Once upon a time, there was casual leave, sick leave, privilege leave and earned leave: pretty much the annual quota of in every organisation. But as evolved, newer varieties set in. Like bereavement leave, stint-oriented leave, parental leave, sharing of leaves amon employees, leave for reward and recognition, study leave and, of course, paternal leave. In fact, the anticipated trouble following the Ayodhya verdict may have thrown up a new kind of emergency leave, with most IT offices allowing employees to go home early, or declaring a half-day at work.
Some of the country’s leading business houses and companies are now innovating on their paid leave component as a way to improve work-life balance in the belief that it will boost productivity. Employees are not complaining either, for even as they work hard, there are now many more opportunities to take a day off with the reason that suits best!
“Leave has taken on a different connotation, a way to provide a level of comfort to employees,” says veteran HR professional and director (human capital) P Dwarkanath. The Max Group, for instance, has conceptualised self-development leave of up to one month for employees to attend short-term courses and reward recognition leave whereby they are sent on a fully-reimbursed holiday along with family. It is also reviewing possibilities to allow accumulation of sick leaves to make its leave policy more employee-friendly.
Accenture has recently launched ‘Hours That Help’, that provides employees an opportunity to receive additional or extra leave from fellow employees during a medical crisis or emergency. As part of this, employees can voluntarily donate their leave to fellow employees who require availing such leave beyond their stipulated ones.
Accenture has created an internal system whereby all employees will receive a notification when an employee in crisis requires additional leave.
“The programme is expected to promote a spirit of caring, sharing, community help and supports our core values. It responds to a vital need of employees who are confronted with crisis situations, ranging from medical emergencies to health-related concerns,” says Accenture India lead (human resources) Prithvi Shergill.
Analysts say the tendency to come up with newer and innovative leaves is more in the services and knowledge-intensive sectors like IT.
“In the services industry, the manpower component is more critical in relative terms. For instance, in the capital-intensive automotive sector, human resource accounts for only 7-10% of the total cost, whereas in services it is almost 50%,” says NS Rajan, partner, national head and EMEIA leader, people and organisation, . Rajan says leaves are one of the main levers that help to enhance employee engagement. Other levers include the employer brand, possibility of learning and development, relationship with seniors, quality of team, overall culture of the organisation and growth prospects.
president HR Adil Malia feels such newer types of leave are possible due to the coming of age of advanced technology like the BlackBerry and Skype, which allows employees to operate beyond the physical workstation of their office. The need for physical presence in office is now not an absolute necessity, he says.
“Productive employees are those who are satisfied with their family life and meet their social obligations. Hence, these type of leaves allow the employee to fulfil his/her duties as a professional, social being and family person. It also builds an emotional connect with the company,” says Malia.
