A big change in 2022
The one big change we have seen and will continue to see is the role of empathy at the workplace. In the past, it was often wrongly interpreted in the corporate world that demonstration of empathy meant showing weakness. Now, demonstration of empathy by leaders has become mainstream. The pandemic has helped many leaders demonstrate empathy for a sustained period of time and they have learnt that it requires courage and self-confidence and in the long term, it helps all stakeholders.
Change in leadership development programmes in 2022
There is a need for a customised leadership-development programme. At L&T Technology Services, we felt the need to equip our First Line Leaders early in 2020. We rolled out a Work from Anywhere(WFX) certification programme as most of our work moved to the WFH model.
The WFX certification programme broadly covered the management of projects, management of customers and people management.
The programme on managing people trained our leaders on empathy. It also helped them identify the challenges that employees may be facing during the WFX transition. The training included awareness of emotional intelligence, especially on handling deviations, building trust and avoiding dependencies on key team members by job rotations and educating them on psychological safety dilemmas while working remotely.
We received positive feedback from our managers as well as our employees.
Organisational hierarchy threatened in a hybrid workplace
While businesses are reimagining the way work is done, organisational structures have become more relevant than before. Having specific knowledge of the team members and managers has become very important for successful delivery of the job, especially when we are all working remotely.
“Leaders require courage & self-confidence to demonstrate empathy for a sustained time period”
While, the organisational layers have reduced, the teams have become smaller, but, the interdependencies across teams have increased. In a sense, the digital way of working has enabled us to work across teams more effectively. Many employees find the hybrid model of work has made them happier and more productive. It is not about organisational hierarchy anymore. The next gen is now looking for flexibility and agility in the working model. LTTS places high value on such an agile work culture and offers an ecosystem for its employees to thrive and grow through its WFX model.
Broader strategy to boost DE&I in 2022
A diverse and inclusive work environment is important as it makes everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do for the business, feel equally involved and encourages a sense of belonging.
When employees feel connected at work, the results tend to be better, with higher quality of work being produced. However, many businesses still do not have a healthy balance of people from varied backgrounds working for them. This needs to change. At LTTS, our gender diversity and inclusion (DE&I) campaign, WINGS, aims to build a culture that promotes hiring, developing, and retaining women employees in the company. Along with a robust campaign engine for DE&I, we also organise crosscultural awareness trainings to provide meaningful developmental opportunities to all employees. It further helps develop a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce.
Currently, LTTS’ workforce comprises 23 per cent women and our target is to achieve 30 per cent by 2026.
