The Perfect Gate-way

Last year was a complex year for the entire industry. For IT, it was a year of part recession, part recovery. So the mantra adopted by iGate was one of no or minimum reaction. The result: not only there were no pink slips or salary cuts but iGates employees ended up being a select breed of the timespeople who felt their jobs were secure.

Although iGate slid down the overall ladder by one rank, thanks to the mammoth TCS entering the race, performance wise, it actually improved on certain parameters. It climbed up to reach #2 in employee ranking and appeared at #4 in HR rankings.

Little wonder then that iGate emerged amongst the top three dream companies and the topmost company when it came to retaining its existing employees. In order to make its employees feel secure about their jobs, the company revamped its communication process. It strengthened the official channels in order to curb rumors and assure employees that there is going to be absolutely no downsizing.

Another area that the company performed really well in was salary. Raises and promotions remained on track and appraisal process, though made rigorous, happened well on time. The company also launched its Fast-Track program to recognize consistently outstanding performers. Result: attrition rate hovered around 5-6%, much lower than the industry average of 13%.

The company that is already People Capability Maturity Model (PCMM) level 3 certified, entered the level 5 preparatory phase.

An area where the company appeared right at the top was gender inclusion, as in the last couple of years. The company boasts of an impressive 40% female population within its premises, and plans to take this figure to 50% in the coming few years.

Although the employees of iGate seems to be satisfied with their job content, encouragement from managers and work excitement have emerged as problem areas, something that HR is actively looking into.

A program that the company is very passionately running is its Positive Psychological Capital, aimed at inculcating the values of permanency and long term service within its employees.