AI and analytics firm Fractal recently opened an office in Chennai. Two years back, the company, which largely operated out of Mumbai, Gurugram and Bengaluru, had no such plan. In fact, it is also gearing up to start an establishment in Pune. The idea is to realign workspaces to post-pandemic normal after a long period of work from home. “There is wind of change in the industry and organisations like ours are re-evaluating many things,” says Rohini Singh, chief people officer at Fractal.
Employers are today grappling with high attrition rates. In India, attrition touched a more than two-decade high of 21% in 2021, according to Aon Consulting. Employers have the tall task of nurturing and retaining talent. The firm, led by Srikanth Velamakanni and Pranay Agarwal, has over 3,700 employees.
Even before Covid-19, the company had an unlimited work from home policy, says Singh. Fractal is now building on this. It, for instance, has opened a small office in Chennai which happens to be the native place of many employees. The offices will act as collaboration centres where employees can meet and exchange ideas. “In future, if we see formation of such natural clusters in any city, we will go there,” says Singh. She says this will encourage more women participation in the workforce.
Fractal has an organisational mantra: “Employees are and should be CEOs of their own careers.” The company has instituted a talent mobility policy which allows employees to apply for internal openings and, if selected, resign from current positions.
Operating revenues for 21-year-old Fractal, which became a unicorn earlier this year, rose to ₹1,295 crore in FY2022, from ₹790.3 crore in FY2021.
Fractal is betting on building an open and nurturing culture to differentiate itself from the pack. Culture is pivotal to the company’s growth. Transparency is crucial to the idea of fostering an open work culture. Every Tuesday, it conducts town hall sessions addressed by the leadership team. “People ask all sorts of questions. We share updates very openly,” says Singh. A lot of emphasis is given to employee care. Singh claims employees are encouraged to discuss and talk about issues beyond work. “Organisations that have a personality of care and connectedness with employees in a hybrid world are geared to be employers of future,” says Singh. The company is also open to hiring people with career breaks in their workforce.