Best companies to work for 2014: How Cactus is stringing together its diverse niche talent

Employees at Cactus Communications have a problem. They are afraid everyone is “too collaborative” as a workplace should be more top down. An unusual dilemma considering most of India Inc. wants to ease up on hierarchy. “Every decision is discussed and debated but we need to create a single point of authority,” says Anurag Goel, Group CEO of the academic editing firm.

And the employees too echo what the CEO says, a sign of transparency right down the order. The company filled with medical science writers, researchers has 350 employees sprinkled around the globe and gives its people the opportunities of a large corporate while maintaining a startup culture. So month long training programs are available for the newly-promoted and at the same time, it is normal for Founder and Chief Customer Officer Abhishek Goel to get advice on how visiting cards should look like from a rank newcomer.

The firm rolled out ESOPs last year for the first time and plan to bring in all employees under the blanket of ownership soon. Nikesh Gosalia, Senior Vice President, Author Services, in the editing team worked in BPO sector for 7 years before joining this startup in 2008. He refuses to change loyalties and was astounded when the CEO discussed if he wanted to move to the UK where his wife resides.

“He wanted me to think over my decision of not pursuing a career in the UK. He was afraid I may regret it later, very unusual for an employer,” says Gosalia. He managed to convince the boss that leaving the firm was not an option.

An employer-employee relationship is absent in this Mumbai-based company. And 31-year-old Poonam Samant realised this when her mother was detected with cancer 2 years ago. The senior associate in the Finance team had to update the brass on how her mother was faring regularly. “These were not mere polite enquiries but a genuine interest shown and the bosses helped me by sharing their experiences. No one is detached here,” says Samant.

For those without corporate experience, Cactus Communications gives a gentle shove to the novices every now and then. “I never feel I deserve the promotions and lack confidence when it comes to handling larger roles,” says the 28-yearold Rachelle Rego, Managing Editor for the Humanities team. She has been with the company for 6 years and is grateful for the training programs, online courses, role plays that help her deal with managerial problems. But she is quick to mention that bonhomie aside, there are no excuses for missing deadlines.

Like the multiple nooks and crannies creating space at Cactus Communications, this office seems to engulf everyone and despite a paucity of niche talent in the market, manages to get the right lot and string them together.