Beyond Benefits: Rethinking Employee Welfare In FMCG Distribution
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66635/j926qv92Keywords:
Employee Welfare, FMCG Distribution, Human Resource Management, Workforce Well-being, Employee Engagement, Organizational Performance, Sustainable HRMAbstract
The issue of employee welfare has come to be viewed as a strategic approach to human resource management, which is not limited to meeting statutory obligations but takes a view of the welfare of the employees. In the FMCG distribution industry, employees like salespeople, warehousing staff, delivery drivers, logistics coordinators and distribution supervisors work in tough conditions where there are high levels of workload, travel, strict performance requirements and occupational hazards. It calls for a total welfare program for physical, psychological, monetary and social well-being and engagement of employees. This review examines the increasing importance of welfare of employees in FMCG distribution through exploring traditional statutory measures and new-age employee-oriented approaches to welfare programs. This article categorizes the welfare programs into statutory and non-statutory and discuss the modern day approach like mental health services, financial wellness programs, digital health care, employee assistance programs, flexible working arrangements and technology-based welfare programs. The review highlights important barriers to the implementation of welfare programs in terms of diverse workforce, contractual nature of employment, geographical dispersion of activities, cost limitations and low awareness on the part of employees. Based on a critical analysis adopting strategic human resources management approaches, the article suggests a holistic employee welfare strategy appropriate for the particular needs of FMCG distribution firms. Overall, it is argued that employee welfare must be seen as an investment by organizations in order to gain a competitive advantage in the increasingly challenging environment.
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