Corporate Social Responsibilities of Maruti Suzuki in Terms of Employment

MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki India, the country's largest carmaker, is extending some of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to associates on the shop-floor in a bid to make it more inclusive and increase their identification with the company. So far, these programmes were only for managers and engineers. As part of the initiative called e-parivartan, the company helps employees contribute to various social causes. The initiative is run in partnership with local voluntary organisations. Ads by Google LIC Life Insurance PlansInvest Rs. 543/Month & Get Rs. Cr. Life Cover+Medical Benefit. Buy Now LIC. TermInsuranceIndia. co. in Reliance Job Openings2500+ New Jobs For Exp: 5-15 Years. Upload Resume. Apply to Reliance Now TimesJobs. com/Reliance-Openings The company's CSR department facilitates volunteering activity as a link between employees and the community. â€Å"Encouraged by their enthusiasm for social work, we would like to take the employee volunteering programme to th e shop floor,† says SY Siddiqui, chief operating officer in charge of administration (HR, finance, IT and COSL) at Maruti Suzuki India. Some of the focus areas for next year include counselling Class 10 and 12 students at local government schools for higher studies and vocational courses, and support to the environment. â€Å"This community interaction gives extreme satisfaction to the employees. With such associations, their involvement and liking for the company also goes up,† says Siddiqui. The e-parivartan programme was started about four years ago when a group of young employees, in a communication meeting, expressed their desire to meaningfully associate with a social cause. Starting with 40 employees in 2008-09, the programme now involves about 2,200 staffers. From this year, the company has made volunteering an integral part of new employees' induction programme. For instance, new employees like graduate engineer trainees (GET) undergo a full day of community service. This year, a group of GETs participated in an anti-malaria and dengue campaign in Gurgaon that was organised by Maruti in partnership with the government health department. Such exposure helps us shape them as rounded professionals so they are able to contribute not just to the company but also to society,† says a company spokesperson. Underlining the fact that a renewed focus on employee involvement and engagement is very critical for the company, Siddiqui says: â€Å"HR should be able to support all, blue-collared or white-collared. Maruti is refocusing on building bridges between the whiteand blue-collared. † E-parivartan has so far shown tremendous results with white- col lared employees,