With a prescient vision on the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence, Deepak Dobriyal, Sr. VP of Global Talent Management at Birlasoft, shares his forward-thinking perspectives in a candid conversation with All Things Talent. In this discussion, Dobriyal explores the transformative role of AI in enhancing employee sentiment analysis and engagement. Emphasising Birlasoft's innovative approaches, Dobriyal highlights how AI-driven insights are pivotal in nurturing a positive organisational culture and driving strategic HR practices. Furthermore, he explores the evolving landscape of tech hiring and the critical skills essential for fresh talent in an AI-driven economy, highlighting Birlasoft's proactive initiatives in talent development and workforce capabilities.
How does Birlasoft use AI to analyse employee sentiment and engagement levels, and how are the insights obtained from such analyses used to nurture a positive organisational culture?
Organisations leverage AI and natural language processing (NLP) techniques to analyse employee feedback derived through various communication channels. Employee sentiment analysis plays a crucial role in understanding the emotions and opinions of employees within an organisation. By analysing feedback from various sources such as surveys, emails, and performance reviews, organisations can gain valuable insights into employee attitudes and engagement.
These insights allow organisations to address areas of concern identified through negative sentiments, reinforce strengths highlighted by positive sentiments, tailor initiatives for improving employee experience, and enhance communication and feedback mechanisms.
This helps to promote a culture of open dialogue and continuous improvement — ultimately nurturing a more positive and engaged organisational culture.
NLP empowers organisations to uncover deeper insights from unstructured text-based data, leading to actionable HR decisions. By leveraging sentiment analysis, companies can create a more engaged and productive workforce.
At Birlasoft we do multiple interventions to gather insights on employee sentiments and engagement –
1. Employee connects — We connect with employees both virtually and in person through chatbots, polls and (Focussed Group Discussions) FGDs. These inputs are analysed through a monthly and quarterly heatmap. Areas of concern are identified which are addressed through regular employee town halls. An AI and machine learning engine has been deployed on this data that will help us predict employee sentiment in the near future.
2. Culture Immersion sessions — Regular leadership culture immersion sessions are held to reinforce the cultural tenets. Cultural assimilation is then measured on a periodic basis through employee polls on various aspects of the culture. An AI-based tool helps analyse the culture adoption and areas of improvement.
3. Employee engagement surveys — Our bi-annual employee engagement survey is run for a random sample of employees. This data generates a dashboard and an employee engagement report which helps us understand the engagement levels and the concern areas.
4. Post-exit surveys — Our post-exit survey covers the employees who have left the organisation in the previous 6 months — among other things we try and understand through this survey the cultural aspects, what the employees liked about the organisation and things that they would want to improve.
All these data points are fed into a data lake which will in the near future provide us insights on engagement levels, predict attrition and most importantly identify the areas that need improvement.
We use Al-powered chatbots for candidate outreach, interview scheduling, and other repeatable tasks, saving approximately 30-35% of a recruiter's time. This not only enhances the overall employee experience but also ensures accurate data storage, mitigating traceability concerns in candidate interactions.
What do you foresee as the future role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping HR practices at Birlasoft, particularly in response to evolving workforce dynamics and technological advancements?
AI can play a major role in significantly transforming HR practices at Birlasoft. It will streamline talent acquisition by automating resume screening, candidate sourcing, and initial assessments, thereby reducing biases and promoting diversity. In fact, AI tools have already proven their efficiency by processing over 9,000 resumes and connecting with potential candidates within just three hours.
We use AI-powered chatbots for candidate outreach, interview scheduling, and other repeatable tasks, saving approximately 30-35% of a recruiter's time.
This not only enhances the overall employee experience but also ensures accurate data storage, mitigating traceability concerns in candidate interactions.
Birlasoft's commitment to upskilling will be amplified by AI-based personalised learning platforms that facilitate effective reskilling. Collaborative efforts with Microsoft on GenAI capabilities underscore our dedication to leveraging AI for organisational agility. As Birlasoft revolutionises HR practices with AI, maintaining human oversight and ethical considerations will be paramount to ensuring responsible AI integration. Our focus remains on achieving a harmonious blend of technological efficiency and job preservation for our human workforce.
Given the recent downturn in tech hiring within the IT industry, attributed in part to AI advancements impacting lower-level coding roles traditionally fulfilled through campus placements, what lies ahead for campus placements? How can Birlasoft adapt its recruitment strategies and identify crucial new skill sets for fresh talent?
The increasing adoption of AI in the tech industry has somewhat impacted hiring trends. While AI is automating routine tasks, demand for specific skill sets is the need of the hour. However, this shift presents an opportunity for companies like Birlasoft to adapt their talent acquisition strategies and prioritise new skill sets crucial for fresh talent in an AI-driven landscape.
As Birlasoft embraces emerging technologies like AI and GenAI, the company recognises the need to cultivate a workforce equipped with skills that complement and augment these advanced technologies.
Some of these essential skillsets include -
1. Analytical and critical thinking: Proficiency in analysing complex data, identifying patterns, and deriving insights will be invaluable in an environment where data-driven decision-making is paramount.
2. Problem-solving and creativity: While AI excels at automating routine tasks, human ingenuity is still essential for tackling novel challenges and developing innovative solutions. Fresh talent with strong problem-solving abilities and creative thinking will be highly valued.
3. Adaptability and continuous learning: The rapid pace of technological change necessitates a workforce capable of swift adaptation and embracing lifelong learning. Fresh talent with a growth mindset and a commitment to upskilling continuously will be an indispensable asset.
4. Interpersonal and communication skills: As AI automates more technical tasks, human skills such as effective communication, collaboration, and emotional intelligence will become increasingly important for fresh talent to thrive in cross-functional teams and client-facing roles.
5. Domain expertise: While AI can process vast amounts of data, human domain knowledge remains crucial for contextualisation and practical application. Specialised domain expertise in areas like finance, healthcare, or manufacturing will be highly valued.
Birlasoft's focus on upskilling initiatives, such as the Skillfolio program and partnerships with platforms like Coursera, positions the company well to cultivate these essential skills in fresh talent and stay ahead of the curve.
The impressive 98% adoption rate of Skillfolio within three months exemplifies Birlasoft's agility and effective change management.
How do you envision the future in terms of your workforce capabilities? What challenges lie ahead and what roadmap is ahead for the tech industry and Birlasoft as well?
The tech industry is navigating a future marked by both challenges and opportunities. The swift pace of technological advancements, especially in AI, GenAI, and automation, demands a proactive approach to cultivating a future-ready workforce.
A primary challenge lies in the perennial need for upskilling and reskilling to keep abreast with emerging technologies.
Birlasoft acknowledges this and has implemented several initiatives like Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and a comprehensive Learning and Development (L&D) charter to promote continuous learning. Partnerships with industry leaders such as Microsoft, SAP, AWS, and Coursera ensure our workforce has access to the latest training resources and certifications.
Birlasoft's Skillfolio initiative establishes a standardized skill taxonomy, serving as a foundation for upskilling, competency building, talent strategy, and career progression.
The impressive 98% adoption rate of Skillfolio within three months exemplifies Birlasoft's agility and effective change management. While challenges remain, Birlasoft's strategies demonstrate a proactive approach to building a workforce equipped to thrive in the ever-changing tech industry.
We are furthering the skill journey through our talent transformation program which has the following cornerstones:
- Skill-based decision making – All key talent decisions like hiring, capability building, career progression, etc. will be anchored on the skills and competencies of the person in the context of the role he/she has.
- Democratising Career Choices
- Open career architecture – Employees can choose any career stream and can also change their career stream – provided they build the skills/capabilities accordingly.
- Flexible career pathways – Employees will not be restricted to their own career stream but all movements – lateral, diagonal or horizontal movements will be possible.
- Talent Marketplace - An open talent marketplace that will allow employees to apply for internal roles, transfers to other career streams or even internal gigs.
- Dynamic capability building — Dynamic capability building will not just address the current skill/competency gaps but will also help forecast future business needs so that capability building is dynamic and adapts to the business environment.
- Skill-anchored Rewards — Our rewards philosophy will also be aligned with the role-skill-competency combination and will reward people accordingly. The pay ranges will be much more granular and closer to the market.
