Pernod Ricard offers employees flexibility to work from anywhere

Global wines and spirits major Pernod Ricard on Wednesday said it is offering employees in India the flexibility to either work from home, office or co-working space under its new Work from Anywhere policy.After successfully adapting to the Work-From-Home WFH model for over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company said its decision to adopt a hybrid model stems from its cognizance of the impact of prolonged remote working on its employees, wherein the lines between work and personal life continue to blur.

Global wines and spirits major Pernod Ricard on Wednesday said it is offering employees in India the flexibility to either work from home, office or co-working space under its new 'Work from Anywhere' policy.

After successfully adapting to the Work-From-Home (WFH) model for over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company said its decision to adopt a hybrid model ''stems from its cognizance of the impact of prolonged remote working on its employees, wherein the lines between work and personal life continue to blur''. ''Our core value of 'Conviviality' has been severely challenged during the pandemic, and amid these changing times, employees deserve flexibility in exercising their choice of workplace.

''We believe that the new hybrid working model will offer our colleagues the much-needed flexibility and convenience to overcome the work-from-home challenges, break the monotony, help them enjoy more convivial moments, and make the most of our resources to enhance work efficiency,'' Pernod Ricard India Chief Human Resource Officer Shrikant Lonikar said.

To implement the 'Work from Anywhere' model, Pernod Ricard India has initiated tie-ups in Delhi and Gurgaon to set up co-working spaces, and employees have the freedom to work from wherever they feel comfortable and safe, the company said in a statement.

''They can book their slots on the company's dedicated online portal or using the mobile application. With the ease of COVID restrictions in India, the company has decided to open all its offices, and a decision to provide coworking spaces as an option is to help employees reduce long commute time and travel fatigue,'' it added.

At present, the company said it is starting with 25 per cent employees at each location, and the decision to increase capacity will be based on close monitoring of the COVID-19 situation. ''Only vaccinated employees are encouraged to avail this service, and the final discretion lies with employees, as they can choose to continue working from home. Pernod Ricard has also been driving a campaign to vaccinate all employees, contract staff as well as their family members,'' the statement noted.

The company said its decision to adopt a hybrid model ''stems from its cognisance of the impact of prolonged remote working on its employees, wherein the lines between work and personal life continue to blur''. ''The pivot to this way of working also comes from the fact that most employees are missing real-time bonding and socialising with their team members, and at Pernod Ricard India, conviviality is always upheld,'' it added. In order to prioritise employee's mental wellbeing, the company said it has adopted the practice of ''digital fasting on alternate Wednesdays of the month, no meetings, emails or calls before 9 AM and after 6 PM, and dedicated lunch hours between 12:30 PM to 2 PM -daily, with no meetings, mails or calls in-between''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)