In a joint conversation George Thomas, Executive VP, Corporate Services at ESAF Small Finance Bank & Rashmi Priya, Head HR at IIFL Home Finance, discuss L&D programs and their achievements:
ESAF Bank Learning Management System – e-Shiksha – encourages the employees to self-learn through the discussion forum in which they are free to suggest their views on products, processes, and policies. These are taken and provided to the respective departments for course corrections and improvements.
George dives deeper: “ESAF Bank L&D Dept. has a robust feedback collection system, both in person, via a training program, and through an online system. The suggestions are then collated and worked on. To plan for an upcoming financial year, the process is done during the immediate last quarter of the previous financial year. Suggestions are also taken mid-way or at certain intervals as per the requirement of the bank or due to changes in the market dynamics and business exigencies.”
The L&D team of IIFL Home Loans keeps nudging employees across functions, in the form of info bytes. Some of the platforms that the company leverage are app notifications, internal branch, TV network, and informal meetings called ‘Gupshup’.
Rashmi says: “Gupshup focuses on the sharing of new initiatives, which could be to the whole organization as well. Our L&D strategy, like other strategies of IIFL Home Loans, is guided by our ESG principle.”
Rashmi further added: “All our training interventions have the colour of ESG – be it the how much of paper we saved by adopting digital transformation in verticals like legal, sales, credit, etc, or supporting green affordable housing initiatives.”
Training Sessions
ESAF Bank’ HD department organizes training sessions for different levels including senior management where the participants share their views and ideas. The department conducts regular employee surveys on various topics including their well-being as this helps in understanding the scope for improvements.
The bank conducts outbound training in collaboration with a few other departments. This allows mutual learning and a better understanding of the functions of the respective departments. George says: “Workshops and discussions on various topics of strategic importance like the collaboration between internal departments and cross-functional teams are also conducted. These are conducted at senior as well as mid-level and it is ensured that the decisions are trickled down to implement best practices.”
IIFL Home Loans has charted a personal learning journey for the employees, which is a mix of technical and behavioural training, based on their role, level, and function. Rashmi explains: “This helps us to assess progress both at the individual level as well as at the organizational level. Anyone completing a milestone in the journey is automatically rewarded with certificates and points, which are for others to see and applaud as well.”
Micro Bytes of Learning
Attitude is reflected by the vocabulary we use, and further, the vocabulary we use at the workplace subconsciously shapes our thoughts, attitude, and hence the conduct at the workplace. Rashmi explains: “While employees undergo functional, behavioural, and safety training as per the set training calendar, to ensure that this training gets absorbed by the recipients, we at IIFL Home Loans take the help of micro byte learning, nudges, and informal discussions. Our digital learning system helps convert lengthy functional and behavioural training into micro bytes of learning which the employees can go through on the fly.”
Adopting Best Practices
ESAF Bank’s best practices are adopted by its employees, and they are shared through various modes to convey the significant contributions they have made to the organization. The deserving employees are rewarded for the best practices. The bank has a SARG team that is responsible for talent engagement. They conduct various employee engagement programs.
George said: “We have ESAF Staff Welfare Trust (ESWT) which brings the employees together for recreational activities; we have Joy Talk, the monthly newsletter which showcases the success of the employees and the bank; we release the joyful stories of transformation that illustrates how customers have benefited from our services.”
The bank has introduced a platform known as Idea Bank where employees can share their thoughts and ideas to improve the various elements that can help in the better functioning of the bank.
IIFL Home Finance has tried and tested methods to measure the impact of learning programs among employees to track their per-hour learning. This helps the company to assess progress both at the individual level as well as at the organizational level.
Anyone completing a milestone in the journey is automatically rewarded with certificates and points, which are for others to see and applaud as well. Rashmi reveals: “We mapped out the current training ecosystem more of a pull than a push strategy, where the employees look forward to covering more and more training modules. The aim is to make the L&D ecosystem mature enough so that employees see the change because of training that improves their work-deliverables in shorter periods.”
