When employees get equal opportunities to showcase their talent, they feel self-motivated in the workplace and prove to be highly productive for the organization

Human resources development (HRD) indicates the development of “human” resources to remain competitive in the workplace as well as the marketplace. A number of researchers have proposed that HRD can contribute significantly to organizational effectiveness (OE), productivity and the quality management of people through continuous improvement (CI). The HRD policies can facilitate strategic learning and develop a type of environment conducive to change. It is generally assumed that by recruiting, hiring and training the right people for the right jobs, companies would be able to improve their performance. However, if jobs required only technical skills, the function of a Human Resources team would be rather straightforward. Recruitment processes would simply determine whether the candidate possesses the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities for a position, and these would subsequently be used to build the workforce.

Learning and Development Programmes:

On the job Learning and Development programmes can contribute to the growth of employees in equal measure. Whilst ‘training’ focuses on conducting activities that develop employees for their current jobs, ‘development’ is preparing employees for future roles and responsibilities within the organization. The companies can enable this by building out programs that offer wide exposure, both in terms of company vision and values. A comprehensive induction process for new entrants can expose them to the company’s ethos, systems, and processes of thinking, as well as delivery mechanisms. Furthermore, mentorship at both institutional and individual levels can serve as a key strategy for evolving a knowledge-based practice. Such programmes not only allow for cross-pollination of ideas but also maintain and strengthen the ‘collective sense’.

Equal Opportunities & Benefits:

Additionally, a workplace culture, offering equal opportunities, that stands out and attracts talent from all over the world is the need of the hour. When employees get equal opportunities to showcase their talent, they feel self-motivated in the workplace and prove to be highly productive for the organization. Employee Benefits are also an opportunity to put the company’s values into practice and help to expand their support towards all employees. Furthermore, recognizing the personal definitions of well-being, work-life balance and family care, form an integral part of any policy formation. Ensuring safety for women working long hours, flexibility in working arrangements for new mothers, extended maternity and paternity leaves, enabling grocery deliveries, day care services, work from home options and bring your child to work days are some of the ways that organizations can help employees to uphold their familial and societal commitments and obligations. Certain profuse benefits such as financial assistance towards certain housing benefits can help achieve the quintessential Indian dream of owning one’s own home can go a long way in creating a supportive workplace culture.

Gender Positivity & Closing the Pay Gap:

India is an incredibly diverse country, and businesses today should celebrate and thrive on the region’s high level of cultural breadth to provide workplaces that are progressive, supportive and conducive for all. Organizations today need to be proactive in working towards breaking existing barriers and ensuring an equitable working environment for all employees. The only way that the world’s perception can be changed is by introducing unbiased positions with pay parity across all levels in an organization. There is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of policymakers to act on gender positivity and bring reforms. The overall gender perspective has to be transformed in order to enhance collaboration, talent acquisition, development, and goodwill. Nevertheless, by defying the stereotypical approach and creating a conducive work culture that promotes gender positivity and attracts talented professionals, can lead to progressive outcomes and add to the overall performance of a company.

Creating a ‘people first’ office culture takes unconditional and ongoing effort from all levels within the organization. Whilst, no one individual is responsible for creating an inclusive culture, the leadership sets the tone for the company. An inclusive and progressive work policy adapted at all levels of the hierarchy ensures the outstanding performance of the entire workforce; as opposed to a biased workplace that is likely to remain outdated with less diversity in ideation.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house