Amazon India: Embracing merit and diversity hand-in-hand

Since then, Varma’s trajectory within Amazon has been remarkable. Initially managing technology teams, she now serves as the Vice President of Human Resources, overseeing corporate and Amazon Stores across APAC, Japan, Middle East, Africa, and the Emerging Markets. Simultaneously, Amazon itself has evolved into a colossal entity spanning e-commerce, media, entertainment, and cloud computing. From humble beginnings occupying just one floor, Amazon in India now commands millions of square feet across hundreds of locations and boasts a workforce exceeding 100,000 employees.

But growth is always accompanied by challenges, particularly when it comes to managing diverse teams operating in disparate industries and environments. At Amazon India—which is at No. 8 on BT-Taggd’s The Best Companies to Work For in India list this year—what keeps the ball rolling is the company’s approach towards such challenges. As Varma puts it, the solution has to be simple, scaleable, and intuitive. Take its primary HR portal, MyHR, for instance. It is a one-stop solution for all employee-related inquiries, with a comprehensive suite of features, and helps to seamlessly navigate through personalised profiles, check shift schedules, and request time off, all of which is done without any hassle.

And there are others. In an age when mental health issues are increasingly becoming acute, Amazon’s Twill comes in handy. An AI-powered platform designed for emotional health and well-being, Twill is accessible round the clock via a mobile app and a web platform. The tool empowers employees to combat stress and discover inner calm.

Amazon realises that to scale up, it needs to attract and retain more talent. And this is not easy. But the company has come up with various programmes, like Amazon Future Engineer (AFE), through which it reaches out to find the right talent from the remotest of places. AFE, in fact, hits two birds at one go. A comprehensive childhood-to-career scheme aimed at increasing access to computer science education for students from underserved communities, the AFE programme has managed to discover for Amazon some of its talents from the hinterlands. The programme has already helped more than 1.5 million students explore and learn computer science across more than 10,000 schools in India. The tech behemoth also has a programme only for women, called Amazon Women of the World, which is designed to empower and equip women students enrolled in engineering colleges across India with essential skills to thrive in the technology industry. Meant for freshers who could not secure a job at Amazon through campus placement, this programme offers them a shot at the vacancies.

Fostering diversity, particularly by empowering women within the organisation, represents a key objective for any progressive employer, and Amazon is not an exception. However, for Amazon, diversity transcends mere gender representation. “Diversity extends far beyond gender,” asserts Varma. “It’s about cultivating a spectrum of skill sets, experiences, and backgrounds.” Yet, she emphasises that merit remains paramount as well for securing a place here, underscoring the importance of competence to exist alongside diversity.

Recognising the significance of succession planning in large organisations, Varma spearheads the newly launched ‘Power of 10’ programme. This initiative places aspiring women leaders in cohorts of 10, facilitating invaluable exchanges with senior leadership. Through these interactions, participants delve into topics spanning career growth and leadership skills, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.

But what drives Amazon’s employees? Varma believes it is the culture of encouraging innovation and fostering risk-taking abilities. In fact, that is the reason why Varma and her colleagues define the HR division as the ‘people, experience and technology’ team. The focus is to use technology to not only improve customers’ experiences, but also to make Amazon a space that nurtures and builds. 

@arndutt