New Delhi: An employee, who was once denied a leave on his birthday, is winning hearts all over as CEO for his new “Birthday plus one” policy. The policy allows staff to take two extra offs in a year, one for his/her own birthday and one for family member or a close friend’s birthday.
The policy seems to be a welcome change at a time when companies are target driven and employees often feel "overworked" and "stressed" at workplace. Abhijit Chakraborty, the CEO of Expedify, shared a post on LinkedIn to highlighting that an employee should not feel guilt while taking a leave for his birthday.
Recalling his own experience, where he was made to feel bad about taking a leave on his birthday, Chakraborty said, "In one of my early roles, my boss once asked me, Why do you need a leave? I told him, It's my birthday. He shot me a strange look, as if a crime were committed," He noted on LinkedIn, "If it's someone's birthday, they deserve a gift. Not a leave deduction and weird reactions."
The post went viral after the company announced its new policy, with many praising the firm for its progressive stance on work-life balance, allowing employees to take a leave day for a child or loved one’s birthday.
He also mentioned that as the company grows, it may introduce even more birthday-related leave days, further stressing employee happiness and celebrating personal milestones.
"And once we grow more as an organisation, we'd probably make it a Birthday Plus Two. The more the merrier. A super skilled and super efficient team deserves all this and more," he wrote further.