By Shrenik Gandhi,
Co-Founder & CEO, White Rivers Digital
Every entrepreneur reading this will agree on the importance of having a stable team as the backbone of the company. In fact, a team that has seen a company through its first two years is the future pillar of the organization, and its members are invaluable assets. A huge number of start-ups fail when they don’t have the right kind of team or the right team decides to move on.
In my first job in 2011, while I was working in the team of GR Venkatesh, then Head of HR, Future Group, I realized the importance of employee loyalty. ‘LSD’ – denoting Laxmi, Saraswati, Durga - was painted on various walls of the office. An employee can be part of an organization for years if the apt mix of ‘LSD’ is achieved – Laxmi, meaning apt monetary compensation & timely increment; Saraswati, meaning apt skill & knowledge building opportunities and Durga, meaning recognition & respect.
From the day we started off, we have been striving hard to achieve the right balance of LSD in our team members. In fact, we are an absolutely attrition-free team since the time we started in 2012. We have tried to create a culture wherein everyone loves to be an employee. Here are some HR practices of our company:
Relation Leave: A team member’s girl-friend was flying back from London for a five-day vacation from her management course. If I was in my team member’s place, I would have hated to come to the office for the five days in a year I would have got to spend with my better half. If I did not like coming to office, my work efficiency would have suffered big time. Solution: Give a Relation Leave. Our team members can officially take holidays stating relationship-related reasons.
Appraisals by Surprise: Who doesn’t like surprises? Appraisals have been crafted in a way that it is surprise news for the team member. It is best to give a hike when the person deserves and not wait till ‘official’ appraisal season of June. If done in June, it would lead to inefficiency in the July-August-September quarter, for obvious reasons.
Team Lunches with No Work Talk: This is an absolute must! My business partner and I make sure we have lunch with the whole team daily when in office. We stay away from official discussions and make sure it is rejuvenation time.
Respect and Close-knit Bond: Everyone is treated with utmost respect. Even the peon’s name has the suffix ‘ji’ added! When respected, a trust is developed, which can be nurtured into a close-knit bond. It is important to be like a family as office colleagues are the ones with whom we spend one-third of our day.
Flexi Work Hours, Remote Working & Weekend Off: These are the three points which develop a feeling of independence while being responsible. This should be implemented at as many offices as possible.
Dedication to Clients: We know our business and do every extra thing to make sure the client gets the best work from our end. Regular team brainstorming sessions, maximum people involved in ideation is the way to go.
Strict DND on Holidays: Who likes to be disturbed on a holiday? We have a policy of giving absolute space to every staffer on a holiday and bother him only in case of the rarest of emergencies.
All these have been small contributors among various small efforts we have been taking to curate the team. A close-knit bond, a family, a workplace like no other!
Feedback: s@wrd.co.in
