Infosys BPO: Optimas Award Winner for Managing Change

Infosys BPO’s slogan could be: Merge ahead. And rather than slowing down, the Bangalore, India-based business process outsourcing provider is pulling out all the stops to integrate new employees from the companies it acquires.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Infosys Ltd., originally relied on organic growth to expand its operations. But between 2007 and 2011 it acquired three companies, and has more in its sights.

That has meant creating an integration team, composed of key Infosys BPO employees from areas such as finance, human resources and planning, which comes together during an acquisition.

The HR portion of the integration team begins communicating with the incoming employees about 90 days before the acquisition is final, and continues its support for 90 days after the acquisition is completed, says Dependra Mathur, an Infosys assistant vice president who focuses on compensation and benefits.

Among the team’s key goals are alleviating fears of job insecurity among the employees of the companies it is acquiring and preparing them for their jobs with Infosys BPO. At the same time, the team is working to instill an understanding of the company and its vision with those incoming employees.

For each of the companies acquired, Infosys BPO crafted internal marketing campaigns with slogans such as: “Belong. Bond. Grow.” and “Better Just Got Bigger” to help make the incoming employees feel like they were part of the Infosys BPO team.

As a service business, it’s crucial for Infosys BPO to focus on the employees affected by an acquisition, Mathur says. “All value that exists in a service business comes about from its people.”

The company’s acquisitions have been in places ranging from the United States to Poland, bringing a total of about 2,000 employees into the fold, so there’s also a focus on cultural training. This includes an introduction to the Indian cultural model and cross-cultural training and work assignments.

The focus on integration has helped Infosys retain 90 percent of key employees; see employee head count jump by 50 percent at one company it acquired; and turn one company from a money-loser to a profit-maker in just three years.

For its success in integrating new employees from around the globe, Infosys BPO is the 2012 winner of the Optimas Award for Managing Change.

Susan Ladika is a writer based in Tampa, Florida. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com.

Workforce Management, November 2012, p. 29 — Subscribe Now!