TagiSmiles: Recognizing Employees For Their Loyalty Towards The Organisation
The insurer has implemented some of the best HR practices that have made Tata AIG a truly employee-friendly organisation, and Jitesh Bawa, CHRO, Tata AIG General Insurance is here to speak upon TATA AIG's TagiSmiles initiative, launched with an intention of recognizing employees for their loyalty towards the organization displayed through myriad actions and behaviors. Moreover, the program intends to involve employees in its motto of giving back to society, through unique redeem options associated with NGOs.
The Tata Group has some of the best HR policies, how does Tata AIG keep its employees motivated?
Our employees are our greatest assets, and it is our constant endeavour to recognize their efforts and hard work. As our Company accelerates towards its vision of becoming a leader in the General Insurance Industry, it is the collective efforts of our employees that will lead to the realization of this vision.
Tata AIG has been recognized as a Great Place to Work in India by GPTW Institute. One of the key enablers for this achievement has been our people practices which are attuned to the changing needs of our employees – a case in point being our Reward and Recognition policy - TagiSmiles. Through this policy, the Company intends to promote and reward actions and behaviors at the workplace that are in line with our vision and values. The program rewards employees for their corporate citizenship. This provides a mutually beneficial platform for paving the way to our collective success.
When did you launch the TagiSmiles Employee Reward Program? Can you tell us more about it?
TagiSmiles was launched in July 2021. As part of this program, employees can accumulate virtual ‘points’ or ‘smiles’ through various actions or initiatives like referring candidates for open positions, Goal Achievement, volunteering for CSR initiatives, completing certifications etc. Each ‘smile’ has a monetary value and employees can redeem these against available options at any point during their employment. We also have a dedicated online dashboard where employees can track their accumulated smiles and align actions to gain more. TagiSmiles was launched with an intention of recognizing employees for their loyalty towards the organization displayed through myriad actions and behaviours. Moreover, the program intends to involve employees in its motto of giving back to the society, through unique redeem options associated with NGOs.
How does one collect points? And what do they do with them?
Employees can accumulate smiles through 20 different activities spanning across the employee lifecycle by acting as a responsible citizen of the Company through timely participation in company initiatives, collaborating on key projects to being our brand ambassador. Once an employee accumulates a minimum number of smiles, different redeem options become available. They can be used across 3 broad categories – a) Pro- Social or contribution towards social initiatives b) Professional Development & c) Health & Wellness
How are these points or smiles redeemed?
Redemption was envisaged keeping in mind key employee priorities and larger organizational vision. The accumulated smiles can be redeemed across areas that tie in well with our motto of caring for our employees as well as the society at large. These can be categorised into 3 broad areas:
· Pro Social – Giving back to the society by contribute towards a social cause of one’s choice as per the NGOs Tata AIG is associated with
· Professional Development - Enhancing one’s knowledge and grow professionally through purchase of journals or attending new-age trainings courses
· Health & Wellness – Take care of ones and family’s health and wellness by redeeming smiles for medical check-ups or availing membership of any wellness apps or sessions.
What impact has this reward program made?
The program has seen excellent adoption from employees across the organization. Within 6 months of its launch, the program saw high participation from employees (85%+ coverage) with 1,00,000+ smiles disbursed to employees for redemption. The contribution of employee referrals in the overall source mix has seen an uptick due to this program. The program is not fixed with the type of rewards that are available but customizable. This way, employees have the freedom to choose what their reward should be. We have a list of how the earned smiles can be redeemed, and we keep refreshing it on an ongoing basis.
What is the objective of TagiSmiles and what is its end goal?
The objective of TagiSmiles is to have an engaged workforce and promote higher motivation levels through a reward program that is flexible and customizable with respect to redeeming options. The program's end goal is to have a workforce that knows that they are appreciated and that they are valued for their efforts at Tata AIG General Insurance. At the same time, the program aligns individual actions and behaviours with the larger organisation vision.
What has been the employee reaction and feedback on the same?
The overall feedback has been positive. Since we rolled out this policy, we have observed a marked difference in performance and employee engagement. Managers from across the board have also reported higher motivation levels of team members and higher productivity. In conclusion, the TagiSmiles Rewards and Recognition program has succeeded, and we continue to reap the benefits.
Do such programs lead to a culture of inclusivity within an org? If so, how? Share examples to support your statement.
TagiSmiles rewards employees for referring suitable female candidate for any open position by allocating higher points to them. The idea is to make our employees a part of our journey in becoming a more inclusive and diverse organization. There are other
programs as well which is geared towards to same objective. For example, Under our Affirmative Action policy, the Company specifically focuses on serving the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe Communities, Women and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). We are collaborating with reputed 6 NGOs who work in the PwD space to explore job opportunities for educated, skilled PwDs at TATA AIG. We have the policy to provide flexibility to new mothers wherein on returning to work post-Maternity Leave, women employees can avail of Flexi-timing at work, i.e., half day up to 12 months post-birth of child (with proportionate pay). We also have a Sabbatical Policy wherein employees can take up to 6 months off to pursue career development opportunities or any other personal interests. New mothers can also make use of this policy post-maternity leave to take enough care of the newborn baby and spend quality time with family. To promote women's leadership, we organize ‘Leap Ahead’ program to enable women leaders to make purposeful choices and impact the workplace and beyond. It is designed to support women executives on the cusp of business leadership and give a deeper understanding of strengths and challenges.
Are there other programs at Tata AIG to keep the employee engaged and motivated?
There are multiple programs geared towards the same objective which includes Spot awards for recognizing fellow colleagues for their support or job well done. Rising Champions and Champions of Champions are two yearly rewards and recognition programs where employees who have lived the TATA AIG values or have contributed significantly to the organization are recognized and facilitated by the top management of the organization in a gala event in the presence of the entire organization. Our culture week-celebration includes various activities and sessions to celebrate the values that we cherish as an organization. Additionally, there are various sessions on mental health, yoga, self defense etc. that are organized from time to time for all our employees
What are your hiring plans for the year?
The organization has been scaling up for the past couple of years with focussed investment in expansion of our product portfolio as well as the geographies where we are present, which also means that we are expanding our workforce. Going ahead as well, we have plans to continue our expansion by hiring for replacement vacancies as well as new vacancies which we have identified for our investment areas.
