Infy, ONGC go all out to woo employees

NEW DELHI: From paid sabbaticals to helping employees’ wives get jobs and at times setting up child care centres — HR managers are doing all they can to retain and keep their employees happy.

What’s more, they are providing options to work from home, especially for pregnant women employees. In fact, according to a global survey by Mercer Human resource Consulting, 72per cent of the companies provide language tuitions and 60per cent provide cross-cultural training to their employees on an international assignment.

Take for example, IT major Infosys. According to Bikramjit Maitra, VP and head, HR, Infosys Technologies, “The company allows leave without pay for a year to join their partners abroad. Though he or she has to complete a year of service, before availing of the benefit.”

Motorola India is no exception. The company provides educational assistance to the employees’ (on an international assignment) spouse to get a suitable job abroad. If the candidate fits in their organisational needs, they also take the person in. It also has flexible working hours for people in dire need, given that they fulfill certain conditions. Add to this a child care centre for working mothers to take care of their little ones, while they are putting in their best for the company, says Raghuram Reddam, head, HR, Motorola, India.

NIIT is another company that keeps finding ways to keep its employees cheerful. “Apart from the allowances like wedding anniversary allowance, dating allowance and others, the company provides a paid sabbatical for six months every five years,” says Rosita Rabindra, head, HR, NIIT Technologies.

Oil major ONGC has gone a step further and is planning to allow a paid sabbatical of 3-7 years for its under-qualified employees. The initiative is aimed at skill upgradation and imbibing confidence among the workers. It’s up to the employees to take a call after 3 years whether they want to severe ties with the company. The implementation of the policy is expected in the next 3-4 months.