Gift a garden
With Diwali around the corner, it’s gifting time at offices. And employers really seem to be putting on their thinking caps to gift something unusual and eco-friendly. Xoxoday, an experience company that started in 2012 and is backed by the Mahindra Group, is gifting its 150-odd employees a kitchen garden this festival of lights. “We have printed a Diwali greeting card with tomato and chilli seeds infused inside it. These cards can be soaked in water and planted in soil,” says Kushal Agrawal, co-founder, Xoxoday.
Yet another survey is here trying to track the best places to work. This time it’s the job site Indeed, which has come up with a list curated mainly from employee reviews of companies on its site. No surprises when it comes to the top ranked company – Google heads the charts. But Bharat Heavy Electrical and State Bank of India change the narrative by securing second and third places. “While compensation and job security are always on top of mind for employees, we are seeing strong company culture and sense of community becoming just as much of a priority,” says Sashi Kumar, Managing Director at Indeed India.
Why childcare matters
A new report by the International Finance Corporation makes a case for companies to play a role in the global childcare challenge, and demonstrates through 10 case studies how companies that offer childcare services to their employees stand to gain. The report, Tackling Childcare: The Business Case for Employer Supported Childcare, says there are at least five benefits to companies that invest in childcare services. 1) Offering childcare supports can improve the quality of applicants and the speed at which vacancies can be filled. 2) It can lead to substantial reductions in employee turnover 3) It can improve productivity through reduced absences, greater focus and enhanced motivation and commitment. 4) Childcare services also improve workforce diversity as more women are free to take on leadership roles. 5) It leads to enhanced corporate reputation.