When Covid crisis hit, this company excelled by putting its workforce & employees first

Bringing with him two decades of leadership experience in the BFSI sector, Dinesh Deo joined Marsh McLennan Global Services India (MMGS) as CEO – Global In-House Centre (GIC) West in 2018. Formerly the India captive knowledge centre of Jardine Lloyd Thompson, under Deo’s leadership, MMGS embarked on a transformational journey, becoming a part of Marsh & McLennan Companies, the leading American multinational firm specialising in risk, strategy and people.

MMGS has been recognised as one of India’s ‘100 best companies to work for’ on the authoritative Great Place to Work Institute list and awarded for Innovative HR Practices at the ET Now Talent Management Leadership Awards 2018. A firm believer in the private sector’s ability to positively influence society, Deo devotes his free time to community service and coaching of millennials on career topics through popular podcasts.

What are the core areas of business for MMGS?

MMGS is a part of Marsh & McLennan Companies, and provides various knowledge and technology-based services to its parent. Marsh & McLennan has footprints in more than 130 countries and a specialised workforce of 76,000 colleagues worldwide.

We serve our global client base through our four market-leading businesses, Marsh, Mercer, Guy Carpenter and Oliver Wyman. With an annual revenue of USD 17 billion, Marsh & McLennan has a 149-year-old history of leadership through innovation.

MMGS is a key knowledge centre for Marsh & McLennan, specialising in insurance broking and risk management, health, wealth and career consulting solutions, and reinsurance and capital strategies. Currently 2,000 strong in GIC -West, we are rapidly growing, across both our Mumbai and Pune offices.

What role has organisational culture played in MMGS’s success, especially during this pandemic?
MMGS’s approach to the Covid-19 crisis has ushered in unprecedented levels of trust in our workforce. Our people-first approach saw us transitioning our entire workforce from officebased to 100 per cent WFH within a few weeks.

Teams have worked roundthe-clock to ship IT systems, peripherals and chairs to colleagues’ homes, even in remote locations. Prolonged periods of WFH can cause social isolation, stress and work-life balance issues, so we have strongly leveraged our Employee Assistance Programmes, augmenting them with regular sessions on mental health and physical well-being.

We have partnered with Practo to ensure that our colleagues have access to medical advice 24x7. From virtual yoga sessions to healthy cooking classes online, we make sure our colleagues can simulate their regular lives as much as possible in these unprecedented times.

For colleagues burdened with mounting hospital bills and the loss of family incomes, we have extended financial support. Giving back to the communities we operate in is also one of the hallmarks of our company’s culture.

The feedback has been amazing and thoroughly inspiring for us in the leadership team. Results of our annual colleague engagement survey have pegged us at 86 per cent, despite the challenges we all had to grapple with in 2020. When a company takes care of its people, people take care of the company.

You mentioned investing in communities. How does CSR influence the company’s culture?
Giving back has been a fundamental part of our culture and an essential manifestation of our values both for MMC and for us here in MMGS. It was a matter of great pride to witness how in less than a week’s collection drive, MMGS was able to raise the equivalent amount of 36,000 meals towards the Feed My Mumbai campaign conducted by one of our Social Impact partners. This year, we have also provided educational support to children, distributed sanitisers, masks, bottles etc to the Thane Police and installed plastic bottle recycling units at prime railway stations.

What are your expectations for the year ahead?
As we near the end of 2020, we are gearing up for government regulations that could enable extended WFH, we are focusing on operational excellence, and keeping pace on innovation. MMGS, among other things, is the title sponsor of this year’s IIT Bombay TechFest, Asia’s largest science and technology festival. We are poised to grow strongly over the next 18 months in India. I’m excited to have the privilege of learning with and leading MMGS as we redefine what is possible every day.