How Should HR Handle Salaries and Productivity During a Potential Lockdown?

Hi Experts, I am from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, working as an HR Manager in an IT company. As of now, no single positive case of coronavirus has been found in Gujarat. As a preventive measure, the government of Gujarat has announced the closure of schools, colleges, and all public places. Currently, we are not close to a situation like a lockdown. However, in the event of a lockdown, and we have to ask employees to work from home or provide them with leaves, what would be the policy regarding their salary?

Paid Leave Policy During Lockdown

If we decide to offer paid leave for 15 days, what about work?

Work From Home and Productivity Measurement

If we opt for work from home, how will we measure their productivity? We are an IT company, and currently, we do not have a work-from-home policy in place. We have 25 employees.

Thank you.

Hi Meghavi,

The similar situation we are facing here too, but I think we cannot put a measurement on such criteria. If the organization wants to keep their work going, then we have to keep faith in our employees instead of putting doubt on his/her working abilities. The employees who ask for work from home are that much responsible and mature too. Hence, I think we just have to move out from this pandemic situation.

Dear Meghavi and Suchit,

The role of employees in different industries

In the manufacturing and service industries, people are an inseparable part of the product or services. Employees' presence is *sine qua non* for the production of goods or the delivery of services. In contrast, in IT companies, the development of products can be delivered even when working from a distant place. That is the benefit of the development of digital goods.

Challenges of implementing work-from-home policies

In both of your companies, why was it not possible to provide the facility of working from home? Is your server located on the cloud or locally available? Secondly, measuring work should not be a problem. To check whether coding is done or to identify bugs in the software, one need not be present in the office. It can be done remotely.

Solutions for remote working challenges

If you are facing problems with remote working, why not try using Google Drive or Microsoft's One Drive? Of course, in some cases, due to security issues, the client's permission is required. Approach the client and find out how they can help you.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Hi Experts, I am from Bangalore, working as an HR Manager in the media & production industry. As we all know, the situation in Karnataka is not good, and near our workplace, one tech park was affected by corona. This is why I raised a concern about the necessary actions for corona, resulting in the decision for all employees to work from home this month.

Monitoring Employee Workflow During Work-from-Home

To monitor employees' workflow throughout the work-from-home period, we are conducting daily stand-up meetings on Skype from 9:30 am to 10 am. Additionally, we have created a reporting form for each department's employees. They are required to fill out this form daily after completing their work and send it to the respective team lead for further assistance and evaluation.

I believe that through these monitoring techniques, we can effectively track employee workflow and maintain productivity.

Hi Meghavi,

Being an IT company, it is easy for you guys to work remotely. You can arrange a meeting with the team and plan accordingly. If not, ask employees to come to work in batches. For example, if there are 6 people in a department, ask 3 to work for a week while the remaining 3 are at home, and vice versa. If you plan it this way, the work will also be done, there will be fewer chances of everyone falling sick, and you can still pay salaries.

I hope this helps in managing the work effectively and keeping everyone safe and productive.

Thank you.

One of our employees approved his leave from 07.03.20 to 28.03.20 for personal reasons. Now, due to the current situation, we have started working from home. Is that employee eligible for salary payment?

Hi NRK1483,

I would suggest you check with his line manager whether the employee who is on vacation is working from home and completing the tasks on time. If so, you can consider paying him for the days he has worked. If not, you need not pay him from 07/03/2020 to 28/03/2020.

We are an IT company based in Mumbai. As a precautionary step, we have started work-from-home arrangements for our entire IT/Tech Department. However, for the Non-IT Departments (Accounts, Sales, HR, Admin), due to the nature of their work, it is difficult to provide them with work-from-home opportunities. As the situation in Mumbai is deteriorating, we are considering granting them leave or allowing them to work from home.

Leave and Salary Policy Suggestions

Could you please suggest a leave and salary policy for employees in these categories? Should we offer unpaid leave for leaves, or consider a 50% salary for those working from home, considering that productivity might be lower in a WFH setup?

Thank you.

You need to consider the Information Security policy of the company while allowing work from home. If it is not a concern, then you can allow them to WFH using remote access. In fact, it is one of the good practices you can start for the future as well, as WFH provides work-life balance.

To monitor the work, they should be available anytime via internal communication channels like Skype, Slack, Teams, or any other application. Managers can ensure that the given tasks are progressing at the expected speed.

Thanks,
Devang

Hi,

As of now, if any employee is affected by COVID-19, they are eligible for 28 days of paid leave. If your employees are covered by insurance, they are eligible to claim insurance benefits even during the quarantine period. You cannot deduct amounts for work from home as they are still working for us. If you don't trust your employees, you may need to tighten your work measurement policy. Ensure that your insurance broker and TPA (Third-Party Administrator) are aware of these policies.

Hi,

I believe everyone is aware of the current situation due to the coronavirus. If we announce a leave for a few days, will this period be considered as paid or unpaid (for someone who has no leave balance)? Please guide me according to the policy.

Regards,
Avanish

Dear All,

Please find attached the notification from the Commissioner of Labour, Maharashtra advising not to terminate employees/workers from their jobs and to ensure full payment of wages in light of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regards,
Suresh

Dear Cyberindigo,

As per the directives issued by the Labour Commissioner's Office in Mumbai, employers have been advised not to deduct salaries of employees for not reporting to the office on account of the coronavirus. Please refer to the notice issued by the Labour Commissioner's Office.

Regards,
Sumeet

Creating Policies for Natural Incidents

I am Yash Girdhar. My ma'am gave me this site to check out information about HR knowledge. I am currently pursuing a bachelor's in BA (HR). The question that struck me is: Can we create policies regarding natural incidents, but they should only apply when incidents occur nationwide?

Managing Work Post-Coronavirus Outbreak

Another point to consider is how to manage work when production cannot commence post the coronavirus outbreak. Developing a strategy that enables fast work recovery is crucial. One approach could be to conduct meetings on Skype and allocate tasks through Google Docs for easy access and collaboration.

Handling Non-Compliant Employees

For non-compliant employees, consider implementing penalties such as a 10% deduction from their salary or reduction in bonuses. Building trust with employees is essential; if they underperform, consider motivating them with gifts to boost their morale and productivity.

These are my opinions, as I am a student, not an HR professional.

Thank you

Hi Seniors,

Can we pay only the basic salary to those employees who are not working from home (having no leave balance) for the lockdown period and also to support staff like Accounts, Admin, HR, and the recruitment team, or do we have to pay them the full salary? Please suggest.

In IT companies: If an employee is ready to work from home, but the company does not have work or a project to assign to him, in this case, will the leave be paid or unpaid?

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This scenario raises the question of whether the employee would be entitled to paid leave or if it would be unpaid if there is no work available for them to do remotely. It is essential for companies to have clear policies in place regarding remote work arrangements and how they handle situations where employees are willing to work but are not assigned any tasks. Clarity on such matters can help avoid confusion and ensure fair treatment of employees.

Our Prime Minister and Chief Ministers of various states have appealed to the employers of the companies to pay full salaries, or at least as per the Minimum Wages applicable for the Scheduled Employment. I believe the IT industries fall under the Residuary Factories under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

Your employer will decide how much salary he/she can afford to pay you depending upon his/her financial status.

Regards,
Suresh

Hi all,

Kindly check the link where it states that no employer should cut the salary.

[URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-dont-lay-off-workers-or-cut-salaries-says-labour-ministry/article31143857.ece]

Thank you.

Dear all,

Please see the attachment... hope this clears this issue.

Thank you.

Managing Salaries During Work-From-Home and Leave Situations

I have a query. Currently, we have provided work-from-home options to many employees. Due to the coronavirus situation, a few employees have already applied for paid leave to go to their hometowns, and some employees cannot come to the office due to the lockdown, even to pick up their laptops. How do we manage the salary for these cases?

On one side, employees are working from home, and on the other side, employees are at home on leave. So, how do we pay the salary to those who are at home? I would like to know what others are doing. Also, if we pay full salary to people who are on leave, wouldn't it be unfair to employees who are working from home?

Thank you.

Hi all,

We are a BPO. Currently, we have a policy of working from home for some supervisory staff, but CSR's cannot all be put to work from home due to technical and logistical limitations. The government has stated that the salary of employees should not be deducted for the time they are not asked to come to work due to the lockdown until 15 April. Will the company have to compulsorily pay the employees? How will it work to comply with the government directive?

Productivity Tracking Software for Remote Work

I am working as an HR Manager with a digital agency. We have assigned work to all employees, and I was looking for an application that can track their productivity. I came across this software called "FLOW." It is a really affordable software option for startup and mid-level firms. The software automatically tracks all the work an employee does on their laptop or phone. For example, if a person is writing code for a certain project, this app tracks how much time it took them to write that code. It also helps us to know what someone is researching on Google without compromising any employee's privacy. If you want to learn more about the software, you can reach me at [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Hello,

I am working in a railway construction company as an HR & Admin Officer in Gujarat. Nowadays, the situation is too critical due to the recent Coronavirus Outbreak in the country. Being a construction company, it is difficult to work from home or from company accommodation since in the construction industry, most of the work is labor-intensive and field or site-based, making it difficult to execute the work. Are company employees like engineers, site supervisors, or other supportive staff eligible for salary payment?

Dear Anuj,

Yes, all the employees are eligible for full salary during the lockdown period. Please go through the attached circular dated March 20, 2020, from the Government of India, Ministry of Labour & Employment.

Regards,
Suresh

Hi, I am working for a small IT company. The total size of the workforce is only 22. Everyone is working from home due to the current coronavirus situation. Management requires a daily work report from everyone to demonstrate visibility and productivity. Given this scenario, as an HR professional, how can I ensure the daily submission of work reports when HR tasks are primarily qualitative? Can anyone suggest which HR functions I should continue during this remote work period?

Drafting a Fair HR Policy During COVID-19

As all companies worldwide are facing a similar situation due to COVID-19, can we draft an HR policy that is fair to both employers and employees?

Work-from-Home for Eligible Employees

For employees who can work from home (IT, sales, etc.), their job roles allow this option. Their team leaders can establish a method to receive daily reports to monitor their work. They should be eligible for their full salary.

Challenges for Non-Remote Workers

For employees who cannot work from home (production, back-office staff), as their roles do not permit remote work and they are compelled to stay at home, according to the government's directive, companies should continue to pay full salaries until the lockdown period ends (if their financial situation permits). Employees can be assigned knowledge enhancement activities related to their field during this time.

Post-Lockdown Policy Considerations

The real challenge arises when the lockdown is lifted and businesses resume operations. Policies need to be formulated, and decisions must be made regarding salaries if an employee contracts the virus in the future, especially considering not all employees can work from home.

Seeking Expert Opinions on Leave Policy

I seek expert opinions on how to structure the leave policy for the future. While the company already has specific leave policies in place, should we grant additional leave days in case of positive cases? If so, how many days should be considered acceptable?

Your guidance is appreciated.

Thanks & regards,
SV, Navi Mumbai

Impact of Coronavirus on Employment Contracts

The contract between the employer and the employees is frustrated because of the coronavirus; hence, it is not the fault of any party. However, if the management wants to give leave without pay, I think both parties should sit down and negotiate a settlement on payment. If there are unions in the place of employment, then they must be engaged. It is also not right for employees to demand full pay as the "No work, No pay" rule will apply. If agreeable, the employees can settle for 30% or 50%. Both parties should agree on a reasonable sum during the leave period.