FM : Riding on learning culture with openness

Forbes Marshall has been ranked No. 11 in the top 25 “Best Workplaces” in India for the year 2011 based on a survey conducted by the Great Place to Work Institute. Forbes Marshall, the only Pune based company to make it to the top 50 list for the country, was awarded the 11th Position among the 471 Companies which participated in the survey across all sections in the Industry. The award ceremony was held in Mumbai on 23/6/11.

Forbes Marshall was also recognised as 2nd best company in the Manufacturing & Production Industry and 2nd best company in employee participation in CSR Activities. Renuka Ankolikar from HR was selected as one of the top ten project champions amongst the 471 company’s who competed. This is the third time Forbes Marshall is ranked among India’s top 25 “Best Workplaces”. They were also listed among the top 25 in 2005 and 2008. In a conversation with BM, Bobby Kuriakose, GM (HR) shares all about, which makes Forbes a great place to work. Excerpts of the Interview :

About your self and your professional journey up to present position

I have completed my Post Graduation in Management from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune and joined Forbes Marshall as a Management Trainee from Campus. I took on the overall responsibility of HR function for the Group Companies in the year 1998 and continue to be associated with the area, but with enhanced responsibilities of Learning and Development .

What are the main tenets that make Forbes Marshall one of the best places to work for

Forbes Marshall Culture which is very open and family oriented is one important aspect. The strong values serve as foundation stones in ensuring that the culture is sustained over the last three generations.
The senior leadership team’s approach to people policies and processes is another aspect which is rated high by the members of the organization.
The learning culture which is nurtured in the organization and tracked very closely with the active involvement of the senior leadership team also adds great value.
The focus given by Forbes Marshall in engaging it’s own employees in CSR initiatives and the satisfaction they derive out of this involvement is another key area.
The involvement of families of members is another area which also is topped with a strong focus on FUN at work.
The people friendly policies also add to making FM being a Great Place to Work.

HR vision of your industry

Forbes Marshall’s HR vision aims at “Being one of the most preferred employers in the country by being a role model organization to our present and potential employees”.

HR initiatives taken by you to fulfill your HR vision

We have been undertaking a lot of initiatives over the last ten years to be in alignment with our HR vision and also being aligned with our strategic objectives.To mention a few:

We have refined all our HR processes over the last 6 years in line with the organizational needs and people expectations.These are reviewed every 18 – 24 months ensure further changes as and when called for.
All our people policies have been developed in consultation with our own members and managers with which we
have been able to improve the receptivity to the process of change.The flexibility which we provide for these policies makes them really special.
In the area of People Development, there has been a clear focus with an in-house developed competency process which helps in better Learning and development initiatives. Importance is given to on the job and off the class room training process in alignment with Basic Principles of Adult Learning.
Our flat structure which has very few levels helps in effective and transparent internal communication in the organization.
There’s a continuous focus to get members feedback and inputs through various forums for communication.This feedback is analyzed with due importance and course corrections are taken wherever necessary.
The focus given on value implementation and value digressions in any form through the FM Value council helps in boosting the employees confidence in the values held by the organization.

Your toughest HR challenge in your career and in present assignment

In the last 20 years with Forbes Marshall, I have faced a lot of challenges. The most challenging ones have been in the process of management of change where you work on people’s beliefs and perceptions and help them to align with the changed situations. This happens when you implement a new HRMS system for the company, talk to members on the shopfloor about a competency map to be done for them, or sitting with the union committee in negotiating an agreement. One of the toughest challenge I faced was when we had to handle a series of forced separations in the organization a few years back, mainly due to performance issues.You can understand, in a family oriented culture in existence for last six decades, where forced separations are a rare phenomenon, it was a daunting task to make our members understand the need for reviewing low performance and take a tough stand where course corrections where a challenge.

Your organization’s HR practices

Some of our unique practices which I feel have made Forbes Marshall a vibrant place to work are:

FM Blue Wave (Our Own Inhouse Band ) – 2 years ago,we held our very own “FM Idol”, the winners of which have now formed an In house Band called the Blue Wave.Twice in the year we have the Blue Wave Evening where we all move and groove to the tunes of Blue Wave.A proper mix of Bollywood, Hollywood and Pop tracks in turn rock the evenings.
Dushhera Celebrations & Dandiya – Every year we celebrate Dushhera on which members are traditionally dressed, decorate their departments with rangolis, have their departmental poojas, the machine shop poojas.There is a Common pooja at both locations where all the members are present.The Directors address this.
Then we have the Dandiya celebration with the typical ghagras, music and garba followed by dinner.
Birthday Celebrations – On the birthday of a member a Birthday Card signed by all the members of HR along with a gift from the company is given.
Theme Days – FM celebrates various days like Red and White Day, Bangle and Hat day,Traditional day etc.These kinds of activities keep the work place vibrant and get a lot of energy to work as all members are refreshed.
Annual Day Celebrations – We celebrate our Annual Day every year sometime during the month’s of December-January. Our members and our member’s children arrange a cultural programme. Long service awards are given to members who have completed 21, 25, 30 and 35 years of service with FM.The entire event is organized in-house; our members erect even the stage with the plates from the Boiler shop. Every member of the company with their spouses convenes for a day of fun and entertainment, in a completely social atmosphere.
Baby Gifts – Babies are a bundle of joy and we like being a part of this joyous moment in the life our members by contributing with a gift for the baby. This is given only for the first two babies in a family.
Administrative Professionals’Day – Since the year 2000 we have been organizing “Secretaries Day”. It helped the Departments recognize the efforts of their Secretaries. It is a day filled with fun and frolic for the Secretaries.
Departmental Outings – For a cohesive working environment it is important that the members within the Department gel well. Hence,we encourage members to socialize with each other’s families outside the factory premises.We also encourage departments to go out for social outings with other departments.The company bears the majority of the expenses incurred for such social outings.
One major Event every Quarter (which involves the family of the member): – E.g. Movie Outings,Orchestra, Children’s Picnic, Nature camps etc.
Annual Cricket match – This again is an annual event organized by the FM Sports Club wherein departments come up with Teams and the winners are awarded during the Annual Day celebrations.The club also organizes matches for indoor games like carom, table tennis, etc. annually.
Meljol – A day of fun for all our lady members.We believe that working women walk a tight rope managing Home and office.They do not get a minute for themselves.We therefore decided to gift them an evening for their own selves where for once they do not have to think about cooking, family, boss and office.The evening begins with fun & games followed by dinner and finally the Dance Floor.
Sports Week – Sports Committee arranges the Sports week once in a year where we have all the members rushed on to the sports field. Series of Cricket,Table Tennis and Carom matches makes all the FM members sweat.The sports champions are awarded on the annual day eve.
Soccer Mania – We celebrated the Soccer mania in the month of September.We had 32 teams participating which itself displayed the excitement involved in it.
Members playing in specially designed jerseys with Waka Waka music accompanied by hot Samosas and tea were worth a celebration to enjoy your heart out.
Food Festivals – Food festivals are arranged twice in a year where all the community ladies have a spread of all the delicacies from different parts of the country. All the members relish this festival.This provides one more opportunity for all the teams to celebrate and enjoy together.

What are the challenges that you face despite all the best practices

Some of the typical challenges we face despite all the best practices are in managing people expectations with respect to their own growth, both career and monetary angle.As you know these are challenges faced by any organization especially when you have a flat structure and the growth is more horizontal than vertical. The gaps in this area ends up in attrition levels being sometimes higher but we have always been within the industry average.

Secret of your professional success

There’s no secret as such. It’s a matter of being the self you are, have your core values being aligned to the organizations values so that you don’t have pressures to match them since they are naturally aligned. I strongly believe that someone with a passion for the profession you are involved in will never feel that you are working .This combined with a feet on the ground attitude and limited ego factor will help a person to be successful in his/her career.

What kind of a leader you are

I strongly believe in giving my team members the space to perform with the accountability factor very clearly resting on their shoulders. When there are gaps in the deliverables, I do help them to do course corrections but not at all tolerant to sloppiness.

What kind of leader would you desire to be considered

I think my expectation of what I should be considered and what I’m today with respect to my own leadership style is mostly in alignment with what’s mentioned above.

Any professional’s development goals set by you for your self and your organization

Yes! the HR team in Forbes Marshall to be one of the best HR Departments in the country and for self, to be one of the most respected HR professionals in the country by 2015.

pportunities and threats emerging in Indian HR function

Many,many organizations have HR teams where Gen Y working under Gen X population where the final accountability lies with someone from the “Baby boomer”Generation. The creates a huge void in the overall perceptions and aligning of the HR function to overall organization goals. Another challenge is in aligning HR strategies with Organizational strategies in true sense of term by the HR leaders. Third important aspect is in ensuring Employee engagement in a floating population where the tenure of stay has become very limited.

Any individual / professional who has influenced your thought process

There are many, from my parents on to some of my teachers on to my own senior colleagues in the Organization.

What irritates you most at work place

Delay in implementation of any idea which is really exciting…

One skill you would still like to learn

Art of saying NO to people wherever it’s extremely critical.

One natural ability you are blessed with by God

I have great convincing skills and a God given sixth sense and sense of humour.

Any tough / painful decision you had to make against your desire at workplace

Not really…I typically first get convinced myself and then it’s typically not against my desire or conscience.

How HR can acquire center stage in business environment

HR professionals should be clear on the existence of their function and constantly keep reviewing whether they are adding Value to business by:

Providing right people at the right time
Ensuring they are on Board with the shortest possible period.
Help people enhance their capabilities by learning/refining their competencies.
Ensure the ineffective people are weeded out rapidly.
Ensure external and internal Employer Brand.
Help the line managers to be the real HR Champions.
Create a climate of learning mixed with fun where people should say “Thank God it’s Monday”.
Focus on these will bring HR to the centre stage.

What are your contributions in HR function throughout your career

I think I have been able to bring professional credibility to HR function in our organization. I think I have managed to develop a high level of Trust about the function among the senior leadership team. I have also been assistance to many HR professionals across the country to be more effective from mutual learning we have had.