Dream11 introduces 'UNPLUG' policy to penalise employee with Rs 1 lakh for disturbing a co-worker on leave

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Mumbai, Dec 29: At a time when employees across the globe are demanding a work-life balance, India's fantasy sports company Dream11 has introduced a unique policy to ensure its employees enjoy their break from work to the fullest.

Under its "Dream 11 Unplug" policy, the company has mandated that no employee - who is on leave or vacation - is disturbed by 'important' office calls, emails or messages.

Heavy fine on co-workers for breaking the rule

If an employee contacts his/her fellow colleague - who is on a leave under this policy - for a work-related call, then he/she will be penalised with Rs 1 lakh.

The "UNPLUG" policy allows the staff to be completely cut off from all office-related work be it conversations on emails, on WhatsApp groups, Slack, or calls. The co-workers should not disturb the employee for a week.

Reason behind such a policy

Writing about the UNPLUG policy, in a LinkedIn post, the company stated, "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".

The popular fantasy gaming company claimed the reason why they are doing this is, "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".

Anyone can avail UNPLUG time for a week per year

As per a CNBC.com report, the founders of this Sports technology unicorn, Harsh Jain and Bhavit Seth claimed that if any co-worker reaches out to another employee during the "UNPLUG" time, then he/she has to pay a fine of about Rs 1 lakh as a fine.

Everyone in the company from top bosses to a new joinee/fresher can sign out from the company's system for a week every year under this policy.

Jain and Seth told CNBC.com they have adopted this principle to make sure their company is not reliant on either one of them.

Testimonials of Dreamsters

On LinkedIn, Dream11 also shared some of the testimonials of employees - whom the company calls 'Dreamsters' - in the Mumbai-based company.

"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 was founded in 2008 and is one of the most popular fantasy gaming platforms in the country with over 15 crore users at present. Dream11 has been the official partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and in the year 2020, it also became the title sponsor for the Indian Premier League (IPL). It continues to be one of the fantasy partners of the IPL and the ICC.