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Employee matters

Tackling attrition has always been a challenge. Companies are now going that extra mile to retain their talent pool

Employee well-being Cognizant staff with Wah! gifts of mugs and caps

Pampering and pep talks have become mundane. Bonus and cash incentives work, but there also have to be parties, discussions with top honchos, creative activities and trips to exotic destinations. As hi-profile companies are battling it out to retain talent, the new-age employee gets an opportunity to call the shots.

“Earlier, the emphasis was on training. Now, we also want to inculcate a ‘sense of belonging’ in our employees so that the office is no longer a mere workplace,” says Robin Lloyd, vice-president and general manager, Lionbridge India, which caters to the language services market.

To handle workplace stress and everything else that takes away from the pleasure of working, Lionbridge has a unique facility, ‘Sharing Post’, an in-house confidential counselling session.

“Employees can enlist the help of counsellors as and when something bogs them down in their everyday work life and de-stress,” he adds.

Lionbridge also has a ‘remote worker programme’. “When there is a ‘life change’ for employees (marriage, moving to a different city or caring for children) they can opt for ‘work change’, set up infrastructure at home and continue to work as full-time employees,” says Robin. Periodical team events and the annual get-together ‘Connect’ help them stay connected.

Bhaskar Das, vice-president, Human Resources, Cognizant, agrees that innovation and creativity are the cornerstones of sustainable businesses. It uses the generation next platform of ‘blogs’ to harness the creativity of its employees. Its corporate blogging system, ‘Channel One’, rewards employees using a spot reward mechanism called ‘Wah!’

“For example, employees can come up with an innovative idea. It is discussed and debated on the blog, and taken up for implementation if found to be sound,” he says.

The blog platform is also used for corporate social responsibilities. For instance, if a school needs renovation support, an individual or a group medical help, and an orphanage help, the blog gets together people interested in supporting that cause.

Wah! appreciates employee activities that go beyond the call of duty with award points. These are redeemed against Cognizant-branded goodies such as DVDs and strolleys, branded watches and signature jackets. In Lionbridge, the ‘internal jobs check’ feature that alerts employees on opportunities within the organisation has brought down attrition by two to three per cent.

“They can identify bigger challenging roles within the company and climb the career ladder. In the last six months, there has been a dramatic increase in internal transfers and rotation of jobs. We have plans to involve employees in the company’s community outreach programmes and social service initiatives,” says Robin. What’s more, there is also a monthly open forum ‘Tea with Robin’ to discuss strategies on improving work culture.

At KG Information Systems Limited, whose core area is IT and ITES domain, it is the ‘Just Like That’ parties and quarterly trips to Ooty and Coonoor that woo employees.

“Shortly, they are going on a trip to a farmhouse in Annur. The national attrition average is 30 per cent in IT companies and 60 to 70 per cent in ITES. Ours is definitely less,” says Shyam Sunder, Advisor - Human Resources.

A team is also in place to identify the core competency of employees and offer them suitable opportunities.

“This way, job satisfaction is much higher. We also have a policy on vertical growth to ensure that any managerial position is open to people in the team,” he says. “It is the demand-supply mismatch of qualified manpower that is keeping employers on their toes. Though one of the driving forces behind retention is salary, when employees move on to bigger companies, there are other issues,” he adds.

Some companies adopt the ‘indirect motivation’ route — they pamper the families of employees by giving them gifts and sending them on trips. This way, even if the employee wants to leave, the family wants him to stay on.

Despite all the advantages, it will be prudent for employees to remember that every action has a reaction, warns psychiatrist Adhivarahan, a counsellor and IT and HR consultant. He advises a 360-degree analysis of the situation before job hopping.

“Opportunities are immense in the IT sector, but so are the challenges. An analysis of why you want to leave, instead of passing the buck to the employer, will help identify the areas you need to improve on. Constructive self-criticism matters,” he adds.

Career advancement

Challenging roles

Better salary

Too many equal performers

in a team

Cultural and behavioural differences

Long commutes

Refusal to extend maternity leave

To pursue higher studies

K. JESHI

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