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Established
in 1987, Himachal Futuristic Commun-ications (HFCL) is better known
for being an employee friendly organisation which has been quite
successful in making its mark in terms of the growth targets achieved.
Already considered one the fastest growing companies, HFCL has not
only made a mark in its R & D endeavours, but is also in the
process of providing world class manufacturing capabilities and
software solutions to traditional and new generation carriers, as
well as energy driven technical enterprises. And all this has been
possible due to the mission critical goal of the organisation i.e.,
take good care of its customers, which translates not only for its
external customers, but also internal culture.
This
gets reflected in the interaction with Rajendra Sinh, president-
group HR, HFCL. “We are a people-oriented organisation where
every activity is targeted towards building better relationships
with the employees.” However, he feels that keeping the customer
happy does not limit to the outside level, but the internal customer
too. “There is an unwritten understanding with our employees
that we will take care of their needs and they will of ours, which
helps in building a more stronger relationship,” he says. Though
the company is not one which makes a lot of noise about the kind
of work done, or their HR policies, it is instinctively felt as
you walk inside the premises. HFCL does not have a hula-bula like
a typical IT company, however what is evident is the disciplinarian
approach of working and respect given to an individual. According
to Sinh, the company is in process of re-strategizing their HR processes
and systems to give further leverage to their relationships with
the employees. Eight months ago, HFCL had hired McKinsey to provide
the organisational structuring and is in the process of identifying
different processes and systems which will help in the future growth.
To start with, the company is focusing on devising evaluation tools
for their employees. And this has also resulted in an increase in
the activity in the HR department.
He
reminds that there are four basic values, which are core to the
everyday operations of the company and these are namely - customer
care, quality delivery, transparency and open environment. HFCL
firmly believes that following these values has only been possible
because of the contribution of their focus on their employees who
are considered to be the core for their organisational growth. “We
believe that the cutting edge in HFCL will only come when we have
the right kind of people who are highly target-oriented,” he
adds. According to Sinh, another important aspect of the work culture
is “human respect” because of which every employee feels
excited to work for this organisation.
However,
being a task driven organisation, everything is performance-oriented
which is generally assessed on regular intervals.  It
is understood that the company is presently in the process of devising
a performance management system in an effort to keep a tab on the
performance of their employees. Besides this, HFCL also has an annual
appraisal program.
The
entire reward system is also based on performance. In case of employee
management, HFCL encourages its staff to freely express its aspirations,
achievements and requirements and try to see that if they can marry
employee’s aspirations with the organisational goals. In case
of work environment, some of the important features are the open
and transparent environment, which only helps, in the free flow
of information and development of healthy relationships with the
employees.
The
company takes extra precautions in the beginning so at the employee
does not have any future discord or problem in terms of understanding
his job profile. There is also a continuous effort at providing
role clarity. “Every task is articulated and the role clarity
pre-defined at the time of recruitment. The purpose is not to give
rise to defused accountability and give a chance to people to raise
their voices,” he says.
Sinh
says that the transparency and free flow of communication not only
helps in smoother flow of work, but also helps in curbing the problem
in the beginning itself. Sinh believes that ‘transparency’
is the key thing, which not only helps in communication, but also
helps in achieving faster growth as the employees are in a sync
with each other.
“The
employees know as to where they are being measured and at what scale.
In case of any problems the interactivity is generally between them
and the immediate superiors, which helps to solve the problem there
and within,” he says. Each department is given the freedom
to manage things and issues on their own, which not only gives a
more responsible signal, but helps in touching the most core issues,
which may not be possible if the organisation tries to solve the
grievance by itself. However, the remarkable thing is that inspite
of a more independent approach, the company is always conscious
that “information dissemination” that happens in a proper
manner and does not get twisted, turned or forgotten in the hierarchical
order.
Inspite
of having and handling such large number of employees, HR department’s
role is always considered to be a facilitator. According to Sinh
this has only helped HR make a difference without getting into the
forefronts of things. However, it plays an important role in the
case of recruitment of employees. “The first which we generally
try to find out while recruiting a person is that how quickly would
the person be able to settle down in his job. And this is the reason
why the company lays a lot of stress on the technical competency
of an individual. There is also stress on his ability to provide
leadership and on-time deliver, which are considered to be some
of the key factors for a new entrant,” he says. Sinh believes
that the major factor why people want to join HFCL are the career
scope in the telecom field, the unwritten yet impressive work culture
and respect for human dignity, which was very much evident even
when they had asked some of the employees to leave. This is evident
in the whole work environment, which showcases a more personal bond.
Even in the case of a new entrant, there is a continuous effort
towards helping the person settle down. Though it is different handholding
and mentor programs, the company tries to make this change as easy
as possible. There is a continuous effort on easing culture barriers
with the internal and external customers.
In
case of Training, HFCL provides all sorts of training, be it relating
top job skill upgradation, improving the performance of individual,
employee interface with the customer or even improvement in the
soft skills. “We generally identify people who are great in
their job and they are given task of providing technical training,”
says Sinh. According to him, the purpose is to provide the best
possible opportunity to the potential employee. HFCL firmly believes
that it is not the number of man-hours of training, which makes
an organisation great, but the value-add and the career enhancement,
which the training is able to provide.
And
in case of the recreational activities, they are more department-oriented
with goal of creating a better and longer lasting relationship with
their employees, as it clearly reflects their people-oriented approach
of work culture.
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