MUMBAI: A group of employees at Marico recently came together to modify a junkyard in the office premises and convert it into a sports arena. At Siemens, an employee team at its Worli office in Mumbai started a yoga class,the objective was not mere health and fitness but also bringing cross-functional people together for better collaboration at work.
Like Marico and Siemens, Edelweiss Financial Services, HCL Technologies, Dell, Nielsen, Philips India are among several companies focusing on leveraging selfforming groups to bring employees together for fun and engagement, as well as to translate that to work.
Self-forming groups are becoming increasingly relevant in an environment of prolonged financial slowdown as they help motivate employees without involving huge investments for the company. "The future of HR is to facilitate selfforming teams to come together.
It is the biggest form of employee engagement," says Shaily Gupta, group head, human resources, Edelweiss Financial Services. Self-forming groups are one form of empowering employees to connect and form strong social bonds with colleagues, adds Ashutosh Telang, executive vice president and global head-HR at Marico.
The HR at Edelweiss is currently facilitating groups such as running club, adventure club and photography clublike-minded people can come together and engage in their hobbies and interests. The company's internal social network PING also helps people with similar interests to come together, share and learn.
At Marico, such teams include community development groups to create awareness on health and safety, working mothers groups, and a self-formed cricket team. Providing employees an empowered environmentthey have the freedom to form groups based on common interests or facilitating such group formation improves social bonds and overall engagement.
"The forums not only enable employees to have fun but provide platforms to connect, celebrate, express themselves, learn and bond at the workplace. The outcome is a more connected, content and productive workforce," says Marico's Telang. Progressive companies are even leveraging such groups to shape people practices and policies within the organisation.
This year, HCL Technologies reshaped itster of 'Employees First Council' to evolve an 'Employees First, Customers Second' strategic model to be "employee-led, management-embraced." The council was started in 2008 to provide staff an opportunity to express their passion. "It will enable employees to have a role in shaping policies for themselves and for their colleagues," says Prithvi Shergill, chief human resources officer. Instead of having just a certain set of employees in leadership positions or HR to do that, employees take personal accountability for the change they wish to see in the organisation, he adds.
The employees group started with five councils: Community Service, Grey Cells (focused on quizzing and other intellectual interests), Sports, Personal Talent and Wellness. Later, two more councils, though focused more on work, were started - Women Council and Ambassador Council (focused on representing the HCL brand).
HCL also has Interest Clubs, which are primarily online platforms for the employees with common interest to connect. There are eight such clubs: Clic - The Photography Club, The Foodies Club, The Pet Club, The Toastmasters Club, Library On Demand, HCL Record breakers, The Polyglots corner and Bikers' Club. These clubs use the company's internal social networking platform 'MEME' to bring together like-minded people who wish to share tips, pictures, and knowledge.
Siemens has facilitated collaboration groups across different locations wherein employees periodically come together to discuss various issuestransportation, road accidents, safety and health, and suggest solutions. "These are not only self-forming but self sustaining groups. People different functions, who have perhaps never met, get to see and know each other," says Ramesh Shankar S, executive VP - HR at Siemens. The company is currently in the process of launching its internal social network as a collaborative tool for staff.
Adds Madhavi Lall, head-group employee relations, group HR at Standardtered Bank: "The benefits are several: one gets to know people across functions and interact with them in an informal environment; it helps foster bonding and the competition develops team spirit." Among its groups, in the West, the recreation club organises indoor game tournaments during the monsoon as well as hockey, cricket and football tournaments.
Nielsen has various clubs include Hit F5 (employee fun club), wellness club, dance club, and a soon-to-be-launched cooking club. " an engagement perspective, these clubs help keep employees morale and passion," says Sheen Sunny Akkara, ED-HR, Nielsen India & South Asia. Dell has a number of interest groups that are formed and run by the employee: the runners group, photography club, quizzing club, toastmasters club, cricket club and cycling club.
"The groups provide employees an opportunity to pursue their hobbies with colleagues, resulting in a stronger professional bond," says Ritu Rakhra, HR director, Asia Talent Services. At Philips, the largest self-formed group is called JOSH: it drives small fun-at-work initiativesquizzes. Employees have also formed interest groupsphotographers club, trekking group, etc.
"Forumsthese break the monotony of work and help teams connect across the organisation," says Yashwant Mahadik, VP, head of HR India & Indian subcontinent.
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