FMCG major Marico on Thursday announced a hybrid model of working for its India employees starting October, wherein a majority of the employees will work from the office at a "reduced but defined frequency".
Its new 'Work from Office on Roster' system did not specify the frequency or how many people will be in office at any given time. The company will permit employees to work from a location outside the base location of their role over the next 12-18 months on a case-to-case basis depending on their personal circumstance after approval by the respective CXO and CHRO, a press release said.
"With this development, we will be equipped to not only attract talent from across geographies but also mitigate attrition by retaining members who choose to leave due to locational constraints," said CHRO Amit Prakash.
The maker of Parachute coconut oil has around 1,500 employees in India, and the policy is expected to impact its white-collar workforce.
Marico is one the first FMCG firms to come out with an official hybrid work policy, though several companies have been calling employees back as more and more people are getting vaccinated and the country witnessed a drop in the Covid caseload.
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IT majors, which originally planned to continue the remote working arrangement, have also begun functioning from their offices at various capacities and frequencies.
Marico also plans to change its office infrastructure, including assigning each workstation to two employees. Those coming to office out of turn will have to book their space in advance at a reserved hot desking area through an in-house app.
The firm plans to conduct Glint Engagement Surveys to get periodic feedback from its hybrid workforce on their experience, it said.
Meanwhile, firms in the US, especially the tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have been postponing their office reopening dates to January 2022 due to an increased risk from the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Also read: 42% companies in India plan on making staff work remotely: KPMG