In the backdrop of a gloomy economic scenario and growing pessimism about the government’s ability to put India’s growth on track, organizations continue to show the importance of investing in attracting, retaining and developing people. This year’s compensation benchmarking data makes it clear that employers are being conservative in increasing their cost structures. Meanwhile, decreasing attrition levels indicate that employees, on their part, are valuing their work more than just a job.

This year’s “India’s Best Companies to Work For - 2012,” a Study by The Economic Times and Great Place to Work® Institute India, identified companies where, “employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the company of the people they work with”. For the third year in a row, People Matters brings to you the best practices of the top 25 winning companies, focusing on their culture, programs and initiatives that make them a great workplace.

In this issue, we also highlight the excerpts from the roundtable series on “Driving Employee Health for Organizational Productivity,” organized by People Matters and Quest Diagnostics. The story brings forth best practices for driving health and wellness among employees. More than 60 professionals across industries in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore shared their learning on challenges and opportunities of building healthier workplaces and implications on employer branding and workforce productivity.

In our regular sections, Elango R. shares his reflections on how we use words like ‘always’ and ‘never’ in the workplace and the power of these words when used constructively. Vivek Paranjpe, shares his expert guidance on breaking the silos for innovation in product development and on building an inclusive workplace for women leaders to excel.

In this action-packed issue, we have also focused on a crucial aspect of organizational development: building a leadership pipeline. Organizations in India are coming to terms with the reality that there is a scarcity of quality people who can assume leadership roles at mid and top-level management. When looking at filling leadership roles, there are only three alternatives: nurturing from within, hiring from outside, or a combination of the two. Growing from within has clear advantages in terms of culture fit and increase in retention and motivation. Our special supplement also carries a list of experts in this space for the buyers’ reference.

We congratulate the winners of The Economic Times and Great Place to Work® Institute Study, and also thank the CEOs and HR Heads for their contribution and continuous support.

Happy reading!

Ester Martinez
ester.martinez@peoplematters.in