India Inc walking a tightrope on production first and employee safety

Unlike heavy engineering, auto and auto components, the labour requirement in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies is nevertheless less

It’s a complete overhaul of routine for Pawan Singh, who works at the paint shop of India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki. For his 8 am shift, he now has to report 15-20 minutes early, to comply with the mandatory temperature checks and full-body sanitization. 

Still, it’s a small task, as through a carefully designed standard operating procedure (SOP), including an in-house app, and other measures, the company has ensured the factory premises remain free of Covid-19 since reporting one of the early cases after resuming activity.

Maruti has also restructured its shift timings and the number of employees working in each shift.