SHV India has long used a range of activities to groom and develop people from within, starting from when they are hired and continuing on through training and development. One of these programs– the hiring of graduate trainees – has evolved into something that now has a visible impact on our overall hiring, grooming and people development process.
Each year, we visit around 10 universities in different parts of the country to select 20 to 25 students. Since we have been working with these universities for some time, we now have a pool of candidates that are already in tune with what “Being a part of SHV” means. Over time, the universities have recognised our association with them as mutually a beneficial situation, and they give SHV India slots very early in the recruitment season. And as we go out to the universities, we make sure to bring previous candidates with us – this enables the students to interact with one of their own and get a true picture of what it means to be part of SHV.
A robust set of tests and interviews
Shortlisted candidates go through a robust set of tests and interviews, and are then groomed to make sure they have the ability to take on roles in various functional areas. The candidates then join us in August for a rigorous one-month program called Learning to Perform. This program – a blend of classroom lectures, on-site visits and hands on experience – acts as a bridge during their transition from academic life to work life and gives them a firm grasp of how each function and functional area drives business results. Our own functional managers take responsibility for delivering the program related to their area of expertise, and this in-house approach ensures that participant grounding in SHV ways of working is embedded from the start.
Creating long-term engagement and retention
The program involves activities such as starting the day with a Safety Moment, and discussions about Shared Value. Senior managers also share experiences from their SHV ‘journey’, creating cultural alignment and turning participants into ambassadors of our way of working.After the candidates have gained a good understanding of our company, roles and expertise, they go through a counselling session. They are then placed based on their personal preferences and available positions. This match between preferences and positions helps to create long-term engagement and higher retention.
A careful eight-month follow-up
After they have worked eight months in their roles, the candidates come together again for a follow-up program called “Joy Of Performing”. Here, they share their experiences about what they have experienced so far. For us, it’s a time to listen, learn and pay attention to areas that need to be worked on. It also gives us perspective about what the reality is versus what we desire. As an example of our “Invest in People” philosophy, the program has matured over the years such that the individuals going through the program have helped provide talent for meeting local and SHV requirements. Some of the trainees have graduated to take on independent responsibilities heading Sales/Technical/Operations functions at a Regional Level. This type of movement is expected to increase as we work towards decreasing their learning curve and grooming them more quickly.
In 2017, we completed recruitment for students joining us in August of 2018. Offers have been rolled out to 19 Engineering and Management Graduates, who will now start an SHV India journey of their own.
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