While work-from-home (WFH) was the sought after option by employees in the past, in the new normal, employees at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) India are seeking the option to work from office, and the Company has obliged. The organisation has mandated that the standing work force capacity inside the office will remain at a steady 15 per cent across all locations. However, employees can apply on an online system, a week beforehand, to work out of office.
Except for its Mumbai office, JLL offices have opened in almost all locations, as the states have relaxed restrictions. The Gurgaon office has been open since mid-May, while Hyderabad and Chennai offices have been functioning since May 11. The Bangalore office was the first to open. For the time-being, work from office is only allowed for employees who own a personal vehicle and can commute to and from office on their own.
Currently, for business continuity purposes, employees work in alternating shifts, with the first team coming in for one week and the second team the week after. Employees can apply for a pass and based on the availability of slots, they are allowed to travel to work.
Tanvi Choksi, HR-head, director, JLL India, says that after an internal survey it was found that people were eager to go back to office. “Many of the employees complained of internet issues and lack of a good workspace at home, which is why we decided to provide this option.”
It is mandatory for all to have the Government-sponsored Aarogya Setu app on their phones. The organisation is keeping a track of who is coming in at what time so that in the event of an unfortunate circumstance, it is will be easier to identify who needs to be isolated.
The number of employees in a particular shift varies from state to state and office to office. For instance, out of the total of 300 plus employees in the Gurgaon office, only 50 have been given passes to commute to work.
JLL went into WFH mode on March 20, even before the nationwide lockdown commenced on March 24, and had begun preparing for it a week earlier.
myFlex programme
JLL India has recently introduced an all-inclusive flexible benefits programme, called myFlex, for its multigenerational workforce, to enhance its existing health and wellness programmes. This is the result of an engagement survey conducted last year, where over 80 per cent of JLL India’s employees voted for flexible benefits as a major attraction and retention measure and a majority voted for gym and wellness benefits.
“We found that the preferences among employees vary— those with single-income and no kids preferred wellness options, such as gym membership, more than those with families,” reveals Choksi.
The programme includes a basic insurance threshold, which is the common insurance cover for all employees. In addition, each employee gets a set of points, which can be further used for other benefits such as yoga sessions or gym memberships.
As a part of its slew of learning and engagement activities, the Company has launched a mentorship programme for those employees who are not actively working at the moment. Unlike HR or finance functions, there are many roles within the organisation, such as project management and facility management which are not possible to fulfil while working from home. To keep these people engaged and help them learn at the same time, this mentorship programme was launched. Under the initiative, the employees are matched with mentors from outside their area. This gave them a chance to learn about work across business lines and stay connected with the organisation.
According to Choksi, “Learning has been the biggest focus for the organisation during this time.” More than 50 per cent of the 12,000-strong workforce across the country attended learning sessions remotely.
The Company offers other activities as well, such as yoga, Zumba and leader-speak. Additionally, its fun initiatives, such as ‘HR unplugged’, allow employees and their family members to participate in interactive sessions involving singing, dancing and art.
Walking for a good cause
The Company has launched a ‘step challenge’ for its employees sitting at home, which is linked to giving back to society. Along with being a CSR activity, it also targets employee fitness.
This 40-day challenge has been launched across the APAC region with employees forming teams of 10 members each. For the number of steps that an employee records, the Company donates a certain amount to a charity of their choice. It is up to the employees to select the kind of activity they want to do to complete the required number of steps. In addition, they can earn certain days of leave, which they can use to spend their time at a charity of choice, if they so wish.