Best companies to work for: How L&T's robust and innovative HR strategies have made it a great place for employees

L&amp;T is an abbreviation for Larsen &amp; Toubro. But for Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) C. Jayakumar, 58, L&amp;T is all about “learning &amp; training,” as the diversified Indian conglomerate, with interests in defence, technology, construction, power, heavy engineering, finance and railways, among others, provides its employees with opportunities to develop skills across segments and climb the corporate ladder. “Employees at L&amp;T get purpose and pride while working for the company because we make things that make India proud. We are the builders of the nation. We do landmark projects,” says Jayakumar, while highlighting L&amp;T projects like the Statue of Unity, Atal Setu, and the Narendra Modi Stadium. “L&amp;T is also called a ‘Learning &amp; Training’ organisation, as our people get challenging assignments because it is not just one company. There are different businesses and projects within the company and also within India and overseas,” he adds. The company operates 18-19 training institutes across the country, including the Leadership Development Academy at Lonavala, which has tie-ups with many marquee institutions including Harvard, INSEAD, and Ross School of Business. The company, in partnership with institutions like the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), McKinsey, Ross, and INSEAD, also runs a seven-step leadership development programme to develop future leaders. But the learning and training part does not end here. The company also has technical training institutes, project management institutes, a rail academy, a tunnel academy that even has its own tunnel boring machine (TBM), and a safety innovation school, among other training centres. Then there is also the Any Time Learning (ATL) programme, which is a digital learning platform that assumed a lot of importance during and after the pandemic. The programme also has tie-ups with other edtech platforms such as Coursera, SkillSoft Percipio, and IPSOS, among others. “Most of the people at the top today in the L&amp;T group are those who have joined and grown with the organisation, and they would have gone through all the developmental initiatives and programmes,” adds Jayakumar, who himself has spent close to four decades with the group. “People [often] ask me how I have been with one company for 36 years, and I tell them it is actually multiple companies…different locations, verticals, segments, businesses, etc. The organisation provides the opportunity to move across businesses, locations and functions; hence, it is not monotonous. There are different challenges and opportunities that lead to all-round development,” he says. The company places great emphasis on learning and training programmes, which is evident from the fact that Chairman &amp; MD S.N. Subrahmanyan (SNS) personally mentors select top executives. Meanwhile, the company has undergone a lot of digital transformation in HR, with a special focus on artificial intelligence (AI) tools. It uses AI tools in the initial stages of recruitment to identify candidates with the right abilities and expertise. The company has automated the creation and distribution of customised offer letters while ensuring accuracy and rapid delivery by automating background checks and other pre-employment verification processes. This helps HR officials to focus on strategic engagement and onboarding activities. L&amp;T has also strategically deployed AI analytics to gauge and analyse employee engagement and satisfaction levels. Among other things, AI-powered virtual assistants at L&amp;T provide employees with immediate access to information about HR policies, benefits, and other HR-related queries, improving the employee experience and reducing HR workload. The prowess of technology and data analytics extends beyond HR. “In the last six to seven years, SNS has put a lot of focus on technology and automation. So, data comes to a central pool, which helps us in optimum utilisation and better productivity of all our equipment as well,” says Jayakumar. In terms of women’s representation, L&amp;T currently has 4,800 women employees—8.3% of its total workforce—with more than 400 in mid- and senior management. The company aims to reach 10% female representation by 2026. Further, with the intention of developing a healthy pipeline of women leaders, L&amp;T has selected nearly 500 women employees for the Winspire series of leadership development programmes in the past two and a half years. The company has recently introduced maternity leave for adoption and surrogacy as part of its efforts to support working mothers and foster a supportive work environment. A mother of twins is entitled to three extra months of maternity leave at L&amp;T. Post pregnancy, a female employee is allowed to work from home or adopt a hybrid roster for up to six months, even as the company has introduced new facilities for women employees in terms of flexibility, travel allowances, creche facility, and creche allowance. The firm also encourages innovation and out-of-the-box thinking in a big way. “Risk-taking is encouraged. You can commit mistakes as well but the more important part is that you learn from your mistakes,” says Jayakumar. Thanks to all these initiatives, L&amp;T has emerged as one of the top companies in BT-Taggd’s The Best Companies to Work For in India ranking this year. @ashishrukhaiyar

Best companies to work for: How L&T's robust and innovative HR strategies have made it a great place for employees

L&T provides its employees with a variety of programmes to help them grow professionally and climb the corporate ladder