In an email to employees titled "Adjusting Our Sails" sent on May 28, BookMyShow Founder and CEO Ashish Hemrajani addressed the impact of COVID-19 on the company's business. He said that out of 1,450 employees at BookMyShow in India and across the globe, about 270 -- across various functions and teams -- will be impacted.

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It is unclear out of the 270 employees, how many have been handed pink-slips and how many have been put on furlough.

In his email, Hemrajani said, “At BookMyShow, we have lived through the dot com bust of the early 2000s and the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 to know that this is going to run deep and long.” He also added, “We also have to introspect its influence on the future and consumption of out-of-home entertainment for the foreseeable future.”

As part of employee care, those who have been put on furlough -- leave without pay -- have been assured that they will continue to remain employed with BookMyShow. They will also be eligible for medical insurance, gratuity and other benefits as per employment standards.

The ones who were laid off have been offered a severance package that includes two months' salary and medical insurance cover until September 30. The letter suggests that teams that are staying back have voluntarily taken salary cuts ranging from 10 to 50 percent at the leadership level, while giving up bonuses and raises.

Meanwhile, BookMyShow started offering free digital content from day 2 of the nation-wide lockdown. Addressing the need to future-proof the business and operations Hemrajani said, “We are working closely with our industry partners on introducing the necessary social distancing, sanitisation and hygiene norms for a safe entertainment experience when we open again to out-of-home experiences. Despite all the resilience we show, we can’t predict how the future shapes up, but we promise to continue our focus on a high quality of input."

First Published:May 28, 2020 7:34 PM IST