Labour Welfare Programmes: Statutory and Non-Statutory

Labor welfare has the following objectives:

• To provide better life and health to the workers
• To make the workers happy and satisfied
• To relieve workers from industrial fatigue and to improve intellectual, cultural and material conditions of living of the workers.

The basic features of labor welfare measures are as follows:

• Labor welfare includes various facilities, services and amenities provided to workers for improving their health, efficiency, economic betterment and social status.
• Welfare measures are in addition to regular wages and other economic benefits available to workers due to legal provisions and collective bargaining.
• Labor welfare schemes are flexible and ever-changing. New welfare measures are added to the existing ones from time to time.
• Welfare measures may be introduced by the employers, government, employees or by any social or charitable agency.
• The purpose of labor welfare is to bring about the development of the whole personality of the workers to make a better workforce.

Statuary welfare benefits

• Facilities for sitting: In every organization, especially factories, suitable seating arrangements are to be provided.
• Drinking Water: At all the working places safe hygienic drinking water should be provided.
• First aid appliances: First aid appliances are to be provided and should be readily assessable so that in case of any minor accident initial medication can be provided to the needed employee.
• Canteen facilities: Cafeteria or canteens are to be provided by the employer so as to provide hygienic and nutritious food to the employees.
• Spittoons: In every work place, such as ware houses, store places, in the dock area and office premises spittoons are to be provided in convenient places and some are to be maintained in a hygienic condition.
• Latrines and Urinals: A sufficient number of latrines and urinals are to be provided in the office and factory premises and are also to be maintained in a neat and clean condition.
• Lighting: Proper and sufficient lights are to be provided for employees so that they can work safely during the night shifts.
• Washing places: Adequate washing places such as bathrooms, wash basins with tap and tap on the stand pipe are provided in the port area in the vicinity of the work places.
• Changing rooms: Adequate changing rooms are to be provided for workers to change their cloth in the factory area and office premises. Adequate lockers are also provided to the workers to keep their clothes and belongings.
• Rest rooms: Adequate numbers of restrooms are provided to the workers with provisions of water supply, wash basins, toilets, bathrooms, etc.
• Maternity & Adoption Leave: Employees can avail maternity or adoption leaves. Paternity leave policies have also been introduced by various companies.
• Medi-claim Insurance Scheme: This insurance scheme provides adequate insurance coverage of employees for expenses related to hospitalization due to illness, disease or injury or pregnancy.
• Sexual Harassment Policy: To protect an employee from harassment of any kind, guidelines are provided for proper action and also for protecting the aggrieved employee. For more information go through Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013

Non Statutory welfare benefits

• Flexi-time: The main objective of the flexitime policy is to provide opportunity to employees to work with flexible working schedules. Flexible work schedules are initiated by employees and approved by management to meet business commitments while supporting employee personal life needs.
• Personal Health Care (Regular medical check-ups): Some of the companies provide the facility for extensive health check-up.
• Employee Assistance Programs: Various assistant programs are arranged like external counselling service so that employees or members of their immediate family can get counselling on various matters.
• Employee Referral Scheme: In several companies employee referral scheme is implemented to encourage employees to refer friends and relatives for employment in the organization.