How PhonePe’s employees went out of their way to support during the pandemic

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A company is defined by its people. The past few weeks at PhonePe have been a true manifestation of the spirit of our people.

As the second wave of COVID began to crest, we saw over two thousand colleagues in different parts of the company form spontaneous groups to aid and assist, often putting their own life at risk. The Sales team developed local networks across India so oxygen, ICU beds and medicines could be delivered where they were most urgently needed. Very quickly, more people joined in to put together an IVR system, to manage the phone lines, create and maintain a database of the most current information, and even to offer free food.

The spirit of collaboration continued through the organization-level support efforts. As we heard about cash shortages, we began to transfer up to INR 2 lacs per person as a covid allowance to anyone who requested, with the money reaching them within 4 hours of the request being placed. Team members in finance, HR and compliance worked together to operationalize the plan within a day, so funds could be available at the earliest. Vaccination drives held on the PhonePe campus were flawlessly coordinated across HR, Facilities and Procurement, leading to not a single vial going waste, and an almost zero wait time. People came together for a daily fun hour to keep spirits up, pitching in to run quizzes, sing songs, play dumb charades and otherwise put themselves forward to cheer up their colleagues.

Every year at PhonePe is a year of new benchmarks, new standards and innovations. But nothing equals the pride of being associated with this group of selfless, committed and large-hearted people.

PhonePe is extending the following support to employees during COVID.

  1. Health Insurance
  • Employees are insured for a minimum of 3 lac- the insurance also covers for at home COVID care
  1. COVID leave
  • 14 days of additional sick leave for COVID related illness for self and family.
  1. Helpline support
  • Employees to call and get support for any COVID related support, such as medicines, oxygen, medicines, ambulance, etc
  1. Telemedicine Support
  • Doctors available on chat and email for medical guidance related to COVID. The facility includes callbacks and patient management in case of non-critical health issues
  1. Employee Wellness and Assistance Program
  • Counselling support available for mental health issues related to lockdown and COVID, and others. The service also provides proactive sessions to manage stress on an ongoing basis.
  1. COVID allowance
  • Up to INR 2 lacs provided as cash allowance to manage COVID related expenses that require immediate funds. The amount is paid to manage expenses and is not required to be repaid
  1. Vaccination: Vaccination drives being conducted free of cost in primary office locations for the employee plus 5 dependents/relatives. The cost of vaccination was reimbursed at other locations.
  1. Wellness leave:2 days of additional leave was provided to manage stress and provide a break to the employees
  1. Death Benefits:
  • Term Life Insurance- 5 times of the CTC
  • 3 months salary (or 2 lacs, whichever is higher), paid out immediately as cash
  • 50% of base pay, payable monthly over the next two years
  • Education allowance for children until graduation
  • Medical Insurance for parents, spouse, and children, paid through the company for 10 years
  • Job assistance for the next of kin, as per reasonable criteria of qualification and skill
  •  Immediate vesting of all stock options
  • Statutory benefits, as applicable

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