In Conversation with Aditya Kohli, CHRO, Orient Electric on Workplace Flexibility
Aditya is the CHRO at Orient Electric (CK Birla Group) and is responsible for building the culture and the human capital of an organization that is undergoing significant transformation.
He has over two decades of experience that spans across multiple facets of HR including Performance, Reward and Benefits, Business Relationship Management, Transformation & Change Management, Employee Engagement, HR Technology & Service Delivery Strategy.
He is a results-driven leader, who has worked in Singapore, India and London, managing global teams in a highly matrixed global environment. In all his roles, he has created space to drive change through a multi-disciplined approach that leverages all aspects of Human Capital Management, Technology and Culture to drive productivity and performance.
Prior to Orient, he worked across sectors in marquee organisations like Clix Capital, Airtel, Standard Chartered Bank and Hewitt Associates (Aon).
Q- Currently, what are the top HR challenges in the Electrical Consumer Durable (ECD) Industry?
The ECD industry has been going through a significant business transformation and talent retooling, largely on the back of four large shifts:
- Changing consumer preference: In the past many of the product purchases were delegated to a contractor or an architect, with e-commerce and direct retail there is a lot more visibility and hands-on involvement in the purchase of many of the ECD products. This is leading to a lot more focus on design aesthetics and premiumisation.
- Energy Efficiency: There is an increased awareness of the consumption of energy and with the new energy efficiency ratings (BEE), companies are innovating fast to meet the evolving regulatory standards.
- Cost & Productivity: This industry has been built on razor-slim margins, with limited price elasticity of products. There is significant drive by organizations to improve efficiency through innovations that drive productivity and reduce cost of product, while still giving differentiated benefits to the customer.
- Cluttered market, with both organised and unorganised players.
From an HR perspective, the top challenges faced by the industry are:
- New Capabilities: There are a lot of new skills that are getting more prominent in the industry, be it Digital, E-commerce, Design, Distribution, Industry 4.0, etc. While a lot of the new capability is being acquired from other industries, there is a lot of investment in building these capabilities within the ecosystem of the company.
- High-Quality Talent: Historically insular, the industry is experiencing a shift with talent now crossing over between diverse companies. To foster this cross-pollination of talent, we are seeing a greater consistency in practices, with a focus on cultivating a consumer-first culture.
- Productivity: The speed at which new technology and innovation, have the ability to disrupt the bottom line is immense in this industry. The ability to drive productivity across all aspects of the value change is a core differentiator for companies. There is a lot of investment to build this agility.
- Diversity: At the heart, a consumer-centric company benefits a lot when it reflects the diversity within, which currently is not at the scale it should be. We have really focused on changing the mindsets through training and workshops, but also created policies, practices and infrastructure that help build a more inclusive environment.
Q- How do you see the importance and disadvantages of workplace flexibility in the ECD Industry?
There has been a noticeable shift in employee expectations regarding workplace flexibility post-COVID. The traditional boundaries between “Work” and “Place” had blurred, leading to challenges for both individuals and companies in maintaining a balance.
Initially, there was a rapid embrace of flexibility in response to the circumstances, but subsequently, a sense of inertia set in, and now this trend is gradually normalizing.
In the ECD industry, workplace flexibility has facilitated access to the right talent, increased workplace diversity, and potentially unlocked more productive hours by eliminating commute time.
However, it became apparent that, while remote work could accomplish a lot, physical presence was crucial for team collaboration, innovation, consumer engagement, team and culture building, and utilizing sophisticated equipment for manufacturing.
The challenges faced in the ECD industry align closely with those experienced by other consumer and manufacturing companies.
Q- How do you ensure equitable flexibility in your organization?
At the core of “Equitable Flexibility” for us lies the dynamic between the employee and their manager. Our goal is to provide every employee with a supportive environment to harmonize their work and life priorities.
This is achieved through the establishment of transparent policies and processes, empowering both the employee and their manager to make decisions collaboratively.
Additionally, we have implemented policies such as menstrual leave, sabbaticals, and work-from-home options that employees can utilize based on their specific needs.
Beyond policy development, we have conducted targeted training sessions to sensitize managers to the diverse needs of different segments within the organization.
Q- How do you see the Future of Workplace Flexibility in 2024 in IT and non-IT industries?
While a lot has been said about the flexibility provided by the IT industry, over the last couple of months we have seen so much news about IT companies getting employees back to the workplace.
I feel in 2024, there will be much greater appreciation for workplace flexibility, that said how much will be a derivative of the type of work that is being done rather than the industry for e.g. if you are a Chef at a restaurant, working from home is not an option.
I believe we will start seeing some common themes across industries:
- Focus on output rather than the number of hours spent
- More flexible work contracts. Hiring more gig workers, consultants, etc.
- More technology to monitor and manage the hybrid workforce.
Q- 70 Hours a Week is a buzzword right now, in your opinion what should be working hours in your industry?
The comment on “70 Hours a Week” was really taken out of context. I believe that when people feel what they do has a disproportionate impact, the number of hours spent in a week doesn’t matter that much.
That said, I don’t believe that a 70-hour work week is sustainable in the long run, it’s crucial to consider the toll it can take on mental health, relationships, productivity, and creativity. Research is quite clear that there is a diminishing return on productivity after a certain number of hours worked.
Thank You, Aditya!
