At Sapient, transparency and people focus combine to form a unique work culture .
Sanjay Menon is at once a product as well as a promoter of a unique culture at Sapient that he swears by. Currently Director, Programme Management, Menon has been with Gurgaon-based Sapient India for nearly as long as the subsidiary has existed (since 2000).
Ask him what makes the company so special to work for, and he tells you in all earnestness that it "is because we are truly open." He presses the point further: "Almost every company says that it is open; it's a word that you must use. But Sapient really is."
It is a philosophy that runs through the company (right from its US headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts), one of total transparency, one that even the company's new MD, Sandeep Dhar, loves. "Sapient has a unique culture of 'people success', because that role is defined in this company."
But Dhar appreciates that the 'culture' that he and his management hold dear also nurtures a high turnover of employees. "Fair enough, we have a high attrition rate," says Dhar. (At the time of the survey, this number was 20.9 per cent, though according to Binoo Wadhwa, Director, People Strategy, it currently stands at 16.9 per cent. But he quickly adds: "Most people who leave, leave the company soon after they join because they feel they cannot adjust to the culture." (Sapient has an average tenure among employees of just 2.42 years).
On a brighter note, Dhar says that among more experienced employees in mid-to-senior management, the average tenure is fiveand-a-half to six years. "Thanks to our parent company, we have some solid practices in place, where we gradually ease people into new roles and have proper succession planning," he mentions.
To overcome adjustment issues, Wadhwa has instituted 'Career Week' in the company, where freshers and new-comers are given counselling by more experienced people. "Confusion as regards careers is a huge problem we have to deal with among freshers," admits Wadhwa.
But the same 'culture' is credited with helping immensely during recruitment. Says Prashant Bhatnagar, Director, Recruitment: "Last year, we hired approximately 2,000 people. Referrals from our existing employees and alumni accounted for over 800 people. That is a large number, and we have noticed these people already know what to expect because their friends have already told them."
That said, Bhatnagar does admit that the cost of recruitment has gone up. "The average cost of recruiting a new person, including what we pay in-house staff and recruiters is between $1,000 and $1,400." And with Sapient planning to grow to over 5,000 employees in a couple of years from 3,500 today (3,160 at the time of the survey), as it expands to new centres in Bangalore and Noida, Bhatnagar has his work cut out.
The survey findings show salary as a sore point with Sapient employees who otherwise are happy with the work culture, management quality and the work-life balance. "Are we the best paymaster in the industry? No," says Dhar answering his own question.
"What we do offer people is a competitive pay packet as well as great options for career growth." Yet, several people have come back to Sapient, taking a cut in their salary, as Meenakshi Setia, Director, Programme Management, points out. "The work atmosphere here is very good and with new systems of telecommuting and flexible hours coming into place, it will get a bit easier." Prineet Bindra, Senior Manager, People Success, also mentions these new schemes that will allow employees more flexible timings and location choices. "You know one statistic we are really proud of? Not a single woman has quit us after maternity leave," Bindra says.
With Sapient entering the interactive space aggressively and Dhar talking about servicing domestic clients in 2008, the company has big plans for India. But, while they expand, they do not want to become mired in bureaucracy. "Yes, my job is to grow Sapient, but it is also to keep the company's employee culture intact, and that is what I plan to do," says Dhar. More About