70-80% Of Smollan India’s Hiring Under Household Hope Campaign Happens Through Employee Referrals

Smollan, a global commerce solutions company, has employed more than 10000 resources since 2019 from low-income communities, primarily referred through their existing employees. 

Finding a way to blend good intentions with workforce growth,  the company’s Household Hope Campaign, has blended development and financial inclusion through employment opportunities. 

The campaign aims to bring equity, diversity, and inclusivity agenda in hiring practices. These initiatives target underprivileged sections of society from Tier I/Tier II/Tier III cities to help them attain a better lifestyle. 

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Through this campaign, Smollan aims at creating job opportunities for families with no/low income, primarily focused on single household earners/single mothers. Smollan offers them training as well as job opportunities. The entire campaign is run on employee referrals.

Speaking of the referrals, Amit Srivastava, CEO, Smollan India, informs, “Since our people come from different sections of society, they are aware of households who can benefit from the program and are able to connect us with the right candidate. I would say, 70 to 80 percent of recruitment is done through the referral program itself and the rest is a result of a direct recruitment drive conducted by the People team. A proper process is followed for all referral candidates.”

The eligible parameters for such employment depend on the fact that the person is 18 years of age and has a basic education. Every cluster has its own people manager, the HR Manager, connected with the HR SPOC. Whenever there is a requirement or employees come across such candidates, they send details to HR which conducts the primary interviews and the screening process.

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However, Smollan does face a few hurdles. Elaborating on the same, Srivastava adds, “We do come across minor challenges along the way: we sometimes encounter apprehensions due to no prior work experience, exposure, and mindset constraints of the trade. Sometimes the candidates have doubts related to safety or field sales roles. However, we take these very seriously and have managed to overcome them through structured consultations, high engagement, and support, wherever needed.”

As far as skill demand for the roles is concerned, the focus is on personality traits. Amit explains that the people they hire for these campaigns, especially the women, may or may not have had a chance to work in the past. Hence, the organization focuses on personality traits while hiring. He mentions that they constantly look for people who are willing to learn and are determined to embark on a professional journey for themselves. “Additionally, we look for commitment, ownership, eagerness to learn, positive attitude, and people skills. The on-job training is taken care of through our carefully designed skilling modules,” shares Srivastava.

Smollan aims to add twice as many numbers to its workforce in the coming years.

Author: Amit Srivastava is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience gained over years across various retail and financial sectors. He has been with the Smollan group since 2010.