How Should I Approach My Internship Project on Employee Welfare at Taj?

Hi, I am a student who has completed the first year of an MBA program. I am currently doing my summer internship at Taj. The project assigned to me is focused on employee welfare. However, I am unsure about the specific objectives of this study. Taj is renowned for its exceptional employee welfare practices in the hotel industry. I would appreciate your guidance on how to proceed with this project and what kind of research I should conduct. Your prompt assistance would be highly valued. Thank you.

Hi Jean,

Regarding your query about a project on Welfare measures... you can approach this in two ways:

1. If you are interested in legislations and laws, you can study welfare legislations, compare the provisions with the actual practices, and then submit a report based on the discrepancies. This can help the management appraise themselves of where they stand regarding the provisions and whether they would be fined for any non-compliance.

2. If you are not interested in getting into legal aspects and legislations, you can simply survey the welfare measures provided by the organization, interact with the employees, and find out the gaps.

I hope this helps you to some extent in framing your outline for the project.

Regards,
Ram

Employee welfare is a very broad area of interest. In our organization, employee welfare is addressed to varying degrees by measures such as:

1. Family-friendly policies. For example, staff can, in most positions, opt to work part-time. Or they can choose to "purchase" extra annual leave (i.e., get paid slightly less each fortnight but get an extra 2 - 4 weeks of annual leave).

2. Flexi-time - Most staff can choose how early or late they start each day, so long as they are here between 10 am and 4 pm. Of course, they have to make up time if they regularly start late or finish early. Staff can carry up to a 20-hour deficit or 20-hour surplus from one month to the next. If in surplus, staff can take this time off with manager approval.

3. Employee Assistance Programs. Our agency has an arrangement with an external counseling service so that employees or members of their immediate family can access counseling on any matter whatsoever - work issues, drug and alcohol problems, family dynamics, etc.

4. Policies on bullying and harassment in the workplace. Psychological health is a big focus for us, and sadly there are a few managers who are very "unhealthy" for their staff.

5. Paid Maternity & Adoption Leave - a recent industrial decision enables staff to have up to 12 weeks paid maternity or adoption leave and up to 2 years unpaid leave for each child. Of course, under equal opportunity legislation, the organization is obliged to allow the employee to return to their position when this leave is finished.

6. The agency maintains a "family-friendly" website that has links to support services for a whole range of things - parenting, domestic violence, child abuse, health issues (specific to men and women), etc.

We work on the premise that to address employee welfare adequately, we need to consider the employee in the context of their whole life, and not just in the workplace. As a staff member, my observation is that these measures are very useful to staff, and most staff would take advantage of at least one or two strategies to support their welfare.

Hope this helps to spark off some "inspiration."

Employees Welfare Committee

I. Legal Requirement

The law requires establishment of an Employees Welfare Committee (EWC), with management and employee participation, to have custody of and disburse an Employees Welfare Fund, which receives contribution from the Company and from each employee. The Employees-Welfare-Committee prepares a welfare program and has established an Employees Welfare Association (EWA) to administer the program. All Employee Welfare organizational and fiscal matters are under the rules and control of competent Government authority.

II. Organization

The EWC consists of nine members, including representatives of the Labor Union. The Committee meets every three months. A Chief Executive appointed by the Committee is delegated to exercise EWC authority between meetings.

A Chairman who supervises EWA personnel and manages EWA programs heads the EWA.



III. Finances

The Company legally required contribution to the Employee Welfare Fund includes 0.10 percent of gross income plus 40% of proceeds from scraps sales. Additionally the Company provides land, buildings and facilities (and maintenance thereof), and furnishes a number of full time administrative employees to the EWA and provides a monthly cash subsidy. The employees contribute approximately 0.5 percent of their base salaries to the Fund.

Periodic financial statements are required and submitted to competent Government authorities.

IV. Welfare Programs

Employees Welfare Committee implements the functions of welfare programs as following: canteen service, recreational facility, sponsorship of hobby groups, sponsorship of recreational events, company excursion arrangement, selecting festival gifts, employee's assistant program and subsidies for employee's emergency needs.

Thank you for your suggestions. I would like to gather information on the welfare measures provided to the insurance industry. Additionally, I am interested in identifying possible questionnaires for conducting a project on this topic.