Akansha - "To Aspire" in Hindi
What happens if you find yourself working in a contact centre and you are not interested in a Team Manager position, which is the natural career progression? Don’t worry you aren’t alone. Here are some tips from Crescentia Kalpana D. who talks about how she found herself working in a contact centre and wasn’t interested in the typical career path to people management.
“When I looked around, I found that there were many of us who did not really aspire to the Team Manager position. But it seemed like this was the only option available to you. Most of us were in our early twenties and were confused by what we wanted. Those who did know what they wanted didn’t know how to get there. All of us, in this position, were slowly losing interest in our jobs.”So how did Crescentia drive employee engagement in a contact centre in Hyderabad? Through a four phased program called Akansha (“To Aspire”).
“The program was a career guidance program and did not guarantee any of us a promotion. But what it did was engage us – as it took us one step closer to our dreams.”
- Stage I –During this phase, everyone had an opportunity to interact with various department leads. Each of the department heads provided an overview of the department and the various roles available.
- Stage II – They were able to go onto the “shop floor” and interact with individuals in the various roles that they had identified as interesting during the first stage of the program.
- Stage III – They were assigned mentors to help them prepare for the roles that were of most interest to them.
- Stage IV – During the last stage of the program, they set up “mock interviews” to check their readiness for the job of their dreams.
“Even though the program was initiated by us, the company played a major role in the success of the program. While the company already had “Individual Development Plans” and a mentor program, they were stand alone tools. What we did was put them all together in a program called Akansha. There was a gap in the process and we were able to plug it.”
“We were encouraged to work on the program by the top management. All the of the heads of departments came forward to participate in stage one of the program. As well, we did not have any difficulty finding mentors to help us realize our dreams.”
The program was a grand success.
“All of us were filled with energy and were enthusiastic about work again. We were a team of hundred plus coaches. This program gave us a direction to achieve our aspirations. The result of the program was obviously highly engaged employees.”
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