Reliance Industries targets talent with Harvard, healthcare (Lead, correcting figure in para 2)

As it gets ready for the launch of Jio 4G services, Reliance Industries has added more human resource initiatives to attract, retain and nurture talent with monetary support for studying at Harvard or some 50 Indian or global universities, besides unlimited healthcare.

This was unveiled to the company's 24,930 rpt 24,930 employees on Thursday.

Anchored by executive director Hital R. Meswani as part of the "performance and reward" programme initiated last year, the company has also extended to its employees a self-development platform, which allows them to pursue programmes of their choice with financial aid from the company.

"Now studying at Harvard or Princeton, while still being employed, can be a reality for employees at our company," an official told IANS, speaking about the new initiatives at the company, adding that Jio has made the management adopt new strategies tuned to the aspiring youth.

"The benefit is applicable at more than 50 universities and programmes. These include both Ivy League institutions like like Harvard, Stanford and MIT, as also domestic ones like the Indian School of Business, IIMs and XLRI," the official said.

"The scheme calls for the organisation to pay up to 100 percent of the tuition fees -- 50 percent in the case of international ones. What is more, during the sabbatical, the employee continues to remain on our rolls, drawing 50 percent of the salary, besides other benefits."

Earlier last month, a transformation in group's corporate culture saw the top management led by chairman Mukesh Ambani, which works with a team of 17,500-strong and growing team of Jio, adopt an open office environment, sans rooms or cubicles.

In the area of healthcare for employees, the company has extended a generous coverage for the staff and their families both towards preventive care and treatment-- with no limit for some categories, an official said.

"The employees, including their spouses, can get free and comprehensive health check-ups at top institutions including Sir HNH Hospital. The benefit fetches an exhaustive list of tests, and preventive check-ups at some of the most renowned health check-up facilities."

Officials said the aim of this human resource initiative is to have a transparent and empowering performance-management system to drive meritocracy at Reliance Industries with ample scope given to the staff to raise the bar on performances and emerge as future leaders.

"Financial financially support to the members of a deceased employees is also a part of this policy."