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Work Culture
People First
For ambitious go-getters, GTL is the place to be, says Sudipta
Dev
 In
2002, GTL introduced a charter called People First, which declared that the
BPO company was in the 'business of people.' While the charter was
introduced only two years back, for Mumbai's oldest call centre (set up
in 1998), people-care has been the focus of the organisation since its very
inception. This is evident from the fact that many agents who have been with
the company since the beginning have risen to key positions such as handling
the British market or heading training for the US.
Developing potential leaders is a strategic initiative at GTL. The company has
a clear-cut policy of differentiating new recruits into two categories'those
that are there just for fun and have short-term goals, and those who are serious
about their career. Every six months a hundred of the latter are picked up and
put through a fast-track programme. While the attrition level matches industry
standards for those who are there just for a short time to make quick money,
turnover is minimal among the more serious career aspirants. 'We are catering
separately for these two sections. While there is a pink & blue day, and
fun Olympiad, and something enlivening every other day for those who are in
the industry for the heck of it, for the serious career seeker we have a well-laid
out long-term career path,' says Swapnalekha Basak, associate vice-president,
HR, BPO & IT services, GTL. Conceding that in the general workforce there
is a huge amount of churn, Basak points out that the company has a proactive
recruitment policy to meet its manpower requirements.
Small towns
'We actively recruit from smaller towns as it has been
observed that they have a much higher retention rate,' says S N Jadhav,
the company's chief people's officer. The company goes as far as
Guwahati and Chandigarh to recruit probable talent. In a recent recruitment
drive in Bhubaneshwar, only a couple of people were hired from 82 interviewed.
But the organisation is satisfied with the results as it is sure that the two
will stay in the company for a long time, that is, at least four-five years.
It will be a worthwhile return on investment.
Interestingly, while those from smaller towns remain with the company for a
longer time, the organisation has to put in additional effort to train them
to neutralise their accent. GTL does not hire those who it feels will not be
able to neutralise their accent even after training.
Training focus
 GTL has a
focused training programme for all its employees. Many are sponsored for the
prestigious Project Management Institute (PMI) certification. The top 10 percent
in the organisation are partially funded to pursue an MBA at the Welingkar Institute.
The company has also introduced a certification programme for team leaders,
which increases their employability.
It has introduced an innovative policy of hiring agents from the UK. They are
mostly graduates who come to work in India during their gap year. They are given
accommodation, a stipend and a paid vacation. The organisation believes that
through constant interaction with the UK agents, the Indian agents will learn
and assimilate a lot more about the culture and practices in that country, which
will then enrich their work delivery.
Talent management
Talent management at GTL is done at two levels, at the agent
level and for mid and senior managers. For the latter, talent management is
handled by GTL corporate level.
For ambitious go-getters, GTL is the place to be. Apart from the fast-track
programme, the company encourages people to apply for internal jobs. 'GTL
takes a lot of risks for people who have the potential,' asserts Basak.
Involving the family
Like most BPO companies, GTL has proactively tried to make
the family understand the culture and work of the industry. 'Most parents
do not know whether their children will be able to make a serious career in
this field. We therefore feel the need to educate them about the work their
children are doing, and familiarise them with the organisation,' says
Jadhav. He adds that while a lot of negative publicity appears in the press
about the work culture in BPO companies'which they cannot counter'they
make all efforts to make the parents aware of what the industry is really about.
Basak points out that it is common for ex-employees to return and work for them
again. 'People have left us for money, but have come back for the culture,'
she says proudly. It is a matter of great pride for the organisation too.
sudipta@expresscomputeronline.com
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