Hindware hinting a Way!!!

Neha saraiya finds out how HSIL is curbing attrition by considering the people working for the company as not just employees, but as entrepreneurs
After the much hyped IT boom, now it’s the turn of the manufacturing sector to ride on a high. The sector has been growing at an average rate of 9% in the last four fiscal years (2004-08) & is estimated to reach $300 billion by 2015 (in terms of exports). Little wonder, that India’s manufacturing base stands as the fourth-largest base among all emerging economies of the world. And one company that complements such magnificent base is Hindustan Sanitaryware Industries Ltd. (HSIL). The brand accounts for one third of domestic sanitaryware market in India. The company, which started its journey in 1962 in collaboration with Twyfords of UK, today has a nationwide network of more than 800 dealers and 20,000 sub-dealers & has recently forayed into retail. In an interaction with B&E, Sanjay Gaur, VP (Corporate HR), HSIL speaks about the HR practices persistent in the manufacturing industry. Excerpts from the interview:

B&E: Being pitched in the manufacturing sector, what are the people challenges that HSIL faces & how does the company deal with them?

SG: In today’s world, there is a war for talent. Talent hiring process & the speed of recruitment is a big challenge for us, but at the same time we ensure that the person coming into the organisation feels valued. Apart from this, another big challenge that we face is to manage expectations of high performers, as today market is offering them whatever they ask and these high performers expect a lot. The expectations are not just in terms of money but also in terms of the support that they need from the system. So, from the HR side we give as much personalised service as we can to the people, so that each person feels that they are being taken care of.

B&E: What are the different sources for HSIL to get talent on board?
SG: Apart from the advertisements, consultants and job portals, HSIL also recruits through reference. By the means of referrals, we are in fact building a competitive organisation with a family atmosphere.

B&E: Please elaborate on the induction process that is followed at HSIL.
SG: The moment new employees join the organisation, they are formed into batches and each batch undergoes a three day induction training, where a person is told about the company’s strengths & weaknesses. This batch then meets the Chairman, who is the mentor of the company. Then there is a story telling session, where he narrates how the organisation has grown to reach the levels attained today. This is followed by domain specific training, like for salespersons there is product training of seven days, within which they are certified in product training and after six months they are again revisited in product training to get recertified.

B&E: Today one of the crucial aspects in motivating employees is to ensure they have ample opportunities for growth and career development. What is done in this respect at HSIL?
SG: It is very difficult to keep people motivated especially in today’s environment. We’re doing a lot of things to motivate people. One is to empower them and second is to provide them with tools to perform jobs. We have even made a lot of cross functional teams, so that people learn things other than their routine jobs. There is career growth, which is planned for people and there are rewards and recognitions also set in place for employees. Each of our department heads have been trained to listen to people.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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