Within a week of the lockdown being announced, several organisations had already started planning a reduction in hiring numbers due to the economic burden. The job crisis has begun in the country with a stark 23 per cent rise in the unemployment rate.
However, there are still certain organisations that have no plans to freeze their hiring procedures, thanks to technology making it possible to onboard employees digitally.
Last week, telecom firm, Bharti Airtel, managed to digitally onboard summer interns from India’s top B-schools for its Young Leaders Summer Internship Programme 2020.
As a part of the Company’s commitment, Samit Deb, CHRO Bharti Airtel says, “In these unprecedented times, we have transformed every process to make it virtual and made sure nothing within the Company has to stop or be postponed. We believe this unique experience will add immense value to the learning of these leaders of tomorrow.”
As is its annual practice, this year too Airtel decided to honour its B-School summer placements and ensure that the country stays connected, despite the pandemic. The virtual onboarding was made possible after the Company had redesigned the entire hiring process, starting from induction to mentorship to final reviews.
“Innovation is at the core of Airtel’s DNA and we are enablers of the digital lifestyles of our customers,” adds Deb.
Keeping in mind the remote-working structure, the projects were also redesigned for the interns to be able to carry out their internship virtually.
In addition, the Company has assigned employees to help these interns navigate through Airtel’s ecosystem, and virtually handhold them in their internship journey.
