How to engage employees during Covid times with Amit Sharma

Employee engagement is one of the top HR challenges that managers are facing due to the COVID-19 outbreak. With distant working, it is hard to follow a daily schedule and a methodical work process. While the departments are cross-functional, it becomes highly difficult to manage a remote workforce. Ultimately, it is the organizational productivity that suffers the most.

In this podcast, Amit Sharma talks about how to engage with employees during a crisis and how they can remain productive working from home. According to Amit, it is the company culture that binds everybody together, build trust and transparency, generate passion and help employees undergo change and create better performances. It is the only fundamental thing in any organization that no crisis can change. Furthermore, Amit shares how Volvo Group, being a diversified company, is taking advantage of the situation, while successfully engaging with the stakeholders during the lockdown.

Amit Sharma is a HR professional with 20 years of experience in various HR roles of which the past 10 years have been in Leadership positions. He is currently working as Vice President - HR and member of the Country Management Team, he is responsible for providing Strategic HR Leadership across Volvo Group India.

Prior to this, he was in India Leadership role at TE Connectivity; Global HR Leadership role for Mobile Surgery Business at Philips Health Systems, India Operations HR Leadership role at Johnson & Johnson Medical, and multiple specialist roles in Indian Oil and Ballarpur Industries. Amit is an alumnus of UBS Business school and has done his engg from Thapar University.

Connect with Amit Sharma on Linkedin.

Show Notes:

(00.00) Amit’s journey in HR.
(01:57) How does Volvo Group value and recognize employees?
(05:08) What is Volvo Group doing to engage with the stakeholders during the lockdown?
(13:46) Refining company values during a crisis.
(20:00) Safety procedures/ HR checklist followed by Volvo Group while bringing the employees back to the workplace.
(29:18) Does Volvo Group use any tool for rewarding and recognizing employees?
(30:57) Amit’s favorite business book.
(31:43) HR leaders or CEOs followed by Amit.
(32:45) Advice for young HR leaders.

Also read our blog: Biggest Challenges of HR Professionals in COVID-19 Pandemic