Hello Experts,
In view of this pandemic; the 3rd wave is now everywhere; WFH (work from home) will soon be implemented.
Considering this, there are a few questions that come to my mind:
1. If an employee is working from home full-time, are they entitled to have food at the workplace from the company they are working for?
2. What specific issues are MNCs or Indian MNCs facing regarding the topic of "canteen/food provision at the workplace"?
3. Are most companies planning to make an optimization call on "canteen facilities for both types of employees - WFH and inside company premises"?
Subodh
From India, Vadodara
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1In view of this pandemic; the 3rd wave is now everywhere; WFH (work from home) will soon be implemented.
Considering this, there are a few questions that come to my mind:
1. If an employee is working from home full-time, are they entitled to have food at the workplace from the company they are working for?
2. What specific issues are MNCs or Indian MNCs facing regarding the topic of "canteen/food provision at the workplace"?
3. Are most companies planning to make an optimization call on "canteen facilities for both types of employees - WFH and inside company premises"?
Subodh
From India, Vadodara
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Dear Subodh,
The replies to your questions are as below:
1. If an employee is working from home full-time, is he entitled to have food at the workplace from the company he/she is working for?
Reply: If the employee is working from home (WFH), then where is the question of having food at the company premises? For the sake of having food, why would the employee commute from his/her home to the workplace? If he/she commutes, would it not defeat the purpose of the WFH facility?
2. Which specific issues are MNCs or Indian MNCs facing regarding the topic of "canteen/food provision at the workplace"?
Reply: It is difficult to list the specific issues the companies face. Mostly, these are related to the taste of the food and the hygiene and sanitation practices followed by the catering service provider. To address these issues, the catering service provider may implement provisions such as:
a) ISO 22000:2018
b) Guidance Note on Food Hygiene and Safety Guidelines for Food Business during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic issued by the FSSAI
3. Are most companies planning to make an optimization call on "canteen facilities for both types of employees - WFH and inside company premises"?
Reply: There is only one type of employee who physically attends the workplace. The optimization call will vary from one company to another, and there cannot be any generalization. Furthermore, the optimization call will also depend on the severity of the third wave.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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The replies to your questions are as below:
1. If an employee is working from home full-time, is he entitled to have food at the workplace from the company he/she is working for?
Reply: If the employee is working from home (WFH), then where is the question of having food at the company premises? For the sake of having food, why would the employee commute from his/her home to the workplace? If he/she commutes, would it not defeat the purpose of the WFH facility?
2. Which specific issues are MNCs or Indian MNCs facing regarding the topic of "canteen/food provision at the workplace"?
Reply: It is difficult to list the specific issues the companies face. Mostly, these are related to the taste of the food and the hygiene and sanitation practices followed by the catering service provider. To address these issues, the catering service provider may implement provisions such as:
a) ISO 22000:2018
b) Guidance Note on Food Hygiene and Safety Guidelines for Food Business during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic issued by the FSSAI
3. Are most companies planning to make an optimization call on "canteen facilities for both types of employees - WFH and inside company premises"?
Reply: There is only one type of employee who physically attends the workplace. The optimization call will vary from one company to another, and there cannot be any generalization. Furthermore, the optimization call will also depend on the severity of the third wave.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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Mr. Dinesh,
Thank you for your efforts in this detailed answer, Mr. Dinesh.
Just to correct my first question again for better understanding: 1. Is it the liability of the company to provide actual food or a food allowance to their employees: a) those working from home (how these employees are served) b) working inside company premises (it will obviously come that they will eat at the company canteen)
From India, Vadodara
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Thank you for your efforts in this detailed answer, Mr. Dinesh.
Just to correct my first question again for better understanding: 1. Is it the liability of the company to provide actual food or a food allowance to their employees: a) those working from home (how these employees are served) b) working inside company premises (it will obviously come that they will eat at the company canteen)
From India, Vadodara
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Canteen will be required to be provided only when the office is working and people are at the office.
The company has no obligation to pay for meals at home, and anyone suggesting people come to the office for food during WFH is basically negating the main purpose of WFH.
From India, Mumbai
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The company has no obligation to pay for meals at home, and anyone suggesting people come to the office for food during WFH is basically negating the main purpose of WFH.
From India, Mumbai
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Dear Colleague,
It is a very relevant question useful for many organizations in the coming days. This CiteHR forum is widely used by millions of colleagues, and this will be giving them insight. Thanks for raising this important subject of the current situation of the 3rd Covid wave.
Coming to the questions:
Your Question:
1. Is it the liability of the company to provide actual food or food allowance to their employees:
a) those working from home (how these employees are served)
b) working inside company premises (it will obviously come that they will eat at the company canteen)
Possible Insight to take a decision:
In general, there is no liability to extend any Food Facility for those employees who work from home. The facility is mandatory in factories employing a certain number of employees like 250 employees or more in a "Factory" under the Factories Act 1948, which is a mandatory welfare facility to be extended in case the workers are physically working in the factory.
In the case of other establishments like IT/ITES/Service sector, etc., the facility is more of a voluntary nature, providing a productivity-focused/wellbeing-focused facility. Here, employees are provided a balanced food facility with a good ambiance, so that the productivity levels are up, and no time wastages are faced.
The question is to check the CTC structure of the organization before taking a call. If there is a component in the agreed and signed employment contract/agreement with the employees to provide food or food allowance, then it has to be honored, as any reduction will lead to depriving the agreed CTC to the employees.
Here, as they are working from home, instead of providing food, an allowance as per CTC might be considered. For example, in the CTC structure, a sum of Rs.50,000/- is factored for food facility and is covered in the overall CTC agreed; depriving may lead to grievances or a reduction in their CTC. You may add this component under any head like "Other Allowance" until the employees work from home.
There may be different views, but this is my view based on my previous experiences in a few organizations. If there is no such cost in the CTC structure, obviously, there is no need to extend any food or food allowance.
2. Which types of specific issues are now the MNCs or Indian MNCs facing regarding this specific topic - "canteen/food provision at the workplace"?
The present challenges are related to the quantity and service staff numbers as now only around 50% of employees come to work, but they have to run the canteen/cafeteria for which the organization has to keep all the staff of the cafeteria at 100%. This involves costs, and companies are trying to look at the possibility of tie-ups with outside caterers too in some places as a "supply," but it leads to complaints on quality, etc. Hence, this is a hygiene factor and has to be managed properly, which many organizations are working on without compromising. This is the present scenario.
3. Are most of the companies planning to take an optimization call on "canteen facilities for both types of employees - WFH and Inside company premises"?
In my view, not much thought is given in this area as of now, and the cafeteria operation is already optimized in the last one plus years to a level of 60% or so in many organizations. In addition to this, you might be aware that the Labour Ministry, Govt of India (as per press information and social media), is thinking of allowing employers to tweak the CTC structure, especially on HRA for those employees who are going to work permanently from home and also to add reimbursement of costs involved for Electricity and Wifi/establishment costs incurred by employees who are working from home, etc. Probably, more clarity on this subject is awaited, and we need to wait.
From India, Chennai
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It is a very relevant question useful for many organizations in the coming days. This CiteHR forum is widely used by millions of colleagues, and this will be giving them insight. Thanks for raising this important subject of the current situation of the 3rd Covid wave.
Coming to the questions:
Your Question:
1. Is it the liability of the company to provide actual food or food allowance to their employees:
a) those working from home (how these employees are served)
b) working inside company premises (it will obviously come that they will eat at the company canteen)
Possible Insight to take a decision:
In general, there is no liability to extend any Food Facility for those employees who work from home. The facility is mandatory in factories employing a certain number of employees like 250 employees or more in a "Factory" under the Factories Act 1948, which is a mandatory welfare facility to be extended in case the workers are physically working in the factory.
In the case of other establishments like IT/ITES/Service sector, etc., the facility is more of a voluntary nature, providing a productivity-focused/wellbeing-focused facility. Here, employees are provided a balanced food facility with a good ambiance, so that the productivity levels are up, and no time wastages are faced.
The question is to check the CTC structure of the organization before taking a call. If there is a component in the agreed and signed employment contract/agreement with the employees to provide food or food allowance, then it has to be honored, as any reduction will lead to depriving the agreed CTC to the employees.
Here, as they are working from home, instead of providing food, an allowance as per CTC might be considered. For example, in the CTC structure, a sum of Rs.50,000/- is factored for food facility and is covered in the overall CTC agreed; depriving may lead to grievances or a reduction in their CTC. You may add this component under any head like "Other Allowance" until the employees work from home.
There may be different views, but this is my view based on my previous experiences in a few organizations. If there is no such cost in the CTC structure, obviously, there is no need to extend any food or food allowance.
2. Which types of specific issues are now the MNCs or Indian MNCs facing regarding this specific topic - "canteen/food provision at the workplace"?
The present challenges are related to the quantity and service staff numbers as now only around 50% of employees come to work, but they have to run the canteen/cafeteria for which the organization has to keep all the staff of the cafeteria at 100%. This involves costs, and companies are trying to look at the possibility of tie-ups with outside caterers too in some places as a "supply," but it leads to complaints on quality, etc. Hence, this is a hygiene factor and has to be managed properly, which many organizations are working on without compromising. This is the present scenario.
3. Are most of the companies planning to take an optimization call on "canteen facilities for both types of employees - WFH and Inside company premises"?
In my view, not much thought is given in this area as of now, and the cafeteria operation is already optimized in the last one plus years to a level of 60% or so in many organizations. In addition to this, you might be aware that the Labour Ministry, Govt of India (as per press information and social media), is thinking of allowing employers to tweak the CTC structure, especially on HRA for those employees who are going to work permanently from home and also to add reimbursement of costs involved for Electricity and Wifi/establishment costs incurred by employees who are working from home, etc. Probably, more clarity on this subject is awaited, and we need to wait.
From India, Chennai
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Respected Dr. P. Sivakumar,
Thank you very much for understanding and acknowledging my intentions behind raising this question.
Of course, this is going to be a critical and delicate topic in the coming days. Canteens are directly connected with employee performance, satisfaction, productivity, and employee engagement. You have displayed all your expertise in this field with a detailed answer that encompasses all aspects of management.
The topic of canteen/food-for-work is indeed delicate and critical, requiring companies to be prepared to handle it in consultation with experts in the field. In the process of future workplace planning, this topic cannot be neglected. The complete ecosystem related to the main topic we are discussing includes several aspects that many countries have already started addressing, such as food safety. There will be upcoming processes involving policy decisions, policy modifications, regulatory changes, and more.
Are we overlooking any other important aspects here? Please share your expert views.
From India, Vadodara
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Thank you very much for understanding and acknowledging my intentions behind raising this question.
Of course, this is going to be a critical and delicate topic in the coming days. Canteens are directly connected with employee performance, satisfaction, productivity, and employee engagement. You have displayed all your expertise in this field with a detailed answer that encompasses all aspects of management.
The topic of canteen/food-for-work is indeed delicate and critical, requiring companies to be prepared to handle it in consultation with experts in the field. In the process of future workplace planning, this topic cannot be neglected. The complete ecosystem related to the main topic we are discussing includes several aspects that many countries have already started addressing, such as food safety. There will be upcoming processes involving policy decisions, policy modifications, regulatory changes, and more.
Are we overlooking any other important aspects here? Please share your expert views.
From India, Vadodara
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Dear Colleague,
Personally, I feel this is a good focus point for all members in the current scenario. In addition, all aspects of Food Safety in the Workplace, Licensing, Quality Management in Food Preparation in Factory Canteens, Standard Specifications of the use of ingredients, Inspections and Monitoring, Factors like WFH are all to be addressed in the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code 2020 proposed by the Government of India. It is also important to revamp the entire sections on Industrial Canteens and provisions like Certification of Canteens on Food Safety Standards, etc. In many factories, health challenges or IR challenges are arising from the "Industrial Canteen." Hence, due importance should undoubtedly be attached. Good thoughts are shared for the benefit of Members.
From India, Chennai
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Personally, I feel this is a good focus point for all members in the current scenario. In addition, all aspects of Food Safety in the Workplace, Licensing, Quality Management in Food Preparation in Factory Canteens, Standard Specifications of the use of ingredients, Inspections and Monitoring, Factors like WFH are all to be addressed in the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code 2020 proposed by the Government of India. It is also important to revamp the entire sections on Industrial Canteens and provisions like Certification of Canteens on Food Safety Standards, etc. In many factories, health challenges or IR challenges are arising from the "Industrial Canteen." Hence, due importance should undoubtedly be attached. Good thoughts are shared for the benefit of Members.
From India, Chennai
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Aspect Of Employer-Employ ees relationship-co ntract canteen.docx