With its impressive global footprint and over 90,000 employees, Genpact leads the charge in digital innovation, helping companies worldwide embrace advanced digital solutions.

In this week's episode of People Matters Unplugged, Genpact CHRO Piyush Mehta shares how the company works towards its "north star". For Genpact, it is the "relentless pursuit of a world that works better for people" and "translates very well across geographies, communities and stakeholders," according to Piyush.

Having a "north star" helps Piyush's team foster an "entrepreneurial, inclusive culture," he said.

"It combines what we have believed in for years to be our core strength: domain expertise with diverse perspectives. And then, it allows people to fearlessly experiment, seize opportunities, and push boundaries to turn the vision we've laid out in terms of our blueprint for 2026 into reality."

Communication, camaraderie and continuous learning

At the heart of this vision of work excellence are effective communication strategies that echo the Genpact culture. "Our view," Piyush said, "is that they can help us not only build employee engagement but also foster a workplace culture that values continuous learning, values, innovation, and inclusion."

As a result, the purpose-driven culture at Genpact has made the company one of India's top employers of choice for years. For Piyush's part, he understands why people are motivated to engage with their culture. His team uses feedback from the employee community to continue improving their experience in the company.

"[Employee feedback] is something we've used in a virtuous cycle to build our approach to talent engagement and development and the right culture within the company," Piyush said.

"The culture, which sits on top of the purpose of the company, and then the business strategy, all of that comes together to create the kind of cohesive whole based on which we build our talent agenda.

Piyush believes it's increasingly critical for HR leaders to "look at purpose and culture together" because "more and more employees want to know what the company stands for".

Technology is changing how people work, not why

Despite cultural shifts in the workplace, the reasons people come to work have not changed, at least not in the 30 years that Piyush has been in HR, he said.

The CHRO, on the one hand, outlined the fundamental motivations of why people come to work. On the other, he noted how digital technology has also revolutionised how people work.

There have been four enduring reasons why people come to work:

Purpose and culture: Individuals are motivated by the desire to be part of a company that aims to positively impact the world. 

Quality work and making a difference: Employees want to engage in meaningful, high-quality work that allows them to make a difference.

Learning and career advancement: People are driven by the opportunity to learn, grow, and advance their careers. Career advancement is not seen solely as moving up the corporate ladder but also includes lateral moves and acquiring new skills.

Earning a salary: Lastly, a fundamental reason people work is to earn a salary. Fair compensation for their contributions is crucial.

While these motivations have stayed the same, what has evolved significantly is how organisations leverage technology, analytics, and data to meet these needs more effectively and efficiently.

"By its very nature, technology will bring new things to the table every month or every week," Piyush said. "What is key is the ability to figure out what is core to the fundamental asks and aspirations of our people then leverage technology for that."

His advice: "Continue to learn and [give] feedback on the tools and processes, so you make [your employees shine] even brighter."