12,000 Flipkart Employees Can Take Unlimited Bereavement Leaves; WFH Extended Till May, 2021

• Flipkart extended WFH till 31st MAy 2021
• The Indian e-commerce giant is taking initiative to ensure a healthy work environment.

Amidst companies opening up their offices and going back to the traditional way of working, the Indian e-commerce behemoth, Flipkart, has extended work from home for its employees.

According to an internal email sent by the company to the employees, Flipkart has increased the deadline of WFH for its 12,000 employees till 31st MAy 2021.

What WFH Related Guidelines Has Flipkart Issued?

Earlier, Flipkart had announced WFH for all its employees till the end of December. But now, according to sources, the Indian e commerce company has extended work from home policy till the end of May 2021. 

The employees that were coming to the office on a roster basis will continue to do so. The rest are advised to visit the workplace only in case of emergencies. Even in that case there will be expected to follow strict guidelines and book their visit beforehand.

Besides, the company allows workers to take breaks on a daily basis and has implemented a compulsory 1 hour lunch break where no meeting can be scheduled.

Why Is Flipkart Extending WFH Unlike Other Companies?

The Bangalore based firm has taken this decision by also considering the collateral  consequences of the pandemic. This includes the employees responsibility towards children’s education and elderly care. Some of the employees have also left the city to be close to their families.

Krishna Raghvan, chief people officer at Flipkart wrote, ‘While we have all been eagerly waiting to see each other in person, there is no scope for letting our guard down, as we monitor the situation closely. To keep ourselves and our families safe, the best we can do is to continue practising social distancing and exercising all mandatory precautions unless there’s a sure-shot cure in sight.’ 

How Is Flipkart Ensuring Welfare Of Its Employees?

Flipkart is taking various initiatives to ensure the health and mental wellness of their employees. They include wellness and engagement programmes, virtual offsites and virtual engagement events.

The company has introduced ‘Covid Care Leaves’ under which  the employees diagnosed with COVID-19 will be offered paid leaves of 28 days, irrespective of whether they are hospitalised or not.

The employees also take “unlimited bereavement leave” in case of the loss of a family member, under the company’s ‘time away from work policy’.

To guarantee a healthy work-life balance, the staff are urged to take compulsory monthly days off and shorter working Fridays.

The company is sticking to its words written in Raghvan’s letter, ‘I assure you that we are with you, every step of the way. Your health, safety and mental wellness will always be our topmost priority.’ 

Recently, Flipkart’s arch rival Amazon also extended WFH deadline till June 30, 2021. Seems like the e commerce companies want to prioritise their employee’s welfare since the profits in the sector are assured because of its growth in a pandemic period. The yield of the ecommerce websites  from the last festive season justifies that.