Rohit, an employee of a multinational IT company, wants to watch Mirzapur season 3 (fingers crossed) on a Tuesday, its launch date. However, he can’t take leave since the company has already announced a holiday on Thursday on the occasion of a festival, which Rohit does not celebrate.
What choice does Rohit have? He plans to take a leave on Tuesday on the pretext of “bad health” to watch his favourite show. What does the company lose? An extra day without its employee — in
fact, employees because neither Rohit alone wants to watch the show, nor “bad health” is the only excuse available.
But have you ever thought about getting a leave of absence from work just because you have to watch “Friends: The Reunion” or, say, the first-day first-show of ‘Black Widow’ in cinema?
The debate of “leave swap” was re-ignited recently when a Jaipur-based firm, Verve Logic, hit the headlines by declaring a holiday for its employees on September 3. The company called it
“Netflix and Chill Holiday” as the popular 'Money Heist’ show’s fifth season was released on the same day.
This brings us to the idea — Isn't it time for companies to update their holiday calendars? For many employees, especially millennials, a Netflix release or an IPL match could be more important than, say, Holi?
Though the concept seems to be “ideal” or radical, experts see a possibility of this happening.
PANDEMIC GIVES LEAVES A NEW MEANING
Recruitment firm Robert Half, in a survey, highlighted that employees want more days off. It found 36 per cent put more annual leave at the top of their wish list.
Rahul Goyal, MD – India & South East Asia at payroll major ADP, believes the new generation craves flexibility and choice in their decision making.
“The holiday calendar is currently based on company decisions enabling the entire staff to take holidays to enjoy festivals ‘together’,” he says.
Goyal further says the collective spirit does matter and there are considerations for offices in whether it is OK to be open for some while others are on leave. “But it is possible to balance this
flexibly, especially in today's hybrid and work from home (WFH)
environments,” he adds.
Industry experts emphasise that holidays should reflect ‘moments
that matter’ of an employee’s life. They feel it is imperative to take leaves to rejuvenate and tackle the mounting stress, be it a professional or a personal one.
“Well, before the pandemic had hit our lives, numerous offices used to screen important cricket/football matches or finales of a thrilling web series. Moreover, employees used to go for team lunches and movie premieres as well,” remembers Rajesh Rai, VP – People Team and
Head - HR, India at IT major GlobalLogic.
But now as most of us continue to work remotely, he says, “It is, therefore, critical to take more breaks to keep oneself rejuvenated.”
LEAVES ARE GOOD FOR WORK
For Sandeep Datta, Head - HR & Admin of SG Analytics, the “Netflix holidays” isn’t a new trend as a few years back “duvet days” were all the rage — companies offered their staff an extra day or so
each year on which they could choose to stay at home under the duvet, without having to call in sick.
Datta’s point becomes crucial in the light of findings of a Mercer survey: The average cost of employee absence is equivalent to 36 per cent of an employee’s salary. Besides, absences result in 19 per cent of net lost productivity per day.
Datta has another innovative idea. He offers an extra half-day holiday on an employee’s birthday at SG Analytics. Experts also point out the instance when some employees did not avail
annual leaves, and when they needed it, they weren’t available. This doesn't go without impact.
According to a study by International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, employees who take their annual leaves are 40 per cent more productive and less irritable, depressed, forgetful and easily fatigued compared to employees who don’t take annual leaves. But how can this be solved? Apart from fixed holidays, digital engineering company Nagarro has a list of nearly three times as many possible flexible holidays, from which people can pick and choose.
These holidays are pointedly (and humorously) named the "Nagarro Day of Reason".
As appropriate for a holiday for supporting the personal rationale of an employee, it does not occur on a fixed day each year but is rather chosen for convenience. For example, it might be best set in the middle of a particularly holiday-less period of the year, and it is usually on a Friday or a Monday to allow a long weekend.
Mukund Nair, Director - HR, Nagarro, says it also makes sense to expand the list of flexible holidays to choose from and to add to those days that are more closely related to today's young
socio-cultural context, such as Netflix or video game releases, major
sports matches, and even company events.
“After all, change is dynamic and we need to change along with it. Additionally, with a rolling roster of people, it becomes flexible to also balance work and delivery for our customers,” he says.
ADMINISTRATIVE NIGHTMARE?
Rajiv Naithani, EVP and Chief People Officer, Infogain, points out if governments could allow people to choose their own holidays, it would surely provide a lot of flexibility to people to define their
calendars when they like to opt for optional holidays.
“This is surely radical thinking and will also have an impact on the way businesses are run.”
Further, Naithani says that due to regulatory reasons and the diversity of religions in India, companies would just exhaust holiday lists with this distribution all the time.
Goyal from ADP too feels swapping holidays could become an administrative nightmare. He says holidays have legal, statutory implications that need to be carefully dealt with.
CHANGE IS ALREADY HERE
Innovations are always welcome and more so when we are pushed to stay in our homes, though due to a pandemic. But there is also a saying: Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.
Rai of GlobalLogic believes that instead of swapping holidays, organizations should empower employees to choose their flexible options. He said the idea of having a fixed and floating holiday calendar is immensely important now, as having a “flexible time off rather than just time off or a holiday won’t help anyone amidst such stressful times”.
The Idea is to offer choices, but approaches can be different. For instance, SG Analytics’ employees can transfer their leaves to others who need them. This is especially useful in an emergency, as it
was last year when members of a particular team generously transferred
leaves to a colleague whose entire family was battling with Covid-19.
Or take the example of online marketplace Meesho which introduced a Reset & Recharge policy to prioritize employee well-being. The company has declared a companywide break from November 4 to 14 for employees to completely unplug from work to rest and rejuvenate.
Naithani of Infogain says the personal and social life has evolved in Indian society requiring time to be invested in those areas which used to be perceived as a luxury in the earlier times.
“Today, it is not just about family and work but physical fitness, hobbies, sports, social life, travel, spirituality, etc that are being given equal weightage and time,” he adds, suggesting, “If people
take their leaves, that should not be looked at as a problem but should rather be appreciated in team meetings.”
