Joydeep Chakrabarty has been appointed the new CHRO of Alteen, an IT Services and IT Consulting company. He comes with close to three decades of experience, having worked with industries including hospitality and IT.
Joydeep who has experience in driving cultural transformation through operational excellence to enhance employee engagement and productivity, sees it as essential for an organisation.
In an exclusive interview with People Matters, Joydeep talked about the significance of employee engagement and experience. According to him, employee engagement is not just entertainment and celebrations: those are “essential, however, form only 10% of actual engagement.”
Improving engagement and experience
An IIM Bangalore alumnus, Joydeep believes that employee engagement & experience starts from the very first day in the organisation, all the way to the last working day. “It pans across their work opportunities, learning, recognition, growth, as well as work-life balance.’
As the new CHRO at Alteen, he plans to first focus on talent who are at client locations. “In many organisations, they are usually the most ignored, however they are the biggest brand ambassadors. Clients see them as representatives. Hence it is imperative to meet them regularly, understand their work, successes and challenges, and engage them in customised (based on client norms) organisational learning, recognition and growth initiatives, as well as, of course, their entertainment and celebrations,” says Joydeep.
Consistent employee engagement strategies: An enabler to long-term productivity
Like any business or functional strategy, engagement strategies should be driven by the long term (2-3yrs) desired outcome, points Joydeep. “As we know, any employee-centric drive is either focused towards productivity or retention. Hence there should be a balance between competency development (like L&D), work-life balance (environment & facilities) & “on-time” recognition (rewards, appreciation, etc.”
Key practices to ensure employee engagement
An experienced leader, Joydeep advocates for introducing simple but very impactful initiatives to improve employee engagement and provide a better experience at the workplace. He suggests having a “Caught You Doing it Right” drive, wherein employees are on the spot acknowledged with a certificate or gift coupon, for doing something as basic as switching off lights whilst leaving a meeting room… up to referring a new client lead, and others.
“If the strategy is aimed at becoming the best-in-class employer brand, versus another strategy focussed towards celebrating innovation as a culture, needless to say, the engagement practices need to be starkly different and of course, it needs a serious investment of money, time & branding,” he adds.
Role of managers in fostering consistent performance and engagement
Joydeep emphasizes the crucial role of managers in fostering consistent performance and engagement. He outlines five key strategies for managers to ensure a steady level of engagement and a positive experience for their teams.
Gamified Goal Setting: Introduce a game-like system for performance tracking, where employees earn points or badges for achieving goals, learning new skills, or collaborating. This approach adds fun to work and consistently motivates employees.
30-Minute Innovation Jams: Dedicate 30 minutes weekly for rapid brainstorming sessions where employees pitch ideas to improve processes or develop new products. The best ideas get recognized or implemented, fostering a strong culture of innovation.
Personal Passion Projects: Encourage employees to work on projects that align with their personal passions while also contributing to company goals. This boosts motivation and increases satisfaction by connecting interests with meaningful work.
Surprise Workcations: Reward consistent performers with remote workdays in scenic or relaxing locations. This refreshes motivation, balances work-life, and rewards hard work without losing productivity… just a small margin impact!
Performance with a Purpose: Link team objectives to social causes. For every goal achieved, the company donates to a cause chosen by the team, adding purpose and boosting engagement.