We regard employees as the most important asset

Mr. S.P. SINGH, DIRECTOR (HUMAN RESOURCE) of NTPC  has performed a very vital role in the success of the company as a true leader. His HR policies has been always conducive to the growth of employees as well as the Company. In an interview with Today's Economics, he says HRM is a relevant term for NTPC, as it has helped the company to conduct business and achieve the organizational goals by adopting better HR practices. Excerpts from an interview:-

TE: How important is an employee to your organization?
NTPC: An employee to our organization is the most important asset. We value both our employees and their family,  and strive to keep them happy by catering to their professional and personal needs.
TE: What is your HR strategy to integrate HR practices with organization's vision and synchronize its efforts with organisational goals?
NTPC: Our HR policies have always aimed at facilitating the vision and goals of the organization. HR today is moving from the role of a facilitator to a Strategic Business Partner. 
Our HR policies and practices have a sharp focus on productivity improvement. At the beginning of our journey we operated with PLF of about 80% and now we have graduated to above 90% at all locations. This has been possible through various innovative skill development practices in Operation and maintenance. From a Man-megawatt ratio of above 1 we have brought it down to less than 0.71 and in the coming years we are looking at meeting the international benchmark of less than 0.3 Man-megawatt Ratio. Such development is a result of the policies and practices that evolved with the changing market scenario and the integration of our HR  policies with the vision of the company to be the world's best and the largest power producer.
TE: Retention and Attrition both now a days has become a crucial part of HR management. What are your policies to retain employees?
NTPC: Although the rate of Attrition at NTPC is less than 1% which may not be taken as alarming. However, we are putting best efforts to make are locations more attractive as a place of posting by providing urban facilities at such location. We have been taking regular feedback from our employees through the system of annual surveys on various policies and practices of the company to closely monitor the employee satisfaction with the same. Recently our CMD has also announced introduction of certain urban facilities such as wifi, DTH and e-book readers  at projects to make them more attractive as a place of posting . The requirement for this urban facility addition was also collected through survey of the employees who have joined NTPC in the last 4-5 years to cater to the requirement of Gen Y! 
Through initiatives such as QC, PC and NOCET we have involved employees in decision making process for further improvement in productivity and planning the future course of the company. Through different participative forums we have built a culture of participative management. Our welfare measures and other HR policies are the best ranked amongst PSUs and it is the result of this that we have been able to continuously attract the right kind of talent to meet our Human Resource requirement. We provide ample opportunities to our employees to learn and grow in the organization through our Sponsorship programmes for M. Tech and MBA, facility for study leave and Financial Incentive for higher education. Our compensation structure is best in class while the Medical Facility both while in service and the Post Retirement Medical Scheme(PRMS) has proved to be our USP.
TE: How does better HR policies helps in achieving efficiency and better results?        
We have an exhaustive Reward and Recognition Policy to identify and suitably reward the exemplary performance of employees on various occasions by the Business Unit  Heads. Even at the time of training of fresh recruits the Executive Trainees are rewarded for their outstanding performance in the training period. 
Employees who are awarded at national level forums such as Prime Minister's Shram Awards are felicitated personally by the CMD and the same is telecast live through cable TV and circulated through our electronic house journal e-varta at all projects giving their achievements wider recognition.  At projects the BUH felicitate the achievers and exceptional performers on occasions such as Republic Day and Independence Day celebration applauding their achievements in public.
Our compensation package is amongst the best in industry . We have the practice of completing at least 7 mandays of training  per employee per year as per his TNA( Training Need Analysis). Platforms such as HRD Meets, QC, PC and NOCET are provided to employees for sharing of best practices in various areas, both within and outside the company. Our Policy on transfer and job-rotation also aims at placing the right man at the right time on the right job by mutually looking at both the company's requirement and the employee's interests and career growth plans. All these policies and practices significantly motivate our employees to raise their efficiency and put in more than 100% effort in the interest of the company.
TE: What are the general HR policies of NTPC?
In the last three decades and a half we have formulated policies for every aspect of Human Resource management, from compensation to welfare and from Employee relation to Employee Development. We have a comprehensive performance appraisal system on the ERP platform that also takes care of the timely communication of score and performance. 
Our welfare policies aim at gainfully engaging not only the employee but also their children and spouses. We have a well developed Communication matrix to ensure timely communication both from Top- to- bottom and Bottom- to- top. Through our participative foras we try to involve the employees in the decision making process which also inculcates in them a feeling of belongingness to the organization. We have policies to engage our employees in creative and innovative thinking through programmes like NOCET, Business Minds, Suggestion Scheme, Professional Circles and Quality Circles.The reward and recognition system of NTPC is designed to identify and suitably reward special achievements and extraordinary efforts.
TE: What is your company's approach towards people's Management?
NTPC: As I said earlier, employees are our most important assets and their needs & interests are a matter of top priority for us. Our approach from the very beginning has been that of “People before PLF”.
TE: You have wide experience as head (HR) of Government company (NTPC). What is your experience?
NTPC: As Head of the HR function in an organization of the stature of NTPC, where the company has a diversified portfolio and ambitious expansion plans, one has to handle issues in the most sensitive manner. There are over 2500 employees spread across the country coming from varied background and it is a huge responsibility to cater to their needs and aspirations.
TE: How much do HR policies enhances the employee's confidence?
The attrition rate of less than 1% speaks volumes about our employees' confidence in the company and HR policies have a vital role in maintaining that position of the company in the employee's mind.  As a fresher what one perceives of a company is mostly due to what he has heard of the company in the market and through interactions he may have had  with the various stakeholders at various occasions; what holds him back and motivates him to plan his career growth within the company is the policy of the company. 
HR policies play a vital role in keeping the employee engaged and motivate. Our HR policies and practices aim at making the employee feel valued, cared for and recognized for their efforts and initiatives. All this tremendously enhance the employees' confidence in the organization.. 
TE: What are the challenges of HR Management in the era of globalization and how do you plan to face them?
With the kind of changes taking place in the areas of Fuel costs and logistics, introduction of Tariff bidding in the power sector the aspirations of our stakeholders have also increased. Our challenge today is to keep our remote location projects as Attractive as any urban city and prepare leaders for the future. We are in the constant process of succession planning to build a strong and continuous leadership pipeline.  We have also put in a lot of effort to increase the welfare activities both for the employees and their families. We are looking at avenues to gainfully engage the spouses of the employees in our welfare activities. Sports and cultural meets to involve the wards of the employees are being undertaken. Social Security Benefits are being improved by charting out our own Pension scheme. The health of  our employees is also of utmost important for us and providing best medical facilities near our project location is also an issue that has attracted our attention time and again. We are in various stages of talks with consulting agencies to bring up super specialty medical facilities in alliance with the experts in healthcare. The road ahead is indeed challenging but let me assure you that my HR team is well prepared to face these challenges.