Here below a brief assessment on some Umbrella Inc policies and their impact on HR planning. Some of them are applied worldwide (group policies) while some others are specific to the employees of the Jakarta office.
Remote working policy
Given the turbulent times relating to spread of the COVID-19 virus, Umbrella Inc in Jakarta has decided to implement temporary extraordinary measures to safeguard the well-being of its employees and minimise the risk of infection. The policy came into force in March 2001 and will remain in force for a temporary period until further notice. The Company supports its employees to work remotely (from home or any other ‘safe zone’) during this period providing them, when needed, the equipment to perform their duties. This policy not only aim to keep the business running during this particular moment but also to keep the employees safe and healthy by suggesting simple practises like:
- refrain from working in excess of the normal working hours
- take a rest break if the working day is longer than six hours
- take a minimum uninterrupted weekly rest period of twenty-four hours
This prompt reaction demonstrated the capacity of the human resource department to quickly adapt to sudden environment and business requirements while keeping long term goals in mind.
Employee Wellbeing Policy
In its human resource plan the company recognises the benefits of a healthy workforce and the promotion of an active lifestyle for its employees. In support of this, the company provides a physical wellbeing subsidy to employees who participate in fitness-related activities and programs for general fitness and physical wellbeing purposes. A reimbursement, up to a maximum of $700 gross per employee, for each calendar year is given to all employees. Employees’ wellbeing and performance are linked. Helping to improve an employee’s physical wellbeing, leads to improved individual and organisational performance. This initiative has also a positive impact when it comes to attracting more candidates to open positions because it adds value to the set of perks offered by the company to its employees.
Employee Charity Days Policy
Sometimes the gaming industry is considered a shady business because of money laundering activities or gambling addictions problems. For this reason, responsible gambling is one of the top priorities for the group. But this is not enough to convince the public opinion. Umbrella Inc is committed to leave a positive impact on the surroundings to the local societies in which it operates. As part of the overall Group sustainability efforts, employees are entitled to three paid days to volunteer for a local charity/organisation. This is a cost for the company that has to be seen as investment to create a better relationship with local population and authorities. At the same time volunteering is a fun and rewarding hobby that has a positive impact on the overall employees’ wellbeing.
Conflicts of interest policy (group policy)
As a general principle, employees should not engage in activities or pursue public or private interests that are in actual or potential conflict with the interests of any company in Umbrella. Before joining Umbrella, all employees must disclose all external business. This process takes time, makes the selection process longer and could ward off skilled candidates. This increases the recruitment costs but, at the same time, protects the company from long and expensive legal actions that might arise if a policy like this is not preemptively enforced.
Talend development policy (group policy)
Umbrella’s human resource planning aims to make sure all employees have the skills, knowledge and behaviours to deliver the best product as efficiently as they are able. This policy outlines what development employees can get access to and how to get it. It also outlines what funding and support Talent Development can provide. All employees have access to two online learning platforms: an internal named Umbrella Academy offers mainly igaming related training while a third-party platform, Linkedin Learning, offers more generic business/managerial courses and classes. If employees want to achieve a formal qualification or participate in a university/college course related to their work which will help to develop their role, the company offers support through Study Sponsorship. This policy gives human resources departments and managers a powerful tool to help new employees to quickly get up to speed when they lack required competencies (induction process). Coaching and counselling tasks can benefit as well by the usage of these tools. Last but not least, this policy is key to support the training and development stage of each employee in a cost effective manner.