Key HR Initiatives & Best Practices

Companies
• GMR Group
• Infosys
• Larsen & Toubro
• Tata Power
• Reliance Industries
• Dr.Reddy’s
• ABG
GMR Group – Best Practices
 Leadership Development
• Automation and Implementation of all HR Processes
• Multitier Leadership Development Strategy
– Senior Leadership Team(SLT) Forum was established as
a Group level Knowledge sharing and thought
leadership platform.
– Development programmes and Coaching for SLT
members with support from some of the best names in
CEO coaching and Leadership Development including
Marshall Goldsmith
• Setting up world class Management Development
Centre in Bangalore
 Professional Membership
• Membership fees up to a maximum of Rs.5000/‐ per
Institution
– 2 approved institutions : M1 to M4(President to AVP) levels

• Membership fees up to a maximum of Rs.1000/‐ per

Institution
– 1 approved institution : M5 to M7(GM – Associate
Executive)
• Annual health check-up at GMR specified hospitals as per
the age given below:
– Below 45 years: Once in two years
– Above 45 years: Once in a year
– Employee’s spouse above 50 years of age is also covered
under annual health check-up
 Employee Emergency Response Center
• To assist all employees and their families in the event of any emergency.

• Services provided for the following Emergencies;

– Burglary & Thefts at Residence: Rendering assistance in filing a First Information Report
(FIR) and following up with the police
– Road accidents: Ambulance, assistance in the hospital, assists in FIR and following up with
insurance companies.
– Medical Emergency: Ambulance, assistance in the hospital and informing family
members.
– Anonymous threats: Enquire into such events and coordinate with the concerned
authorities. However, this will not include any incidents which involve another employee,
either directly or indirectly.
– Security gadgets: Identify and recommend gadgets which will help in preventing any
unauthorized access or entry to your residence.
– Pre‐employment verification: To be conducted for personnel such as maids, drivers,
gardeners to be employed by you.
– Providing security guard during emergency
– Fire emergency
– Assistance for obtaining passport
– Support services: Identifying and arranging agencies providing services such as plumbing,
carpentry, domestic help, drivers, etc; the cost of which is to be borne by employee
Higher Education Assistance for Employees Children
• Financial assistance to employees' children to cover expenditure for
pursuing Graduate studies, secured on merit, in Indian or overseas
universities (undergraduates) on completion of XII standard /II PUC.
• Eligibility – For employees who completed 2 years of service

• Every year the top 25 students who scored the highest percentage of marks
(subject to a minimum of 75% cutting across all educational boards) of XII
standard /II PUC are eligible to receive financial assistance from GMR.

• The selection of the top 25 students will be in the following ratio:

M5 and Above : 10 M6 and below : 15

• Admission to the educational institutions should be secured by child on

merit.
• The top 25 students will be awarded up to Rs. 2, 00,000/‐ each for meeting
the educational expenses.
 Education Reimbursement Program
• To encourage employees to acquire higher educational qualification for
their self development

• You can pursue Degree/Master degree / PG diploma / PhD programs

conducted by recognized universities.

• You can enrol yourself in Correspondence Courses conducted by

Universities, recognized institutes, including AICTE approved institutes and
all India recognized bodies such as NPC, ICAI, ICWA, ICSI, AIMA, NIPM, ISTD,
NITIE, and /or other courses recommended by the Business.

• Upto 90% Fee reimbursed on successful completion of the authorised

course in 1st attempt, on production of fee receipts subject to a maximum
of Rs.50,000 per course

• Costs of books/reading material will not be reimbursed except where it

forms a part of the course fee, as in the case of some correspondence
courses.
 Employee Referral
To encourage employees refer professionals who are experienced
and meet the requirements of the job and fit into the culture of
the organization, for various functions.

An Employees gets a referral bonus when the candidate referred

by him completes 3 months in the organization as per table given
below.
Referred Candidates Amount (In Rs)
Job Responsibility Level
A3 & Below Rs.10000
A2 & A1 Rs.15000
M5, M6 & M7 Rs.25000
M4 & Above Rs.50000
 Transfer & Relocation
• Relocation benefits include;
– House Rent Brokerage Charges – 1 Month Rent
– Reimbursement of Registration and Road Tax
– Relocation Reimbursement- 2 months basic
– House Deposit Advance – Max 1 lakh
 Recovery in 20 monthly installments
• Temporary Transfer – 25% of 1 month basic as OPE
• Deputation – 50% of 1 month basic as OPE
• During Deputation – Employees allowed to visit their
family once in 6 months for 7 working days inclusive
of travel. Travel expenses will be borne by company.
 Personal Loan

• Personal loan is sanctioned to you as per the following:

– Employees in Grade M5 & above: 1 month Gross CTC
– Employees in Grade M6 & below: 2 months Gross CTC

• Interest rates for the above loan is as follows:

– Employees in Grade M5 & above: 8% per annum
(on reducing balance) recoverable in 18 equated monthly instalments
– Employees in Grade M6 & below: 0% (Interest free) recoverable in 12
equated monthly instalments

• Employees can avail of only one loan, at any time, during

the year with the approval of HOD
 Project Bonus
Project bonus will be based on achievement of the following milestones:
• Financial closure: If you have been directly involved in the bidding process/financial closure,
obtaining financial aid, and finally winning the bid.
• Completion of construction: If you have been involved directly and indirectly (Construction,
Project management, Business Development, Finance & Accounts, Commercial, Corporate
Relations, Corporate Planning, Corporate Communication, HR, MAG,IT, Legal & FMS) in the
construction of the project.
• Actual commercial operation: If you have been involved directly and indirectly (Construction,
Project management, Business Development, Finance & Accounts, Commercial, Corporate
Relations, Corporate Planning, Corporate Communication, HR, MAG, IT, Legal & FMS) in the
commencement of commercial operations
• If you are involved in the Strategic Initiatives having Group wide Impacts.
• If you are involved in activities like Fund raising, Institutional placement, etc.
• If you are a full time Advisors/Consultants, the payment will be on the basis of the notional grade,
advisory fee & also on the recommendations from Business/Corporate Chairman.
• Multiplication Factors assigned to Duration on Project(0.5 to 2) and Employee’s
Individual Impact(0.75 to 1.25)
• The quantum of payment for Project Bonus is as under:
– Up to 4 months actual CTC for grade M5 and below.
– Up to 3 months actual CTC for grade M4 and above.
Infosys – HR Practices
 Key Highlights
• 1,04,850 Employees Worldwide
• 33.4% workforce – Women
• 13,663 employees added in FY08
• 4,88,674 applications received during FY08
• Attrition Rate – 11.1 %
• Employee Satisfaction Survey(SAT) conducted in
partnership of Gallup, 78% of workforce participated,
on a scale of 1-5 the following were scored;
– Overall Satisfaction – 3.62
– Advocacy – 3.64
– Loyalty – 3.47
 Training & Development
• Education and Research Department – Responsible
for equipping employees with competencies and skills

• 13,83,146 person days of entry level training for new

hires
– Entry level hires undergo 3 month foundation

• 483 courses offered to all employees round-the-year,

of which
 338 are instructor led and
 145 are web based programmes
 Training Initiatives
• Launch of iRACE - Infosys Role & Career Enhancement
• iRACE delivers a comprehensive enterprise career
architecture which aligns
– Talent Management Activities with Client Priorities,
Business Needs and Employee Aspirations
• Project Management Centre of Excellence(PMCoE)
– Trained 2934 managers and more than 28,120
employees awarded technical certifications
• Launch of Business Analysts Centre of Excellence
• Enterprise Solutions Academy trained 29,667
employees on Technical and Domain related subjects
 Training Initiatives
• Infosys Leadership Institute(ILI) offered 4,56,685
person days of learning
• ILI equips employees with managerial and leadership
skills through regular classroom interventions,
knowledge tests, group development workshops and
seminars.
• Infosys Leadership Institute(ILI) in collaboration with
Diversity Office, launched special mentoring program
for Women employees.
• Launch of LEAD INFY to identify potential leaders for
managing large organisation wide initiatives.
 Employee Engagement
• Inclusive Work Environment – Developed patent pending
inclusivity index in 2007. This Index tracks the progress in
promoting inclusivity within the company
• Employees are encouraged to participate and contribute their
views through focus-based affinity networks which include;
– Infosys Women’s Inclusivity Network(IWIN) – Launched in 2003,
this network address work-life balance and development needs
of women employees
– Infyability –supports employees with physical disabilities through
the Equal Opportunities team. Accessibility audit conducted for
facilities in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad and appropriate
measures recommended to promote disability-friendly facilities
– Family Matters Network – Launched in 2008, this network helps
employees with parenting and work-life balance issues.
Employees are given online expert counseling and provided
referral services on daycare, information on schools for their
children and family healthcare. An estimate 14,000 employees
are benefitting from this programme.
 Employee Engagement
• Petit Infoscion Day- recognises children of employees
who have achieved excellence in the areas of
academia and extracurricular activities. On this day
carnivals, contests and theme parties are organised.
• Global Buddy Programme- Aims at assisting new hires
in understanding our culture and value system.
• Maternity and Paternity benefits- Satellite offices for
new mothers, telecommuting for employees on need
basis, adoption leave, flexible work hours, part-time
work policy, one year childcare sabbatical policy and
near-site daycare facilities.
 Employee- Employer Dialogue
• Employee Satisfaction Survey(SAT)
• Inclusivity Survey- conducted annually to help in
identifying programmes related to gender, culture,
parental status and work experience.
• Quarterly Town Hall(QTH) – Meetings at Organisation and
Unit levels to share quarterly progress with employees
• Sparsh – Intranet, important mode for communicating key
business achievements, policies, operational strategies
and messages from Senior Management
• InftTV – India’s first corporate TV channel
• CEO-Employee Column – In Sparsh
• HRD Blog
• Hearing Employee and Resolving(HEAR) – Formal Channel
to help employees express unresolved grievances and
instances of discrimination
Larsen & Toubro
 Nurturing Human Capital
• Prayag – a month long induction programme helps
Engineering Trainees to transition from academic to
the industrial world

• Wide Menu of Training Programmes – This year, a

number of unique strategic programmes like
Corporate Entrepreneurship, Managing and Leading
across Borders, Strategy and Leadership were added

• Management Development Centre at Lonavla : is

being augmented to triple its training capability to
match Company’s growing size and stature
 Building Leadership Pipeline
• Tie-up with Mckinsey and Co - for systematic and
scientific approach to building leadership pipeline so
as to achieve the targets set out under Perspective
Plan 2015, 2 streams of programmes launched;
– Emerging Leadership Development Programme(e-LDP)
and
– Top Leadership Development Programme(t-LDP)

• eLearning Initiative ATL – Any Time Learning launched

a few years ago has been augmented to include
‘Harvard Manage Mentor’ an engaging online
resource consisting 42 management topics
Tata Power Company Limited
 Training
• Net Addition in FY09 – 694
• Total Employees – 3,541

• Long Term MOU with NICMAR to enhance project

management competency of employees

• Thermal Stimulator Training – for strengthening

competencies in ‘Power System Management’
 Talent Management
• Structured Talent Management Process – wherein high
potential officers are identified by the Senior Management
team and Individual Development Plans are prepared
• Accelerated Career Enhancement (ACE) scheme
implemented to provide fast track career growth
opportunities and leadership exposure to bright young
officers
• Forum of Rising Talent(FORT) consisting of a team of
young officers formed on the concept of shadow board to
build leadership pipeline
• Multi-rater System initiated for entire top management
team. Rollout planned across the organisation.
 Performance Management System
• Competency Assessment Exercise – completed across
the organisation.
• Individual Development Plans – prepared for all
officers.
• Development Plans along with inputs from PMS will
form the basis for training for the FY10.
• 1st PMS cycle completed for the non-management
cadre of the company based on quantity of work,
work attitude and participation in various organisation
initiatives
• PMS for Management Category – System well
evolved to issue appraisal letters within a month of
closure of the financial year.
Reliance Industries Limited
 Key Highlights , Learning & Development
• Total Employees –24,679
• Average Age – 39 years
• Total Training Man Days – 5,28,647

• ‘Dronacharya’ – Accelerated Learning Programme

implemented in Jamnagar. Under this scheme a senior
person called ‘Dronacharya’ undertakes 2-3
youngsters ‘Arjunas’ and trains them ready to manage
independent positions in 3-6 months. 1500 ‘Arjunas’
have been trained, this programme is being rolled out
to other manufacturing divisions.
 Learning & Development
• RIL partners with Harvard to launch ‘e-Learning’
initiative ‘ Harvard Manage Mentor’ with its 42
modules
• RIL in collaboration with IIM, Bangalore conducts the
following programmes
– Management Programme for Reliance
Engineers(MPRE) – 2 batches of 55 employees
participated in FY09
– Management Development Programmes(MDP) for
company's high growth managers – 82 employees in 3
batches underwent training.
• Tie-ups with IIT-Mumbai and SVNIT-Surat
 Towards a ‘Best in Class Employer’
• Engaged ‘ Hewitt Associates’ to work with
management in building state-of-the-art processes
and systems and in rolling out a major company-wide
initiative.
• Focused Areas
– Performance Management
– Reward & Recognitions
– Career Opportunities
– Learning and Development
• Objective – To take a relook at the existing processes
and benchmark with the best in each area and work
towards going beyond.
Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories Limited
 Key Highlights
• Global Workforce : 10000+
• Women in workforce : 8%
• Launched Leadership Academy
• Introduced 9 box performance potential framework
for talent management
• Wider pool of managers covered for 360 degree
feedback
• Average training man days per employee : 2.79
• 7 out of 12 manufacturing facilities had zero loss time
accident(LTA)
 Talent Enhancement
• Added 1500+ new associates
• Recruitment from Top management schools including
IIMs, XLRI, ISB.
• Recruitment of Technical Trainees from IITs as well
• Over 22 % of positions were filled internally, a 7%
increase over the earlier year.
• Launched Technical Internship Programme as part of
existing Global Internship Programme.
• Revamped Employee Referral Scheme ‘Parichay’,
making referrals of women and differently-abled
candidates more rewarding
 Learning and Leadership
• Commissioned ‘Leadership Academy’, a state-of-the-
art infrastructure to support organizations' leadership
agenda
• Leadership Academy to focus on building functional,
behavioral and leadership competencies
• Rolled out ‘The Viable Vision’ an organisation-wide
strategic initiative to transform the organisation into
an ‘ever flourishing company’
• Initiated ‘Leader’s Talk’ series, wherein talks and
experience sharing sessions by known thought
leaders, renowned academics and acclaimed
practitioners are organised.
 Learning and Leadership
• Participation in a unique Senior Leader’s Programme
wherein senior leaders from the company underwent a
two week modular leadership development programme
with peers from leaders of other consortium partners.
• Initiated the concept of an Annual Leadership Summit –
40 top leaders went to a specially designed retreat at
Boston, facilitated by world class faculty who helped to
develop common perspectives on key organisational
priorities- Strategy, Leadership, Culture and Change.
• Completely re-casted 360 degree feedback process,
benchmarking extensively, making it more comprehensive
and covering a much wider pool of managers
 Talent Management
• Institutionalized a 9-Box Performance-Potential
framework to assess talent and identify gaps. talent
is measured on two parameters: Performance &
Potential.
• An Individual Development Plan is created and
monitored based on the matrix to ensure appropriate
interventions on the road to making good leaders.

• Talent pool for critical positions and skills for both

-short and long term is nurtured. A pipeline of future
management talent is created, which will enable
transition from one leadership stage to the next.
 Sustainability Highlights
• Leadership Academy was commissioned this year; a state-
of-the-art infrastructure aimed at being a catalyst for our
Company-wide culture of continuous learning. The
Academy encourages people to come together to ideate
and introspect

• Women’s Survey Feedback - The second Women’s Survey

conducted was received well. The initiatives have been
appreciated, and at the same time, received inputs on
how to bring in improvement in some of company’s
activities. Almost 90% of the women are satisfied with the
facilities provided to them and appreciate the emphasis
the organization is placing on the women’s agenda.
 Sustainability Highlights
• Launched ‘Friends Forever’ ­ An Alumni initiative
where we stay in touch with our Alumni on an
ongoing basis.
• Health Surveillance - A renowned Occupational
Health specialist conducted the annual health check-
up in most CTO plants, and no major issues were
uncovered. The vigil on preventing exposure of
employees to occupational health hazards will
continue.
 Embracing Diversity
• Revised Maternity Benefit Policy – which includes
– 4 month maternity leave
– 2 hour flexibility for the 1st year from the date of child
birth
– Flexible Work Schedule
• Instituted comprehensive sexual harassment policy
• Participated in job fairs for differently abled
candidates
• Established Day Care Centers at 3 locations
• Providing Mentors to women associates for their
career enhancement
Aditya Birla Group
 Key Highlights
• Total workforce : 1,30,000
• Nationalities : 30
• Group Operates in : 25 countries
• New Hires : 8,000
• Rotated over 1,700 employees, to develop the
capabilities to work across borders
• Compensation Benchmarking Exercise : 80% of
businesses participated. Taken significant corrective
and proactive measures to stay competitive and
attractive. This positioning helps in attracting and
retaining the right talent.
 Organisational Health
• Tracks Organisational Heath once in 2 years
• Organisation Health Survey(OHS) undertaken with
partnership with Gallup, 94% participated, which is a
benchmark. Key highlights of the survey;
– 83% are proud to be an employee of the group and get
professional satisfaction
– 67% of management employees emphasized their
confidence in the ability of the leaders to manage the
emerging challenges of the group
– 73% stated they would definitely advocate the group
as a place to build a meaningful career
 Opportunities for Learning
The learning channels deployed by Aditya Birla Group to transform into a learning
organisation are:

• Gyanodaya : The Group varsity for management learning. Over the last five years,
7,000 managers across a range of businesses have participated in managerial and
strategy programmes, conducted by the leading academics from Indian and
overseas business schools like London Business School, Harvard Business School,
Indian School of Business, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata etc.

• The virtual campus — GVC: The main objective was to reach out to 20,000
managers and provide them with the "freedom to learn at their own pace and
time". The GVC's 'E-facilitators' in the units work to support the 'E-learners'. Over
250 online courses spanning areas such as leadership, sales, marketing and
engineering are available on the learning network.

• Knowledge integration programme (KIP): These foster learning from within and
across the Group's businesses and provide a platform for the sharing of best
practices. About 400 managers have participated in 20 KIPs in the last three years.
These KIPs have covered topics such as marketing, manufacturing excellence,
human resources, research and technology, legal, information technology, etc.
 Opportunities for Learning
• Continued learning — Mid-Career Education: This facilitates
continuing education of management staff. In partnership with
Universitas 21, a Singapore based e-university, the Group offers
online MBA programmes.
• e-360 Degree Instrument — Pratibimb: This is an online 360-
degree feedback tool to heighten self awareness. Managers
receive feedback on group values, global leadership competency
and career stage competency. Launched in April 2006, Aditya
Birla Group has more than 80 senior managers who have
enrolled in this process.

• Knowledge @ Desktop — Gyandhara: A knowledge portal which

offers three unique services: 1) A research assistance facility
which guarantees less than 72 hours' response time; 2) E-books
to help managers stay at the cutting edge of thought leadership;
and 3) A bi-monthly e-newsletter focusing on industry updates,
latest industry news and management updates.
 Opportunities for Learning
• The Group Intranet — Adityadisha: The Group intranet is
the information gateway for the businesses and the
corporate, which serves as the repository of organisation
information and the channel for organisation
communication. It hosts features like career helpdesk,
management circulars and access for multiple learning
micro sites.
• Organisation Case Studies — Anubhav: This captures the
tacit learning of managers across various businesses of
the Group. It is a knowledge repository of over 600 cases
documenting the success stories, as well as learning from
practical problems and issues from real-life experiences
and their solutions by practising managers of the Group.
 Nurturing Talent
• The Group has developed the ‘Talent Management Framework',
which encompasses eight career stages and 17 career-stage specific
behavioural competencies.
• The key steps in the process are:
– Development Assessment Centres (DACs): DACs have been
designed to support managers in assessing and developing their
capabilities. Over 1,200 managers across all management levels
have participated in the DACs since 2003. Post-DAC, the
developmental goal for an individual, in terms of priorities for
learning and development experiences to move to the next
career stage, is captured through the individual development
plan (IDP). These are monitored on a real time basis for tracking
implementation on the Peoplesoft platform.
– Talent Reviews: A three-tier annual talent review process, held at
the unit level, business level and Group level, ensures a focused
approach to the implementation of lDPs. The review discussions
provide meaningful input into the career and succession planning
process.
 Nurturing Talent
• Talent Engagement: Business Heads anchor programmes
aimed at developing leadership potential and are personally
involved in the design of specific courses. Other initiatives,
such as the Chairman's Challenge and Ideas Unlimited,
provide in depth engagement opportunities with hi-potentials.

• Career Moves and Succession Plans: Three-tier succession

planning ensures that there is adequate leadership bench
strength for all critical positions. Over 300 managers have
moved into identified business critical roles at the Senior and
Middle Management levels as a consequence of their
individual development plans. Most business critical positions
have identified succession plans.
 Awards & Celebrations
• The Aditya Birla Awards for Outstanding Achievement-
– Launched in 1996, Key Engagement Factor for Employees
– During the awards, a number of Group-wide competitions
are conducted, like Vision 2015,Oh!Not So Smart, Group
Value Leaders Poll,etc
– These Competition are open to all employees of the group.
• Celebration of Achievement – ‘The Best Employer in
India & Asia – 2007’
– This was celebrated through the Group by sending a
commemorative pen(Cross)with the Chairman’s Signature
and inscription ‘A Moment to cherish- 2007’, to the 20,000
management cadre employees of the Group. Along with the
pen, a personalized message from the Chairmen was also
sent to every employee. Celebrations were carried out
across all Group locations with a specially composed song
‘We are the Best’ and an audio- visual presentation.