COVID RELIEF LEAVE: THE NEW NORMAL

From US to Delhi, many employers are putting the spotlight on mental health at work

One week’s leave and a ‘Do not work’ instruction is what a US-based sports company recently gave its employees. And even Indian employers are making provisions now to address mental health concerns. From Covid relief breaks to recover from pandemic induced stress, to psychological counselling, the employers are offering a lot to enable their task force to deal with issues such as the fatigue from 24x7 work.

“In my office, we’ve got oneday Covid relief leave. We could choose the day and take it and it was not be deducted from our total leaves,” says Niharika Gul, a manager with a beverage company in Noida. She adds she even “got Covid relief goodies such as three to four masks, skipping rope, stretch pants, snacks and indoor games like Ludo.”

Anvi Grover Jain, a Delhibased psychologist, says it’s important that more employers come forward with such measures, and adds: “People confined to their homes are unable to process their feelings. They need help.”

“It’s not always easy to talk about mental health issues with managers,” says Rohinibased marketing professional Ankita Jeswal, who feels getting leaves from work is better than applying for offs for mental wellness. “WFH has added to stress as you can’t say no to any work... Our company arranged counsellors to conduct free of cost sessions,” she adds.

We could choose the day and take Covid relief leave, and it wasn’t deducted from our total leaves... NIHARIKA GUL, A Delhiite