7 companies with highly-loved workplace practices

Even small tweaks in workplace practices, can make a huge change in attracting more talent and keeping employees happy and engaged

A workplace is only as good as the practices it implements, keeping in mind its people. With dynamic lifestyles taking over and corporates getting increasingly demanding, people are even more eager to find work–life balance now. That said, the work environment and workplace norms or practices are extremely crucial nowadays in defining a preferred workplace.

Be it expecting flexi work hours to prevent the traffic rush in most cities, or getting pets to the workplace, employees today have unique needs that need to be considered, if companies seek productivity from them. At times, even small tweaks in how organisations look at certain common workplace practices, can make a huge different in terms of attracting more talent and keeping the employees happy and engaged. Here are a few companies that have been able to re-think their practices and provide that much sought-after work environment to its people.

Future Group: The Mumbai-based retail group is truly cognizant of the traffic woes most people in Mumbai face, while travelling to Vikhroli. With that in mind, the company allows workers to determine their work timings such that they can avoid extreme traffic. People can choose to come to office between 8:30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. and can leave after eight hours of work, thereafter.

Philips (Gurugram): Gurugram is known for its parking tussles. Although a lot of companies provide reserved parking spaces, it is never enough for all. Considering that, Philips, Gurugram allows its employees to work from home on days they fail to find a parking. The simple idea behind doing so is that logging in from home will be more productive and quicker than finding parking.

American Express South Asia: Helping Gurugram deal with its traffic troubles, and contributing to reducing pollution, AmEx South Asia, at its Golf Course Road and Cyber City offices in Gurugram, promotes the use of public transport. It observes Tuesdays as car-free days in an effort to create an environment-friendly work culture.

SAP Labs: Gone are the days when fixed office timings used to be a ritual. Bengaluru-based SAP Labs does not have a strict timing for employees to come to and leave from office. Instead, it lets people decide their work hours depending on the amount of work they need to deliver. For them, it’s the productivity that matters and not the timing. For instance, if employees finish their work in four hours instead of six, they are free to leave. In addition, SAP allows its employees to work from home once a week, which can be extended further if approved by the reporting managers.

KPMG India: Although flexi work arrangement is a common practice now, KPMG India allows its employees to work from anywhere, focussing only on the outcome. In an endeavour to increase productivity by freeing employees of unavoidable daily restrictions, KPMG India only stresses on the fact that the given task is completed effectively, subject to monitoring by its managers.

Coca Cola: The trick to save people from traffic chaos lies in an early start for Coca Cola. The company begins its workday early at 8:30 a.m. and finishes by 5:00 p.m. so that its employees do not have to encounter the peak traffic hours.

Infosys: Encouraging eco-friendly travel to work, Infosys promotes the use of public transportation, such as buses, cabs and cycles for its large workforce. It even implemented an interesting campaign in Pune, called “Ab Bus Karo,” encouraging employees to take company buses to its development centre. On the other hand, in its Bengaluru facility, it encourages employees to travel by bicycles.