ESOP For Security Personnel & Weekly Gossip Sessions; Does This Company’s HR Practices Really Put Employees First?

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While different organizations have different perspectives on how to be successful, a Mumbai-based food and snacks brand believes the secret lies in putting its employees first. Along with providing benefits to employees, they believe if the basic principles and guidance are in place, a company can let employees determine how to run the organization.

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Sounds fascinating? Well, according to Sreejith Moolayil- the co-founder & HR head, if the employees are not as excited and challenged as the owners, success would be elusive. "If we failed, we failed as a team, and if we succeeded, we succeeded as a team," he said.

What has the organization done to put its employees first? Let’s find out.

Shaping Work Culture Through A Dedicated Hiring Strategy

Women In Manufacturing

When the company started operations in 2017, it decided to induct local women employees (mostly the wives of initial dispatch workers) into the manufacturing force. In the long run, it helped the company to get hold of a hugely untapped group and make them part of the manufacturing process.

Today, the entire manufacturing force of the brand consists of women. “I’m sure they felt something positive because of which, the same set expanded to more than 75 employees, almost all of them through word-of-mouth or internal referral networks,” Moolayil told The Economic Times.

Separating People From Tasks

For the company, the most important aspect of hiring and managing the workforce is separating people from tasks. For instance, as per reports, the organization increasingly focuses on talents from small towns and tries to make them a part of the workforce.

The secret of the company's success is its workforce.

While it allows the organization to be more inclusive, it makes a difference in the culture of the organization. As the co-founder suggested, talents from small towns have more realistic expectations and are hardworking. They also showed a higher work rate and a tendency to own up to the business objectives.

Besides, there is a strong inclination in the organization to hire freshers, as they come with the same enthusiasm as the owners. By retaining the values owners had set off with, freshers fuel growth and uplift the overall work culture at the organization. Incredibly, nearly 80% of the current employee base at the business started as freshers. 

How Is It Changing The Work Culture?

An Honest And Transparent Approach

The organization reported that there is an honest approach in place that is direct and promotes transparency in all internal communications. Starting with the interview process, to receiving feedback from colleagues, setting performance challenges and goals, and defining compensation principles - there is complete transparency in all communications.

The result of this effort is reflected in the organization’s high Glassdoor reviews. In fact, as per reports, the hirings at the organization take place mostly through referral networks. It helps to maintain the credibility of employees and ensures that they are familiar with the work culture at the organization beforehand. On the flip side, it helps the organization understand the employees’ needs better.

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A Plethora Of Benefits

Along with encouraging open conversations among peers across different teams, the organization has put in place a set of benefits that are a notch above the standard practice in the market. For example, employees get the option to work from home whenever required and there are paid leaves that are flexible and come with a no questions asked policy.

All the employees in the organization have been granted ESOP, including the security personnel. Moreover, the notice period has been reduced to only 15 days, as the organization believes that once the connection is broken, employees are no longer in the same headspace.

In order to make work fun, the company organizes a gossip session every Friday. Especially when everyone is working from home, it helps to make employees feel part of the group. It also helps to drive healthy engagement by breaking the bubble within which employees exist during work from home. 

Conclusion

Even though putting employees first is a policy that puts a lot of extra cost on the shoulder of the company, the long-term returns from it are worth all the investment. Having put people first, Sreejith Moolayil believes that it has helped them define themselves as a brand.

“This has resulted in higher satisfaction as well as higher retention,” he said. “This is in line with what we stand for as a brand - being direct and honest is what we are,” he added. This open work culture gives both new and old employees a sense of comfort and freedom at work.

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