With 46% women professionals, 24% women leaders, and 44% women board members, WNS calls itself a proud people force with a healthy gender mix and a multi-generational representation of communities.
We had the privilege of talking to Adil Nargolwala, Senior Vice President and Head of Talent Acquisition. Adil passionately shared insights into WNS’ approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), emphasising their three core pillars: Gender Advancement, Mental Well-being, and Inclusion.
In our conversation, Adil discussed how these pillars form the foundation of WNS’ DEI strategy, driving their mission to foster a workplace where every individual feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.
There is this quote about office culture that reads, “Culture is what the hearts and stomachs of employees feel on a Sunday eve about a Monday morning.” What do you think about this statement and how is the culture at WNS?
Let me begin by saying that the feeling in my heart and stomach is definitely positive! My journey began with WNS in 2006, when WNS acquired the firm I used to run with my partners. Since then, I have donned multiple hats at WNS, but my longest stint has been in talent acquisition, and currently, I am the Head of Talent Acquisition in India.
Our north star is the CIRCLE of Values, which stands for Client First, Integrity, Respect, Collaboration, Learning, and Excellence. This credo drives each of our 60,000+ employees in our daily decision-making and forms the bedrock of our efforts to fulfill our mission.
We firmly believe that by prioritising employee welfare, we optimise their potential to deliver exceptional results and ultimately elevate client satisfaction. As an aspirational business, we strive to enhance our connections with clients and acknowledge human capital as our foremost asset.
By providing the right professional and personal development opportunities, we enable our employees to unlock their full potential and pursue their aspirations with confidence and enthusiasm. In essence, our commitment to human capital is not just about maximizing productivity or profitability, it is about empowering them to their core, catalyzing a transformation that turns them into agents of change, driving personal growth, and inspiring change in others. A great success metric is that today most of our front-line managers are home-grown leaders.
How does your commitment to creating a workplace that celebrates individuality and ingenuity translate into your hiring strategy?
Anyone who recruits for WNS knows that our success hinges not only on financial metrics but also on the talent, creativity, and dedication of our people. We are the first touchpoint in an employee's or potential employee's journey with the organisation. Therefore, it becomes our prime responsibility to attract the best talent by creating differentiated hiring programs.
WNS has three pillars of DEI - One is gender advancement, the second is mental well-being, and the third is inclusion. How does it hire people diversity-wise?
WNS is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion by strictly prohibiting discrimination based on race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. Our policy aims to cultivate a culture where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to deliver their best work. Throughout our recruitment, hiring, professional development, and advancement processes, we ensure that merit and potential are the sole criteria for success, free from bias related to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.
We continually refine our inclusive policies and infrastructure to support our diverse talent across various regions, including underrepresented groups such as LGBTQ+ and persons with disabilities (PWD). Our commitment to increasing diversity is reflected in our deliberate approach to hiring and promotions. The recruitment team sets specific diversity targets, conducts specialised referral drives, and collaborates with exclusive vendors to recruit diverse candidates for leadership positions. The Organisation Effectiveness team analyses internal mobility data, monitors diversity at each level, tracks the percentage of women recommended for promotions, and encourages managers to enhance the diversity ratio within their teams.
How involved are the employees in your diversity efforts or your Employer Branding efforts? Do you take feedback from everyone while designing your hiring strategies?
Our employees are actively involved in running various leadership development programs, co-created with consulting and academic partners, for present and potential employees as part of our employer branding efforts. These programs reflect a collaborative effort in which employees contribute to the design and execution, enhancing our brand and demonstrating our commitment to development and diversity. We actively encourage our employees to participate in the formal election of an employee representative. This initiative aims to empower our workforce by giving them a direct voice in organizational matters. By electing a representative, our employees have the opportunity to advocate for their interests, contribute to decision-making processes, and foster a collaborative work environment. Then, another initiative Centurion accelerates high-potential female employees into leadership roles. The CEO's Millennial Council offers hands-on business experience and leadership interaction. At WNS, the entire HR team including talent acquisition works in tandem with the business team. Our hiring strategy is constantly evolving based on the feedback received from regular review meetings with the business team. It really enables us to meet dynamic business requirements.
WNS has a good spread with a 41% millennial workforce and 52% Gen-Zs too. What is being done for their growth and learning?
The cornerstone of our people strategy is building the skills of tomorrow by providing an equitable and opportunity-led work environment. We prioritise the holistic development and well-being of our workforce. Through strategic talent acquisition, development programs, and performance management initiatives, we align our human capital with organizational objectives, ensuring a seamless integration of talent with business goals.
GLINT, our learning experience platform, hosts extensively updated content that offers a spectrum of opportunities for every employee to stay updated on business knowledge, products, systems, and industry regulations. Our training team offers digitized learning with over 500 specialized e-modules and simulation-based learning environments for practical learning in controlled settings. This learning system enables employees to work more efficiently in real-life scenarios within a controlled environment. We use Empowered LMS, an advanced training workflow tool that streamlines the systematic tracking, measurement, and reporting of training progress and metrics, helping us stay ahead in talent development and offering transparent insights into the effectiveness of our training programs. We also offer cross-functional programs that create internal opportunities and enable talent to develop skills for career growth.
Our programs offer a holistic digital learning experience, blending technical expertise and leadership skills to prepare employees for a digitally driven environment. With tailored content focused on AI and Gen AI, we equip our workforce for the future of our industry.
Adil being a marathon runner and a sports enthusiast himself has ensured that sports is a part of the WNS DNA. He spoke in detail about the sports programs at WNS.
At WNS, we have a sports program called WNS Sports, engaging nearly 10,000 employees across 10 locations, consisting of over 300 teams, in various sporting activities such as running, cycling, swimming, cricket, volleyball, basketball, throw ball, and badminton. We also provide dedicated indoor sports facilities, including table tennis, carrom, and chess in select offices. Additionally, we support employees' participation in external sports activities. Our women and corporate cricket team have registered over 28 wins in their merit roster. This initiative aims to promote a health-enhancing lifestyle through physical activity, driving better health outcomes, fostering community, and enhancing teamwork. By participating, employees can improve their physical and mental well-being, boost energy, and increase productivity.
We believe in holistic well-being of our workforce hence in addition to physical fitness, mental wellbeing is also a very big part of our culture. This includes providing access to counselling services and self-help resources, facilitating awareness campaigns and workshops, promoting a healthy work-life balance, training managers to support employees’ mental well-being, and having a Well-being Ambassador Committee for effective care.
Has the advent of AI affected your hiring strategy? Since you hire a lot of Gen-Z, people who are under 25 years of age. Has it also come down to you or have you changed your strategy around hiring people from campuses?
To underestimate the influence of AI is to ignore a significant reality. AI will profoundly affect all aspects of life. In our industry, automation is poised to affect certain job roles; however, it will also create numerous new opportunities. Now is the optimal time for individuals to upskill and prepare for future job requirements. As the global population expands and business dynamics evolve, new manufacturing and service sectors will emerge, generating employment opportunities. To thrive in these new industries and roles, individuals currently performing basic tasks will need to enhance their skills to meet the demands of the evolving job market. This underscores the importance and impact of upskilling in response to AI-driven changes.
Your fitness journey has been nothing short of inspiring. Did you run a half marathon in a professional suit last year?
Yes, I did run wearing a trouser, shirt, and tie because I was running to raise awareness about the need to stay active. We have a colleague at work who lost his brother to a sudden heart attack. His father, too, had died of a heart problem. When he rejoined work after his brother’s death, I suggested that he also get himself tested, just in case it was a genetic thing. He is also a runner, by the way.
When he came back from a check-up, it was discovered that there were two major blockages. Within a couple of days, he was operated on and stents were put in. That is when it struck me that there are many people who do not even know that there is a time bomb ticking inside. Staying healthy is very important. I am not telling everybody to go run marathons. Even if you do simpler things like climbing stairs, walking for some time, that should help you stay active. I walk up and down 30-40 floors a day. Initially, it takes a little effort but with regular practice, you will achieve success.
We concluded our conversation with a wish from Adil’s bucket list. He hopes for a day when a high school senior is as prepared to run a marathon as they are for college life.
