In Conversation With Kishore Poduri- MD and Country Head, HR, DBS Bank India

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is a prominent talking point in today's corporate landscape. How have you championed D&I initiatives at DBS Bank India, and what do you see as the most significant benefits of fostering diversity within an organisation?  

DBS Bank India is committed to fostering a culture that champions Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), empowering individuals to 'Live Fulfilled.' We cultivate a work environment where the distinctive strengths of each individual are celebrated for their diverse perspectives, and people with various identities feel valued, respected, and supported in realising their full potential. A key initiative in our DEI strategy is the establishment of a senior leadership-led, gender-agnostic Diversity Council that is committed to increasing representation across genders, abilities, and generations, fostering a psychologically safe culture, and activating diverse talent communities for a continuous and resilient talent pipeline. These objectives are enabled through the pillars of:

- Conscious Acquisition

- Customised Development

- Continuous Engagement.

Initiatives such as diversity slates for senior-level positions and a women-centric referral policy have helped to build a strong pipeline under the ‘Conscious Acquisition’ pillar. Our current gender diversity at DBS Bank India stands at 30%, and we aim to elevate this to 35% in the next three years with initiatives where we plan for diversity hires against diversity exits, and focus on gender and generational diversity in campus hiring. Our goal is already in view as we have achieved 48% diversity in our latest campus hire cohort.

Under ‘Customised Development’, we have curated learning & development programs, including the 'My Persona Women Leadership Development Program,' which prepares early-career women for future leadership roles, and 'Reimagine,' which supports seamless transitions for women re-entering the workforce after a career break. There are also internal networking forums for women to learn from each other, and gamified DEI challenges to enhance understanding of related principles as a part of ‘Continuous Engagement’. We also have associated with the Global Lean In Group and operate Lean-In circles as peer learning platforms for experience based knowledge sharing.

We offer comprehensive maternity benefits, including financial assistance, and up to 26 weeks of maternity leave for new mothers and up to 100% work-from-home support for employees with new-borns or newly adopted children up to six years of age. Our focus on DEI is one of the highest-ranking parameters on our employee engagement survey, consistently growing over the past few years. DEI also stands out as one of the top-rated parameters on Glassdoor's employer review platform, currently scoring 4.2 out of 5 on the rating scale.

Women's representation in the HR technology sector has been growing. How do you see women contributing to growth in this sector, and what strategies have you employed to encourage women's participation in HR tech at your organisation?  

It is heartening to see the growing representation of women in the workforce. Women can bring a distinct set of experiences, perspectives, and skills that are integral to fostering innovative solutions and improved decision-making. This diversity is valuable because it broadens the range of ideas, approaches, and problem-solving strategies within an organisation.

DBS Bank India has always been at the forefront of championing diversity and this philosophy extends beyond banking. Our global technology hub DBS Tech India at Hyderabad has nearly 31% representation of women and also 46% diversity amongst new hires in the last year. In our efforts to increase the representation of women in tech-focused roles, we have undertaken several initiatives. There are specific hackathons that we deploy to hire women in tech roles, in addition to continuous skill development programs that we offer to help them progress in their careers at DBS.

AI has been transforming HR practices. Could you discuss specific ways in which AI has improved productivity, reduced costs, and enhanced employee satisfaction at DBS Bank India? 

AI and ML have opened the door for a wide variety of applications in the HR domain and have the potential to provide a holistic yet customised employee experience, throughout the employee lifecycle.

As a different kind of bank, DBS embodies the spirit of a career enabler by staying abreast of the evolving career aspirations of its diverse employee base and by providing them opportunities to grow with DBS. A key step forward in this direction is iGrow – a personalized career champion that leverages the power of AI and ML to empower employees. It evaluates the skills required for each job role based on the job description and offers relevant training courses. The platform leverages a ‘Skill Graph’ to determine the employee’s skill adjacency and potential for an aspirational role. It recommends a ‘Triple E’ approach – Education, Exposure, Experience based on the identified skills gaps.

Recognising that recruiters often invest a significant amount of time in gathering information and responding to emails before meeting shortlisted candidates, DBS has introduced a virtual recruiter, Job Intelligence Maestro – JIM. This innovative tool has been able to reduce the average time spent on filtering through job applications from 40 minutes to 8 minutes, as manual processes like posting screening questions, conducting psychometric assessments and tests are fully automated. JIM operates as a conversational agent and helps offer unified experience to job -seekers.

The company is also deploying a retention model that identifies top indicative resignation signals for each employee flagged out as a flight risk, and subsequently triggers an email alert to Line Managers so that they can start targeted interventions to retain their best people.

Another example is OneBot, a valued 24/7 virtual assistant for our employees. OneBot analyses data to provide personalised experiences tailored to individual preferences and work styles. It serves as an all-in-one solution for employee queries, acting as a personal assistant to help navigate internal systems and processes, without human intervention.

Employee well-being is a critical focus in today's work environment. What measures have you taken to prioritise employees' mental, physical, and financial well-being, and what impact has this had on creating a healthier workforce? 

Ensuring the well-being of our employees is a key priority, and we have implemented a comprehensive well-being strategy encompassing mental, financial, and physical wellness. One of the newer initiatives that we rolled out was the hyper-personalisation of benefits, and since January 2023, our employees have enjoyed the flexibility to determine their insurance and dependant coverage. Through this initiative, employees have access to a Flexible Wellness Wallet, 'iFlex,' which allows them to tailor their benefits package to align with their life stage while safeguarding the health and wellness of themselves and their families.

Complementing these efforts, we have introduced the 'iFit' program designed to promote both physical and mental well-being among employees. 'Wellness Days' are organised regularly as part of this program. Another key product - 'iOK,' enables employees to access professional counselling for themselves and their families, along with local resources and coaching programs to address stress, improve sleep, and focus. Additionally, employees can utilise the services of 24 Response—a tech-enabled, on-demand safety and assistance service provided at no cost.

The success of these initiatives is evident in our recent annual engagement survey, where 88% of our employees expressed satisfaction with our well-being programs. We view these efforts as an ongoing commitment rather than a one-time endeavor, and our goal is to cultivate a work culture where health and well-being are ingrained into every aspect of our employees' experience.

HR technology has enabled innovative digital platforms for enhancing employee engagement. Can you share examples of tools or platforms DBS Bank India has employed to improve employee engagement and collaboration? 

DBS Bank India aims to create enriching experiences for its dedicated employees to empower them to live fulfilled. In addition to a standard HR Management System (Workday) that gives us insights into making the right organisational changes and delivering personalised experiences, we have leveraged technology and automation in many other ways. We have recently launched HR Workbench that provides a unified interface for different HR operational personas to access important applications and tools. This helps improve the productivity and reduces the work toil of the extended HR teams.

In line with our commitment to build a future-ready workforce, we have a robust Learning Management System (LMS) – that has over 10,000 courses (classroom instructor-led as well as virtual), in addition to a mobile learning app. Since 2020, we have Beeline - an end-to-end lifecycle management tool for our contingent workforce, seamlessly integrating the vendor on whose payroll the resource is hired, HR team and the reporting manager.

We recently also introduced iRewards, a personalized Total Rewards statement that gives a comprehensive view of our Employee Value Proposition (EVP). The Total Rewards approach encompasses not just compensation, but also personal development, learning opportunities, and a wide range of benefits.

A key element in this approach is our recognition platform – peer recognitions (iTQ, short for I Thank You) are instantaneous, and can be given irrespective of business/location. The points accruing from these peer recognitions can be redeemed for vouchers and merchandise. Team recognitions (WeTQ) can be made by respective business heads and senior leadership and are a great way to motivate project teams.

In your view, what has been the top development or challenge in the HR space in 2023? 

In 2023, a key challenge in the HR space has been navigating the evolving landscape of employee well-being and mental health. The ongoing changes in work dynamics, coupled with external factors impacting personal lives, have underscored the importance of robust well-being initiatives. The challenge lies in tailoring our programs to drive resiliency and address the diverse needs of our workforce, ensuring that they feel supported and connected.

At DBS, this is done through our comprehensive bouquet of EVP offerings, as a part of our endeavour to be a forerunner in the employee benefits space, by providing holistic employee experiences that go beyond traditional benefits to also address the mental and emotional health of our employees.

What are some of the industry-specific challenges or trends in HR that you foresee in 2024, and how do you plan to address them? 

Talent acquisition and retention remains a significant challenge, particularly in a competitive market. As industries evolve, specialised skills become increasingly crucial, and attracting top talent demands innovative strategies. This also calls for an optimum balance between creating an internal pipeline of homegrown candidates and the infusion of external talent that brings in fresh perspectives.

In the context of today’s workplaces that are melting pots of different specialised services, we recognise have employee cohorts from all walks of life. Hence, it is important to have an onboarding program that sets out company values as a thread of commonality, explains organisational priorities and has a mechanism for regular feedback, in addition to providing the right set of resources to effectively carry out one’s job duties.

Our strategy involves using a comprehensive talent management approach, focusing on learning & development, fostering an inclusive workplace and adapting policies to align with the changing dynamics of work and talent. It is key to the success of a future-forward workplace that employees can engage with their organisation with a common purpose and also leverage the unique strengths of respective generations.