World Day for Safety and Health at Work: How companies are ensuring their employees remain safe - The Economic Times - By Abhishek Sahu

On World Day for Safety and Health at Work, ETHRWorld takes a stock of companies that are taking a step ahead in ensuring their people remain safe and healthy.

Amid the Covid second wave, the situation is becoming difficult for all industries and their constituents. To lighten the burden, organisations are supporting their employees by providing them with a safe workplace.

On World Day for Safety and Health at Work, ETHRWorld takes a stock of companies that are taking a step ahead in ensuring their people remain safe and healthy.

Personal care hygiene company Wiz, with 90 per cent of its workforce comprising women, claims to have achieved the feat by simply paying attention to its employees and providing flexible work hours, encouraging teamwork, and understanding personal emergencies.

“We also understand that women in our society often do multiple roles in their lives and believe that a little employer support goes a long way in helping them juggle multiple tasks successfully without adding to their workload,” said Manisha Dhingra, Co-Founder, Wiz.

Much like most other organisations, Wiz employees have been working remotely since March 2020. However, since the personal care industry is classified as essential items, the factories still operated during the lockdown period, albeit with a limited workforce.

Furthermore, the company ensured regular temperature checks, home pickups, social distancing, and provision of high-quality PPE kits. The company also offered additional paid leaves for employees which, Dhingra claims, helped workers strike a work-life balance at a time of global uncertainty.

Similarly, Cosmic Nutracos, the parent company to health and wellness brand Gaia, focussed on reducing the transmission of the virus and took necessary measures in this regard.

Currently, Cosmic Nutracos employees are working remotely due to the six-day long lockdown in Delhi. However, the company had ensured necessary steps even when its employees were working from the workplace.

Cosmic Nutracos has been sanitising and cleaning all touchpoints at regular intervals every day at Head Office, factories, R&D and warehouses. It has also attached caution signboards and information literature at all places.

Besides, a health check once in two or three months is provided for the employees and they are eligible to work from home during sickness or after coming in contact with anyone sick.

“Additionally, we celebrate every occasion in our organisation and initiate engaging exercises, such as competitions, induction sessions etc, to keep the employees motivated. We recognise every employee's efforts and commend them for a job well done,” said Dolly Kumar, Founder and Director, Cosmic Nutracos Solutions.

“Every team is given a forum to discuss their opinions and insights. We also realise mental health is very important and that's why we encourage the employees to have a work-life balance,” she added.

Fintech company Unnati also enabled every team member, including those in the field, to work remotely except when necessary. The company also supplied masks and sanitisers regularly to all its teammates.

Ashok Prasad, Co-Founder, Unnati, said, “These are challenging times and as employers, the onus is on us to ensure the health and safety of our team.”

With the resurgence of the virus and its rapid spread in the second wave, Prasad said covering the basics is very important to keep the team healthy and safe.

“Needless to say, we are adhering to the strictest of guidelines and hoping that the devastating pandemic will relent soon,” he added.