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Tag: Rita Verma

  • Expect completely new approach to employee policies: DDB Mudra’s Rita Verma

    Expect completely new approach to employee policies: DDB Mudra’s Rita Verma

    MUMBAI: The Covid2019 outbreak has pushed HR departments to the top of the priority chain. The challenge before them is to rebuild and reinvent workplaces to safeguard the lives of their employees. In an interaction with indiantelevision.com, DDB Mudra Group EVP and head HR Rita Verma highlights different measures taken to ensure a safe work environment as the country phases out of lockdown and looks forward to reopening offices.

    Excerpts:

    What measures have you been taking so far to relieve your employees from mental and emotional stress?

    People are our most important asset and we’ve always kept their physical and mental wellbeing in mind. During this lockdown, the biggest challenge for people has been uncertainty of the situation. The key to easing emotional and physical shifts as we all go through this together is to talk openly. So we’ve been extra mindful of keeping all communication regular, honest and authentic. Every leader has been completely accessible and is actively reaching out to their teams. We invested in a mental health partner last year because we would like our people to reach their highest potential, cope with life’s curveballs and be an active member in their relationships, workplace and community at large.

    Everyone is juggling their own unique personal living situation, so offering people some flexibility in work schedules and encouraging them to take time off if they feel overwhelmed has been critical. In a time like this, sometimes you don’t know what will make you feel better, so we’ve offered physical fitness sessions, virtual meditation, tips to manage stress at work and home. The idea is to help people tackle whatever roadblock they may be facing in a given week. Some of these sessions are led by external instructors, while in many cases our own people have stepped up to the plate. Take Krupa from our 22feet Tribal Worldwide team who is a certified trainer and has volunteered to run a fitness class. Things like these make a difference.

    Once office resumes, how will you deal with the increased focus, and in some cases paranoia, regarding health and wellness?

    For starters, we will let people decide when they’re ready to return after the government authorities declare it safe to do so. No organisation, which depends on the creativity and freedom of thought of their people, can be productive if their people show up at work anxious. We’re preparing all our offices keeping in mind sanitation and social-distancing guidelines. But all of this is when our people feel ready to return.

    How are you planning to take care of employees’ psychological state when they get back to work?

    By having an open dialogue with leaders, HR leads with the support of counsellors, and in general having lots of constructive conversations to ensure timely addressing of queries regarding safety and wellbeing of our people.

    According to you, what will the world of HR look like after the lockdown is lifted?

    HR gives importance to the health of employees and their families. Productivity matrix will be a key focus. Different functions will be analysed and their ways of working will be looked into. Re-skilling, restarting and realignment will be the newer approach.

    How are you preparing to bring back your workforce once the lockdown is lifted? 

    We will be phasing out the employees transition once the lockdown is lifted.  Flexibility will be given to join the office. Work-from-home will be encouraged until things start getting better.

    Are there new procedures and practices that are being taken up for the betterment of employees by the HR departments?

    There will be a completely new approach to employee policies. A lot of focus on their health, remote work productivity, lesser crowds in office and virtual engagements will continue. But the lens through which we will continue to look at our policies will remain and that is empathy; to come out of this as healthy and strong as possible.

    What social distancing and sanitization measures are in place in your company?

    Offices have been regularly sanitised even during lockdown; those practices will continue, thermal checks on all employees and visitors will be mandatory, use of sanitizers, gloves and masks will also be mandatory for everyone.

    Generally, the work in the advertising industry begins late. How will you address that issue now?

    Our current work-from-home situation has already instilled a lot of discipline and adoption of tools in order to make things work remotely. People are realising the benefits of this. The focus will be completely on bringing the best out of our people and therefore an increased focus on productivity of employees. Not everything is solved through a company policy alone, but largely through office culture and ours is seen in the continued good work our teams are doing. So far, we have found that common work hours are a useful way to make the most of everyone’s time.

  • The HR role in a post-pandemic world

    The HR role in a post-pandemic world

    MUMBAI: As we look forward to a post-Covid2019 world, minus any lockdown restrictions and worries about the virus, how will companies deal with the scenario? Indeed, the world will never be the same again. How will then companies cope in such a changed world? The human resources (HR) personnel will have the cardinal duty of ensuring seamless business operations and employee welfare. Assessing the new requirements of the office as well as employees will be the immediate task.

    Indiantelevision.com spoke to media and advertising industry heads to understand how their HR heads are preparing for the post-Covid2019 world.

    Townhalls and virtual meet-ups are the common ways to ensure people feel connected to each other. DDB Mudra Group EVP and head-HR Rita Verma and Dentsu Aegis Network head HR business partner – south Asia Sunil Seth say that open and honest communication has been the way to tackle stress.

    “Everyone is juggling their own unique personal living situation, so offering people some flexibility in work schedules and encouraging them to take time off, if they feel overwhelmed, has been critical. We’ve offered physical fitness sessions, virtual meditation, tips to manage stress at work and home. The idea is to help people tackle whatever roadblock they may be facing in a given week,” says Verma.

    On the other hand, #ARM Worldwide co-founder and COO Abhishek Punia says that Covid2019 has taught the importance of mental health. “Psychologically, people will have fears in their mind and by providing them with a safe and clean environment, with all sanitisation and hygiene measures in place, we can instil confidence in their minds,” he says.

    To tackle stress, Logicserve Digital created an online chat room, virtual tea-time session where employees can share stories, dance sessions, pet meetup, meditation sessions and money management sessions.

    TheSmallBigIdea co-founder and CEO Harikrishnan Pillai says that there is a tendency to get deeply engrossed with work and forget that we are humans who are used to interacting with many individuals but now confined to the walls of our homes. “We have encouraged managers to keep speaking with the team members, especially ones staying away from the family or the ones who are new to the organisation,” he says.

    As green zones have slowly started resuming operations, companies will now have to deal with an increased focus on health and wellness and in some cases, paranoia. Companies agree that checks such as using sanitizers or washing hands frequently, thermal scanners, compulsory wearing of masks, reminders to maintain social distancing will have to be taken. Additionally, pre-sanitisation, as well as frequent cleaning, will need to be incorporated as new measures. Another requirement will be to maintain physical distance between employees when they work as well as in spaces like lounges or cafeterias.

    After health measures come flexibility, which most companies will now undertake if they haven’t yet already. The next step is to create batches of employees and divide them into shifts if they are called on the premises.

    Seth says that there will be no change in shifts. Verma adds that common work hours have been found to be fruitful. “Not everything is solved through a company policy alone, but largely through office culture and ours is seen in the continued good work our teams are doing,” she says.

    Godrej & Boyce Mfg has planned for business scenarios and rosters of employees who are required to come to work and which work could be carried out from home. It is also encouraging the use of personal vehicles.

    Logicserve Digital head – HR Anshuman Misra says that they are in no rush to bring the workforce back to the office since flexible policies are already in place. He is considering flexi-working and flexi-timing with a greater focus on results than efforts.

    While most companies are encouraging people to travel using their personal vehicles, if possible, The Visual House founder and CEO Deepmala says that carpools will be encouraged only after considering the health and safety of everyone involved. Similarly, TheSmallBigIdea is considering non-peak-hour travel to ensure minimal contact.

    AGENCY09 culture manager Archita Arekar says that they are mentally prepared for another six months and the HR team is working on a new policy post-Covid2019 that favours work flexibility and employee safety.

    Elderly people have to be extra cautious about the Covid2019 virus. Companies that employ older people need to take extra care. While DAN has a majority of millennials, elderly employees will be advised to continue to work from home until enough measures in the external environment allow them to travel to office with full safety. Same is the case with Logicserve; the company will also be cautious with those who have kids or senior citizens at home or those with health conditions.

    The HR department will play a prime role in ensuring the wellbeing of employees in the new era. This will include creating new policies, structures and measures. There will be a nuanced approach to employee health, safety and wellbeing.

    Verma says that HR will take a health-first approach with lesser crowds and more virtual engagement. Productivity matrix will also be a key focus. Different functions will be analysed and their ways of working will be looked into. Reskilling, restarting and realignment will be the newer approach, according to her. “But the lens through which we will continue to look at our policies will remain, i.e., empathy; to come out of this as healthy and strong as possible,” she adds.

    According to Seth, organisations, where HR practices were strong, will see no difference. However, the HR horizon will require to be widened from the perspective of the psychological and emotional needs of employees. “It will further need a strong configuration in terms of leadership and management. It may also require certain investments to offer in terms of coverage on health, emotional and financial benefits to the employees,” he says.

    As a consequence of the pandemic, companies have started focusing on intensive hygiene practices as a daily routine. Misra says, “Once the lockdown is lifted, HR’s role will be even more crucial and important as the personnel have to continually ensure the health safety and wellbeing of all employees while being aligned with the organisational goals.”

    On the other hand, Pillai says, “In times like these, our HR department has played a crucial role in keeping the teams connected, formulating policies and helping in smooth operations along with the admin team. HR teams will need to be on top of the game as we might be looking at a workforce that won’t meet every day but still need to be kept motivated.”

    HR heads have a lot on their plate right now and going forward, they will have to ensure strong measures that will enable their employees to be at their productive best.

  • Ajit Menon quits DDB Mudra; to join Dalmia Group

    MUMBAI: DDB Mudra Group executive director, organisation development Ajit Menon has decided to move on. His next destination is the Dalmia Group where he will be executive director.

    Menon will be based out of Gurgaon and in charge of HR and administration at Dalmia Group.

    DDB Mudra Group is yet to find a replacement for Menon. The HR and administration functions will currently be divided between Sebastian Joseph (who has been recently elevated to the post of chief executive officer ) and Rita Verma who will take over the HR duties.

    Talking to indiantelevision.com Menon said, “I have worked in almost all industries. The only industry left for me to work in was manufacturing. Dalmia is a traditional Indian company which has done very well for itself and is poised to take things to the next level. It is a similar situation to the one at DDB Mudra (before the takeover). It was an agency when I joined and I worked very closely with Madhukar Kamath to transform it into a communications group. It is the same challenge with the Dalmia Group, only that the scale is tenfold larger.”

    Menon joined DDB Mudra Group (then Mudra Communications) in 2007 as executive vice president. In 2010 he was elevated to the post of Executive director- organization development. He has previously worked with Nirvava Business Solutions and WNS Global Services.

    Menon was recently conferred with the Rashtriya Udyog Ratna award by the National Education and Human Resource Organisation and the Pride of HR award by Employer Brand Awards. In 2011, Menon won the ‘Exemplary Leader‘ Award at the Asia Pac Summit of the World HRD Congress.