Bengaluru | New Delhi: As Diwali festivities light up the country, corporate India is celebrating with employees including third-party blue-collar workers, sending out gift hampers, sustainable products, electronic gadgets and even silver coins.
Even amid a funding winter and widespread layoffs, companies like PepsiCo, Vedanta, MakeMyTrip, Simpl, UpGrad, NoBroker and Noise are rewarding employees for their resilience amid tough macroeconomic conditions. While healthy and sustainable products are the flavour of the season, employees are also receiving products like meditation kits and devices such as the Amazon Echo smart speakers.
Cola maker PepsiCo India is including family members of employees in festive celebrations, and this year organised a family day across India with activities for children and adults, while edtech firm Upgrad is curating special gift boxes for employees. Fintech startup Simpl is using the occasion of Diwali to promote sustainable living among its workforce, gifting them healthy snackable options, meditation kits and a virtual assistant (Amazon Echo).
“Our goal is to make this festive season special for our employees by not only acknowledging their commitment but also by promoting their wellbeing,” said Sneha Arora, chief human resources officer at Simpl.
Bengaluru-based property platform NoBroker is hosting an event for employees along with third-party admin and security staffers who work for it. “Every year, we appreciate our employees, but this year, we wanted to recognise the efforts of our support people who work so hard for us yet remain nameless,” said cofounder Amit Agarwal. The startup is also giving out silver coins as gifts to its support staff.
“Employees , families , business partners – all coming together and exhibiting total in-house talent show & performance with perks. As always spread of sweets, handouts are part of tradition,” said Praveen Purohit VP & deputy Group CHRO, Vedanta.
MakeMyTrip and Noise are brightening up the workplace with festive celebrations.
MakeMyTrip organised a shopping and food fiesta in office, catering to employees’ last-minute festive purchases. Most of the stalls were employee-led, shining a light on their personal passions and talents.
At Noise, employees took part in recreational activities like games, stalls, quizzes and art exhibitions. The amount collected through these activities is being donated to a non-profit organisation working towards the welfare of children.
New-age companies are increasingly gravitating towards utilitarian gifts like electronic gadgets, high-end personalised accessories and wellness products as their top choices, said Udyat Gutgutia, director-category, Ferns N Petals, which retails gifts including flowers and plants.
“These gifts not only add value to employees’ lives but also effectively promote brand recognition and goodwill. Apart from traditional gifts, the personalised and sustainable gift hamper category is witnessing steep growth,” Gutgutia said.
