DO YOU REALLY
KNOW YOUR
COLLEAGUES?
MENTORING IN
REVERSE
THE BOSS’S
DEBUT
In order to enable
networking among their
colleagues, Nearbuy
India launched a Know Your
Colleague Series, to encourage
employees across locations
to engage with one another.
The series includes setting
employees from different teams
up on blind dates with one
another, giving them the chance
to get to know each other in an
informal setting. Having people
connect with folks they don’t
necessarily work with helps
build the ties that keep the
organisation strong and keeps
information and ideas fl owing.
Such quirky initiatives foster
camaraderie among co-workers
and improve inter-employee
relationships. Camaraderie is
more than just having fun; it is
about creating a common sense
of purpose and the notion that
we are in it together.
40
Acknowledging the
challenges faced by fi rst-time
managers, Godrej Consumer
Products Ltd. provides a
range of customised training
interventions to help new
managers with developing people
management skills. Ensuring a
smooth transition of employees
from individual contributors
to people managers is crucial.
GCPL aims at making this
transition a success through
learning interventions and skill
reinforcement important for
becoming a great people manager,
keeping the organisation’s
culture and employee experience
intact. Our research study
on mid-size (organisations
with 100-500 employees)
workplace cultures reveals that
receiving management support
while taking up leadership
positions has been identifi ed
as a Key Driver for employee
engagement. Getting the best out
of people by creating a favourable
context for learning eventually
leads to building greater
capabilities among them and
equips them as they step into new
leadership roles.
| Vol. 9 Issue 6 • Sep-Oct 2018, Noida / Pre-Event Edition
The challenges and
opportunities of managing a
millennial heavy workforce
are often discussed in the
people space. Hundreds of
studies have been conducted
across the face of Earth, but a
unique and yet simple way to
decode millennials has come
from Mars! Mars Inc., a global
manufacturer of candy and other
food products, paired up MBA
Interns with senior management
as a means to reverse mentor.
This unique program allows
interns to educate leaders on
the new generation entering
the workforce and learn their
career wants and desires. Interns
also coach leaders on the ever-
increasing social media infl uence
using friendly competitions like
creating a Facebook page or
learning to blog. A similar project
was implemented at a US-based
Fortune 500 company with 50
mentees; 80 percent participants
rated the exercise as effective
for Business and 97 percent
rated it effective for Personal
Development.