HEART OVER MATTER?

Most companies these days are beginning to

realise that allowing their employees to follow
their heart is just another way of ensuring their
longevity in the company. And they are leaving
no stone unturned towards ensuring just that,
discovers Sheetal Srivastava

    Although the recently held Commonwealth Games didn’t

seem to entertain us completely, it has certainly left its mark on
a few (read: working professionals). One of the examples is
Intelenet Global Services. The BPO company has taken
employee engagement to the next level by encouraging one of
its employees to participate in the Commonwealth Games.
Intelenet helped an employee, Alisdair Strange participate in the
ongoing Commonwealth Games. Alasdair hails from Fort
William, Scotland. He has been competing in athletics since the
age of 11. When he was a junior, he used to Triple Jump and
Pole vault. He won his first Scottish Championship in 2001 in
Triple Jump. He majored in Triple Jump until 2007 when an
ankle injury compelled him to switch to Pole vault. Alasdair has
studied aeronautical engineering at Loughborough University
where he also trains with the British Pole vault Squad. Realising
his potential, Intelenet gave him the opportunity and encouraged
him to participate at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi,
where he had a fulfiling experience. Narrating his experience, he
says, “I have been in athletics since I was a young kid and have
taken a long training in athletics even as a teenager; I even had
to missed out on my social life. I am very appreciative of the
fact that my company has provided me with the assistance to
maintain full-time training and practice, thus helping me reach
my target at the CWG. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience
of the CWG and was overwhelmed with the warm welcome that
was given to me by the team in Delhi.”
    Thanks to most organisations these days, executives do not
feel left behind when it comes to providing them with a platform
to help them get the desired visibility for their talent. “We
realise that allowing truly deserving employees to follow their
heart is another way to ensure their longevity in the company,”
says Susir Kumar, MD & CEO, Intelenet Global Services.
“There is a connection between an employee’s commitment to
an initiative and an organisation’s commitment towards
supporting it. When employees feel good about their jobs, their
productivity automatically soars,” adds Kumar.
    People are knit differently. As the adage goes – different
strokes for different folks. Convergys has made phenomenal
strides in this direction. The organisation has various employee
interest groups including sport, music, performing arts, dance,
adventure, community service, education, etc. “Our employees
play at state-level sporting events and we also sponsor the player
for bigger events. For the creative artists, we hold painting,
designing, photography, and creative writing events, so that each
individual gets an opportunity to express creativity and be
appreciated for it. There’s always the occasional comment that’s
heard – ‘I didn’t know you could do that!’,” says Ashish Garg,
HR director, Convergys’ Customer Management operations in
India.
    A fun-filled and light-hearted culture is intrinsic to Sapient
and singing events have always been popular with the company.
However, usually, only the talented people take the stage. “We
recently organised a karaoke evening, which offered a unique
opportunity for
the not-so-talented singers and amateurs to take the mike and
attempt their favourite songs amongst their friends and teams.
The event was an initiative to bring cohesiveness, optimism,
cheer and goodwill at work and strengthen relationships. We
conduct a lot of similar events - ranging from photography
contests, to gaming contests, to sports events that help bring
people together in the right spirit,” says M Anand Bhaskar, VP -
people success, Sapient. On asking how such an initiative helps
executives in getting a desired visibility for their talent, Bhaskar
says, “Such events bring out the passion of people who are
visibly shy and recognise them for skills that companies are not
known to acknowledge. It is not only an innovative way of
engaging people, but also a way of bringing to fore hidden
talents of people and connecting with them at a personal level.”
    When dealing with employees, companies are now changing
their strategy and bringing the game ‘closer to the heart’. They
are letting the employees do what they want to. While this
doesn’t look like a sound business strategy, it’s becoming amply
clear that employees who follow their heart while at work are
turning out to be more motivated and hence, more productive at
the workplace. This, then, has a domino effect on other
employees, who feel free to do their work with ‘all their heart’.
Business leaders need to ensure that the tasking is done in such a
way that employees really feel excited, encouraged and
motivated to do that work. Involving employees, seeking their
opinion on business matters and demonstrating that their
opinion matters is the key to retaining employees.