Air pollution-wary companies like Paytm, PayU & Knowlarity offer work from home option

Persistent cough, burning eyes, itchy throat are the main reasons why many employees are not turning up for work

In a bid to ensure that their employees do not take ill due to air pollution, several companies in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) have offered their employees work from home opportunity.

"Maintaining employee health is paramount to ensuring maximum productivity, which is why Knowlarity has given work from home option to all its employees. This ensures employees' well-being without affecting the work output," said Ambarish Gupta, CEO and founder of Knowlarity.

"We have also installed top-of-the-line air purifiers and are also providing immediate medical assistance in case any employee becomes unwell. Furthermore, we have also made available free face masks for our employees," he added.

A recent survey by Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (Assocham) said companies are facing staff shortfall of 5-10 per cent, with a growing number of employees calling in sick.

"Persistent cough, burning eyes, itchy throat and respiratory or lung-related problems like asthma and bronchitis are the main reasons why many employees are not turning up for work, said many of HR representatives," the Assocham survey stated.

Amit Sinha, Senior Vice President - Human Resource at Paytm, said: "We have ordered top-class air purifiers for each floor. More plants would be brought in to absorb indoor toxins. We are also planning to have solar panels to make our offices more environment-friendly."

Given that the toxic air can trigger hacking coughs, we will distribute masks among all employees and offer immediate healthcare assistance in case someone is unwell, he said.

"We have always encouraged our colleagues to go for teleconferencing instead of stepping outdoors. They also have the flexibility of working from home if they aren't feeling well," he added.

Assocham Secretary General D.S. Rawat said: "Air pollution in Delhi-NCR is not just devastating the environment but harmful amount of various gases, dust, fumes and odour are causing breathing problems to people."

"To address this problem, at PayU, we immediately declared work from home, so that work is not affected and employees' well-being is ensured. Furthermore, as an interim fix, we have also made available free face masks for our employees, to help them avoid the heavily polluted air," said Chetna Gogia, Director - Human Resource, PayU India.