CXOToday participated in an exclusive interview with Madhushree Dutta, HR Head, Pure Storage India
- What are the key trends driving the evolving HR landscape in India and how is Pure Storage adapting to these changes?
Over the past three years, the HR industry has undergone significant changes. Here are some of the leading trends:
- Digital transformation and AI integration: The widespread adoption of digital technology is changing the HR landscape in India. Companies are using cloud-based HR systems, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to automate HR processes, improve efficiency and improve decision-making. We research and use AI-based tools for talent acquisition, performance management, training and development, and employee engagement.
- Hybrid operating model: The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting changes in the way we work have forced new approaches to talent management, employee engagement and performance appraisal. Many organizations, including ours, have adopted a hybrid working model that has evolved from a survival strategy to a thriving approach, giving employees greater flexibility.
- Holistic Employee Wellbeing: Organizations are taking proactive measures to address employee stress, burnout and work-life balance issues. Pure Storage offers comprehensive medical coverage for employees and their dependents, an employee assistance program to support mental well-being, flexible leave policies and telehealth services for remote consultations to support overall well-being.
2. How does Pure Storage prioritize work-life balance and flexibility to attract and retain the best talent in India? Can you give some specific strategies that have been effective?
In 2022, Pure launched our Global Hybrid Work Policy, which serves as a guideline for our company philosophy to maintain a mix of weekly office hours that best contribute to the operational needs of the business.
With our policy, we have provided our executive leaders with handrails on how to handle hybrid work in their teams, but with the type of flexibility that meets business needs and the critical collaboration between teams and team members. We’ve created definitions of what hybrid working means, built and deployed practices to ensure the inclusion of flexible working practices, and published leadership practices that range from emphasizing employee wellness and how to optimally use synchronous and asynchronous communication environments to how employees and leaders can recognize and self-correct on topics such as proximity bias and the proximity effect.
At Pure Storage, engineers have a minimum of three work days, while non-engineering functions have two, where employees in discussion with managers decide which specific days to work outside the office, allowing for greater flexibility and a better work-life balance.
To further empower our employees, we are developing a policy that avoids scheduling meetings until late at night in employees’ local time. This is especially important as our teams in India collaborate across geographies and time zones in the US and Europe. By discouraging late-night meetings, we ensure employees have time for self-care and family responsibilities and prevent a constant overload of work-related calls and commitments.
3. What is Pure Storage’s approach to inclusive leadership and how does the company ensure that all employees feel engaged, valued and supported?
We launched our Inclusive Leadership Index (ILI) in 2022. The ILI is a framework designed to guide individual leaders’ efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion at Pure, in service of our company’s goal of becoming a magnet for talent and to advance our ESG program. A critical part of Pure’s culture is inclusion, and employees and leaders welcome diversity as the fuel for our innovation. As we develop our DEI and ESG ambitions, it is important that our senior executives have clarity on how they can assist Pure in these efforts. We started by collaborating with our VPs and above to paint a vivid picture of what it really means to be an inclusive leader. We delved into fascinating aspects like fostering teams with diverse backgrounds and maintaining a diverse talent pool, and even examining our promotion rates through the lens of diversity. It’s all part of our commitment to creating a vibrant and inclusive environment where everyone thrives!
We currently have several groups within our organization that run DEI initiatives, such as Able (for differently-abled employees), Coalition (for underrepresented minority employees), RISE (for Puritans who want to develop themselves and their careers ), Pride (for our LGBTQIA+ puritans and allies), and the Wome@Pure group, which focuses on women’s professional development, engagement, retention, and empowerment. As an organization, we support these ERG initiatives and their mission. Each ERG has executive sponsors, who are typically vice presidents or higher in our organization, providing leadership and direction. ERGs play a critical role in employee engagement by providing valuable feedback and support. We continue to engage with these groups to understand their perspectives, needs and identify areas for improvement to further enhance inclusion in the organization, ensuring that all employees feel seen, heard and valued.
4. How does Pure Storage support employee well-being through wellness programs and what impact do these programs have on employee productivity?
Our holistic wellness initiatives prioritize employee well-being by providing support and care for our employees and their loved ones. We provide comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits, covering the majority of expenses for the employee and their dependents. We offer other diverse health and wellness programs that support the unique life situations of each of our employees, including but not limited to virtual health care, behavioral/mental health resources, financial planning benefits, fitness and family building benefits, and parent support resources. We also have a flexible paid leave policy and a family leave policy that allows employees to take the time they need to care for themselves and their new loved ones.
As a result, Puritans feel supported, motivated and cared for in and out of the workplace, as expressed in our regular feedback surveys. All of this has led to increased engagement, productivity and greater job satisfaction.
5. What is Pure Storage’s approach to the future of work, including the hybrid model? What is the benefit to both the employees and the company?
At Pure, we believe that our employees do everything they can to deliver results for our business and clients and to advance their careers, regardless of where they physically work at any given time.
We believe the future of work is hybrid. We maintain a mix of weekly office work and remote work that will best contribute to the operational needs of the business. Senior executives and managers plan how their teams are most productive and innovative within these railings, and these senior leaders will determine and periodically review an appropriate office schedule.
Inclusion is also an important value at Pure. Given the flexible nature of the work we do, often teams producing synchronous work will join from different locations and very different time zones in Pure’s offices around the world. Employees are expected to adopt inclusive meeting protocols and exhibit inclusive behaviors that reduce disconnects between teams working together in person and joining work sessions remotely. Our well-defined Global Hybrid Working Policy is a set of practices and guidelines designed to provide clarity on how we will take a hybrid working approach while ensuring we continue to meet customer and business needs.
This flexibility benefits both our employees and the company. The hybrid work model enables them to balance personal and professional priorities, resulting in improved well-being and increased productivity. By seamlessly integrating work and life, our employees find deep satisfaction. From our perspective, we have successfully implemented the hybrid operating model during the pandemic, surpassing the goals and strategies. This success highlights the compatibility and efficiency of the hybrid model, building on our previous experience with remote work. By taking this approach, we increase flexibility and well-being, which leads to successful organizational outcomes.
6. How is Pure Storage using technologies such as AI and analytics to improve its HR initiatives and drive data-driven decision making?
Although we are yet to use AI in HR, at Pure Storage we use data and analytics to inform and guide HR strategies, policies and processes. This helps us evaluate HR programs, allocate resources effectively, and understand their impact. One area where we have been able to apply this successfully is in optimizing our recruitment efforts. By analyzing historical hiring data, HR professionals can identify the most effective sources of attracting top talent, evaluate the success of different recruiting channels, and make data-driven decisions about where to allocate resources for recruitment. Additionally, data analytics can be used to identify key predictors of successful hires and develop a more accurate candidate screening and selection process.
Through data-driven analysis, we evaluate initiatives, determine headcount across locations, and make informed decisions about future expansions. We collaborate closely with management to share deep insights based on employee surveys, data and field feedback that help drive effective decision-making while ensuring our people initiatives are aligned with goals and Pure Storage values.
7. What steps has Pure Storage taken to attract and retain women in technology positions, and how have these efforts impacted the company’s diversity and inclusion goals?
Pure Storage is committed to increasing the representation of women globally and underrepresented groups by ensuring equality in our policies, processes and practices and building an inclusive culture that is representative of our employees, suppliers, customers and partners to achieve a sustainable global competitive advantage.
At Pure Storage, we prioritize gender diversity and the growth of female employees. Our inclusive policies and processes attract women and provide equal opportunities for advancement.
Through ongoing conversations, we align career goals with development opportunities, fostering a fulfilling work experience. We analyze attrition and diversity data proactively to retain talent. We are exploring repositioning opportunities and collaborating with our women’s resource group and talent acquisition team to attract and hire more women. We organize events with inspirational guest speakers to foster a strong sense of community. These events promote connections, learning and support among women at Pure Storage. By prioritizing these areas, we cultivate a culture that values the growth of women, improving gender diversity and inclusion.