Keka HR Conclave Ahmedabad: Diversity at Workplace a Boost for L&D Efforts

Diversity in organizations boosted learning and development of employees as it promoted a variety of viewpoints and working styles, said a speaker at the Keka HR Conclave in Ahmedabad. 

Anusha Sharma, HR Head, Amara Learning Spaces Private Limited, suggested that having diversity at workplace lent a global presence to organizations. “A focus on diversity also expands the available talent pool,” she pointed out. She was part of a round-table discussion on ways to use diversity to grow businesses.  

Keka HR, an HR technology leader, organized the conclave in Ahmedabad. The day-long event, which is traveling to 13 Indian cities, brings together the best minds in the sector.  This was the 12th chapter of the conclave.     

The gathering also featured a knowledge hub where attendees accessed practical HR use cases, case studies and books on HR management.    

At the conclave, attendees took part in round-table discussions. They were divided themselves into teams, allotted a topic each to discuss challenges and solutions thereof. Later, one representative from each table shared insights with the audience. 

Growing leaders

Speaking further on diversity, Ms. Sharma added that brand and market reputation increased with a focus on diversity. “It encourages strong competition within the organization which opens up opportunities for leadership growth from within.” 

At a table discussing ways to attract the right talent in a competitive market, Sidharth Bhandari, Director, Creating Impact, said creating a suitable culture with the right set of values was the key. “Having a robust learning and development infrastructure and employee development plan also helps,” he added.  

Food for thought: HR professionals taking part in a round-table discussion at the Keka HR Conclave in Ahmedabad.

Seconding this, Kshitiz Sachan, performance coach at Keka, added, “People come to work to fulfill their purpose. If you don’t provide them with a purpose at work, they’ll be gone in no time,” he claimed.  

“Tardy recruitment and decision-making and lack of employer branding mitigate against getting the right talent,” said Mr. Bhandari.  

While discussing AI implementation in HR, a speaker suggested it aided in improving the response time to employees. It also helped in maintaining accuracy and reducing the burden of mundane tasks on HRs.  

However, overdependence on AI could reduce the intensity of human interactions and affect social skills, the speaker said. It could also affect creativity and original thinking.  

As for achieving clarity in job expectations, a speaker pointed out that HRs were the first point of contact for this. “The discussion around job expectations should be a two-way communication.”  

Igniting minds: A participant sharing insights from a round-table discussion at Keka HR Conclave in Ahmedabad.

In addition, “when you have happy employees, they work as a brand for you,” said Nishith Parikh of Inventyv Software, while discussing ways to seek higher employee experience budgets in organizations. “Current challenges include inaccuracy in measuring employee experience and inequity in budget allocation across organizations.” 

Yet, focusing on employee experience may yield several benefits, he added. These include better employee engagement and retention. “When people are engaged, they stay longer,” added Mr. Parikh. It also helps people collaborate and innovate.  

Interdependence over dependence

Addressing the gathering, R. L. Bhatia, change management and organization turnaround specialist, said he believed in organizations being interdependent and not dependent. “Create an interdependent organization where nobody depends on everybody, but everybody relates to everybody. A relationship is better than no relationship at all.”  

Like an employer strives to create impact with their company, an employee wishes to create the impact within it, says Barun Mallick, head of marketing at Keka. “CEOs are mostly busy with the customer experience, yet employee experience is equally important. Combining both can give you ten times the growth,” he added.  

Get first book free!

In a bid to encourage reading, a mobile library at the conclave offers the first book free to attendees. Upon sharing a summary of the book on a QR code, the readers are eligible for a 50% discount on the retail price of the next book, deliverable at their doorstep.