Sanitizing the workplace - Col. Vijay Reddy
Col. Vijay Reddy – the man behind the making of Footprints shared some insights about the background of Footprints and the persons committed to building this strong venture of collateral services. Footprints carries the wave of pride of contributing to a vital role of nation’s economy building responsibly. It was indeed an honor to understand the spirit and mindset of pathbreakers from a highly disciplined world to a totally chaotic world. Read on to know more
The step-by-step process that you went through to get to where you are today.
I was the senior vice-president (HR) of an IT company in the USA in the 1990’s. To get H1B visa of people we brought to US from India, we were doing background verification for a law firm that was processing their H1B visas. The American law firm became friendly with me and planted the idea of floating a company for background verification. They assured me that they would give me more clients for verification as large number of people were travelling to US from India. I started the company in US in 1999. Very soon, in a matter of 3 months, we had 16 clients. In 2006, we relocated to India as I had to take care of my mother and look after some personal properties. The American company was shut down. The IT programmer who was working with me in US suggested we restart operations in India and we floated a company in India with the name Footprints Collateral Services Pvt. Ltd. (Footprints, for short). The main services we are providing risk mitigation services, to include employee background verification, due diligence and HR support services. We gradually grew and today, we have branches all across the country, in US and in the Philippines; we are recognized as one of the top verification companies in the country and have over 500 clients.
How did the role of military background seep into performance, mental stability and happiness?
In the army, we are trained to kill the enemy. Killing is not a normal human activity but one that is thrust upon us. In military, we are trained to kill, to protect the lives of our own people and ensure safety of our nation. There is a very elaborate training which our country has mastered and gives us service people. Upon joining the Defence Services, a person from our society is trained and convinced that whatever he is doing is for the safety of our nation and betterment of our society. The commitment and dedication is to safeguard the lives of 1.2 billion people who are our brothers and sisters. Being happy and mentally contented is the most important thing for an army man. Sitting in a bunker far away from family without any of the comforts, watching the enemy all the time. We go through very difficult conditions. Under those conditions, if our soldiers’ minds are at peace and they are happy, they will do their job effectively and not let all kinds of hallucinations affect them. We as officers ensure that our soldiers are mentally happy and satisfied as part of our jobs. Joy and happiness is a very important part of our lives. It is only with a happy, peaceful, stable state of mind and the conviction that our role is for the betterment and safety of our people, we can perform under the harsh conditions of weather, terrain and danger of enemy on the front lines. The commitment and dedication in verifying the details of prospective employees is very high with no room for mistakes. The sense of accomplishment in sanitizing the country’s work place and contributing to the nation’s economy is immense; they play a big role in building a competent workforce of our clients.
The challenge to migrate from the mindset of army to the mindset of civilian.
The Indian mindset is very complex to understand. Part of the study and training of an army officer involves understanding the human mind and behaviour. We must understand the mindset of people and I have been trained to do that. To bring whatever we learnt and did in the armed forces into the civil walk of life is a herculean task. The challenge is that an army officer expects others(civilians) to have received the same kind of training which he has undergone which is not true. People are raw in the civilian world. They are without training and hence lack the sense of commitment that we have had in the army. I tend to judge others as I would judge myself and I have learnt over the years that, it is not the way to do it. I have tried to change it. It is a challenge to bring in whatever we have learnt in the armed forces into the society. I have tried my best in whatever way I could. The employees endorse the company as one happy family.
The love and dedication upholding the culture of this organization can be distinctly noticed. It is indeed a company borne out of client’s needs and upholds the promise of satisfying the needs of clients. A responsible attitude climbing the altitude of being one of the best names in the industry.
Watch this space for more pathbreakers. If you would like to be featured in “joyful workplaces” blog, do feel free to write to us. Our editorial team would be happy to get in touch. Write to us joyworkop@hasovan.com
Catch up with the workplace philosophy of Footprints in the book "Erupt with Joy" - Hosamane Savitha
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