Indian fantasy sports firm fines workers who contact colleagues on their day off.
For most workers around the world, vacations are strictly a time to unwind.
The last thing they want while relaxing on a balmy beach or hiking in the hills is an annoying business call from a colleague.
India firm introduces holiday contact fines
But, sadly, such calls and urgent work-related requests aren’t all that rare and do end up ruining a long-planned break.
Employees at Mumbai-based Dream11, which runs a fantasy sports platform, will have to pay a fine of IR100,000 (about $1,200) if they contact a colleague on their time-off, co-founder Bhavit Sheth told CNBC in an interview.
The Indian company, founded in 2008, makes it mandatory for workers to take at least a week off annually.
“Once a year, for one week, you’re kicked out of the system,” Sheth told the channel.
“You don’t have Slack, emails and calls. Because it helps you greatly to have that one week of uninterrupted time and it helps the business to know whether we’re dependent on anyone.”
So far, the system has proved effective for the employees at the Indian firm, according to 36-year-old Sheth.
“Dream11 believes that this uninterrupted time allows Dreamsters (employees of Dream11) to relax, recharge and come back to work ready to give their best,” the company said in a statement.
The fine is an eye-catching way to let workers enjoy a quality break.
In a bid to retain talent, many other businesses including Goldman Sachs, are allowing staff to take unlimited vacations.
Average hours of work globally fall well within the normal range, at approximately 43.9 hours per week prior to the pandemic, the ILO said in a study on work-life balance.
At the same time, about a third of the world’s workforce have a work week of more than 48 hours, while a fifth work part-time or fewer than 35 hours per week.
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