The real estate sector comes with its own set of unique challenges for employees—ranging from high-pressure sales targets and tight project deadlines to frequent travel that disrupts work-life balance. Market fluctuations and limited career growth opportunities add to the stress, fueling concerns about job security and driving high turnover rates.

Moreover, a growing skill gap demands both technical upskilling and stronger soft skills. Compliance with evolving regulations further burdens employees, while compensation structures heavily reliant on variable pay create income instability. On-site safety concerns and rigid hierarchical structures also take a toll on employee satisfaction, making effective HR practices and a focus on well-being not just beneficial but essential.  

While these challenges are well-known, there are also internal obstacles that only industry insiders truly understand. Addressing these requires a 360-degree approach—identifying the root causes and developing practical strategies to minimise or eliminate these pain points. 

In an exclusive conversation with People Matters, Madhuri Mehta, Chief Human Resources Officer of Emaar India, shared her insights on building a productive and fulfilling work culture. She has successfully created an environment where employees—from blue-collar and gray-collar to white-collar and even gold-collar—are genuinely engaged and driven by a sense of purpose. 

Madhuri has not only identified the core issues troubling employees—such as mental well-being, recognition, and opportunities for growth—but has also implemented thoughtful strategies to resolve them effectively.

Read here the edited excerpts:

Q. How do you ensure that Emaar India continues to develop a strong and motivated workforce?

We have a highly diverse workforce, and that's crucial when you're designing any engagement strategy. For instance, we have distinct groups, a dedicated real estate team which totals around 650 individuals. Then, we have our shared services team with about 250 people and a contact center that handles customer service for Dubai, with another 200. Altogether, that's around 1,200 people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Our workforce spans various age groups. For example, the contact center is primarily made up of a younger team, while the average age for our real estate team is around 35 to 36 years. So, it’s essential for us to ensure that every segment, every age group, and every diversity category—whether it’s gender or DEI-related—feels represented in our engagement activities. The goal is that no one feels left out, and we strive to offer programs for everyone.

We also conduct regular need analysis throughout the year to better understand what our people want. We run surveys at various points to gauge their preferences. Are they more interested in health-related initiatives, cultural activities, games, or food? By asking these questions, we can tailor our programs to meet their needs and interests.

For instance, each month’s calendar includes a variety of health-focused programs. Our program "Sampoornam" is a holistic well-being program that covers body, mind, and soul.

• For the body we have ‘Kshamta’, through which we  promote initiatives that promote healthy eating habits, yoga sessions, various sports tournaments, wellness workshops and even an acupressure camp organised regularly .
• For the mind we have ‘Chetna’, mental well-being through mindfulness workshops, stress management, quizzes & puzzles. We invite speakers for talks, and we also run a monthly book club.
• For the soul we have ‘Atman’, providing emotional balance through yoga and other spiritual healing sessions.

These programs address different aspects of well-being. We believe in advocating a holistic spiritual growth of every individual and run programs that focus on providing mental tranquility and balance. 

We also have programs targeted at specific groups, like women-focused initiatives and retirement planning sessions for those nearing the end of their careers.

There are activities for younger employees, too— for example: swimming, badminton, and even chess championships. We’ve even organised cricket tournaments to engage the younger generation. The idea is to offer something for everyone, no matter their generation or background, so they can pick what resonates most with them.

Additionally, we sometimes run creative hobby workshops, such as photography and painting camps. Many of our employees are so busy with corporate life that they don’t get the chance to explore personal interests. For example, someone may have always wanted to learn painting but struggles to find the time. To address this, we offer a four-week painting course on weekends, allowing employees to explore their passions without disrupting family time or weekly chores.

The key here is to offer a range of options so that employees feel empowered to choose what works best for them. This approach aligns with the preferences of today’s workforce, where offering choices is highly valued.

Q. Emaar has reduced attrition rates from 32% in 2022 to 17% in 2023. How do you ensure that the recruitment and retention strategies are balanced with ethical considerations come into play?

Fortunately, we have one of the lowest attrition rates in the real estate industry. Currently, our year-to-date attrition is at 15%, while the industry average is around 23-24%. 

This strong retention rate reflects the culture we've built at Emaar and shows that we care about our employees. From the CEO to the leadership team, down to every employee, there’s a collective effort in nurturing our people. When the culture within the company speaks for itself, when employees genuinely believe in the workplace and its values — it is naturally reflected outside, too.”

In an industry where people frequently change jobs and everyone knows someone at a competitor, word gets around. And these days, social media is a powerful tool.

Many employees share their experiences about our culture, our festivals, and our recognition programs. On LinkedIn, you'll find employees' posts praising our workplace, which helps build our brand as an employer. As a result, my LinkedIn feed is flooded with people wanting to join Emaar India, so we hardly ever need to rely on external consultants. Our recruitment team is overwhelmed with candidates eager to be part of this professional, people-centric culture.

Programs that make sure every employee feels recognised, appreciated, and included are key to this shift. About three years ago, our attrition rate was nearly 30%, but in the past two and a half years, we’ve brought it down to 14-15%.

This change has been driven by our focus on people-centric programs. We also hold regular town halls where the CEO connects with employees, answers their questions, and shares updates on the company’s progress. We have informal sessions like "Breakfast with the CEO" and "Chai with the CHRO" to maintain an open line of communication and foster a sense of connection.

We also believe in creating fair and impactful recognition programs to motivate employees through our multiple reward and recognition programs like:

• On-spot appreciation of employees by managers through, Manager’s Gift Basket & Great Work Card.
• Quarterly CEO’s Excellence Award for exceptional performers, who achieve excellence in their respective work areas pursuing Emaar’s Core Values.
• Uttkrishtta is our flagship initiative – a value based quarterly reward program, which is evaluated scrupulously by external partners, boosting employee morale and efficiency and inculcating the passion to ardently pursue the Emaar Core Values of - Customer First, Fast Paced, Ownership Mindset, Winning Together & One Emaar.  

These initiatives keep employees engaged, informed, and in the loop with what’s happening at the ground level. When employees feel engaged and involved, issues are addressed before they become problems.

Communication and engagement are crucial to managing attrition. Everything we do, from policies to programs, needs to be transparent and clearly communicated. It’s not enough to have a great DEI policy on paper; if employees don’t know about it, it’s meaningless. That’s why we make sure to communicate everything—from policies and appraisals to fun activities like contests and leadership interactions. We create spaces where employees can directly engage with leadership, which strengthens the connection.

At the end of the day, communication is the key to success. Without it, no matter how great the program, it’s unlikely to be effective.

Q. Emaar achieved over 130% of its gross sales target in 2023. How does HR play a role in supporting such strong business performance? 

To support our people agenda in alignment with business sustainability, we use multiple tools because this cannot be achieved with just one—it requires a holistic approach.  

The first step is to ensure that leaders’ Key Result Areas (KRAs) are set. For example, once the CEO’s KRAs are in place, we can align everyone else’s. It’s important that these goals add up consistently.

If the CEO's target is 100, then the sales targets should also add up to 100. It is crucial to communicate this clearly so that everyone understands their targets. We do this early—by January, we finalise the goals. This gives everyone the full 12 months to focus on what they need to achieve.

Starting in April, for instance, would leave employees with only eight months to meet their targets, which would not be fair to them or the organisation. Timing is essential, so we begin goal-setting promptly to ensure clarity right from the start.  

The next element is a strong performance management system, which includes quarterly feedback, annual feedback, and even instant feedback. This approach allows employees to get back on track if they diverge from their targets.

Rewards must be linked to performance. We offer both value-based and performance-based awards.

For example, one of our core values is "Customer First," so every quarter, we present a "Customer First Award." This award allows employees to demonstrate how they have embodied this value, and winners are chosen based on their submissions.  

We also have a “CEO Excellence Award,” where employees submit case studies showing how they applied company values and the impact of their actions. Our recognition program includes instant awards, quarterly awards, and annual awards, as employee engagement and recognition are ongoing processes.

Each type of award serves a different purpose and is designed to maintain high motivation throughout the year.

For instance, if someone does something exceptional today, I can immediately recognize them with a manager’s gift basket. Then, quarterly, we offer more substantial recognition. Our annual awards event is a major occasion—comparable to the Filmfare Awards—where we invite external judges to ensure impartiality. This year, we collaborated with Deloitte, who sent two partners to interview the nominees and select the top winners. This approach ensures that the process is fair, professional, and transparent. The annual awards hold significant value, both in terms of prestige and financial reward, and we strive to make them balanced and meaningful.  

Ultimately, all of these efforts contribute to the business by ensuring that our HR strategy aligns with our business strategy. By using these tools, we can attract and retain the right talent while supporting the company's growth.  

Q. Can you share more about the CXO Development journey with Korn Ferry and how it helps develop leadership within the organisation?

At Emaar India, our leadership pipeline is divided into three levels.

1. First, we have the RISE program for young leaders, which is designed to be a funnel—young leaders move into middle leadership, and middle leadership advances to the CXO level. All three levels have their own program in place.
2. For the most junior level, we’ve partnered with Deloitte to run the RISE program. Some parts are managed internally, while others are run by external learning partners.
3. The next level, middle management, is supported through the Lakshya program, also in collaboration with Deloitte. For the top leadership, including our CEO and CXOs, we have a program called Beyond Limits, run by Korn Ferry.

Each level starts with an assessment process. For RISE, we invited nominations to see how many young executives, senior executives, and assistant managers were genuinely interested in developing their careers. It's essential for them to self-nominate at this stage. After nominations, participants undergo an assessment, and from there, we select our top 25 performers, based on both potential and performance. These top 25 go through an extensive development journey, while others are also on their own growth path, with their own individual development program. 

For Lakshya, we assess high performers and align them with a development program that includes a variety of learning methods. We offer immersion programs, classroom-based learning (run by Deloitte), and campus-based programs. For example, recently, participants completed a campus-certified program at XLRI, focused on competencies we want to develop in our people.

Additionally, we arrange cross-industry exposure. If we're working on building customer-centricity, for instance, we may partner with organisations like hotels that excel in customer service to provide our people with real-world insights. We also run book clubs, guest lectures, and sessions with professors to further enrich the learning experience. This journey typically lasts between 12 to 14 months and covers all three levels.

To ensure continuity, Lakshya 1 is already complete, and we've kicked off Lakshya 2. The program structure is like a triangle—RISE, Lakshya, and at the top we have, Beyond Limits—with each stage feeding into the next.

This approach also ensures we’re managing our succession planning effectively. Many of the people moving up from junior to middle management, and then from middle management to senior roles, come from within these programs. This means we’re able to fill key positions internally, reducing the need for external hires.

It’s great because we already have people who are ready and eager to take on higher roles—building talent from within.

Q. How do you ensure that these programs provide real growth opportunities for high-potential employees?

Our RISE program is a young leadership program, and it plays a key role in developing our leadership pipeline. This program is especially helpful when we open new regions. For example, when we recently opened our Mumbai office, several of our team members from Delhi stepped into leadership roles there, managing higher-level responsibilities.

Right now, we’re operating in locations like Gurgaon, Jaipur, Indore, Mumbai, Mohali, and Lucknow. It’s become easier for us to give our trained employees more responsibilities, whether horizontally or vertically, as they continue their development.

Now, beyond the RISE program, I’d like to share some initiatives that make Emaar India a people-centric organisation.

Everything we do revolves around skill development and creating a people-focused culture. For example, we’ve automated most of our processes so that our HR team can focus on real interactions rather than administrative tasks.

Our HRMS system allows everything—leaves, policies, benefits, goals, and performance management—to be accessed online. This means we can spend more time connecting with employees, engaging with them, and helping them grow.

At the heart of it, HR should be embedded in the workflow. We believe HR professionals should know every person in the organisation, from the entry point to the top echelons. They should understand the challenges people face and be there to help. It’s crucial that everyone feels connected, and they should know that they can always walk in and talk to us. For me, that personal connection is key.

We also apply this philosophy to our construction sites. A large portion of our workforce is contractor-based, so we focus on their well-being and skill development.

For instance, we provide safety training, awareness about government schemes like Pradhan Mantri Yojana and insurance programs, and even offer food arrangements for them. For larger sites, we ensure that there are crèches to take care of the women workers.

It’s all about making sure every part of our diverse workforce feels supported. We also run ‘Shram’, a skill development initiative for construction workers in alignment with Emaar India’s commitment and focus on skill upgradation for ESG excellence. 

As an HR leader, I often have to make tough decisions. Balancing ethics with business objectives can be tricky, but transparency and fairness are the foundation of everything we do. If there's an ethical issue, we address it immediately. Our organisation has a clear code of conduct, and any unethical behavior is dealt with swiftly. It's all about creating a fair, transparent, and performance-driven culture.

Just like in a family, if someone does something unethical, it’s important to take the right action and set the right example. We follow the proper process, document everything, and ensure people understand the consequences. If the action is justified, everyone will see the fairness in it, and it won't create discord in the organisation. Creating a positive atmosphere is what allows us to build a culture based on inclusivity, performance, and a customer-first mindset.

Q. Can you share some unique initiatives you’ve introduced to make Emaar India from a business-centric to employee-centric organisation?

What we do is - conduct annual surveys to stay updated on our employees' changing needs. Our yearly ESAT survey with Deloitte provides feedback across 14 parameters, helping us identify strengths and areas for improvement. For instance, trust in leadership may be high, while the work environment might need attention. In such cases, we delve deeper to pinpoint specific issues—be it the physical workspace, resources, or other factors.

Last year, our ESAT score was 86%, which is pretty high, but we still pay attention to any feedback we get. We also regularly do pulse surveys to stay on top of employee sentiment. Listening to your employees consistently through these surveys helps us identify areas where we’re excelling and areas that need attention. 

We continuously review our policies to keep pace with the evolving industry. Our goal is to lead in policy innovation within the real estate sector, setting standards for others to follow. At the same time, we stay attuned to trends, as we attract talent from various industries. Whether it's finance professionals from FMCG or IT experts from tech, our policies must appeal to diverse backgrounds and remain competitive.

With all this in mind, we focus on short-term strategies by listening to employees and observing what’s happening outside. This allows us to shape plans for compensation, policies, rewards, and communication programs for the year. These short-term strategies are working well because we remain flexible and responsive.

Our long-term strategy focuses on managing rapid growth at Emaar India, with revenue set to double and eventually quadruple. This growth demands the right talent, making talent development and succession planning essential. To support this, we've introduced programs like “Accelerate” to recruit and develop campus hires for junior roles. Our RISE program leads into Lakshya, which further progresses into Beyond Limits, our leadership development initiative.

We also focus on attracting and developing a skilled workforce at the construction site, as finding skilled people can be challenging. Offering attractive programs for workers is important for both our short-term and long-term strategies. 

One thing I believe is vital, but often overlooked, is the importance of skill development and well-being initiatives for blue-collar workers. Many organisations tend to focus more on their white-collar employees, but we want to make sure we’re providing the same support to everyone. That’s why we have a program called SHRAM, which is specifically designed for training our blue-collar workforce. 

We also prioritise quality and safety on our construction sites. After all, if a worker doesn’t lay the right brick, the whole foundation is compromised. So, ensuring quality and safety at this level is just as crucial as it is at any other level in the organisation.

Q. What are Emaar's key HR priorities for the next 3-5 years? Also, what emerging trends do you see shaping people-centric and sustainable workplaces?

I believe talent is going to be the number one breakthrough for us, hands down. It’s about talent across the entire spectrum. Bringing in the right people is the most important thing. There’s a lot of talent out there, but attracting and retaining quality talent is what truly matters. That’s why every parameter—across the board—is crucial.

Am I attracting the best contractors? The best vendors? Do people genuinely want to work with Emaar? Am I pulling in the right workers? The right junior graduates? These are questions we ask ourselves every day.

Take, for example, how Emaar compares to an MNC. Think about it like this: if you’re a fresh civil engineering graduate, would you choose a brand like EMAAR or would you opt for a multinational company? It’s like choosing between a bowl of Rajma Rice or Pasta—most people will go for the pasta because it’s from a bigger, more "desired" brand.

But, here’s the twist: If that same Rajma Rice is served at a  Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna’s  restaurant, the Bungalow in NYC, suddenly people will prefer the Rajma Rice over the pasta. Why? Because he has elevated something simple and familiar into a unique brand experience.

So, the question is: how do we, as an employer , create a talent brand that stands out and is distinct from our competitors? How do we make people not only want to work with us, but truly aspire to be part of the journey?