One of the companies who have turned its small size into an advantage is Hilti India. The organization stresses on culture as a way of life which enables not only the employees but the company as well to attain its goals. The belief is in a unique culture, in which every employee undergoes from ‘being good’ to ‘becoming great’. This inert desire to become great is perhaps what makes Hilti India rank #18 in the Great Place to Work® Institute’s Study and ranks #1 in the Industry Category of the Construction & Real Estate sector. Says Pankaj Gupta, President, Hilti India, “This journey is a symbol for ‘Our Culture Journey’. Our culture is what differentiates us from other organizations; we invest heavily in building this culture. From our ‘culture journey’ initiative, to our focus on employee development, to our great products, all these efforts are directed to create enthusiastic customers.” Elaborates Mahua Chakrabarty, Manager-HR, “We have a very strong focus on culture training. The effort, budget and involvement from the management team in building culture is extraordinary. The Culture Journey is a global initiative that touches the complete organization once a year.”

Another inimitable concept which prevails in this organization is called ‘The Red Thread’, which can be described as ‘The global framework for selecting, developing and coaching its employees using consistent, business-related behavioural dimensions to improve performance’. The Red Thread Dimensions are used to categorize skills and proficiencies, which provide the ability to measure higher performance in a given position or task at Hilti.

This organization has an exclusive approach in welcoming new joiners to their team. The program “Let’s Start Together’ is designed for their smooth and easy transition into the Hilti family. Megha Abrol who joined the organization in April this year as a customer care representative exuberates, “There is a warm welcome of new employees with a bouquet. You get a smile while you pass any employee of Hilti assuring that you are not alone here. The support that you get not only of the team members but the managers as well and the comfort level you get while working is tremendous. I must say that Hilti’s effort towards its employees is commendable.”

Headed by Gupta along with Chakrabarty, Hilti India has surely established itself on firm grounds in the country.

From the business perspective, why do you think is it important for Hilti to be a great workplace?
Pankaj Gupta: Our motive is to create enthusiastic customers and a better future for all stakeholders, and that of course includes our employees. For Hilti, investing in our people is a global focus. The Hilti Leadership Model focuses both, in developing people and achieving results. Many Hilti organizations participate in the Great Place to Work® Institute’s Study and many make it to the top. So there is a global attention in creating the right culture and environment for exceptional performance.

From your opinion, what are the key ingredients that make Hilti a great workplace? What is the role of the leader and the HR head in fostering this culture?
Pankaj Gupta: The ingredients that make Hilti a great workplace are our core values. We believe in three main principles that form the base of our culture: empowering people, rewarding their success and supporting them when mistakes happen; fostering a culture of transparency and openness at all levels and creating an environment of trust. The role of the leader is to live these values and cascade them down across the organization; the role of HR is to recruit culturally fit employees, to create mechanism to train and develop them to perform at their level best and to drive this culture thought informal networks.

What does this recognition mean to you?
Mahua Chakrabarty: I’m personally very passionate about this topic. This recognition means that the organization has been able to make an emotional connect with employees. It is also a very powerful endorsement from our employees and it helps us in showcasing our culture and work environment to potential candidates and hence supports us in our talent acquisition strategy. Today, being a great workplace means a sense of pride and belonging across the organization.