In India’s insurance industry, where sales agents operate under scorching 48°C heat whilst head office staff enjoy 24°C air conditioning, training programmes often fail to bridge the operational divide. IndiaFirst Life Insurance believes it has found a solution in what it calls the LEARN model—a five-tier development framework that the company claims addresses both the needs of corner-office executives and field agents working across 900 postal codes.
The metaphor of “24s and 48s” runs through IndiaFirst Life’s approach to employee development. According to Sunder Natrajan, the company’s chief human resources officer, this temperature difference represents more than physical comfort—it reflects the challenge of designing relevant training for dramatically different working conditions.
“The LEARN model is not just a training philosophy; it’s a career philosophy. It reflects our belief that capability building is not a one-time intervention but a lifelong pursuit that must evolve with the individual and the organisation.”
Sunder Natrajan, CHRO, IndiaFirst Life Insurance
“Learning must respect context,” Natrajan explains. “If we design from an ivory tower, we miss the heartbeat of our people. However, if we listen, observe and empathise, learning becomes transformational, not just transactional.”
The LEARN framework
The company’s proprietary LEARN model structures career development across five stages, from self-management to cultural leadership. Each level carries specific behavioural expectations and performance milestones, creating what IndiaFirst Life describes as a “career philosophy” rather than simply a training programme.
“The LEARN model is not just a training philosophy; it’s a career philosophy,” Natrajan states. “It reflects our belief that capability building is not a one-time intervention but a lifelong pursuit that must evolve with the individual and the organisation.”
The framework begins with basic self-awareness and business understanding, progressing through relationship management and results delivery to people development. The pinnacle involves “enabling culture”—where leaders influence organisational values and purpose rather than merely managing teams.
IndiaFirst Life has integrated this structure particularly tightly with its sales function, where high turnover typically hampers development efforts. The company claims sales professionals can advance within six months if they meet defined metrics, with structured learning paths mapped to 12, 18, 24, and 36-month milestones.
Beyond the classroom
The company’s most significant cultural investment appears to be an annual two-day learning programme for its sales workforce, now in its tenth year. Rather than focusing solely on performance metrics, the event emphasises connection between leadership and frontline staff.
“This programme is sacred to us,” Natrajan notes. “It brings together frontline employees and top leadership in the same room—not just to talk strategy, but to build emotional and cultural alignment.”
The sessions include presentations from “rehires”—former employees who have returned to the company. According to Natrajan, these testimonials provide unscripted insights into employee sentiment and organisational culture. “We often ask—how many in the room are rehires? Every time hands go up. We don’t prod them for a reason. We just listen.”
Technology and feedback loops
IndiaFirst Life employs several digital tools to monitor and adapt its learning strategy. An AI-enabled feedback system called Amber conducts structured interviews with employees at key milestones, probing beyond surface responses to identify training gaps.
Post-pandemic feedback revealed renewed demand for in-person learning, particularly from field teams. The company responded by expanding its training staff and strengthening hybrid delivery models. “Relevance matters more than reach,” Natrajan argues. “So, we built local capabilities—trainers who understand the context, culture and language of the field.”
The company has also developed a mobile learning platform for compliance training and product updates, ensuring employees in remote locations have access comparable to Mumbai headquarters staff. A new AI assistant called Genie is being developed for real-time learning support, though it remains in early stages.
Management involvement
Perhaps more significantly, IndiaFirst Life has shifted responsibility for weekly training sessions from HR trainers to skip-level managers. This change required a “Train the Trainer” programme to ensure consistency, but Natrajan believes it sends a stronger message about learning priorities.
“Having your senior manager walk you through training—not just the HR team—sends a powerful message,” he explains. “It says: we’re all responsible for learning. It’s not a handover. It’s a handshake.”
Measuring impact
The company uses various metrics to assess its learning programmes, including regular Training Needs Analysis and performance reviews. At junior levels, training follows mass-customised calendars for consistency and scale. Senior employees receive individualised development plans based on skill gap assessments.
IndiaFirst Life also maintains what it describes as multi-layered feedback mechanisms, using both traditional performance management and newer digital tools to adapt its approach. The company claims this responsiveness distinguishes its model from static corporate training programmes.
The business case
Whether IndiaFirst Life’s approach delivers measurable business results remains to be fully demonstrated. The insurance industry’s high-turnover sales environment provides a challenging test case for any development strategy, particularly one requiring significant investment in training infrastructure and management time.
The company’s emphasis on cultural alignment and employee engagement reflects broader trends in Indian corporate human resources, where retention challenges force organisations to compete on more than compensation alone. In a sector where relationships drive sales, training that builds both technical skills and emotional connection may prove decisive.
The temperature metaphor captures a genuine challenge facing many Indian businesses: designing systems that work equally well in air-conditioned corporate environments and harsh field conditions. Whether IndiaFirst Life’s solution proves replicable across industries—or even sustainable within insurance—will depend on its ability to demonstrate clear returns on substantial learning investments.
For now, the company appears committed to its comprehensive approach, viewing employee development as what Natrajan calls “cultural inheritance” rather than mere business necessity.