Author: Reetika Bose | HRKatha

Hardly any business, other than essential goods, remained unaffected by the lockdown. The impact was felt by Essilor India too, which supplies lenses, eyeglasses and spectacles to around 35,000 independent opticians around the country. With eyewear stores getting closed in the first and second phases of the lockdown, sales took a hit. Consequently, business dropped to almost zero. Even after the lockdown was lifted in some parts and the eyewear stores were allowed to open for a few hours, business picked up at a very slow pace, because these stores had to be closed by evening, which is actually the…

HCL Technologies, a subsidiary of HCL Enterprise, has decided not to have appraisals for this year, and this will be applicable for all employees across levels. However, in the last quarter, HCL Technologies had also mentioned that there will be no layoffs. Staying true to its commitment, HCL has ensured job security for its employees as long as their performance is up to the mark. Speaking to HRKatha, Varre Appa Rao, CHRO, HCL Technologies, says, “Typically, there will be a small percentage of people who will exit because of performance, which is the same for any industry. But, we will…

Traditionally, employee-engagement activities have enabled organisations to nurture common interests among employees, while familiarising them with the organisational culture. These engagement activities not only boost employee morale but also pave the way for better communication, higher productivity and positive mental health. During these COVID times, when remote working has drastically reduced the face time between employees, the role of employee-engagement initiatives has become all the more vital now, in ensuring that employees remain connected in a positive spirit as they adjust to the new normal. Understanding the importance of engaging employees through fun activities during the work- from-home period, e-commerce…

Of all the sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, aviation has been the hardest hit. With travel restrictions, grounded fleets, benched staff, schedule uncertainties, ticket liabilities and cash burn, concerns are being raised as to whether the sector will be able survive or not. Amidst such uncertainties, full-service carrier, Vistara, which has been facing the heat of the pandemic, just as any other business, is striving to not only continue with its operations smoothly but also uplift its employees’ work life. When lockdown was announced, along with other industries, the aviation industry too had to adapt to new ways of…

It is not surprising that women are underrepresented in the manufacturing sector, and the argument to increase the industry’s fair share of female talent is persuasive. But one thing is certain, the manufacturing companies are likely to need a different approach to recruiting, skilling, retaining, and advancing women in their units. Godrej & Boyce, the manufacturing company operating in 14 diverse sectors, has always been in the forefront to include more women in its manufacturing plants, where women are often underrepresented. “Women handle a lot of responsibilities at home, and therefore, when they come to work in the forefront, they…

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has a dedicated third-party team to take care of and support its employees, who contract the COVID-19 infection. Called the Hitchki Response Protocol, it takes complete control of the situation. Irrespective of whether the employee is working from office or home, from the moment the suspicion of infection arises, the team takes charge of the situation. “Humans are social beings, who are used to interacting and communicating at a social level, that doesn’t exist anymore. On one hand, while few employees are excited at the opportunity to work remotely — because it offers flexibility, and has…

Covid-19 has created significant challenges for businesses, in India and across the world. What is important to look at is how well prepared are businesses to meet the challenges, despite the locking and unlocking of states in the country. While the current situation is certainly not favourable for distillers and their businesses, Allied Blenders & Distillers has resumed its distillery operations, started production and begun to manage its sales and distribution activities. With its comprehensive ‘Back to Work’ strategy, ABD ensures safe working practices including social distancing, effective sanitisation and equipping its employees with the required personal protective equipment (PPE).…

Nobody had ever imagined a situation as critical as the pandemic, and hence, everyone, including organisations big and small, are preparing to address the implications. All of a sudden, many of the HR processes and policies have become irrelevant. As organisations approach the ‘new normal’, it is time for them to re-evaluate the priorities for the future. As work is becoming more dynamic and agile, companies such as ATG Tires, a subsidiary of the Yokohama Rubber Company (YRC), are functioning outside of thei comfort zones in a really fluid manner. “One of the most important things that we are emphasising…

The Federation of Bank of Baroda Officers’ Association (FOBBOA), affiliated to AIBOC (All India Bank Officers’ Confederation), has issued a circular, protesting the Bank’s failure to protect its employees. The Federation disapproves of the fact that the Bank expects staff to report to the office for work every day, even in places where the number of COVID cases has been on the rise. The circular signed by K Prakash Rao, general secretary, FOBBOA, has raised questions on implementation of the Team A & Team B concept, which were the guidelines earlier issued by the Bank but apparently not practised in…

Being proactive is the right approach as far as flexible working is concerned, and for companies such as Mindtree, shifting towards remote working, was not a sudden change. Having all the infrastructure, facilities and collaboration tools in place, the IT consulting firm has been able to provide seamless delivery of work to its customers during these times. To begin with, in order to ensure wellness of remotely working Mindtree Minds, the Company has enabled a 24/7 medical helpline staffed by specialist doctors. The helpline is set up for the benefit of both Mindtree Minds and their families. “We are glad…

While most companies have frozen their hiring, here is one, which not only onboarded new joinees during the lockdown, but also considered them eligible for incentives. IndiGrid, India’s first power-sector infrastructure investment trust, has launched a ‘long-term incentive plan’ that gives out incentives not just to the existing employees, but also to the new joinees. This plan is a unique cash-based model, which gives out incentives to new and existing employees on a long-term basis. “We honoured all offers rolled out during or before the lockdown. A total of 40 per cent of the employees have joined in the last…

Changes in life can either be gradual, or happen overnight. The outcome is usually the result of the choices that you make in life. In terms of the present situation, the two biggest changes — lockdown and work from home — happened almost overnight and have now become the new normal. Although the latter has been under consideration as an option for some time now, it got implemented, only because of the COVID-19 crisis. “COVID has changed a lot of things. Earlier, I wanted my employees to undertake virtual training, but the suggestion was not embraced then. The acceptance was…

What is productivity? Is it output or outcome? In the Indian market, the focus tends to be more on the output than the outcome. The mindset here, in terms of productivity, dates back to many years ago — to the Industrial Revolution — when industries were mostly focused on output-driven activities. Ravi Mishra, Sr. VP- HR, Grasim Industries, says, “Productivity comes with a mindset. Earlier, in India, manufacturing companies used to have a time and motion strategy where they focused on the number of employees required to run a company. That used to be the achievement for manufacturing plants and…

Sales professionals are one set of people that cannot work out of offices, but then, they cannot work from home either. They have to be out in the market with their customers. Post lockdown and the Covid-19 crisis, the job most impacted is that of salespersons. How are they coping with the new normal? HRKatha finds out. As we know, sales plays a key role in building loyalty and trust between customers and businesses. However, with absolutely no physical interaction and no face-to-face meetings, it is difficult to gain the trust and loyalty that make a customer choose to recommend…

Life is full of uncertainties, and those in the life insurance business can totally relate to this statement. COVID-19 is something that no one had ever expected, and it is now impacting everyone around the world in more ways than one. It has completely changed the way people think and live their lives. Amidst all this uncertainty, HDFC Life Insurance is moving ahead with extraordinary strength and resilience to ensure the safety of its employees and stakeholders, and carry on with its business. Following the relaxation of lockdown, HDFC Life is opening branches in a phased manner with set guidelines…

With an alarming financial burden, jobs/employment is going to become a tricky and grim topic in times to come. In such a scenario, natural resources conglomerate, Vedanta, is pursuing a vision to increase its production in the coming years. Hence, it is planning to hire more operations and technical experts, as well as young and diverse talent. Even with its operations spread across four continents and 10 businesses, the Company manages to function with just about 14,000 executives and a total workforce of about 1,00,000, including its blue-collared and contractual workforce! Madhu Srivastava, group CHRO, Vedanta, says, “We see technological…

In every company, the frontline workers are considered to be the stars of the organisation. Those in customer-facing roles are considered an asset due to their relationships with the clients and the business they generate for the company. They are more valued and pampered than the back-end team or the support staff. It is believed that the support staff can be easily replaced as per the requirement and the existing team can also double up as support staff. This is also why whenever a company considers downsizing the team, the support staff or the backend team is the first choice.…

MG Motor India started work at its manufacturing plant in Gujarat on April 21, post the second leg of the lockdown. However, the Company had its own share of challenges, both business as well as operational. At first, there were certain business challenges. When MG Motor India had decided to restore its manufacturing capacity, there were issues of opening a countrywide distribution network and ensuring supply chain continuity between the designated red, orange and green zones. “As we had opened early and in a phased manner, there was a situation when our suppliers hadn’t got timely approvals, which delayed production.…

It all started on March 11, when the management of Tata Management Training Centre (TMTC), faced with a never-before challenge, decided to conduct a series of webinars. The aim was to not only keep its employees engaged but also help them borrow some ideas and best practices from the industry. Called Learning Latitudes, today, TMTC has managed to conduct over 50 webinars, with speakers from across the globe offering insights into topics critical to business, leadership and personal development. As the name suggests, ‘latitudes’ connect and the theme of the series revolved around leadership, personal interests, functional areas and COVID-related…

It is not just people worldwide who are adjusting to the sudden, drastic changes in life brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, but companies are having to adjust too. If organisations manage to see the opportunity in this crisis, they can emerge stronger, more creative, and with a more loyal and engaged customer base. Insurance companies, such as Aviva Life Insurance are crafting their response to the crisis and are continuously striving to improve their existing practices. Amit Malik, chief people operations & customer services officer, Aviva Life Insurance, says, “Any crisis is an opportunity and I think that has…

Rocket Singh (name changed), a sales professional with Indiabulls Consumer Finance’s Bareilly branch, received a mail from the HR department on May 26, informing him that he has been transferred to Erode in Tamil Nadu, and that he is expected to join his new branch from June 3, 2020. Similarly, another employee, Pawan Sinha (name changed) was transferred from Mumbai to Sangrur, in Punjab! The email sent to these employees read as follows: “Dear XYZ, The company has been reorganising its business and has been consolidating branches/offices to have greater efficiency. Hence, pursuant to the terms of your employment, the…

Companies across the globe are either laying off their employees or introducing pay cuts to safeguard their businesses and survive the economic after-effects of the pandemic. Amidst such uncertainties, it brings in a pinch of positivity, when companies, such as IDBI Federal Life Insurance decide to continue their appraisal cycle, even during the pandemic and give out salary hikes to its employees. The insurance company, with its ‘Employee-First’ philosophy at the core, has also given an average bonus of 22.4 per cent in FY 19-20 and has retained its Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution at 12 per cent, despite the…

Blackberrys, the Indian clothing brand owned by Mohan Clothing Co., has laid off 120 employees amidst the pandemic. The employee strength of the Company is around 3,000. To start with, a decision was taken to shut operations in unprofitable markets and retrench the workforce for optimum efficiency. The Company had already been strategising and taking necessary steps internally by optimising hierarchy, operations and structure since last year. This was definitely not an easy decision. Our senior management, along with the HR team critically evaluated every possible solution before finally deciding to downsize Ashima Deepak Kaul, head-HR, Blackberrys, tells HRKatha, “This…

As this ‘stay at home’ phase demands social distancing, contactless servicing was the biggest challenge for the life insurance sector. For companies, such as Max Life Insurance, it was important to ensure that 80 per cent of its employees could effectively work from home within three to four days of the lockdown announcement. To ensure that new policies can be issued to customers during a period of lockdown and without any physical contact, the Company has digitised its sales processes to embrace the new normal. “In line with our commitment to customer centricity, we have digitised all our key operations…

COVID-19 has majorly disrupted the global economy, with many business sectors opting for temporary shutdowns or bare minimum operations. The insurance industry, however, is racing forward even while confronting unprecedented levels of risk and uncertainty. With only 25 per cent of employees working from offices, companies such as Universal Sompo General Insurance are facing mobility issues, and here is how they are fighting the underlying challenges. Insurance companies have been facing severe underwriting losses in the auto and travel segment. The automobile and travel industries have temporarily shut down, and there is absolutely no scope of business generation. In order to…

During the lockdown, one set of workers, whose services were missed the most, were the plumbers, electricians and beauticians. These self-professionals are part of the Urban Company’s gig workforce, or the ‘service partners’, as the Company likes to address them.  While it is now all geared up to resume its services post the lockdown, the biggest challenge for the Company is to ensure safety for these professionals. Project Kavach To begin with, Urban Company has launched Project Kavach specifically for its service partners – a certification training programme to help them protect themselves and take necessary safety precautions as they…