What’s So Great About The BMR Work Environment? Find out how a fun environment has helped a young company like BMR Advisors become one of the best workplaces in India |
 BMR Advisors has been rated among the best 50 workplaces in India in the 2008 study conducted by The Great Place to Work Institute. The work environment at BMR is centered on the policy of an open culture alongwith fun. There is huge focus on how the management team needs to be connected to even the last, most junior employee. The HR team works towards making BMR a fun place to work at. The open culture policy is reflected in the fact that there is no hierarchy and the team interactions are very strong. The top leadership strives to remain open and accessible all the time.Some of the key elements at BMR include the focus on an informal environment, hence promoting a lot of ownership and personal responsibility towards any work undertaken. This ensures that interpersonal relations remain very strong. The team at BMR Advisors conducts frequent internal surveys and the employee satisfaction index shows an excited workforce, with a deep passion and commitment towards the work. Apart from commitment, the high team spirit also ranks high. Keeping historical trends in mind, the annualised attrition rate is 15 percent, as compared to the industry average of 25 to 30 percent. How does the company boost the productivity of its employees? There are some very special measures adopted by the HR team. Employees across all BMR offices in India are offered free lunch and evening snacks. For every new recruit, a short video is made and emailed to everyone, so that all employees know about the new member. This is done with the intention of making the person feel comfortable. The company also conducts buddy lunches for new recruits as part of a well-coordinated induction programme in place. How does the company manage to keep its turnover levels low? The HR team tells us that the retention strategies are primarily focused on employee engagement, with the purpose of getting the employees involved in attaining organisational goals. The average age of employees in BMR is around 28 years. Another strategy that works in avoiding turnover is teaming and grouping. All core work revolves around these activities, right from working groups to fun games which involve teams. |
 Since BMR Advisors is a company with a young workforce, the endeavour is to make the workplace as much fun for them as possible. Every year, in the two months leading up to the company anniversary on October 4, the HR team launches FUNQ activities. There are three objectives to this exercise:a) Employees find their best friends at the workplace. b) Employees build their social networks within the organisation. c) Since a lot of these games are team-based games, it is expected to help build a cohesive workforce. The FUNQ activities are followed by an annual theme party held at all four office locations. We met up with a few employees at BMR Advisors to understand their views about their workplace and this is what they had to say: Manasvi Srivastava (Vice President, BMR Managed Services): There is never is a dull moment when you are working at BMR. An uncompromising attitude towards excellence, combined with the novelty of work content makes even a staid field like tax consulting come alive. The organisation has been able to sustain the excitement of a start-up even after maturing and taking its place as the third largest tax consulting organisation in the country. The distinguishing features of BMR, in my opinion, are: 1. Intellectual integrity 2. Grit towards work 3. Willingness to try new ideas 4. Agility in responding to the changing business environment 5. Deep sense of belongingness amongst employees, engendered by the organisation’s sensitivity towards their needs and aspirations Divyesh Lapsiwala (Associate Director, BMR Advisors): ‘Challenge Us’ - BMR stands true to its tagline. To me, this means loads of energy, hard work, enthusiasm and fun. The firm has continuously been working towards creating a motivated environment, that keeps employees pumped. The leadership team has nurtured talent over the years and has encouraged a progressive, open and apolitical culture in the firm. We are encouraged to take up larger responsibilites. |
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