Introducing visionary practices is one thing, knowing when to retract is another: Zomato is acing both

Zomato-owned Blinkit, which is currently leading the quick commerce race with a 45% market share, has scrapped its Zero Notice Period Policy amid an intensifying battle of talent in the industry.
Now, the employees, particularly the senior executives, will be subject to a 2-month notice period. 💼

The report cites a source stating that “Blinkit’s actions are both pre-emptive and a response to current market conditions. With well-funded competitors like Zepto and InstaMart or larger players like Flipkart capable of offering attractive packages to lure talent away from Blinkit, the company is taking steps to prevent this.” Another source mentioned in the report adds, “In some instances, when Blinkit is certain an employee is leaving for a direct competitor, the employee is either placed on a two-month garden leave or relieved immediately to prevent sensitive information from being shared.”

Having a Zero Notice Period is not a usual practice. Zomato’s philosophy was, “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘺 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥.” 💻

However, by acknowledging that it might be a disadvantage to the company in the current competitive landscape and retracting a publicly lauded practice, Zomato has again made headlines for being an HR pioneer.

Zero Notice Period Is Only One Of The Many Visionary Practices

1. No Probationary Period

Zomato does not have a probation period because it believes that new hires should not be treated differently during their first six months, nor should any employee, regardless of position or seniority, receive special privileges after six months. From the first day, new employees are fully integrated as part of Zomato.

2. Six-month Parental Leave For Both Parents

The company offers a 6-month paid parental leave policy, available equally to both primary and secondary caregivers. There is no pressure on employees to return early from parental leave.

The policy is flexible, allowing secondary caregivers to choose when to take the leave, either during the child’s birth or later. Many fathers prefer to take the leave when their partner returns to work, making the policy more practical.

Since the policy’s launch in June 2019, 917 male employees have taken advantage of paid parental leave.

3. Period Leave

In August 2020, Zomato introduced a period leave policy, offering female employees 10 days of paid leave per year for menstruation. Since 2021, around 64% of female employees have used these period leaves.

4. DEI Enabled Workspace

Zomato’s office premises are designed to be inclusive, with ample ramps and wide aisles between desks to accommodate wheelchair accessibility. In some of its dark stores in Delhi-NCR, Zomato employs hearing and speech-impaired staff. These “Silent Stores” are fully digitized, with labeled infrastructure for smooth communication between employees and delivery executives.

To accommodate LGBTQIA+ employees, there are gender-neutral washrooms and gender change surgery covered in the medical insurance.

5. All growth lies in discomfort

Zomato takes a unique approach to employee growth.

Employees who remain with the company for 3+ years gain experience in at least 3 different roles. The company promotes horizontal growth, encouraging employees to develop skills across various functions. The focus is not on KPIs, KRAs, or on resumes, as it believes these measures limit growth to vertical progression — restricted to job titles or salary increases.

For example, someone in sales might be encouraged to try customer service for six months.

Hiring Philosophy — You Don’t Come and Apply; if you’re good, Zomato will find you

1. Hiring at Zomato is done exclusively through referrals — No traditional campus recruitment system. It also doesn’t have a formal application process for external candidates seeking lateral entry into the organization.
2. Reading the CV from bottom to top to focus on a candidate’s behavioral traits rather than qualifications, academic performance, or previous experience. They assess a candidate’s learning temperament and aptitude to determine if they’re a good fit for the company.
3. Zomato hosts festivals called ‘Zomaland’ in various cities, where they recruit young talent. Last year, Zomaland was held in eight cities. During the event, recruiters engage in casual, unscripted conversations with attendees, without reviewing their CVs or backgrounds. Based on these 5–10 minute interactions, they assess whether the person is a good cultural fit and make offers on the spot.
4. The company does not have a dedicated recruiting team — any employee can participate in hiring.
5. Each candidate is interviewed by two people simultaneously to minimize bias.
6. Candidates are also given the opportunity to request a second interview if they feel they didn’t perform their best on the initial interview date. As interviewers have the flexibility to cancel or reschedule if they’re not at their best, so offering candidates the same chance ensures fairness.
7. Zomato employees often recruit candidates at events and in random locations if they feel someone is a good cultural fit. For example, instead of attending fancy networking events to find warehouse staff, they visit ‘mandis’ (wholesale markets), where they are more likely to find suitable candidates for such roles.