Work Culture

A matter of values

Chirasrota Jena writes how the value system at Sify guides its employees to excel at work and serve their customers well.

The values which guide every Sify associate in contributing to the organisation’s business objective is enshrined in “The Sify Way”. These values are entwined with core people policies of the organisation. The HR policies focus on their constant development and learning and creating a fun place to work through employee engagement initiatives. The Internet, networking and e-commerce service provider, Sify Limited, has presence in 171 cities across India. Sify has already made its presence among blue chip companies as well as SOHO customers. The consumer services include broadband home access, dial-up connectivity and the iWay cyber café chain across 154 cities in India. As many as 1,900 employees are working under the brand name of Sify.

K N Ajith, Head, Human Resources, Sify says, “Our focus has been to create a high performance work culture, which is very important to retain and attract talent. We aim for an environment, which will bring vibrancy and competitiveness among our employees. The reward and recognition programmes at Sify is a unique initiative in this direction.” The most important seven Sify behaviours that comprise the culture of the organisation is imbibed by every new recruit.

Talent management

Sify has a robust process for selection of candidates. There are multiple avenues for sourcing profiles. A major part is done through the internal referral scheme. This programme has a positive influence since most associates act as brand ambassadors for the company. The organisation also hires people through job portals. Ajith says, “We use psychometric testing tools extensively to help us validate the profiles and also map the results against the job analysis profile that is required. This is done during the interview stage. We use behavioural interviewing techniques and most of our line managers are trained in this.” Sify has a set of competencies that it looks for and this interviewing technique helps in identifying those specific traits and skills that are crucial for the company.

The newly recruited employee has to undergo a mandatory two-day formal induction programme. This is institutionalised in such a way that within one month of joining the company, they would go through an orientation of various businesses that Sify is into. This also gives the new joinees an opportunity to meet the senior management people and interact with them. This is done at the corporate office in Chennai. All new joinees across India have to come here to attend the induction programme. The probation period for new joinees is six months.

Retaining the best

The main focus of Sify is to create a high performance work culture, which is important to retain and attract top talent. The appraisal system rewards the top performers very differentially from the average performers. The compensation structure differentiates the top performers. States Ajith, “We have a tie-up with LIBA (Loyola Institute of Business Administration) for a PG executive management programme, which is one of the initiatives to retain talent. We already have three batches on this programme. This initiative helps in building business leaders and also acts as a key retention tool. It has been very successful and much appreciated by associates. We provide opportunities for high performers to take on challenging and new roles on an ongoing basis. We also offer opportunities for associate’s involvement in various forums and create a high-energy work culture that does not inhibit their freedom to work. Associates are nominated for external programmes which are very specific and is not provided through our training process.”

Focus on learning

The organisation has a strong focus on learning initiatives. Through the online Training Management System (TMS), associates can nominate themselves for any programme listed on the programme chart. The programmes range from technical courses to soft skills training. There is constant upgradation of knowledge. The training calendar is finalised at the beginning of the year and is rolled out accordingly. Any new technical/business training inputs are given based on this requirement. The online TMS is very effective as it provides transparency in what the company has to offer and also gives the freedom of choice to associates, thus empowering them for charting their learning plan. The company also reimburses the fees for technical courses from other awarding bodies like CCNA, CCSA, ITIL, DBA programmes. There is a smart series programme where experts from various fields share their knowledge and experiences with the associates. The attendance for this programme is voluntary.

Appraisal system

Sify has a robust online Performance Management System (PMS), which ensures transparency of the process and speed. The Key Result Areas (KRAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are set for associates when they join the organisation.

The KRA/KPIs are reviewed every six months. There is a yearly increment process based on the achievements of KRA/KPIs. 

Sify has trained most appraisers, which helps them in the performance appraisal and counseling process. Says Ajith, “We plan to cover many more associates for this programme. We also have a mentoring programme where most senior managers are trained to be mentors. We assign mentors to the management trainees we hire. This helps them through the transition from academics to corporate culture.” The company gives Sify Way awards for associates who exhibit any of the seven behaviours. This helps in institutionalising the culture that the company wants to have.

Aligning goals

Another motivating factor is the fact that that the organisation tries to align individual priorities with the company’s expectations.

The training programmes provided to Sify associates not only help employees develop for the next level of seniority, but make them learn about their new responsibilities once they are promoted.

It’s the environment, proper recognition and HR processes that allow employees to stay with a company. The first step to achieve a high level of motivation is through customer-orientation. Higher the transparency, greater the motivational levels within an organisation. Sify encourages people to voice their opinion in major decisions taken by the company, whether it is taking business decisions or during appraisals or self-assessments.

Sify works with an organisation called Gallup to constantly measure employee engagement through the Q12 scorecard and also employee satisfaction on various parameters. The company uses these scores to build and roll out improvement and action plans.

Fun @ work

Sify has a committee called “Fundoos”, which focusses on creating fun at work place. There are many games and competitions that are organised both in-house and out of office. The Fundoos committee is formed not only in Chennai, but also in its offices in Delhi, Mumbai and other locations.

The Fundoos club is a huge hit with employees and it has been seen that technical employees are gearing up like college students to participate in different activities. Sify’s Fundoos club was formed as an employee motivational programme and has grown to attract many members over the years. The employees have recently won the Madras Boat Club’s rowing tournament called the Paghal Regatta.

Ajith states, “We also have a yearly Fungama event, where the associates and families come together to have fun and entertainment. This event showcases the talent of Sify associates through various games, dance shows, singing competitions and so on. After winning some of the notable sports award our associates have proved that they are not just good at fixing spam problems and network issues, but have a whole lot of energy to work hard and party harder.”

The organisation believes that the right combination of work and fun is best to be productive and successful. The company thus allows people to balance their professional and personal lives. The company strongly believes that for an employee to concentrate on his work, his mind should be free from any other concerns that he may have about his personal life. This is one of the things that the Sify HR has focussed on.

Flexibility and trust at the workplace are major enlivening factors for an employee. The attrition is comparable to the industry standards currently at Sify. However, the company is embarking on many employee engagement initiatives to control this. These initiatives provides platforms for good performers to exhibit and showcase their skills.