HR Initiatives of Balmer Lawrie

People Excellence Initiatives

People continue to be the cornerstone of Balmer Lawries success. The practices and initiatives in the Company broadly focuses on Morale & Motivation, Wellbeing & Experience (moments of truth!) and Capability Progression & Personal Development. The HR team members at the Region and those in Corporate work in tandem with the Line Managers to achieve an aspirational objective “One BL One Experience”! Unlike most PSUs, BL is a conglomerate of diverse businesses and that makes it all the more challenging for us in HR.

The people strategies of BL are forward looking and periodic initiatives are taken to review and re-aligned these with business needs to deliver value for customers (external & internal) as well as ensure sustainability of the business and organisation as a whole.

Core Focus Areas

Based on the long term business plans and current realities, the Human Resource & Employee Relations Functions continue focussing on a set of core areas :-

  • Enhance employee capability and help them in their all-round development to achieve personal / professional milestones, across all levels of the workforce
  • Proactively manage employee experience through digital-engagements even in the COVID hit times
  • Prioritise employee wellbeing to keep them motivated and committed to organisational cause
  • Continuously e-enable People process and practices

Town Hall Meetings

Town Hall meetings have been a powerful platform for employee connect. These meetings are held across the country and employees get an opportunity to engage and interact with the Wholetime Members of the Board on various issues. Over the years these town hall deliberations have been the source of various policy initiatives in the Company.

E-enablement of HR processes

Over the time e-enablement of HR processes has gained priority in the Organisation; today, most key people processes viz. Recruitment, Management of Probation, Life Cycle Management, Performance Management and Learning & Development are all e-enabled. The Company has in recent times focused on Any-Time-Learning thus launching customised modules called ‘Munchies for Your Mind’ which can be accessed even on mobile. We also use movie based developmental modules and is in the process of developing internal customised learning movies which can be accessed online from anywhere and acts as a great tool to learn skills and grow competencies.
The Organisation is also committed to bring in effect a robust Employee Recognition and Reward Mechanism. The objective is to motivate employees, promote specific organisation and people friendly behaviours that over a period of time help us grow a culture that enhances engagement and motivate our employees to recommend BL as an employer.

"Munchies for your Mind Module is very productive and designed to ignite minds which may be utilised at respective work place. More such modules covering wide management topics / subjects may be designed for learning. I suggest modules may be split to parts in case of large topics for individual’s convenience, connectivity and compatibility."

"Balmer Lawrie’s existence as a Corporate for more than 154 years really fascinates me. The company is always ready to face challenges and allows its employees to handle them with authority and courage. The management and senior officials are always approachable and ready to help, be it personal or official. Frankly speaking, it’s a place where one can perform, learn, enhance and execute freely under experienced heads."

“All the officials of the Company even at the senior most level are extremely accessible. Unlike other PSUs, opportunities available for growth of its employees, mentoring by seniors and the infrastructure are not only immense but unmatched. The support system available for its officers and morale boosting by seniors in the Company is commendable and has greatly helped me in my grooming.”

Learning & Development

Balmer Lawrie continuously invests in Learning & Development Which is a key pillar for career's progression. We have often organised customised management development programs based on log term tie ups with Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs). We also frequently nominate professional to various prestigious campuses, viz. IIMs, ISB, XLRI, ASCI etc. The Company frequently engages firms of repute for holding development-assessment centres for its key Executives who may be identified as leaders with potential.

"The IIML training program was very different from the earlier trainings that I have attended in the Company. I am sure we would have enjoyed this more if we had visited the campus but that said, this was indeed enriching. As participants, many of us were already aware of the concepts being discussed but even with those basics, the sessions have given keen insights that can help all of us in our areas of responsibility.
Apart from the programme, being a part of such cross-functional groups gives all of us visibility into each other’s work areas which is also very important. I just hope that this sets the benchmark for future training programmes in BL. This is a truly great initiative by the HR team. Thanks again "

"The MDP Module, conducted at IIM Lucknow in March 2020, allowed us the opportunity to step back from our daily schedules and relive our Campus Days in a very refreshing, yet informative way. The customized program enabled us to analyze management theories from the practical perspective relevant to our job roles. Being part of a learning group, consisting of BL employees from various domains, SBUs and locations enabled a rich learning experience, fostered peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and team building at the same time. Overall, the MDP was one of the most refreshing and memorable chapters of my career at Balmer Lawrie."

While such initiatives as above abound, Balmer Lawrie also seeks to institutionalise a core L&D support ecosystem that is sustainable and has the potential to grow roots for eventual self-nourished growth. We have mandated process in mentorship, which seeks to provide a mentor to each new joinee and help her / him with a structured mentorship support for an extended period. The Company for this purpose also trains its people to develop and grow mentoring skills.

BL also has a mandated Experiential Leadership Development program which takes identified High Potential Executives to be taken through extended L&D program where they would hone their leadership skills while working on mission critical organisational projects. Executives identified for this program are not only exposed to classroom instructions, they are also provided Coaching support and exposure to work on projects that form part of the Company’s Strategic Focus areas. These modules are designed to get the Middle and Senior Management level Executives ready for Top Management roles of the Company.

"Mentoring is an effective way of helping people to progress further in their chosen careers, both professionally and personally. When I joined Balmer Lawrie, a Senior Executive was assigned as my Mentor. He maintained a professional relationship with a friendly approach which helped me to quickly adjust to work environment, being a fresher from college. My mentor’s experience and abundant knowledge helped me in connecting with other colleagues easily and aided me in exploring new and exciting ways to contribute to my day-to-day work assignments. The mentor gave consistent and continuous encouragement along with positive feedback which made me understand, my role and contribution to the department / organisation.
Mentoring has really motivated me in my initial days which had helped me mould myself professionally and I strongly recommend that any new joinee should go through a Mentoring Phase immediately upon joining. "

"I joined Balmer Lawrie as a fresher in June, 2012. This ongoing decade-long journey with BL would not have been easy without the mentoring provided by my seniors. When we least expect it, our job sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to overcome it. At such a point, the guidance provided by the seniors helps us to keep calm and get things sorted out. My mentors and seniors have always supported me in my job to overcome the hurdles and it has made me a better person to perform my duties to the organization."

"As a new joinee, my seniors mentored me to understand the purpose of my work and what value I can add to it. With true mentorship, I was able to maximize my potential and was able to give my best to my job. It was like a two-way relationship between me and my mentor, who understood my potential and at the same time gave me freedom to do the work on my own way. That’s how one can progress better."

Quality

Quality is ingrained in all that we do in Balmer Lawrie. Right across the organisation, various TQM initiatives have been taken covering all categories of employees. Our Quality management systems put a spotlight on continuous development of processes which sets the standard and continuously improve the quality in our businesses. Where quality is a reality, innovation cannot be far away. To recognise this spirit of innovation & ideation, our Company also has a suggestion scheme named Ek Soch.

Balmer Lawrie strives to offer the best in class product and services to its customers

The Cold Chain Unit at Rai, Haryana won the Cold Chain Award given away by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The Cold Chain Unit was awarded for its outstanding performance in the category “Best Practices in Cold Storage”. The award was presented during CII’s 5th Cold Chain Award function on 17th February 2021 over the virtual platform.

Integrated Check Post (ICP), Jogbani received a ‘Certificate of Appreciation’ from Customs Jogbani on the 69th International Customs Day. This commendation recognised the unstinted support and valuable contribution in achieving the goal of Indian Customs towards trade facilitation between India and Nepal and also for providing uninterrupted services to normalise trade flow during COVID - 19.

Mr. Adika Ratna Sekhar, Director [HR & CA] and C&MD [Additional Charge] received the ‘Sustainable HR Leaders (PSU)’ Award given away by World HRD Congress during the 29th Edition of the World HRD Congress & Awards function.

Balmer Lawrie won the “WEST BENGAL BEST EMPLOYER BRAND AWARDS 2021” given away by World HRD Congress in a virtual event on 18th March 2021.

SBU: Greases & Lubricants (G&L) won the ‘ALL INDIA BEST SUPPLIER LUBRICANTS/DEF WEST (2020-21)’, given away by Tata Motors Ltd.as part of Tata Genuine Parts Vendor Impact Programme '21, the first virtual annual Vendor's Meet held on 26th

Employee Engagement

An effective and employee centric work culture in the organization encourages participation, involvement of employees in activities beyond work and their alignment with the organisation. Towards furthering this, events and activities like annual sports day, indoor games, cultural evenings etc. are oragnised at major locations of the Company. Employees and their family members celebrate Foundation day in all units and establishments across the country every year in the month of February. Company offsites for SBU and Functions are organised annually. It provides the opportunity for employees to connect with each other in a new and meaningful way.

Company Offsite meets

Other Sports and cultural events

Last updated on : 17/02/2022
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