The Labor Welfare Officer is a statutory position that is required to be filled by an employer as per the provisions made under the Factories Act, 1948, and rules made thereunder. Basically, the LWO is supposed to take care of statutory welfare as well as non-statutory welfare of employees in the organization to which he was appointed. Generally, this position is to be reported to the HR department, and the GM-HR/Manager-HR will be his boss. In some companies, this professional is required to report directly to the unit head as per their organizational structure. However, the terms and conditions of this position are strictly governed by Factory rules concerning his/her appointment, termination, salary, etc. Any employer can easily fill this position, whereas it is very difficult for him to terminate his services unless he follows the procedure as laid down under the Factories Act.
Everybody in HR knows that labor welfare is one of the functions of the HR department; professionals in this area would have limited exposure compared to HR generalist roles. However, in major companies, this professional may also rise up to Chief Welfare Officer when the number of employees in such a company exceeds 1000 or more. The Chief Welfare Officer plays an important role in administering statutory and non-statutory welfare facilities and earns the respect of all employees.
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