providing offerings or continuing the offerings like the allowances for the internet, furniture, and even power backup inverters is a big relief and great benefit for the employees across the private sector and the start-ups.

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Why You Should Work at a Startup?

Preeti Verma — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 10:35:04 +0000

Have you ever experienced any difference between working at a startup and working for big companies? Sure, you must have, if you have worked in both. Well, there are few things that are really exciting about startups. Working hard together as a teammate and seeing the company evolve and grow from the scratch is a great journey to follow. You tend to take new challenges and explore possibilities to build the company. There is a constant flow of new and innovative ideas, development in the workflows that best fit the company. Working at a startup is an adventure every day.

On the other hand, big companies have already done most of the work and you just have to follow an established plan. Your job is focused mainly on getting your assigned tasks done. On the other hand, working at a startup is a wonderful way to acquire experience and continue learning, while doing real work in a dynamic environment. For experienced professionals, swapping from a corporate business to a startup is usually the best way to break years of routine, get new goals, regain passion and continue growing by using your knowledge to help create something new.

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Flooded with fresh funding and strong growth projection, the $1 billion valuation startups are planning to scale up teams by 10-100 per cent. The sectors that are bullish on hiring this year include logistics, digital media, e-commerce and deep tech.

People who have worked with startups must know that they are famous for their relaxed environment and entrepreneurial spirit. CEOs and founders interact with each and every level working in the organisation. These startups give everyone opportunities to help design and deploy organisational strategies and drive innovation. And that is the reason every employee comes with the best ideas to take it forward. There are a lot of intangible rewards working with a startup. You can take real ownership over your work, be proud of your contributions, and have a measurable impact on the company’s performance. There is a greater sense of individualism and self-governance at a startup compared to a large corporation, where most of the time rules are lax. You will likely to find more flexibility when it comes to your work schedule, dress code and telecommuting options.

In general, you can also expect a more collaborative environment. When there’s a smaller workforce, you’ll spend more time interacting with your colleagues. This can present unique and fulfilling learning opportunities. You will have unparalleled access to organisation leaders and work alongside some of the most dedicated and creative individuals in the industry. There is a big emphasis on team dynamics and work culture. This can facilitate lifelong and meaningful relationships with colleagues and mentors. Working at a startup gives every individual the power to shape the organisation as a whole and the way to interact with each other.

Making The Curve Straight

The pandemic had not only hindered businesses but also slowed the financial growth last year. As a result, many companies were forced to shut their doors forever. On the same side, there were few startups that entered the unicorn club after reaching $1 billion in valuation. This year, startups are likely to observe a strong hiring uptick this year. This is expected due to a bounce back in business and revenue, with the growth for some even outstanding the pre-pandemic levels.

A survey by debt fund InnoVen Capital in its annual Startup Outlook Report showed that 72 per cent of respondents expect higher hiring in 2021 as compared with the last year. The sectors that are bullish on hiring this year, include logistics, digital media, e-commerce and deep tech. Similarly, health tech, enterprise and fintech expect hiring at the same level. Also, less than one fourth of respondents have over 20 per cent women among their leadership teams, compared to 21 per cent last year.

However, gender diversity continues to be a challenge and there has been no improvement over the last few years. In the same way, the survey also highlighted that the top challenge for startup founders is in finding the right talent. Over 52 per cent of founders said hiring right is their biggest challenge, consistent with last year’s survey.

On A Hiring Spree

When the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged most businesses and the economy at large is moving southward, most of the startups are looking to speed up their hiring process in 2021. When most of the companies are shrinking or putting their shutters down, startups are taking major steps this year. Last year, the startups that have entered the unicorn club are planning to expand their horizons this year. Flooded with fresh funding and strong growth projection, these $1 billion valuation startups are planning to scale up teams by 10-100 per cent. The aim is to drive market expansion and invest in product development. Fintech has been the best performing sector in terms of funding deals for startups, with $543 million raised from 62 deals last year. And, it is followed by edtech startups with $452 million from 44 deals.

In the coming months, startup unicorns such as Pine Labs, Zenoti, Postman, Cars24, Glance and Razorpay are planning to hire over 2,000-2,500 employees. This may include an upgradation of their product, tech, engineering, sales, operations, and data sciences teams. On the other hand, edtech startup Byju’s is planning to hire 6,000-8,000 people in the next 12 months. This will include top-level executives to spearhead its initiatives. The salaries at these startups are expected to range between Rs 15 lakh per annum and Rs 60 lakh per annum, along with a crore-plus package at the senior levels.

Indian startups that are dealing in the e-commerce and logistics sectors are also planning to accelerate their hiring process. And this will be mainly for blue-collar workers, who function as their hands for on-ground deliveries and supply chain support. These startups are now looking to launch new products, upgrade their tech capabilities and expand leadership as they grow. Similarly, e-commerce giant Amazon India is planning to create around 2 lakh jobs. This will be mainly for information technology, skill development, content creation, retail, logistics, and manufacturing departments. And this will include direct and indirect roles in Amazon Web Services, Alexa, Amazon Advertising, Technology, Retail and Operations, Amazon Payments, Prime Video.

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Edtech startup Byju’s is planning to hire 6,000-8,000 people in the next 12 months, where as e-commerce giant Amazon India is planning to create around 2 lakh jobs

The Right Choice

The concept behind a startup heavily depends upon the customer requirements and possible market transformations. The chances of succeeding with the best approaches are bright. And it also provides you with the benefits as your company takes the best efforts to bring out your best. Here are some of the reasons why you should work in a startup:

Friendly Work Culture

Startups heavily differ in terms of work culture and employee lifestyle when compared to other typical corporate environments. You get to make the best out of your free time; social gatherings, a lot of fun activities to do, and there are various ways startups keep their employees engaged. It allows you to work in a culture that is real and dynamic at the same time. The credit for achieving success in a task never gets snatched away from you. Because your small team strength helps you get identified easily, and you get credits in your sack.

Moreover, this fun collaboration with your co-workers develops relations with them and makes your regular work life fun and enjoyable. They ensure their employees stay fresh and efficient throughout and become more productive than ever. You can never go wrong with music, good food, and a friendly environment. Employees love to participate in such activities. Hence, the first benefit you earn is co-workers’ support.

More Than Work

If you are an introvert, this might come as a blast for you. But with time, you get habituated to this routine and start enjoying. You learn to make and keep relations with not only co-workers but with person with other departments. This is one of the crucial skills for an entrepreneur. There are startups which give their employees a friendly work environment by arranging monthly movie nights, holiday rewards, gym, and swimming pool, and many more. The point is to keep engaging their employees in activities to lead a healthy and happy life.

Shaping Up Your Career

The work culture of a company is an important aspect that affects your career. A friendly work culture lets you learn many skills from other co-workers working with you. This positive, friendly work environment helps you find what you are best at and shape your career in the best way possible. The skills you learn from your work makes all the difference.

Growth And Exposure

A typical corporate company is highly structured, where each employee has to report to their superior. The chances of getting enough exposure are low, if you are a slow learner. But startups are the best bet for you. They give their employees equal attention and a chance to grow at the best pace.

Best Use of Latest Technologies

The concepts of artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, machine learning, internet of things and more are the fundamental technologies these startups expertise in. This includes the website security measures like generating SSL certificates, preventing hacks, securing online payments, and more are their work areas. This helps you earn knowledge on the practical implementations of technology. It prepares you for the future, where technology rules the world. The e-commerce websites owners have a flat structure, where every employee is handed over responsibilities equally. It helps learn the aspects that the company assigns you and expertise in the same field.

Productivity And Creativity

Startups are best at measuring employee productivity. As every employee holds significance and contributes to the success of the company, they strive to maintain work productivity. The perks of friendly work culture include increased work productivity. As the responsibility to manage and maintain your work front is on you, you can learn to plan out your work strategy and improve productivity. Similarly, your surroundings also affect your thinking. Like the corporate hierarchy, startups tend to integrate each and every employee in every process. The innovators or the founders of the startup can teach you many things from their experiences. But the primary benefit you earn is, you get to experience their innovative thinking. Thinking creative and innovating new solutions to solve common problems is what startups are good at. If you work at a startup, you get to experience their creativity.

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Being Busy and Successful are Not the Same Thing

Tripti Nath — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 02:35:03 +0000

Some years ago, I worked in an organisation where a bespectacled man nearing retirement feigned efficiency by sitting for hours on end before the desktop or television. His productivity was negligible but he had mastered the art of projecting himself as the most dedicated and loyal employee in the company.

Entrusted with the task of monitoring news, he was actually playing games on his computer and even checking his luck in the fluctuating stock market. Obviously, the screen was not visible to the bosses and he got away with professional dishonesty. He had been on the payrolls for more than three decades. To impress bosses, he would not step out for lunch and was even hesitant going to the washroom when they were around. Like an elementary level schoolboy, he would cup his mouth by ducking under his desk to secretly catch a bite from his home packed tiffin. In between monitoring news, he would also offer to do odd jobs such as getting Wi-Fi connections fixed, calling photocopy machine engineers to service the machine, calling lift maintenance companies and what not. Strangely, this was not his work. It was clear that he was presenting himself as an indispensable multi-purpose worker, doing the work of everybody else but missing stories in his own domain. Unfortunately, he succeeded in tricking some gullible bosses with his misleading dedication to work. Support staff made fun of him as he encroached on their work territories as well. But if you were to ask me, “Was he successful?” I would say, “No.” Here lies the fine difference between being busy but not being productive or useful to an organisation.

Thankfully, some smart bosses could see through his armchair journalism. The fact is that he was bluffing himself. Since he would not go to the field for gathering news, he had no real sources. So, when big news break happened, he would struggle to get information and contact sources that mattered. All he could manage was information from secondary sources such as news agencies, live updates on digital platforms, television news. These were his lifelines. When asked to get a quoteworthy opinion on a critical issue, he would fabricate quotes by stealing opinions of experts from opinion pieces on think tank websites and pass these off as his own. The smarter and the more discerning bosses dismissed him as manipulative and hired a professional staffer to teach him real journalism.

The idea of giving this example is to drive home the fact that such staffers don’t do any good either to themselves or to the organisation. They cling to the job only for a stable pay cheque but are not really rated successful or professional by the organisation

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Know the difference between being a workaholic vs. a high performer. The former wants to look more important, but the latter seeks out important work. Knowing the difference can help you do more in each moment of your day.

- Jullien Gordon, High performance coach

Workaholic and High Performer: What’s the Difference?

In contrast, the highly productive people are real go-getters. They know how to master the day by setting small term accomplishable goals and logging their activities. Just as some people maintain a record of their expenditure to know where they are spending the money, the successful people track the time.

Jullien Gordon, High Performance Coach says, “Know the difference between being a workaholic vs. a high performer. The former wants to look more important, but the latter seeks out important work. Knowing the difference can help you do more in each moment of your day.’’

To be successful, one must have a clear conscience. My argument about this is plain and simple. How can somebody who feigns to be super busy at his workplace without any substantial meaningful contribution have a good night’s sleep? Honesty is a prerequisite for real success, not success that is achieved by shortcuts like lies, deceit, credit stealing and manipulation.

The reason is simple. Nothing can be achieved by a person who only feigns that he is busy. As the late U.S. President Abraham Lincoln said, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.”

Understanding Types of Work

It is equally important to understand that distractions do not contribute to productivity and it is therefore essential to eliminate them. We are taught early in life by our parents, teachers and guardians to do everything in our power to give our fullest attention to the task at hand. In reality, the highly productive people are real go-getters. They know how to master the day by setting small term goals and logging their activities. Most of us also get bogged down by the regular flow of workplace mails. It makes sense to unsubscribe from unwanted mails as much as it is to exit avoidable WhatsApp groups where random posts from members can actually interrupt your work.

In his book ‘Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World’, Cal Newport introduces two types of work: Deep work and Shallow work.

Deep Work

According to him, deep work involves discharging Professional activities in distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. It creates new value, improves skills, and is hard to replicate. Researching, exploring ideas, writing thoughtful content, analysing data, and developing a strategy are all examples of deep work.

Shallow Work

His definition of Shallow work involves logistical tasks that don’t require much brainpower and are often done while distracted. This work does not usually create new value and is easy to replicate. Dealing with email and chat messages, checking social and platform notifications, pulling reports, and data entry are examples of shallow work.
To my mind, a bird that flies far to collect twigs and material to make a nest is an exception. She is both busy and successful. But in real life, overstressed executives who are forever complaining of paucity of time are not really successful.

Are we fearing inactivity?

Some of us take great pride in our ability to do several tasks at the same time.. Experts say that multi-tasking actually slows us down and busyness actually makes us less productive. Neuroscience studies on the functioning of the brain suggest that every time we switch tasks (what we call multi-tasking), it’s “expensive” for us in terms of lost time and productivity. A study published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology showed that those who multitask are less effective than those who focus on one project at a time.

Researchers from the University of Chicago found that the belief that busyness is a sign of success and hard work is so prevalent that we actually fear inactivity. The researchers also found that people use busyness to hide from their laziness and fear of failure. They burn valuable time doing things that are not necessary or important because this busyness makes them feel productive.

True productivity is the ability to create high impact results in a short amount of time.

Management Consultant Peter Drucker said, “Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else. To be productive, you need to keep your motivation high.”

How often have we come across salesmen in groceries who play deaf when a customer inquiries about a product? They come to the shop at 9 a.m. and some of them even work beyond the eight hour shift but what is their contribution? It is not uncommon to find salesmen complaining of unrealistic monthly sales targets to sell white goods such as air conditioners, television sets, washing machines, coolers, heaters and laptops.

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Many organisations fail after they succeed because they think they own success and forget the rent is due every day

- Pat Sullivan, A coach, teacher and administrator

Customer satisfaction is the Prerequisite for Productivity

Kory Kogon, author of The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity, points out, “We do feel that busy equals productivity and it is not.”

In the super competitive world of journalism, a reporter is as good as his last story. The hours he spends chasing news and sources and digging out information must yield a regular steady flow of news stories and exclusive news reports. Way back in 1993, my first Chief Reporter in the New Delhi bureau of The Statesman, one of India’s most respected news dailies, told me that in journalism, a reporter’s by line or credit line is a measure of his/her productivity. Abid said that journalism is an open show where readers and peers judge you on the basis of your actual output that is instantly visible. Of course, this theory may not hold well in case prejudiced desk person tosses out a reporter’s by line.

Pat Sullivan, a successful coach, teacher and administrator in the Chicago area for 44 years, says, “Many organisations fail after they succeed because they think they own success and forget the rent is due every day.”

So, what is important is to keep challenging oneself to do better every day.

Look at a watchmaker. He spends a good part of the day straining his eyes to repair watches. But his success at the end of the day can be measured only by his satisfaction with his output. The same is true of a daily wage worker like a cobbler sitting by the roadside. It is not about how many hours he sits on the pavement with his head bent down to fix footwear and leather goods but what he actually repaired. If his clients come back to him or refer him to their friends, surely his work has yielded results. Satisfaction of the customer is a prerequisite for good productivity.

Don’t be Busy, Be Productive

Noted author Robin S Sharma has said “Don’t confuse activity with productivity.” Some people are simply busy being busy.

Let us look at the number of civil service aspirants in India who change their routine and spend hours on end everyday preparing for the examination. Some of them join well known coaching academies and others join online classes. Those who cannot afford either of these seek solitude in libraries and sit in the reading room from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Once they are back home, they resume studies after a two hour break, stay up all night and sleep barely five hours. The question is how many of them succeed in the preliminary examination. What is crucial is not the number of hours that one needs to invest to succeed but a focused approach where even five hours can guarantee success.

In my view, productivity can be guaranteed if people begin to prioritize tasks after making a things-to-do list, eliminate distractions, focus on completing one thing at a time and try to delegate tasks that can be done by someone else. So, how can one eliminate distractions in an era where most of us are addicted to checking our mobile phones? The best way to get rid of distractions is to put the phone on silent mode, turn off email notifications, put a do-not-disturb sign on your door and have a clutter free workplace.

In his book Being Busy is Not Always Productive, Delhi based author Deepak Gupta writes, “You know why people fail because they use their right energy in the wrong place. They use their energy at the place where they can’t even judge how much capability they have to accomplish the right tasks. People fail at the wrong tasks and get afraid to do the right tasks in life. Time has nothing to do with productivity.’’

Being busy and being successful are surely two very different things. So next time, you don’t answer a call and text declaring, “I am busy”, give it a rethink. It makes manifold sense to be productive and say. “I am productively preoccupied.” This affirmation will push your limits to justify your affirmation.

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Workplace Trends 2021: Why Hybrid Model Is the Way Forward?

Kiran Kennedy — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 06:35:02 +0000

The Pandemic changed every aspect of the traditional workplace concept. Remote work has rapidly become the new norm as concerns for safety in the workplace and preventing the spread of the virus have become the top priorities for employers and employees alike. This has led many businesses, especially start-ups, to opt for a hybrid workplace model that combines elements of remote work and work from the office.

While the pandemic eliminated the need to commute long distances, it brought to the forefront a sense of claustrophobia in employees. This in turn has shown to severely affect the overall morale of the workforce.

Looking at the preferences for remote working versus that of office work, employers and employees alike are opting for remote work simply due to the safety issues involved in working on-site. The remote working model may not be ideal for every company, but it was necessary nonetheless. So much so, that around 75 per cent of companies in India are looking to permanently switch to remote work even after the pandemic dies down.

On the other hand, since remote work is not possible across the board, and with each industry having individual needs, the hybrid model presents itself as a feasible solution. The hybrid model is a combination of remote work, in-office-work, and semi-remote work. The model is gaining popularity for a number of reasons.

For one, it empowers employees with a greater degree of flexibility and autonomy in terms of where they want to work and how they want to engage with work-life depending on their own need for safety and convenience. This also works to the business’s benefit as it still has elements that help the work process adhere to the safety concerns one might have, while also fulfilling the need for a physical presence of a minimum number of employees to get the job done where physical attendance is required. Data suggests that around 48 per cent want to stay home while the other 52 per cent want to go to the office. A good indicator that the hybrid model will work if implemented.

Impact Of The Model

In terms of impact, the hybrid model has many benefits for business owners, especially entrepreneurs. The most obvious benefit is cost saving as office maintenance fees drop drastically. Employees also benefit as they don’t need to spend on commuting every day.

The most significant impact that the hybrid model will have however is the change in work culture and an increase in efficiency. With the rise of this new model comes the breaking down of hierarchical barriers, which leads to more transparent communication between employees and employers. All these factors make the hybrid model the ideal method for start-ups to follow in 2021 and beyond.

The post Workplace Trends 2021: Why Hybrid Model Is the Way Forward? appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

Why Should a Company Nurture a Supportive People Culture?

Suresh Chouksey — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 03:50:36 +0000

When it comes to hiring top talent, you cannot ignore the importance of company culture. As the baby boomers are slowly entering the retirement age, Gen Y is entering the workforce. The most interesting fact with this savvy generation is that they prioritize company culture above anything else, and they can spot a good or a bad company culture from miles away with just a few clicks. Even before you approach or hire a candidate, they have already made up their mind about you. So, be sure to start talking about your company culture across various channels and, even before that, work towards building an awesome company culture.

But what exactly is company culture?

Company culture is the attitude and the behaviour of the employees in general. A company work culture can be determined by how employees interact with each other, the values they share, and their views about the company in general.

As mentioned in Harvard Business Review:

“Culture guides discretionary behaviour, and it picks up where the employee handbook leaves off. Culture tells us how to respond to an unprecedented service request. It tells us whether to risk telling our bosses about our new ideas and whether to surface or hide problems. Employees make hundreds of decisions on their own every day, and culture is our guide. Culture tells us what to do when the CEO isn’t in the room, which is, of course, most of the time.”

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The most interesting fact with this savvy generation is that they prioritize company culture above anything else, and they can spot a good or a bad company culture from miles away with just a few clicks.

You want your employees to be happy because happiness can be translated as productivity in the workplace. But how do you make your employees feel happy if they dread coming to work every morning? That’s where culture comes in. A culture should create a positive environment for the employees, make them happy at work, and not add more stress to their lives even if the nature of the job is stressful. This is why culture matters because it sustains employee happiness and enthusiasm.

At the deepest level, the culture of an organisation is derived from the nature of the employees and management. How are the managers and the leadership team? Are they good or bad? How do they look up to their employees? How employees interact with their peers and customers? The next important factor is the organisation’s relationship with its environment. How is the culture supported by the business strategy, which emotions people are encouraged to express, and which ones are suppressed? All these play an effective role in sharing the organisation’s culture.

Benefits of having an organisational culture

The core of having an organisational culture is when employees resonate with the organisation’s culture. They feel more attracted to it. Employees who fit in the organisation’s culture tend not only to be happier but are more productive too.

Company culture is beneficial not only for employees but for employers too. Employees who fit in the right company culture tend to stay longer, ensuring better employee retention. Further, organisations that offer positive culture tend to foster a better relationship between co-workers, employees, and managers. When they share a common goal that aligns with the organisational goal, everyone collaborates and works towards achieving it.

What is a supportive people culture?

Company culture is unique to its organisation. Among different company cultures, a supportive people culture is the most desired company culture that a company should have. A supportive organisational culture creates a positive social and psychological environment that optimizes overall employee health, safety, and well-being. It helps to foster positive relationships between employees, management, and their work. It is important because a supportive people culture engages everyone in the organisation, which can be interpreted as an increase in productivity.

Why it is important to have a supportive culture

In our previous article, we have seen how a hiring bias can lead to wrong hiring. A wrong hire can have several detrimental effects on the company culture. It can lead to employee turnover, a bad reputation for the company, and finally, a toxic work culture. On the other hand, a supportive culture means a place of joy, having a sense of purpose, and feeling connected to the people and your work. That’s the kind of workplace everyone wants to work in. This kind of workplace makes every employee happy. As an employer, you will want to build a supportive people culture. But how do you build and nurture it?

How to build and nurture a supportive people culture

To build a supportive work culture, you need to define your core values that have mutual trust, respect, and empathy for each other. As an employer, you may set restrictions and goals, but know that your employees will succeed only when the limits are controlled and nurtured in a supportive culture. We will now take a more in-depth look at different ways to promote a supportive people culture.

Instill teamwork

A supportive culture involves a strong team, and to build one, leaders should go beyond their roles to support their people. For example, managers and supervisors should be willing to pitch in and extend help to their subordinates, even if it means going beyond their job roles. When each person in the team contributes towards a shared goal and extends help to each other, the team emerges as a strong team.

Hiring practices

Start with hiring the right people. Hiring bias can lead to wrong hires, which can affect the bottom line of the company’s revenue. Instead, devise a hiring strategy, that is skill and aptitude base. Offer fair opportunities to all the candidates without bias taking over your judgment. For example, include at least three people in the hiring process so that there is no scope of discrimination. Each interviewer will have a different perspective and hence will make it a fair evaluation. Encourage the candidate to speak candidly during the interview. Hear them out before you talk about your organisational culture and your expectations.

Integrity, honesty, and empathy are traits that you should look for in your desired candidates. Design scenario-based interview questions and test how they would react. Are they dealing with a lot of empathy? Can you identify integrity as a trait?

Retention strategies

Employee retention should be a part of the active strategy towards building a supportive culture. For example, employees must have access to enough leaves to take care of their personal life. Managers and supervisors should make conscious efforts not to disturb employees when they are on leaves. In short, a culture should be built where employees are respected. And when the whole organisation works towards this, top talents are retained, and new talents are attracted. After all, everyone wishes to work in such an organisation where they are respected and heard.

Onboarding programs

How you onboard your employees leave a lasting impression on the mind of your employees. Design an onboarding program that helps the employee to settle down in the new environment well. Imbibe your company culture and values from the first day. Right from the employee handbook to onboarding process, leave an impression that you care. Be genuine in your efforts, and you will just turn an employee into a happy and engaged employee.

Performance management

Performance management can significantly affect company culture and vice versa. Employees who receive constructive and timely feedback, share a clear goal and have a clear outline of what is expected from them tend to outperform their peers who work in environments that lack cohesiveness or shared common goals. HR leaders must draft a well-planned performance management system to nurture a supportive people culture.

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How you onboard your employees leave a lasting impression on the mind of your employees. Design an onboarding program that helps the employee to settle down in the new environment well.

Communication

Communication is not just a useful tool to keep your employees engaged. But it is also a very powerful way to build a collaborative and supportive people culture. Organisations that practice open and transparent communication, encourage two-way communication, reinforce their trust in their employees, and succeed in building a positive people-oriented culture. Thus, organisations must invest significant time and money in nurturing a strong communication framework within the organisation.

Be open to feedback

One of the important ways to build a supportive culture is welcoming feedback and concerns of your people. Organisation leaders must not restrict themselves to open door policy and reach out to their people to gather thoughts. This also circles back to the open communication framework. The purpose remains the same to gain the employees’ trust so that they feel safe to share their concerns, ideas, feedback, and praise.

Investing in the well-being of the employees

Organisations that invest in workplace culture find it a lot more comfortable to earn their people’s trust. Employees feel supported when they see that their organisations are concerned and continuously invest in their well-being. Jennifer Encinger, counsellor and manager with Fairview’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), says, “I think the biggest thing people need to feel supported at work is, knowing that their company is invested in them as people. If an employee feels their company cares about them and is loyal to them, he or she is more likely to be loyal to the company.”

Consider national culture

Managers and decision-makers should also take into account the national culture in which the company operates while framing the company culture. Managers must be well-versed with communication styles and national cultures when communicating with their team members.

Traits of a supportive people culture

Do you have a supportive culture? How do you know you have a supportive culture? Know the different traits of a supportive people culture.

You have a positive work environment: Conduct a survey and find how your employees feel about their work environment. Are your managers capable of resolving conflicts among team members and building a holistic and productive work culture?

Invest in the personal development of the employees: Are you investing enough in the personal development of your people? Are they satisfied with these initiates or there is a scope to do more? Asking your people and conducting surveys can help you to gauge your current standing.

Do you work actively towards investing in the personal developments of the employees? Do your EAP counsellors work closely with employees to assist them in bringing in any behavioural changes? If so, you are doing it just right!

Measure, tweak and move on.

Assessing the organisational culture is a crucial step to help you maintain the culture that you’re building. Whatever changes you bring in the workplace or introduce new programs to support people’s culture, it is important to measure the outcome. That’s the only proven way to understand if you are on the right path. But how do you measure culture? One way to do it is to identify key metrics like the values, degree of hierarchy, people and task orientations, etc., and conduct surveys or focus group discussions around these matrices. Try to gauge how your people feel about these pointers.

An ideal culture survey should cover the following:

Cultural assessment: employees should be able to rate the organisation’s culture and raise their concerns and praise. Involve and encourage everyone in the organisation to take part in the survey.

Analyse the result: HR leaders and key management stakeholders should sit together and analyse the survey results. Find out what is going well and what are the areas of improvement. Ensure you communicate the findings and the next step to your people.

When an organisation has a supportive work culture, it is likely to thrive and grow because employees who believe in the culture will stick around and grow together with the organisation’s growth. What culture is your organisation following? Time for a reality check.

The post Why Should a Company Nurture a Supportive People Culture? appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

Employee Safety from Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Chayanika Sen — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 03:46:56 +0000

Anita works in a well-known firm in India. One day, her boss, Rohit, sends her inappropriate messages in the middle of the night. Anita was shocked but decided to keep quiet. The next day, he calls her to his cabin and keeps touching her inappropriately while explaining the marketing brief. Anita feels uncomfortable but still stays quiet. Gradually Rohit starts pressuring her for sexual favours in return for promoting her to a new role. Rita works in an IT firm. Her male colleagues always talk about inappropriate topics about girls on the lunch table and tea breaks. They often exchange obscene videos on their common WhatsApp group. Rita feels uncomfortable but being the only girl on the team, she decides to stay quiet and never complains. Do these incidents fall under sexual harassment? How should we ensure employee safety in such working atmospheres?

Women Employee Safety from Sexual Harassment at workplace and POSH

The Indian legislature formed the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, commonly known as the POSH act, in 2013. The act was drafted to ensure female employee safety in workplaces safe from sexual harassment. The act also made employers responsible for preventing, prohibiting, and offering redressal towards any act of sexual harassment.

The POSH Act defines sexual harassment as “unwelcome sexually tinted behaviour, whether directly or by implication, such as:

(i) Physical contact and advances,

(ii) Demand or request for sexual favours,

(iii) Making sexually coloured remarks,

(iv)Showing pornography, or

(v) Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.”

The act further defines the quid pro quo type of sexual harassment. The above-stated example of Rohit and Anita is a classic example of a quid pro quo type of sexual harassment where a person of power pressurizes a woman employee for a sexual favour in return for favours/advancement at the workplace. Know that the POSH Act applies to organized and unorganized sectors in India, including public, private, and government sectors.

Women Employee Safety from Sexual Harassment at workplace and POSH

The POSH Act defines sexual harassment as “unwelcome sexually tinted behaviour, whether directly or by implication, such as:

(i) Physical contact and advances,

(ii) Demand or request for sexual favours,

(iii) Making sexually coloured remarks,

(iv)Showing pornography, or

(v) Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.”

What is the workplace?

The POSH acts safeguard sexual harassment at the workplace. But what is a workplace in its real sense? The POSH Act defines the workplace clearly. As defined by Section 2(o) workplace is defined as:

Any department, organisation, undertaking, establishment, enterprise, institution, office, branch or unit which is established, owned, controlled, or funded by either the Government, a local authority (such as a Municipal Corporation), a Government Corporation, or a Government-run co-operative society.
Any private-sector organisation, private venture, undertaking, enterprise, institution, establishment, society, trust, NGO, or a service provider that carries out commercial, professional, vocational, educational, entertainment, industrial, financial or health-related activities.

3. Hospitals and nursing homes.

4. Sports institutes, stadiums, sports complexes, and competition venues that may be used for training, sports, or any other related activities.

5. Any place visited by an employee arising out of during the course of their employment. This includes any transportation service provided by the employer for visiting any such place.

6. A house or any domestic dwelling.

7. Any enterprise, commonly said to belong to the unorganized sector, which is owned by individuals or self-employed workers and engaged in the production of sale of goods or services

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If she feels sexually harassed ,your intention is irrelevant.

What does POSH include?

The act includes situations like:

Physical contact and advances
Demand or request for sexual favours
Showing pornography
Any other unwelcome physical, verbal, or non-verbal conduct of a sexual

The POSH Act ensures all women employee safety from sexual harassments regardless of whether:

i.They are employed regularly, temporary, ad hoc, or daily wage basis.

ii.They are employed directly or through an agent or a contractor.

iii. They are employed with or without the knowledge of the principal employer.

iv.They are employed for remuneration or on a voluntary basis.

v.The terms of employment are expressed or implied.

The Act also applies to women contract workers, probationers, trainees, apprentices, and interns.

A brief background to POSH

On 22 September 1992, Bhanwari Devi, a woman working under the Women’s Development Project run by the Government of Rajasthan, was gang-raped by a group of men as an act of vengeance because she protested an illegal act of child marriage. Following the event, there was a delay in doing a medical examination or making a police complaint. In short, justice was delayed. In the pursuit of seeking justice, many women activists’ groups supported Bhanwari Devi. A Public Interest Litigation was filed by a women’s organization known as Vishaka that focused on the enforcement of the fundamental rights of the women at the workplace and employee safety under the provision of Article 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India. The Supreme Court of India acknowledged it, and the Vishaka guidelines were formed that were treated as law declared under Article 141 on the Indian Constitution. These guidelines served as the foundation of The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Why is it mandatory to have woman employee safety in the workplace?

POSH is mandatory to have in the workplace for employee safety from sexual harassment. Whether you’re an individual, partnership, or company, you cannot miss having POSH at the workplace. Therefore, irrespective of the nature and number of employees, it is mandatory to have at the workplace.

Non-compliance with the POSH Act can cost a monetary penalty for an employer. Repeated non-compliance can lead you to twice the punishment, cancelation of license, withdrawal, or nonrenewal of business license by the local government. Additionally, it may cost the reputation of your business.

The Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 have been amended to mandate the disclosure regarding the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (POSH laws) in the Director’s report of every company.

Companies commemorated for best POSH practices and employee safety

Ever since the POSH act was formed, organisations have been becoming aware of the POSH act and its necessity at the workplace. With the growing number of women in the workforce and the increasing frequency of sexual harassment at the organization, employers are adapting some of the best practices to ensure women employee safety. Some organizations have gone beyond the POSH act requirements to give a safe place to work for which they have been commemorated.

Some of the organisations that have taken exemplary measures in implementing POSH at the workplace and got commemorated for their efforts are: Robert Bosch Engineering, AstraZeneca, 63 Moons Technologies, Tata power company, Siemens, Healthineers, RapidValue solutions and so on.

POSH training and best practices

Having a POSH policy at the workplace is not just enough. You need to train your employees and managers to be aware of the POSH policy, the implication, and how to raise a complaint should there be any incidence of sexual harassment. Apart from regular training, here are some of the best practices that you can implement at your workplace to prevent sexual harassment:

Offer sexual awareness training in the regional language if you have a lesser educated employee base like contract employees to ensure they understand the importance and implications of it.

Popular and well-accepted movies like the Bollywood movie “PINK” can be shown to the employees during training. You can also enact or do scripted roleplays during training to help the audience identify dos and don’ts at the workplace regarding sexual harassment.

Roadshows are equally popular for conducting POSH training. These can include games, quizzes, panel discussions, and more. A top-IT firm created a video entry competition among its employees on sexual harassment theme. It is a great way to let people learn the POSH policies while positively engaging the employees.

Books help too, especially for managers who have subordinates working under them. So, consider giving books like BCC: Behind Closed Cubicles to your managers.

Exclusive training to managers also helps in the long run to understand and implement the POSH policies.

Only training is not adequate. You also need to understand how safe your women employees feel at work. Conducting anonymous surveys help to understand the pulse of the employees. Having an online or on phone helpline by a third-party vendor encourages employees to report a violation. “Women only interventions” help women employees open up and speak about the harassment at the workplace.

Decoding the POSH act for employee safety- What companies need to know

Now that you understand that you need to be POSH compliant for your business, let’s see how you can be POSH compliant and what actions you need to take.

Having a committee for redressal of complaints

Every organisation with more than ten employees needs to have a mandatory Internal Complaints Committee to address and redress any complaint related to sexual harassment. Even if the organisation does not have women employees, having an ICC is compulsory. For organisations that have less than ten employees, all sexual harassment complaints are to be made with the local complaints committee set by the district magistrate.

Draft a POSH policy

Draft a POSH policy for your organisation with the help of your corporate lawyer. Have a clause included that specifies the repercussion on the employee should they indulge in any such Act. The repercussion could be the termination of a job or wage loss.

Include the POSH policy in your Annual Report

If you need to do the Annual report for your company, ensure you have the POSH policy and reports included in your report. It should consist of your company POSH policy, how many cases were registered in the year, and the investigation reports.

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First rule of self-defense is: Don't ask your attacker for validation.

- Barbara Dee, Author of May Be He Just Likes You

#METOO Movement and POSH

In India, the #METOO movement started in 2018. Women took on to social media to voice their experience with sexual harassment. From celebrity women to ordinary citizens, everyone joined the raging roar on social media during the movement. The most significant outcome of the movement was that women who felt sceptical or afraid to raise their voices against their predators, joined the movement too. Many well-known and celebrity women joined the movement as well that gave more strength and courage to the women across the country. As a result, organisations now have no choice but to wake up and listen to their employees and redress should there be an event of sexual harassment because now they know that women can voice their complains on social media which will only tarnish the reputation of the organisation.

The movement provided courage to hundreds of women who were wary of complaining. The movement saw an increase in complaints by almost 14-15% in 2018-2019. The movement brought in awareness among the mass, while companies stirred to take POSH more seriously. As a result, companies have started doing the due diligence of their senior employees, encouraged self-reporting, giving training to their employees, having internal committees in place, etc. While the #METOO movement has shaken up organisations, we need not wait for another movement to irradicate sexual harassment from the workplace. A great way to combat sexual harassment and ensure employee safety is to have gender equality in the workplace while educating and training every employee.

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Prevention of Sexual Harassment Policy

Roopali Kotwal — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:54:42 +0000

To understand Prevention of Sexual Harassment let us comprehend what constitutes Sexual Harassment in the first place.

Sexual Harassment: Meaning and Inclusion

As per section 2 (n) of the PoSH act, Sexual harassment is undesirable behaviour (if a woman does not consent and expresses discomfort) such as:

direct physical contact and advances
ask for sexual favours
make sexually coloured remarks
showing pornography; or any other unwanted physical verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature

Moreover, the below actions may add to sexual harassment if they are related to the said behaviour:

The promise of favoured treatment or threat of detrimental treatment in the employment (Implied or explicit)
The warning about employment status in present or future (Implied or explicit)
Creation of an offensive work environment
The humiliation which may affect health or safety.

PoSH Law: Meaning and Origin/Genesis

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a universal issue. It is a concern to humanity and is a violation of the individual and fundamental rights of a woman (mentioned below):

As per the Indian constitution, the right to equality is a violation under Article 14 and Article 15;
And under Article 21 of the Indian constitution, the right to life and live with dignity is violated.

Thus, the PoSH law introduced to protect and support the right of women so that women could practise any profession, carry on with any occupation/trade or business in a safe environment free from sexual harassment.

The “Sexual Harassment” of women at the workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, referred to as “PoSH Act” extends to the whole of India. The PoSH Act legislated after 16 years of the Supreme court judgement in the landmark case of Vishaka and others Vs. State of Rajasthan and others in 1997. The court case was filed by an NGO as a social worker was brutally gang-raped at her workplace. In the court judgement, the Supreme court established that sexual harassment at the workplace is a violation of the constitutional rights of women. It is discriminatory towards women.

As there was no legislation around, the court, stated that an “affective alternative mechanism” is needed to prevent the violation of woman’s fundamental rights. To address such issues and fill the gap, the apex court laid down firm guidelines to make it obligatory for an employer to have a mechanism to redress complaints related to sexual harassment at the workplace. These guidelines were named “Vishaka Guidelines.” The court stated that the Vishaka guidelines are to be treated as a declaration of law and shall be applicable until relevant law is enacted by the Parliament.

A bill named “Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill” was introduced in 2007 (Original Bill) to implement the law. However, it did not get the required attention. Later, the “Original Bill” was introduced in the Parliament with few changes (including the title). The title was changed to meet the objective to not just focus on redressal of sexual harassment complaints but also, focus on prevention and prohibition of sexual harassment. Hence, the bill renamed as “Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, 2013.”

Law Mandate for Sexual Harassment

Be it is a small business or a big organisation, it is critical to understand that is the responsibility of an organisation to create a safe and healthy work environment for its employees. As per PoSH law, every company with a minimum of ten employees or more must constitute an Internal Committee (IC). The committee must include:

A “woman officer” appointment as the “Chief” by the senior management;
An external member from a non-governmental organisation to ensure neutrality;
Minimum 2 members who represent employees of the organisation.

50 per cent of the nominated committee members shall be women and all complaints shall be made to this body which must resolve every issue without any partiality. While the workplaces with ten or more employees are required to form an IC, the PoSH Act also entails constituting a local committee (LC) in every district to hear and address the complaints of sexual assault from workplaces, where the employee count is less than ten. Depending on the case, the LC/IC must inquire every complaint of sexual harassment as per the rules and shall respond within 90 days from the complaint registration. Once, the inquiry finishes, the IC/LC needs to prepare a report of its findings. Irrespective of the level of impact and intention of the person complaining, IC/LC must take every incident seriously and the designated authorities must do a thorough investigation. If sexual harassment charges are proved, the committee may recommend the employer to take action against the accused. And, for punishing for false complaint, the employer may take action against the person/woman who has made the complaint as per the applicable provisions or rules.

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Sexual harassment in the workplace is a universal issue. It is a concern to humanity and is a violation of the individual and fundamental rights of a woman

- Indian Constitution ( Article 14, 15 and 21 )

There were many bills related to prevention of sexual harassment pending in the Lok Sabha, Parliament. Medha Kotwal Lele filed a petition in the supreme court stating that Vishaka Guidelines are not applied effectively. Thus, in Medha Kotwal Lele vs Union of India, the Supreme Court identified the Vishaka Guidelines require both employers and other responsible people/institutions to observe to prevent sexual harassment of women. Hence, sexual harassment was declared a criminal offence and the PoSH law was made effective on December 9, 2013, by the Government of India.

Need for Prevention of Sexual Harassment Policy

As per the survey conducted by Indian National Bar Association where 6,047 people participated in the survey 78 per cent were females and the remaining males at Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs), information technology (IT) sector offices and various educational institutes, hospitals and legal firms.

It was found that 38 per cent of women had faced sexual harassment at the workplace;
Out of these, 68.9 per cent said they refrain from making complaint due to fear, lack of confidence and embarrassment;
On questioning about legal protection, 42.2 per cent stated that they did not feel protected at work.

PoSH Training & It’s benefits

PoSH training is one of the mandatory training in any organisation. Its purpose is to educate all employees: managers, senior management, directors and make them aware of the definition of sexual harassment and the law to prevent sexual harassment deed and consequences under the PoSH Act. The training will help the employees to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour and create a safe and gender-neutral work environment.

Awareness programs and training for all employees at regular intervals and gender sensitization will act as a gentle reminder of the work culture the organisation has built. Thus, would result in high job satisfaction, productivity and retention of valuable employees. The employer must conduct sensitization programs online or a classroom session and develop policies against sexual harassment among other compulsions. In the awareness program, the employee must be encouraged to take steps to prevent the situation for sexual harassment at the first place which means one must trust their instincts about the possible danger; deal with the harasser upfront or report the abuse to the HR department or respective committee.

Stakeholders in PoSH

Human Resource (HR) Manager – HR is accountable to ensure a safe workplace for all the employees. Gender sensitization and PoSH training both are important to create the same environment. Hence, HR must make arrangements to do both to improve the productivity of the employees.

Senior Management – They are responsible to maintain the public image of the company. The sound policies assure the potential client, vendors and the employees and policy bring a feeling of trust in the organisation.

Employees – Awareness of employee safety assures employees. Thus, encourages them to perform better.

Non-Compliance: Penalties on failure to comply with the law and its consequences

Non-compliance could lead to hefty penalties to the employer. Below are some of the provisions under the law:

Failure to set up the Internal committee or breach of the Act or any rules under the same will be punishable with a fine of fifty thousand rupees INR 50,000;
In case, an employer has been previously convicted under this law, commits and is convicted for the same offence, will be liable to twice the punishment;

Non-compliance will lead to cancellation of the license and non-renewal or cancellation of the registration.

Any person responsible for the supervision of any workplace private organisation, institution, establishment, society, service provider or any place visited by the employee or management person or board or committee responsible for formulation and administration of such policies etc. which is not covered in the above point;

The household person who employees a domestic worker in a house, flat or another place of residence regardless of the period they are employed for and the type of employment full-time or part-time.

Once booked under this law, it tarnishes the image of the company beyond repair. In such a scenario, the reputation and goodwill of the company are questionable and it impacts the growth of the organisation adversely. Hence, the employer must be proactive not to miss on to have a culture of the safe and harassment-free environment at the workplace. Please note the employer for the act (PoSH Act) is:

The head of any department, organisation, undertaking, establishment, enterprise, institution, office, branch or unit of the government or local unit.

Working from Home – Does this law still applies?

In Covid-19 time, the new normal is working from home. So, does the PoSH law apply in a virtual work environment? Well, sexual harassment can happen virtually as well. The PoSH Act covers work from home under the “extended workplace” definition. A workplace is any place visited by the employee during the term of the employment which may include transportation provided by the employer.” The workplace definition goes beyond the four walls of office premises. It indeed applies to the virtual world. Any correspondence, message, video, audio etc. which is sexually coloured is transmitted through any electronic means is sexual harassment under the provisions of PoSH Law. Hence, it is must to align the PoSH policy as per changing times. The process to register complaints can be done online, enquiry or related procedures shall change accordingly.

Conclusion

To summarise, an organisation from a compliance perspective must implement the PoSH policy, sensitise all employees about the law, form an internal committee/local committee (IC/LC) and have a mandatory external member to ensure they take right steps to implement the policy. Hence, the employer must form gender-neutral policies. Despite the PoSH law’s applicability to women, other genders too can be the victims of sexual harassment and protection. Hence, with the increase in diversity, and global policies, any organisation to lay down policies like PoSH which is only restricted to women to protect other genders.

If we do not see the holistic picture, the defamation of character, humiliation by gossip or scrutiny can induce pressure, thus, further may result in psychological stress and health issues in the victim irrespective of their gender. It may affect their relationship and can further consequences could be a failure of any references and recommendation when needed. Thus, Sexual harassment i.e., sexual advances, any unwanted gesture by an employee having sexual hints, staring, unwelcome touching or any act/behaviour within the workplace can create a difficult environment for the person belonging to the opposite sex. Hence, keeping the core objective of law formulation should be kept in mind i.e., to protect employees against sexual harassment. The insecure work environment may discourage a woman’s whole heartily participation in work. Thus, affecting the social and economic development and empowerment of a woman. However, we need to understand that policies designed for preventing sexual harassment at work are not misused. PoSH is a non-cognizable offence but we must address the false complaints too and punish the offender for such acts.

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Future of work trends post Covid19: Employee Expectations

Chayanika Sen — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 08:23:16 +0000

The novel Coronavirus has fundamentally changed every aspect of business — from how work was done to how we interacted with our colleagues. While remote work is becoming the new normal, research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reveals that 71% of employers are struggling to bring in remote work while 65% are struggling to keep the employee morale high. On the other hand, employees who were so used to the daily commute to work or brainstorm with colleagues over a cup of tea or de-stress themselves over watercooler chitchats are suddenly forced to stay in and work from home. The fine line of balance between work and home have become blurred with long and stretched work hours, attending Zoom call meetings with family members peeking from behind, and so on. Despite all the odds and no matter how grim this picture looks like it also presents an opportunity to reshape and reinvent the workplace, and there’s a lot to look forward to in it. This article will emphasize what employees can expect from future work trends and evolution in the workplace.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced even the more reluctant of companies to adopt a work-from-home methodology.

How Will COVID-19 Change The Future Of Work?

Increase in WFH and remote workplaces

COVID-19 has brought in a significant drift in the workplace scenario. Employees continue to work from home as they are cooped up in homes maintaining social distancing. It can be said that the coming days will see more employees embracing the work from home model. A Gartner analysis reveals that 48 % of employees will be working remotely at least for some time compared to 30% pre-pandemic time. The survey further mentions that 74% of CFOs are going to increase remote workin post-COVID times. On the other hand, employees can expect to see more work from home opportunities in their future work or current workplaces, especially when their office leases are up. Some businesses may want to have centralized workspaces where employees can come occasionally as and when needed. The April 2020 survey by Gartner found that 74% of leaders will move atleast 5% of their workforces to a remote working model for good post-COVID-19.

Change in remote work policies

This comes as a no brainer. Since organizations are adopting remote work, this is the next change that employees are expected to see. With almost 74% of companies planning to switch to remote work post-COVID-19 permanently, the remote working policies are going to be restructured to make it more flexible and relevant. While companies like Twitter have already amended their remote work policies, many others are following suit.

Visible changes in workspaces

Many companies may also remodel their floor-plans to keep the employees physically apart while working in office space. Employees who plan to go back to work can expect to see virtual workplaces and collocated office buildings. Closed cubicles will not be there anymore. Additionally, employees may also see daily temperature checks, visiting an office campus may need permissions and security check-ins. Employees will also need to wear strict workwear. For example, General Motors recently announced that employees returning to work in certain plants must wear personal protective equipment (PPE). Many essential businesses are making it compulsory for employees to wear PPE, gloves, face shields, and facemasks at work places.

Increased access to employee health record

In the coming days, employees can also expect to see that their employer will have greater access to their health records. Employers are expected to do passive tracking of employees as employees start working remotely. In addition to tracking virtual clock in and clock out, computer usage, communications,emails, and chats, employers will also have greater access to employees’ health data. For example, employees may have to share details like if they have COVID 19 antibodies or if their immediate contacts have contracted the virus. However, employers need to be more sensitive to these data usage and positively use them to boost employee engagement across the dispersed workforce.

Expect more support from organizations

The pandemic has changed our perception and has taught us to be more empathetic towards each other. Throughout the pandemic, employees and employers have built more connected relationships. Going forward, employers will be paying more attention to how to build a resilient team culture. Managers will be more empathetic towards their team members to help them engage and boost morale,especially in remote work or hybrid work model scenarios. Inclusivity and cross border collaboration will also be on the rise. To keep up with the employee experience, HR will play a pivotal role in working with managers and employees to be more supportive and meet expectations associated with these fundamental work-life shifts.

Job Loss and rise in contingent employees

One of the most significant impacts of COVID-19 has been businesses shutting down, especially in the hospitality and tourism industries. As businesses shrink their operations, job loss might be on the rise. On the other hand, employers would be on the lookout for greater workforce management flexibility. As a result,contingent and gig workers would be in demand. Interestingly, contingent workers can expect to receive the same benefits as their full-time peers.

Gaining Popularity in a hybrid model

Will there be no going back to the office? Will employees be completely working from remote locations? These are some of the questions that most people are concerned about regarding the change in the workplace in the post-pandemic world. The pandemic has forced even the most reluctant organizations to embrace remote working or a combination of in-office, remote, and semi-remote working model. Such hybrid work models are gaining prominence, and we can assume that many organizations will adopt this work model in the coming days.

Hybrid work models empower employees to have some autonomy in the way they work. For example, they can choose when to work, where to work, and how to work to do their best to maintain a balance between work life and personal life. It is also interesting to note that while 48% of employees would prefer to work in an all-remote model even after COVID, 52% of employees want to go back to the workplace, which is why the hybrid model will work.

Hierarchies are going to flatten

Working in silos and hierarchies have been busted by working from home. It has made all of us more efficient. This has a positive effect. Employees can expect to see amore flattened organization structure and a rise in more project-based work. The cross-functional collaboration will also be on the rise because decisions are made faster when people are involved from different functions.

Improved communication at workplaces

As remote working becomes the new normal, employees can expect to see more proactive and transparent communications from leaders. As teleworking gains momentum, mutual trust will work as the foundation between employees and employers, which means leaders will need to communicate regularly and intentionally, keeping their employees informed at all times about the business strategies and organizational goals.

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For an organisation to survive in this harsh climate, it has to be willing to adapt to the circumstances and be flexible.

Getmore upskilling opportunities

As organizations keep finding new ways to keep their remote employees’ morale high, they continue to work towards building a pandemic proof company rather than a recession-proof company. Employees can expect to receive more upskilling opportunities in the workplace. For example, during the Ebola outbreak in WestAfrica, a company operating there, ensured that its truck drivers learned to operate excavators. Similarly, as telehealth becomes more popular, doctors need to get acquainted with digital tools. Employees, too, need to re-skill and upskill themselves.

More flexibility at work

One of the positives of COVID-19 is more flexibility at work. Ever since employees are working from remote, employees work on a more flexible schedule. Without a physical office space, the strict 9-5 protocol is slowly fading away. Employers had been more lenient on allowing flexible work hours for their people. In the coming days, flexible work hours will be a new normal, which enables employees to balance work and personal life better and help reduce stress and increase productivity. An interesting study report by Flex + Strategy Group reveals that a whopping 60% of employees with flexible work routines feel they are more productive. The Future work trend will see more flexibility at work.

Employees will bring their whole selves to work.

While there has always been a strong debate, whether it is professional to bring your whole self to work or not, with the pandemic happening and work from home becoming the new normal, employees will see a trend in bringing their wholeselves to work. Deloitte study found that 61% ofemployees hide their true selves because they fear discrimination when they get their whole selves to work. However, COVID-19 has given us no place to keep away a part of ourselves that we have hidden carefully for so long. This new form of working has merged the employee side and the parent site of the person. From CEOs to weather forecasters to newsreaders, no one has been left to reveal their different layers. And it’s okay. The coming days will expect employees to bring their whole selves to work and when your child peeps in-between a team call, just expect your colleagues to share a good laugh and nothing more to it.

Employee engagement will have a new meaning.

During the pandemic, and even after the pandemic, we can expect to see a lot more concern of the employer regarding productivity, resilience, and employees’ well-being. From supporting employees to shift to home office mode to keeping track of health and well-being to helping employees get back to the office and smoothly, employee engagement will have a new meaning in the post pandemic world. While workplace safety will remain the primary focus, employers will also work to keep up the remote employees’ morale high up.

What can employers do?

One of the most significant silver linings of this crisis are employers willing to relook at how things were done and devising strategies to get things done fast. To do so, companies need to foster relationships like never before. As their employees continue to work from home, employers need to trust their people and lead by example. Teams need to come together to listen to their people, understand their concerns, treat them with more empathy, assess their mental health and general well-being. For organizations where employees will come back to the office, employee well-being and workplace safety would be top concerns for organizations.

Wrapping Up

We are yet quite far from post-COVID, but we are sure the day is not too far. But when it does, there will be an opportunity to reshape the work culture. Both employers and employees will need to work hand in hand to build a resilient work culture, and we should be back in the business with a bang!

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