Work Culture

A cool code factory

AdventNet in Chennai has a low attrition rate. G Sankaranarayanan finds out why people do not want to leave the company

AdventNet Software is into developing IT and telecom management products at its Chennai development centre. Promoted by students from IIT-Madras in 1996, this company has built a truly developer-friendly code factory, an ‘F5ing’ (refreshing) workplace for its 400-odd developers.

The office wears a casual look, giving no clue about the extensive research programmes being carried out here. AdventNet’s philosophy is to always remain product-based. “We are a successful product company, and offer excellent scope for our employees to move up the ladder. We have been releasing at least one new product every year since inception,” says Sridhar Vembu, CEO.

AdventNet is a young organisation, and the average age of its employees is 23. “The work environment is very challenging,” says Vembu, who has a doctorate from Princeton University. “We always want to remain a product company because product development is the exciting thing to do in IT.” He frequently shuttles between the US and India to stay close to his research and development team members.

Says K Gurumurthy, the company’s HR manager, “Employees are given formal training in technology as well as managerial skills. We provide extensive on-the-job-training, thanks to which the learning process happens quickly.”

The current attrition rate of the company is about 10 percent, which is far below the industry average. Gurumurthy explains the loyalty: “We have a progressive career chart, and our work culture ensures fun. The organisation has an accessible top management, and a flat structure without hierarchical walls. We also have a competitive pay structure in place.” The company conducts half-yearly reviews of performance to boost employee spirits. “Such programmes make employees aware of the scope of planned growth within the organisation, and enable us to provide monetary rewards based on performance,” Gurumurthy adds.

AdventNet’s development team is strong in Web, Java and Linux technologies. “Java has been our primary focus, and now we are hiring people with XML and Web services (J2E) skills as well,” informs the HR head. The company uses blogs and e-forums to faciltate the sharing of ideas. Each team or project maintains a Web portal that contains all the relevant information, and knowledge-sharing sessions are conducted regularly for different groups such as developers, quality assurance engineers, etc. The HR department also organises inter- and intra-team meetings as and when needed.

The company has a customer base of around 1,000, mostly original equipment manufacturers such as Nortel and Cisco, and directly supplies products to its end-users. Over 90 percent of the company’s revenues comes from the sale of products. AdventNet closely associates itself with system integrators like EDS, Infosys and Wipro. “Being a product-based company, we place emphasis on innovation, creativity and following the right kind of process,” says Gurumurthy, “Though we have looked at various standards and based our processes on the same, at present we do not have any formal accreditation for processes.”

Gurumurthy lists the company’s plus points. “We are a People First organisation and a product-based company that encourages freedom of thought and expression. We provide employees the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies.”

Work timings are flexible and the company encourages rotation in jobs, and organises team outings and company-wide celebrations regularly. Then there’s the AdventNet recreation club that caters to a wide range of employees who have an interest in sports, fitness, music, cultural programmes, yoga, meditation and travel. Its gymnasium is equipped with some of the latest exercise equipment. The rec facilities, including the gym, are located within the campus, and are comparable to those of a star health club. Competitions in chess, carrom, badminton and cricket are regular features of the company’s recreation programmes. Any wonder why employees are reluctant to leave?

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sankar@expresscomputeronline.com