Wipro, the third-largest IT services exporter, saw attrition level falling in FY15 and the company expects the situation to remain that way. The company’s core focus has been on reskilling and training employees on new tech to prepare them for future opportunities, says global head, HR, Saurabh Govil in an interview with PP Thimmaya.

Excerpts:

How is Wipro gearing up to adopt new technologies?

From the employees’ point of view, a few things are critical. First, they will have to reskill and reinvent themselves. Second, new tech is becoming a standard theme across organisations. The biggest challenge is to run the core business efficiently and developing capabilities for the next generation. It’s like having two organisations in one set-up. In the past, there had been emphasis on hiring in large numbers, but today the focus is on retraining and reskilling.

Are employees showing any urgency when it comes to acquiring new skills?

People who don’t have this sense of urgency will suffer. Organisations today create the right environment, infrastructure and platform for people to learn and reskill themselves. However, at the end of the day, the employee has to take ownership. A big change we are seeing is that 40-50% legacy skills of knowledge workers will go away in a decade. The hiring key is not going to be age and experience, but knowledge and expertise.

Is your attrition rate falling?

We will strive for a lower attrition rate and target to bring it to 12-13% from the current level of 15-17%. Now, our attrition rate operates in a narrow band and is much more predictable. However, bringing it down is not a one-quarter phenomenon — it has to be sustained.

What kind of wage hikes are likely at Wipro?

We will do what’s been the industry average this fiscal. However, we will pay high performers better. I would suppose that high-performers can look at double-digit wage hikes. There is no plan to change wages for entry-level campus recruits.

Any plan to reduce the employee headcount?

One should look at our data and see how many people we have added every year. However, the industry is clearly becoming non-linear.

Are startups attracting talent from Wipro?

We will continously face such challenges. Right now, the buzzwords are startup and ecommerce. Obviously, there is a competition from such companies, but we have to be sure of what we provide to our people in terms of stability, long-term play and make sure we continue to attract talent.

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