It is one of the most irksome experiences in employees’ life when they receive “important” calls, messages, or emails, especially when they are on leave. A “work call” or a mail by the employer can spoil anyone’s holiday. Interestingly, there’s one Indian company that has given thought to this major problem so that their employees can enjoy interruption-free vacations.
Indian fantasy sports platform Dream 11 is the company that has adopted an interesting policy called the “Dream 11 Unplug” to solve this problem.
Under this “UNPLUG” policy, the company’s staff can completely cut off from all office work, related conversations (on emails, WhatsApp group, Slack, or calls), and co-workers for a week without any pressure.
In a LinkedIn post, the company wrote about UNPLUG policy, “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”.
Dream 11 said they do this because, “We understand that spending quality time with loved ones or just relaxing altogether on a vacation, can immensely improve the overall mood, quality of life, productivity in general and more”.
According to a report by CNBC.com, Dream 11 founders Harsh Jain and Bhavit Seth asserted that if any co-worker reaches out to another employee during the “UNPLUG” time, then he/she has to pay a fine of about ₹1 lakh.
From top bosses to a newbie, everyone can sign out from the company’s system for a week at this Sports technology unicorn every year.
Jain and Seth told cnbc.com they have adopted this principle to make sure their company is not reliant on either one of them.
Dream11 also shares some of the testimonials of “Dreamsters”, employees who are employed in the Mumbai-based company, on LinkedIn.
“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,” a Dream 11 employee said.
“Unplugged helped me take that necessary strategic timeout & come back stronger to play the further innings more productively,” a testimonial reads.
Dream 11, founded in 2008, has more than 15 crore users at present. In 2020, it became the title sponsor for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
