India Inc is not only using the grand sporting event F1 to reach out to their external audience but also to their internal audience or human resources. There is an increasing number of corporates who are relying on this event to connect with their own employees.
From giving out free tickets to organising in-house competitions, the corporate biggies are going all out to make the most of this racing spectacle.
Take for example, NIIT Technologies, a mid-size IT firm. The company had organised a go-karting competition for its employees at its Greater Noida campus ahead of the Formula One. The winners of the event were handed over tickets of the main race. All over, around 50-60 tickets were distributed.
Besides, the company has also booked a corporate box and hosted media professionals, analysts and clients to be a part of F1.
Explaining the reason, Arvind Thakur, CEO and MD of NIIT Tech said, “We wanted all our stakeholders to be a part of this grand event along with us.” So, what encouraged NIIT, which is not remotely associated with any F1 teams to host clients and analysts to the event?
Well, for starters, sports such as F1 which has such high adrenaline rush, when watched together invoke passion and camaraderie, which creates bonding among the employees, according to Human resources experts.
According to Rosita Rabindra, the Chief People Officer of NIIT Technologies “NIIT is a very young organisation.The average age of employees is 28 years. We believe in creating fun at work.”
Also Read
Airtel, a title sponsor for the Indian Grand Prix, also wanted its employees to join the F1 buzz wagon.
“Employee engagement is a continuous process for us. At Bharti Airtel, we wanted our employees to be a part of the F1 buzz wagon. Our association with F1 had invoked a sense of pride among our employees. After all a happy and satisfied employee is the best brand endorser,” an Airtel spokesperson said.
Bharti Airtel employees - both from across the country and the Airtel Center at Gurgaon - enjoyed a month-long mega F1 carnival, which included activities ranging from quiz or online games.
The winners of the activities were awarded with F1 tickets. Sticking to its tagline “Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai” Airtel also allowed its employees to take along one of their friends along with them for the race.
Employees were also offered 10 per cent discount on F1 tickets.
Special initiative was taken for female employees to represent Airtel at the 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India. The chosen few will get a chance to usher the guest in the paddock area.
Another title sponsor, Vodafone also doled out 150 free tickets to its employees. The employees were selected through contests and quizzes organised by Vodafone.
Vodafone is title sponsor and the official total communication partner' of the McLaren Mercedes team.
Well, HR analyst feels those gestures do help in boosting employee morale.
Historically, also Indian firms have used sporting events to reach out to their employees. Mahindra Satyam’s association with the coveted World Cup Football really worked wonders in terms of boosting their employees' spirits, especially after the accounting fiasco at then Satyam Computers.