The Indian Workplace Has Undergone a Sea Change

8/13/2019 The Indian Workplace Has Undergone a Sea Change

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Current Human resources scenario in IndiaThe Indian workplace has undergone a sea change, and human resource priorities havenow taken centre stage.

In a knowledge economy, it is peoplenot capital or marketwho make all the

difference. As talent occupies centre stage in the Indian workplace, managing andretaining manpower is becoming crucial to an organization's success. To achieve this,

companies across sectors are focusing on some of the more critical ! practices. "e

identify #$ such trends%

Leadership Development

&reating a pipeline of leadership talent is key to a business' future growth. eter &appelli,

the (eorge " Taylor professor of management and director of the &enter for uman

!esources, The "harton )chool, *niversity of ennsylvania, says it is imperative for the

top level of an organization to make leadership talent management a priority, and put its

money into long+term plans, as opposed to short+term ones. If companies are worriedabout their talent pipeline, they have to develop their people, says &appelli. Also, good

bench strength helps companies deal with volatility in labour supply. &ompaniesincludingHindustan Unilever, Procter and Gambleand GlaxoSmithKlinehave been

able to withstand attrition in key e-ecutives because they have always invested in

developing leaders, says . warakanath, president, /ational uman !esourceevelopment /etwork. 0-perts say succession planning should not be seen in isolation,

but as part of overall organizational development.

Work-life Balance

/o company or employee has found the oly (rail of balancing work and life, but that is

a work in progress. owever, multinationals, information technology 1IT2 and IT enabledservices 1ITe)2 companies have been able to promote the balance between career, familyand leisure+time better. 3ther sectors have also been increasingly promoting a work+life

balance.

Interestingly, most companies in India use benefits such as fle-ible timings,

telecommuting, cr4che facilities and concierge services as an attraction and retention

strategy. "e are yet to fully buy into the fact that employees become more productiveand remain motivated when companies allow them to have a life beyond work, says

rabir 5ha, global head, human resources, r !eddy's 6aboratories 6td.

0-perts say companies should see the work+life balance as a business proposition sinceprogressive companies carry business forward with employees and families.

Inclusion and Diversity

"ith higher numbers of (en 7ers 8oining the workforce in India at a time when

companies across the world have an ageing workforce on their rolls, conflicts are to bee-pected. 3ne of the challenges companies face today is resolving conflicts among


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different generations, says avan 9hatia, e-ecutive director, human resources, epsi&o

India oldings vt. 6td. An inclusive and diverse workforce is the future of the

workplace, he adds. Therefore, companies are investing both time and resources inensuring that all age groups are comfortable working together.

3rganizations in India have also been focusing on making workplaces morerepresentative. :or companies such as I&I&I 9ank 6td, industan *nilever 6td, ;edanta

!esources, epsi&o India, )hell &ompanies in India and 9harti Airtel 6td, gender

diversity has become a critical area of focus.

iversity is a business imperative since it brings diverse skills, ideas and approach to an

organization, says allavi Tyagi, general manager, human resources, 0I uont India

vt. 6td.

Health and wellness

The work culture at globalized workplaces involves long working hours, fre?@ medical facilities in all its centres. uont has an

Intranet+based tool, which assesses an employee's health through a


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Right killing

!ight skilling, or matching 8obs with a particular level of training rather than hiring

overskilled workers, is gaining currency. &ompanies use this strategy to tide over amanpower supply crunch and to broaden their talent base. 7ou don't need an IITian to

supervise a car maker's shop floor or a management graduate from a premier business

school to sell soaps, which largely has been the case, says T.;. ohandas ai, head,human resources, Infosys Technologies 6td.

Apart from IT and ITe) firms, organizations in the banking and financial services sector,too, have been increasingly hiring graduates and training them. The upsideB 6ower

attrition rates and wage costs. ai e-plains that when you have an over+


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0-perts say companies need to take a fresh look at solid citizens and invest time and

resources in managing and developing this group

Instant Rewards

!ecognizing and rewarding performers is one of the most effective tools to attract andretain the right talent. &ompanies in India are looking at rewards systems more seriously,

and are adopting total rewards practices that include compensation in both cash and kind.

Apart from lifestyle per


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:inally, recognizing the need to make performance appraisal systems more effective, an

increasing number of companies are using the HD$ degrees or multi+rater feedback

process. *nlike the traditional appraisal system, which gives unidimensional feedback,this one allows an employee to give feedback to her reporting manager, peers, direct

reports and others. ulti+rater feedback not only reduces the risk of biased perceptions,

but also gives you a holistic view from all the stakeholders within the company, says)an8ay 9ali, vice+president, !, )amsung India 0lectronics vt. 6td.

"hile most companies started using this system as a means for performance appraisal,most of them now use the HD$ degrees feedback system to identify the learning and

development needs of employees.

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The Indian Workplace Has Undergone a Sea Change