It's all in the mind...

I clearly remember,13th March 2020 was my last visit to the Fulcrum Digital office and while driving back home, I thought the storm is just for a few days before we see the bright sunshine. It looks like, we underestimated the situation and never in my wildest dream thought of lockdown in our country for such a long period.

I learned that we should be perseverant with our objectives, but flexible enough with our approach. We swiftly adapted to the new norm and before we realized each associate adopted or adapted to the new pattern of ‘Social distancing’ and familiarized with the new way of working in this Digital era. In this ever-changing world, the survival of the fittest is the new order. Our Infrastructure, Admin, HRBPs (Business partners) and Managers worked relentlessly to provide an uninterrupted and seamless experience to all our associates.

I am not a big advocate of remote working, but you always learn & grow. Those who know me Work from Home (WFH) is was is the biggest challenge for me. As at work, I am mostly on the floor interacting with associates and resolving most of the issues with a direct approach. Change is the law of nature, and I made the following changes in the work pattern.

• Started my day by making the 'To-do list' and keep track of the accomplishments made by EOD
• Stick to my routine and followed the regular work timings as per my time zone and shifts. Tea and lunch breaks always on time
• Dedicated workspace at home
• At the end of the day and over the weekend, helped my family members in the daily chores

After ~90 days, my views have changed & when I look back, these have been the most productive days where we were able to launch the following initiatives:  

• R&R – We revamped the Global Rewards & Recognition program, consisting of SPOT & Bi-Annual awards. The objective was to sustain the rewarding culture in the organization.
• Shadow – This survey provides a platform for new joiners to share their feedback about the organization at regular intervals. It helps the organization to take measures towards continuous improvement for enhancing the employee experience.
• Employee Connect and Employee Engagement – The HR team members are in constant connect with the associates to check on their wellbeing. The intent is also to understand the associates' concerns, career aspirations, etc., and then work along with the business stakeholders in addressing these aspects to the best extent possible.
• Top Talent Engagement –HR team is working on a comprehensive framework to connect with the top talent in the organization effectively. It includes structured interventions related to learning, mentoring, engaging & rewarding, to provide a career path & retain top talent.
• 360 Assessment -Leaders are the guiding forces for any organization & hence it becomes essential that the organization provides platforms to regularly assess the feedback for the leadership team & facilitate programs towards continuous improvement. 
• Technical and Behavioral assessment- To enhance the overall interviewing process, functional & behavioral assessment has been launched for the panel members. Upon completion of the evaluation, the shortlisted panel members will also be undergoing learning programs, to enable them towards selecting the best talent.
• Fulcrum Alumni Connect-The HR team is attempting to reach out to ex-employees of the organization to understand their current professional endeavors. The idea is also to communicate about various employee enabling initiatives launched in the organization, which would help to instigate willingness to rejoin Fulcrum.
• New HRMS and Payroll Vendor- The Spine and the engine of any species i.e. the HRMS and the Payroll Software- were configured from scratch and implemented in the last couple of months. 
• Learning Initiatives- We believe in constant learning, and as part of the learning charter, we have identified six different learning tracks to cater to the learning demands of the associate. 
• Counselling Sessions-Well-being initiatives for associates

Phew! so many initiatives in this COVID situation. This is possible only because of my super talented teams, of course, the exemplary guidance from the leadership teams.

It is essential to fight this together and refrain from venturing out for a few more days, and I am sure we will have a brighter future in the days ahead.

Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!