Tata Motors has a natural advantage in attracting talent in spite of its sluggish performance in the domestic market. Its best performers in India can get a chance to work with the company's marquee brands in the UK - Jaguar and Land Rover. The company says 150-200 employees get global experience every two-three years.
Tata Motors employs over 59,000 people in 170 countries. The employees are as diverse as its network, comprising over 6,600 touch points and R&D centres. The company, says Gajendra Chandel, Chief Human Resources Officer, ensures a judicious mix of people in its workforce. "The question is, how can we attract talent? How can we mentor the aspirational employees? We look at the entire lifecycle management of people," says Chandel.
The human resource strategy is based on the premise that people drive performance and help companies meet long-term objectives. Programmes such as mini-assessments and the Fast Track Selection Scheme ensure that talent is spotted early.
"Employee responsibilities move across functions and geographies. The development plan depends on the employee's skills, leadership qualities and behaviour. We have structured mid-year and full-year reviews to frame the development plan," says Chandel.
Tata Motors Academy enables knowledge sharing through initiatives such as Learning Management System (LMS) and iTeach. LMS allows employees to take ownership of knowledge accretion, while iTeach provides a platform for senior management to share their expertise. Combined with a rearticulated compensation philosophy and variable pay plan, the human resource initiatives ensure that Tata Motors remains performance-oriented and talent-driven. According to the company, employee satisfaction rates have risen from 57 per cent to an all-time high of 65 per cent. Attrition is falling and is now in single digits, says Chandel.
Gender diversity is another strong point of Tata Motors. About 1,800 women work on the shop floor. "We provide women a comfortable working environment. We offer six months maternity leave, work-from-home option and 3-12 months sabbatical. The plants have creches," says Chandel. Medical insurance covers to employees are also quite generous. ~
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