“To demonstrate the care, we do a lot as an organization. For us caring is doing and not talking about it. Caring is simply walking the talk. It is putting our money where our mouth is; it is recruiting more women”, said Philippe Pelletier, HR VP Transformation & Asia, India HR Head and Global Business Services Managing Director, RNTBCI. “…we are making sure that in every program we do, HR in particular, we take care about gender diversity, gender pay equity and ensure that there is zero difference – it’s non-negotiable,” added Philippe, a panelist at the 8th edition of Avtar and Seramount Best of Best conference 2023, themed #Glideto Inclusion. The panel of CHROs on the dais drives people’s experience at top companies. They shared their stories of building care-hood as a pertinent factor in the business landscape, enlightening the audience in a fully-packed afternoon session, CHRO Panel Discussion: The Caring Organization.
On organizational policies in supporting mental health and well-being, Swati Khandelwal, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, R1RCM, said, “There is no one size fits all. We have a demographic that is very millennial, Gen Zs, etc. We have come to a point where we as an organization meet them where they are. If you are a youngster and you have social needs, we will ensure to provide them with that. If you have caregiving needs, we will try as much as possible to give all the support required. If you want to exercise with your spouse, we give them Cult Fit passes. So, the point is to meet the employee where he or she is. Everyone has needs; they just may be different. Looking at employee care, the one thing that the pandemic taught us is that employee experience is not made by policies. Rather, it is how your manager engages with you on the day you ask for leave, on the day you say you want to work from home and the manager trusts you, improving the mental health wellbeing.”
Commenting on the reciprocation of efforts by employees for care initiatives, Aditya Mittal, Managing Director, Chief Human Resources Officer, Citi South Asia shares, “We see that when we do things are caring, employees immediately reciprocate in their feedback. The employees are always looking for an emotional connection with their employer. And when you do that, you see employees respond. Our productivity is high and attrition is low.”
The most successful organizations are the ones that have shown caring as a key element – caring for self and caring for others. The organizations that have successfully navigated the pandemic have demonstrated this. The CHRO panel discussion lays solid data points of best practices as the secret to their organizations’ success and growth. It affirms that if you want to build an inclusive organization, and you want to promote diversity and inclusion, caring is an enabler that will help #Glideto Inclusion. Kannan Hariharan, Chief Strategist, Culture & Belongingness, Avtar Group, moderated the session.
