8/12/2019 NIIT Every NIITian Matters

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NIIT: Every NIITian Matters

NIITs growth is the derivative of the growth of each member in the company. The company takes on

itself the duty to foster careers by creating opportunities that demand learning, thinking and innovation

from each NIITian. Being a service organization, every individual at NIIT requires people skills for

effective business interaction. Therefore, they aim to create a place where people learn how to interact

with people. NIIT is People is not only part of NIITs vision document, but is also the voice of NII Tians,

expressed through their comments. Pride in the companys business, reaching out to the community, a

good working environment, approachable and caring management, supportive colleagues, learning

platforms, and perks and benefits, are initiatives that keep NIITians happy and engaged. P. Rajendran,

Director & COO and Shampi Venkatesh, Chief People Officer share NIITs journey of emerging as a great

workplace.

What makes NIIT a great workplace and what is its business implication?

P. Rajendran: The most important thing is that we are in a service industry where it is all about people.

We have to nurture a place where people learn how to interact with people. The key is how one can

create an environment where you are not changing people. People come and work in this organization

by choice, people will also leave by choice; so how do you ensure that the peoples choice is to stay.HR is integral to our business and has been since day one. All four of us, Pawar, Vijay, myself and Arvind

of NIIT Technologies, led the HR function at some point. (NIIT Technologies became an independent

organization in 2004, after it was hived off from NIIT Ltd).

We celebrate our Annual Day every year which highlights a theme that helps in creating the focus and

alignment for the next year. Since the early days in 1981, when the company was making just about

couple of crores of rupees, we were already doing education, corporate training, software development

and consulting. We then thought how we could put all this together to take the next big leap and involve

everybody in the company to achieve the same. That is when the Annual Day had the theme The Big

Bang. Likewise, every year has symbolized something to be achieved together as a team. We believe

that each person who works in NIIT is important and has added a brick to NIITs growth. Last year, the

theme was NIITians first which focused on NIITs care for NIITians and this years theme to Be the firstchoice highlights customer focus.

What are the key ingredients that make NIIT a great workplace?

Shampi Venkatesh: I think, what makes NIIT a great workplace is that there is tremendous amount of

passion which is backed by a lot of emphasis on processes. There is affinity at the workplace and NIIT is

like an extended family for all NIITians. We participate in peoples lives and follow an open door policy.

Everyone is addressed on a first-name basis, and there is no boss, no sir or madam at NIIT. This sense of

connect is something that trickles down from the top leadership team. On our annual day function, our

Directors welcome every NIITian as they walk in. It is a ritual, which I think speaks volumes of the kind of

importance they give to the NIITians in general.