At Blinkit, there is no 'zero notice period' policy anymore. Goal: Retain talent

Blinkit increased notice period to two months to retain talent amid competition from firms like Zepto and Swiggy. This move aims to prevent poaching by rivals.

Quick commerce company Blinkit made several staffers sign an addendum to their employment contracts which has increased their notice period from nil up to two months, Moneycontrol reported citing people in the know. This comes at a time when companies in the rapid delivery space in India like Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy are fighting to get the top talent in the market.

To combat talent poaching by competitors, Blinkit has revised its employment contracts, increasing notice periods to two months. The decision reflects the competitive landscape, as companies like Zepto and Swiggy aggressively recruit employees from e-commerce giants. (Reuters)

“Blinkit’s move is pre-emptive and also is a response to what is happening now. A well-funded competitor like Zepto, or a large rival like Flipkart, can make a handsome offer and easily poach talent from Blinkit. A lot of companies are doing that and Blinkit is taking measures to avoid losing talent,” a person aware of the development told Moneycontrol.

“In certain cases where Blinkit for sure knows an employee is going to a direct competitor, the employee is now sent on a garden leave for two months or is relieved immediately to avoid sensitive information being leaked out of Blinkit to others,” a second person told the outlet.

Moreover, companies like Swiggy are actively hiring employees from e-commerce giants like Flipkart and Amazon, the report added. Anshul Lodha, managing partner at Page Executive India, a recruitment consulting firm, told Moneycontrol, “Amazon is a hunting ground for talent for ad campaigns and search, Flipkart is best known for warehouse and backend operations talent (and) Swiggy is the preferred organisation for product and design talent."

He added, “Zepto has offered highly competitive salaries to (its) employees and also offered great annual/promotion increments… A high performer with a growth-stage quick commerce company (can) double (their) salary every year."