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Driving Employee Happiness at Workplace

Employee happiness is not just about providing a few additional perks and annual appraisals. Every organization does that and there has to be a specific differentiating factor between you and others to ensure employee satisfaction indicators are at an optimum level. The global landscape of workforce management is evolving at a rapid pace. Organizations need to adopt an innovative approach to ensure that employees are content. A satisfied employee is the foundation of progressive work culture which in turn aids tremendously in boosting productivity levels. A holistic approach in terms of human resource management has become the need of the hour and we, at Hexaware have been taking several proactive steps on this front.

Hexaware’s work culture is its biggest strength. At work, we have a diverse workforce who, over the years have adapted themselves to deliver terrific results through seamless collaboration. A large credit for this culture goes to our various employee well-being initiatives whose core focus is to foster team spirit. The feeling of oneness can be created by developing empathy and inculcating a habit of looking at the bigger picture. And employees can start looking at the bigger picture only if they are content in their own personal as well as professional spheres.

Our initiatives like the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) are one of the many Hexaware initiatives focused on employee happiness. Through EAP, employees are provided with counseling on various professional as well as personal issues round the clock. Such programs are a great way of conveying our unending support and acknowledgment for their contributions to Hexaware. An employer and employee relationship must transcend geographical limitations especially considering the current virtual environment.

Through programs like #WeDifferent, Hexaware has taken another giant step in spreading happiness in the workforce. The program celebrates diversity and promotes inclusiveness which in turn plays a massive role in making each employee feel welcome. Such inclusive measures are critical in keeping employee spirits high and fostering mutual growth.

For the last 3 decades, Hexaware has created a unique brand identity through its dynamic work culture and employee engagement measures. We thrive on feedback and employees are often encouraged to voice their opinions. Our human resource management tools are designed on this very principle where every feedback is treated as valuable learning. Hexaware’s policy-making is a reflection of our employee voices and this is why have been immensely successful in creating an environment of trust and growth.

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Managing Employee Benefits at Hexaware

One of the basics of employee management is keeping an open mind and gathering as much feedback as possible. Happy employees are the foundation of great work culture. And your organization’s work culture plays a massive role in the overall productivity and performance. To make giant strides on the global stage it’s vital to make small tweaks in your employee management mechanisms. At Hexaware, employees are at the absolute centre of decision making and our policies and workflow are always designed by keeping their interests as a primary factor. When it comes to employee welfare practices, very few organizations can compete with Hexaware’s policies and this is one of the key reasons behind our low attrition rates and increasing employee satisfaction levels.

Providing employees with a conducive environment at the workplace is just one-half of effective employee welfare. A well-crafted employee benefit takes care of their overall mental and physical well-being. Hexaware has been championing this holistic approach to employee benefit for several years now. Through our various mentorship and learning programs, we are providing a conducive environment for work along with terrific scope for growth. Similarly, through initiatives like the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), employees are getting benefits such as counselling and guidance on professional as well as personal matters. These additional steps from an organization’s side can pave the way to a fruitful relationship where both employee and organization can thrive and chart new success stories.

At Hexaware, we are quite aware of the changing global employment landscape. The last couple of years, in particular, have been monumental in defining the course of employee benefits management. Gone are the days when employee benefits included medical care and a few rewards and recognition programs. The need of the hour is to be receptive to employee concerns and craft policies accordingly. Our internal human resource management tools are designed for these specific purposes. Feedback and suggestions are a critical part of the way we, at Hexaware work. Our flexible working hours, work-from-home options, and excellent leave policies are all a result of this mechanism.

Great compensation, work-life balance, terrific work culture, and better prospects for growth are some of the key factors that every employee must consider before joining any organization. And Hexaware has consistently placed itself on the top of employee satisfaction levels when it comes to these parameters.

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Equal Employment Opportunities at Hexaware

We help all our clients across the globe in building their business ideas into successful ventures by offering an excellent range of services and offering premium quality solutions. At Hexaware, we value diversity in all its forms and strive to integrate our ideas into businesses. Our staff comprises investors and executives from around the globe who bring with them unique perspectives and experiences, which add value to our company. Equal opportunity and respect for differences are ingrained in our culture at Hexaware, so our employees thrive here regardless of their background or job experience.

Hexaware believes in equal employment opportunities for its employees and applicants alike. We offer training, compensation and benefits to help you develop your skills and career potential. We use your performance KPIs to determine how much you are paid, and we also offer opportunities for promotion as well as a chance to earn additional compensation.

We work hard to make sure that we understand your needs, expectations and aspirations. This means that when you are promoted or change roles, there will be opportunities for advancement, training and development.

We value diversity and inclusion at Hexaware and we have implemented a number of initiatives to facilitate this objective. Hexaware is a dynamic organization, where we offer equal employment opportunities to all our employees. We believe in the concept of ‘Equal Opportunity’ and are committed to providing a fair career growth opportunity to all our employees. This is done through regular training programs, development opportunities and continuous motivation.

We are committed to creating a work environment where all employees and applicants are treated with respect. We are proud of our diverse workforce and the commitment of our management team. Hexaware is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national origin, ancestry, religion (creed), sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical or mental disability or genetic information in employment opportunities.

Discrimination and harassment in any form are neither condoned nor tolerated at Hexaware. While we strive to afford employees and applicants the same opportunities for success in our workplace, we are committed to creating an environment free from all forms of discrimination or harassment.

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Cultivating Empathy in the Workplace

Human beings are social creatures and qualities like empathy, collaborative mindset and creativity sets them apart from other beings inhabiting the planet. Empathy has been one of the foremost prerequisites for every human being and it has become a must-have quality in the workplaces of today. Some of us are born with a natural tendency to look out for others while in other cases it has to be cultivated over some time.

Each one of us has had the misfortune of encountering a colleague or leader with little compassion. And this conduct has often led to sour work relationships which in long run impacted productivity and work atmosphere. This is why taking proactive steps to cultivate an empathetic work environment that is cognizant of each person’s needs has become the need of the hour.

At Hexaware, one of our foremost commitments has been to make the workplace inclusive and employee-centric. The last couple of years, in particular, have been quite challenging for each one of us and we have taken proactive steps to support our workforce beyond the traditional realm of work. Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) was one such initiative aimed at providing guidance and counselling to all the employees on matters related to work as well as personal life. These steps taken from our end played a massive role in enhancing employee well-being and developing a workplace filled with empathy.

Over the last several years Hexaware took numerous steps to cultivate empathy in the workplace. These initiatives have set us apart from many others and have established us as the employee-centric organization that we are. Some of these are:

Affable Leadership- Right from the senior leadership to team leads, every individual in our leadership workforce is 100% approachable and available for every employee's needs. We have created an open-door environment where the employees are encouraged to voice their opinions. This policy has been at the crux of Hexaware’s mission from day one and even after 30 years, it continues to be so.

Soft Skills Matter- An employee’s growth at Hexaware is defined not just by their technical skill but by their soft skills as well. This is why we undertake several initiatives to build this critical aspect into each of our employees. Our learning and development initiatives ranging from Mavericks for freshers to Evolve for seasoned employees are all centred around this approach. Through these training programmes, we focus not just on upskilling them but also on cultivating critical thinking, problem-solving, team building, and collaborative skills. There are several other approaches like developing effective feedback mechanisms, and upgrading company policies among several others. which can be taken to create an empathetic environment. And if the numbers are anything to go by, every successful enterprise has done something in this aspect while those struggling are the ones who have not focussed on this absolute need of the hour.

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Recent Trends in Talent Management

The last couple of years brought a massive overhaul in the ways businesses function as well as the way they approach workforce management. Empathy, collaboration, and agility became the buzzwords and the organizations that couldn’t board this ship of change saw massive attritions or worse- a premature closure. Talent management has now become a topmost priority for organizations the world over. From real-world to virtual to hybrid models now, organizations are undergoing rapid change, and organizations need to introspect quickly on the effectiveness of their talent management systems. Many organizations have successfully adapted to the emerging trends in this sphere and resultantly are doing much better than their respective industry standards. While the needs of each sector is dynamic and there’s no one solution to all problems, here are the most commonly followed talent management trends that have emerged as a silver bullet to many.

Dynamic HCM This has been one of the core focus areas for Hexaware and is something that we actively track to analyze and resolve employee concerns. Human Capital Management tools have existed for quite some time but it’s in the last few years that the majority of organizations have started utilizing them to their true potential. These tools are not just a database of employees but their pulse! A successful HCM tool can play a vital role in nurturing and even retaining talent. These tools are now being made to understand the voice of employees and are engaging them more effectively leading to enhanced employee interactions and high satisfaction levels. Dynamic HCM tools have become an increasingly popular method to improve talent experience and a proactive approach in this aspect will take you miles.

Upgradation of L&D Modules It’s about time organizations evolve from the monthly seminars and training sessions in the name of learning and development. These sessions add absolutely no value and do more harm than good. The recent pandemic was one of the glaring examples of the failure of many L&D systems. It was the first time a large number of our talent pool experienced remote work and many organizations quite visibly suffered because of a lack of training on this front. This ended up wasting some crucial business hours in many cases.

The organizations that successfully surfed the wave of change were the ones that were well trained and prepared in advance. Robust and interactive sessions with real-world applications are the way to go and Hexaware’s Maverick programme does exactly this by empowering the employees and fostering their growth. It is designed to keep the young talent on top of the game from day one. The training programmes provided through Hexavarsity run throughout the year and are not a one-time event. These sessions boost employee confidence and add value to their work. Similarly, even for the more seasoned employees, we have programmes that aim to widen their spectrum and give them deeper insight into critical business functions and their global applications. This plays a pivotal role in shaping them into future business leaders.

Empathetic Approach Businesses that have championed empathy in their approach have historically been more successful than the ones that were numbers-focused. This is primarily because employees value an organization and show more loyalty if it has ears for them. Affable top management and a crystal clear communication channel are the need of the hour. At Hexaware, employee welfare activities have been an integral part of our functioning for decades. It’s absolutely essential that employees are in the best state of mind and are bereft of any distress. Our initiatives like Amelio Assist Programme where we provide nanny care and home learning for employees with children between 6 months to 6 years is one such endeavour. In addition to this, our Pay it forward initiative, mental and physical well-being sessions and flexible working hours have done wonders in employee satisfaction growth leading to effective talent management.

Diversifying Talent Pool Conscious hiring decisions that revolve around bringing demographic and cultural variety to your talent pool are on the rise. A diverse talent pool brings a wider perspective to business along with fresh ideas that foster growth. The evolving global business landscape has made it pertinent to have a diverse talent pool that understands and connects to different contexts. This makes every employee feel valued and helps immensely in talent retention and management

Remote Management and Collaborations Remote work has become an integral part of our workspace. This implies a change in not just work locations but also in management style. Managers need to be more collaborative and inclusive in their approach to their teams. Organizations world over are investing heavily in infusing empathy and enhancing collaborative culture in their leadership teams. These attributes are playing a critical role in employee engagement and many business leaders are now warming up to this reality.

Workforce management trends will continue to evolve at a rapid pace in the coming days. This is why Hexaware has been making conscious decisions to adopt an agile approach that enhances employee satisfaction. And it’s time business leaders across the globe invest in a robust talent management system and ensure the employees are heard.

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5 Ways to Reduce Stress at the Workplace

Mankind as a whole has come under unprecedented stress with the pandemic. During this time, workplaces became bigger sources of stress than normal. So, it’s no surprise that the American Institute of Stress reported that extreme stress levels at work stood at 40% in 2022.  Unfortunately, stress at work is linked to many health issues or injuries which in turn lead to financial, and personal problems.

The human Resource team at Hexaware routinely grapple with the task of dealing with the stress responses of workers. We found out that workplace stress is caused by both physical and psychosocial elements. From bad lighting or poor seating issues at work, causes extend to demands of the job, long/inflexible work hours, harassment, and bullying. Poor structuring of work or a lack of job insecurity would also add to the stress affecting the health of a worker, whose poor performance would affect the performance of the organization itself. Hexaware campus is a huge green campus where you can casually stroll to ease your mind, play a game in the gaming zone and do many more activities.

 Employers can adopt some interventions, to reduce the stress at the workplace. Let’s look at 5 such interventions by Hexaware that helped reduce workplace stress-

Planning Hybrid/Remote work:

In the wake of COVID-19, workers are quitting their jobs when asked to return to the office. The time has come for employers to take the wishes of their workers into account and modify/redesign work to make work from anywhere possible. Workers need to stay productive, work with energy and focus and willingly coordinate/cooperate with others on the team. Hexaware provides its employees with the option of working from home till the pandemic is completely over. Financial support is also provided to employees to necessitate work from home for a long-term basis due to the Covid-19 pandemic like work from home productivity items, internet reimbursement, etc.

Redesign Work and Workplaces:

When the stress faced is psychosocial, it helps to match employee skills with job requirements and eliminate mismatches by imparting the required skills. Until the employee turns adept at the tasks assigned, they may be allowed to get more time and resources to complete the work. Workplaces also need to eliminate physical hazards and adopt safer equipment and technology while promoting the use of protective equipment, where necessary. Hexaware is very innovative when it comes to our workplace. Employees can also take initiative and design their desks as colourfully as they want.

Employee Involvement in Decision-making:

When employees are involved in important decisions at the workplace, taps into their experience and accumulated knowledge of internal processes, it improves their morale and commitment and gets them invested in the success of the organization. At every level of management at Hexaware, we make sure that the employees are involved in important decision-making. Leadership Lantern Series at Hexaware is a series of Leadership sessions that reflect the involvement of the leaders and their clear focus on employee wellbeing. It's a creative initiative where leaders share their thoughts, visions, and actionable goals with the employees and include them in these strategic and practical discussions. This is critical in bridging the gap between the leaders and the employees as well.

Provide Effective Work-Life Balance:

Workplaces and managers need to establish boundaries between work hours and off-work hours and maintain them. This allows the employees to actually know that they are not expected to be available all the time. Taking breaks also helps employees recharge themselves, and get relief from stress. There is an amphitheatre, a gym, a gaming zone, etc. at Hexaware to provide employees with stress busters and help them maintain good work-life balance.

Train Employees to Cope with Stress:

Employees can be trained to recognize the signs of stress and learn how to avoid stress reactions using active coping mechanisms, which promote relaxation and minimize stress.

Enterprises can avoid the harmful effects of workplace stress - like low employee productivity, lower retention rates and increased absences - by tackling stress in a proactive manner. Fighting-it-Together (FIT Project) by Hexaware is a project to enable everybody to have healthy mental and physiological health was a blessing for many who suffered the stress of working at home for such a long time. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is similar in nature to the FTI Project, EAP gave free confidential counselling to help employees deal with their problems on both personal and professional fronts.

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What are the Keys to Happiness at Work?

It's no secret that we're all looking for happiness at work. But what are the keys to it?

Well, first of all, you have to be able to find the time and space to be happy. And then once you've found that time and space, you have to make sure that your coworkers aren't getting in the way of your happiness. You don't want to be spending all your time with people who are negative or combative, so look around and make sure everyone is supportive of one another!

The keys to happiness at work are simple:

1. Make time for yourself, even when you're busy. It's okay to take a break or step away from the desk every once in a while and make sure you're taking care of yourself by doing something that makes you feel good. Hexaware has a gaming zone just for this.

2. Do what makes you feel good, even if it's not the most profitable thing. Sometimes we need to do things just because it feels good to do them—and that's okay! Hexaware offers free Udemy courses to all of its employees to upskill too.

3. Don't let your job define who you are as a person. Your career is just one part of your life! You can still have friends and hobbies outside of work too—and sometimes those things give us more fulfilment than our jobs do! Hexaware has an amphitheatre, gym and numerous facilities where you can go after work to unwind.

4. You'll also want to think about your work environment. For example, if there's not enough lighting in your office or if there isn't enough natural light coming into the space, going outside for a walk might help you feel more refreshed when you get back inside again. Hexaware campus is huge so you can always have a stroll outside.

5. Be grateful—be proud of what you have, but also be grateful for every little thing in your life. You never know when someone might need something from you, so don't take their gratitude for granted. You'll feel better about yourself if you remember that everyone else has their own problems too! Management at Hexaware is very helpful and friendly, you will always have someone at work whom you can count on.

And finally, don't forget about the big picture: how does this job make me feel about myself? If it doesn't feel good for me personally, I may want to find something else! Hexaware is one of the top IT services companies in India that thrives to give its employees a calm and enjoyable environment so that they can be productive and happy at the same time. We at Hexaware, have a gym, an amphitheatre, a gaming zone and many more to unwind and relax too. To know more about Hexaware click here.

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Conflict Resolution at the Workplace

Conflict is a natural occurrence in any workplace. It can be defined as a disagreement or dispute between two or more people. Conflict arises when different people have different opinions, ideas and goals which result in disagreements and disputes.

Conflicts can be categorized into four types:

Personality conflicts: These are based on individuals’ personality traits, such as their attitudes, beliefs, values or emotions that trigger conflicts with other people.

Workplace conflicts: These are based on differences in working styles and cultures which result in conflicts between employees.

Structural conflicts: These arise due to problems related to the structure of the organisation such as lack of communication channels, unclear policies etc.

Processing style conflicts: These are caused by how people process information and make decisions which leads to poor results

Conflict resolution is a process of managing disagreements, disputes and other types of interpersonal conflicts. It involves finding mutually acceptable solutions to problems between two or more parties.

There are several strategies and techniques that can be employed in resolving workplace conflicts. They include:

Active Listening — To resolve conflicts effectively, it is important for you to listen attentively to what the other person has to say. You should try to understand their point of view and feelings before expressing your own position on the matter.

Reframing — Reframing is another useful technique for resolving workplace conflicts which involves altering one’s perspective on a situation. For example, instead of focusing on negative aspects of a problem, reframing helps one look at positive aspects as well.

Problem Solving — The main objective behind problem-solving is to find solutions that meet both parties’ interests and needs. Problem-solving is an effective means of conflict resolution since it allows both parties involved in an argument to suggest ways in which they could settle their differences without having to compromise on their respective positions or views on the issue at hand.

Take responsibility for your part in the conflict. It takes two parties to argue, but it only takes one person to end the argument by apologizing or admitting that they were wrong. The first step toward reconciliation is accepting responsibility for your part in any dispute.

Listen to the other person’s side of the story without interrupting them or judging them when they’re upset or angry. Listen attentively while they talk about why they feel upset and try not to interrupt or offer advice until they’ve finished talking about their feelings. Avoid making judgments about what they say until you have all the information, instead of jumping to conclusions based on limited knowledge or assumptions. Ask questions if necessary — but don’t ask leading questions that make it obvious that you think something negative about them or their actions (e.g., “So are you telling me that my method is wrong and yours is right?)

Conflict is often seen as a negative thing. However, conflict is an important part of every relationship — at home with family or friends; at work with colleagues; in schools; in communities; even between nations. Conflict allows us to discover new ideas and ways of doing things that might otherwise not have been discovered or considered before.

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Effectively Managing Workplace Distraction

If you have ever found yourself working on a project, only to be distracted by something else, then you know how frustrating it can be.

Distractions are a fact of life in the workplace. Employees can be distracted by colleagues, managers, or even the company itself. While it is impossible to eliminate distractions entirely, there are some ways to minimize their impact on your employees’ productivity.

In this post, we’ll talk about how to manage time more effectively, especially with the Interval Training Principle.

The Interval Training Principle

The Interval Training Principle suggests that short bursts of intense concentration followed by short breaks will produce better results than longer periods of more moderate focus (or even less focus).

The idea behind interval training is simple: You work at a high level of intensity for a short period of time and then you rest or recover. The intervals can be as long as you like, but they’re usually between 15 seconds and 5 minutes in length.

This principle applies just as well to managing workplace distractions as it does to managing exercise regimens and diets. In fact, many fitness trainers use interval training because it is an effective way to get results — both physically and mentally — without requiring a great deal of time or effort.

Interval training can be used to improve many things, including speed and strength. But it’s also useful for managing distractions at work. The interval training principle helps you focus on one task at a time by giving yourself periods of rest between tasks.

For example, if you have four tasks that need to get done today, you could structure your day like this:

Task 1: High-intensity work — 30 minutes

Task 2: Rest — 15 minutes (or more)

Task 3: High-intensity work — 30 minutes

Task 4: Rest — 15 minutes

At Hexaware, all the employees are also eligible for free Udemy courses. This may not appear to be a benefit to many individuals, but it is. Consider that for a moment. How much can you learn for free if you spend half an hour on UDEMY every day? You are also not required to pay for it and it provides an excellent learning environment. You can learn new skills on Udemy for a change of pace after your high-intensity work too.

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7 Ways to Give Feedback Effectively

Keeping lines of communication open and delivering effective feedback are crucially important to a successful organization. Keeping an open channel of communication will ensure a smooth feedback process, without any sparks of defensiveness or resentment. Leaders can effectively use the mechanism as an important tool to support their team’s learning and development.

Feedback that is given without empathy often leads to unnecessary self-esteem issues and can overload people with information, without setting any direction. An important communication tool that can be used to make positive changes in the workplace is constructive feedback. What exactly is constructive feedback?

It is a tool through which leaders and managers can give their team members individual-specific suggestions to improve their performance by revamping their work habits. The most crucial element of constructive feedback is that it always comes from a place of good intentions. The recipient of the feedback must know you are on their side to avoid misinterpretations.

Here are 7 ways to improve your team performance through effective feedback:

Be specific Don’t talk about multiple incidents at the same time, instead talk to them about one specific incident and how they could have reacted to it differently. Employee feedback should be solution-oriented and clearly communicated.

Be direct but informal Using impersonal forms of communication like email, text message or even a phone call to provide feedback can lead to misinterpretation by the employee. It's better to speak with the employee in person, so pick a quiet place where you can have an open and honest one-on-one conversation. If you have an equation where you can be informal with the team member, it’s best to get straight to the point and not beat around the bush.

Focus on the situation, not the person Speak to the person coming from a deep level of empathy and try to be objective as you explain the situation to them. Come from an objective standpoint and be impartial as you give them constructive feedback. You are there to explain the situation objectively, not attack the employee for their individual attributes.

Give praise where it’s due Giving positive feedback to the employee is as equally important as giving constructive criticism. Acknowledge the positives and reward them for their hard work. Be careful to not use the ‘sandwich method’ - squeezing in a harsh criticism between two ingenuine positives. This makes the employee wary of you leading to a lack of trust in your judgment.

Keep it private Make sure you never criticize your employee publicly. It's better to speak with the employee in person, to ensure they don’t become uncomfortable. Feedback is not only unpleasant for the receiver; it is also unpleasant to the giver. You can help to relieve some of the underlying pressure by shifting the place to a more informal setting.

Allow a response Keep communication channels open and give them a chance to respond. It should always be a conversation between the two of you, which is a two-way street.

Follow up Assessment is difficult, and it needs a great deal of thought and effort. Rather than treating feedback conversations as one-and-done, follow up on your direct report and express appreciation or gratitude when you notice their progress. This will demonstrate your interest in their success and may encourage them to keep up their efforts.

Effective feedback and constructive criticism are an important part of an employee’s growth journey. These strategies can help managers and employees move through their growth journey to lead to more collaborative, communicative and higher-performing cultures.

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5 Strategies To Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Modern-day professionals working across all sectors today are kept awake with the thought, “I don’t deserve this success.”

According to a study in 2020, up to 82% of high achievers usually experience an underlying ‘fear of being discovered as a fraud’. In short, when a person feels like they haven’t performed adequately or that they don’t deserve recognition for their achievements, it is called imposter syndrome. A large chunk of professionals, from the biggest business moguls to many high net worth individuals face this syndrome in their lifetime.

Many of them struggle with feelings which make them feel like a fraud, or tell them that they are conning everyone into believing that they are good at what they do. They spend their time, effort and energy to successfully achieve goals that most only dream of, only to be met with this debilitating imposter syndrome.

Today, the boom in digital and social media has made it easier to compare ourselves to others and ultimately drown in self-doubt. Imposter syndrome is quite consistently found across all genders and ages but these sentiments can often be aggravated by workplaces that witness

Unhealthy and rigid competition

Poor communication about expectations and improvement

Absence of diversity and mentorship

This fosters feelings of inability to internalize their wins, looking at their failures under a microscope and a feeling of not deserving the position they hold. If you recognise that this person is you, the good news is that today researchers have come up with strategies to help you deal with such feelings. Here are 5 strategies you can adopt to change your mindset and overcome Imposter Syndrome:

Recognise what you’re feeling and be honest with yourself about your achievements. Imposters often suffer from chronic self-doubt that creeps in due to constant comparison and thinking about all the mistakes that have been made. Turn around these thoughts, recognise and list down all of your successful endeavours. Approach your life with objectivity, like it was your friend’s life and not yours.

You need to do a personal SWOT analysis to recognise where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Start by mapping out your natural strengths, your negative work habits, any roadblocks you are facing and your goals for the future. Draw out useful conclusions matching your strengths to your opportunities and find areas that you can convert into arenas to explore.

Track all your projects and make a list of all your successes. Keep a log or make a digital portfolio of your milestones and share it with friends and family. It is not only important but also rewarding to share and celebrate your successes with your loved ones

The added pressure you put on yourself to prove your worth to others can make it more difficult for you to even accomplish simple tasks. There is a belief that you must work longer hours, to the point of being the last person to leave and invest more energy in order to achieve the same goal.

One of the biggest fears of a person with imposter syndrome is facing failure. A dented self-esteem, coupled with an inability to internalize and celebrate their successes means that they keep trying to chase a goal that keeps moving further away. Every professional carries along their series of failures to then reach a point of accomplishment. It is important for you to accept that it is okay to fail sometimes. Learning from failure is what will keep you going up the ladder of success. Running your life on a rigid self-defeating belief system can be suffocating, and getting rid of it is not at all easy. However, you need to learn to trust your true self and your abilities more, in order to live a life where you can succeed and celebrate that success, happily.

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Hexaware’s Inclusive Culture

Contributed by Gwen Kolader on 23 March 2022

Being a global company comes with employing people from all over the world. All individuals in the workforce come with their own unique life stories, backgrounds, beliefs and heritage. “Creating a culture where all Hexawarians feel that they belong and can thrive because of who they are, not despite who they are, is powered by our constant focus on inclusion”, says Gwen Kolader, Global Head DEI. “Building an Inclusive Culture is the top priority at Hexaware, a continuous journey of listening, learning, changing and growing — as individuals, employees, leaders and a company”.

An Inclusive Culture also creates the opportunity to boost diversity in our workforce. A diverse group of people will logically come with multiple, varied ways of thinking, problem-solving and execution, stimulating creativity, innovation and engagement. Building an Inclusive Culture is a necessity for social development and will favorably influence enhancing diverse opportunities. It will also strengthen the potential to tackle unforeseen challenges in the business landscape.

One of the challenges is the War for Talent; worldwide, there is a significant lack of (technical) talent next to the fact that the global workforce is aging. Finding talent outside the standard search profile could potentially tap overlooked talent. Another challenge with regards to the workforce is Retention. Why do people leave your company? This could be for various reasons, but organizations must ensure that the reason is not the lack of acceptance wherein they have been excluded from certain internal processes, overlooked or passed because of bias or prejudices. If you are a human-centric company, a true Inclusive Culture is what should you should strive for. Customer focus is another top priority for Hexaware; supporting and serving our customers, clients, partners and suppliers comes with inclusive ways of working, communicating and connecting. Together with all our important stakeholders, we build strong relationships to create a deeper understanding of the best ways of collaboration.

Over the past years, we have implemented several Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives to support and grow our Inclusive Culture and Diverse workforce. At some events, clients have also joined us for celebrations. Examples of our DEI initiatives:

Global celebrations We globally celebrate different cultural traditions, religions, national remembrance days, spiritual moments and days of importance by sharing and enjoying stories about these festivities. This will support a more unified understanding of each other’s heritage and culture.

Awareness initiatives Every year Hexaware raises awareness about Diversity. By doing this, we are trying to create a culture where people feel accepted and seen. We, for instance, raise more awareness of gender equality by celebrating our women (not only on) International Women’s Day.

Humans of Hexaware This is a treasure trove of beautiful and inspiring stories that celebrate Diversity in Hexaware. We invite employees from different global offices of Hexaware to share their inspiring stories about overcoming challenges, striking a work-life balance, achieving milestones, and experiencing life-changing events. This initiative focuses on increasing awareness and enables connecting at an augmented and informed level.

Women empowerment Last year we started a very powerful program in Hexaware called Rising W@H (Rising Women at Hexaware), a leadership development program designed to create a pool of talented women leaders who can make a significant impact not only within the organization but across the industry, at large. The program contains 6 months of academic learning, 6 months of mentoring by senior leaders and 6 months of special assignments. This program is exposed throughout the company and is sponsored by our CEO.

We hire different The hiring policies are being reviewed to ensure that we hire Inclusive and can tackle potential biases in our hiring processes amongst recruiters and hiring managers.

This year also, we continue to listen to our employees, customers and stakeholders to understand their requirements, wishes and needs to upgrade our internal processes and ways of working. We will continue to maintain our streak of hiring diverse talent by constantly improving our awareness and focusing on unconscious biases, cultural differences and demographic variations. Hexaware’s leadership is committed to leading this Inclusive journey and sponsoring our DEI plan and initiatives, helping build and maintain that Inclusive Culture that ensures everyone thrives at Hexaware.

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8 Tips for Parents Going Back to Work After Having a Baby

We know that going back to work after having a baby can be — well, overwhelming. The best thing you can do is remember that you’re not alone. So many parents struggle with the transition from being at home with their babies to being separated from them for most of the day. To get yourself through it, don’t forget these top tips:

Make sure you have easy access to photos of your baby.

Take time on your breaks to call or text your partner about how the baby is doing.

If possible, make sure you have some kind of job flexibility — even if it’s just one day per week where you start and end an hour earlier or later than usual.

When you get home, try to spend as much time with your baby as possible before they go to sleep!

Take full advantage of the holiday entitlement you have accumulated so that you get time to spend with your baby and your partner.

Plan ahead with your employer as much as possible if you need to work flexibly when you return. This will ensure they have time to find cover and plan accordingly.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help — at work or at home. It may feel like admitting defeat but sharing your workload could be the best thing for you, your family, and your employer in the long run.

If you’ve had a baby there’s no denying that you will feel tired from time to time — particularly as your baby gets used to eating and sleeping routines. Try to prioritise what matters most at this stage in your life because not everything will stay important long term — so some things may not need doing immediately after all!

Hexaware has employee benefits for new mothers and fathers alike so that you can maintain a good balance between your work and family. Hexaware recognises both the parents play a vital role in childcare, especially when it comes to being new parents.

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Transforming Banking into a Digitally Happy Experience for a Corporate Banking Giant

Hexaware transforms customer experience for a corporate banking major by revamping user experience for optimal operational efficiency and process enhancements for real-time transactions, cost-savings and regulatory compliance.

Our new CRM system shortened the onboarding cycle and lowered waiting time for service requests. At the same time, digitization of several workflows helped reduce average onboarding time across products and services from 3-4 weeks to under 3 days. Other business benefits delivered include a 140% quarterly increase in deals through CRM, a 50% reduction in time to process customer service requests, real-time visibility into the sales pipeline of 34000 plus active accounts and more.

[hexawaretech]

How to Keep up with the Current Technologies in the Information Systems Industry

As technology advances with time, lives continue to get easier. But, as the advancements pitch in, the demand for understanding the same tech and getting familiar with it increases parallelly. These technological advancements are necessary for our society to move forward. Every organization and institution should strive to match the technological advancements. The IT industry should be the most vigilant in keeping up as their business demands the same.

The IT industry is one of the industries that works with technology constantly to find easy solutions for the problems presented to them. The IT industry also prioritizes hiring graduates familiar with the latest tools and technologies. With the same being said, here are some ways how Hexaware keeps up with current advancements in the technology-heavy industry -

Communication Simply communicating with fellow co-workers about the recent developments in the field of technology can keep you updated. If a task is done using one tool and your co-worker uses another latest tool that gets the work done faster, sharing it would be the best help. Also, if there is a requirement of using new tools and technologies, Hexaware strongly supports the voice of your concerns. It also verifies the needs you mention and tries to acquire them or find an alternative solution for its employees. Moreover, Hexaware provides resources to familiarise its employees with the new tools and technologies. The company also has various programs like Ignite and Evolve to help employees with their tasks.

Research on the Internet Internet is the best place to read about the latest developments in the tech industry. You can find various reports that shed light on the current and new and upcoming technologies in the tech industry. Thoughtworks Tech Radar is a tool that can help you with this kind o research to a great extent. Following the latest tech news online can also help you be up to date with all the new technological trends and developments. Youtube channels like WIRED and Two Minute Papers can catch you up to speed in this field.

Notify Me Enabling notifications for the apps you regularly use whenever there are new developments in the tech field will also be an immense help in keeping up with the new tech advancements. This way you do not need to check all of the internet for relevant technologies and new developments in the tech field. Platforms like Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services are very good sources to receive notifications and keep up with the latest technologies.

We hope all that was said helps you immensely. We hope it strengthens the commitments we have for ourselves. Moreover, we hope it inspires others to do the same in the upcoming future.

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Why is Humour in the Workplace Good for Us?

Humour is a very important aspect of one’s life. For many people, it is even a coping mechanism from stress and sadness. But cracking jokes at inappropriate times or around unfamiliar people can be a gamble. Humour at the workplace is something like this too. If you crack an inappropriate joke at your workplace, you may land in trouble. But the right kind of humour at the workplace can do wonders in maintaining good relationships with your co-workers.

Humour at the workplace can lighten the mood of the whole office. The whole environment in the office can be made more comfortable. People can then communicate freely with each other, dissolving the tension in the atmosphere. A humorous workplace and the employees who live up such cultures are proven to have better productivity. There is higher job satisfaction and it eventually leads to better employee retention too. Humour has been a tool to develop relationships for a very long time. Employees who laugh with each other make a good bond between themselves and feel safer and more open with each other.

As humour makes an office environment comfortable, employees can be more creative. The employees then would have more bandwidth and they might be willing to take on more tasks. Being more comfortable and willing to take more risks will lead to finding creative and effective solutions to problems. When senior employees use humour to communicate with their juniors, they create a sense of belonging and a sense of trust between one another. This makes them more likeable and approachable.

We, at Hexaware, like to keep the mood relaxed and easygoing in the office. Hence, we encourage our employees to be open and make friends with one another. We firmly believe that humour and lightheartedness in the workplace can improve their performance, provide stress relief and give certain job satisfaction to our employees. For the same, we also have an amphitheatre and a gaming parlour where you can hang out with your co-workers and have a good laugh. To know more about Hexaware Life, click here.

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Shared Services Center experience for Finance and Sales Administration with optimal Back Office Management

World over enterprises are transforming the way they run business operations and realigning the journey from manual to digital. But a complete transformation demands more than just replacing human labour with technology — it includes adopting Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing too. And here process automation is the key to improving workforce productivity, achieving process efficiency and enhancing customer experience.

The Challenges Restricting Optimal Performance

A leading Japanese manufacturing firm pioneering in innovative print technologies, with a presence across multiple countries in Europe was facing challenges. Their range of products and solutions enable businesses to meet quality print communication requirements.

Due to the processes being spread across geographies and a marked absence of standardized business metrics to track performance, the client was in urgent need of a BPS partner to assist in the migration of processes. The significant challenges that were observed to be decelerating the efficiency were: - Finance functions spread in-house across multiple countries with individual bespoke processes resulting in a complex mix - Limited standardisation with less than expected scope for efficiencies - ERP Transformation project was underway for migration from the existing system to the S/4 HANA cloud system

The client sought a partner who would support them in their endeavours by providing inputs and assistance through the migration phase, help by sharing standardised process recommendations and assist in UAT testing. The urgent need was for a new partner who would help introduce best-in-class Metrics / SLAs and gain optimal results and performance with them.

The Business Need for Outsourcing

A thriving customer base and increasing business demands led the client to transform their overall business model and approach. They wanted an all-encompassing solution that focused on meeting these needs where the objective of transformation was multi-pronged: · Create a scalable finance and sales delivery structure to meet the expanding business growth requirements · Drive operational efficiency to gain competitive advantage through platform transformation and process standardisation · Improve the quality of services by focusing on service levels and process value adds

The client wanted to set up a world-class Shared Services Center to meet the above objectives. Hexaware gets shortlisted as the client’s partner of choice from the many large-scale service providers evaluated to achieve these.

Scope of Services The scope involved setting up a Shared Services Centre (SSC) delivering Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Record-to-Report and Sales Administration processes for ten countries in Europe and the Middle East. The scope of work also included managing back-office processes and voice-based support for queries from customers and vendors.

Hexaware’s Solution Approach As part of the overall transition approach, Hexaware focused on the following guiding principles, which formed the bedrock of the transition, thus ensuring a seamless project with minimal issues and slippages: a. Multi-location transition: Hexaware’s Warsaw centre got aligned to provide voice-based support in 9 European languages while the Mumbai centre was aligned to handle non-voice processes b. Collaboration and Partnership: This approach was critical to the success of the project — from defining “To-Be” processes to Hexaware’s participation in application UAT, defining the features of workflow solution and end-to-end process testing c. Domain led transformation support: Alignment of seed-team domain experts and S/4 Hana consultant(s) to define the “To-Be” Flow processes for the new ERP as well as the SSC, with appropriate controls and approval flows d. Go-Live of SSC aligned with migration from R3 SAP system to S/4 HANA, a cloud-based ERP platform to reduce training efforts for existing client teams e. Implementation of Hexaware’s Standardized Operational Framework

The Transition Approach that Made the Big Difference Hexaware followed its robust ‘TransX transition methodology’ to ensure a seamless transition. The overall transition journey included the following 3 key phases:

a. Transition design and planning — Onsite This critical phase was completed with a Hexaware “Seed” team travelling to the client location. Necessary activities conducted during this phase were: · Developed “To — Be” state processes for global templates incorporating regional variations for configuration of ERP workflows across 47 sub-processes in Finance and Sales Administration · Finalize the To-Be state organization structures · Finalization of overall program plan and timelines · Setting up governance and communication framework incorporating Tollgates to track key milestones

b. Pivot to “Touchless Transition” Hexaware had to pivot to its Technology-enabled “Touchless Transition” approach due to pandemic related travel restrictions and this involved a significant amount of proactive planning and preparations. Key activities included: · Finalisation of “Ways of working” remotely for forthcoming transition steps like Workshop, Training, Tollgates, etc. · Proactive planning and advance scheduling sessions for Migration Requirements Workshop and Train-The-Trainer (TTT) spanning over 8 weeks · Cultural assimilation through ice breaker video sessions for Hexaware and the client teams during the workshop and TTT · “Agile” project governance for effective tracking and speedy issue resolutions · Finalizing key technology enablers for the Transition Phase, including Process Mapping and Knowledge Capture Tools as well as Collaboration tools

a. Transition Execution Key activities in this phase included: - Conducting 14+ sessions virtually with key client stakeholders over 2 weeks to complete the Transition Workshop as per the planned schedule - Planning and scheduling for “Train-the-Trainer” sessions for all activities in scope with 20+ Client SMEs incorporating “Holiday Calendar” and leave plan for the client SMEs - Active participation in platform UAT and end-to-end process testing - Defining requirements for workflow solution and conducting testing for the implemented workflow solution - Implementation of a cloud-based telephony solution for supporting customer and vendor calls from the 10 in-scope countries to the SSC location - Robust Risk Management approach with FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) implemented for all processes in scope - Finalizing of operational governance and communication plans at leadership and process levels with client stakeholders through daily operational review calls and weekly status updates to review vital operational issues - Finalization of SLAs and metrics during “Hyper care” phase and BAU - Finalisation and validation of SLA and business reports from S/4 Hana and workflow tool

Key highlights of this phase included: · Extensive planning, scheduling and completion of 65+ sessions for “Train-the-Trainer” over 6 weeks · Testing 650+ cases in platform UAT, 125+ cases for business processes and 100+ cases for the workflow tool

Multifold Benefits Delivered in Operational Efficiency, Cost Saving, Compliance and SLA Adherence Key benefits delivered to the client through the successful and minimalistic disruption touchless transition includes the following:

· Reduction in operational costs for the client: Setup of scalable shared services with standardized processes across 10 countries covering 9 languages across cut down on operating costs · Reduction in costs: Handling vendor and customer queries through centralized helpdesk helped in cost savings · Daily Metrics based Operational SLA reporting: Providing real-time visibility for vital operational parameters through workflow tool enabled this · Implementation of robust compliance and risk management framework: Leveraging implementation of FMEA controls for 47 sub-processes helped in risk analysis and its management · Dual site BCP and more