EVERY BLUE-COLLAR WORKER WANTS TO BE TREATED AS MORE THAN A RESOURCE

In an interaction, Yeshasvini Ramaswamy, CEO, Great Place To Work® India explains why leaders must play a crucial role since they are the key stakeholders to encourage behaviours and help devise practices that will foster a culture of well-being in the organisation

- Rahul Kamat

Can you provide insights into the current state of the manufacturing industry in India? How is the industry gearing up to navigate rapid economic changes?

To capitalise on the immense business opportunity presently available, the manufacturing industry must place a larger emphasis on workplace culture. The current state of the industry is defined by employees that have high pride in their job, team, and company. They also have a strong sense of justice at work, which means that management encourages inclusive behaviours, avoids discrimination, and is committed to fair appeals. Lastly, the industry has also a high perception of management competence.

Employees, on the other hand, consider impartiality (confidence in evenhanded decision-making), and equity (belief in a fair process and equal membership in the organisation) as areas of improvement. Apart from that, there is a need for consistent leadership behaviours in decision-making, and keeping promises.

While many aspects of the industry have advanced in recent years, there has been a significant increase in adopting technology, expanding into new markets, collaborating with other companies, investing in skilling and reskilling programs, supporting businesses with government policies, building better infrastructure, and focusing on sustainability to prepare for the future.