This Covid pandemic has brought so many changes in the work culture that in the future we do not know how the system will operate. Most of the companies now have realised that the certain category employees’ presence is not essential in the office, and these employees can do the work from home. I know of certain companies who have asked their employees to work from home and come to the office once a week (provided it is allowed by authorities because of lockdown conditions) for meetings, with their group members/colleagues/seniors. In this way, employees are also happy as they do not have to travel during pandemics, and they also save a lot of time which goes into travel to the workplace. The management also saves in overheads, and office space as now they can work in lesser space, which reduces their fixed cost of operation.
But there are certain companies who are engaged in manufacturing/marketing/selling of essential items, they have started finding it difficult to motivate their employees during this pandemic, as everyone is worried about their and their family’s health safety. Now the employees who have to go out and work in the field are worried all the time about their health, and this leads to anxiety and stress, which indirectly reflects on their work performance.
Now companies across the spectrum have started to dole out financial incentives to the workforce in the field, bearing their medical expenses and increasing their insurance cover and extra paid leave to reward and encourage them to continue working as the worst surge of Covid 19 pandemic grips the country. Senior Management personnel of several companies said that they are providing these incentives to ensure that essential services and production continue because most workers are reluctant to come to work and migrant labourers have started returning to their home towns. As per one Senior Manager of an essential goods company ‘ Last year the industry suffered due to the exodus of labour. This time we are offering incentives and hardship allowances to all the factory workers and even logistic workers to ensure that they are rewarded during tough times ‘.
Some companies have started offering initiatives from comprehensive medical care to infected employees and their family members, paid leave to recover, private transport for sales personnel, and heightened safety norms.
One company is extending financial support to employees and their families and tied up with the hotels for treatment due to an acute shortage of hospital beds. They are offering their frontline workers two additional weeks of paid leave.
The biggest problem is faced by logistic companies, where 90 to 95% of the workforce is migrant. Unlike last time cases have spread deep and wide and workers understand that. So most of the logistic companies are offering financial benefits to their extended workforce. But there are many workers who prefer to return to their home town. From the industrial workforce, it started with a trickle of people leaving for their home town, but day by day it is increasing, especially temporary and contractual workers in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). But if the trend continues there will be a shortage of workers, and this will impact production.
Every company is trying to keep their workforce in the motivated frame of mind, with the incentives which they can afford. But there is a hardship for the owners of Micro and small scale industry, who are finding very difficult to keep their workforce happy, as they are not in a position to offer many incentives due to crunch in their cash flow. Therefore so many owners of Micro and small-scale industries have no other choice but to close down their operations when most of their workforce return to their homes.
In the end, it has become very essential to keep the workforce motivated in all manners, so as to keep the business running. As last year was bad in terms of business for many companies, so this year every company is taking care of their workforce so that business goes on, and the company can at least break even to pay their workforce.
This issue has become very big and my blog is just a small step in informing my readers of happenings in the work places during this Covid pandemic.
Waiting for your views/comments.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
28th April 2021.