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Work Culture
Why systematize your people processes?
 A
transparent and systematized process operation at every stage guides all associates
at Perot Systems. Renuka Vembu finds out more about the organization
and its people processes
Perot Systems has a professional work environment that provides equal employment
opportunity to every person associated with it. The environment, free from any
form of discrimination, and built on mutual trust, respect and spirit of co-operation
displayed generously by fellow co-workers, supports personal and professional
growth. Vardhman Jain, Managing Director, Insurance and Business Process Solutions-India
and Manila, Perot Systems said, “We are committed to a professional work
environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity; without
harassment or abusive behavior based on race, color, sex, national origin, age,
marital status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
We provide equal opportunities for professional success and advancement, regardless
of characteristics unrelated to employee work skills and abilities; and promptly
respond to all associate requests. All associates work towards career growth,
and we feel that they must have opportunities to pursue new streams and compete
equally for new responsibilities.”
Value system
The company has its own set of value system which is imbibed and portrayed by
its employees:
- Serve our customers: with innovative, responsive
solutions to their needs.
- Value our people: by attracting, developing
and recognizing outstanding people and caring for them and their families.
- Operate with integrity: by treating customers,
people, and suppliers in a fair and honest manner, as we would want to be
treated.
- Reward our stockholders: by producing strong
financial performance from which everyone benefits.
- Contribute to community: by using talents
and resources to better the conditions in the diverse communities in which
we work.
HR processes
Perot has automated the entire slew of HR processes which encompasses:
- Recruitment and selection applications:
resume sorter applications and e-recruitment engine
- Training and development portals: industry
specific training portals and managerial skills development portals
- Payroll and administrative applications:
E-HR is used for sorting out resumes for recruitment, selection, and also
assists in payroll and administration. MyHR essentially acts as an aid in
storing, reviewing and modifying profile information of the associates, policies
and procedures, leave management, time sheets, tax management and performance
management information. Thus, both these softwares handle the employee lifecycle,
administrative processes, including a helpdesk for associates to log tickets
pertaining to their HR issues.
- Employee relationship management portal (employee portal):
to improve the overall engagement of the associates. This intranet associate
portal called netBOARD facilitates a wide range of company activities on the
lines of communication, training and development, HR administration, payroll
management, rewards and recognition, information security and compliance awareness,
administration, and help desk supervision.
 Jain
highlighted, “Our e-recruitment engine is a proprietary tool, built in-house
and customized to our specific needs. These include workflow software, knowledge
management software and employee relationship management tool (complete with
in-house finance, payroll and e-recruitment engine). We have achieved a 100
percent automation of all our processes and run a completely paperless operation.
These tools allow us to rapidly scale and are a key contributor to our growth
and profitability. Today, with automation in the form of e-recruitment engine,
we can guarantee that a candidate would walk out of our office with a firm answer
and an offer letter (if qualified), within a maximum of three hours depending
on the programme the person is applying for. The hiring manager has a view into
the application to raise MPRs (Manpower Planning Requests). These MPRs are approved
by the senior management team and they get into the recruiter’s inbox.”
On any given day, these tools come in handy to assess over 200 candidates for
a diverse range of skill sets. Jain continued, “The business process services
performed in India are now more complex and the scale of these processes has
grown exponentially. This requires more targeted sourcing. With the ability
to generate analytical reports linking test scores with on-the-job performance
and demographics and profile information, we are able to continuously improve
our hiring process and source in a more targeted manner.”
Jain explained further, “At Perot Systems, we provide opportunities that
offer both challenges and rewards. We put our associates’ knowledge and
skills to work on global projects and processes and provide them opportunities
to work in a team environment that encourages initiative, fosters innovation,
endorses accountability, and promotes integrity.”
While the associates and team members are constantly under the scanner, monthly
performance appraisals, processes for continuous communication with associates,
templatization of processes, use of technology and metrics based management
approaches help keep a check on the middle and top management.
Training and development
Induction gives an over-all view of the company’s history, values, processes
and policies. While job specific education is imparted, periodic assessments
are conducted to evaluate and gauge the improvement level. Trainers from their
US and UK offices offer familiarity on project management, soft skills like
language, voice and accent training, English development, leadership workshops,
negotiation skills, operations management and team leader learning. The company
takes a holistic approach towards learning and development, prepares employees
for fast-track growth, and helps budding leaders display their skill.
Recognize and reward
Transparency is the key word while building relationships with people. It is
important in rewarding and recognizing high-performance employees, to keep the
workforce motivated, and for them to believe in the company and its people.
Associates are given different types of bonuses which include unique instant
rewards points programme called Vision $, monthly recognition programmes like
Hall of Fame and yearly monetary bonuses. Super-visors and managers are allowed
to allocate ‘dollars’ or points to help reinforce positive behavior
in the organization. Associates accumulate these ‘dollars’ and redeem
them for equivalent gifts or vouchers.
Responsible corporate citizens
Perot is in the process of forming a community service team within the organization
that will support causes of feeding the hungry, educating the underprivileged
and meeting their healthcare needs. Some of the charity centres and orphanages
visited by the Perot team include Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu, Udavumkarangal,
Balagurukulam and Presentation Convent Rehabilitation Centre (near Coimbatore),
to provide food, clothing and cash.
Family days are organized once every quarter—on a Sunday, the associates’
family members are picked up from their homes and brought to the office. Apart
from the cultural activities and fun programmes, families are also given a chance
to understand the organizational culture and express their views and concerns
on the career of their children or spouses. A quarterly newsletter ‘Vibes’
is sent to them with leadership notes, associate achievements and news from
the company.
renuka.vembu@expressindia.com
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