Work Culture

The easy atmosphere at Aditi

The people processes at Aditi Technologies are focussed on making employees more productive through flexibility and fun, says Vinutha V

Aditi Technologies is a 10-year-old company with 350 people in India. It is into software development and services. Accessibility and transparency form the core of Aditi’s people policy. The company follows numerous policies to make its employees feel at home from the choice of dress code to flexible timings to the absence of hierarchy. “The HR processes of the company centre around benchmarking good practices. We make sure an employee gets everything to work comfortably,” says Sreenivas Chakravarthy, Aditi’s Vice-president, People Department & Quality. Every detail of the company, be it goal or performance, is shared with employees every month by the chief operating officer.

The organisation believes that the right mix of work and fun is best to be productive and successful. Says Amit Arora, a team leader who has been associated with the company for over five years, “It’s the environment and HR processes that allow employees to stay with a company. Ours is a team-centric organisation which has an open and friendly culture.” Adds Bennet Manuel, a team leader who has been working with Aditi for over six years, “Aditi is a home away from home. There is absolutely no hierarchy and no third-eye watching you. In addition, we have the luxury of flexible timings. The strength of our culture lies in the fact that despite all the freedom, all employees understand their work respo-nsibility and ensure delivery.” Employees are encouraged to coordinate directly with customers to create ownership about the product that they are developing.

Stringent standards

It’s not easy to get a job at Aditi because of the tough recruitment process. To induct ten candidates the company screens thousands. Aditi is very selective while recruiting a candidate, and looks for people with exceptionally high intelligence along with technical skills. These skills can be further enhanced at any point

of time, points out Chakra-varthy. Right at the interview level prospective employees are briefed about the company. Prior to aptitude tests and the campus interview, small video clippings and Power Point presentations on the company are shown. As soon as candidates are selected, the interaction begins and they are booked for specific projects. They are informed about the project by their respective project heads twice a week. This initiative is done to safeguard the interest of the candidates.

Within the first month of induction, the inductee spends time with various business heads, including HR and finance, for two days. A mentorship programme is also conducted for new recruits on both technical and non-technical fronts. The company believes that flexible timings boost the morale of employees. Many a time employees even play cricket and golf within the office premises.

Special interest groups

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are teams formed by employees with varied interests; these could be technical (C++, Java and .NET) or personal (biking, trekking and quizzes). There are about 25 separate SIGs among 350 employees. ‘Vibes’ is the name given to a group of people who take up the initiative of organising events in the company. ‘Fun Quest’ comprises a larger group of employees which funds seminars or any other employee gathering. “These events help in bonding; they also help in understanding the values of the company,” adds Chakravarthy.

Online appraisals are done twice a year. Prior to every appraisal process the entire organisation is put into training. This training helps employees state their expectations very clearly; it is given to both the appraiser and the appraisee.

Honouring the stars

Big Dipper or the North Pole Star is a highly-esteemed award given to an employee who stands for Aditi values, and outperforms in assignments, soft skills and attitude. The employee referral scheme is valued a lot, and a specific cash reward is given. In case an employee refers three candidates and they join within three weeks of the given period, the employee is rewarded with double the assigned amount plus a free trip to Singapore for two.

The company has a social initiative called Aanchal, whereby employees help underprivileged children. Employees also contribute towards the children’s school tuition fee. Through Aanchal, Aditi staffers have adopted an orphanage called Grezin, to which they donate mattresses and some medical equipment.

vinutha@expresscomputeronline.com