With work culture changing, HR practices are also undergoing changes. ANKUR WARIKOO tells PRAKRITI ROY about HR practices in his company
The need to focus so much on the internal HR practices of your company.
It is the people of an organisation that make what the company stands for. I want each and every employee who works at nearbuy to feel inspired by their own work each day. At a place where people spend eight-12 hours a day, HR initiatives that the people believe in helps create a more honest, open and democratic environment.
Is this shift towards maintaining better employee relations a recent phenomenonIJ
Companies should always have initiatives that help motivate employees to work in a more collaborative manner. So there has been no sudden shift, as employee relations is at the heart of everything we do.
What are some of the practices that your company followsIJ
We have practices like: CXO for a day. One employee from the organisation gets to be the CXO of their choice for one day. The CXO will shadow the candidate, sharing minimal inputs. The chosen candidate gets to attend all the meetings, and unlimited access to the CXOs emails and phone calls.
lunch with the CEO: I schedule an up close and personal conversation over lunch with one employee of the company every week across levels, departments and cities. Those located in other cities have a lunch session over Skype or video conferencing.
Banishing hierarchy: Employee are taken for the annual offsite each year, including the office boys. We have a chit system for rooming partners. I once shared a room with an office boy. We gave all our employees gift cards worth a certain amount.
How did you go about formulating these practicesIJ
We saw the average age of our employees. There were also clear trends as to how the best performers were driving themselves and the fact that potential leaders needed autonomy and empowerment to take decisions. We want to be a close-knit group where the top management is always within reach.
Have you noticed any change in employee relations in your own companyIJ
Each new joiner receives an email from me when they’ve completed their first month at nearbuy. This helps me keep a track of whether they are comfortable in their work. I’ve often got feedback that this is the most empowered company they’ve ever worked for.
Changes that you foresee in HR practices in futureIJ
The knowledge economy has brought about a lot of changes in the approaches of HR managers. This will continue to evolve. With the ever-growing popularity of startups, established practices will be challenged and employees will demand greater autonomy and freedom.
Importance of banishing hierarchy.
Hierarchy creates lack of ownership among employees. A more transparent system ensures positive energy and a sense of equality. It is essential to keep channels of communication open.