Mastering Nuts and BOLTs

When the top boss decides to take a salary cut so that employees don't have to, it is reason enough for the company to get additional points. "We said it early that there would be no layoffs so that there is no anxiety among employees. We also did not reduce anybody's salary except the MD (Rajiv Bajaj)," says Ravi Kyran, President, HR, Bajaj Auto. "We also gave full increments to our staff and workmen category. Only the management decided to forgo their increments, but even for them there was no impact on the performance bonus for 2019/20."

While the company took the usual precautions to ensure health and safety of employees, it also used the opportunity to upskill its workforce. For this, it developed an AI-powered Bajaj Auto's Learning Experience Platform (BOLT). It has quickly become the epicentre for dissemination of knowledge. The bandwidth requirement is minimal, which makes the platform accessible irrespective of the network connectivity.

"Employees can access the 65,000-plus learning modules, at their own pace, on their own devices, and at their own comfort. We have entered into agreements with Ivy League institutions like Cornell University. Content comes from premium sources such as MIT, IITs, Forbes, McKinsey etc," says Kyran. "Within the first month of launch, employees have cumulatively clocked in 5,000-plus hours of learning, completing more than 8,000 courses."