h ow 'employees first' philosophy helps women succeed at hcl
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BELIEVE
H
ow ‘Employees First’ philosophy helps women succeed at HCL
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From the Diversity Desk
dream is fuelled and fulfilled by belief. Most things in life, come down to what we
believe in. That said, it is important to have someone who believes in you.
At HCL, we believe in the women who work with us in making this organisation the dynamic and
diverse place it is.
Across the globe, women are assuming leadership roles in business, politics, education and
society. Research indicates that women bring irreplaceable skills into the workplace. They are
excellent mediators, great networkers and place value in building relationships.
How do we, at HCL, leverage the intrinsic values of our women employees to make a positive
contribution in the workplace? In turn, how do we contribute to their professional growth?
‘Believe ‘, our e-book initiative, takes the first step in studying the impact and assimilation of
‘Employees First’ philosophy by the women in our organisation.
Believe is a celebration of all those who select HCL as an employer of their choice, a salutation
to those, who work hard to make our organisation what it is and recognition of our women
leaders who have stayed with us through our journey.
To succeed in today’s global economy, it is imperative to identify, motivate and guide women
professionals. Inspiring women to assume leadership positions is a top management priority at
HCL.
Our approach toward this vision is simple.
We believe!
Srimathi Shivashankar
A
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EFCS CULTURE AT HCL
TECHNOLOGIES
Making Way for Dreams
CLT has now become synonymous with its ‘Employees First, Customer Second’ culture,
which has re-defined the way we build upon the foundation of our organisation. We thought it
interesting to understand how our innate philosophy impacted one of our core-strength
employee-groups, our diverse women workforce.
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The four main tenets of the ‘Employees First Customers Second’ philosophy (EFCS) are:
Mirror Mirror
Trust through Transparency
Inverting the Pyramid
Recasting the Role of the CEO
Mirror Mirror is about self-analysis and creating the need for change, while dreaming about the
romance of tomorrow. Trust through Transparency is about the openness shared between
employees and management. Inverting the Organisational Pyramid, deals with making enabling
functions accountable to employees; whilst Recasting the Role of the CEO deals with leaders
recognising that they are not the only source for change, and learning to place the next
generation of leaders closer to the value zone.
Promoting Positive Behaviours
From the above, we derive important workplace attributes: self-oriented and team-oriented,
personal and interpersonal. We spoke to our women employees at different stages in their
career and asked them questions, related to these derivatives in an attempt to understand their
assimilation of EFCS.
All these behaviours are closely interlinked and directly relate to our EFCS philosophy.
For us women professionals, it is imperative to Speak up and voice our questions and concerns.
Be clear about your level of understanding of an issue and clarify if you need further
understanding. Do not make promises about deliverables that you cannot manage.
Accountability and Self-directed Leadership are important attributes for future leaders to
inculcate. Be Direct and Sensitive in all your communication. While working in a diverse
environment, it is important to ensure that, what you say and do makes your colleagues feel
included.
Being Data-Oriented is critical in any stage of your career. Numbers are important. They help us
understand where we are and where we have come from. Women leaders must work toward
building and promoting a Democratic and Egalitarian environment, where team members feel
they are making meaningful contributions.
Create an environment where employees have the Freedom and Space for Innovation.
Encourage New Ideas and be supportive of efforts that do not translate into expected
outcomes. New leaders emerge from environments where mentors support them even after a
fall. Confidence and trust are boosted after such experiences.
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Women leaders must ask themselves if they are encouraging Passion for New Ideas and
Opportunities in their teams. While Dealing with Ambiguous Situations, their behaviour must
be a positive reference for their teams to learn from.
These behaviours are exercised by women when the workplace is enabling and inclusive. HCLT’s
women believe that EFCS ensures such a work environment for them.
“At HCLT, Gen Y women employees bring to the table, high energy, passion and innovation. They are strong, confident and assertive. Motivating them to grow and eventually assume leadership roles will ensure organisational growth.”
- Ravishankar B, SVP – HR
"The contribution of women to the success of our engagement has grown substantially in the last three years. They have contributed everywhere: support, development, technical and domain work and have played enabling and influencing roles. We have consciously decided to increase the women members in our engagement because they are great neutralizers in conflicting situations. Today, our women workforce is a whopping 26%, as against a mere 8% four years back.”
- Balaji Prasad Nandagopal, Vice President
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ESHA, FARAH & SARAH Diverse Dreams, Common Challenges
ntroducing to you, Esha,
Farah and Sarah, three bright
talented women professionals
who represent the different
stages in which a woman’s
career evolves. Each of them
has a unique story to tell. They
have dreams, aspirations and
questions, just like any of us.
You may identify with one of
them. Or, even all of them.
Through their questions, we
understand the challenges we
women face in various stages
of our careers and what we can
do to overcome them.
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INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
ESHA’S STORY
sha is a young engineering graduate. She represents the new generation of qualified
individuals who are looking to work in IT Services and making their mark in global organisations.
Esha was interviewed on campus by HCL Technologies. A campus leader, she also received offers
from other Tier-1 companies. Like any young graduate of today, Esha had a choice.
These were some of Esha’s questions, whilst deciding her ‘employer of choice’
Would her induction programme give her all
the relevant information to succeed both,
personally and professionally?
Would there be relevant training programmes
and opportunities to hone her soft skills?
Would the company send her abroad and give
her the experience of working on-site?
Would she be in an environment where she
could voice her concerns and ask questions?
Was the company a responsible one in terms
of diversity and sustainability?
Would she have opportunities to network with
women outside her team?
Can she reach out to senior women, when she
needs guidance?
Are there appropriate channels to address
safety issues?
Will she get the chance to work with global teams?
She had worked hard to complete her engineering degree with proficient grades. She had
presented papers in National level conferences; she cared about the environment and would
represent the third-generation of women who had a career in her family.
Esha also knew what she did not want. She wanted to be ‘heard’ not ‘herded’. She wanted
managers who would recognise her talents and help her grow.
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Esha’s father enjoyed seeing the HCL Technologies advertisements on television. He felt there
was a human element attached to all their branding and suggested, that they go online to learn
more about the organisation.
When they opened the company’s official website, they were greeted by the words,
‘Employees First’, and a video, encouraging them to learn more about it. They followed this by
viewing another video, which gave them an Introduction to HCL Technologies by the CEO, Vineet
Nayar.
“This looks like an interesting concept,” said Esha’s father. “When a company chooses to put
you first, I think you should choose that company.” Esha felt encouraged by her father’s
perspective. Choosing HCL Technologies felt right. She had a good feeling that all her questions
would be answered positively at HCL Technologies.
A few weeks later, Esha’s father dropped his daughter at the gates of one of HCL Technologies’
contemporary facilities. He felt positive.
After all, he had always put his daughter first.
Now, her company did too.
Connecting with Gen Y
Today, HCL Technologies has many bright professional women like Esha working with us to
create ‘Technology that touches lives’. They are Gen Y who represent the future of our
workplace.
Literature suggests, Gen-Yers unlike Baby Boomers ‘work to live’ and not ‘live to work’.
A study conducted by the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation indicates that Gen-
Yers, people born after 1980, are predicted to make up about 75% of the world’s total
workforce by 2025. Women are projected to account for 51% of the increase in total labour
force growth between 2004 and 2015. To compete in a global marketplace and record
sustainable growth, it is important to understand the aspirations of the younger generation and
our Gen Y women workforce.
"This year 49% of our fresher recruitment from campuses are women. I know this number will continue to grow with more women joining the engineering stream. We have proactively created an environment for women to contribute and develop equitably, hence preparing ourselves to compete in the global market place."
-Vaidyanathan R, Executive CVP & Chief Cost Officer
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Research indicates:
Women Gen-Yers consider work as an integral part of their lives
They want to feel a sense of service
They seek global opportunities and a chance to explore new cultures
Communication is at their finger-tips, they enjoy social networking and information
sharing
They want employers who provide them with contemporary avenues of communication
They want less lines of division and the freedom to ‘speak up’
They are prone to be entrepreneurs and look for their corporate careers to give them
space for innovation
They want to be treated as equals while feeling a sense of security
While there is strong focus on aligning an organisation’s vision with that of Gen Y as a whole, we
must also understand what the women from this generation expect from their employers. At
HCLT, we build a work environment with programmes, platforms and avenues to hire, retain and
motivate employees like Esha.
Creating Tomorrow’s Workplace Today
Meme: Our Innovative Social Networking Website Ritu was excited when her company launched a Facebook-inspired social networking website,
‘Meme’ which is a great tool to network within HCLT. One can even interact with the CEO
through Meme!
Ritu managed EPIC, an initiative which had 51,000 employees on-board. When she wanted to
promote EPIC internally, ‘Meme’ was the perfect channel. Meme was bombarded by EPIC posts
and her initiative was a great success. She explains that Meme is a great stress-buster. In the
middle of a long day, you can log on to Meme, read a motivational story or a humorous
anecdote, network with your colleagues and feel refreshed instantly.
Ritu delivers high value to her customers - her internal employees because of the EFCS
influenced work environment.
“At work, I am encouraged to pursue new ideas and am given a lot of freedom,” she
says. “That makes all the difference.”
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"At CSMP, we promote a work environment where women are provided equal opportunities and can speak up and voice their opinions. We understand that someone challenging the status quo is important for innovation and that is what diversity brings to a work place."
- Rajiv Sodhi, Senior CVP and Chief Customer Officer
Women’s Councils: Supportive Networks
Anitha enjoys leading the Women’s Council for her facility. Taking part in the council’s
programmes is a great way to learn about various women-related issues and network. Webinars
and seminars on health, wellness, career and time management are some of the programmes
conducted for women employees.
Through the council, women on maternity leave receive special support where their maternity
benefits are explained to them. Anitha found the programmes dealing with health issues such as
cervical cancer and breast cancer detection very informative. She encourages all the women
employees to pay attention to their women council e-mails and attend as many programmes as
possible.
Since an on-site crèche was not available in her facility, Anitha worked on establishing a tie-up
with a near-site crèche. Doing something positive for her women colleagues gives her a sense of
satisfaction.
Anitha believes that the overall responses to the programmes are positive with ‘Employees First’
philosophy inherent in all activities.
“All the women I interact with are very happy in HCLT,” she says. “It‟s a fun place to work
in.”
Feminspiration: Inspiring Young Leaders
Neha was excited when Kiran Bedi, her role model, was called to address HCLT’s women about
community leadership and launch the Feminspiration series- a motivational program where
guest speakers are invited to speak to women. During the talk, Neha enjoyed hearing Kiran
Bedi’s description of the TEA concept: Trust, Empower and Align. Neha came out of the talk,
feeling empowered.
Neha is sold 100% on the EFCS philosophy. She believes, “It is all about directing yourself and
turning to the company for support.”
“We may not have the opportunity to go outside and attend programmes like this,” says
Neha. “It is great that HCLT is bringing these programmes to us.”
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MAD Ltd: Making Future CEOs
When HCLT announced a platform to celebrate innovation and leadership, a woman
professional was crowned the winner. KAP (Kids-Adults-Plants), an exceptional idea was
propagated by the first CEO of MAD Ltd, Shyamali Rathore. Out of thousands of entries received,
her idea came out as a winner in the ‘MAD Ltd’ contest.
Shyamali ideated a social program, connecting the adults who have time to spare, and the will
to share this time, educating orphans and street kids.
Power of One: Inculcating a Sense of Service
Srividya believes that HCLT truly puts its Employees First. The company was quick to recognise
that a majority of the employees wanted to volunteer, but did not know how to go about it.
When the ‘Power of One’ initiative was launched, she was inspired by the idea of volunteerism.
Srividya is a ‘Power of One’ leader from her facility and works with adopted youth clubs for the
rehabilitation of local slums. She wants to make an impact in her community and give the
under-privileged children, the chance to believe that there is a brighter future.
She makes time for her role as a ‘Community Service Leader’ because, the smiles she sees on
the faces of the people that she touches, is motivation enough.
“If I were doing only my routine activities the whole day, I would feel drained out.” says
Srividya. “Being involved in „Power of One‟ activities recharges my energy levels.”
When Naomi, a Communications graduate, started work, she wondered if she would make a fit
in an IT organisation. She has always been interested in Corporate Social Responsibility, but
assumed that HCLT would let her work on CSR projects only after a couple of years.
She was pleasantly surprised at the level of confidence HCLT placed on her, as soon as she
joined. She was given projects that not only challenged her, but also helped her learn more
about the organisation. Today, Naomi leads CSR initiatives in Bangalore. She works on
identifying suitable CSR partners and is thrilled to receive complete ownership of all her
projects. The great trust that her team has on her, motivates her to be more organised and
accountable. Today, her project, ‘Dream IT’ is a successful program with over 500 employees.
Naomi respects the fact that she can talk to senior leaders directly; which, has given her
confidence when she interacts with leaders outside.
“When I come up with a new idea, I am never put down,” says Naomi. “This is a positive
sign for me.”
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"Focusing on women advancement is a business requirement today. I know many women in HCL who have benefitted from our inclusive policies, and continue to grow both professionally and personally. I think their contribution to HCL's growth is immense and they lead many change initiatives.”
- GH Rao, Senior CVP
HCLwomen.com & BlogHer: Encouraging Expression
Anita was given the project of launching HCLwomen.com, very early on in her career. Initially,
she felt completely overwhelmed; but, with the guidance and support of her reporting manager,
she began to gain confidence. Her role was to generate content for the website that showcased
achievements of HCLT’s women professionals to the outside world.
For Anita, confidence came with transparency. She was meticulous in understanding the content
for the website before it was presented to the outside world.
Anita describes the site as one that brings external women one step closer to HCLT and helps
them identify with HCL Technologies as an employer of choice.
Anita believes that the ‘Employees First’ philosophy must be understood in a holistic way.
“‟Employees First‟ is not only about what HCLT can do for me,” says Anita. “It is also about
what I can do to take my organisation forward.”
"Our ‘Employees First’ philosophy has helped HR teams to create new policies and support systems which are gender neutral, but primarily benefiting women to manage work life priorities. The BlogHer initiative of the diversity team has helped us to understand gender perspectives better and I am glad that HCLites partner with HR for drafting new policies through this forum"
- Dilip Kumar Srivastava, CVP and Head HR
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STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE
FARAH’S STORY
arah has been with HCL Technologies for
over six years now.
She has an enriching career and manages her time
wisely to maintain a work-life balance.
She schedules her son’s day-care routine with the
same élan as she schedules her conference calls.
Week-ends are strictly meant for family and she
ensures maximum productivity during the
work week. Her customers are happy with her and
her team’s deliverables.
Farah has a supportive employer in HCLT. She had
heard about women who were given lesser
responsibilities when they decided to start a
family, which did not happen in her case. HCLT did
not lessen her visibility. They increased her flexibility. She used her maternity leave benefits and
worked flexi-hours to spend more time with her son. She was happy that important facilities like
lactation rooms and on-site daycares were made available to her, when she needed them.
HCLT’s support enthused Farah from within. She was quick to assimilate the tenets of EFCS and
apply them at the workplace. She learnt to navigate through ambiguous situations and was not
afraid to take risks. Maintaining a balance between work and home, meant being data-oriented
on the job. She felt accountable to her organisation for they had supported her fully when
needed. She blogged about her experiences in BlogHer and as her responsibilities grew; she
extended similar support to the women who reported in to her. Working with people across
different locations, Farah learnt to build trust across virtual teams. That was possible only
through direct communication and information sharing. She also reached out to the Women
Bouncing Board members, to get tips on work-life balance.
Today, Farah represents the future of our women leaders. From her story, we learn that one
gives support to get support.
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“Diversity is a source of organizational strength. Gender diversity by inclusion and enabling work continuity for women has created a positive environment in the organization. Many women in the organization have been having successful careers. Women in my teams have brought in diversity of thought and provided perspectives that have made our team more mature in thinking and execution. I am happy to see women take up leadership positions and am looking forward to a higher representation.”
-Vijay Anand Guntur, Senior Vice President
Connecting with Managers: Supporting Choices
Irrespective of their diverse backgrounds, women continue to play their natural role as
nurturers. A woman’s natural instinct is to care for her family and is not diminished even as she
contributes to the professional workforce. Today’s managers want to work in organisations that
understand their need to balance both.
Research on women managers indicates the following:
Though motivated by extrinsic factors, monetary compensation, bonuses etc,
women managers also want roles that motivate them intrinsically. They want roles
that create an impact
Women must be given the flexibility to tailor their careers and responsibilities to
meet their personal demands
Women want their organisations to acknowledge their need, to play other fulfilling
roles in their lives as mothers, daughters, friends and partners and view them as a
‘whole’ person who values relationships
Single women do not want to be discriminated because they may not have
husbands or children. Work-life balance is not only about balancing children and
careers; it includes developing hobbies and interests beyond work
Women want ownership of their projects
Women flourish in environments where they are supported although they may
encounter set-backs. This gives them the confidence to persevere during obstacles,
knowing the management will support them
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At the managerial level, women face the following challenges:
They feel the need to go the ‘extra mile’ to show their capabilities because they are a
minority in the organisation
Due to the delicate work-life balancing, they do not find time to network beyond the
organisation
In many cultures, strategic decision-making is conducted during informal networking
and women are not included
Stereotypes and prejudices still exist in some workplaces
They seek alternative careers to manage work-life better
The guilt-factor about not spending enough time with their children exists
They feel the need to be perfect in everything they do both at home and work-related
projects
They burden themselves with their own high self-expectations
HCLT provides women employees with a supportive environment for them to steer through
challenging moments in their careers as well as hone their managerial skills.
Rise and Shine: Managing Challenges
Strike a Balance
Heena is a manager with the Organisational Effectiveness team. She joined the organisation
when her daughter was only three, a challenging time for any mother. However, Heena found
that HCLT’s forward-thinking and inclusive work environment was conducive in making that
adjustment. She has what she calls a ‘switch-on’ and ‘switch-off’ policy at work and home which
helps her dedicate time equally.
Heena believes that balancing work-life issues must be self-directed. She feels that the
organisation has a lot of policies and incentives for working mothers and one has to know how
to leverage each of these, to make the best fit.
“HCLT does a lot to promote work-life balance for women,” she says. “Now, it is the men
who need more such programmes.”
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Dare to Dream
Saloni has worked with HCLT for over a decade and manages UK-based retail accounts.
She values the level of flexibility given to the employees. When family members are unwell or
emergency situations arise, HCLT is very supportive. Saloni feels that most women are
apprehensive about their abilities to balance work-life issues. She has seen capable women not
want to take up additional responsibilities because they assume they cannot handle them. This
leads to women taking low-visibility roles that may not fully leverage their skill-sets.
“Do not make assumptions,” advises Saloni. “Think wisely, plan your career path and
grow smartly. Women must not second-guess themselves.”
Experiment and Experience Chitra was an HR generalist with HCLT, before she decided to take a sabbatical. When she
decided to resume, not only did she receive a warm welcome but she was also given a unique
portfolio that involved working with diversity-related programmes and initiatives.
Chitra believes that HCLT is an organisation that is ready to experiment, that gives employees
the opportunity to be involved in something new and exciting at all times.
“We have the capacity to use our skill-sets across various projects,” says Chitra. “This
helps us in learning and progressing.”
Embrace Diversity Janice embraces the fact that HCLT is a diversity-sensitive employer. She started at HCLT by providing administrative support for an International team. According to her, the journey has been challenging and fascinating, one that involves education, training, cooperation, initiative, and a continuous quest to excel. She is pleased to be involved working on diversity programmes. Research is an important facet of her responsibilities and Janice is happy to share her findings. “In the past, women's advancement was only seen as an issue of fairness and equality,”
she shares. “Now, research indicates that it must be seen in another way, the business
demands it.”
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Network and Share Munira provides delivery management expertise across various teams in HCLT. She believes that
self-directed employees, who take accountability seriously and are not afraid to speak up, will
succeed irrespective of their gender.
Munira appreciates the programmes, platforms and initiatives that HCLT promotes for its
employees. She observes that in some cultures, women and men do not make an effort to
network informally, a behavior, not prevalent elsewhere. Key decisions are made near the
coffee machine or over lunch and at times, women are left out.
She feels, those who are not part of informal teams, do not get the opportunity to make an
impact. However, she observes that the current generation of working women does not hesitate
to network with their peers. This is a positive sign.
On the topic of work-life balance, Munira advises women to be true to the concept.
“Don‟t focus only on balancing the „life‟ part of the equation,” says Munira. “Give your
work your 100% and you are sure to be recognised.”
Stay Upgraded
Sundaravalli is a manager who spends time in ensuring that her team members are in a
‘comfort zone’ where they can manage their time and deliverables. She encourages the women
in her team by giving them specific growth plans and works with them accordingly. She believes
that managers must play the dual-role of guides and mentors. Women in the technical field, in
the quest of achieving work-life balance, must remain technologically savvy.
“Women are good leaders as the skills come naturally to them coupled with the instincts
of treating employees with care and understanding,” she says. “This is a very good
combination for the successful growth of an organisation.”
Learn through Experience
Jaya believes that HCLT has given her rich experience across various sub-functions within HR and
delivery, that she has not felt the need to look to move beyond the organisation. Her moment of
pride was when one of the customers from New Zealand used her story of her career growth
and work ethic as an example to motivate. She recounts him describing HCLT as an organisation
where the sky is the limit, as long as one has the zeal to excel.
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“The focus on diversity has really helped us achieve business scale. Almost 30% of our growth has come through our women employees. Not only have they contributed to growth in volume, their dedication and ownership has been a vital reason for our continued success in execution excellence. If we have been enjoying a CSAT of 6.4/7 continuously, a large part of the credit should go to our women employees. Similarly, they have also played a very critical role in protecting the culture as we grew and that has made the growth sustainable.”
--Prabhuraman S, Vice President
Today, Jaya works on various functions and assignments with a diverse workforce. She feels that
when passion is the driving force for work, work-life balance never comes across as an issue. She
has never felt bogged down by her travels or meeting deadlines. Stretching her capabilities at
work and achieving successful results fulfils her dream of becoming a competent woman leader.
"There are no set rules for growth,” says Jaya. “You carve out your own path.”
Motivate and Mentor
Supreet has successfully managed the delivery for a major HCLT customer since the account’s
inception. Today, her account has grown from a 13-seater to one of the largest contact centers
with over 240 seats. Along with her Senior Manager, she meets the front-line employees
individually to get the pulse of the process and takes timely actions to resolve issues.
When talking about navigating through ambiguous situations, Supreet recalls being handed over
a new team of eleven members, where ten were put on a special list and were asked to improve
their performance. Somehow, the team came to know about this and grew worried. Supreet
took this exercise as a challenge and turned the team around. She mentored and motivated
them by requesting experts from her network to help them upgrade their skills. As a result, out
of the ten-member team, six cleared the Team Leader IJPs in different accounts and one became
a Quality Analyst in one of the UK accounts within three months.
“With EFCS in enforcement, I feel empowered to take decisions,” says Supreet. “I have
the authority to bring in a change if it is for the good of the
organisation.”
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SELF-DIRECTED LEADERSHIP
SARAH’S STORY
arah has worked in the IT industry for over
twelve years. She has experience and expertise. Sarah
represents a unique group of women leaders who
have seen organisations evolve, both incrementally
and radically. Along with their industries and
organisations, they have also evolved.
Sarah has seen the IT industry, grow, change, flourish,
re-orient and re-structure over the years. She started
with working on mainframe computers and has now
mastered using her Blackberry. She is passionate
about her work and keenly develops her domain
competency regularly whilst providing value to the
stakeholders. She is assertive in her relationships and
aggressive when it comes to implementations.
Sarah is confident of working with virtual teams and can assess someone's capabilities based on
deliverables and not on vicinity to the office location. She has now turned into a mentor from a
manager. She makes a conscious decision to share information, empowers her team by giving
them credit when they perform well and stands up for them when they take a fall. She has
evolved into a true leader.
The onerous task of managing simultaneously the expectations of her management and her
team from various perspectives, financial, motivational and process-oriented, etc., falls on her.
Sarah has her own challenges to face at home. The support system required at home, must run
like clockwork to ensure that she manages her time efficiently. She cannot do everything by
herself and has learnt to delegate.
As she climbs the corporate ladder, Sarah has to make time for her high-visibility position by
globe-trotting, attending and conducting various workshops and programmes alike and also
talking to the media. She knows that she is a leader who must represent her employer in the
S
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best possible manner. All this, while being accessible to speak to her team, which is spread
across geographies.
Sarah is conscious that she represents a minority of women leaders. There are many women
professionals who emulate her and look up to her to show them the way. Her role is a
challenging one but she blazes on, empowering and inspiring.
Contemporary research on women leaders makes a shift from understanding conventional
theories that primarily centre on the ‘glass ceiling’ and ‘work-life balance’.
New leadership models like McKinsey’s ‘model centered leadership analyse what intrinsically
motivates women leaders and what helps them achieve sustainable growth. They are:
Meaning - Finding your strengths and putting them to work in the service of an inspiring
purpose
Managing Energy – Finding where your energy comes from, where it goes and how you
can manage it
Positive Framing – Adopting a more constructive way to view the world and gaining
resilience even when bad things happen
Connecting – Identifying who can help you grow, building stronger relationships and
increasing your sense of belonging.
Engaging - Finding your voice, becoming self-reliant and confident by accepting
opportunities and the inherent risks they bring, and collaborating with others
Research indicates that women leaders place more value into building relationships and
foster genuine collaboration, while their male counterparts view negotiations and
business transactions as zero - sum games.
Experts believe that ‘negotiation skills’ are crucial in closing the gender gap in
leadership. They recommend that instead of waiting for the tectonic plates of society to
shift, women leaders must ask themselves what they can do at the interim.
Literature suggests, that outstanding women in leadership use a blend of what is
popularly conceived as the traditional masculine styles – being directive, authoritative,
and leading by example as well as feminine one such as being nurturing, collaborative
and promoting an inclusive work environment.
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Leading Global Initiatives
Transforming an Idea
Ambika leads Knowledge Management initiatives at HCLT. Under her leadership, her group built
HCLT’s next-generation KM Portal from scratch. ‘Arkmedes’ is built on the philosophy of a
seamless knowledge environment for all the employees in the organisation. The framework has
been successful in identifying important knowledge gaps and promoting information awareness
within the system.
Ambika believes that every person who leads a team and has employees looking up to them
plays the role of a CEO. That person becomes a role model, bringing in accountability, providing
direction and enabling support. While she extends her managers’ sphere of work, she gives
them the opportunity to bounce back, even if they face setbacks.
“When I force you to do something, it will only be a tick mark exercise,” explains Ambika. “If I
were to enthuse you, I find myself with a gold nugget.”
Ambika advises women in managerial positions to exhibit the same traits that got them to
where they are. She says that responsiveness, sharing and contribution are essential for growth.
She believes that leaders must lead by example and live up to the standards they expect.
“Women, by nature are inclusive,” says Ambika. “The metamorphism that happens in
every woman‟s life, gives her the strength to take more into her fold. This makes her a
natural leader.”
Evangelising EFCS
Anitha directs multiple engagements for the Healthcare vertical at HCLT. She is a firm believer in
the ‘Employees First’ philosophy and is a passionate evangelist of the same. For Anitha, the
philosophy is not something you can only apply at work. She talks about it to her friends, her
family and also uses it as a tool to empower women when she represents HCLT in the outside
world.
Her passion for the philosophy yielded tangible results when she received recognition for her
efforts in conducting EFCS workshops. She was one of two employees, who were recognised for
inspiring the students from the campus that submitted the maximum number of MAD Ltd.
entries.
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In the workplace, she believes that ambiguous situations can be navigated through by setting
clear expectations from the start. She calls for women leaders to be transparent about progress
and be in sync at all times with their respective stakeholders. She motivates her team by
conducting her appraisals on time and alerting them on areas of improvement regularly.
When there is a conflicting situation, Anitha does not procrastinate on resolving it. She is
‘hands-on’ in working to ensure that problems are resolved at a nascent stage.
“Delivery roles are challenging,” explains Anitha. “However, I make time to go outside
and conduct workshops in campuses and spread this positive philosophy. I enjoy doing
this.”
Leveraging Intrinsic Values
Anuradha leads the professional excellence pillar of learning and development initiatives at HCL.
Being involved in training, she has the opportunity to engage with many employees. She
observes that women have the natural inclination of being forward-thinking and being
meticulous planners and implementers. Her belief is that, women do not require any additional
training or grooming because they already have the required qualities intrinsically.
Before accepting challenging roles, Anuradha asks women professionals to ensure they have a
supportive and conducive home environment which will help them focus on their career. Once
they establish that, she advises them to put their best foot forward in everything that they do.
“A woman‟s core strength is the ability to manage anything from conceptualisation to
implementation,” explains Anuradha. “That is the secret recipe of our success.”
Defining Success
Aparna leads operations for a large account at HCLT. She has been with HCLT for several years
now, and feels that the organisation has always been a flexible and supportive one.
Aparna advises women not to put on the ‘superwomen’ mantle at all times. Women tend to set
very high expectations for themselves and feel disillusioned when they do not succeed up to
what they originally anticipated.
She recommends understanding one’s priorities, learning to delegate and being reasonable
about what one can and cannot do with one’s management.
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"While as a company we promote focused mentoring of women, I think it is important for women to leverage this opportunity for personal & professional growth. Women perform extremely well at work, and their sense of alignment to corporate and business goals is so steadfast. My teams are spread across the globe, and I find this situation across cultures. So, when I help a woman leader on her personal development, I ensure the self branding aspect is learnt and adopted."
- - Vikram Sarathy, Vice President
Aparna explains that her team understands that she needs to go home at a certain time and
organise things for her family. Once you ensure your deliverables are on-time, teams begin to
trust and work to accommodate one’s schedule. She defines success as a relative term and asks
women professionals to do some self-reflection and ask themselves what they truly want out of
their careers.
“Define your parameters of success,” she says.” Be content. If you are happy, your output
reflects that happiness.”
Empowering while Leading
Dhamayanthi heads TechCEED which is responsible for providing business aligned training for
employees of HCLT with a focus on Technical and Project Management competencies. She
believes in motivating future leaders by transferring complete ownership of projects to them
while ensuring that she is available for support and guidance.
She consciously and periodically reviews the ‘Employees First’ philosophy with her team.
Dhamayanthi asked her teenage son to make a list of the areas in which he could improve to
ensure success at school. She gave him a deadline. In return, he asked her to do the same.
“When someone looks up to you for guidance, you automatically become accountable to them,”
explains Dhamayanthi. “You can use this philosophy at home as well.”
Dhamayanathi is a firm believer of self-directed leadership. She feels that women are capable of
much more than they give themselves credit for. Her advice to women professionals, is to
remember that whatever level they are in, they are service providers who must treat their team
members as customers, be accessible and not believe in hierarchy. Hierarchy is there only for
employees to get guidance and should not prevent people from asking questions.
Dhamayanthi observes that managers have a tendency to ‘manage’ more and ‘lead’ less, a trend
she feels, must change.
“As long as you only delegate, employees do not give their best,” explains
Dhamayanthi. “Transfer ownership. Support them through setbacks and give them due
credit. You will see the magic.”
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Applying Intrinsic Skills
Madhurima, who directs Operations, believes that women bring in a rational way of working
and a focus on what must be done to achieve the final result instead of finding faults. They have
the attitude to work hard and worry about rewards later.
Madhurima takes the time to listen to her team members and gives them the opportunity to
share their thoughts and opinions. Women are naturally ‘inclusive’ in nature and must apply
those skills at the workplace.
She points out that women make naturally good listeners.
“It takes effort to actually implement EFCS philosophy,” says Madhurima. “Freedom of
choice always comes with the added responsibility of „responsible‟ choices.”
Developing an Inner Zeal
Seema manages delivery operations for Australia and New Zealand.
She says that women managers today do encounter stereotypes at the workplace but can
overcome them by proving their capabilities. Stereotypes stem from mental blocks which can be
removed only through awareness.
When Seema entered the Service and Delivery environment to work on infrastructure projects,
there were some who were apprehensive about her capabilities in this domain. Under Seema’s
leadership, the unit grew up to 200% and the customers were satisfied.
She attributes her effectiveness to time-management, be it at work or home. She explains that
organisations give you work-from-home and flexi-time options with the belief that you will
deliver on time.
The word ‘aggressive’ is not a negative one. It denotes an inner zeal for doing things right. She
urges women professionals to be aggressive and committed in reaching their set goals.
“If you want to reach a goal in life, you have to work hard toward it,” explains the mother
of twins. “Use your time wisely. If you cannot get something done in 8 hours, you cannot
do it in 18 hours.”
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Creating Space for Innovation
Sheela is a Delivery Solutions Head at HCLT. She finds that women leaders have a tendency to
be transparent and deal with issues by bringing them out in the open. She advocates
empowerment and does not believe in formal hierarchy.
Every week, she conducts an all-hands meet where projects and progress are discussed.
“We do not take down minutes or note action points,” explains Sheela. “My meetings are open
forums where people can speak up. There are many benefits to working this way.”
Sheela feels that the first step to deal with a problem or complaint is to acknowledge that there
is one. When a leader is in denial, the team does not grow. When team-members comes to her
with a crisis or request a replacement during a personal outage, Sheela asks them to come up
with a recommendation or solution first.
“With my experience, it is not difficult for me to give suggestions,” explains Sheela. “When
I throw the ball in the other person‟s court, the results are two-fold, I give them a chance
to take responsibility and potentially learn something innovative that I may not have
thought of myself.”
Speaking Up
Kavita is in Corporate Marketing and works closely with the CEO’s office on communication-
related projects. Kavita believes that HCLT’s culture of transparency and open workplace
provides an encouraging environment for women who may be otherwise shy to network or
speak up.
She feels that women must make more efforts to network both within and outside the
organisation. This begins by learning to speak up and building strong communication networks.
Kavita does not hesitate to voice her opinion even while speaking with her CEO, who takes her
suggestions positively. This reinforces her belief that HCLT takes its ‘Employees First’ policy
seriously. Kavita observes that people assume that single women or those without children are
naturally obligated to work more, which is not a positive notion. She feels that sensitisation
training should be introduced to increase awareness and avoid prejudice.
“Women are ambitious and goal-oriented.” says Kavita. “Don‟t feel apologetic about it.”
"HCL women leaders have the ability to work in ambiguous situations which needs creative thinking and a collaborative mindset. Empowerment of such leaders creates new ways to manage knowledge, learning, and transformation at HCL. In my team, I have seen women leaders take bold decisions and have led many transformation initiatives very innovatively thereby helping us to ‘Upgrade HCL’.”
- Ram Krishna, Senior CVP and Chief Delivery Officer
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Managing Global Operations
Liselotte heads HCLT’s Nordic operations. Her advice to aspiring women leaders is to be
proactive, make a plan on what they want and tell people around that they aspire to do it. She
feels that women professionals can break out of stereotypical expectations by taking small
assignments outside their responsibilities to experiment with their capabilities.
According to Liselotte, spending some part of one’s career in Sales goes a long way in building a
leadership profile. Liselotte stresses on the importance of sharing objectives and understanding
the objectives of others. Communicate!
“Take on all the help you can get, both at work and for household chores,” says Liselotte.
“Marry a great guy that shares the burden equally, teach your kids to help out and make
sure you have fun.”
Leveraging Experience
Neelam joined HCLT as a part of campus placements, seventeen years ago. She has grown with
the organisation and has worn different hats in her career - that of developer, manager, played
customer-facing roles and is now a leader. Neelam uses stories from her own experience,
starting as a developer, in the organisation, to motivate people.
She ensures that she encourages information sharing in her team and propagates an open
culture in the office. She believes transparency across hierarchies and motivation to think
beyond the normal lets one evolve as an individual and keeps one going even in tough
situations. She leads by example; she is assertive, work-oriented and structured but
accommodates the needs of her team members when they need her to.
In Neelam’s team of 300+, over 30% are women - she is proud of her gender-diverse team.
Neelam is upfront about the fact that careers are challenging but encourages women who have
taken sabbaticals to join back and grow over a period time. Having invested time and energy
into educating themselves and gaining experience – she would be happy to see them make a
career, with a focus on family and home!
“You are lucky to be starting your careers in the new normal - there is pace and place across the
industry,” says Neelam, to the women of the next generation. Neelam advises women, never to
lose confidence and not restrict their capabilities by only comparing themselves to men.
Her success mantra: Be confident, speak up and keep up the spirit of being a woman!
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The Power of Listening
Peggy leads engagement initiatives at HCLT’s Consumer Services vertical.
At HCLT, she learnt that being a leader not only requires a thorough understanding of the
customer’s present and projected business needs; but also requires openness to new ideas and,
above all, an ability to listen. Each day, Peggy encounters new challenges, both big and small,
and has found that the best way to meet those challenges is by leveraging the ideas of the
whole team in order to create the best solution.
“When your team trusts that their ideas are being heard, everyone works smarter, and the
customers benefit,” says Peggy.
“When you're passionately focused on a client project, it's often easy to let your work life
become your whole life.”
Peggy believes that HCLT understands this and empowers their employees to take time off to
recharge, stay healthy, and to balance the demands of family life with those of the workplace.
'In order to work at the level of excellence I demand of myself, I have to be as serious
about my family life, as I am about the clients with whom, I work with everyday,” says
Peggy.
Building ‘Family-Based’ Teams
Shaila directs delivery operations for HCLT’s largest retail client. She attributes her success to
the management who understand and support her. She has the independence to take decisions
and takes complete ownership for her projects.
Shaila’s group does not have manager-level attrition, a statistic that she is proud of. To achieve
that, she has built what she calls a ‘family-oriented’ team at work. She believes that acting like a
conventional manager or leader does not get the best results. Employees look for friends and
mentors in the managers they report to.
Shaila thinks that women can use their intrinsic qualities of being listeners and nurturers to build
a great team. While men focus more on the ‘wine and dine’ aspects of building relationships,
she feels that women make attempts to really get to know their colleagues, customers and even
their extended families. This personal rapport ensures greater trust and productivity.
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Shaila works long hours and overcomes time-critical issues on a daily basis. She maintains a
work-life balance by not trying to do everything herself.
“I have great support from my joint family,” explains Shaila. “It also helps that my husband is an
HCL employee. We understand the pressures of each other’s jobs.”
Shaila believes there is a workaround to any issue, as long as one explains oneself and avails of
the flexibility that this organisation offers. She plans her conference calls and meetings in the
evenings, when her three-year old, is winding down.
Shaila feels that the most important thing for a woman leader to remember is to make time for
herself and not feel guilty about pursing her career.
“Don‟t forget to take care of yourself,” says Shaila. “Listen to music, make time to workout
and enjoy your work.”
“Research indicates that companies with a higher percentage of women in senior leadership have higher returns on investment. Though this has not been measured yet in HCL, I know many women have put HCL first in their priority list and manage their work life continuity accordingly. I acknowledge the value that women bring to HCL, and many of our customers appreciate the fact that our HCL women are playing important roles in their engagements"
- Shami Khorana, Senior CVP & Custodian -Diversity Council, North Americas
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Why Believe? ‘Believe’ is a dedication to all the women in HCL.
The conceptualisation of ‘Believe’ also draws inspiration from the EFCS philosophy.
From ‘Mirror Mirror’, we take a long hard look at ourselves and ask if we understand our
women. Are we in-tune with their current expectations?
From ‘Trust through Transparency’, we ask our women employees questions, that will
help us understand them better.
From ‘Inverting the Pyramid’, we share our vision of creating a workplace for the
Gen Yers.
From ‘Recasting the Role of the CEO’, we explore what our women leaders are doing to
bring our future leaders closer to the value zone.
To all the bright and beautiful women at HCL, who through their work, support, inputs,
thoughts and guidance have made this initiative possible!
Thank You.
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Citations
Barrett, Nichols Kara. 2011. Gen Y Women in the Workplace. Business and Professional Women’s Foundation.
Barsh, Joanna and Cranston, Susie and Craske, Rebecca A. 2008. Centered Leadership: How Talented Women Thrive. The McKinsey Quarterly.
Lagace, Martha. 2003. Negotiating Challenges for Women Leaders. Harvard Business School. Nayar, Vineet. 2010. Employees First, Customers Second: Turning Conventional Management
Upside Down. Harvard Business School Press. Poti, Sapna and Talwar, Anand. 2012. People! Focus on Me! Hindu Business Line. Samuelson, Kristin. 2012. Making the Workplace Appealing to Gen Y. Chicago Tribune.
Acknowledgements
The women featured in ‘Believe’ represent professionals at various stages of their careers in our
organisation. We thank them for their inputs. They are:
Ritu Singh-Associate Manager, Anitha Sivaramakrishnan-Lead Engineer, Neha Singh-Manager, Shyamali Rathore, Srividyaa Radhakrishnan- Software Engineer,
Naomi Anna Sarah Varghese-Executive, Anita Ramachandran-Executive, Heena Verma-Associate General Manager, Seema Kapoor- General Manager,
Saloni Mangal- Deputy General Manager, Chitra Shyam Sunder- Group Manager, Janice Graham-Manager-Sales & Market Operations,
Munira Fazleabbas- Associate General Manager, Madhurima Chandran- Operations Director, Sundaravalli Chakravarthi Varadarajan- Group Project Manager,
Supreet Kaur Kondal-Associate General Manager, Ambika Natarajan-General Manager, Anitha Rajesh- Operations Director, Anuradha Maitra, Associate Director,
Aparna Nair- Associate General Manager, Dhamayanthi N- Associate Vice President, Jaya Kiran Satish- Deputy General Manager, Sheela Mohan- Vice President,
Kavita Khushalani- General Manager, Liselotte Hägertz Engstam- Vice President & Country Director- Nordics,
Neelam Manwani- Operations Director, Peggy Crane- Area Sales Director, Shaila Sharma- Global Operations Director
Bonnie Laila Bhattacharya for her support in proofreading this document.
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A Diversity Initiative
Concept & Content: Sunanda Seshadrinathan Design & llustrations: Sandhya Prabhat
The contents of this book are confidential and are intended solely for HCL and its employees and its business partners. Any use, reproduction or dissemination of this work is strictly prohibited.
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