Penguin Random House India Champions Employee Well-being
With a concrete foothold in the publishing sector, Penguin Random House has built a long-standing and admirable legacy. Our publishing house has been widely known for discovering and publishing literary compositions across languages, countries, cultures, and communities.
While embarking on a revolutionary journey to carve itself a literary niche, we at Penguin Random House operate as a pillar of support to our employees, who are an indispensable force of the company. Owing to this, we have incentivised our employee-centric approach by heeding to the psychological well-being of our workforce.
Aditi Kumar, Senior Vice President- People, Diversity and Corporate Responsibility elaborated saying, “Penguin’s working principles are forged on the foundation of employee well-being and engagement. We have formulated communication channels that are accessible to the whole workforce and are built with a great deal of confidentiality. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of open communication. It is the biggest enabler in crafting a culture that is conducive to growth and success. At Penguin Random House India, anyone can walk into the CEO’s office to present a raw idea or even challenge a viewpoint”.
We have explicit channels that foster two-way communication like the Penguin Skip Level Connect, which offers a structured platform to enable an open, two-way conversation that employees can schedule with their skip-level managers. Anonymous Q&A at Town Halls, Weekly Catchups, Opinion Polls, and Annual Employee Surveys enable people to freely express their opinions and be equal partners in driving the company’s success. The genesis of a lot of our present initiatives is a result of these impromptu and candid conversations.
The Employee Wellbeing Assistance Program is the focal point of our organisational efforts, initiated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers confidential counselling sessions to support employees facing personal and professional challenges. This program underscores our commitment to fostering a culture of care and resilience within our workforce, ensuring that employees have access to the resources and support they need to thrive both personally and professionally.
Furthermore, Penguin is dedicated to ensuring that new employees feel welcomed and comfortable in their new roles. We understand the range of emotions that come with starting a new job, and to address this, we have implemented policies specifically tailored to support newcomers. In addition to assigning each new employee a seasoned PRHI member as a ‘Mentor’ for the first three months, we offer opportunities for them to share their experiences and perspectives through one-on-one meetings with our Senior Leadership team.
Our Onboarding with New Joiners initiative further reinforces this commitment by facilitating panel discussions between team leaders and new hires. In addition to familiarising the new employees with their tasks and duties, this program encourages them to establish connections with leaders across various departments, making them comfortable with the workplace dynamics from the beginning.
While our new joiners are well taken care of, getting a handle on how our team feels is key to building a great workplace environment. We conduct anonymous surveys amongst the employees periodically to gather general sentiments on subjects that concern the entirety of the workforce whether it be around refining our Hybrid work model or just methods for strengthening the work-life balance. Rather than the management who champions action planning, we have a Network Team that brings together a diverse set of people to form a core committee to brainstorm alternatives that are recommended to the management for implementation.
Additional initiatives like Long Sabbatical Leave, offering extended breaks after completing defined years of service, and Unblock Your Calendar, declaring company-wide days off, are intriguing methods to recharge, rejuvenate, and reinvent oneself. They’re eagerly anticipated and embraced within our company culture.
In essence, these initiatives exemplify our dedication to nurturing a workplace environment where employee well-being is paramount. By offering opportunities for rejuvenation and growth, we strive to empower our team members to lead fulfilling and productive lives.