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To strengthen talent retention, Mukta Arya, Head of HR, APAC, Societe Generale and her team place emphasis on internal mobility, which echoes its definition of the employee value proposition.
Societe Generale is on a mission to support its talent in developing their professional and personal capabilities through creative career paths, within an inclusive and engaging environment, to successfully contribute to the organisation’s growth, strategy, and transformation.
With this in mind, it has three main directions for this year’s people strategy, co-created by HR and the management committee for APAC: aligning workforce strategy to business strategy, strengthening the culture of responsible behaviour, and data-driven decision making.
Mukta Arya, Head of Human Resources, Asia Pacific, Societe Generale (pictured above), stresses that while remaining competitive is important, becoming resilient is equally crucial for the company in a post-pandemic future.
In light of the business transformation in various jurisdictions in APAC, building a future talent pipeline is essential for HR.
To attract talent, Arya’s team boosts the firm’s employer branding internally and externally through various channels such as forums, social media and awards. On the other hand, to strengthen talent retention, the team puts a lot of emphasis on internal mobility, which echoes its definition of the employee value proposition.
“We want to develop the professional and personal capability of employees through creative career paths because we believe that employees need to be assisted in finding their careers. It doesn’t have to be a traditional career. They can move from function to function, across geographies, or we can even create something for themselves which does not yet exist,” she says.
In terms of culture and conduct, rewarding good behaviour and having zero tolerance for inappropriate behaviour have been the financial services firm’s core principles.
With an understanding that managers are essential in shaping a healthy workplace, HR has designed a toolkit for every manager so they are well aware of the HR initiatives that might be useful for their teammates.
Furthermore, to cultivate an engaging, diverse and inclusive workplace, the firm launched a road map for employees wellbeing, while its diversity council has developed a cascade of initiatives to support gender, culture, LGBT+, and differently-abled talent.
In March, Societe Generale launched a sponsorship programme to help under-represented profiles gain more visibility and growth within the firm. Additionally, the company debuted executive coaching for female managing directors, maternity coaching, parental transition webinars, and more.
Policy-wise, Arya says seemingly little gestures, in fact, matter significantly in building an inclusive workplace.
For example, she and her team make sure to use gender-neutral language in policies and have closely examined their office,including the toilet signs.
“We are taking concrete actions and not just lip service that diversity is important for us. Weare really looking at it in our HR processes, from succession planning, promotions, to training programmes,” she says.
Looking back, she says HR has evolved into a partner and an advisor for the business.
“During the COVID period, people realised the importance of the human connection. HR has played a great role in making sure people have that support when they want it.”
Photo / Provided
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