SightsIn Plus April 2021

a www.sightsinplus.com f sightsinplus l company/sightsin t twitter.com/sightsin1 April 2021 VOL 04 I ISSUE 08 I R 150 Monthly HR Magazine UPSKILLING RESKILLING OUTSKILLING Dave UlrIch Kankana Barua Rensis Likert professor, University of Group CHRO, Healthium Michigan Ross School of Business and Medtech Co-founder The RBL Group Shraddhanjali Rao Sameer Nagarajan Vice President & Head-HR Global President- HR, Cadila SAP, India Pharmaceuticals Rohit Hasteer Group CHRO, Housing.com, PropTiger.com, Makaan.com



Monthly HR Magazine www.sightsinplus.com f sightsinplus l company/sightsin t twitter.com/sightsin1 Contents INSIGHTS 28 REGULAR COLOMMEN ALOK NIGAM Editor’s Note 04 Mail Box 05 Senior Vice President and Movements 06 Group CHRO, Bhartiya Group News 08 Social Media 12 Twitter 26 INSIGHTS Interaction with Kankana Barua 14 12 EXPERT VIEW How to Increase the Impact of Your Talent Initiatives/ Dave Ulrich 17 ANAND PILLAI  Rendezvous With Sameer Nagarajan 22 MD, Leadership Matters Inc. 30 How Tech Mahindra Plugging the 34 L&D Gaps in Remote Working Era/ Riaz Mulla INSIGHTS Future of Work Pivoted Around Organizational Culture/ Ritu Anand 36 DR. ANKITA SINGH Increasing Employee Satisfaction 38 SVP & Global Head of HR, through Learning and IT, Travel & Admin, CIGNEX Development/ Ajay Kadyan Datamatics The Future of Leadership Development in 2021 and Beyond/ Rohit Hasteer 40 In Conversation With 42 Shraddhanjali Rao Role of HR as Value Creator / Dr. 45 Anupriyo Mallick How 2020 Has Changed L&D/ Harjeet Khanduja 48 20 INSIGHTS SHRM India Talent Conference 2021 kick MURAD SALMAN MIRZA starts today: Delves deep into the Talent: Acquisition, Management, Development An Innovative Thinker and Thought and Wellbeing 50 Leader Editor - In - Chief | Romesh Kumar Srivastava Published at | D-169/6, Sector-50, Noida-201301 Printed at | Eco Media Design & Photo Head | Vineeta Verma IT & Digital Head | Amit Dutta www.sightsinplus.com C- 340, Sector-10, Noida, 201301 Sales & Circulation Head | Kavita Srivastava info@sightsinplus.com ecomedia77@gmail.com Mob | 9953894881 Mob | 9971404077 3 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Editor’s Note Romesh Srivastava a www.sightsinplus.com Editor- In -Chief f sightsinplus l company/sightsin Greetings! t twitter.com/sightsin1 COVID-19 pandemic has brought back the importance of reskilling and 4 SightsIn Plus upskilling workforces. Most organizations recognized the need to reskill their employees to prepare them for new challenges in this uncertain time. Amidst the second wave of COVID-19, we are sharing our April edition on a theme Upskilling, Reskilling and Outskilling with lots of insights from industry stalwarts. We had shortlisted a few renowned Industry Thought Leaders, Business Heads, and CHROs for this edition’s Interview Column and Insights. We are proud to share Dave Ulrich known as Father of Modern HR is part of this edition, he shares his research on Talent Initiatives. SightsIn Plus team had the opportunity to interact with Sameer Nagarajan, Global President- HR, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Kankana Barua, Group CHRO, Healthium Medtech, and Shraddhanjali Rao, Vice President & Head-HR– SAP, India. These stalwarts are helping us to understand L&D challenges in 2021 when most people are working remotely. Fortunately, we do have a case study to share on How Tech Mahindra Plugging L&D Gaps in Remote Working by Riaz Mulla, Head- Leadership Learning and Talent Development. SightsIn Plus is being circulated amongst the top Indian & Global MNCs, big to medium-sized organizations, and increasing its circulation on the fastest mode. This issue would be reaching approximately 85000 readers/professionals. The edition also shares wonderful insights; “Most Critical Factors in Talent Retention Today” by Alok Nigam, “The Future of Leadership Development in 2021 and Beyond” by Rohit Hasteer, “What’s Trending in Learning” by Anand Pillai, “Increasing Employee Satisfaction through Learning and Development” by Ajay Kadyan, “How 2020 Has Changed L&D” by Harjeet Khanduja, “Develop Digital Skills Hiding in Your Organization” by Dr. Ankita Singh, “Role of HR as Value Creator” by Dr. Anupriyo Mallick etc., and some interesting notes through social media are part of the SightsIn Plus, April 2021 edition. Like every time, we would be happy to hear your views and suggestions. We hereby cordially invite your feedback, insights, updates, case study-Individual Milestone. Do write to us info@sightsinplus.com Happy Reading! Romesh Srivastava

March Issue 2021 RENDEZVOUS WITH Mails IN CONVERSATION WITH DEEPA KRISHNAN OF THE JOY JINGHUI XU MONTH Pooja Yadav Kashish Jain Congratulations Deepa! Glad to learn Very articulate, Joy. You shared some about the nice initiatives of Tata powerful cultural insights reflecting  Starbucks that it has achieved 100% the region’s diversity, equity, and gender pay parity, women now make inclusion. Nice! The diverse and up 31 percent of its workforce, and inclusive workforce can generate huge the company’s key gender diversity advantages for companies, making milestone toward its goal to achieve 40 them more innovative, more profitable,  percent gender diversity by 2022. We and better able to retain their most need gender equality urgently. Gender talented employees. A recent survey equality prevents violence against in the region shows some progress: women and girls. It’s essential for companies in Southeast Asia—both economic prosperity. Societies that value local companies and multinationals women and men as equal are safer and operating there—are starting to hire healthier. Gender equality is a human dedicated D&I representatives, develop right. Everyone benefits from gender  specific strategies, and launch new  equality. Inequality between genders initiatives. But there is much more work doesn’t only affect individuals – it can to be done. I do agree that DE&I is no change entire economies. longer rhetoric, it’s fast becoming the only realistic and desirable way to move INTERACTION WITH REETU RAINA forward in business and society. Nakul Bahiya HOW JLL DRIVES DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND Nice inputs Reetu! The current scenario has even INCLUSION IN WORKPLACE- TANVI CHOKSI forced a lot of organizations to go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate their plans & strategies, the D&I Deepti Mathur agenda, however, has managed to get a second wind Thanks Tanvi Choksi for this nice article, I amidst this chaos. It is bound to gain more momentum from here, as we move from shock to adaptation and, absolutely agree that a diverse workforce brings diverse viewpoints eventually, emergence from the effects of and perspectives to the this pandemic. Especially in the company; these elements Indian context, where policies can help you develop like work from home and flexible  great new products and working were counted amongst great new ways to cater perks instead of normal modus to customers. According operandi for an organization. to Deloitte, diverse But, COVID has finally taught  companies enjoy 2.3 Indian managers to let go and believe in high-performance times higher cash flow per  culture & teams can be built employee. Gartner remotely too. found that inclusive teams improve team performance by up to 30 percent in high-diversity environments. 5 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

PERNOD RICARD APPOINTS LANI MONTOYA AS CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER, NORTH AMERICA Pernod Ricard North America has announced the appointment of Lani Montoya, a company veteran who has held leadership roles in both the U.S. and Paris, as the Chief Human Resources Officer on its executive team. Lani will succeed Paul Holub,  who is retiring from his role as Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Montoya has been with the company for 15 years, and most recently led Global Talent Management and Diversity & Inclusion for Pernod Ricard, based in Paris. Previously, Montoya served as HR Director for the Pernod Ricard Americas Travel Retail division, and as an HR Manager for Malibu-Kahlua International. SIEMENS HEALTHCARE ELEVATES VIVEK KANADE AS NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR Siemens Healthineers has announced the appointment of Vivek Kanade as the Managing Director of SHPL, India, effective April 1, 2021. Vivek will continue to lead the business for Siemens Healthineers India including, manufacturing, sales, and distribution, strategy for “Zone India”, comprising of neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. Vivek is associated with the company for over 27 years, during this tenure, he has held various positions across diverse functions in Sales, Service Management, Regional Management, and Modality Management. Before joining Siemens Healthineers in India, his last assignment was as Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for the Refurbished Business, based out of Forchheim, Germany. SQUARE YARDS ELEVATES SREEJA NAIR AS SVP- HUMAN RESOURCES Square Yards elevates Sreeja Nair as Senior Vice President and Head- Human Resources, effective from April 2021. In her new role, she will be responsible for the entire gamut of people strategy and HR initiatives across India. Sreeja is associated with Square Yards since July 2016, she has been working as Head- Talent Acquisition, Quality, Training & Development, and recognized many times for her professional competencies. She has 18 years of diverse & rich work experience in quality and human resources working with companies like Hutchison 3 Global Services Pvt Ltd (Now Tech Mahindra), Policy Bazaar Insurance, and now Square Yards. Sreeja has completed her master’s degree in Information Technology in 2003 from Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. U GRO CAPITAL APPOINTS PIA SHOME AS CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER U GRO Capital, announced the appointment of Pia Shome as Chief People Officer.  In this role, Pia will be instrumental in building a quality talent pool across the nation as the company ramps up its geographical reach and expand its physical presence to 100 GRO Micro Branches in the coming year. Pia is an INSEAD alumnus and has over 16 years of experience in the BFSI sector. Prior to joining U GRO Capital, Pia was Head – Human Resources at SMEcorner. She brings extensive experience, having worked in organisations like IDFC First Bank, RBL Bank, DBS Bank, Barclays Bank and TCS eServe International. PRAMERICA LIFE INSURANCE APPOINTS KALPANA SAMPAT AS THE NEW MD & CEO Kalpana Sampat has been appointed as the Managing Director & CEO of Pramerica Life Insurance Limited, with effect from April 09, 2021. Prior to this, she was the Chief  Operating  Officer  for  the  Company.  Currently,  she  is  one,  of  the  only  three  women CEOs in the life insurance sector in India, where the executive suite is still a male bastion. Sunil Kumar Bansal, Chairman of Pramerica Life Insurance Limited, said, “Kalpana is a respected leader in life insurance with an exceptional record. The Board is optimistic that the company can deliver substantial strategic and operational progress under her able leadership.” 6 SightsIn Plus

SUBHA TATAVARTI JOINS WIPRO AS CHIEF TECHNOLOGY www.sightsinplus.com OFFICER Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting, and business process services company confirms the appointment of Subha Tatavarti as Chief  Technology Officer. Tatavarti will lead Wipro’s Service Transformation, Topcoder,  Robotics, SVIC, Technovation Centre, Open Innovation, and Applied Research teams. Tatavarti joins Wipro from Walmart, where she led product, technology development, and commercialization of Enterprise Infrastructure along with Security, Data Science, and Edge platforms. Prior to Walmart, Tatavarti led the Product, Data & Infrastructure Platform at PAYPAL. Tatavarti holds a Masters in Computer Science and lives in the Bay Area in San Francisco, USA. ACCENTURE APPOINTS SHWETA A TALWAR AS VP – TALENT & HR OPERATIONS Accenture, a global IT and professional services company has appointed Shweta A Talwar as Vice President – Talent & HR Operations. In her new role, she is responsible to work with global clients on their Talent & HR operations solutions and delivery requirements. Shweta has more than 17 years of experience as an HR leader, Strategic Advisor, Talent Partner and working globally with Executive Leaders. Before joining Accenture, she was heading Human resources for Everest Group, across India, US/UK, and Canada. Some of her other stints in HR include working with Aon Hewitt, Sapient Technologies, and Aviva Life Insurance in various sub-verticals of HR. ANISH SHAH TOOK CHARGE AS CEO & MD OF MAHINDRA GROUP Anand Mahindra’s successor Anish Shah has taken over the charge as CEO and Managing Director of Indian vehicle maker Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) Group on April 2, 2021. He replaces Pawan Goenka, who is retiring. At the same time, Shah is appointed Chairman of the board at Mahindra Logistics, which provides third-party logistics services to a range of sectors, including automotive, as well as people transport services, effective from April 2. The move follows the top management succession plan announced by the tractor-to-technology group on December 20, 2020. Shah joined Mahindra in 2015 as the Group President—Strategy. Prior to joining Mahindra, he was the president and CEO of GE Capital India. MARSH MCLENNAN APPOINTS RBS VETERAN JASPREET SINGH BAKSHI AS THE HR LEADER Jaspreet Singh Bakshi joins Marsh McLennan as the HR Leader for Global In- House  Centre,  India.  In  his  new  role,  he  will  be  responsible  for  a  unified  India  people strategy and HR initiatives across the India GIC. Prior to this, most recently he worked with NatWest, formerly known as RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland). Jaspreet has over two decades of experience in managing different business & HR functional leadership roles across Industries. He led the HR transformation for India businesses with focus on Digital & Culture- with the creation of an integrated & enhanced delivery model supporting Operational, Transactional, Value & advisory functions. BIOCON APPOINTS AGNIDIPTA SARKAR AS GROUP CISO Agnidipta Sarkar, a digital resilience leader has moved on from CMS IT services and joined Biocon as Group CISO. In this new role, he will be leading the cybersecurity and risk management domains at the biopharmaceutical company. Biocon is an Indian biopharmaceutical company, founded by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, headquartered in Bangalore. The company manufactures generic active pharmaceutical ingredients. Since 1991, Sarkar has worked in and out of various parts of the organization, as a salesperson, as a consultant, as a CISO, as a Practice Leader, as a Risk Officer transforming cybersecurity,  business continuity, data privacy, and risk management. Previously, Sarkar has worked with global companies such as CMS IT services, DXC Technologies, HPE, HP Inc, and more. 7 April 2021

News News TCS HIRED 19,388 EMPLOYEES IN Q4 ENDING ON MARCH 31 India’s largest IT services firm, Tata on April 30. For the fiscal FY21, the total Consultancy Services (TCS) has headcount stood at 488,649. The workforce announced the results of Q4, (quarter continues to be young and very diverse, ending on March 31). comprising 154 nationalities and with women The company said its revenue rose for the third making up 36.5% of the workforce. Milind straight quarter as clients continued to spend on Lakkad, Chief HR Officer at TCS said, “With digital services amid the pandemic and on deal the second wave of the pandemic upon us, our wins. That helped it to maintain double-digit top priority is once again to secure the health growth revenue guidance for the fiscal ending and personal wellbeing of our workforce across March 2022. Revenue of India’s largest software services the world. We are looking at ways to expedite vaccinations exporter rose 4% over the preceding quarter to Rs 43,705 for eligible TCSers wherever local regulations allow it, and crore in the quarter ended March, according to its exchange in the meantime, urge everyone to stay safe, step out only filing report. The company said that it has added 19,388 if necessary, wear masks and practice physical distancing.” employees during the quarter and over 40,100 employees Lakkad added, “On the business side, our investments in during the full year. “Attrition in the last three months stood organic talent development have been core to our ability at 7.2%, mainly due to Covid-19 effect. Expect this to inch to increasingly participate in our customers’ growth and up with growth coming back to the industry,” Ramakrishnan transformation initiatives. Our organic talent development V, the company’s chief financial officer, said. As a new program anticipates the technology and business needs of our development, the company has appointed Samir Seksaria as customers, and designs career paths that help our employees its chief financial officer, who will take charge from May 1. meet their aspirations while building leaders and a future- He succeeds the incumbent, Ramakrishnan V, who will retire ready workforce for TCS.” CITIGROUP ANNOUNCES ‘ZOOM-FREE SAP India extends FRIDAYS’ TO BEAT WFH STRESS Work From Home till December 2021 In a move to combat fatigue triggered by remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic, New York-based bank Citigroup has declared SAP, a market leader in “Zoom-Free Fridays” and encouraged employees to limit calls outside work providing business software hours. solutions has allowed its While Wall Street is known for its tough work culture, the remote working during employees to work from home the pandemic has been particularly gruelling for most employees, taking enormous till December 2021 in India amid the toll on their health and mental wellbeing. surge in coronavirus cases. “I know from your feedback and my own experience, the blurring of lines between Commentating on the development home and work and the relentlessness of the Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP and pandemic workday have taken a toll on our well- Managing Director of SAP Labs India being,” Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser said in said, “The safety of our colleagues is #1 a memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday. “It’s simply not sustainable.” Any internal meetings on Fridays would happen as audio-only calls, according to the memo. The CEO also encouraged employees to take their vacations, while the company announced a firm- wide holiday on May 28. Citigroup also said that post-pandemic, a major- ity of the roles at the bank would be designated as “Hybrid”, allowing employees to work from the office at least three days a week and from home for up to two days a week. Last week, an internal survey at Goldman Sachs circulated online showed junior bankers were working an average of 95 hours a week. On Monday, Goldman Sachs CEO announced a number of measures the bank would take to address these concerns, including shifting bankers from other divisions to the busiest teams in the investment bank and hiring more junior bankers. 8 SightsIn Plus

News GOVERNMENT DEFERS LABOUR CODES IMPLEMENTATION The four labour codes will not come India, both the Centre and the states would into effect from April 1 as states are have to notify rules under the codes to bring yet to finalise the relevant rules, those into force in their respective jurisdic- which means that there will be no tions. change in take-home pay of employees and Under the new wages code, allowances are provident fund liability of companies for now. capped at 50 per cent. This means half of Once the wages code comes into force, there the gross pay of an employee would be basic will be significant changes in the way basic wages. pay and provident fund of employees are Provident fund contribution is calculated as a calculated. The labour ministry had envisaged percentage of baisc wage, which includes basic implementing the four codes on industrial re- pay and dearness allowance. lations, wages, social security and occupational The employers have been splitting wages into health safety & working conditions from April numerous allowances to keep basic wages 1, 2021. The ministry had even finalised the rules under the low to reduce provident fund and income tax outgo. four codes. “Since the states have not finalised the rules under The new wages code provides for provident fund contribution four codes, the implementation of these laws are deferred for as a prescribed proportion of 50 per cent of gross pay. the time being,” a source told PTI. In case the new codes had come into effect from April 1, the According to the source, few states had circulated the draft take home pay of employees and provident fund liability of rules. These states include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya employers would have increased in many cases. Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand. Now the employer would get some more time to restructure Since labour is a concurrent subject under the Constitution of salaries of their employees as per the new code on wages.  priority for us at SAP. In view of the VMWARE INDIA ANNOUNCES ENHANCED WELLBEING surge in COVID-19 cases, our colleagues PROGRAM FOR EMPLOYEES can continue to work from home until at least the end of December 2021.” VMware, an American cloud paid leave, to help employees take some The company spokesperson said, “SAP computing and virtualization time off during this unusual time. India provides the best work-from-home technology company, has The company, headquartered in Palo support to employees, be it for health, announced that it will be Alto, California, VMware also intro- infrastructure, and even setting up their enhancing its existing well-being benefits duced EPIC2 days, declaring four compa- new home-work-office,” program to equip employees to live a more ny-wide holidays throughout the year to The spokesperson said, “from adding healthy and balanced life. help employees switch off and spend time ergonomic furniture and home office Under this program, all employees across with their families. setups to our flexible benefits catalogues offices in India will be eligible for an ad- Additionally, the company has also to reinforcing our wellness offering, ditional wellbeing allowance we ensured we left no stone unturned of Rs. 29,565 as equitable introduced new coaching, in providing our people the support reimbursement. Employees therapy, and work Life they needed to find the perfect balance can also choose to apply the Services (ICAS) program between their work, personal lives, well-being amount to help that caters to the mental family commitments, and passions,” pay to vaccinate themselves and emotional wellbeing “We have already introduced interactive and their family members. of not just the employees workshops on mindfulness at work, This initiative is the lat- but also their dependents. stress management, physical well-being, est offering in VMware’s Announcing the extended and various other learning offerings unique wellbeing program wellbeing program, Ram- helping our colleagues and their families portfolio. As the industry kumar Narayanan, VP stay fit physically and mentally to help moved to a remote work Technology & MD, one thrive in their given circumstances,” model last year, VMware revisited some VMware India said “At he added. of its policies to ensure that teams had VMware, we believe that true innova- SAP India is a subsidiary of SAP SE, help and resources to help cope with the tion is tied in with an environment where the world’s leading provider of business rigors of the new normal. employees can bring in their best selves software solutions. SAP India began its As the world embraced the new normal, to work. Balance is key to employee operations in 1996 with headquarters in VMware initiated a pandemic leave pol- happiness and enabling our employees Bangalore and offices in Mumbai, New icy for its employees, a unique initiative to live healthy and balanced lives has Delhi, Kolkata, and a direct presence in where employees are entitled to 5 days of always been an integral part of our work nine cities across India. culture.” 9 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Social Media WHY CHARACTER OF A LEADER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHARISMA By @John Mattone Only upon the foundation of a solid consistency, character also grants staying character can a leader build meaningful power. This is where the differences “Charisma can make a relationships and the inner- and outer- between character and charisma are person stand out for a core leadership competencies he/she the most obvious. Character can carry moment, but character sets a needs to lead successfully. you through the hard times, giving you person apart for a lifetime.” In my books, I espouse character as a resilience and the ability to see failure – John C. Maxwell.  central element of intelligent leadership. as a stepping stone to success. You can In my Wheel of Intelligent Leadership, only use charisma to influence others to a The Effects of Charisma are I have placed character at the very limited degree. Ephemeral core, defining six components that best Character consistently boosts Charisma is a spark that lends a leader describe it. influence. Charisma can extend style, confidence, and a type of invisible • Modesty leadership influence as well, but its energy that creates highly visible effects. • Honesty effects are ephemeral and limited. You While it is an asset for any leader, it does • Courage can impress someone instantly through not carry enough essence to define and • Loyalty charisma, but you cannot keep them sustain solid leadership in and of itself. • Gratitude inspired over the long run unless you can In the context of intelligent leadership, • Diligence back that initial flash with consistency relying on charisma that does not Based on this definition, it is easy to see through character. stem from a solid character can lead to why character constitutes the basis of Most leaders possess a combination of disaster. Charisma alone can inspire authentic leadership. It allows leaders to charisma and character. As long as it acts followers momentarily, but it quickly demonstrate their values transparently, as the outer manifestation of character, loses its luster as people discover its lack setting themselves apart in the eyes of charisma is genuine, and as such, it is a of substance. their reports for a lifetime. precious asset. Instead of getting ever more An intelligent leader leads by example, deeply embroiled in a web of half-truths, Character is a Leadership Trait that and good character makes it easy to set insinuations, and carefully maintained Lasts  standards for your reports. Character appearances, the authentic leader finds it Character, on the other hand, lends leaders the sort of consistency that easier to lead as time goes by. strengthens leadership as time goes allows them to set a positive example If you have a passion for exploring by. It continues to attract and inspire by simply being themselves. Unlocking the intricacies of intelligent leadership followers, building on the solid excellence, therefore, is only possible development and perhaps reaping its foundation of substance over form. through character. rewards, learn more about my executive In addition to providing effortless coaching services. AS TCS ANNOUNCED SALARY HIKE FROM APRIL 2021 for all the employees, will they also give a hike to November joinees? Best Answered@Shaunak Bhattachharje Unfortunately, No. This hike is only applicable to TCS employees who had joined the organization on or before January 2020. Employees joining in February and March 2020 have already received their annual hike in the form of the final year anniversary and there won't be any further appraisals for them. So these April hikes are only applicable for employees who had joined last year in January or before that. Employees joining in April 2020 and after that will be receiving their first hike in the form of Final Year Anniversary upon the completion of one year of service at TCS. As the question suggests, if someone has joined in November 2020, they will receive their first hike in November 2021 and after that, in April 2022 and every April after that. I noticed confusion between many freshers, some were also eagerly looking for a hike but hopefully, this will clear things for them. Life isn't that easy after all that you'll get a hike within five months of service. 10 SightsIn Plus

THE GROWING TREND OF OUTSKILLING By @HDI Global significant re- and upskilling by 2022, a clear plan for their next step. Grants it said, and new tech could create 133 were provided for them to learn new In mid-2019, Amazon million new roles in place of the 75 skills, or even start a business. The result: announced it was investing million it will displace by 2022. over two-thirds of Nokia employees said $700 million in training they were satisfied with how things had 100,000 workers for higher- How can companies benefit? been handled, while productivity and skilled jobs. On the face of it, one of the But why would a company invest time quality levels were unaffected. world’s largest companies training its and money training employees to work employees may not seem particularly elsewhere? One potential benefit is How to outskill eye-catching. But many of those who actually talent attraction and retention. How companies choose to outskill receive training will decide to leave the With corporate social responsibility will depend on their own preferences company – and Amazon knows it. more important than ever, showing and resources. Much of Amazon’s “While many of our employees want people they care about people’s long- Career Choice programme is taught to build their careers here, for others it term futures could help companies stand in-house, sparking suggestions it may might be a stepping stone to different out from the crowd. be moving into the wider education aspirations,” the company announced. It can also help their wider business market. Walmart, on the other hand, “We think it’s important to invest in reputation. After it sacked workers has partnered with several universities our employees and to help them gain from a plant in Germany in 2008, as part of its Guild training scheme. The new skills and create more professional phone manufacturer Nokia faced mass trend is also creating opportunities for options for themselves.” protests and ultimately had to pay a ambitious new coaching and training USD 200-million penalty for reneging providers like Outset, which calls itself What is Outskilling? on a commitment to create local jobs “The first and only outskilling company”.   The approach is part of an emerging in exchange for subsidies. Public and trend known as ‘outskilling’. Unlike employee trust nosedived. But the As technology continues to shake up the ‘upskilling’, in which a company trains company learned its lesson. Faced with world of work, outskilling could help employees for new roles within the a similar situation several years later, it businesses ease the inevitable transitions business, outskilling can help provide the created a training programme for 18,000 and restructuring that come with it. That skills they need for a rapidly changing soon-to-be-laid-off employees. When the could benefit them, the economy and, of workplace, wherever they may choose to layoffs came, 60 per cent of workers had course, the workers it affects. use them. As well as benefitting workers, this can be good for employer reputation GROW MODEL and help close a widening skills gap in the global economy. Why could outskilling be important? The GROW model (or process) is a simple method for goal setting and According to a 2019 survey by problem solving. It was developed in the United Kingdom and was used Eurochambres, a business representative extensively in corporate coaching in the late 1980s and 1990s. There have organisation, one of the largest been many claims to authorship of the GROW model as a way of achieving challenges facing European countries is a goals and solving problems. While no one person can be clearly identified as the lack of skilled workers. In a 2017 PWC originator, Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore all made survey, 77% of CEOs said a scarcity significant contributions. Max Landsberg later described GROW in his book The Tao of people with key skills is the biggest of Coaching. Other similar models include collaborative helping maps in family threat to their businesses. therapy and Gabriele Oettingen’s WOOP model. The reason? Technology is rapidly Jonathan Passmore and Stefan Cantore have suggested that one “argument against changing the way we work. In its 2018 behavioural-based approaches such as GROW is that their goal nature excludes the report The Future of Jobs, the World potential to explore philosophical aspects of life. Thus GROW may be suited to work- Economic Forum said that by 2025, ing in goal-directed areas of sports or business, but may be less well suited to careers more than half of all current workplace conversations, person–role fit or life-coaching conversations where other approaches tasks will be performed by machines, such as the transpersonal or existential approaches may be more helpful.” as opposed to 29% today. No fewer than 54% of all employees will require www.sightsinplus.com 11 April 2021

Insights Alok Nigam Most Critical Factors in Talent Retention Today Alok Nigam Progressive HR policies which are people- centric and ever-evolving with the changing Senior Vice President and needs are big points of attraction not only for Group CHRO, Bhartiya Group retaining but also attracting the talent from outside. What an employee expects from these policies is objectivity, transparency, and fair play. The organizations need to benchmark the best and build flexibility in administering these policies. Alok has been leading people through We are in difficult times talent will still remain the same in the HR function, leading teams and passing through one of the addition to the fact that companies shaping people’s careers for over worst health crisis of our need to do more on mental wellness of three decades. With diverse industry times. The crisis has brought the employees which will go a long way exposure, he is seen as a dynamic, uncertainties as far as business scenario in ensuring that when an employee’s agile, and adaptable leader who is concerned and also the talent personal and professional life is on the effectively utilizes strategy and HR ecosystem now needs to be looked at edge, it’s the best leaders who can help with a different perspective. The their team experience positive Tools for business transformations. His organizations are surely struggling with emotions. This is the key to keeping strength is organization restructuring, strategies to retain high-quality and your team mentally strong. When you performing talent. Having mentioned have resilient employees then you have cultural metamorphosis, and change the scenario about the current crisis the a more resilient organization. management. He has played an integral time tested principles and practices of role in organization design for new businesses and led the implementation of a robust Talent Management process, identifying talent pipeline and building sturdy career paths. 12 SightsIn Plus

1. Mental and Emotional fit in the overall scheme of things 7. Meaningful Engagement and what the future holds for them. well-being They ideally want an organization A consistent approach to engage that offers them ample personal and the talent and workforce is a must. We all know that mental professional growth opportunities. Engaging the workforce on innovative health includes our emotional, practices and tools, on how they can psychological, and social well-being. 3. Competitive Salaries and contribute more and more, their It affects how we think, feel, and Rewards careers, their development needs can’t act. It also helps determine how be supplemented with anything else. we handle stress, relate to others, In today’s world, a competitive Multiple communication channels and make choices. Mental health salary is a given. The logic that in the organization instill confidence is important at every stage of competition is bigger and has in the minds of the people and at the life, from childhood and through greater revenue so it can afford to same time leaders need to ensure how adulthood. One needs to ensure pay more and offer greater rewards to weed out the grapevines that employees take positive steps to its employees than we do, no right now to improve resilience and longer cuts ice with the talent. 8. Sense of Purpose emotional well-being. Sooner or later, they will move, if compensations are not matched Talent takes pride in associating with 2. Organization Culture competitively. the organizations having strong sense of purpose. Do organizations today In the age of social media, 4. Recognition Programmes have a winning employee-facing reputation today flows seamlessly. value proposition? The organization’s If an organization is branded as Given the rising affluence and culture comes together and is manifest anything but progressive and cool, explosion of social media, today’s in its sense of purpose and the big talent will shun it. It applies as much talent and particularly Gen Y story. Culture is story and story is to a conventional brick and mortal has grown up in a very different culture. The organization’s needs to entities as to new-age platforms. environment than has been the have a story and it’s important how Today’s talent values a corporate case with previous generations. do they tell the story. The sense of culture that lets them learn quickly Recognition and not reprisal have purpose of an organization’s existence has an open culture and shares its been the driving factor for them to needs to answer the 4 fundamental growth plans with them. Gen Y achieve excellence. This is the kind questions. What do they believe in, certainly wants to know where they of environment they also expect Where are they headed, what makes from an organization. Recognition them special and how do they make 13 April 2021 programmes today, play a key role difference in people’s lives? in employee retention. 9. Vibrant workplaces 5. Challenging Work Environment The vibrant workplace signifies energy, positivity, and growth – Talent today and especially characteristics we desire for the Gen Y, more than any previous environment where we spend the generations, are graduating with majority of our waking hours. A a dynamic mix of academic and vibrant workplace draws people work experience that have them to it – quality, talented employees positioned to contribute from day want to work in a healthy context one. They are not interested in and become a part of the life- boring jobs- they seek challenging exuding process. work right from the start. 10. HR Policies 6. Work Flexibility Progressive HR policies which are Talent also see themselves doing people-centric and ever-evolving work everywhere- except in a with the changing needs are big cubicle. They definitely want points of attraction not only for flexible hours and schedules because retaining but also attracting the they are great believers in work-life talent from outside. What an balance and want to live life to the employee expects from these policies fullest. Jobs, today, need to factor in is objectivity, transparency, and such changing personal traits. fair play.  The organizations need to benchmark the best and build flexibility in administering these policies. www.sightsinplus.com

Interview Kankana Barua Interaction with Kankana Barua Group Chief HR Officer Healthium Medtech E xclusive ON LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT 14 SightsIn Plus

By- Romesh Srivastava Kankana joined Healthium in February 2019 as a Group CHRO and is responsible for the transformation and integration of the Group Companies. An enterprising professional with a background in Human Resources, Kankana is a great coach and mentor and is focused on creating platforms for employees to operate at their full capacity.  Kankana’s previous experiences include being Chief People Officer at Tally Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Senior Vice President & Global Head Human Resource at Jubilant Drug Discovery and Development Services.  She has completed her Company Secretary course from ICSI and is the First Women Company Secretary from North East India. In addition, she is also a Law Graduate and holds a PGDHRM degree from Pondicherry University. Q. What are the key challenges comfortably manage remote working It has offered a plethora of that you’re facing as CHRO and client liaison while being there to opportunities to upskill and when it comes to L&D post- support the healthcare industry with reskill employees, given changing Covid-19 Pandemic?   products that are essential for surgeries. organizational goal posts and expedited   the need to move to digital training to A. Unlike the IT sector, The pandemic has forced the Industry augment remote working. With sales Healthcare is very people- to rethink proven methodologies when teams having to work with clients driven with a culture of face- to it comes to L&D initiatives, has paved remotely, Finance teams having to - face interactions amongst key the way for new thinking and acted as manage the closing of books remotely, stakeholders and as prevalent a catalyst to transform the traditional product and marketing teams finding with large sales teams anywhere, learning programs. ways to manage new product launches classroom-learning being the primary remotely, L&D professionals have had learning approach when compared to Healthium has to double their efforts to ensure quick online learning methodologies. created rich and effective ways to deliver on remote   interactive audio learning methodologies and the process The Healthcare industry was visual content has allowed the role to evolve and be probably one of the most challenged tailor-made for more people-oriented. given that entry for sales teams remote use to   into hospitals was restricted. For an replace face to industry such as ours where hospitals face trainings. Q. How is the role of L&D and surgeons form our key clients professionals changing in the and face to face interactions have current scenario? long been the preferred route to connect, it was a complete challenge A. With almost all L&D programs to regroup and rethink our strategy going virtual, the role of L&D to upskill teams on how to safely and professionals and the way they function is more important now than ever 15 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Insights Kankana Barua before, as they not only need to ensure in an interactive manner, building in ISO, risk management, GM, and Lean constant upskilling and reskilling of summaries, assessment sheets, and Sigma were conducted in surroundings the employees but also ensure that it online help as required to create a that supported the new normal. is being done remotely and through a seamless atmosphere for learning,   mechanism that is flexible, easy-to-use, clearing doubts, recapping the learnings and doesn’t act as a hindrance to the and assessing the knowledge almost Q. In your opinion, what are L&D daily routine of employees. simulating a real life classroom but with trends that will define the   the added advantage that the content segment in 2021?   There is a marked shift from the can be requested for on-demand traditional webinar-based training that whenever the employee is free and A. Digital learning is here to stay. renders itself ineffective in a remote can be repeatedly watched for greater With the number of cases working setup, to creating tailor-made retention, luxuries that classroom rising again, there is limited scope training  content that needs to be made training does not allow for. for in-person L&D trainings. As more audiovisual to retain interest,   employees continue to work remotely modular content that can be looked This is not all, where on the job over a sustained period of time, upon –demand so that learning in learning is possible, they have been most Organizations have had to revisit small parts is made possible, interactive conducted. Trainings with cadavers their learning platforms and make capsules to assess learning, retention to train sale force on in-product their courses/ modules available to and explain doubts interspersed with usage have been made possible. For employees remotely. training capsules and most importantly Manufacturing, where most employees   gauging the effectiveness of the content worked on-site, given the high Additionally, the frequency of learning and revising based on feedback. This requirements for safety and a focus programs will only increase going means that the first team to effectively on quality, General safety trainings, forward. These are unprecedented learn and develop skills to match new Trainings on Quality like EUMDR, times and require employees to needs has been the L & D team itself. continuously hone their skills and   Digital content is make meaningful contributions here to stay. Shorter towards their organisations against Q. What are some of the L&D learning formats an evolving business landscape. We initiatives initiated in your that can easily will also see more customized and organization in this pandemic?   be incorporated shorter learning formats to ensure into the daily quick turnarounds with more modules A. Our Team at Healthium has schedules of the being incorporated into the daily proactively revamped the employees will schedule of the employees. There is a organization’s L & D requirements continue to need to drive more synergies between to a completely online and versatile stay relevant . the organizational goals, employee format. As an example, the company competencies, and the L&D programs has completely moved product and this is a trend that will continue to trainings from f2f to online capsules. grow in the near future. This has necessitated converting f2f   training into interesting, on-demand audio-visual capsules illustrating use Q. Any concluding remarks of our products, creating faq content A. L & D formats today have 16 SightsIn Plus changed considerably to stay relevant to current realities. Moving forward, organizations will only optimize the mix of virtual and f2f learning methodologies that suit their needs the best. In industries such as Healthcare where Learning is a continuous need given new surgical trends, new products and innovations coming into play virtually led L & D formats will stay relevant not only for our own teams but also for round tables, master classes and Continuous Medical Education for our clients as well.   Thank You, Kankana!

Expert View Dave Ulrich How to Increase the Impact of Your Talent Initiatives Talent (called workforce, individual competence, skills, expertise/know-how, synonym for employees, and so forth) has been the hallmark of HR for decades. A multitude of programs and initiatives and untold millions have been invested to attract, retain, and upgrade talent. Yet, how do business and HR leaders know which talent initiatives deliver results? We know it matters. Some Dave Ulrich how, synonym for employees, and so go to war for it. Professional forth) has been the hallmark of HR for sports teams draft for it. RensisLikert Professor at decades. A multitude of programs and Actors and musicians the Ross School of Business, initiatives and untold millions have audition to show they have it. Others University of Michigan and a been invested to attract, retain, and consider it the ultimate solution and try upgrade talent. Yet, how do business to manage it. Agents contract for it. partner at The RBL Group and HR leaders know which talent Organizations build plans to leverage it. initiatives deliver results? Some are innately endowed with it while others strive diligently to earn it. We have spent the last 18 months All try to grow it. Talent. creating an Organization Guidance System that informs the impact of four Talent (called workforce, individual Organization Effectiveness pathways competence, skills, expertise/know- on five key results (see Figure 1) 17 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Expert View Dave Ulrich Figure 1 HR Portfolio Grid of Key Results * Pathways to Organization Effectiveness (5 results * 4 pathways = 20 cells) Key Stakeholder Results 1 2 3 4 5 Employee Business Customer Investors/ Social strategy Financial Citizenship A 159 13 17 Talent 18 Pathways to B 2 6 10 14 Organization Leadership 19 Effectiveness 20 C 3 7 11 15 Organization Capabilities D 4 8 12 16 Human Resources Department In this article, we report the findings of our pilot study about which talent initiatives drive key outcomes (cells 1,5,9,13). Step 1: Identify and Measure Key Outcomes Prioritizing talent initiatives starts with identifying desired results. The columns in Figure 1 suggest five stakeholder results that a company may prioritize [1] employee (well-being, competence), [2] business strategy (differentiated position, ability to execute), [3] customer (net promoter score), [4] investor/financial (profitability), and [5] social citizenship (environmental, social). Instead of talking about an innovative talent initiative, HR professionals should start talent discussions by identifying desired results that matter to business leaders. Step 2: Distill and Measure Key Talent Initiatives There are innumerable initiatives that could be done to improve talent. In our talent research and work, we identify three major talent domains (competence, commitment, and contribution or experience). Within each of these three domains, we identify a number of talent initiatives. For example, in the book Talent Accelerator we identify 13 talent initiatives to increase competence; in our engagement research, we identify 7 practices that make up VOI2C2E (Vision, Opportunity, Incentives, Impact, Community, Communication, and Entrepreneurship); and in Why of Work we identify 7 practices to increase contribution or experience. Based on this work, we identify 18 talent initiatives we can assess. From our pilot study, we determined that these 18 talent initiatives could be distilled into 9 initiatives that an organization could invest in (see Figure 2). We created a 36-item index (4 items for each of the nine initiatives) to determine the extent to which each of the nine talent initiatives exist in an organization. Figure 2: Nine Primary Talent Initiatives Talent Initiatives Assessment (To what extent do…) 1. Acquiring talent We bring the right people into our organization 2. Managing employee performance We facilitate employee improvement through standards, evaluations, and rewards 3. Developing employees We find ways to help employees become better 4. Managing employee careers and promotions 5. Communicating with employees We manage careers and succession opportunities 6. Retaining the best employees 7. Managing departing employees We share information with employees, so they know what is expected 8. Tracking employee engagement We have the ability to keep our top performers 9. Creating a positive employee experience We remove employees appropriately We have good ways to track employee emotional response to work We ensure that employees have a positive personal experience at work Step 3: Report Status of Talent Challenges We collected data on how well an organization performs on these nine talent initiatives (see Figure 3)  .  This figure reports the overall mean (column A), variance (column B), and reliability (column C) of the measures of these nine initiatives.  This figure indicates which of the 9 initiatives are better done (positive employee experience (#9) and communication (#5)) and which score lower (retaining employees (#6).  The results also confirm that these are valid measures of the nine dimensions.   Most talent research ends by showing global averages and comparing them to the scores in column A.   18 SightsIn Plus

Figure 3: Talent Initiatives: Basic Statistics Talent Initiatives A B C (sample of 119 people in 45 companies) How well we Variance Reliability Standard 1. Acquiring talent do it? deviation Alpha 2. Managing employee performance (1-5) Mean 3. Developing employees .49 0.87 4. Managing employee careers and promotions 3.33 .54 0.77 5. Communicating with employees 3.41 .72 0.81 3.32 .66 0.84 3.14 .68 0.82 3.50 .64 0.59 .62 0.61 6. Retaining the best employees 2.86 .69 0.80 7. Managing departing employees 3.33 .63 0.79 8. Tracking employee engagement 3.34 9. Creating a positive employee experience 3.51 Step 4:  Report Guidance on Talent Practices To move from these talent descriptions (Figure 3) to prescriptions, we offer guidance in Figure 4.  This figure shows the relative impact of each of the 9 initiatives (rows) on four outcomes we measured in the pilot (columns B ,C, D, and E). We used proprietary analytics (variance decomposition) to understand how different talent initiatives will deliver different results (note: in the pilot we focused on 4 results; we now have added a fifth, social citizenship). Figure 4 Talent Guidance: Which Talent Initiatives Deliver Which Results The findings in Figure 4 dramatically shift the discussion of talent from what is done to what should be done. Some findings include: 1. In general, the talent activities with the most overall impact on results are acquiring the right people and tracking their employ- ee engagement. The overall least impact is removing people. 2. Employee results increase the most through tracking employee sentiment and managing performance. 3. Business strategy results are most accomplished through acquiring the right people and tracking their engagement. 4. Customer results are most impacted by tracking employee engagement, communicating with employees, retaining the best employees, and acquiring the right employees. 5. Financial results are most impacted by developing employees, acquiring employees, and managing careers and succession. Implications The implications of this talent guidance are profound. Depending on the results an organization seeks, business and HR leaders can now provide guidance on where to focus talent initiatives. In Figure 1, we show four pathways (talent, leadership, organiza- tion, and HR). 19 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Insights Dr. Ankita Singh Develop Digital Skills Hiding in Your Organization! An employee's skills can be far broader than what their jobs demand them to do – and most utmost of those other capabilities have limited to no direct pertinence to what they've been selected to do. Dr. Ankita Singh “There are no boundaries or borders  Apprehending how much money is in the digital age.”  used on talent hiring and development; SVP & Global Head of HR, IT, it becomes decisive for organizations Travel & Admin, CIGNEX — Karim Rashid. to define strategies around building Datamatics   and developing digital talent within, instead of the default option of looking Dr. Ankita Singh, Senior Vice President The actuality is that the out. Unfortunately, developing hidden and Global Head of HR at CIGNEX digital world is boundaryless, skills is not that easy as it is largely Datamatics. She has two decades of and it has seeped into all ignored, unexplored or NEW. An experience in managing and leading peripheries of our life. Can it employee›s skills can be far broader various aspects of Human Resources. be altered or dominated? Probably not! than what their jobs demand them to She is a PhD in Management, Gold The necessity to be digitally abled is do – and most utmost of those other Medallist in BBA as well as an MBA. the most significant need of the time. capabilities have limited to no direct Talking about the most recent scenario, pertinence to what they›ve been She has done HR and Business Strategy organizations sustained or survived the selected to do.  related Executive Management pandemic primarily because they Programmes from IIM-A, ISB turned digitization into an advantage. Hyderabad and XLRI. A certified PPA (Thomas Profiling) Practitioner. 20 SightsIn Plus

The Research says: like, \"how do they feel working for should know that they are valued, the current profile? What would and their growth is as vital as • 76% of existing employees can be they want to learn in the next 3/6 the organization›s growth. It's a cross-trained. months? What you want to achieve? WIN-WIN situation. Only when it How you want to grow?\". ASKING becomes a discussed and a shared • 68% of employees are ready to take questions is the simplest and most responsibility it starts yielding up additional responsibilities effective way to get clear answers to results. Invest well to reap well! the questions and identify the right   • 87% of employees wish to upskill people at the right time and enable • Share \"WHY, WHEN, HOW, and them further for collaborative WHAT\":  To drive any initiative, • And 63% of employees feel that growth.  the first question that should be they are underutilized.    proactively answered is \"WHY?” • Let them wander: Let them Why we are doing this, when the   formulate their path, let them purpose is clear, the remaining steps Glancing at these numbers, we learn explore. Come up with platforms (BY when we will do this, how we that maybe we are not exploring where they can engage and wish to achieve this, what is in there the talent within. The untapped contribute beyond the defined for me?) seamlessly get covered. So capability, unfortunately, is what most scope. Experimentation helps! In if it is about defining a \"LEARNING organizations miss. With a deficit of addition to their core job profile, and A GROWTH MINDSET digital skills represented as a significant give them time and opportunity CULTURE,\" it has to be shared. and widening impediment to digital to understand other skills/   transformation, it appears that the projects within and outside the • Respond to change: CHANGE! A challenge to find suitable digital talent organization. Not all those who common impediment to an has become a thorn in the side of many wander are lost. organization›s digital transformation companies, both large and small.   is senior management buy-   • Trust them: Counseling, in.  Essentially, this brave new According to a new study titled 'Skills coaching, and training are proven digital world has triggered a for Digital Transformation,' only mechanisms to guide people but substantial cultural change, and in 27% of companies have an identified if they say that I am not capable many instances, the people making strategy for executing their digital of doing a particular project or the big decisions are trapped in initiatives. Only 17% say their business follow a specific skill and want to the past. The workplace needs to has staff with the skills to assist in be part of the other project, hear become more accessible and less digital transformation.  them out. Trust them and give them linear - a place where people can   that chance if possible. You never collaborate, interact, and, most know; workers could go from being importantly, exchange knowledge. How can this gap be disengaged mediocre performers GET OUT OF THE WAY! minimized? to top performers. Picasso was a   salesman, first! When it comes to digital skills, even Comprehending the unknown is not   the slightest improvements in company that easy but possible. Here are few • Think beyond the defined culture can make a big difference in ways to identify and develop the bars: Don›t just get cemented with staff growth and creative production. hidden digital skills: the employee›s current profile and By tapping into those broader abilities,   performance. The Formal high- managers open up more possibilities for • Know your people: With the potential (HiPo) identification success through innovation and suffice programs focus too much on past that growing need for meaning to help of technology, it has become performance and technical skills. themselves and the entire organization. doable to connect individually and Maybe that individual is not   personalize our approach towards in the right place but has great While there will always be sufficient any employee. It is imperative potential. Hence, it becomes more ways to hire and build digital talent for to map where the organization, important than ever to personalize organizations, research says the loyalty employee, and market are. the approach and not categorize it. index improves by 65% if we invest in Understanding the current status is One should avoid being judgmental. the talent we already have within our the first step towards establishing Widen the playground! walls. the success path. Use real-time data,   HR analytics, AI, machine learning • Create a pathway: Knowing alone “The purpose of an organization to understand their interests, will not take us anywhere; defining is to enable ordinary people to do inclinations, goals and enable them goals and administering directions extraordinary things.” to explore, contribute and add value is equally essential. Employees to the system.  - Peter Drucker   • Ask: Ask questions about their www.sightsinplus.com interest in the company. Questions 21 April 2021

Interview Sameer Nagarajan Rendezvous With Sameer Nagarajan Global President Human Resources Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited E xclusive ON SKILLING, RESKILLING, AND UPSKILLING 22 SightsIn Plus

By- Romesh Srivastava Sameer is a senior HR professional with over 33 years of experience in leading the HR function while partnering businesses to growth and profitability. Prior to Cadila, he was working with Dabur International Limited as Executive Vice President, Human Resources in Dubai. He completed an MBA in HR from XLRI Jamshedpur in 1988 and has a proven track record in Strategic Business Partnering and leading teams to deliver organizational outcomes.  Previously, Sameer has been associated with Unilever and Hindustan Unilever, AstraZeneca Pharma, BPB India Gypsum, Microland, and Hindustan Ciba-Geigy.  He is particularly interested in Organisation Efficiency and Talent Management with a specific focus on Capability Development and Leadership Development and has a wide intercultural experience spanning Asia and Europe. Q. What are the key challenges going forward will not be the same as emerge in the context of a home office that you’re facing as CHRO they once were. Work will increasingly and it is unlikely that any single person when it comes to the Skilling of be done from non-traditional settings, will be able to devote large chunks of employees?  and in turbulent and complex time, continually, to skill and capability environments. As a result, the profile development, regardless of the desire A. The pandemic and its of the ideal individual employee will or wish to do so. consequential effects have change to include the ability to learn   altered the developmental landscape in individual and remote settings. The The emergence of gig work and irreversibly. First, the nature of past notion of learning in physically shorter-term views on careers taken the skills required for effective job settings, in a group, may be lost for means that the delivery of training performance in individual and group good. The nature of training has inputs has to be more focused and the roles has changed. The world is therefore also changed permanently. results more intense, more quickly. VUCA as never before. Employees Training now competes with a lot of The longer time frames available in now require an ability to deal with other priorities and distractions that the past are gone. Millennials are also much greater levels of ambiguity impatient for results and growth and and complexity. Behaviourally and Training now this means there has to be a greater technically, these have resulted competes with a lot of focus on the sharpness and clarity of in new demands such as digital, other priorities and learning inputs. Measurement systems, e-commerce, online collaboration, distractions that emerge often an ambiguous and little-studied teleconsultation, virtual reality, etc. in the context of a home – but critical – area in learning and Individuals therefore need to learn office and it is unlikely development have also come in for a completely new set of skills that that any single person more attention. will equip them to navigate the new will be able to devote   order.  Similarly, organisations as a large chunks of time, whole need to develop new ways of continually, to skill Q. Why employees' Skilling, assessing and measuring the extent and capability Reskilling, and Upskilling are and rootedness of these skills and development so important in current times?  capabilities, as an integral part of assuring survival in the longer term. A. As I mentioned, it is very   important to note that the They also need to reconcile with the very nature of the world of work has fact that the nature of work as we changed. Recent reflections shared by know it has changed. Physical offices both academicians and organizational practitioners and leaders reflect this 23 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Interview Sameer Nagarajan change. While it is fairly predictable and facilitate such learning and that is anywhere, anytime”, focusing on that new-age companies in industries for the better. longer-term capability building to such as IT and digital have already augment the capacity of employees to announced a work-from-home policy Q. What are some of the fulfil their roles. until the end of 2021, what has been Upskilling initiatives taken in a real game-changer is that brick and Cadila recently? ' L&D in Cadila catalyzed Digital mortar companies such as Unilever Learning Sessions on various soft skills have also moved in this direction. A. Cadila looked at the opportunity (relevant to field employees) that were and initially conceptualized the facilitated by specially chosen experts. This will create a whole new playing idea of learning as a product that is We also facilitated techno-functional field in terms of talent management accessible more easily as a result of the skills like in-Clinic communication & as employment and learning widespread use of devices as a result Coaching abilities for first and second- opportunities become more accessible of the pandemic. Cadila explored the line managers enabling them to build to a larger number of people across concept of “learning and training inclusiveness, improve effectiveness the country, putting pressure on the and stay relevant. As the team went ability to attract and retain employees. L&D in Cadila ahead with the learning agenda, we also Gig work will also naturally thrive catalyzed Digital utilized platforms like YouTube and in an environment enabled thus. Learning Sessions WhatsApp to reach learners, promoting This new world will make new and on various soft reinforcement of learning. All of this unprecedented demands on our skills that were went a long way in delivering a robust, individual and collective abilities to not facilitated learning-rich environment that has merely cope with the environment but by specially resulted in greater sales performance, as thrive in it. chosen evidenced in various market monitors. experts.   Skill initiatives aimed at all employees are absolutely essential for something Q. Any concluding remarks?  like this to happen. There are A. Another challenging and also various environmental and governmental enablers in this regard, dynamic year – 2021 – will see given the availability of a large pool of companies and Cadila moving ahead human talent in the country and their with speed to take creative advantage willingness to learn. The private sector of technology and content and deliver is also uniquely positioned to enable optimized learning solutions to all employees. 24 SightsIn Plus Thank You, Sameer!

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Nathan SV @Nathansv “Compensation is a funny thing. Happiness or unhappiness about it does not lie in what one gets, but what someone else gets” John Mattone April Iss @JohnMattone “One of the biggest challenges that leaders face today is the ability to interpret failure correctly” Linda Grasso @LindaGrass0 “Knowledge is a fundamental pillar of our society, and it should be open to anyone” 26 SightsIn Plus

Monthly HR Magazine Prabir Jha @PrabirJha “Entrepreneurship & leadership are about swaying on fragile opportunities and still striking gold!” Denis Waitley @winwinman “Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience. “ sue 2021 Apurva Purohit 27 April 2021 @apurva_purohit “All you need to give at the end of the day, is some kindness to others; all you want for yourself, is some kindness from others.” www.sightsinplus.com

Expert View Anand Pillai What’s Trending in Learning!! According to a new study by Global Market Insights, the eLearning market is set to be over $375 billion by 2026. There are 5 big takeaways from COVID impact which supports virtual learning and can overcome three fundamental challenges in corporate training: EFFECTIVENESS, EFFICIENCY and ALIGNMENT The Year 2020 was so Anand Pillai we anticipated, courtesy lockdowns unexpected that the word are back in many parts of the world. “expected” almost did not MD, Leadership Matters Inc. Organisations good in precognition exist in the dictionary. The are proactively rassling how to spend change of course has forced us to on their workforce to develop skills rethink and re-evaluate how we can (new skills to lead change and stay develop and train our employees.  To resilient through this pandemic) fortify help create and strengthen their cultures, and help employees organisational capabilities and culture execute and create value for all their when we simply cannot get together.  stakeholders.  The responsibility is on the HR and the managers to unleash their creative and Among what all happened last year disruptive side which is has been reskilling, upskilling and new skilling dormant somewhere for quite some continued to be in focus on critical roles time. Simply putting “getting back to incorporate. Even before the pandemic, normal” is not an option for employee the eLearning industry was expanding development because “those normal gradually. But now, the closure of most times” are not coming back anytime businesses and traditional educational soon, so the only option we have is to institutions has led to exponential get used to the “NEW NORMAL”. The growth as more and more organizations early 21st-century fantasy of “all online are spending on virtual learning digital learning” suddenly came out of experiences for their employees. the grave during this pandemic. According to a new study by Global Market Insights, the eLearning While there’s still clouds lurking on market is set to be over $375 billion what “the way we work” will look by 2026. There are 5 big takeaways like in a post-COVID world— cause from COVID impact which supports it’s going to take more calendar virtual learning and can overcome years’ to answer this question than three fundamental challenges in 28 SightsIn Plus

corporate training: EFFECTIVENESS, enter the workforce, organizations close gender and race gaps in education EFFICIENCY and ALIGNMENT have benefitted by providing them and can create inclusive and productive which totally lost their way in the with personalized learning experiences. course communities for all learners. corporate world during pandemic. This anyone includes any age, any Diversity Enhanced Learning – geography, any class, any specialisation. Welcome to the 5-A Learning: Anyone  For the first time in our history can Anywhere, Any Device, Anyone, Any Nothing can provide more diversity than really see a classroom that cuts across subject, Anytime E-learning. it has created gladdens that age, geography, and standard/grade is miscellaneous and inclusive critical studying the same subject or course. This Cost-effective for User and to learner success. Research has shown bringing in a diversity of learning which Organisation – Anywhere that diverse representation can help is unprecedented. It’s a far-fetched idea, but the data supporting e-learning is backed up Welcome to the 5-A Learning: Anywhere, Any Device, Anyone, Any subject, Anytime! 5A’s by palpable results. All thanks to the technology which is cutting edge Opportunity and Companies Dismantle – enough to share information about Employment – Any course Anytime the key online learning courses to the employees in no time through their With lockdowns and pandemic It’s not just the future but even digital devices. The instantaneous hitting different industries hard and present is unpredictable. You never knowledge sharing allows organisations running them dry. E-learning gave know what’s going to happen next to cut out transportation costs, coach opportunities to individuals who lost minute, we must be up and ready to salaries, course materials, and more. their job to learn new skills or be on the face anything, anywhere at any time. other side to make help others learn E-learning makes it easier to upscale It’s mind-boggling how much cost- new skills adding extra bucks to their and reskill us with any course and at saving organisation does by avoiding repository. E-learning an individual any device.  Gone are the days where these unnecessary expenses. E-learning scope to be both a learner and a trainer we had restrictions on class timing and courses allow knowledge to be at the same time. Each learner could night/day classes. Each learner can delivered in short and easily digestible enroll in any course irrespective of any learn at any time convenient to him/ pieces. They use formats such as video prior qualification or experience and her in any pace that is suitable. We can games, simulators, and videos that have an equal opportunity for learning pause the learning and go at the pace allow employees who do not have a and advancement. our time and learning capacity permits. single bit of knowledge. E-learning opens option for unlimited courses without making it mandatory to have pre-requisite knowledge Chalk and Board Learning – Any Device  E-learning replaces the traditional classroom with any device. Remote learning aids employees to take up courses and training with the luxury of not being physically present in classroom. This also supports employees and organisation to able to balance out work and skill development at the same time. E-learning tools share vital information with employees using tools that we all use every day: computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. E-learning provides a personalized experience that includes curated and mobile-ready content. The Digital learning trend started with millennials, but as the true digital natives—Generation Z—begins to 29 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Insights Murad Salman Mirza Do You Want to Remain Professionally Relevant in the Digital World? Murad Salman Mirza Gaining a degree is no longer considered ‘essential’ for success in an era where An Innovative Thinker and ‘abandonment’ has become ‘fashionable’ due Thought Leader to the ‘glaring’ achievements of ‘dropouts’, who continue to receive ‘rockstar’ status in the Murad Salman Mirza, is an innovative thinker startup world. This is being reinforced by the and an astute practitioner of areas within and huge influx of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and core emphasis on specific skills, associated with the fields of Organizational rather than, broad educational credentials. Development, Talent Management & Business Transformation. He is currently globally ranked There was a time when secure’ careers are wavering under the in the Top 20 within 9 areas (HR, Leadership, graduating from a reputable ‘relevancy’ scrutiny. Gaining a degree is no academic institution meant a longer considered ‘essential’ for success in an Culture, Management, Agility, Innovation, warm welcome to a safe era where ‘abandonment’ has become Future of Work, Change Management, Customer professional journey with steady climb ‘fashionable’ due to the ‘glaring’ up the corporate ladder and ending in a achievements of ‘dropouts’, who continue to Experience) by the world's first open platform respectable retirement from a grateful receive ‘rock star’ status in the startup world. for Thought Leaders Thinkers360 based in USA. organization. However, as analog This is being reinforced by the huge influx initiatives have increasingly yielded to of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) 30 SightsIn Plus digital pursuits, business lifecycles have and core emphasis on specific skills, rather become increasingly susceptible to than, broad educational credentials. ‘disruptive’ technologies and ‘seemingly Consequently, today’s multigenerational

workforce is looking at existential challenges that are more pronounced and transformative than for earlier professionals, e.g., narrowing occupational paths, re-skilling imperatives, multiple careers, early retirements, forced entrepreneurship, etc., especially, as Artificial Intelligence (AI) progressively conquers the ‘strictly humanistic’ domains within the workplace and relentlessly pushes the threshold for ‘relevance’ to the upper echelons of cerebral application, as shown below: The Hierarchy of Cerebral Functionality in Corporate Entities 1 1. Thinker/ Visionary/Futurist 2 2. Strategizer 3 3. Operationalizer 4 4. Reviewer 5. Checker 5 6. Performer 7. Conformer/Follower 6 Note- Formal positions/designations 7 generally embrace more than one of the aforementioned role. Created & Developed by Murad Salman Mirza More and more of the repetitive/physically demanding/minimally diverse jobs/roles/functions are being relegated to ‘smart’ machines while innovative thinking/astute strategizing/creative application are being heralded as the ‘last’ bastion of ‘human relevance’ in the workplace. Most of the respective impact is being felt by mid-career professionals who are haunted by the notion of ‘45 is the new 65’ as they brace for the groundbreaking technologies nullifying the need for large workforces in progressive organizations that are looking to minimize their fragility exposures, as depicted below: Organizational Fragility Matrix 4 5 Vulnerability Levels 123 Individual Rare* Low* Sporadic* Frequent* Chronic* Mismanagement Levels Team Rare* Low* Sporadic* Frequent* Chronic* Functional Rare* Low* Sporadic* Frequent* Chronic* Organizational Rare* Low* Sporadic* Frequent* Chronic* Manifestation Primed for Poised for Struggling for Gasping for of Excellence Harmonization Stability Consistency Survival *Mismanagement Frequency Created & Developed by Murad Salman Mirza 31 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Insights Murad Salman Mirza The aforementioned matrix reflects the ‘humanistic’ and ‘mechanistic’ progression, career stagnation or career the various vulnerability levels and elements existing within a progressive obsolescence for diligent professionals the corresponding incidence rate of organization. in the foreseeable future. ‘humanistic’ mismanagement involved at various corporate hierarchies. One Ironically, the uncertainties of The key for astute professionals is to of the preferred and cost-effective gainful employment in ‘conventional’ never starve a positive mindset with ways in which human errors are professions is also necessitating the its ability to envision novel ways of generally curtailed/eliminated in the need for ‘delayed’ retirements as ‘real adjusting to the dynamic demands respective context is by the use of wages’ keep spiraling downwards of the digital world by failing to machines that are rapidly graduating in relation to inflationary pressures engage in an honest self-assessment of from the ‘conventionally dumb’ leading to the nagging struggles for professional prowess while successfully instruction-driven/job-specific devices maintaining reasonable living standards addressing the ‘narrow’ compulsions of to the ‘inherently smart’ AI-driven with enough savings for enabling a working in a particular organization. autonomous ‘electronic persons’/ dignified existence as a senior citizen. In this context, the following individual companions that are revolutionizing Consequently, timely realization of the skill-tracking chart is being presented the workplace dynamics. changing professional landscape due as a proactive tool to ensure that Consequently, it can be safely to disruptive innovation and the level ‘irrelevancy’ never becomes a recurring assumed that the drive for excellence of corresponding astute adaptability nightmare for professionals seeking is increasingly being driven by becomes the core determining congruence to the new corporate finding an optimum balance between factor in realizing the scale of career norms: Individual Skill-Tracking Chart for the Digital Age Sr. Skills Past* Obsolete Required Present* Future* Required Desired Obsolete 'Emerging' Required Desired Obsolete 'Expected' Person Focused Desired Position/Functions/Role Focused Organization/Corporate Focused 32 SightsIn Plus

The aforementioned chart provides • Are there any skills that remain future? a lucid perspective of Learning and consistently in demand across the • Will this position/role gain more Development (L&D) imperatives temporal divide? within a temporal context and provides significance that its current level in a panoramic view of the needs and • Do the skill sets facilitate the the future? expectations aligned with the career conduct of a comprehensive and • Will this position/role lose its aspirations of a sagacious professional. effective performance appraisal? current level of significance in the It tethers the past, present and future future? skill sets in an easily discernible • Has the percentage of skills that • Does this position/role overlap manner and can be used by the can be reinforced/enhanced using significantly with another position/ professional himself/herself, immediate blended learning increased across role in terms of skill sets? supervisor, functional head and/or the the temporal divide? • Can this position/role be easily HR/talent management function. It merged with another position/role? has the inherent flexibility of being • Has the percentage of obsolete • Can the talent pipeline for utilized as a ‘historical’ and ‘current’ skills increased across the temporal succession planning initiatives record/map of a professional’s growth divide? be reinforced with the skill sets and suitability for desired line of work reflected in the respective chart? without being tied to a particular • Has the percentage of required • Which is the most relatable/ organization. Following are some of the skills increased across the temporal closest position/role that can main exploratory questions that can divide? accommodate a person doing this be used in formulating the respective position/role if it is eliminated due chart: • Has the percentage of desired to certain inevitable situations, skills increased across the temporal e.g., rightsizing, technological • What are the comprehensive skills divide? obsolescence, merger & acquisition, required for this person to do etc. the assigned position/role in an • Is the nature of this position/role • Can the respective chart be used in efficient and effective manner? going to change in the future? a benchmarking study with closely matching/similar positions/roles • What were the past skill • Will this position/role exist in the of competitors/industry leaders/ requirements and expectations for trendsetters? this position/role and are they still One of the preferred and relevant? cost-effective ways in which The aforementioned questions human errors are generally enable the skill-tracking chart user • What are the current skill curtailed/eliminated in the to prepare a fertile ground, sow an requirements and expectations for respective context is by the optimal mix of germinal skills and reap this position/role and will they stay use of machines that are a productive harvest for prolonging relevant in the future? rapidly graduating from his/her ‘usefulness’ as a ‘qualified’, the ‘conventionally dumb’ ‘committed’ and ‘needed’ professional • Are there any emerging skills that instruction-driven/job- in the discerning purview of key have the capacity to become a specific devices to the decision-makers. It’s time we resolutely requirement in the future? ‘inherently smart’ AI-driven challenge the customarily used adage of autonomous ‘electronic ‘everyone is expendable’. • What will be the future skill persons’/ companions requirements and expectations that are revolutionizing www.sightsinplus.com for this position/role and do they the workplace differ from the past and present dynamics. requirements? • Are there any skills that were ‘required’ in the past moved to the ‘desired’ status in the present? • Are there any skills that are ‘required’ now used to be ‘desired’ in the past? • Are there any ‘desired’ skills now that can become a ‘requirement’ in the future? • Have any skills that were considered obsolete earlier become relevant again? • Are there any skills that are considered obsolete now liable to be relevant again in the future? 33 April 2021

C A S E S T U D Y TECH MAHINDRA How Plugging the L&D Gaps in Remote Working Era Studies show that 63% of organizations are reporting an increase in productivity due to remote working, however, that has also led to certain pressures and fears for the associates – the primary pressure of being ready, if not always, available for work and the fear of losing their job if their productivity or availability drops. Loss of livelihood is probably a bigger and more pervasive fear than the loss of life in a pandemic. Remote working is here to Riaz Mulla technical and behavioral traits – for stay, even if the virus is not. them and their teams and customers; Head Leadership Learning Resilience, a very high Emotional Technology organizations and Talent Development Intelligence (this includes managing have already announced strategies of self, a very high degree of empathy a high percentage of their workforce Tech Mahindra and the courage to be vulnerable), operating remotely even when the virtual presence, coaching and situation returns to normal. Others are career counselling, Purpose driven also beginning to take cognizance of Leadership etc. coupled with new this inevitability and attempting to put technologies like Cloud, AI/ML in place mechanisms that will make the and Cybersecurity. And it was organization resilient and flexible for important to deliver this content an uncertain future. in an asynchronous manner so that the associate had the flexibility to Talent development and Talent consume at her pace in a way she retention have become even was comfortable with. This gave her more important and providing an the flexibility then to accommodate empathetic and continuous learning learning in her already asynchronous experience is a key lever for the schedule. organizations to enable this. This is the biggest opportunity for L&D functions This shift from synchronous instructor to be of value. led learning to a flexible, multi- pedagogy, asynchronous learning is We at Tech Mahindra, have utilized the single most critical shift for L&D four levers to bring a more adaptive and cannot be achieved without the learning experience for our associates. use of Technology and collaboration The first lever is content and with partners to set up a Learning methodology. The sudden focus on ecosystem – which was our second technology adoption and paradigm lever. The move to remote tools like shift in the way of working required Zoom, Teams, Webex etc. is only the employees to overnight pick up new first, basic step to go virtual – and L&D 34 SightsIn Plus

Riaz Mulla functions run the risk of assuming they Content and have done their job by successfully Methodology migrating to such virtual tools. L&D Use of functions need to develop the muscle Technology of experimenting with the almost Upskilling of the endless possibilities that are coming up Learning Team on the horizon – mobile based micro- Leadership learning journeys, WhatsApp based Support engagement, virtual group coaching, gamified learning and assessments, AI duration remote working environment psychological safety by demonstrating based personalized learning nudges, is Psychological safety – and that is greater tolerance and empathy, podcasts and micro-blogs, quizzes true for all employees, including L&D. openness to ask questions and seek and polls to name only a few. With It is the responsibility of leadership support and bringing clarity in terms the multifarious technology learning to enable an environment of of redefining purpose and aligning needs that evolve at a rapid pace goals to the extent possible. This and millennials who prefer choice it The single biggest need enables employees to experiment with was important to build a Learning in a long duration remote new ideas and new ways of working ecosystem of platforms and partners working environment and learning. that would provide a seamless, yet is Psychological safety personalized, choice driven experience – and that is true for all An era of change of this dimension to the learner. Tech Mahindra had employees, including L&D. has the potential to produce many embarked on this journey well before It is the responsibility moments of learning. It is important the pandemic and the NAD LEARN of leadership to enable for L&D professionals to realize that marketplace made it easy to help an environment of Learning happens every moment L&D meet the learning needs of a psychological safety by and their approach should become predominantly remote workforce. demonstrating greater adaptive and integrative to create and tolerance and empathy, capture these learning moments that The L&D Professional was openness to ask come from success and failure. It is a transitioning from a content creator questions and seek seemingly unsurmountable task and to content curator and the remote support and bringing it requires the L&D Function and the working era has only hastened this clarity in terms of Leadership of the organization to shift transition to a learning experience redefining purpose from measuring L&D in narrow terms designer. The L&D team, besides and aligning goals of training ROI to more broader terms being adept in the traditional skills of to the extent of employee engagement and morale, instruction design and adult learning possible. experimentation and exponential pedagogy have now also built new talent growth. skills in behavioral psychology, a good understanding of learning This is the biggest opportunity for technology and experience design, L&D to enable personal and business and a close engagement with business transformation. to better understand their key metrics – as learning outcomes have www.sightsinplus.com evolved from training person-days and coverage to employee retention and growth, increased billing rates, reduced external hiring etc. These are largely new skills for the Learning professional and can make us uncomfortable. However, it is critical for us to travel this uncomfortable zone so that we can help our associates and business to travel their own. The upskilling of the Learning team was our third lever. The fourth lever is Leadership support. The single biggest need in a long 35 April 2021

Insights Ritu Anand Future of Work Pivoted Around Organizational Culture Ritu Anand Organizations that are choosing to move to a hybrid model as they ‘return to normalcy’ will Director HR & Admin, need to navigate this phase very sensitively Terumo India balancing culture with business expectations. Remote working or a hybrid model should be Ritu Anand, Director Human Resources considered as a strategic move rather than and Administration, Terumo India just a tactical initiative. In my observation, is a seasoned global HR leader with organizations that have a strong culture deeply proficiency in driving business rooted in time-tested values will harness the transition more effectively. transformation to enable growth in key markets. Is valued for her global mindset& Organizations across the What started as a brief solution world shifted gears to to overcome the challenges of the expertise in managing talent and culture safeguard employees and pandemic, is likely to swing the in emerging & developed markets. move to a new way of narrative permanently. Remote working beyond the realm of any working has got a resounding thumbs- business continuity plan. As HR up from the employees as it offers practitioners are grappling with them flexibility and more options for reimagining the future, the role of balancing work and their personal offices is shifting in a bold way. Newer lives. Organizations on their part are contexts are coming alive that will have witnessing immense value from the long-term implications for how work WFH model, far beyond the benefits of gets done in the future. cost-saving. 36 SightsIn Plus

As per the survey conducted by the forward. We are once again relying on Enabling an Conference Board in September 2020, our core beliefs to help us draw up the Ecosystem for more than 330 HR executives at large details of this model. Business Performance US companies expressed that 40% or   more of their employees will continue While there are enough tools and We understand that the elements to to work virtually while 36% felt that technologies available to help people determine productivity will differ they are now willing to hire workers work remotely, it must be remembered across functions and individuals, who are 100% remote. But are we that people still need in-person therefore, one size fits all approach may ready for that? touchpoints to develop deeper not work. Our hybrid work model, connections to make it meaningful and therefore, takes into consideration the Organizations that are choosing to enduring. Drawing from this insight we following criteria: move to a hybrid model as they ‘return are experimenting with a hybrid model. to normalcy’ will need to navigate this   • The office space is best leveraged phase very sensitively balancing culture Associate Experience and Culture is as a hub for collaborative work and with business expectations. Remote at the helm of our rebound strategy.  team-building initiatives. working or a hybrid model should be Under our theme of Exploring the considered as a strategic move rather Power WE, we have launched several • There is a need to allocate than just a tactical initiative. In my initiatives to preserve the energy of the undisturbed time to boost observation, organizations that have a organization and our familial culture. productivity strong culture deeply rooted in time- At the same time, we have laid laser- tested values will harness the transition sharp focus on building capabilities • We want to enable synchronized more effectively. by leveraging our Virtual Academies time consciously to be the basis of and launching several learning co-ordination A strong organizational mission, interventions to advance behavioural people’s alignment with the & hard skills. Several training modules Renewed Expectations organizational priorities, clarity about such as ‘7 habits of highly effective on Performance and their individual roles in achieving the people, digital sales enablement, Outcomes Management organizational goals are some of the managing virtual teams, etc. have been notable ways in which a strong culture conducted over the last 12 months The parameters of evaluating employee manifests itself. A healthy work culture preparing our associates for various performance will need to be altered in becomes a strong catalyst for high capabilities. the context of the new dynamics. We performance. Leadership will play a   are defining the ‘how of performance crucial role in building collaboration The efforts we are making to shift to a process’ through quality, creativity, speed among the remote workforce. hybrid model hinges on three critical of response, and collaboration as the key Frequent, two-way, and consistent components:        parameters. This will need to be reviewed communication will help nurture trust      periodically through agile conversations and confidence. Teams that thrive on on performance and development. collaboration and feel cared for, tend Empathy to be more adaptable and have the allows leaders Preserving the Social better collective resolve to overcome to go deep into capital challenges. the root-cause of a problem We have Digital Bonfires, focused What is Terumo’s and enable discussion groups, pulse surveys, Game Plan? people to solve virtual contests that involve families them. of our associates, wellness programs, At Terumo, respect and care are extended leave basket, etc to ensure our fundamental principles embedded in associates stay connected, engaged, and our value system so strongly, that all productive. A host of initiatives such as the measures we have taken during the ‘flexi-timings, slack hours, zero meeting pandemic, have been only a natural zone, rest days, etc have been unrolled extension of this belief system. We just with this objective in mind. needed to carefully pay attention to the ethos upon which our Japanese parent The verdict is still out on the success company had built its 100-year legacy. of a WFH/ hybrid model, we all know As we are preparing our return-to- that it is companies that can be adaptive work plans, we are going to experiment and perceptive about individual with the hybrid model as the way flexibility, who will ultimately win. 37 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Insights Ajay Kadyan Increasing Employee Satisfaction through Learning and Development According to LinkedIn’s 2018 Workforce Learning Report, a whopping 93% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their careers. In terms of overall talent development, a recent LinkedIn survey of 2,000 business leaders found that more than half (57%) put soft skills over hard skills when it comes to what they need their employees to develop. Ajay Kadyan Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Zimyo As Co-Founder and Chief Technology A large number of times have changed and companies Officer of Zimyo, Ajay Kadyan commits organizations, especially and management have come to realise small businesses manage their the importance of L&D for their himself entirely to the growth of the human resource as well as organization. Their focus is now on company. Under his guidance, team Zimyo Learning and Development (L&D) creating organizations that have the through traditional methods and are potential to constantly evolve in terms has pioneered a series of innovative HR hesitant to adapting HR technology to of L&D. solutions that provide one-of-a-kind get their day-to-day tasks done. In human experience to growth-focused some organizations, the L&D part is Why is learning often overlooked because they are and development so organizations. In his formative years, Ajay already juggling a lot of other tasks and important? has worked with multiple organizations deliverables. including AuthBridge Research Services According to LinkedIn’s 2018 This has for long been a universal Workforce Learning Report, a & proven his stature in the fields of tech, problem, where employees’ constant whopping 93% of employees would data, and product management. complaint from the management was stay at a company longer if it invested that they were not getting a scope in their careers. In terms of overall 38 SightsIn Plus of learning and growth. However,

talent development, a recent LinkedIn 3. Untrained and unskilled role in L&D, providing learners with survey of 2,000 business leaders found workforce is a liability smarter tools. that more than half (57%) put soft Apart from all that is mentioned skills over hard skills when it comes L&D also helps employees to above, the most popular and widely to what they need their employees to understand what is expected of used techniques in learning and develop. These are not just numbers, them in the organization and development in recent times include: instead, these reflect the reality of the how should they behave while preferences of today’s workforce. on-premises. Lack of proper v Personalisation - Employees training builds this bridge between and organizations can easily make Let’s have a look at 5 mannerism and etiquettes. Not personalisations in their L&D reasons why learning and just this, those employees who are training sessions. With the world development is important unskilled are not able to contribute going online, what, when and how to their maximum capacity. you want to teach your employees The workforce wants opportunities can be decided by you. for growth and learning. I have been 4. High performing customer an employee for quite a long time, and service and satisfaction v Self-paced online training- The my experience of the same says that old module of learning in a class is every organization’s workforce wants A significant impact on customer gone, where you were required to opportunities for growth and learning. satisfaction can be seen by enabling make notes of everything and could The employees today are far more all employees to manage and handle not easily get extra classes for better ambitious than they ever were, money conversations with them effectively. understanding. Now, employees is not their only motive. According to a In fact, there is a 16% increase can complete their L&D training 2016 Gallup report, 87% of millennials in customer satisfaction with sessions at their own pace and in the say L&D in the workplace is important companies that are using learning comfort of their houses also. while 59% of millennials say having technology. opportunities to learn and grow is v Interesting and engaging- The extremely important when deciding 5. How is technology boosting L&D teaching and learning methods whether to apply for a job. for organizations? have been made more interesting and engaging with gamification, 1. L&D is more cost-efficient than Digitalization has proven its worth picturization, fun activities and hiring and merit in a lot many significant much more. sectors and has also replaced tedious In their 2018 Employee Retention traditional processes with interesting It is essential that more and more Report, Work Institute reported innovative ones. Not to forget, organizations begin to realise that 1 in 4 employees will leave Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a huge the importance of L&D for their their job and nearly 77% of that employees. G.I. Joe used to say, turnover could be prevented by Make your employees “Knowing is half the battle,” and once employers. Being an entrepreneur, feel valued and the people at the management level it is my observation too that hiring appreciated, contribute come across this knowledge on L&D, is easy, however, retaining those to holistic development they must next start planning strategies employees is difficult. The latter can and growth, be the to introduce this in their organizations. only be done if they are provided right mentor to with the best employee experience. them. Evaluate who Make your employees feel valued and your employees are, appreciated, contribute to holistic 2. A trained workforce is the teenagers or serious development and growth, be the right strength of an organization adults, and what they mentor to them. Evaluate who your want and expect employees are, teenagers or serious When the workforce is trained form you adults, and what they want and expect and equipped with modern-day form you. One thing that one must technologies they serve as strength remember is that these employees to the organization. Employee are an asset to the organization, experience and satisfaction also and the first advertisers. They are boosts in this scenario. An IBM already working hard to make your study found that well-trained teams organization a success, by providing increased their productivity by them means of L&D you can add value 10%. to their morale behind working and help them deliver better results. 39 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Insights Rohit Hasteer The Future of Leadership Development in 2021 and Beyond Empathy allows leaders to go deep into the root-cause of a problem and enable people to solve them. Having empathy towards its people allows leaders to build stronger relationships, gaining them loyalty & unwavering commitment. I strongly believe it would be one of the defining trends in 2021. Rohit Hasteer Year 2020 was an change mindset has become even more extraordinary year for all of pertinent after the pandemic which Group CHRO at Housing.com, us in more than one ways. forced all of us beyond imagination and PropTiger.com, Makaan.com The COVID-19 pandemic pushed us to come out of our comfort changed the world significantly and it zones. Hence, it’s important for leaders Rohit has more than two decades was definitely the most demanding test to develop a change mindset and of rich experience in the domain of organizational and leadership understand the opportunities that any resilience. That calls for a need to change is likely to bring. of Organisation Development rethink the conventional leadership and Restructuring, Culture development strategy because today’s Empathetic Leadership world needs leadership skills and Transformation, Talent Acquisition competencies different from what have In a recent survey on workplace and Talent Management, Training & helped leaders succeed in the past. Year empathy by Business Solver, more Development. Previously, he has worked 2021 will be the year of transition and than 90% of HR professionals, CEOs the future of leadership development, and employees felt that empathy is with companies like SAMSUNG, as I see, would entail: important but only 48% employees felt CITIBANK, MakeMyTrip, Aviva Life that their organization is empathetic. Insurance and UT WorldWide. He is an Adopting a Change Mindset Empathy in leadership has been underrated as a competency but it’s MBA from IMT, Ghaziabad. In today’s VUCA world, it’s extremely imprudent to disregard it anymore. The important for leaders to develop a need for empathetic leadership became 40 SightsIn Plus change mindset where they are more even more critical in 2020 as the world receptive and are looking for ways was reeling under the pandemic and to go beyond the established norms. people were looking towards their This is a marked change from a leaders for assurance and to dispel their traditional approach that only aimed at developing leaders with expertise in areas with relatively well-defined and forecasted outcomes. The need for a

concerns & apprehensions. Having plans, solve problems, and make and inclusive workforce in terms empathy towards others allows you decisions. This is a huge shift from the of different cultural backgrounds, to appreciate the space from which old paradigm when leadership resided sexuality, gender, beliefs, abilities, they are operating and understand in a particular person or a role to a new and much more. Leaders should their context. Empathy allows leaders age phenomenon where leadership is a lay emphasis on building a diverse to go deep into the root-cause of a collective process that is spread across workplace which allows room for problem and enable people to solve networks of people. Organizations different ideas and thoughts. A them. Having empathy towards its must look to develop inclusion and diverse workforce brings with itself people allows leaders to build stronger collaboration as a core competencies a diverse range of skills, experiences relationships, gaining them loyalty & within their culture to help leaders take and perspectives which can greatly unwavering commitment. I strongly everyone along on the road to success. contribute towards the success of any believe it would be one of the defining organization. But leading a diverse trends in 2021. Leading Diverse Teams team presents unique challenges as one is expected to understand Collective Leadership McKinsey in their recent research different cultures, generational shared that “the most diverse differences, etc. Hence, it’s important Leadership development has been companies are now more likely than for leaders to learn, unlearn, learn focused on an individual or a ever to outperform less diverse peers ways to engage diverse teams. person for too long now. However, on profitability” and companies today, organizations are faced with with more than 30 percent women Building Trust problems and challenges which may executives were more likely to call for synchrony between various outperform companies where this Trust is an essential element in stakeholders which often cross percentage ranged from 10 to 30. every business as it paves way for geographies, reporting lines, etc. and Hence, it’s a no brainer that our future cooperation and increases employee one needs to collaboratively create workplaces would comprise of a diverse commitment & discretionary effort. A leader’s ability to inspire 41 April 2021 trust in others is significant step in motivating their people. However, building trust is not easy and leaders are often wary of bestowing it on others as it requires vulnerability on their part. Traditionally, leadership has been all about an individual’s vision, strategy, charisma, etc. but leadership isn’t about you. According to Harvard Business Review “Leadership is about empowering other people as a result of your presence, and about making sure that the impact of your leadership continues into your absence.” Hence, future of leadership lies in developing leaders who can gain their people’s trust and empower them to exploit their potential to reach new heights. In 2021, organizations are all set to face a more complex and competitive environment than ever before. Therefore, leaders need to develop competencies as per the changing times so that they can thrive in this ever-changing business environment. I personally believe that it’s an exciting phase in the business world and there is much for leaders across sectors and globe to learn. www.sightsinplus.com

Interview Shraddhanjali Rao In Conversation With Shraddhanjali Rao Vice President and Head-HR SAP India E xclusive ON TALENT DEVELOPMENT 42 SightsIn Plus

By- Romesh Srivastava Shraddha is a leader with extensive experience in designing and executing the people strategy for building high-performance organization for SAP’s 13,000+ workforce in India. Additionally, to foster the start-up ecosystem, she commits her time as the Advisor of the SAP Startup Studio, an accelerator program of SAP Labs India.  Under her leadership, SAP Labs India has ranked #1 in India’s Best Companies to Work for by the Great Place to Work Institute in 2018 & 2019, along with being the Best Workplaces for Women and for Culture of Innovation and Certified as a Top Employer for 2019, 2020 & 2021.  She was also awarded the Women Leadership Award by Observe Now in 2020, the Exceptional Women of Excellence 2017 by Women Economic Forum and is among Top 20 most voted HR Role Models in India in 2018.  She is passionate about Future of Work, Leadership, Inclusion, nurturing Start-ups and recently co-authored the book Why Blend In When You Can Stand Out? She believes that in order to change the game, you have to change the frame! Q. How do you see the talent strategizing experience-based offerings. It about going beyond catering to needs development challenges The challenge here is not just in of the top 10% and truly leveraging post-pandemic?   shaping these new talent strategies, but the right platforms for collaboration   a well-rounded execution of these in & innovation, to build larger and inclusion of the multiple variables that sustainable talent pools where we move A. I see the pandemic as a change will take effect for a futuristic hybrid forward together.   accelerator. Pre-pandemic, working environment. We would need   we had put much thought into to look at talent even more holistically, futuristic talent strategies, however, moving away from the ‘single people Q. How do you optimize talent 2020 made us more action-oriented strategy’ to bringing all talent together. strategy to meet business and lunge forward faster. A post- vision? pandemic world calls for organization We leverage data-   and business changes, challenging driven approach to talent development strategies to identify skill gaps A. Our People Strategy with extend beyond just reskilling talent across current and each of its pillars supports and instead meet the changing future workforce, our business by interlocking with nature of jobs. Some of these create targeted our product-related and customer needs will be predictable and can learning journeys engagement-related strategies and be prepared for, while others will to close skill gaps drives value for our employees and make us think quicker on our feet. and integrate thereby, SAP’s success. Each pillar has a We need to establish an adaptive skill insights clear target state and a roadmap on how workforce management approach across the talent we will get there, as a strategy is only as focusing on building and developing management good as its execution. Therefore, people a pipeline of talents, tapping into the cycle. focus is a key element in our business transformation of not just skill but strategy where each leader holds the also mindset to address emerging accountability of building skills for the needs. The focus will be on creating future, changing the way we lead, and a culture of continuous learning driving a culture of high performance and upskilling, paired with future- with inclusion infused in its DNA. One ready leadership development, and example of our approach is our in- building organizational resilience house designed & executed ‘Tech Know to drive business value. This will School’. Built for virtual learning, it require us to move away from a linear caters to upskilling our people on 2-3 approach of talent development to clearly defined focus areas with great caliber. We measure the impact in two 43 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Interview Shraddhanjali Rao phases – the short term and the long engagement and retention of our young learning where opportunities like term. The short-term milestones simply talents. Understanding the need and fellowships, job shadowing and put, is the number of people whom we challenge of this demographic, we significantly diverse experiences are upskilled, and the long-term measure is rolled out multiple career development in the grasp of anyone from any part talent moving into areas where the skill Initiatives ranging from broad-based of the globe, thanks to the virtual reset is used.   to personalized ‘1:1 engagements that brought on by the pandemic.   included #CareersOverCoffee sessions,   Social engagement, Speed mentoring, Q. What is your strategy to Coaching, Career Dialogues, and Hot Q. What are the new trends in develop and retain the top Jobs mailers to improve awareness of succession planning? talent? career opportunities within SAP. Our     focus has transitioned to experiential A. We deliver the future of work A. At SAP, we believe that Our leadership today with greater insight everyone is a talent. We ensure development framework enabling us to match the skills and our corporate strategy is relatable has a robust succession aspirations of our people to the for each employee by connecting management program strategic needs of our business. This the dots between their individual ensuring that short, ensures our people become equipped goals & development to how it adds mid, and long- for future work requirements and into the company’s overall success. term successors enables us to fill critical roles with We leverage data-driven approach are identified the best talent. Our leadership to identify skill gaps across current with targeted development framework has a robust and future workforce, create targeted development for succession management program learning journeys to close skill gaps and incumbents and ensuring that short, mid, and long- integrate skill insights across the talent successors of term successors are identified with management cycle. We also keep a close these roles. targeted development for incumbents tab on our critical talent by regularly and successors of these roles. We lean assessing our Talent Loss indicators and our market-leading practices like providing meaningful interventions gathering real-time insight into the through customized approaches for leadership bench and other critical key demographics that has help us roles, transparent succession planning, engage and retain our talent. One such and ensuring our talent pools are up to example we can share is our focus on date with diverse talent. The focus is Talent Agility, designed to improve on looking at talent pools differently to capture more inclusive pools of 44 SightsIn Plus talent – beyond just gender. These will need to include generation, cultural and regional diversity, along with the multiplicity of experiences and strategic capabilities.   Q. Any concluding remarks?   A. Let’s stop calling these tough times – they are challenging, but they have pushed us to broaden our horizon of thought exponentially in just a matter of months. This is our opportunity to own and redefine work, nature of jobs, and how talents are understood, in order to cater to the needs of both the organization and the individual. This is our chance to revolutionize the cultural mindset of organizations in the areas of innovation & collaboration, to leverage talent in the best sense in a world that is ours to inspire.   Thank You, Shraddha!

Insights Dr. Anupriyo Mallick Role of HR as Value Creator Human Resources is under increasing pressure to move from transaction management and oversight responsibilities to a strategic function that positively impacts organizational results. Implementing innovations to your organization isn’t just about doing HR better, but also about delivering business value. Value Creation by HR is a or research, and development, etc – HR hot topic these days. Gone has to start creating value in business are the days when HR as a and if it cannot create value than its function used to best suited to sit outside the predominantly add value (due to its organisation with an outsourced service larger focus on administrative and provider of transactional activities transactional activities). The Today, no market is more competitive expectation is that, like marketing, sales than the market for employees. The Dr. Anupriyo Mallick Faculty and Head-HR and OB, EIILM, Kolkata Dr. Anupriyo Mallick, Faculty and Head-HR and OB, Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management (EIILM), Kolkata. He has over 20 years of experience with the education industry as Professor and HOD of HR with TOP Business School. 45 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

Insights Dr. Anupriyo Mallick challenge for organizations is not only to HR is still not seen as an occupational There’s a growing consensus among make potential employees aware of their group that delivers value to key HR Professionals that the modern company as a good place to work, and stakeholders. The value created by the HRMS has already squeezed all the bring the best applicants successfully HR function is frequently questioned by inefficiencies possible from transactions through the recruitment and hiring Senior and Line managers. This reflects and reduced HR staff as much as it can. process, but to retain them, ensure how many human resources functions The HR Role in the modern their understanding of the company’s are perceived to be out of step with the organisation is different from the goals and commitment to them, and needs of businesses. traditional company. HR is no provide the environment and structures Human Resources is under increasing longer mere resource administration, to motivate them to give of their best. pressure to move from transaction now HR people need to be focused In today’s rapidly changing and highly management and oversight on the key business imperatives. competitive environment, the human responsibilities to a strategic function Most organizations are focused on resource function plays an increasingly that positively impacts organizational aggressive growth, bringing innovative important role in an organization’s results. Implementing innovations to products, finding niches in the market ultimate success or failure. Where your organization isn’t just about doing and being the top company in the success was once dependent upon an HR better, but also about delivering industry. Keeping in view the bigger organization’s ability to discover and business value. The traditional factors picture organization is focused on and manage natural resources, success that executives typically consider in working tirelessly towards, the role today goes to the organizations that calculating return on investment - of HR needs to be more strategic and most effectively discover and manage reduced administrative costs and HR less operational. While it’s true the their human resources. Leading the staff-to employee ratio, for instance operational part of HR is unavoidable people is not just for creating a “feel - are limited. Improving the entire there is a need to train and involve HR good” atmosphere all around, it is company’s productivity is the priority. on strategic level. There is a need to about infusing the right attitudes and behaviors required for winning fair and square at marketplace. Leaders communicate the organizational values to influence people behaviors. Communication is the keyword here. And what better way to communicate the values than making the values visible through their actions. In other words, leaders create coherence between their words and behaviors. The clarity on values enables people to live by them too. It is through these values that leaders influence organizational culture. In their must-read book ‘The HR Value Proposition’, Professors Dave Ulrich and Wayne Brock bank outline a practical approach for HR Professionals to add business value. They state “HR Professionals add value when their work helps someone reach their goals. It is not the design of a program or declaration of policy that matters most, but what recipients gain from these actions. In a world of increasingly scarce resources, activities that fail to add value are not worth pursuing… The HR value proposition means that HR practices, departments, and professionals produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders – employees, line managers, customers, and investors”. Unfortunately, in some organizations 46 SightsIn Plus

hire and train HR personnel that can experience, and contributions of an activities once a quarter at least, can go a connect to resources on all levels. employee to a team and different projects. long way in motivating employees. This two-way connection of HR with This combined with knowledge of strategic management (strategic partner) and direction of the department will help to HR Professionals are most valuable employee (HR liaison) serves as the quickly point out, not only the current but when they can forge strong strongest foundation upon which we projected contributions of an employee. partnerships with top management can truly excel at building and keeping To quickly assess to restructure teams and in order to affect the organization’s the competitive advantage. Especially find the most appropriate position for strategic direction. We all want a seat for people constantly engaged in highly employees, to hire new resources, or to at the table. However, we won’t even creative and rapidly changing business outsource certain positions. get to the highchair if we don’t improve demands the value creation needs to our core relationships with those we be dynamic as well. HR operations and Learning and Development serve. When HR Professionals begin policies must be robust enough to be with the receiver in mind, they can adapted quickly to changing situations. Identify the critical workforce more quickly emerge as full strategic Followings are the main areas to focus individuals and tailor specific training contributors; add greater value for on for transitioning Operational HR to and development programs and key stakeholders (clients, investors, strategic HR. services. What employee abilities line managers, and employees); do our people need so that they can enhance business productivity; achieve Human Capital understand and respond to short-term measurable and valuable results; create Optimization and long-term market demands? sustainable competitive advantage, and have more fun in their careers. There is a need to have an ongoing process • Define and determine which HR Professionals need to show how to keep track of professional giveback, resources are most critical to investment in HR work will help achieving the desired results. deliver business results. With clients, 47 April 2021 HR Professionals need to remember • Assess the needs of such employees that their interest in the client must and draw up programs and services create value in the products or services tailored to their needs. clients receive. For the client who is worried about shared returns and • Identify and develop prioritisation growth, HR must create organizations criteria that are aligned with that deliver results today and intangibles the organisation’s strategy and that give owners confidence that priorities results will be delivered in the future. Finally, the foundation of add value Performance Management to a business is trust. So, how do HR Professionals enhance the trust levels In order to maintain the competitive in their organizations? They do it by advantage and ensure the business understanding that trust cannot be strategy and objectives are on target, fabricated. In today’s environment, the performance management needs employees and lower-level managers to be flexible. There is a need to see right through such efforts. In reality, educate resources and managers alike trust is based on honesty, confidence, and regarding the continuous process of the ongoing belief that HR Professionals setting objectives, assessing progress and Management will follow through on and providing ongoing coaching and their commitment to value creation feedback to ensure that employees are meeting their objectives and career goals, Conclusion- to provide the optimum rather than bi-annual performance reviews. value creation HR needs to be able to connect both with management on Employee Appreciation strategic level and with employees on Programs an operational level. HR person should be the one-stop for both management For employees working in highly and employee, with whom they can competitive and creatively charged comfortably share their issues and environment, the appreciation serves as ideas. The need is to go from reactive fuel. There is need to design balanced to proactive internal HR consultancy appreciation programs both monitory which will ultimately morph into a true and non-monitory to keep morale of business partnership. employees high. Apart from yearly bonus and project incentive, non-monitory www.sightsinplus.com programs like monthly excellent contributor, team lunches, and outdoor

Insights Harjeet Khanduja How 2020 Has Changed L&D 2020 was a unique year. It changed how we live, how we work, how we shop, and how we connect with each other. It also changed how we think. Work from home is no more a taboo. It has become a business preference. In the same manner, L&D has become one of the strategic drivers to deliver business performance. This year 63% organizations view L&D as a strategic function as compared to 24% organizations last year. Harjeet Khanduja In a dance reality show, a You can assess for yourself the future of 5-year-old kid came for an the Learning & Development (L&D) Vice President- HR audition. Judges were function. Reliance Jio astonished at her dancing skills. Judges asked who is your guru 2020 was a unique year. It changed (instructor). She replied that I don›t how we live, how we work, how we have a guru, I learnt from YouTube. shop, and how we connect with each The highlight was that she was not the other. It also changed how we think. only one. The next boy joined an online Work from home is no more a taboo. class and learnt dance in 4 months It has become a business preference. straight. This is what 2020 has done. In the same manner, L&D has become Even kids can learn a skill like dancing one of the strategic drivers to deliver on their own in a virtual environment. business performance. This year Harjeet Khanduja is an international speaker, author, poet, influencer, inventor, and HR leader. He is currently working as the Vice President HR at Reliance Jio. He is an alumnus of IIT Roorkee and INSEAD. He has 2 published patents and his book “Nothing About Business'' is an Amazon bestseller. Harjeet has been a LinkedIn Power Profile, TEDx speaker, Guest Faculty at IIM Ahmedabad, Board Member of Federation of World Academics and Global Digital Ambassador. Harjeet features in Top 100 Global thought Leaders 2021. 48 SightsIn Plus

63% organizations view L&D as a coaching emerged as a strategic change was that companies strategic function as compared to 24% initiative that significantly were now working in a organizations last year. contributed to the success of the distributed environment. This strategic shift has changed the organizations. Companies have started deliverables as well as the way of   looking for platforms and working for L&D. Here are some of the methods to deliver bite-sized most prominent changes in L&D due to 4) Leadership and content on a daily basis. pandemic.    Managerial Coaching B. Content Creation Turnaround- 1) Self-Learning Organizations figured out Content Creation has always early that managing a remote been a core of any learning The pandemic brought with organization is not possible function. However, the itself uncertainty. Uncertainty without competent leaders and pandemic taught the learning led to insecurity. People started managers. Hence, organizations functions that content investing in themselves. Portals invested in their leaders and creation is not enough. like LinkedIn Learning and managers on how to manage Rather, they need to develop Coursera observed 3x growth in remote teams, how to conduct competencies to turn around online self-learning during 2020. themselves professionally to content quickly in this People focused on adding new ensure delivery, while at the same volatile environment. skills in the popular employment time avoiding employee burnout. skills like project management,   C. Mobile-first- machine learning, graphic design, In a virtual environment, digital marketing, and python 5) Long term People the learning function not programming. The learning only has to compete with function sustained the self- Development any other internal function learning momentum by blending but also has to compete with organization priorities and people During the pandemic, many Netflix to ensure engagement priorities. organizations revisited their and effectiveness. India has   business continuity planning. 500 million internet users Organizations figured out that and 80% of them access the 2) Shift of Skills resilience, flexibility, adaptability, internet using mobile devices. and ability to step up must be That is where work is also During the pandemic, a lot of added in the development plans moving. This has created a things changed. Organizations for employees as well as managers. need for learning functions to started working remotely using Organizations realized the move to mobile-first. digital tools. This needed a new importance of soft skill programs operating skill. The most popular to develop these skills as part of D. Business Solutions- operating skill programs which business routine. When you become a strategic were driven by organizations   function, the business included digital fluency, remote expects more from you. working, time management, stress 6. Virtual Delivery You need to know business management, mental health. better than anyone else to In many cases, organization This was one of the most obvious add value. Learning is no optimization exercises led to the changes for the learning function more a content creation or emergence of multi-skilling as well in 2020. 98% of companies a content delivery job. It is a as reskilling programs. conducted some kind of virtual solutioning job where you are   learning program in 2020, this solving business problems by number was 77% in 2017. Overall fixing competency gap issues 3) Performance Coaching there was a 16% shift from in real-time through skill instructor-led learning to virtual identification, creating need, Since many businesses had to learning. coaching, and quick delivery. change their business models and   processes due to the pandemic, The above changes in L&D   Organizations shifted from work deliverables and way of working 2020 has changed L&D for good. hour-driven jobs to outcome- has demanded the learning driven jobs. This changed the function to change its DNA by expectations from the jobholders. focusing on 4 additional key Outcome-driven jobs need hand- parameters. holding as well as continuous   feedback to meet the threshold A. Daily Byte Sized Learning- requirements. Performance One of the reasons for this 49 April 2021 www.sightsinplus.com

EVENT SHRM INDIA TALENT CONFERENCE 2021 KICK STARTS TODAY: DELVES DEEP INTO THE TALENT: ACQUISITION, MANAGEMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND WELLBEING New Delhi, 15th April 2021: SHRM (Society for Human Capital explained how to best support employees and leaders & Resource Management) India, as the voice of all things work, what’s needed to understand people. workers and the workplace, the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today’s evolving workplaces Some of the globally renowned speakers who contributed at the today commenced #SHRMITalent21, one of the biggest HR event today were, Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, ICRIER, Founder, conference in India which puts people first. The two Day Virtual Genpact Ltd; Chairman, Clix Capital; Aditya Malik CEO, Talent Conference is focussed on four Conclaves and attended by 2500+ Edge; Priti Singh, Senior VP, Mastercard; Vikram Bector, attendees, 100+ Speakers and Industry experts and unparalleled President & Group CHRO, Piramal Group; Anuradha Razdan, learning across 50+ In-depth Knowledge Sessions. The first day of Executive Director HR, HUL; Yash Mahadik, President, Global the conference kick-started with the welcome address by Ms Achal HR & Co-Lead Business Transformation Office, Lupin Global; Khanna, CEO, SHRM India & Business Head - APAC & MENA C Jayakumar, Vice President & Head Corporate HR, Larsen & Inaugurating the conference, Ms. Khanna said, “We at SHRM Toubro Limited; Vikram Tandon, CHRO, Adani Group. believe that each individual worker has the potential to impact organisational success. It is no longer about doing the bare In another inspirational session, “spring in the Air - Signs of minimum but about caring for their mental and emotional health renewal around the work worker and workplace”, Dr. Santrupt and giving them the right tool and technology to thrive at work. Misra, CEO, Birla Carbon; Director, Chemicals, Fertilisers Not everyone is flourishing in the remote workplace and it is HR’s & Insulators & Director; Group HR, Aditya Birla Group and job to help employees successfully integrate their lives with work, Emily M Dickens, Corporate Secretary & Chief of Staff, SHRM be persistent in reaching out, checking in and innovating solutions discussed how the nature of the work environment continues to help them achieve their full potential. to change and new trends have emerged at the individual, team, and organizational levels. The workforce is now more We have gathered an assembly of globally renowned speakers demographically diverse than ever. Increased technology and the to share their insights talent acquisition, development and growing complexity of tasks have given rise to more virtual and management. This year, we have a dedicated wellbeing track interdisciplinary teams. It was also his 25th work anniversary which in addition to three other tracks taking a deep dive into how was celebrated at this SHRM Global Conference. pandemic will forever change acquisition, development and management of people. The next normal is right around the The day ended with Closing Keynote Address’ “Innovation - The corner, are we going to continue with temporary solution or are we Journey from Idea to Impact”, by Sonam Wangchuk, Founder going to rethink from the ground up to create brand new strategies of Student’s Educational & Cultural Movement of Ladakh and implement them quickly because the post-pandemic world (SECMOL), and Educationist & Environmentalist wherein he will see a global skill gap and an urgent need to reskill for new shared how he loves ideas and spends much of his time thinking business realities” she added. about how they can lead to change in the world This was followed by an opening Keynote by Johnny C. Taylor Jr. Some of the other exciting sessions of the day were: SHRM-SCP, President & CEO, SHRM. Addressing the session, Johnny said, “I am glad that we could gather to celebrate and learn • The Art of Attracting and Retaining Top Talent from successful leaders and businesses around the world. Its’ all • Data-Driven Solutions: Integrating Diversity and Inclusion about people first and we have come through an extra ordinary year as a global HR family amid a global pandemic, locked down into Talent Acquisition to remote work, HR has been thrust into the spotlight like never • Extending the Reach of HR: Sourcing Remote Talent before. SHRM’s research have found that 80 percent of HR • Time to Reinvent Workways - What the Tech?   professionals report that their work has been especially crucial to • The Big Picture: Key Shifts in Managing Talent their organisation since the pandemic began last year. 68 percent • Age of Extreme Change: Riding the wave of HR professionals report that leaders have relied more on HR for success since the pandemic began. This is HR’s moment and I am About SHRM pleased to say that we stepped up and proved the value of HR. I think SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, creates we have changed the trajectory of HR for generations to come” better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the In another inspiring keynote session, “Paradigm Shift in workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought Technology: Enabling the Human Journey”, Pramod Bhasin, leader on issues impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With Chairman, ICRIER; Founder, Genpact Ltd; Chairman, Clix 300,000+ HR and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 115 million workers 50 March 2021 and families globally. See more at: https://www.shrm.org/ www.sightsinplus.com