Article: #16 Interglobe: Sky is not the Limit

Employee Engagement

#16 Interglobe: Sky is not the Limit

Interglobe's vision is to create, operate and represent brands that have genuine resonance and meaning
 

The organisation strongly believes in changing itself to adapt to customer and employee requirements

 

We believe in working tirelessly to offer our employees at every level the best opportunities for career and personal development

 

Managing a service driven organization based on six diversified business lines may seem like a herculean task; for InterGlobe this is a way of life. Since the inception of the group 30 years ago, their core values like trust, relationship, dedicated perseverance and integrity have remained the same. A value that stands out is of dedicated perseverance, as the group believes that with ambition and effort anything is possible. Perseverance linked with integrity explains the tremendous growth of the organization. With 6000 employees and various businesses like aviation, hotel management and development, travel software distribution, BPO/Back office, and Air services (Cargo and Passenger distribution and operations and charters), the organization has not only ranked one in the Industry Category of the Transportation sector, it also ranks #16 in the Great Place to Work® Institute’s Study. Though the businesses differ in terms of services offered, InterGlobe strives to keep the core values and processes consistent, which yields in a seamless integration of its brand all across resulting in unique brand equity.

The organization strongly believes in changing itself to adapt to customer and employee requirements. Three decades back when InterGlobe started its operations, the landscape of the airline industry was very different with low competition and a transactional HR function. Things have changed since then. Customers have become more experienced and knowledgeable, and their expectations have risen. InterGlobe has adapted to those changes and attempted to hone their skills and knowledge relevant to the needs of their customers and employees. The people agenda is also very strong and aligned to the business agenda. While the organization has grown very rapidly in the last few years and embarking in different business lines, the management has invested heavily in setting up best in class practices in Human Resources.

Though value remains the common foundation across all business lines in terms of building a culture and engaging employees, each business evolves at a different pace depending on its requirement, an excellent example of which is that in the IT business, they have implemented a very successful reward program called I-value, that encourages people to nominate employees that have displayed a particular value and the winners of each round becomes then the judging panel for the next one.

Another inimitable feature of this organization is the way they are able to advance implementation of new initiatives in a singular business. Once they have proven successful, they can be later exported to other business lines.

We speak to their Group CEO Michael Whitaker and Harish Gandhi, Group Head HR to get more insight.

Why do you think is it important for InterGlobe to be a great workplace?
Michael Whitaker:
At InterGlobe, we value our employees and believe in providing a nurturing environment for all to develop. The recognition as a great workplace reassures us that we are moving in the right direction. Additionally, it brings with it an immense responsibility to further dedicate ourselves in making InterGlobe a world class organization with best-in-class business and people practices.

What are the key ingredients that make InterGlobe be a great workplace?
Michael Whitaker:
InterGlobe’s vision is to create, operate and represent brands that have genuine resonance and meaning. By seeing things differently, we create customer experiences that set new standards and expectations. With a focus on creativity and innovation, we design and create experiences that engage and excite. And this drives the culture of the organization in whichever business we are in. We empower our employees to strive for excellence in every activity they do. Leaders across the organization and the HR of the company play a key role in driving this spirit across the organization. We believe in working tirelessly to offer our employees at every level the best opportunities for career and personal development. As a result, our employees feel valued and inspired.

What does this recognition mean for you? What are the people challenges you face?
Harish Gandhi:
The recognition not only validates our conviction to strive further to institutionalize excellence at the workplace, but also helps us set our sights for even more inclusive growth and development as the organization moves ahead in the business landscape. Primary people challenges faced by us include retaining key talent; scaling up people processes to manage rapid business growth; and institutionalizing innovation and entrepreneurship across businesses
 

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Topics: Employee Engagement, Culture, #BestPractices

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