Want to learn the ins and outs of global leadership or hear about building high-performance teams?
Krishnan has you covered on both accounts in this far-ranging conversation on this episode of The Shape of Work podcast. As Chief Business Officer - SEA and Head of Performance Marketing at Redbus, Krishnan shares how the pandemic impacted the organization and what helped them stay resilient.
We also discuss with Krishnan:
Challenges of managing a globally dispersed team
Since Redbus was the first to start OTA in Indonesia, there was less awareness about this facility in the initial days. According to Krishnan, the interviewing process in Indonesia was not easy because the candidates lacked “relevant” experience. So, Redbus had to look for alternatives, and shortlisting the candidates became a task.
He says that setting up an international operation is a tough process where you have to keep learning and unlearning. You face fundamental differences in handling a remote team. But, when a company has a team in place, it saves countless hours scheduling employees. Being acclimatized to the geography or culture also helps in the management of teams.
However, it is also irrational to expect your employees to change or adapt how your organization functions. It is all about adaptability from both the employer and the employee to ensure that it does not hinder the company objectives.
Improving team performance through the feedback loop
At Redbus, there are programs, at regular intervals, asking employees certain questions like feeling empowered in their team? Do they think their team considers their opinions? Though, these may not be the standard questions asked every time. The questions are pointed towards particular themes like self-respect, contribution to the company, how essential employees feel to the organization, etc.
Redbus believes that apart from monetary benefits, these programs influence employees to stay in the organization. Through these programs, we were able to understand the mindset of our employees with time. Sometimes, employees cannot open up about their issues with their bosses, so these programs help them. Redbus allows its employees to make mistakes but learn from them.
Aligning human resources with the business strategy
According to Krishnan, if you cannot write an inspiring JD, there is probably no requirement for the specific role. Employer branding helps in communicating the company’s mission and vision to the world. For instance, In Latin America and southeast America, Redbus reorganized teams to reflect the new reality and know their requirements and then conducted the recruitment process. It’s better to align the organization before hiring. It is always better to be slow with the procurement process rather than recruits leave the organization midway.
Follow Krishnan on LinkedIn
Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast host: Junius Dsilva
Get the best highlights of this episode in our blog.