In 1990, Hexaware was set up with a dream to make a difference to global corporations by making them more competitive. With complete faith in Indian talent and the ability of the engineers to add value to even the largest multinationals by providing the right technology solutions, Atul Nishar, founder chairman of the company set off on his journey. According to Nishar, should be seen in the context of the software exports from India being just around $100 mn at that time and virtually no listed company in this business. So, clearly, the motivation went much beyond revenue or valuation aspects.

As Hexaware is in the business of providing solutions-software services and BPO business-people are the key resource.

A new participant in the 'Best Employers' rankings this year, the company with a high retention rate (rank 3) and salary increments matching the industry average helped Hexaware rank 1st on the HR scorecard.

Being fair to all employees has been very important to me and I have personally provided inputs and support to our various HR initiatives,” says Nishar. He adds, “I also believe that when the senior management maintains an ongoing communication with employees, it has a positive impact. So we have regular open-house and interactive sessions in Hexaware.”

HR Challenges

Help employees maintain a work-life balance Recruit the right talent with the right skills Accuracy in strategic alignment of HR to business Employee retention

All Round Growth
Amberin Memon, project director, has been with the company for nine years. Memon says that it has been a fruitful and satisfying journey. Memon says that she got an opportunity both vertically and horizontally where she was able to dapple and innovate around technology and also got a chance to play with numbers, which was never her area of work or experience.

Abhijit Talukdar, associate VP, heads the new technology delivery unit and has been with the company for 6 years. For him, retention is a big challenge, which cannot be addressed by just extra compensation. According to Talukdar, one has to build the environment and make people feel part of the culture, learning and grooming everyday. He has selected 10 members of his team and put them in charge of their respective clients. These members are responsible for complete interaction, delivery and services to these clients. They are given the liberty to interact directly with the customers and understand the business and their needs.

PK Sridharan, executive director and head of India operations opines, “We have realized that the productivity level of all individuals and teams are fully aligned, committed and energized to successfully accomplish the goals of Hexaware. Annually, we identify where the employee fits in and exactly what their contribution should be, and how it will ensure that the company gets there. We measure it and provide them with feedback,” he adds.

What's commendable at Hexaware is not just the HR initiatives at the corporate level that strive to build a culture and environment for their people but the individual project leaders like the Associate VPs who go that extra mile to build a camaraderie in the team and get to know the members better. “At Hexaware, HR problems are not only the HR teams but even the leaders at the company are oriented to them”, says Malini Moorthy, assistant GM-HR.

Work–Life Balance
Hexaware believes it is a competitive paymaster, yet the company puts in that extra effort to make its employees feel part of the ever-growing family. Very active on the HR front, the company helps the employees strike a work-life balance through initiatives involving not only the employees but also the families throughout the year. 

Chandrashekhar Vaze, associate VP, enterprise group, says that Nurturing talent through development programs and asset creation through training is the mantra for Hexaware. For most in the industry, growth opportunities in terms of skills and organization are most attractive. Challenges and complexities in projects, which allow them to innovate and expand their horizons keeps them to their jobs. Creating Leaders through richer employee experience is the motto for the company leaders.

Communication channels are transparent to make sure that sharing is there at all levels. Hexaware has also launched employee rewards and recognition programs to acknowledge the best efforts in the organization. Job rotation is encouraged to achieve employee satisfaction.

Aesthetics Matter
Paying attention to basics helps create the right environment. For example the canteen is vibrant and colorful, themed around the village nooks and corner, right from the 'panwala' (beetlenut leaf) to an open sky 'dhaba'. The menu is repeated only after 60 days, and there is an in-house dietician available every day of the week.

There is a well-equipped gym open in the mornings and the evenings for letting employees flex their muscles.

Gym and Tonic
The well-equipped library houses books not only on IT, but also comics to fiction of all kind. Hexaware is particular about cultivating reading habits amongst it employees. Latest publications of all kinds are stacked at each level of the building for easy access. A concierge desk takes care of the employees' travel needs. Services of doctors, dieticians, and gym trainers don't get mentioned but are very important for the employees.

HR Initiatives
The HR department conducted an internal satisfaction survey amongst its employees and identified the top pain areas. The pain areas cannot be addressed by HR alone but include all members of the organization and is primarily steered by the management.  The in-house training department is branded 'Hexavarsity'. The foundation training program (FTP) launched in 2004 is now a full-fledged program. This is a training program for all employees where a group is taken to a college campus on the outskirts of a city for six weeks and are trained on technology, processes and soft skills like team interaction, communication etc.

H3O is another feather in the hat of the HR team. It is a completely employee driven group that caters to the delivery of corporate social responsibilities in case of untoward incidents such as the tsunami. Fun at work is a popular program being run at the organization for over a year now. The team calls itself the 'funsters' and innovates around projects and occasions like various festivals of all religions.

The HR team has HR Orbit a dedicated portal for all HR related information, forms and policies for the employees. Good HR policies could be seen as a reason behind the increasing number of employees who rejoin Hexaware.

For the management, the HR team is an important business partner that enables the senior level to drive its various initiatives. On the CEO's balance scorecard, people are top priority.

Minu Sirsalewala
minuvs@cybermedia.co.in

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