It Is Challenging To Motivate Your Team Online: Reeni Lionel, Head HR, IndiaFilings
As an HR, what are the various things an organization could do to help its employees?
HR in any organization is primarily responsible for the welfare of its employees. They help plan, coordinate, and direct the administrative functions of the organization and look for various ways to boost the morale of the employees. A couple of ways to do that would be to ensure that employee onboarding and training take place within the schedule, organize a meet and greets with seniors, give impetus to professional development within the team, schedule salary and incentive appraisals on time, maintain a positive work culture, resolve conflicts and help maintain relations with other employees. An efficient grievance redressal mechanism also goes a long way in boosting trust and faith among employees.
What is the impact of COVID-19 on organizational culture?
Lack of physical engagement with team members is the biggest challenge that organizations face in the wake of the pandemic. Although virtual meeting apps like Zoom have taken the edge off working remotely, it is still difficult to motivate your team online and keep them constantly engaged with their work.
How can organizations keep their employees motivated during the lockdown period?
A couple of things would really help at this time. Firstly, all employees should be asked to maintain the same routine that they did when they attended office, as in, waking up and getting ready at the same time every morning, wearing formals, and checking in. This would help create a solid mindset that will help tackle all office tasks with vigor. Having lunch at the exact same time also helps a lot. Breaking up big teams into smaller units will result in a greater sense of belonging in the employee and result in higher efficiency. Regular updates with respect to office work will also keep them involved.
How can we optimize work productivity when working from home?
Working from home requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline that most people struggle with. Moving from a structured to an unstructured environment comes with a lot of challenges that can be tackled with, one task at a time and one day at a time. We need to keep one element constant and move from there. Making sure that a routine is followed and a quiet space is available for work helps a lot. Work timings should be strictly adhered to and household work should be pushed to after office hours. We will only be able to succeed at this if we keep ourselves accountable and move forward every single day.
How much do you enjoy doing your work?
Our work here is very interesting and engaging as 80 percent of our workforce is below 27 years of age. A team this young ensures that the workplace is vibrant and bustling with lots of great ideas popping up from all corners. We all work towards a shared vision and the collaborative environment makes it extremely interesting.
What is that one thing HR Leader of IndiaFilings is doing differently from other companies?
The welfare of our employees is the foremost concern of our organization. We ensure that our employees are taken good care of financially and otherwise. We have a flat organizational structure wherein the CEO is sitting at the same place as the intern so approachability is not a problem. We have the most attractive incentive scheme for good performers at IndiaFilings and a robust redressal system to ensure that their concerns are taken care of at the earliest. We pride ourselves on having one of the healthiest, safest, and happiest work environments.
