An interview with Mr Birender Ahluwalia, Marketing Manager, Indian Subcontinent, FedEx Express, Mumbai.

In your industry what kind of professionals do you seek?

FedEx is the world's largest express transportation company, spanning more than 211 countries, delivering 4.8 million packages each day, with a workforce of over 2,15,000 employees worldwide.

Its success lies in its corporate culture, which is based on a very simple, but clear philosophy of `People - Service - Profits' (PSP) "When people are placed first, they will provide highest possible service, and the profit will follow"

FedEx recruits high-energy, dedicated people who are our most important strategic asset and responsible for maintaining our excellent service.

What kind of educational qualifications and personality would enable one for a career at FedEx?

People working for FedEx are very dynamic and are willing to change. At FedEx `change' is not a hassle but an opportunity for further growth, learning experience and challenge.

We give equal emphasis to behavioral aspects of the candidates along with their educational qualifications. FedEx has competency model for each department and job descriptions, which measures the various skill sets in employees.

At a junior level what kind of training do you impart to your employees who come in direct contact with customers?

Our customers expect professional and quality performance from us. To achieve 100% service satisfaction, FedEx has invested in training and development of all the employees.

Employee training and development begins as soon as he starts his first assignment The employee spends several weeks in formal training programs involving both classroom and on-job training.

Apart from a dedicated training and development department, career development and empowerment of employees is a prime responsibility of every manager here. We give technical as well as soft skills training.

What kind of paymaster is FedEx?

Federal Express stands for competitive compensation and benefits packages. It believes in the " Pay for performance" concept and incorporates it into the company culture. Compensation and benefits packages are designed considering skills and competency required for every job.

Over and above compensation and benefits there are many merit incentives and reviews for the employees.

To list a few such rewards and recognition:

To recognise individuals with exceptional performance, managers can use the Star/Super Star program to make a special payment to their top performers.

Immediate rewards are given to employees who perform beyond their normal job responsibilities. This award is called ` Bravo Zulu'

`The Golden Falcon Award' recognises unselfish acts that enhance customer service and are truly above and beyond the call of duty

What kind of career growth can one expect from working in FedEx?

FedEx has a track record of being one of the Top 100 companies to work for the US. It provides an environment where employees can grow. We have many programs developed to facilitate the growth of employees like--

Promotion/Career progression policy

Career development program and

Tuition refund program

FedEx provides financial assistance to employees who wish to obtain additional education or training in-order to increase their competence in their current position.

How effective are your internal communication systems to record employee satisfaction or discontent? How often do you review your HR policies and amend them as required?

We believe in an open, communicative and creative work environment. To foster teamwork, constructive feedback is given through practices like :

'Survey - Feedback - Action'

This is an online program, where the employees score their (direct) manager anonymously, the manager's boss and other general company performances. With the feedback, the managers are challenged to review their workgroups, opportunities for further development and create action plans for the coming year.

Open door policy

FedEx's success depends on open and candid communication between all employees.

Guaranteed fair treatment (GFT)

This procedure is designed to give employees an opportunity to have their concerns heard by management and ensure a fair evaluation of those concerns.

Are you an equal opportunity employer?

Just as FedEx shipments are treated equally, so too are FedEx employees. As a global enterprise, FedEx embraces and reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. The FedEx culture fosters an environment where a person's performance is what counts not his colour or sex. We're always looking for the best talent out there.

MALINI SURYANARAYANAN

maalini.mds@cxknetworks.com