Dr.

Reddy’s Ideathon 2021

Culture Assimilation in a Hybrid Working Model

Team A2I
MDI Gurgaon

Akarshita Chopra Akshita Agrawal Ishita Gupta

PGP-HRM PGP-HRM PGP-HRM
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OBJECTIVE
• Embed culture assimilation in a hybrid working model.
• Ensure employees prosper as well as add value to an organization
• Organization is able to motivate employees to DNA of the company.
• More so, the engagement initiatives that worked Pre-COVID-19 do
not translate smoothly to new remote working culture. As a result,
teams are disengaged, managers are salvaging what’s left of culture.
APPROACH
• Performed need analysis to understand root cause of the problems.
• Conducted benchmarking through secondary and primary resources
to gather best practices and industry insights.
• Collected information helped in streamlining the ideation and design
process.
• Diagnose how well have the new joiners been integrated into
the culture.
• Integrate new joiners into the cultural ecosystem.
• Engage existing employees to nurture a virtual culture.
• Created a high-level implementation roadmap.
ISSUES IDENTIFIED
• Development of a strong sense of culture and belonging to the
organization in a hybrid working model in employees
• Integration of new joiners into organizational culture so as to easily
understand ways of working
• Old engagement initiatives are becoming ineffective in remote
working model: need for new and innovative engagement initiatives
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Build a purpose driven organization
• Communicate this purpose both internally and externally
• Initial engagement of new joiners via buddy programs, dedicated
culture sessions and virtual collaboration
• Engage all employees via initiatives like Online Coffee Chats, Skill
share workshops, wellness activities etc.
• Collect continuous feedback and measure cultural integration of
employees basis a balanced scorecard approach which is based on
DRL’s culture framework (customer, internal collaboration, innovation,
performance)
 Diagnosis Integrating New Engaging existing Roadmap
Joiners employees

DRL's
Culture Framework
Assessing Cultural Integration of a New Joiner – Balanced Scorecard Approach

Customer Orientation Internal Collaboration

Aspirational Growth Mindset

Metrics to Measure: Metrics to Measure:

Speed & Rigour in Execution
People Leadership
• Net Promotor Score (cNPS) • Employee engagement Index
• Client Feedback Received • Teamwork: Pulse Surveys
• Client retention rate • Cross Functional Trainings Provided
• CSAT • eNPS

Innovation
Innovation Performance Orientation

Results Driven Metrics to Measure: Metrics to Measure:

• Process Improvement carried out
• %age of revenue from new products or
services introduced in the past months
Excellence Focus • Number of ideas turned into innovation
experiments
• New clients brought in
• Turnaround time of tasks or projects
• Departmental Objectives Achieved
• Response Time for Query Handling
• Quality of Work: Performance Reviews

Recommended Metrics basis DRL's Culture Framework

 Diagnosis Integrating New Engaging existing Roadmap
Joiners employees

In order to integrate new joiners into the cultural ecosystem in the virtual workspace, different methods can be used:

Employee Resource Dedicated Culture Virtual Collaboration

Buddy System
A buddy will give the new
hire an open ear & an open
hand. They will meet them
for virtual coffee/lunch and
share advice and guidance
about how things work
Groups
To reduce the risk of 2 cultures
emerging: one with strong in-
person collaboration & another
for employees who might feel
isolated, building social capital
through ERGs can be done
Mentoring
Assign a mentor to each
hire - a go-to-person who
is tasked with making
them feel comfortable and
guiding them
Sessions
Company culture is king when
it comes to keeping employees
happy. Hence, dedicated
sessions outlining the values
and vision is important to
establish connect.
Tools
Embedding digital fluency
is a must in a hybrid
model and collaboration
through apps or platforms
can hasten process of
assimilation

Emerging Practices:

P&G has created a customized app, P&G Connect, which provides resources to help navigate the system and also serves as a learning and engagement
platform. Managers and leaders hold virtual ‘meet & greet’ sessions with the new hires to foster camaraderie

Flipkart has initiated weekly virtual assimilation sessions across the organization for new hires to induct them into their respective teams, as they work remotely.
Teams are also creating their own ‘Learning Leagues’ and organizing targeted knowledge-sharing sessions

The company’s intranet portal has videos, articles and collaterals targeted exclusively at new employees, the portal also familiarizes new employees with the
processes and systems and culture

GSK Pharma conducts a ‘Culture Lab’ session as part of their virtual onboarding program where senior managers and OD Lead talk about different day to day
scenarios and conduct activities to convey the culture and values followed

“Socialogues” conducted by Cipla to engage and ideate with colleagues by listening, learning and sharing. This gives new hires a taste of the culture and values
propagated as well as involves them in the process.

Capgemini launched a buddy programme, where the new recruit is assigned an employee of the same business unit as a “ buddy” who can help the joinee for the
first few months with any queries
 Diagnosis Integrating New Engaging
Engaging
existing
existing Roadmap
Joiners employees
employees

Rewards Recognition Feedback

BUILD A PURPOSE DRIVEN ORGANIZATION • Timely, continuous and efficient appreciation
• Purpose should be brought to the core of the organization. • Peer to peer recognition
• Integrate decisions, conversations, behavior at all levels with purpose. Performance Management
• Conducting value-based recruitment to assess to what degree • Review performance more frequently via weekly check-ins
candidate’s values align with organizational values. • Objectives must be followed up and reviewed consistently
• Continuously emphasize values through
• exemplary behavior by leaders Engagement Activities
• HR practices like leadership development • Virtual Team Building
• employee training • ‘Online Coffee Chats’, pairing employees who don’t frequently

REINFORCE MESSAGE
• performance management interact
• Skill Share Workshops
• integration in meetings and company events
• Opportunity to speak on topics that relate to the business or share
their talents
• Establish Content Club
• Employees share books, podcasts, article, video recommendations
ROLE OF MANAGER and hold discussions around them
• Team Huddles
• Help employees understand how purpose & values are linked to roles.
• At the end of the week or at the start of the week, team should come
• Lead by example in living the Values. together to review the progress they’ve made
• Actively encourage the team to follow the Values at work.
Wellness Initiatives
• Inspire healthy habits by holding and encouraging mobility breaks,
meditation sessions, virtual yoga and mental wellness trainings

EMPLOYEE VOICE Communication

• Continuous employee feedback about current company culture
initiatives to understand what works and what doesn’t.
• Reflect on all efforts, and make adjustments as needed to create a
strong and consistent virtual company culture.
• Create fun communication channels (Ex. Slack) for employees to
bond over their mutual interests like cooking, movies, or fitness
Learning
• Creating opportunities from training to mentoring and coaching to
promote a shared vision
 Diagnosis Integrating New Engaging existing Roadmap
Roadmap
Joiners employees

Internal stakeholders – Existing Employees

Individual/ Group
Mentoring can be
conducted for Mentorship
employees
Communicate purpose
across all levels

ERGs to build social Employee

capital and faster Resource
cultural integration Groups

Build Purpose Evaluation

Pre Onboarding
Driven Organization
Continuous feedback
to understand and
Buddy improve Assessing
Feedback cultural
System integration of
employees using
balanced score
Reinforce the message card approach
Communicate purpose Dedicated Culture via rewards and
recognition, learning Reinforce
through a compelling Sessions, Virtual initiatives and Message
EVP Collaboration engagement activities
Opportunities
External stakeholders – New Joiners
Post Onboarding