EXCLUSIVE: Raashi Sikka, diversity lead at Uber, will discuss the importance of organisational culture as a foundation for strong performance and inclusiveness during her keynote address at Employee Benefits Connect 2019.
The session, titled 'Culture eats strategy for breakfast: Leveraging culture to build inclusive, high-performing teams' will open the five-stream conference programme aimed at senior HR professionals on Wednesday 27 February 2019.
Sikka will be sharing stories and lessons from Uber's journey around shaping its culture and designing benefit policies that truly engage employees, rather than just keeping them satisfied.
In addition, she will discuss the need for organisations to address their culture in the context of the changing nature of work, due to factors such as the increase in flexible arrangements and the growing population of millennials in the workforce.
"The future of work itself is being redefined on so many different platforms; it's just a really important topic that all of us are thinking about," Sikka explained.
"[This session] will be a nice starting point for the conference. Starting from a fairly zoomed out perspective and then zooming in through the day will be super useful for the delegates attending."
Part of Sikka's goal is to reach out to senior HR professionals, providing them with the tools and learnings to avoid seeing staff simply as numbers.
"I would love for the delegates in the room to take away a lesson about how to not just read employees as data points, but really treat them as human beings and people, who have different needs, different wants, who work differently, and who have different drivers for good performance," she said.
"That's something, from a diversity and inclusion perspective, that we try and constantly drive with leaders, stakeholders and with our HR counterparts. How do you really understand the psyche of the people you're designing processes, benefits and projects for?"
Sikka stated that this individual approach, and the need for tailoring within benefits packages, will be a key trend for 2019. Further trends she predicted include a continued focus on mental health and holistic wellbeing, and the increasing prevalence of flexible working and teleworking.
When considering the future of reward as a whole, Sikka noted the need for employers to understand and align with the care-giving culture that is increasingly part of employees' lives. This means going beyond benefits such as parental leave, and developing an underlying culture that is in itself friendly and care-giving.
Employee Benefits Connect 2019 will take place on Wednesday 27 February 2019 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.
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