Online fantasy sports platform Dream11 has come up with a interesting policy to protect ‘unplugged’ employees from being disturbed by their colleagues.
According to the new policy, employees are permitted to avoid work-related calls, emails, texts, and even their coworkers for a week. If employees disturb colleagues on holidays, they would have to pay a hefty fine of Rs 1 lakh. This was made to ensure those who are on a leave are able to enjoy their holidays without any worry of work.
According to a Linkedin post by Dream11, the company said, “At Dream11, we actually log off the ‘Dreamster’ who is unplugged, off from every possible Stadium communication platform, be it Slack, emails and even WhatsApp groups. We do this to ensure absolutely no one from the Dreamster’s work ecosystem can contact them while they are on their well-deserved break.”
The company’s founders, Harsh Jain and Bhavit Seth, stated in an interview with CNBC TV 18 that any employee who contacts another employee during the “Unplus” period will be subject to a punishment of Rs 1 Lakh.
Everyone has access to unplug time, regardless of their date of joining, job title, or any other aspects. The founders claim that the goal of the policy is to prevent employee dependence on the business.
An employee from Dream11 gave a testimonial saying, “Allowing employees to cut off from all company systems and groups is one of the best perks one can get. We are not bothered with work calls, emails, messages, or even WhatsApp for seven days. This helps us spend some quality time doing what we love. And for me, it’s time to head to the mountains. I, for one, do not feel guilty about not having a sufficient network.”
“It’s the most distinctive form of unplugging. This disconnected time also helps one rejuvenate, relax and come back feeling fresh, happy, and renewed energy to give one’s best performance,” he added.