There’s more to leave than meets the eye. Oftentimes, it’s a topic that’s met with a great deal of hesitation here in India. Employees feel bad to request for it and the management doesn’t attempt to change it. Here’s why you should consider changing your outlook on leave management:
What’s it like for the employee?
Much like the regular maintenance of a car to ensure its efficiency, employees need time off periodically in order to recharge themselves. Today’s job market is highly competitive. This is clearly evident with the high-stress levels and the increasing number of people opting out of conventional jobs to find their ‘peace’. So if you look at it from a macro level, that’s a substantial loss of good talent due to stress factors.
How will it benefit the employee?
While everyone is caught up with the routine of day-to-day work, a break in the monotony is much-needed. Around the world and in the big MNCs, there’s a shift towards encouraging a healthy work-life balance. Scores of research have been done to prove that this healthy balance is linked to high rates of employee satisfaction and indirectly, monetary gains for the company. It’s proven that time spent off work and pursuing whatever else an employee may be passionate about, increases his/ her productivity on the job. Think about Google and why it’s one of the most sought-after places to work - its employees are allowed to pursue their pet projects for 10% of the time and are strictly encouraged to take time off (apart from a host of other benefits). The result, happy and productive employees.
Psychologically, when an employer encourages the employee to go on vacation, the employee starts to change his/ her outlook towards a brighter disposition. A productive work-life balance ensures you retain good talent which is otherwise hard to come by amidst this competitive job market.
What’s the benefit to the company?
An employee who is well-rested and has adequate recreation will automatically perform better at work. Besides the increase in efficiency, the employer stands to save a lot on potential fines for not adhering to the statutory rules stated in the Labour Laws.
Going beyond the office and in the eyes of the public, a company that gives importance to personnel development is viewed as desirable. This all ties into the broader goal of branding which as we all know, plays the biggest role in public perception.
Is there an easier method for leave management?
Yes. Leave management and attendance management have come a long way from bulky files and unnecessarily complicated Excel sheets to highly accurate and easy-to-use cloud software. They’re fully equipped to handle any sort of policy and are configurable to suit an individual company. Being a cloud software, it can be accessed and tracked from anywhere and at any time. The good ones work in tandem with the latest statutory regulations and are directly linked to the payroll processing. So what this means for the employer is a hassle-free solution to manage employee leave, amongst other things.
The next time you’re hesitant about approving vacations, think twice because the more the employee goes away, the longer they’ll stay.
