From Luxury Cars To Unlimited Leaves, These Companies Are Going Above And Beyond For Their Employees

Now that pandemic has 'sort of' simmered down and offices are reopening, we all dream about those work from home days when we could work from any city in the world. Companies these days are resorting to different means to retain employees. Employees are offered various options to strike a perfect work-life balance, from flexible work from home policies to paid mental-health leaves. But these companies below did some extraordinary things which will make you think about changing your current job and joining these organisations. Here¡¯s take a look:

Indian start-Up announced a 30-minute official nap time for its employees

On May 5, A Bengaluru-Based startup, Wakefit Innovations Pvt. Ltd. which offers a range of Orthopedic memory foam mattresses across India announced that the staff members will now be allowed naps for up to 30 minutes at work. The organisation decided to normalise afternoon naps at work and declare 2 to 2.30 pm as the official nap time for all our employees and also employee calendars would be blocked between 2 to 2.30 pm to ensure they can nap peacefully and no other meeting is scheduled.

Wakefit Innovations Pvt. Ltd announced 30 minutes official nap time for its employees | Representational image

¡°We have been in the business of sleep for over six years now and yet, have failed to do justice to a crucial aspect of rest ¨C the afternoon nap.", Wakefit co-founder Chaitanya Ramalingegowda wrote in the email.

In his mail, he added, ¡°Research shows that afternoon naps help with memory, concentration, creativity, and productivity. A NASA study reveals that a 26-minute catnap can enhance performance by 33%, while a Harvard study shows how naps prevent burnout.¡±

For the uninitiated, in 2019, Wakefit had offered a few interns a stipend of Rs 1 lakh to sleep for nine hours a day for 100 days.

New Zealand-based company decided to offer unlimited annual leave

WFH from anywhere sounds nice, we're still working and can't take unnecessary leaves because we only have a limited number of those. But employees of this New Zealand-based software company named Actionstep are lucky because the organisation is offering unlimited annual leaves to all its employees. The company has removed the cap on leaves and allowed its staff to go on as many holidays as they desire. The Vice-President of the company, Stevie Mayhew, called it a "high¨Ctrust model". He said, "It allows people to take the leave they need and then come in and do their best work for us."

"There was a little bit of scepticism at the start and a few questions asked like 'can I just take three months off and go' but we've been able to work through all the questions with our staff and get them excited for the opportunity it provides. We trust our staff and hope that they trust us as well."

Chennai-based software firm gifted BMWs to its employees

Kissflow Inc gifted BMW to its employees | Photo: Instagram

Often people leave companies in a very short period for better opportunities but some are with companies for a long time and with hard work and loyalty help the organisation to grow. And for this loyalty and hard work, these employees should very much be rewarded. Last month, a CEO of a Chennai-based software-as-a-service company Kissflow Inc set the example as he gifted five of his employees BMW 530d cars worth over Rs 1 crore each for their loyalty to the company.

CEO Suresh Sambandam told PTI that the five employees have been with the company right from its beginning and helped the company ¡®dig gold¡¯ during the pandemic. He further said some of the employees came from humble backgrounds and had faced significant challenges prior to joining the company.

"There were difficult times. Even during the pandemic, the investors were not sure whether this company will sustain and build a future. Today we are very happy that we have paid back the investors and now it has become a fully owned privately held company," he said.

IT firm gifts 100 cars to employees worth Rs 15 crore for their hard work

Ideas2IT gifted 100 cars to its employees | Photo: Instagram

A day after the CEO of a Chennai-based software-as-a-service company Kissflow Inc gifted five of his employees BMW cars, A Chennai-based IT firm 'Ideas2IT' has gifted over 100 cars (Maruti Suzuki cars ¨C ranging from S-Cross to Vitara Brezza and Baleno) to its employees for their hard work, dedication and contribution to the profit of the company. This was also part of the company's mega wealth sharing initiative.

Hari Subramanian, Marketing Head, Ideas2IT said, "We are gifting 100 cars to 100 of our employees who have been a part of us for more than 10 years. We have a strength of 500 employees. Our concept is to return the wealth we have received, to the employees."

"Seven-eight years ago we promised that when we get lefty goals we will share our wealth. Awarding these cars is just the first step. We plan to roll out more such initiatives in the near future," added Mr Vivekanandan.

"It is always great to receive gifts from the organisation; on every occasion, the company shares its happiness with gifts like gold coins, and iPhones. Car is a very big thing for us," said Prasath, an employee, who received the gift from the company.

IT firm offering free matchmaking services to employees; a salary hike if they marry

Mookambika Infosolutions is offering free matchmaking services to its 750 employees | Photo: Unsplash/Representational image

Above we have read about the companies who gifted their employees BMW and one offers unlimited annual leave to its employees but a Madurai-based IT company, Mookambika Infosolutions is offering something 'extra.' Well, the company is offering free matchmaking services to its 750 employees and hike for those who use these services and get married. According to a TOI report, the step comes following their Mookambika Infosolutions attrition rate, which has been below 10 per cent for several years now.

The company also gives its employees a fixed 6-8 per cent increment twice a year. But now, they're not just offering their employees matrimonial services but a special increment in case they tie the knot.

Speaking about the initiative, founder MP Selvaganesh said, "They (the employees) treat me like a brother. Several of them are from villages, with either aged parents or lacking a proper outlook of the world and unable to fight the right match."

Spent Rs 1 Crore On Free Holiday For Staff To Thank Them For Working During Pandemic

Photo: Unsplash/Representational image

A British recruitment company, 'Yolk Recruitment' in Cardiff, Wales, took 55 members of its staff on a holiday to thank them for working through the COVID-19 pandemic in April. According to reports, The firm spent more than ?100,000 (Rs 1 crore) for the four-day break. "2020 was a really tough time on our whole industry - we went from the jobs market being put on hold to going into overdrive," Chief commercial officer Pavan Arora told the BBC.

"2020 was a really tough time on our whole industry - we went from the jobs market being put on hold to going into overdrive," Chief commercial officer Pavan Arora told the BBC.

Adopted a healthier lifestyle programme to motivate employees

Unsplash/Representational image

We always try to maintain a healthy lifestyle despite various pressures on our heads, especially in our work. What would you do if your company created a 12-month ¡®get-healthy goal¡¯ programme to push you towards a healthier lifestyle? yeah, of course, you would definitely try to ignore it or change the company but what would you do if the company rewards you with a 1-month salary of Rs 10 lakh prize to make transformations in your life?. However last year, an Indian firm, 'Zerodha' is making sure that nobody ignores their health and in an attempt to encourage its employees and help them maintain a work-life balance, this company has come up with a creative ¡¯12-month get-healthy goal¡¯ programme.

This was shared by the CEO, Nithin Kamath of his company, Zerodha. He wrote about the impact of the pandemic and how their workforce was the ¡°unhealthiest ever¡± due to various aspects such as lack of physical activity, work-life imbalance and bad diet, among others.

Post the first lockdown, like everywhere, our team @zerodhaonline as a whole was probably the unhealthiest ever, due to the lack of physical activity, work-life imbalance, bad diet, & more. We thought of a way to nudge the team to get healthy and the results are phenomenal. 1/3

¡ª Nithin Kamath (@Nithin0dha) August 28, 2021

To push the team towards a healthier lifestyle, the company will reward employees who make transformations in their life. He mentioned how to increase the participation, the company along with a 1-month salary will have a lucky draw where the winner will get a reward worth Rs 10 lakhs.

An initiative like this is a great way to motivate employees to stay fit while working hard for the company.