Employee Motivation Is Key To Achieving Collective Success

Raghav Garg, Head HR & Admin, Freecharge Payment Technologies, awarded ‘Excellence in Line of Business Strategy at BW People’s HR Excellence Awards, describes his organisation’s approach towards aligning organisational and individual goal.

How can organisations achieve an alignment between organisational and individual goals? What are some key thrust areas for a productive work culture? 

To achieve alignment between organisational and individual goals, organisations can adopt several strategies that integrate both macro-level business objectives and employee-level aspirations. This alignment fosters motivation, productivity, and a sense of purpose. Here’s how organisations can achieve it and key thrust areas for building a productive work culture: 

• Communicate the organisation's vision, goals, and current position clearly to all employees (e.g., Freecharge shares its balance sheet for transparency). 
• Cascade goals effectively through an effective goal setting mechanism (At Freecharge we use a mix of OKRs and BSC) to ensure alignment, identify overlaps, and clarify joint responsibilities, fostering collaboration and accountability throughout the organisation. 
• Maintain transparency around individual, team, and company achievements, fostering a culture of accountability. 
• Clearly communicate the impact of each employee’ performance on the company’s success to nurture engagement and drive motivation 

How does your organisation keep its employees motivated to work towards collective goals and how does it give due importance to their career growth needs and work-life balance? 

At Freecharge, we believe that employee motivation is the key to achieving collective success. Our approach is built on transparency, personal growth, and wellbeing. 

• Transparency as a Core Value: Through tools like OKRs for mid-management and BSC for leadership, we ensure that employees are fully aware of our business trajectory. Quarterly updates on financials create a culture of trust and mutual accountability. 
• Growth through Upskilling: While employees can access on-the-job learning and company-sponsored training, Our ‘Ahead’ programme stands out as a prime example of our commitment to growth. This initiative allows employees to undergo a year-long upskilling course, enabling them to switch roles across departments. We've seen seamless transitions from Tech to Product and even Customer Service to Product Management, fostering career mobility and personal fulfilment. 
• Comprehensive Wellbeing Initiatives: We go beyond the conventional with Our wellness programmes which includes in-house counsellors, wellness-trained managers, insurance for live-in partners and company-sponsored day care for new parents. These efforts ensure that our employees can maintain a fulfilling balance between their personal lives and professional ambitions, contributing to sustained motivation and productivity.

In the post-Covid world, does the organisation encourage its employees to work from home or do gig work, and does it help better productivity? 

Freecharge embraced the shift to remote work with agility, and we continue to see its benefits. 

• Remote Work Flexibility: Today, 50 per cent of our tech team operates remotely, supported by efficient virtual communication channels like Slack. We maintain engagement through quarterly in-person team sync-ups, ensuring a strong connection between dispersed teams. 

• Gig Workforce Integration: We have also embraced the gig economy, particularly for niche tech roles where full-time presence isn’t essential. This has expanded our talent pool and enhanced productivity by leveraging specialised skills. 

By supporting flexible work arrangements, we have created an environment where productivity is optimised without compromising work-life balance. 

In the VUCA world, how does the organisation foster flexibility and a culture of recalibrating targets that includes not just top management but all employees? 

At Freecharge, flexibility isn’t just a buzzword—it’s embedded in how we approach our goals in the VUCA world. 

• Dynamic Goal Setting: We actively engage all employees, not just top management, in the goal-setting process through our OKRs. This ensures targets are continuously recalibrated, based on real-time data and market insights. 

• Agile Feedback Mechanism: Frequent check-ins and feedback loops enable us to adjust swiftly to changing conditions, promoting a culture of adaptability and ownership. 

• Continuous Learning Culture: Our open learning policy empowers employees to take up relevant training that advances their skills in line with evolving business needs, equipping them to navigate uncertainty with confidence. 

By involving the entire organisation in recalibrating goals, we ensure flexibility and resilience at every level.