Social commitment attracts best talent to Tata Group: Rajan

Tata Group's commitment to society, coupled with recently introduced volunteering programmes, have helped it attract good talent as youngsters appreciate the sense of purpose, its Chief Ethics Officer and Brand Custodian Mukund Rajan has said.
"We find focusing on volunteering, focusing on pro bono, is making a bit more of an employer of choice perhaps more than we were in the past," Rajan said at an event on philanthropy held here over the weekend.
"Particularly for young people coming into the organisation, they want to understand that the employer has social conscience. They want to feel that this is an organisation which has credibility they can respect," he added.

Rajan said the social commitment is wired into the DNA of the over USD 100-billion group, which is majority owned by various Tata trusts which are not-for-profit, and hence it is a rich heritage and legacy which needs to be protected.
"That also creates a higher sense of purpose for our employees. The harder you work, more surplus you generate, and then more you can give back to the society," Rajan said.
He added that in the last few years, the group has started focusing on volunteering and working pro bono, as it helps employees engage with the community and non-profits, and also to understand significance of the impact of a corporate's work at institutional level.

Rajan said it is necessary for the salt-to-software group to communicate this facet to its over 5 lakh employees globally in the best possible way to its employees.

The same has assumed more importance after the recent spate of acquisitions by the group, Rajan said.
He said people born in other parts of the world do not have the same understanding of the problems that are unique to India and hence, it is necessary to communicate what the group stands for.
"Communicating and giving them the opportunity to give back at a personal level makes a huge difference," he added.

Last year, the Tata Group had said that the CSR spend by the group companies alone crossed Rs 660 crore in financial year 2013-14.
"During the last three years, we have been trending at an average of Rs 1,000 crore per annum between the Tata trusts and our companies, typically in a 60:40 ratio between the companies and the trusts.
The specific figure for financial year 2013-14 by group companies is Rs 660 crore," Rajan had said last July.