Upskilling is a Very Good Way to Retain Skill Gap Says Founder GOQii

In an exclusive interview with BW People Vishal Gondal ,CEO and Co-Founder, GOQii talks about the best HR practices at GOQii, his talent acquisition strategy and the corporate culture at his organisation. 

Edited Excerpts from his interview: 

What is the value of Wellness of your workforce? What steps are you taking for it in your organization?

GOQii is in the business of preventive healthcare, and building awareness around a healthy lifestyle is the core element of our existence. We are constantly innovating to encourage our customers to live healthier. We ‘Practice what we preach’, hence the first step towards achieving this starts within our organization. At GOQii we provide organic lunch and healthy snacking options to employees. Our property, “GOQii active Sunday” is an ongoing program, where every Sunday players and GOQii employees are engaged in numerous fitness activities. As part of employee wellness initiatives, we also organize wellness activities like yoga, meditation, workouts etc. within office premises 

What is the importance of an inspiring workplace?

We are a start-up at heart and encourage each and every individual within the organization to imbibe the spirit of entrepreneurship. This essentially means that each person has the freedom to take initiatives and take forward ideas with support from team members, employees are encouraged to take on responsibilities that lead to the growth of the organization. At GOQii we also follow something called the ‘Superhero code’. What this means is that like the Hulk or Iron Man every person has key areas of strength and weaknesses. So instead of trying to hire people who are good at everything we hire people who excel in their key focus areas. Then we create teams like the ‘Avengers’ where our superheroes complement each other’s weaknesses and strengths thereby cumulatively working towards fast-tracking growth the company. 

Can we leave an important decision as hiring on a Robot?

No…. Robots/AI currently are only good at analytical processes…. Hiring is a combination of analytics, creativity, and conviction on the capabilities of the candidate. AI can never replace the ‘GUT’ feel of the interviewer and that is a key element while interviewing a candidate.

What are the challenges of working with instant gratification seeking millennials?

Make sure that you set KRAs and define work profiles that will help them achieve small successes and see tangible results in a shorter period of time. Nurturing their creativity and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the larger aim of the organization is also a good way to keep them engaged and stay cued to organizational goals.

How should a CEO and CHRO bridge the skill gap?

Upskilling is a very good way to retain and bridge the skill gap in any organization. This way employees can contribute in many ways to organizational development. Upskilling is thus not a onetime activity but an ongoing process. GOQii is present in a cutting-edge industry where evolution is the name of the game. For us, continuous training is a key element and something we take very seriously. Some of the things we do are to encourage employees to attend industry forums, interact with industry leaders and many such engagements that help employees learn from the external world. We have a property called the GOQii fellow program through which every year we identify a few people who have done things that have transformed their eco-system. We also encourage employees to interact with the GOQii fellows.

There is no substitute for experiential learning and as an organization we create an ecosystem where all employees can benefit from the same.

What do you think are the expectations from a futuristic CHRO?

In the current market scenario, HR has become integral to every business function within the organization and the role is no longer confined to being a support function. The role of the HR is evolving their contribution to the business is vital. The future CHRO should be able agile enough to understand the business, the changing trends in the market and identify talent that will contribute to growth the organization and not just follow the traditional HR approach.

What are the best practices that CHRO’s are leveraging from Social Media for the right kind of hiring and recruitment?

Social media platform are more fluid and interactive. They give insights about prospective candidates on their personal and professional interests. At GOQii, we use the social media platforms to identify the various aspects of the prospective employee like – core competencies, enthusiasm, business interest and social skills which help us decide if the candidate is a right fit to the organization. These platforms are much more insightful that a static two-page resume. 

A job interview is a conversation between two liars, how to get the best out of that is the skill of a CHRO. Can you give us some hacks for the same?

Many times, people try to portray things that may or may not be true. It is difficult to keep up this charade for a long time though. The best way to evaluate your potential employer or employee is to ask relevant questions and dig deeper on points that will help you understand certain aspects that are important to you. Of course, we should also rely on our own experience and instincts.

Explain the fine line between Talent Acquisition and hiring?

The difference here is like hiring a cook versus hiring a chef. While we expect a cook to have basic rudimentary cooking skills, we would expect a chef to have specialized talents that cannot be easily replicated like artistic presentation, creativity etc. It is important to be able to identify and hire people for certain core strengths and cultivate them to be a part of the organization journey. 

How to keep your employees motivated in a crisis situation?

Communication and building confidence in the leadership team is very important. But just like - Rome wasn’t built in the day, this process is continuous. It is important to communicate with your employees in good times so that when the going gets though they will know whom to look up to for reassurance and thereby remain persistent through crisis situations. Transparency and collaboration are key to the success of any organization.