Operating in India for the last 27 years and a leader in the domestic air express industry, Blue Dart Express Ltd. is a classic example of an organization which believes in a strong focus on customer requirements along with employee needs. When asked Anil Khanna, Managing Director, Blue Dart Express Ltd, how this has been plausible, he replies confidently, “We understand our customers’ business and requirements very closely and thus work with the sole objective of adding value to them. We are a customer led company and would continue to be driven by their needs.” Elaborating the cause of success Blue Dart has achieved in the past few years, he adds keenly, “All of Blue Dart’s achievements have been possible because of the strong employee base that we have. They are the only asset of the company that cannot be replaced.” Blue Dart Express ranks #41 Great Place to Work® Institute’s Study.
Managing a workforce which operates from 300 locations and has over 6,300 employees can indeed be a daunting task. Says Barttanu Kumar Das, Senior VP, HR, “At Blue Dart, our attempt has always been to strive for uniform implementation of higher employee alignment and engagement. We have a decentralized HR structure, full involvement, support and ownership of HR and HR Metric for monitoring and measurement.” People Matters brings to you excerpts from an exclusive interaction with Anil Khanna and Barttanu Kumar Das.

Apart from nurturing an environment of self direct and fulfilling employee’s personal aspirations, what makes you an employer of choice?
Anil Khanna: Blue Dart is an extremely dynamic organization with clear strategic vision and robust plans for growth. Our approach of trying to constantly improve and excel beyond our customer expectations is what sets us apart. Blue Dart believes in People Power and completely relies on the experience gathered by its strong people force over the years. Our team is a healthy mix of old employees with industry knowledge and experience and new employees with path-breaking ideas constantly providing the new perspective.

Why is being a great workplace important for Blue Dart from the business stand point?
Anil Khanna: Being a great workplace is a great acknowledgement of our people focus, values and systems. We are truly humbled on getting this prestigious recognition. It is a reiteration of what we want to stand for, that is, an employer of choice. The key to success for any good organization is its manpower assets, which cannot be replaced with anything. In Blue Dart, the three ingredients that ensure that it is an employee oriented organization are Employee Commitment, Building / Protecting the Culture and Employee Engagement Programs.

What is the HR outlook and motivation that has led to this achievement?
Barttanu Kumar Das: Being a great workplace is a certificate of recognition of outstanding achievements by our employees. Our human resource has a strong focus on developing employees who are not only motivated to do their best but believe in the company as well. A great workplace is made of a strong relationship between the employer and the employee based on mutual respect and transparency, and we believe to have achieved that.