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A people inclusive culture – Sonali De Sarker, Director & Head HR, NetApp



A fascinating experience to meet the HR Director of NetApp who gave her insights about the work-culture of NetApp. Values are important for NetApp that celebrates 25 years of providing data management services globally this year. In a world transformed by digital technology, data in silos simply does not work. We need fast insights, seamless access, and the peace of mind of knowing that data is protected and within control. NetApp delivers the data management solutions that help unleash the full potential of data. With NetApp celebrating its 25th Anniversary, here is what Ms. Sonali De Sarker, Director - Human Resources, has to say about the culture that drives the data management company.

Old by Tech Standards - Young as a Culture.
Sonali says that values are important, more so when it is between employees and organization. The company and its founders have still managed to retain the culture. While, a quarter century in business is considered old according to tech industry, NetApp has managed to stay relevant to the changing dynamics in the IT space, globally. Employees are considered central to the business continuity and valued for the growth of the organization.
Citing an example of this culture, the HR-Head quoted that during a transformation phase and shifting of office location from the CBD in Bangalore, discussions with employees were held to understand the areas of concern and the same were addressed through a list of initiatives of subsidized food and commute facilities, and housing related support among others.

Ambassadors and Change Agents
During the transition phase, ambassadors and change agents from within the employee group were identified who would provide insights on the pulse of the work environment. They would liaison between the leadership and the employee base of the company. This helped the Leadership team to understand the employee requirements and address those issues better and faster. Changes were made to processes and policies based on those inputs and this in turn helped to empower the larger base of employees further.

Community Development at NetApp
Community Development and NGO participation is promoted by NetApp which assists its employees to volunteer a social cause - Hunger, Sanitation, Education - based on their interest and choice. Any employee can avail this 5-day/year, fully-paid, often company sponsored initiative, as their volunteering option. The geography of this volunteering is not limited to India and there have been cases of social causes addressed in Africa, Nepal and more.

Fitness as a Growth enabler
NetApp had introduced in-house gym and aerobics facilities to its employees much before they became a standard in the industry. This was in line with their intent to provide the best work environment to its employees. Employee feedback around  the Tennis Court being used in the wee hours of the night by  night shift employees is something that validates the utilization of the facilities by employees in all shifts.

Every year is different
Sonali mentions that this being her 9th year at NetApp, every year has been distinctly different both from a learning and impact standpoint. With technology changing rapidly, the company has also witnessed a rapidly changing and dynamic ecosystem These changes together with a multi – generational workforce has resulted in new programs and initiatives for employees.

An ecosystem of trust
With NetApp’s culture playing a pivotal role in the organization, some employees even go to the extent of saying that the culture is ‘very addictive’. This makes It imperative for new employees to understand and imbibe the core values of NetApp and become a part of its cultural fabric.  The assimilation program plays a key role in assimilating employees into NetApp. The New Manager Assimilation Program helps new Managers assimilate into both NetApp and into their new roles.  In the process, new Managers receive inputs from their teams on what works and what doesn’t. Most importantly it gets an open dialogue started between the manager and his teams.
As a company evolves over time, sometimes some aspects of the culture become more important than others. There was a NetApp wide global initiative that took place some years ago where employees were asked to focus on some aspects of the culture more than others. This helped the company transform and globally focus on specific aspects of NetApp’s culture
The NetApp culture is one of trust. The trust in the system is high because of the continuous communication between leaders, managers and employees.

AI - Not to Fear
The HR Director feels that there is no fear among its employees because of the onslaught of AI/ML technologies. She also feels that jobs have always been morphed into different roles according to the changing dynamics - Industrial era to Computers to AI.

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 joyworkshop@hasovan.com
Catch the work-place philosophy of NetApp in the book “Erupt with Joy” by Savitha Hosamane.

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