The Sheltering Tree

01 Jun 2010 CW Team

MA Baraiya, Senior Vice-President - HR & Administration, Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd, tells us about the company's HR philosophy and approach.

Kalpataru stands for the legendary 'Wishing Tree' in ancient mythology. We, as HRD at Kalpataru, derive our approach not just from the philosophy but the culture that exists in the organisation. Just as a tree needs deep and solid roots to grow in strength, at Kalpataru proper care is taken to ensure that the initial foundation of any new employee takes place at a deeper level by imbibing in him the Kalpataru way of life. Every new employee is welcomed not just in his department but across the organisation, thereby forming his first bonds with the employees and indirectly with the organisation.

At Kalpataru, we engineer this process in such a way that role clarity is discussed during the selection process itself, which is mutually beneficial. Learning starts right from the induction programme called 'Swagat'. Here, people's lives are not compartmentalised into 'during office hours' and 'after office hours'. In fact, the approach is such that employees feel like members of a family.

Learning @ KPTL

We believe in the philosophy of organisational development through employee development. We conduct continuous training and proper interventions to ensure that skills are constantly updated in sync with the requirements of the organisation and job, both technical and behavioural. A separate state-of-the-art training centre called Kalpa Vriksha Learning Centre in Gandhinagar caters to the developmental and learning needs of employees. Various functional, technical and behavioural programmes are conducted around the year by expert faculties, both internal and external, at the centre. Also, to cater to the training needs of employees based at construction sites all over India, we have structured training programmes conducted at site.

Rewards and recognitions

Apart from the annual appraisal process, there are multiple other occasions and programmes arranged where the organisation re-strengthens its bond with its members. From having a long-term service award to an upcoming award dedicated to past leaders, various other programmes and spot awards are also arranged for any achievement of the employee. And this is not limited to his professional career. An in-house magazine carries all the news from the industry achievements of Kalpataru as an organisation as well as happy moments from the lives of employees, like pictures of newly married couples and additions to their families.

We as HRD constantly strive to innovate and inculcate new approaches while keeping intact the rich culture that has worked in such a wonderful way for this organisation. As our Chairman and Promoter Mofatraj P Munot rightly said, his real wealth is not just the brand Kalpataru but the people who constantly work in tandem to create the organisation. The coming together of such wonderful people and a structured organisation that respects them equally engenders prosperity at an organisational level that also percolates to the individual level.

About the author: MA Baraiya has varied exposure of working in different leading organisations involved in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dyes & intermediates and chemicals businesses.