Trina Balakrishnan, got into a candid conversation with BW Journalist after her organisation won a prestigious award and highlighted the importance of new-age employee engagement strategies to keep the organisation going ahead in every phase.
1. What are some key components of your employee engagement strategy that have contributed to its success?
Empowering Communication through Regular updates and open forums ensures employees are informed and heard. Continuous learning opportunities through training and development programs, Celebrating achievements and contributions through awards and incentives, promoting DEI to create a supportive work environment and Flexible working hours and wellness programs to support employee well-being are some of the key components that play a major role in our EE.
2. Can you provide examples of specific programs or initiatives that have significantly impacted employee engagement?
Customized learning paths, offering skill development and certification programs to foster career growth, A robust recognition program that rewards employees for outstanding performance, Initiatives like mental health workshops and fitness challenges to ensure holistic employee well-being, DEI Networks - Groups and events that promote an inclusive culture and provide support networks for various demographics.
3. How do you gather and act upon employee feedback to improve engagement?
Consistent feedback loops via surveys -Regular pulse surveys and annual engagement surveys to collect feedback, Town Halls and Focus Groups for direct communication between employees and leadership, feedback forums through 30-90 days new joiner surveys, moodometer etc. also actively developing and implementing action plans based on survey results and feedback. Thanks to this we have been getting very high commitment and engagement scores in our ESAT surveys.
4. What role does leadership play in driving employee engagement within your organisation?
Leaders at Coforge actively participate in engagement initiatives and model the behaviours they expect from employees. This includes being accessible, approachable, and demonstrating commitment to employee development. They set a clear vision and ensures that engagement strategies are aligned with the company’s goals and values. This alignment helps employees understand how their work contributes to the overall success of the organization. This is reflected in all our objective setting discussions so that the strategy gets converted into tangible goals and then further cascaded to ensure we achieve what we set for and for collective success. Senior leaders at Coforge are involved in recognizing and celebrating employee achievements. This could be through company-wide communications, awards ceremonies, or personal acknowledgments. Each Leader also uses a camaraderie budget to ensure celebrations are a part of our achievements.
5. Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives related to employee engagement that you are excited about and would like to share with us?
We are launching advanced technical and soft skills training modules aligned with the TNA done within the organizations. Introducing OD interventions for internal career movements and developments. Customized programs for roles, bands, and department. We are also expanding mental health support and wellness programs and making sure through internal coms and HR BP team that its within employee reach to connect and get support.
For DEI- Coforge is rolling out new programs designed to enhance its diversity and inclusion efforts. This includes targeted recruitment drives, development programs for women groups, and cultural competency training for all employees. We have NOW- Network of Women group where employee connects and learn from leader’s experiences, ask questions, and openly discuss challenges. We also have career 2.0 coming out in support to get women back to mainstream careers and jobs and certainly with policies, benefits, and mentorship/training programs along with that.
