What is Corporate India doing to offer all-rounded care packages?
As the country finds itself in dire straits grappling with increasing caseloads and fatalities, straddling the harsh second wave and possibly, an inevitable third wave, corporate India has launched a slew of measures from employee care to contributing to national foundations, with employers rising to the occasion and assisting their employees and their immediate families.
Promises in a glance
Support for employees
CNH Industrial, Social media messenger app Hike, payment gateway Cashfree, hardware giant IBM, Capgemini, and banker ICICI are among the many companies who've stepped up to care for their employees and their dependants' medical care. Some are offering to cover all incidental medical bills from medication to diagnostic tests (Hike, Cashfree) to allocating financial aid (CNH Ind., IMB, Capgemini) and salary advances (Cashfree and ICICI)
Hike also offers a supplement kit initiative that reimburses doctor prescribed supplements and immunity boosters like vitamins, zinc, turmeric, and more, starting April 2021.
Company-specific measures
Akash Sinha, CEO and Co-founder, Cashfree adds, “The pandemic is impacting everyone around the world and every aspect of our daily lives: our social interactions, our family lives, our communities, and, of course, how all of us work. It’s times like these that remind us that each of us has something to contribute and the importance of coming together as a community..."
Companies are also playing to their strengths and contributing to the larger fight against COVID-19. Payment Gateway Cashfree, in association with online crowdfunding platform Ketto, is contributing along with every donation on the platform for oxygen concentrators by being the exclusive payment gateway for Ketto directed campaigns. The company also made it easier for organizations to raise funds- Organisations without a website can raise funds by sharing links over WhatsApp, SMS, email and other social media platforms. A team has been set up to help organizations raising donations for Covid-19 relief activities to set up their account and start collecting donations within 12 hours.
IBM, apart from insurance coverages and emergency medical transport services for covid positive and covid negative employees, the company has instituted a COVID Assist, a Watson Assistant-powered bot, that channelizes requests around critical resources such as ambulance, oxygen, medicine, hospital beds.
The company is also using its global presence and is working with the U.S. and Indian governments as well as the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, the Business Roundtable and the U.S-India Business Council within the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to accelerate critical aid.
Capgemini in addition to covering medical expenses, assisting oxygen concentration and virtual consultation facilities has also offered to provide simple and healthy home-cooked meals to colleagues and their dependent family members who are affected by COVID-19 whereby they can avail themselves- 3 full meals for 7 days for themselves and their family under Project Good Food.
The Rise of Helplines
Most companies have also established task forces and helplines to guide their employees with information regarding medications and testing information and even for online counselling and employee wellbeing. ICICI's 'Santulan' is an example of a 24*7 helpline for employee mental and emotional wellbeing with access to trained counsellors.
The psychological impact of the Pandemic has been the cause of great mental strain and companies like ICICI have permanently moved to 50 per cent hybrid working. Companies are also toeing the Work from Home guidelines and CNH Industrial states that it has implemented the governmental guidelines of 50% attendance norms and even assigned 'COVID Marshalls' in factory premises to maintain social distancing amongst employees
