Constant Learning & Evolving Is The Key

Given the kind of trust and expectations from this role, the role has always been of a decision-maker. What has changed with the pandemic is that the process of integrating culture, fostering new behaviour patterns, developing new competencies has been expedited. The approach has become more localised & customised to different workforce segments for Entertainment Network India.

The company has done a significant amount of work in helping Gen X managers deal with the expectations of Gen Y & the Millenials, who make up more than 75 per cent of our workforce. Different generations are approachable for coaching & reverse mentoring too, given the cohesiveness developed with the team, through continuous efforts at building such a culture. 

Rachita Srivastava, Regional HRBP, Entertainment Network India- Radio Mirchi mentioned the lead role she played in developing a successful culture of meritocracy and the firm steps taken for building it, have established performance & ethical benchmarks for us. “We communicate our commitment to the organisational values in real-time, which is relatable to our people too,” said Srivastava.

The challenge of identifying creative thinkers and doers in meeting the talent acquisition needs - especially how Facebook & Instagram are being used to identify these gifted individuals, has helped them to stay ahead of the learning curve. 

Talking about the remarkable initiatives taken by Srivastava in her tenure for radio Mirchi; she shared that she ramped up the brand presence of Radio Mirchi in North & East India, for adding new lines of business in new geographical markets, also built learning interventions aimed at developing leadership & functional competencies up to mid-management level for revenue-generating & the creative content teams. These interventions have significantly addressed upskilling & reskilling requirements.

Designed onboarding system for the revenue-generating team, to decrease time to productivity, shape product & functional knowledge and help build impactful social connections for learning & support. Considering that the company does not hire from the same industry, the gestation period is on the higher side and scaling up organisational knowledge requires far more effort.

In the last couple of years, the HR team have embarked on a journey to help Mirchi transform from a radio company to a music-centric entertainment company. And there lies the challenge of evolving an HR function that helps Mirchi win in the marketplace. 

In line with the vision, they are in the midst of developing agile data ecosystems, using AI-empowered interfaces, building a robust learning culture, implementing comprehensive performance management & talent management process and designing an appropriate rewards & recognition process.