Work Culture

Meeting employee aspirations

As an organisation, the First Indian Corporation is committed to meeting both economic as well as career aspirations of its employees, says Srinivasa Rao Dasari

First Indian Corporation (FIC)—the Indian arm of the $6.72 billion First American Corporation (a Fortune-500 company), believes in being a good paymaster. As an organisation, it wants to take care of all the economic needs of employees, to ensure undivided attention at work. The company encourages employees to innovate and rewards them for successful achievements. These practices form a core part of the HR vision of FIC.

The company has two centres in India—at Hyderabad and in Bangalore. The total headcount in India is about 1550. The Hyderabad centre with 850 employees is bigger and is expanding to accommodate more numbers. The Hyderabad centre has been involved in image and data processing and has recently entered into software development. It caters to the needs of various verticals such as finance and real estate. The Bangalore centre takes care of voice-based activities. The company has taken additional space of 32,000 sq ft to meet its plans of rapid expansion by next fiscal.

Raghu P V, City Manager, First Indian Corporation says, “We will not claim that our HR procedures are the best in the industry. Other companies also offer good packages and career growth options. What makes our company different from others is our commitment to implement in principle our stated position. HR systems in India are in line with those of the First American Corporation (AMC), our parent. Since there is a culture difference between the US and India, we localise practices, taking cue from our parent company.”

Commitment to employees

Raghu elaborates on the company’s commitment in meeting employee aspirations, “We take care of every employee to the extent possible. We ensure flexible working environment, good infrastructure, understanding their requirements and ensuring total transparency. Hierarchy is present, but there is total transparency and accountability. Growth factor is the key for retaining employees. Right from the induction programme, the company encourages them to move up the value chain and grow in their career.”

The company claims that its attrition rate is well below the industry average. In fact, about 30 percent of its employees have been with the organisation for more than five years. It takes pride in the fact that it has been able to ensure employee loyalty, which is rare in the industry.

Training focus

The company provides training on various aspects like managerial capabilities, soft skills, and leadership skills. By inviting feedback on training programmes, FIC ascertains the benefits. FIC encourages employees to move up the value chain by providing training on latest technologies. It also allows them to opt for their choice of projects on different platforms.

The company stresses on the need for building communication skills among employees, most of whom are graduates. These programmes on communication skills are very successful, as many staff members from smaller towns and cities are now able to directly interact with US based clients.

Performance awards

The core part of the HR policy focuses on analysing the performance of employees and encouraging them to enhance their skills for career growth. The company announces the ‘Best Performance’ award every month. This award is based on two parameters—individual excellence and team performance.

In order to break the monotony of their jobs, the company facilitates employee job rotation. This facility enables employees to work on different processes. The best performer gets extra incentives. Employees, who complete one year of service, get loyalty bonus every year.

“We do not put undue pressure on employees and ours is not a sweatshop. We only focus on quality and their job satisfaction. If the performance level is good, higher pay is not at all a problem and our incentives will be made available to those who deserve. Every employee gets performance incentives on achieving the optimum production level,” explains Raghu.

Recruitment process

The recruitment process includes both a written test and an interview with a focus on analysing the right attitude of candidates. Recruitment is mostly referral-based and this shows the confidence level of employees. The company estimates that more than 70 percent of recruitment has been done through the referral system.

Other activities

FIC regularly organises entertainment programmes and sports events for its employees. Employees also participate in the ‘Team Outing’ programme twice a year, and this involves teams going on vacations together.

To fulfil its corporate social responsibility (CSR), FIC encourages employees to participate in welfare activities through ASARE, a trust set up by the company.

It distributed clothes and utensils to tsunami-affected people at Narsapur near West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh.