Identifying potential leaders is crucial for an organisation’s success, as it ensures a robust talent pipeline, allowing for effective succession planning and leadership development. For Sterlite Technologies (STL), a global optical and digital solutions company, it’s no different. The company focuses its efforts on identifying its future leaders through a series of modules under its programme, ‘Accelerate. The key objective of the programme is to cultivate its talent pipeline. The next important thing is the manner in which the company identifies individuals or potential candidates for the programme. The process is rooted in the company’s succession method, focusing specifically on…
Author: Radhika Sharma | HRKatha
The mindset individuals bring to their work plays a profound role in determining their personal growth and influencing the trajectory of their organisations. Hence, the ability to cultivate a mindset that seeks out opportunities or chooses a ‘possibilities mindset’ over a ‘constraints mindset’ is a valuable asset. “Those who adopt a ‘possibilities mindset’ possess an optimistic view and inspire others to think creatively and step out of their comfort zones. This mindset encourages continuous ideation and creativity, making it an inspirational force that motivates people to explore beyond the ordinary,” believes Pallavi Poddar, CHRO, Fenesta Windows, DCM Shriram. Therefore, a…
In the ever-evolving landscape of the modern workplace, employees often find themselves caught between loyalty to their current jobs and the fear of the unknown. These two factors can significantly influence an employee’s decision to stay in the current position or seek new opportunities. The interplay of both these factors can vary significantly. “When employees feel immensely loyal towards their organisation, they experience a strong sense of security and attachment. This loyalty may lead them to stay put, even in the face of uncertainty,” opines Praveen Purohit, deputy CHRO, Vedanta Resources. The belief that their current organisation will support them…
At Kyndryl, the US-based IT infrastructure services firm born from the spin-off of IBM’s infrastructure services business, women constitute 30 per cent of the workforce. The company has implemented robust leadership-development initiatives specifically tailored for its female employees. One such programme, known as ‘Building Influence’, is dedicated to nurturing the leadership potential of talented women at the entry level. This programme places a strong emphasis on practical, experiential learning opportunities to enhance leadership skills. It also provides them with the opportunity to connect with senior leaders, gaining valuable insights from their experiences. Rajita Singh, chief people officer, Kyndryl India, believes…
An Australian insurance company recently employed keystroke technology to monitor an employee’s performance while he was working from home. On analysis, the tech revealed inefficiencies in the employee’s work habits based on his typing patterns, ultimately leading to the employee’s termination. The data disclosed that the employee failed to meet her scheduled hours on 44 days, was consistently late on 47 days, finished early on 29 days, and on specific days there were no strokes at all! It also revealed that she did no work for four days during this period, and when she did log in her keystroke activity…
JSW Paints currently operates an entire production line at its Vasind, Maharashtra plant with an all-women team. This semi-automated line, which manufactures wood finish paints, is entirely managed by female employees, from processing to packaging the entire range. The company is now actively working towards transforming another production line at its Vijayanagar plant in Karnataka into an all-women team operation. In a significant move towards greater inclusivity, JSW Paints is also increasing its recruitment of women in frontline roles and customer relationship positions, primarily for its retail market operations in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. While contemporary workplaces no longer assign…
The debate between company management and employees regarding returning to the office permanently is an ongoing one. Leaders of prominent global tech firms are drawing attention with their assertions about the importance of having employees working from the physical office. Interestingly, companies have changed their stance quite frequently ever since the pandemic waned. Initially, many organisations didn’t see any drawbacks to remote work at all. After all, all the relevant tasks were being completed, and productivity didn’t seem to be significantly affected either. However, as time went on, productivity and collaboration started being cited as the primary reasons for summoning…
Swedish bearing and seal manufacturing company, SKF, has a comprehensive programme to nurture the talent of future sales leaders. One of these initiatives called ‘I Aspire’ is led by the HR team, and focuses on enhancing the go-to-market capabilities of its sales professionals at all levels to make them more competitive and effective in their roles. Gautam Kumar, CHRO and director-people experience, SKF India and South East Asia, shares with HRKatha, “The programme emphasises on four key dimensions through an internal process of funnel management.” It begins with assessing the potential of sales team members based on factors such as…
Marriott International has elevated Vinay Jaswal to the role of VP-HR operations, South Asia (APEC). He joined the hotel in August 2022, in the role of senior director-HR. He served IHG Hotels and Resorts as head-HR, South West Asia for over two years, before joining Marriot International as senior director – HR, in August 2022. A postgraduate in defence automotive technology from Savitri Bai Phule University, Pune, Jaswal was with the Indian Army for over twelve years, from 1992 to 2004, as a defence instructor. He also holds an MBA in human resources from XLRI Jamshedpur. Jaswal is a seasoned…
Meeting talent demands in the insurance sector can pose challenges due to the specific domain skills required and the need for rapid scaling during business opportunities. However, a focus on recruiting, training and strategic partnerships helps mitigate difficulties. In the insurance sector, a common scenario involves a choice between identifying the right individuals for the job and persuading potential candidates to join the industry. This is what ICICI Prudential Life Insurance is doing to fulfil its talent needs. “Our strategy is to establish talent pipelines through campus recruitment and other avenues. This approach enables us to bring in considerable fresh…
Swaraj Tractors, a farm equipment-making division owned by Mahindra & Mahindra, has elevated Aarun Raghav to the role of vice president-human resources, admin and CSR. He assumed his new role starting August 1, 2023. Raghav has been a part of the company for close to four years. He joined Swaraj in February 2020 as its head of employee relations (ER), admin and CSR. His focus was to oversee long-term agreements, issues pertaining to the blue-collar workforce and capacity building. He also provided support to the manufacturing plants and their workforce-related matters. With this role enhancement, Raghav will assume the role…
Having been established way back in 1963, UTI AMC is amongst the oldest mutual fund and non-banking financial services organisations in the country. With over 60 decades of operational history, the company has accumulated a sizeable workforce comprising individuals from various age groups. Its 1400-strong team encompasses a wide spectrum of age categories, and to cater to this, the organisation follows distinctive HR practices. “The cornerstone of UTI’s foundation is its workforce, and therefore, we work to preserve and transfer this wealth of knowledge from one generation of employees to the next. Therefore, to achieve this, we have established a…
Ladies talking excitedly about their ‘lazy girl jobs’ on TikTok videos are being viewed by millions. This recent trend draws attention to the importance of maintaining a work-life balance rather than being consumed by a job that exhausts one completely. The message is clear, “This job will surely pay you well, but most importantly, it will lead you to a comfortable life, without requiring you to make it the sole source of your self-esteem or demanding excessive time and energy from you.” That sounds at once pleasing and easy, doesn’t it? In simple words, ‘lazy girl job’ means trying to get…
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts concluded its first batch of The Leela Leadership Development Programme 2023 (LLDP) on 12 August, 2023. The tailored Management Training programme was launched to attract the best talent in the hospitality industry, in partnership with Indian School of Hospitality (ISH) in alliance with Les Roches. The initiative was unveiled in February 2022, following an intensive three-month process of evaluations and interviews. Based on the interview process, The Leela selected 25 individuals to participate in this comprehensive 15-month programme. “The primary aim of the programme is to establish a leadership pipeline capable of overseeing our hotels. This entails…
Life is a journey filled with ups and downs, successes and setbacks. And adversity, in its various forms, is an inevitable part of this journey. Whether it’s a personal challenge or a professional slow down, how we respond to adversity can significantly shape our lives. In the face of adversity, the question that arises is, ‘How should we focus on adapting or recovering?’ Both adaption and recovery play crucial roles in one’s ability to not only survive but also thrive in the face of challenges. “It’s not a matter of choosing between adapting and recovering, but how adversity is confronted…
They say, ‘If it wasn’t for deadlines, nothing would get done’. It is true. Deadlines give meaning to a task, along with a reason and a goal or destination. Some people may hate deadlines because of the struggle associated with successfully reaching the goal, that is, delivering the task on time. Others may actually seek deadlines as they believe they help them work better. The time constraint helps in completing the assigned task successfully in many ways, ultimately giving a boost to overall productivity. Benefits of deadlines “The presence of a deadline naturally instils a sense of commitment towards achieving…
S&P Global is a data, research and analytics company that offers essential intelligence, data and analytics to various industries, businesses and governments worldwide. The company has a strength of approximately 33,000 employees globally, and about 13000 are located in India. After changing names periodically based on the portfolios it represented, it finally came to be recognised as S&P Global in the year 2016. After that, the company underwent a sort of rebirth, re-evaluating its philosophy and policies. The primary aim was to bring meaningful changes to the infrastructure, the way it treats employees, including the incentives and reward policies. The…
Amazon hosted the 3rd edition of AmazeWIT – Amazon Women in Technology Conference today in Bengaluru, in line with Amazon’s commitment to upskill and provide meaningful career opportunities to women in the technology space. The day-long hybrid conference empowered and provided opportunity for women to learn about innovative technologies and professional development through curated sessions, exchanging best practices, mentoring opportunities and expand their networks. Focused on the theme ‘Empowering Inclusion, Fostering Belonging’, the event enabled women from across the tech industry to learn through inspirational examples and experiences. The conference featured an engaging agenda, including thought-provoking keynote addresses, technology talks by Amazon leaders and accomplished women in tech,…
In the digital age, the power of social media cannot be underestimated. While viral videos can be entertaining and light-hearted, they can also cause nightmares for human resources (HR) departments when they involve employees or events related to the company. A recent example involving Byju’s, the edtech company, showed an employee venting his frustration over delayed incentives and mental pressure at work. Another video showed employees of Coding Ninjas being stopped from leaving the office without their manager’s permission. The company has been accused of fostering a rigid and strict work culture. How should the HR react or respond in…
Those who work long hours are often considered as workaholics and vice versa. However, being a workaholic and working long hours are not the same. Despite appearing similar, these two types of people are actually quite different. Here’s how: Workaholics are people who have an obsessive and compulsive need to work excessively and continuously, often to the detriment of their personal life, health and well-being. “They willingly spend extended hours working, even if they don’t have a specific workload or job requirements,” points out Chandrasekhar Mukherjee, CHRO, Bhilosa Industries. On the other hand, “Working long hours simply refers to spending…
Sharing ideas with a team member and later seeing that colleague getting appreciated for it is one of the most frustrating things that can happen at the workplace. Makehays are people who take advantage of an opportunity to present someone else’s ideas as their own. Naturally, they spark conspiracy and disturb the balance within the team. Most importantly, makehays contribute to creating a toxic work culture in many ways: “The person who actually did the work experiences a profound sense of demotivation and perceives it as a great injustice. This creates feelings of vulnerability, as people do not receive the…
Being diplomatic at the workplace often evokes mixed reactions and diverse interpretations. For some, this kind of behaviour may not be corporate appropriate as it involves sugar coating issues or avoiding confrontations to appease others. However, some people believe diplomacy can actually be useful in many ways. Let’s look at some of the plenty of positive reasons: Why is diplomatic behaviour advantageous? Polite approach: Diplomatic individuals are very polite in their approach. “Non-diplomatic individuals tend to be more straightforward and may not always consider the feelings of others, potentially leading to conflicts or strained relationships within the team. On the…
Rajendra Mehta, group CHRO, Suzlon Group, is an avid reader and is well regarded as an orator and a speaker. He was an outstanding tennis player in school and college and loves spending his free time around his family. Mehta did his early schooling from Panchmarhi, Chattishgarh, known to be among the remotest parts of India. Getting quality education in such geographies was always a challenge. Therefore, “hostels and boarding schools were the best options then,” recalls Mehta. Being born in a middle-class family comes with a lot of responsibilities as one grows up. However, there are some learnings that…
Maintaining salary secrecy is important in any company as it promotes a fair and harmonious work environment. It helps avoid unnecessary competition, jealousy and potential conflicts among employees. However, it’s still very common to see people discussing their salaries with fellow co-workers. Such conversations not only ruffle a lot of feathers the wrong way, but create a lot of negative disruptions within the workplace. Can penalising employees involved in such disclosures be the only way to stop them? Can employers penalise employees for discussing their salaries with fellow colleagues? Rights: “Penalising individuals involved in salary discussions may not be the…
Intensity and consistency are both important factors in the workplace. While intensity drives more innovation and efficiency, consistency fuels reliability and keeps the deadlines in check. How does one decide which is required or which one to go for? How is one better than the other or why should one be preferred to the other? “The choice between intense workers and consistent workers depends on the specific context and requirements of the situation,” points out Praveen Purohit, deputy CHRO, Vedanta Resources. He explains “Coming from a large manufacturer involved in various projects such as Capex — where speed and precision…
There are different types of leadership styles. Some leaders act more like mentors, while many tend to be authoritative. The authoritative leaders may often come across as bossy to their subordinates. Should this kind of bossism be accepted and tolerated? Can this bossism grow into a menace? Ravi Kumar, CPO, Page Industries, is of the view that bossism is not going anywhere as long as organisational structures remain as they are. “The prominence of certain individuals in positions of importance leads to specific behaviours. This type of human behaviour is facilitated by the structure of organisations that allow bossism to…