In this episode, Nimisha Das, Director Human Resources, Kellog South Asia talks to Springworks' Product Specialist, Junius Dsilva. Nimisha has 18 years of experience in multiple Human Resources functions such as Leadership and Strategy, and has worked at organizations such as Redbull, Mondelez and Marico.
She talks about how the FMCG industry has been impacted by the pandemic and how leaders need to wear the organisational hat and need to understand about the business changes in these times.
Get to know about the guest:
Completing her MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, she possesses a versatile career in Human Resources. Nimisha’s career in HR began at Marico, where she worked as an HR manager for more than six years. Following Marico, she landed in huge companies like RedBull and Mondelez.
She explains how she enjoyed working in these companies because of their culture. She describes their work culture as extremely fun and energetic.
“What are your thoughts about the future of remote working?”
Nimisha explains how this period demonstrated the necessity of remote work. The future of work is hybrid. She explains the three pillars of FMCG- Backend, Sales, Manufacturing. In her company, the backend could work from home. However, people in the manufacturing section had to be present. The company ensured all the safety standards in the production sites.
Conveyance, necessary equipment, etc., were arranged in order to have a panic-free environment for everyone.
Manufacturing field changes with regards to HR:
After the pandemic began, HR has performed a great role in Kellogg India to ensure their people are safe. It has been their priority to bring in the necessary equipment and communicate effectively with their workmen in order to remove panic. They also ensured basic hygiene, focused timetable, and medical help when required.
Nimisha talks about her experience of communicating 1-on-1 with the company’s staff. She realized that speaking with everyone individually gives a better response than talking to them in groups. The conversations are more rational and understanding.
Employee engagement in the FMCG industry:
In order to practice employee engagement, they have provided their employees access to LinkedIn Learning. Through this feature, they offer courses that the employees can enroll for and upskill themselves. The digital tools have also helped in better engagement. Tools like Zoom, MS Teams, etc., make connecting more convenient.
They have also been working to ensure better mental health by being more connected with their employees. They arranged for several employee communication ways and policies. From having monthly town hall meetings to small meetings with less people at once for more personalized conversations- they have made some great efforts. They arranged work from home accessories and care packages during the second wave of covid-19. At the same time, they had tie-ups with hospitals, ambulances, and the “Practo” app for online medical consultation. Employees also had access to counselors and meditation sessions.
Restructuring in the system in Covid-19 second wave:
Nimisha mentions that the second wave brought in a lot of changes in the structure of the company. They had to make decisions like prioritization of work. They had to prepare for emergency responses when it came to work and employee well-being.
Follow Nimisha Das on LinkedIn
Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast host: Junius Dsilva