A Delhi-based recruiter shared that he was left puzzled by a "weird" demand one job applicant made, but later realised that it made sense. In a Reddit post, the recruiter said that a job applicant asked for a “Rain Allowance” during a recent interview.
The applicant, who was being screened for a role, stated upfront that in addition to his salary, he wanted extra pay during the monsoon months. "He explained that he needed extra pay for monsoon months. I told him there's no such policy, and why he is asking for that. He said he uses Ola/Uber to come to the office, and their fare go rocket high when there's rain or water clogged on the roads. He even gave me some alternatives. Either he needs to work from home on rainy days, or he should be allowed to come late," he wrote.
The recruiter claimed that the demand made him think that the candidate was not serious about the job. "I thought he wasn't interested and asked him," If he's really interested?" He said, "Yes, he's interested, but that's essential as he calculated his last month's travel expense, and it's just double because it was raining heavily in July," he added.
The candidate even challenged the recruiter to check his own ride expenses. Out of curiosity, he did and was shocked to find he was right. “I spent my normal monthly fare within 15 days in July. Just this morning, my ride fare was more than double the usual because it had rained last night in Delhi-NCR," he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}The candidate even challenged the recruiter to check his own ride expenses. Out of curiosity, he did and was shocked to find he was right. “I spent my normal monthly fare within 15 days in July. Just this morning, my ride fare was more than double the usual because it had rained last night in Delhi-NCR," he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Amid recent incessant rains in the national capital, ride-hailing companies often raise prices during bad weather due to high demand. With waterlogged roads and streets, many office-goers find it difficult to get to their workplaces.
The post sparked discussion online, with many commuters sharing similar struggles and some suggesting that employers should adapt policies during extreme weather. "That's a very fair ask. WFH during rains is a nominal ask if you don't reimburse cab fares," said one of them.
Another added, "So very true. I use Ola/Uber/Rapido, and their fares are way too high during rains. Any type of compensation or WFH during rains should be provided."
"I personally think employees should be given full wfh during rains and also during periods of heavy pollution in your city. I wouldn't want my employees to come in coughing, wet, uncomfortable, wheezing and spread germs around," wrote a third user.