M Lakshmanan, Chief Human Resources Officer of L&T Technology Services, said that the company’s recruitment process, improving efficiency, motivating the workforce, and identifying high potential employees to meet organizational and personal growth paths. He talks about the importance of taking care of others.
What are the key skills to look for when hiring new employees?
Qualifications and degrees are an important part of the recruitment process, but here at L&T Technology Services (LTTS), we also place great importance on soft skills such as innovation, curiosity, passion to deliver, efficiency and attitude in the workplace. .
Engineering and innovation are in our DNA. As an organization focused on ER&D services and technology-based innovation, we are focused on leveraging promising and passionate talent capable of delivering breakthrough disruption.
We are always looking for innovators and skilled engineers who can solve industry-specific problems, especially in the fields of healthcare, manufacturing, transportation and telecommunications.
What are the skills and qualities you look for in a shop floor employee?
LTTS is a leader in plant engineering services and solutions, working with leading global manufacturers to provide end-to-end solutions in the areas of design, engineering, project management, handover operations and maintenance.
Our team of engineers also provides custom digital solutions for the entire plant lifecycle. Therefore, we are looking for best-in-class engineers with experience and expertise in various areas of the manufacturing floor, including automated project lifecycle management, plant simulation services, plant maintenance, machine safety, and digital engineering services. increase.
We provide digital training for your organization’s needs, covering aspects such as vision, mission, philosophy, executive expectations and on-time production. In addition, we also offer technical training related to the manufacturing industry.
When hiring new talent, what are the different streams of education and qualifications that apply to your company?
LTTS considers a bachelor’s degree in engineering or above, as engineers make up the majority of the workforce. Advances in digital technology and expertise in healthcare and genomics are helping businesses become more productive.
These advancements are redefining how we deliver services and helping improve the living standards of millions of people and our customers around the world.
In the last five years alone, the demand for experts in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing, robotics, and blockchain has grown.
We encourage and help prepare our engineers to become the next generation of skilled professionals. Our employees have anytime, anywhere access to research on advanced technologies and their implementation.
What challenges do you face when hiring new talent?
The industry is currently facing a dual problem of talent shortages and turnover. As our company is his ER&D service provider, the manpower required is different from his usual IT services. Given our multidisciplinary presence, we are typically looking for skilled engineers in a variety of disciplines, including VLSI, Autosar, ML, NLP, Embedded Frameworks, Asset Lifecycle Management, and more.
We need to ensure that the candidate has the experience and technical skills required for the role. Additionally, the dual problem of talent shortages and headcount reductions is what the industry is trying to address and come to terms with.
Do you think there is a gap between academia and industry? How can I bridge this?
Thanks to academia, interdisciplinary courses are introduced into the curriculum today. These courses are well designed for talent pools that help companies meet their business requirements.
There is also room for industry to contribute more to academia. Partnerships and cooperation in areas of strategic importance are needed now. Upskilling of digital engineering professionals is also a welcome step in securing India’s status as a leading talent hub.
Through initiatives such as internships and teacher training programs, stronger links between industry and educational institutions can help bridge the current gap.
Technology companies, industry groups, and academia need to work together to build a thriving ecosystem of disruptive, future-oriented technologies.
LTTS has recently partnered with leading academic institutions such as IIT-Madras, IIT-Gandhinagar and Pandit Deen Dayal University to offer a variety of advanced technology programs. For example, he signed a MoU with IIT Madras to provide technical and financial support for his Hyperloop project in IIT Madras. LTTS helps IIT Madras students develop innovations in a hyperloop environment.
What are you doing to attract, train and retain young professionals?
LTTS’ Global Engineering Academy (GEA) has made a name for itself as an integral part of the growth of our engineering fraternity. A unique initiative, his GEA trains and equips young employees with the latest technology and skills in preparation for important customer projects around the world.
Through GEA, we have created a platform where young engineers can expect early engagement and ongoing online training (before induction training), as well as three months of intensive classroom sessions taught in batches.
Founded in 2020, the purpose of GEA is to create a technical education ecosystem and develop LTTS as a continuous ‘learning organization’. To date, the 25-member team has trained over 3,000 new hires and facilitated over 9,800 of his cross-skill programs for experienced engineers.
GEA also plays a key role in facilitating several partnerships with leading global and national universities and runs several customer-focused academies within LTTS. Our GEA-provided training is a key attraction for engineering talent and the continuous learning opportunities that LTTS is known for are a key factor in driving retention of young professionals. .
What is your recruitment target for FY23?
As is the trend within the industry, new hires make up the bulk of overall hiring. Last year he hired more than 3,000 new graduates and plans to hire a similar number in 2023.
Our goal is to recruit top talent and expand our talent pool while ensuring we develop the best talent for their roles and responsibilities here at LTTS.
Is it possible that an engineering professional working in a field such as a two-wheeler or parts manufacturer could switch to a passenger car or commercial vehicle manufacturer, or vice versa?
One of LTTS’ key value propositions is Crosspollinovation, the ability to leverage one segment’s skills in another. The essence of Crosspollinovation is supported by multivertical technical training provided by GEA, which allows our high potential engineers to be assigned to various client projects.
In addition to cross-skilling, we have tackled a wide variety of complex business challenges and delivered the best value proposition to professionals and their customers. These steps helped talented engineers move into different sectors with the relevant skills needed for the move.
Are there additional training programs or courses in place to upskill existing employees?
Our GEA provides all employees with upskilling or cross-skilling opportunities and further training opportunities to reach their potential. Apart from our GEA, our Organizational Development and Effectiveness (OD&E) provides employees with strategic programs to hone their management skills and become future leaders.
The OD&E team provides role-based training to develop competencies that improve employee performance and organizational productivity.
The Leaders League program facilitates leadership development and succession planning, ensuring leadership pipeline creation and internal talent development.
This is done by strategizing a competency-based development process based on career stage, promoting and leveraging technology to improve and enhance individual and organizational learning, performance, and growth.
Build management capabilities to increase effectiveness through role-based training tailored to different business units.
How do you ensure that you can retain hardworking employees? Are financial incentives the only way to motivate your employees?
In my 30+ years of experience in HR, the real motivation for employees to stay is if they can find their mission and inspiration through the organization. It is the responsibility of the organization and HR to plan the long-term career paths of prospective employees and ensure that their long-term aspirations are adequately addressed.
LTTS has a rigorous engagement plan to retain high potential employees. Connect with organizational leaders and quickly track career development plans for individual employees by creating action plans for employee retention. We then engage with our highly valued employees to find out how they see career growth and what they need to excel in their profession.
This helps develop relevant employee-specific action plans that support employees’ career aspirations to address and potentially resolve issues they may have. The final step in the employee retention process involves working with the delivery unit team to create, deploy, and track process progress and status.
Financial incentives are important, but we believe in holistic career development. This is why we focus on creating a holistic environment for our employees, with a focus on helping them achieve their career goals.
What policies do you have in place to ensure a healthy work-life balance for your employees?
Our world is speeding up as connectivity improves and grows. Busy work schedules and personal lifestyles make the need for a healthy work-life balance more important than ever. Making time for family and personal growth helps employees grow professionally. LTTS policies and initiatives are designed to empower our employees, both personally and professionally.
Vacation Policy: Employees are encouraged to take 50% of their paid vacation in the same calendar year. Especially during Covid-19, vacation use was mandated, increasing to 75% utilization to combat the pandemic and the stress that followed.
Flextime Work: We have introduced a flextime work policy to provide our employees with flexible working hours. This allows employees to choose their working hours to suit their personal circumstances without affecting their work.
The pandemic has shown that human health and organizational success go hand in hand. I realized that the traditional way of working, e.g., “9 to 5 for him, strict Monday to Friday” work no longer works. We understand that strategic agility is critical to ensuring the success of your entire organization during these times of crisis.
Adopted and optimized for the changing times to develop Work from Anywhere (WFX) framework. With multiple offices across multiple cities, a LTTS employee can now work from any of her LTTS offices, regardless of location, depending on work requirements.
The flexibility and agility that this hybrid model provides has allowed us to ensure not only the health of our employees, but also a high level of productivity that meets our client deliverables.
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