“Great Place to Work”: Knorr-Bremse Technology Center India pleased to receive certification for attractive working conditions

The Trust Index is an important indicator that allows conclusions to be drawn about employee satisfaction based on the mean value of the scores awarded by employees during an in-depth survey. Great Place to Work certifies a company’s workplace culture based on anonymous employee feedback and an analysis of HR activities. A two-stage process is used to evaluate each company. First, an anonymized employee survey is carried out, to establish the workplace culture and identify mechanisms for improving commitment, employee retention, and employee satisfaction. The second step is a culture audit, which analyzes in-house HR and corporate culture-related activities. The combined results of this two-stage process provide companies with a holistic view of their corporate culture and HR work, and help them develop further in a targeted, focused manner.

Certified as “Great Place to Work” on first attempt

For the first time, Knorr-Bremse TCI took part in and completed the audit. “Our rich culture, implementation of our local SMILE concept for TCI employees, cross-hierarchical collaboration, and focus on our employees’ wellbeing during difficult – but also during good – times all played a vital role in helping us become a Great Place to Work-certified organization,” says Neeraj Gupta, Director HR, Administration and HSE at Knorr-Bremse TCI. “We warmly thank our employees, who have always supported our efforts to become a better workplace, and we’re glad to be taking effective steps toward even greater efficiency and excellence.”

An organization should be a companion that helps employees nurture their technical skillsets, supports their basic needs, and appreciates their dedication and hard work. Knorr-Bremse’s strategic human resources activity is based on this conviction. “The big question at our Pune site has been how best to connect to the generation of employees born between 1980 and 2000; after all, we employ over 90% Millennials at our Knorr-Bremse India site. It’s very important that we stay connected with them, involve them in our decision-making processes, and then partner with them to implement the resulting decisions. We’re all about engaging employees, reducing hierarchies, and bringing transparency,” says Arun Kumar Bhat V S, Managing Director of Knorr-Bremse TCI.

The SMILE concept devised by the Knorr-Bremse Technology Center India stands for SECURE, MOTIVATE, INCLUDE, LEARN and ENGAGE. “We believe in building up our employees’ strengths, and this is where SECURE plays a vital role, because it covers all the policies we adopt for the well-being of our employees. For us, our employees aren’t just employees – they’re also our brand ambassadors. A motivated employee is the company’s biggest asset. Even during periods of uncertainty, we’ve never lost our sure conviction that employees should be rewarded and recognized for their ongoing support by appropriate shows of appreciation, including salary increases. At Knorr-Bremse TCI, we focus on inclusion right from the start, at the pre-onboarding stage of each employee’s journey. We have catch-up calls – pre-onboarding calls between new recruits and their managers-to-be. We arrange buddy programs, whereby every new employee is assigned a buddy (usually a team member or supervisor) to ensure they settle in smoothly. We run our Aarambh onboarding program, an informative session conducted by one of our HR coordinators to explain various internal tools and portals and their functions, and to collect feedback on the onboarding process. And we organize many other initiatives to ensure that our employees feel included in the company right from the beginning,” explains Neeraj Gupta.

Knorr-Bremse TCI focuses on learning and development at the individual level. For example, the company’s in-house eLearning portal and LinkedIn learning courses are intended to upgrade employees’ behavioral skillsets. Curiosity is the mother of creativity, and Knorr-Bremse TCI inculcates the habit of being curious. Knorr-Bremse’s Indian subsidiary focuses on employer branding, and on engagement with a customer-centric approach; the company also organizes a monthly get-together called “We Connect” for imparting business updates, showing appreciation, playing games, and celebrating birthday and work anniversaries. This monthly gathering is held either offline or virtually, typically to welcome employees who have joined the company during the month, to acknowledge and show appreciation for the the efforts of employees nominated by their managers, and to celebrate long-service awards, work anniversaries and birthdays. Each department organizes their own “We Connect” events.

Further development of Knorr-Bremse TCI as an attractive employer

“Knorr-Bremse TCI is a workplace where every employee can pursue their personal and professional aspirations. You'll find a lot of transparency and openness here – and work-life balance enjoys a high priority. We’re always encouraged to maintain this balance,” according to one employee’s response to the anonymized “Great Place to Work” survey.

During the pandemic, Knorr-Bremse TCI believed in building up workforce strengths. Knorr-Bremse’s Indian site developed new working models by making hours more flexible and providing mental and financial support to employees and their families affected by COVID-19, including virtual consultations by qualified doctors.

Great Place to Work® is an international research and consulting institute that helps companies in around 60 countries analyze, develop and make visible their corporate and workplace culture. The certification process assesses employees’ opinions on equity, collaboration, camaraderie, pride, innovation, leadership effectiveness, and more. For an organization to be certified, 70% or more of employee respondents must rate it as a great workplace. In India, the Institute partners with over 1100 organizations across more than 22 industries on an annual basis, helping them build High-Trust, High-Performance Cultures designed to deliver sustainable business results.

On the first attempt, Knorr-Bremse TCI achieved 77% in the “Fairness” category, 80% in the “Respect” category, 82% in the “Camaraderie” category, 85% in the “Pride” category, and 80% in the “Credibility” category. “The survey gave us valuable input from our employees on where we currently stand and how we can continue to develop as an attractive employer,” says Neeraj Gupta.

Currently, Knorr-Bremse TCI is a strong family of more than 600 employees, and constantly strives to improve employees’ wellbeing and growth. The Indian subsidiary’s motto for 2022 is “Efficiency and Excellence”. Going forward, Knorr-Bremse TCI aims to become more efficient and excellent across all roles and responsibilities. Knorr-Bremse TCI is transforming itself into a learning organization that constantly works to upskill employees and focuses on their personal and professional growth. “Through our efforts and initiatives, we aim to continuously improve Knorr-Bremse TCI”, Neeraj Gupta concludes.