An interview with Dr Nirupa Bareja, Group Head HR, Biocon India Limited, Bangalore.

Tell us how you went about establishing your HR division?

We started Human Resources as a dedicated division just about a year ago and initially as line managers we took care of our requirements with the help of the administrative staff. Originally we started as an enzyme company, more of a one-woman show but in the last three years we have registered a phenomenal growth. Along with the business our numbers have also grown. We did try to outsource our HR needs initially. However, there were certain needs, parameters, understandings within the company, and specific methods of working which an external industry was not able to comprehend and provide. The way our company operates is very different from the way others do especially in this field. For example, I am not an HR professional in the true sense but a technically qualified Marine biologist! Yet, I have also handled quality assurance and manufacturing functions.

As a technical person I have a better understanding of the various processes. I am also in a better position to relate to people from different departments as previously I have handled those departments. So when it is time for setting deadlines and reviewing performances and delivery of projects, I am able to understand the nuances and the intricacies involved.

How accessible is the HR department?

We do not function like a closed manufacturing set up at all. We are very transparent in our dealings, all our policies are available to the employees as our manual is put up on the net and even our ISO 9000 manual is available on the net for easy access.

Our policies are extremely people friendly. We are a completely flat organisation where you see the doors to the cabins open and our employees free to approach the top management at any point of time.

How do you recruit your manpower?

We chalk out an annual manpower plan wherein all the department heads draw up their requirements. We review manpower needs every quarter and decide on how to fill the vacant slots. We recruit mainly through networking and apart from that we also have a career section on our site. These two sources provide us with a large number of possible candidates and hence we have not engaged a consultant for our recruitment needs.

We are very selective about the people we recruit and we have been successful in getting the kind of people we want in our company. We do not hire people based on just one interview session. We try to gauge their overall personality and see whether they will fit in our work culture or not.

What is your rate of attrition?

Biocon's strength lies in the fact that people never want to leave the company of their own volition. For instance, our head of finance has been with us for the past 20years. All our key people and heads of departments have been with us right from day one and our attrition rate is very low at just 2 percent..

How did your manage to achieve such a low rate of attrition?

We offer our employees total freedom, of course with accountability. We believe in empowering our employees and giving them immense room for growth. We do not run down individual performance at any point of time for reasons like hierarchy. We have a huge research and development team and we offer them a platform to grow and develop. We believe that our people are our most valuable asset and each of them has a role to play in the growth of the organisation. Every contribution is very important for the smooth functioning of the entire system. We have also started a creche close to the office and this has helped our women employees a great deal.

We have a very detailed system of review wherein we methodically set down goals for each and every professional in the organisation. Our star performers are always recognised and rewarded and this motivates them to surpass their own expectations. Besides the usual bonus and incentive schemes, on our annual day we reward people who have excelled above and beyond the call of duty. The awards are divided into three categories-- Outstanding contribution, Innovative contribution and Significant contribution.

To sum up, we realise that our people form our core strength and all our policies and practices are fashioned to motivate our people to enjoy what they are doing and thus give their full commitment to the company.

MALINI SURYANARAYANAN

maalini.mdsKcareercommunity.co.in