Bajaj Allianz: Excelling with Openness to Ideas
This organization prides itself for always putting its people at the centre. They in fact go by a rather simple policy; unhappy teams can’t give you happy customers. With around 25,000 employees on its roll and despite having a mammoth organisational structure, they identify as a ‘listening’ organization. The core strength of the organisation is uniquely recognised globally, as a team that interacts and a leadership that values and accommodates the views of its teams. “HR for me is not another function, it is a partner in my strategy, and I truly believe that a leader by himself or herself is not really effective if the team around isn’t as good,” says Tarun Chugh, MD & CEO, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance. Being people driven and intentionally invested in the growth and development of its talent, this organization focuses on aspects beyond performance and result orientation. The anchor for them is emphasis on people who are self-aware, can collaborate effectively and add value to the process by taking the team along with them. To further enable people development and build capability, there are several learning & coaching interventions to help them realise their true potential. “Our talent processes are very thorough and go all the way down to middle management and further down. I also believe that there is no better way to understand and implement what’s best for the organization than through active listening. At BALIC, we have focused on being a listening organization, and that has made a significant positive impact,” says Chugh. Through active listening to the needs of the employees, BALIC has able to provide the right environment for employees, be it in the form of empowerment, flexibility, talent mobility and work-life balance. These contribute to a positive experience for its people which is supported by their high engagement score and has enabled them to emerge as Kincentric Best Employer India 2023 and India Best Employers Club 2024.