 "Tata Steel launches initiatives to promote work-life balance")
Tata Steel has adopted a five-day work week from February 1, 2016 in order to promote work-life balance among employees. Suresh Dutt Tripathi, Vice President-HRM, Tata Steel said that this this transition was not only to bring in collaboration and cultural assimilation across geographies & functions but also to increase productive work hours, productivity, improve safety, reduce cost, reduce carbon footprint and enhance work-life balance.
"In line with our aspiration to continue to be an employer of choice, with a highly engaged workforce, operating in a culture that focuses on safety, productivity, cost, environment, without compromising on work-life balance, there was a need for transition to a '5 Day Work Week'," said Tripathi.
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This was also further corroborated by the company on the basis of feedback received from employee engagement surveys and various internal dialogues. The company has implemented this initiative across all offices at locations of Tata Steel India. However it does not include shift working.
Apart from this, Tata Steel has put into place a number to provide work-life balance for employees. These include Satellite Office Operation, Sabbatical policy, Additional Privilege Leave, Paternity Leave, Honeymoon package for newly married, Activities under Adventure Foundation among others.
Tripathi said that satellite office operation is a good example of flexible working not only for women employees but all employees who have a need due to spouse having been transferred or taking up an assignment which is in another location. Currently, the maternity leave is provided to the expecting mother up to 22 weeks. However, Tripathi said that there are several provisions for the working mothers at Tata Steel to enable them to take care of her child.
These include leave provision up to a maximum of four months for women employees who are unable to resume duty on the expiry of maternity leave. Once the women employee joins back from maternity leave she is allowed in course of her daily work, 'two breaks' of 45 minutes each (can be taken together) for nursing the child until the child attains the age of fifteen months.
"We are currently working on a number of other policies which will give an excellent environment to women employees for having a great work life balance," he explained. Lady executives are entitled for Additional Privilege Leave of 15 days per year. It can be utilized, if their child under the age of 5 years is sick and needs full time attention of mother.