A satisfied workforce should be every organization’s goal says MD of Dale Carnegie

In an exclusive interview with BW People, Ms. Pallavi Jha talks about the importance of an inspiring workplace, the expectations from a futuristic CHRO. She also underlines how to keep your employees motivated in a crisis situation

Edited Excerpts from her interview.

Q- What is the value of wellness of your workforce? What steps are you taking for it in your organisation?

High levels of employee happiness and employee engagement are tightly linked. A satisfied workforce should be every organization’s goal, and is something we take very seriously at Dale Carnegie of India. Aside from flexi work timings, maternal and paternal leave, we also lay an emphasis on work-life balance. 

Q- What is the importance of an inspiring workplace?

If your employees are going to spend most of their time at the workplace, it ought to be sufficiently conducive to their output. Your workplace is a part of your company culture, and unlike some other aspects of culture, it is tangible and can be easily modified. Your employer branding efforts should result in a workplace that reflects your company values and reinforces what it means to be a part of your organization. 

Q- Can we leave an important decision as hiring on a robot?

There certainly is an indefinable element to interviewing and hiring a candidate for a vacancy. Aside from verifying their proficiency for the role, there is also their suitability for the workplace culture. You may be surprised at how hazardous it can be to hire someone who is ill-suited to an organization’s philosophy and manner of functioning. Aside from performance-linked key result areas, at Dale Carnegie we also value behavioural competencies like collaboration and respect for others. If robots are one day able to measure these elusive skills, then sure, one can leave hiring up to them!

Q- What are the challenges of working with instant gratification seeking millennials?

Millennials are famously tricky to engage, but once they’ve found their footing, are an extremely valuable demographic to employ. Their benefits are numerous, as they bring to the table extremely valuable insights, and to a great extent, function as a mirror of the consumer marketplace. Millennials want instant and comprehensive feedback on their work, and for organizations who still implement the annual performance appraisal, this remains a challenge. At Dale Carnegie India, our recognition program, the Champion’s Passport is modelled to provide each employee with instant recognition for great efforts put in. Each employee is issued a blank passport which allows him or her to attain recognition under specialised criteria. For each recognition, an employee’s passport will be stamped, and those with the maximum stamps will be recognized periodically, and awarded.

Q- How should a CEO and CHRO bridge the skill gap?

The gap between the skills performed by people and those by technologies has never been narrower than it is today. Almost every job profile is being reimagined, meaning that organizations need to invest in their workforce to ensure they remain relevant. The rate of advancement and globalisation cannot be offset, but employees’ skills can be invested in to enhance their capabilities. The half-life of any skill is around five years, so renewing one’s capabilities is essential to securing your career interests as well as that of your organizations. 

Q- What do you think are the expectations from a futuristic CHRO?

Futuristic CHRO leaders should be considering new technologies and constantly asking themselves how they can employ them to deliver value to their organization. Hopefully, technology will make it easier for a CHRO to identify L&D initiatives that can contribute to organizational growth, making upskilling more of a priority, and easier to execute as well. 

Q- What are the best practices that CHRO’s are leveraging from Social Media for the right kind of hiring and recruitment?

Young talent spend massive portions of their day consuming information on social. As an employer, having an appealing social presence is a must for you to be able to market yourself to potential candidates. Appealing content can range from stellar company culture to employee recognition. According to GlassDoor, over half of millennials say they find job opportunities through online job boards.

Q- A job interview is a conversation between two liars, how to get the best out of that is the skill of a CHRO. Can you give us some hacks for the same?

The interviewer should ask smartly crafted questions warranting answers that require research to back them. If the candidate’s answers are well thought-out, it shows that they have a deeper understanding of the position, company and industry. Pay close attention to items that may have impacted the role that the candidate is trying out for, and maybe test their knowledge on the company’s products or services. This will show you whether they went that extra mile while preparing for the interview. 

Q- Explain the fine line between Talent Acquisition and hiring?

When filling positions is a time-sensitive priority, it gets difficult for recruitment to be scrupulous. When the hiring emphasis is on quality and productivity, benefits increase for the organisation as well as for its employees. Talent acquisition has a long term approach to acquiring the best candidate in every field. People analytics can support talent acquisition to gather data that, to some extent, determines the habits and characteristics of the highest-performing people and teams. The findings of which can be used for recruitment initiatives. 

Q- How to keep your employees motivated in a crisis situation?   

This is where great leadership is key, as a big part of a leader’s job is to uphold team morale and inspire trust. Your confidence will show your team that obstacles are expected, and their focus should remain on the larger picture. It’s crucial that managers and high level executives inspire trust and cooperation within their teams. The Dale Carnegie 2016 Global Leadership Study, based on a survey completed by over 3,300 full-time employees across 14 countries, found that 76% said a leader who gives praise and honest appreciation would be more likely to inspire them than someone more focused on getting the job done.