CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Ms. Ritu Agast, Director of Human Resources at Pearson India
- How is Pearson India raising standards of work-culture globally?
Pearson is the world’s leading learning company with robust digital foundations and realigned business vision to tap the market growth opportunities of the 21st Century – lifelong learning. We underpin our growth at the back of global business divisions: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.
Geared towards direct to consumer learning ecosystem that Pearson is pursuing under the senior leadership team and a much-driven workforce, we have continuous programs to keep our employees engaged and be able to realise their potential by building the company’s culture, talent and skills.
Raising the standards of work-culture globally, we invest in creating an inspiring environment where people love the work they do and the people they work with. The work culture at Pearson embodies value creation with strong ethos that reflects that “Learning isn’t just something to get through; it’s a chance for a breakthrough”. We are a workplace, for those who want progress, not just potential. Our value system nurtures the progress for our employees, helping them to challenge the status quo, be curious, build credibility, deliver quality and embrace agility—all of this helps us to relate better with our employees and connect with each one leading to a purpose driven culture.
We follow best of the industry standards around flexible workplace culture that fosters collaboration, creativity and connectivity. Also, ensuring employees are rewarded and recognised for their contributions and see opportunities to grow in their careers.
- Please mention some initiatives by Pearson India that helped them achieve the Great Place to Work certification.
Our recent certification by Great Place to Work is a recognition that acknowledges that we are building a workforce that is future-ready. We at Pearson India, continue to focus on applying our expertise in learning to support our people’s growth and career development. Our initiatives are focused towards building robust corporate governance, strong corporate culture, and a range of effective policies ensure we continue to be an inspiring workplace. Our policies on career enhancement, regular upskilling and training, and learning and development create an enriching experience that has the potential to support employees throughout their lifelong learning journey. We work on the idea of a highly trusted environment, job satisfaction, and great employee engagement which brought us this prestigious recognition of Great Place to Work.
We significantly highlighted our initiatives around
- Strong, cohesive work culture with diversity, equality & inclusion (DEI)
- Regular upskilling and training
- Health and well-being as are topmost priorities
- Employee Experience that is constantly monitored through two-way feedback processes that helps us to improve engagement
- What is Pearson India’s strategy and approach to encouraging all employees to share new ideas and better ways of doing things?
We at Pearson believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough, our vision is to add life to a lifetime of learning by creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. All our employees are encouraged to contribute toward our collective vision & goals, we have identified Investing in Talent/People as one of our KPI.
We see a great opportunity in the collective collaboration to drive success and foster teams to jointly achieve organisation goals. More than a strategy, we are inculcating a mindset towards collaboration and nurturing the ideas to increase team belongingness. In order to engage our workforce, we make an effort to match their interests and ambitions with those of Pearson India.
We foster inclusion to motivate teams and stay focussed on cognitive diversity. We believe that there is no one way to solve a problem and we encourage our employees to add their unique perspectives while solving a problem. We focus on cognitive diversity to achieve a mix of people with different thinking, ability to carry out activities, and make associations for a successful workplace.
SparkEd and Product Acceleration Group(PAG) are two key examples where all our employees from cross-functional teams share ideas for incremental innovation or a breakthrough solution, empowering them to innovate in an open, collaborative, and supported environment.
- What are some of the initiatives at Pearson India for creating a better experience for women employees at workplace?
At Pearson India, diversity in the workforce goes beyond issues related to gender. Here, we believe that cognitive variety is the most critical aspect. People with a variety of educational backgrounds are welcome, as are the unique experiences they bring.
Pearson provides its women employees with a safe and peaceful environment to succeed and celebrate their success in different forums.
- Through our chapter called “WILL – Women in Learning & Leadership,” we emphasise the need of having a gender diverse workforce. We ensure to employ a substantial number of women in the leadership team and project teams, and we communicate our vision with all employees.
- Our employee resource groups (ERGs) for women offer a system of information, support, and networking opportunities for all women and allies in a variety of fields throughout their careers.
- What are the guiding principles for Pearson to create a great workplace for all in the organization and for the ecosystem it operates in?
Creating of a great workplace is a constant endeavour that needs timely interventions to shape the corporate culture. Specific to Pearson, as we are transcending a change and are transforming beyond the leading print textbook publisher to that of an online learning company that encompasses career training, reskilling, and lifelong learning— Change Management and culture upliftment, are the bold act of leadership for Pearson as an organisation.
Driven by purpose and business clarity, we understand our responsibility towards the ecosystem that we operate in. As an industry leader operating amidst multiple global communities, we seek an opportunity to earn trust, relatability and future relevancy—to help everyone realise the life they imagine through learning. As root conditions, we strive to transform lives, livelihoods and societies while also thriving as a business leader. Six key performance indicators—including digital growth, consumer engagement, product effectiveness, investing in talent, inclusion, and diversity, and sustainability strategy—will stay core to the success of our strategy.
