Some in the business world will do whatever it takes to turn a profit, even if it means making their employees bend over backward. This is why certain companies have taken steps to ensure that we give our bodies the proper rest that it requires. One such company is the Indian startup called SoftGrid Computers. Before the end of an employee’s work day at this company, a message pops up on their screen with a bright red, ‘Warning!!!’ After this, a message comes up that reads, “Your shift time is over. The office system will shut down in 10 mins. PLEASE GO HOME!”
A LinkedIn post about the workday culture at this company became quite viral after it was shared by Tanvi Khandelwal, an HR specialist who joined this company this year. The 21-year-old stated, “While I was surprised to see such a message on my computer system, I believe that a healthy work-life balance is very important. I am a social worker as well, and such work culture allows me to engage in those activities after my office hours.”
Tech Company In India Trying To Promote A Healthy Life-Work day Balance
The CEO and co-founder of this startup, Shweta Shukla, went on record to state that she and her partners had started up this initiative as a means of prioritizing breaks, as well as maintaining a proper balance between the life, and the work day of their 40 employees. Since most of them would be staying in late to meet a client, there was a need for breaks in the workplace. She stated, “Coming up with this solution was a shared thought process amongst all the partners. Since the pandemic, we have all been facing issues with working overtime and missing out on the social parts of our daily lives, like quality time with our families and loved ones.”
However, there were certain individuals who thought that such a method of maintaining a proper work-life balance could create unnecessary issues, as people would now try to finish their work as soon as possible before the deadline. This could lead to shoddy work, as well as increased anxiety and an inflexible work ethos. But to this, Shukla responded, “This pop-up message is not an ultimatum. It serves as a reminder for our teammates and with a simple restart, they can get back to work if required.” Khandelwal also commented that despite the few negative comments that were there on her post, several other human resources employees across the city had reached out to her on social media to recreate this at their own companies.
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