Page 105 - Tata_Chemicals_yearly-reports-2017-18

HUMAN CAPITAL the right capabilities and acquire the competitive edge in a tough
business environment.
From a Human Capital perspective, FY 2017-18 was a very eventful
year which saw TCL initiating the exit from the regulated agri-business Employee Engagement
and at the same time investing in the emerging businesses of the
The Company believes that in today’s times, nurturing and
future.
strengthening employee engagement is a crucial imperative. The HR
Some key highlights of the year were - divestment of Fertiliser function, therefore, has worked on multiple drivers of engagement
Business, commencement of work on a green field project in right from helping managers understand their own people
Nutritional Solutions, entering into Business Transfer Agreement management style so that they can play critical role in improving work
for acquisition of a Silica Unit, launch of new products in Consumer group engagement. The HR function has also enhanced employee
Business, relocation of offices in India and North America, plans for on-boarding process, reviewed package of benefits apart from many
localised initiatives to enable employees to feel valued and connected
capacity augmentation in Mithapur as well as acquiring deeper and
with the organisation.
wider skills in the Innovation Centre to support the growth plans.
The HR function has played a key role in all these initiatives working The senior leadership team visited many of the Company’s locations
closely with the leadership teams. periodically to interact with employees across levels and to share Integrated Report
information on the Company’s plans and focus areas as well as to also
Continuing on the transformation agenda, the HR function remains
understand their views or address their concerns. Monthly business
focused on reinforcing the key thrust areas viz. restructuring business
updates are also sent out through the LEAP Post as well as quarterly
and people related costs to remain competitive, attracting required
employee communication is addressed by the senior leadership.
skills, nurturing engagement levels, building the leadership pipeline
and enhancing the skills and capabilities needed for the future. The Company has had an excellent track record of harmonious
industrial relations built on the foundations of mutual trust and
Restructuring and Capacity Building
co-operation which has helped sustain productivity levels.
As the Company implemented the business restructuring and shift in The Company’s workforce is a partner in its progress and share the
strategic focus, this also provided opportunities for redefining/ crafting common vision for growth, contributing their best. The Company is
new roles. The Company’s internal job posting program – SHINE+ ready for the future.
which completed 5 years during this period helped to provide career
opportunities to many internal candidates, dealing with redundancies The overall voluntary attrition rate for FY 2017-18 was 9.5%.
arising out of the divestment and control overall employee costs. Statutory Reports
Manpower strength as on 31 March, 2018, excluding Rallis and
The requirement for niche skills and domain experts have been Metahelix, was 3,528 spread across 2,327 in TCL India, 551 in North
fulfilled through selective lateral hiring – especially in the areas of Food America, 385 in Europe, 251 in Magadi, 11 in South Africa and 3 in
Science & Technology, Nutrition & Wellness, Digitisation, Materials Singapore.
Sciences to help deliver TCL’s plans. This year, the Company went back SAFETY AND HEALTH
to campus to bring on board a batch of fresh engineering graduates
in various disciplines to meet its talent needs in the coming years. Driven by “Target Zero Harm” - Zero Harm to People, Zero Harm to
Asset and Zero Harm to Environment, ‘Safety’ is one of the core
Skills and Capability Building
values at Tata Chemicals. There is an unwavering commitment to the
Developing and strengthening capabilities for all employees has continuous improvement of the organisation’s safety performance.
remained an ongoing priority for the Company in the year gone by. Benchmarking with the companies that are best in the business,
The Company invests on internal talent and nurture them through the Company is committed to continuously employing world-class
the culture of continuous learning and development, thereby Safety, Health and Environment (‘SHE’) practices.
building capabilities for creating future leaders. This year, the For an exclusive focus on safety and sustainability, the Company has
Company started a new initiative ‘Leadership Connect’ providing a Board level CSR, Safety and Sustainability (‘CSS’) Committee. This
a platform for informal yet focused interactions between the Board Committee of the Board provides valuable direction and guidance to Financial Statements
of Directors and identified key talent. This was seen as an enriching the Management to ensure that Safety and Sustainability implications
and insightful experience for the participants. TCL also continued to are duly addressed in all new strategic initiatives, budgets, audit
deploy its regular capability building programmes like ‘SpringBoard’, actions and improvement plans. They also monitor and review reports
Management Development Programme (‘MDP’), Operator monthly and quarterly on SHE performance including policy and legal
development programmes, Sales Training, etc. to address needs compliances. The Chief Safety, Engineering & Project Officer has direct
of specific groups. At the manufacturing locations, the Company is access to the Chairman of the CSS Committee. The Board-level Risk
also planning in advance to handle retirement related skill gaps at Management Committee also monitors the progress on mitigation
the front line operator level by inducting fresh talent and providing plans associated with key safety risks.
them with a detailed multi-skilled training to ensure that they are fully
trained before being deployed on the job. The Company also has a The senior leadership at TCL also plays a definite and defining
policy to offer education assistance and sabbatical leave to encourage role in affirming positive attitudes towards safety and creating an
employees take up courses for furthering their knowledge and skills enabling environment. The Company’s Corporate SHE policy is the
as a stepping stone to further career growth. The Company believes overarching policy, with the subsidiaries fine-tuning it to align with
that its collective efforts in Learning & Development will help to have the local regulatory and safety directorates. The health and safety of

Management Discussion and Analysis 103