The idea of work-life balance has been gaining increasing prominence as we approach this festive season in India. Many corporate entities are showing a compassionate side, going out of their way to benefit their employees with enhanced leave facilities during Diwali, flexible work arrangements, optional floating leaves, and even the suspension of onerous sandwich leaves, according to industry observers.
Diwali holds great importance in India not only as a religious festival but also as a time when families come together to celebrate, making it an ideal occasion for a break from professional obligations. Bearing this in mind, certain organizations such as Deloitte, JSW MG Motor, Meesho, Myntra, The Good Glamm Group, XYXX, CashKaro and EarnKaro, have started to offer their staff more downtime. The rationale being that these much-needed breaks assist employees in spending quality time with their family and friends. This, in turn, refreshes and recharges them to get back to work with a revived spirit of enthusiasm, according to the memoirs of company executives.
The e-commerce powerhouse Meesho, for the fourth year in a row, has announced a substantial nine-day, company-wide ‘pause and recharge’ hiatus from the 26th of October to the 3rd of November, applying to all 1,500 staff. This holiday initiative is part of their larger MeeCARE wellness program, which is engineered to promote the well-being of their employees and provide them the opportunity to rejuvenate physically, emotionally and mentally. It also serves as a window for them to enjoy quality time with their family and friends during this festive period.
In a similar vein, Myntra has taken the lead in offering its employees an extended Diwali break. The workers are scheduled to get extra holidays from the 31st of October to 4th of November. By aligning the leave policy with the Diwali weekend, Myntra ensures employee well-being and fosters a supportive environment that facilitates their complete rejuvenation and the opportunity to mark the occasion with their families.
In the direction of propagating the principle of holistic well-being and work-life balance among their workforce, Deloitte provides two days off for Diwali, which are further supplemented by the ensuing weekend break. They follow a liberal policy of enabling their employees to avail themselves of what they call ‘bridge days’ off. These would be a couple of days sandwiched between holidays and weekends that would result in an extended break. They urge their employees to make use of at least two days of leave every quarter.
Further advancing the flexible leave approach, the men’s wear brand XYXX offers options for ‘floating’ holidays besides the pre-determined days off and leaves. This empowers their staff to enjoy holidays that are of personal significance to them, such as Eid, Pujo, Navratri, Chhath Puja, among others.
The e-commerce platforms CashKaro and EarnKaro (a part of CashKaro) are also following suit with a dedicated paid leave policy for major holidays besides the routine annual leaves. The firms also permit their team members extended leaves during Diwali, translating into a four-day break, allowing them to immerse inseparably in the festivities and traditions. The sandwich leave policy that counted non-working days like weekends or holidays as part of an employee’s leave if they fell between regular leaves, has recently been abolished.
In a similar development, the personal care giant, The Good Glamm Group, opts for a more flexible approach of providing its employees with options to take time off during any special occasions, rather than allot additional days off for specific festivals. Taking a strategic approach to work-life integration, JSW MG Motor India has a comprehensive leave policy and flexible work arrangements designed all year round which offer unlimited paid vacation, empower the workforce to work remotely, and prioritize a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle over an office-centric one.
