BW People in the interaction with Jacob Peter, CHRO, Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited discussing on the changes happening in the HR industry due to pandemic and how are they maintaining the happiness within the organization in these low times.

How do you think HR is transforming during this time of a Pandemic?

During this pandemic, the HR fraternity is focussing on the core purpose of this function, to enable the human aspects and to ensure that the personal connect remains in-tact with all employees. HR is now facilitating the future operating model for the business which will be laid on the foundations of technology, empowerment of employees, and flexibility/ agility within the organization.

What are the great activities that Sterling has organized to motivate employees during WFH?

At Sterling Holidays, we believe in ‘Holiday Differently’, which extends beyond offering hotel stays, to include exciting experiences. So we thought why not ‘Work from Home Differently’, as an extension of our brand promise to our employees. We have initiated a bunch of activities, which will keep the employees motivated and also engage with them as they work from home, some of these are-

Virtual teams set up to work on projects to focus on virtualization of offices, centralized shared services, digital sales, etc

Some other engagement activities are as listed below:

· #Funnypic: We all need a good laugh these days, and we are encouraging employees to share the funniest pictures of themselves.

· #CreativeStoryFinisher: We share with our employees the first half of three scenarios, out of which they can choose one and write the ending from their imagination.

· #Make&FlyurBoomerang: Our employees are asked to make paper boomerangs and post videos of the boomerangs coming back to them.

· #TongueTwister: Under this challenge, employees are given three tongue twisters in varied languages such as Tamil, English, and Hindi. Team members have to choose one out of the three and repeat the same 5 times along with a family member.

· #PunchDialogue: It is an activity wherein our staff choose a punch line from a movie in a foreign language and deliver the same in a similar expression as well as tone. In the end they are supposed to post a recording of the same.

· #Matchyourchildhoodpic: This exercise takes one down the memory lane, as employees have to match a childhood pose with a current one and post the merged image.

What is the response to such activities in the company? Do you think companies should organize such activities to promote a healthy and encouraging environment?

With the nation-wide lockdown and employees finding ways to perfectly adjust with the new style of operation – Work From Home (WFH), the initial response was lukewarm. However, as days have passed we have noted a significant increase in their enthusiasm and numerous individuals have come forward to take part in varied activities.

As employers, we know these are highly stressful times and we recognize the importance of meaningfully engaging the employees. It keeps their spirits lifted and motivation alive. We have been consistently working towards communicating with more employees through diverse modes or channels. It is of great essence to promote a healthy as well as encouraging environment coupled with the formulation of a system that binds the entire organization.

What are the challenges that employees face during this period and how are you addressing those?

The biggest challenge faced by employees is anxiety, born out of the uncertainties in the business, economic, and social aspects. It has affected the well-being and mental health of individuals across the board. We are trying to effectively address through frequent communication via various channels such as mailers, WhatsApp group messages, group calls, virtual meetings, and several others. Our aim is to create a “Business as usual” scenario while we function virtually. Further, our endeavor involves the inclusion of employees at all levels in terms of projects and other activities. Additionally, we are consistently in touch with our team members to address their concerns like the availability of medical support.

What do you have in mind, if at all, the lockdown continues? How do you plan on keeping the staff's morale high and energetic?

As an organization, our focus is on utilizing this lockdown period, to upskill/multi-skill our employees and make them future-ready. We encourage employees to continue their learning journey through our e-learning portal while we continuously update and upgrade the course content on this platform. We are also working on the creation of a knowledge repository containing information about various digital platforms/ online resources available across subjects and communicating the same to employees. Our employees are also invited to provide ideas which enhance consumer-centricity, drive home cost optimization as well as lead to efficiency in operations. Managers too are required to undergo essential training programs such as the “Super Coach Program” amongst others.

Any message that you'd like to share with your fellow industry leaders?

During trying times, we should all come together and put in concentrated efforts towards the betterment of our employees. We must appreciate them as they are managing work along with playing vital other roles of being a son/daughter, husband/wife, father/mother, or friend. Finally, we should give them enough space and time for the same along with recognizing the efforts that they are putting in.