[COVER STORY]
management personnel, to being a
shared benefi t enjoyed by employees
at all levels.
2. Equal opportunity for
recognition
In a recent survey done by
Great Place to Work® in India, the
HR leaders of the best workplaces
have unanimously voted that a
culture of open communication and
transparency is the most crucial
aspect for ensuring a fair working
environment. This is followed by
role modelling by senior leaders,
since it sends a clear message in the
organisation that unfair practices
shall not be supported. In addition,
the top two actions that impact faith
in equal opportunity for recognition
are:
•
•
Appreciation for good work and
extra effort
Responding to reasonable
queries from employees in a
frank and honest manner to
promote transparency
Public Sector Organisations
like Indian Oil, have also now
institutionalised a practice of
releasing the Performance Appraisal
Ratings to the individual offi cers.
Coming a long way from the earlier
culture of concealed performance
reports, this initiative has led to
a more responsible environment
where appraisers are expected to
provide objective and justifi able
ratings.
3. Inter-functional movements
& career growth
It has been observed in a study
by Ernest & Young that while 43
percent organisations encourage
cross-functional movements,
they face a challenge due to lack
of acceptance by employees and
resistance from superiors in making
it a success. Career opportunities
10
is one of the top two factors that
drive employees to feel that they
are indeed working in a great place
to work. This makes career growth
a crucial aspect for employee
engagement. To enhance the
basket of opportunities available
for career progression and role
enhancement, it is important to
provide opportunities for horizontal
cross-functional role changes. The
success of such internal transfers
depends on the welcoming and
encouragement provided to the
moving employee in the new team or
work unit.
to decisions which could have been
better, instead of sharing only
good news. Discreet information
when not shared openly often
becomes grapevine fodder, fuelling
uncertainty and loss of faith.
According to our research, candid
communication further plays a role
in driving positive perception in the
following areas:
•
•
•
Organisations should
focus on establishing
forums for structured
information sharing
and direct channels
for seamless
communication. It
is equally critical
to help people
managers understand
the importance of
communicating
candidly and train
them in the requisite
communication skills.
4. Candid communication and
giving straight answers
A recent study by Great Place to
Work® Institute, conducted across
more than 1.6 lakh employees
working across 500 organisations
in India, reveals that one of the key
drivers of employee engagement is
candid communication.
Trust is often built when leaders
share bad news openly and admit
| Vol. 9 Issue 6 • Sep-Oct 2018, Noida / Pre-Event Edition
•
Clarity in management’s
expectations
Seeking employees’ opinions
and responding duly to their
suggestions
Appreciation/Recognition of
good work
Faith in management’s spoken
word and promises
Transparency is the topmost
factor that is critical for ensuring
a fair working environment, as
per a survey conducted across HR
leaders of the best workplaces
of 2017. Organisations should
focus on establishing forums for
structured information sharing
and direct channels for seamless
communication. It is equally critical
to help people managers understand
the importance of communicating
candidly and train them in the
requisite communication skills.
SAP Labs India runs a series of
electronic communication called
‘Why we do, what we do’. The intent
is to educate employees about the
reason behind doing certain things
and running certain initiatives,
especially when a new policy is
rolled out.
To establish and sustain trust
among employees, management
should deploy similar channels of
regular, candid information sharing.
How do the Best Workplaces
sustain their culture over long
periods?