Last year, the pandemic wrought disruption on workforces around the world. Now, as corporate offices welcome employees back, HR and people managers face new and unprecedented challenges. With 488,000 employees in 46 countries, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has proven to be a case study in how to navigate uncertainty, with the company experiencing its lowest attrition rate in history, employees investing 43 million hours in learning, and social impact programs meeting ambitious goals ahead of schedule.
To talk about how TCS put its employees, communities, and customers first throughout the pandemic, we welcomed back to the show Balaji Ganapathy, Chief Social Responsibility Officer at TCS.
Listen for Balaji’s insights on:
- Why purpose is an anchor during trying times, and how it can allow for reinvention while maintaining long-term vision and growth
- How companies of any size can adapt to “borderless” workplace models which allow for flexibility and accountability while still upholding culture, and values
- Why companies must recognize the shifting roles their employees have taken on since the start of the pandemic, including the burden that caretakers will continue to shoulder even as they transition back to a “normal” work routine
- The importance of recognizing employees’ mental health and providing both benefits and an environment in which employees feel empowered to invest in their mental wellbeing
Links & Notes
- (00:00) – Welcome to Purpose 360
- (01:01) – Balaji Ganapathy from TCS
- (03:48) – By the Numbers
- (05:05) – Being a Superbrand
- (06:58) – Purpose Is the New Technology
- (10:21) – India in the Pandemic
- (16:05) – Lessons Learned Through COVID
- (18:35) – Customer Response
- (20:39) – Retention Rate
- (21:49) – A Talent Cloud Model
- (23:10) – In the Know
- (26:12) – Returning to the Office
- (31:44) – Using Employee Input
- (33:07) – Early Mental Health, Women, and Listening – How Are These Coming Together?
- (35:41) – Transforming the Programs
- (37:23) – Integrating with HR
- (39:39) – Keeping Volunteering Up During COVID
- (42:12) – Employee Response
- (44:30) – Vaccine Equity
- (46:02) – How to Work With Employees as They Come Back
- (49:38) – Predictions for Employer/Employee Relationship Moving Forward
- (52:01) – Purpose as the Glue
- (55:06) – Final Thoughts
