Rendezvous with Irani Srivastava Roy, Chief Human Resources Officer, Signify India on Employee Benefits
Irani Srivastava Roy, CHRO, Signify India (earlier known as Phillips Lighting), the world leader in lighting. She leads HR for the India organisation and is based out of Gurgaon.
Irani is an accomplished leader and brings with her a rich experience of over 23 years of HR Leadership, Strategy consulting, and business partnering in both domestic and international markets.
Before joining Signify India, she was part of Max Life Insurance as the Head of HR for Distribution, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and CSR. Some of the other organizations she has worked earlier for are Accenture Strategy Consulting, IMGC, RBS, ABN Amro, HDFC Bank, and PwC.
She completed a Post Graduate Diploma holder in Business Management from IMI, Delhi. On her personal side, she has interests in travelling and forest & wildlife conservation and actively works with tribal villages in Jharkhand towards this purpose.
Q1- Currently, what are the top HR challenges in Lighting Industry in India?
In the Lighting Industry in India, some of the top HR challenges include:
- Talent Acquisition: The Lighting Industry in India is highly competitive, and attracting top talent can be challenging. We face competition not only from within the industry but also from other sectors seeking professionals with similar skill sets.
- Skills Gap: The industry is evolving rapidly, with advancements in LED technology, IoT integration, and sustainability requirements. Bridging the gap between the skills we need and the skills available in the job market is an ongoing challenge.
- Technological Advancements: Keeping up with technological advancements and ensuring that our workforce is trained and equipped to work with cutting-edge technologies is crucial. This requires continuous skilling and development efforts.
- Diversity and Inclusion: Promoting diversity and inclusion is not just a challenge but also an opportunity. We aim to create an inclusive workplace where individuals from diverse backgrounds can contribute their unique perspectives and ideas. Our commitment to early career talent also ensures we are progressive in our guidelines and practices to be able to attract, retain, and develop talent.
- Employee Engagement: Sustaining high levels of employee engagement is critical. This involves fostering a positive work environment, recognizing and rewarding contributions, and providing opportunities for growth and development.
Q2- What are employee benefits you offer to employees in India to attract, retain, and boost talent performance?
At Signify, we offer a comprehensive range of employee benefits in India to attract, retain, and boost talent performance. Some of these benefits include:
- Our total rewards philosophy enables us to offer competitive salaries and benefits to attract and retain top talent.
- Our commitment to DEI is leveraged through equity principles and policies that enable diverse populations with adequate support i.e creche facilities, parental leave, medical benefits, etc
- Our health and wellness initiatives include comprehensive medical insurance, regular health check-ups, and wellness workshops. We provide ‘Partner’ covers, and reimbursements for relevant treatment.
- We invest in employee development through training, mentorship, and opportunities for career advancement.
- We have regular sessions on re-skilling and up-skilling to the employees.
- We encourage and offer cross-functional opportunities.
- Our recognition programs acknowledge outstanding performance and contributions.
- We invest in early career talent with specific skill development and mentoring initiatives.
Q3- How do you ensure flexibility in at workplace? Any new initiative?
We prioritize flexibility in the workplace at Signify by offering flexible working hours (with defined core hours), and the use of technology to support remote collaboration between teams who are geographically spread.
We also continually assess and adapt our policies to meet the evolving needs of our employees, including ways to collaborate and co-create and have information on the go. We are open to exploring new initiatives that promote work-life balance and flexibility as work dynamics change. We evaluate the needs of individuals on a case-to-case basis and support them as required.
Q4- What are the new Health Care and Wellbeing Programs as Employee Benefits?
We are continuously enhancing our health care and well-being programs to support our employees. Some new initiatives in this area include mental health support programs, stress management workshops, fitness and wellness challenges, and access to telemedicine services.
Our aim is to provide holistic support for our employees’ physical and mental well-being. We also have comprehensive health insurance that covers same-sex partnerships, IVF charges, etc, which are becoming more prevalent now.
Q5- How do you ensure employee work-life balance in the organization?
We prioritize work-life balance by offering flexible hours with defined core hours, promoting a culture of time management and prioritization, and encouraging employees to take advantage of their allotted vacation days.
The culture of being productive is well understood and not linked to time spent in office alone. Additionally, we monitor workloads to prevent excessive overtime, providing required day-offs, and provide resources for managing stress and achieving work-life balance.
Q6- Any concluding remarks?
At Signify, our commitment to our employees is central to our success. We believe that a motivated and engaged workforce is essential for innovation and growth. We are continuously evolving our HR strategies and initiatives to address the challenges and opportunities that come with an evolving and diverse workforce, with unique needs. We ensure that the right support is provided to employees, specifically in the ‘moments that matter’.
The Lighting Industry in India is evolving, and it is imperative that we not just attract, but develop and retain our talent for sustained success and to ensure that our employees have a fulfilling and rewarding career with us. We remain dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive learning organization, where every employee can thrive and contribute to the overall vision of the organization.
Thank You, Irani!
