Today, employees are ready to leave cos at the drop of a hat

When technology was relatively new and few people could distinguish hardware from software, it was the perfect opportunity for entering into the IT education. Today NIIT, set up back in 1981, claims to have trained one out of every three software professionals in the country.

Rosita Rabindra, Head, HR NIIT Technologies (a NIIT Group company) talks about the company’s journey and the changing mindset of the young employees in an interview.

How do you think has the mindset of the employees changed over the years, since the time you started?

There has been a major shift in attitude. Attrition is a 10-year-old phenomenon. Today’s employees have multiple offers and are ready to leave companies at the drop of a hat. This change has been brought about by IT.

Now you have a 24-year-old heading a team, becoming manager, getting foreign postings in an IT company. And, we are not talking about the most brilliant people here.

These were people who couldn’t get into the premiere institutes of the country but managed their way up with an appropriate chance. This went to their heads and they became impatient and now can’t wait for things to happen. This created a revolution of sort in the talent space.

What is the percentage of lateral hiring in your company?

It is about 30% at the senior management level (NIIT Technologies) but there is a reason to it. We are going through a high growth phase which requires fresh perspective from various sectors and geographies.

Do you chart out a career path for the new entrants? What has been the extent of campus hiring in your company?

There are eight levels and eight streams under each of these. People can get faster promotions depending on the performance or switch from function-to-function. We hired 300 people from the campus this year and the number is expected to double next year.

How many people did you hire last year? What is the percentage of women employees in NIIT Technologies?

Total would be 1,400 and the net addition would be 1,100. Women employees account for 20% of our workforce.