Module 8 : Culture Building
An informal and conducive work environment is considered necessary for retaining employees by most IT companies. The physical work environment and facilities at the work place as well as the organisation culture were emphasised by most companies as important elements
Physical Work Environment
The physical work environment reflected open offices, with as little symbols of hierarchy. Open work spaces for relaxing, gym and work out facilities and where possible facilities for outdoor games were provided. Companies in Bangalore especially have done a lot in terms of the physical work environment and providing a campus type atmosphere of fun and youth. Several of the large companies had a large campus such as Infosys, Satyam, TCS at some locations, Texas, Kanbay etc
The locations of some of these campuses has made many companies provide transport to work and other facilities such as lunch, child care facilities etc. Several companies did provide benefits such as lunch though employees were charged a nominal amount for these. Infact provision of snacks round the clock was considered important.
Several companies also attempted to provide convenience to employees by providing facilities for attending to personal issues such as paying telephone and electricity bills, purchasing tickets for concerts, booking travel tickets, etc These were provided through outsourced agencies who provided help lines and implants in the company. Employees had to pay for these services but the company managed to negotiate favourable rates. This practice was more prevalent in Bangalore.
Communication
With a young work force, the importance of open and frequent two way communication was recognised . Employee opinion surveys, "town hall" meetings with the CEO, intranet chatboxes were various means used. Many companies shared the findings of these surveys with employees to create an atmosphere of trust and transparency. Such surveys were also used as benchmarks to evaluate the success of interventions.
Team building exercises to build stronger bonds were especially encouraged in project groups. Picnics, employee recreation activities sponsored by the company were also common. Team celebrations were considered important and companies did have their own "events". Many groups were also actively involved in social work on a voluntary basis and were encouraged by companies. Infact some of the companies seek to provide active encouragement to employees to work in the community.
Employee involvement in recognition programs by having awards based on employee voting were also practiced in some companies. Recognition programs for a variety of technical, managerial and off work activities were common in all companies.
Self Development Opportunities
Employees were encouraged by companies to develop themselves in a variety of ways such as foreign language programs, education schemes, a variety of programs such as yoga, stress management,etc The multinatioanls especially had good education schemes to encourage employees to study further including abroad. Full scholarship programs for an extremely limited number were provided by some MNCS. Even expensive courses of distance learning were paid for partly.
