Wipro Limited; a ‘happiness’ culture

Swati Fischer

Throughout August we at VERCIDA were looking into happiness at work and asking the employees of our clients to outline what it is about their places of work that make them happy.

The link between happiness and productivity at work is increasingly being studied by institutions like Oxford University. The discovery that happy workers are 13% more productive provides the most compelling evidence of this link so far.

Commenting on the study, Professor De Neve said:

“While [happiness is] clearly in the interest of workers themselves, our analysis suggests it is also in the interests of their employers.”

Wipro Limited is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company who pride themselves on their inclusive culture. But how would their employees describe this culture and what is it really like working at this 180,000-employee strong company?

We interviewed the Sales Director for Wipro Continental Europe (CE), Swati Fischer, to find out.

Swati has been part of Wipro’s Cloud Enterprise Platform (CEP) CE team since March 2019. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, she currently leads the CEP Integrated Pre Sales Team and also supports growth within existing and new businesses in the German market, especially of the SAP business.

With 20+ years’ experience in Sales Head and Program Management, Swati has a track record of leading cross-functional global teams and closing multi-million euro/dollar deals. Following an illustrious, varied and highly successful career within multiple businesses and sectors, across India, Europe and the US, Swati came to Wipro and now describes herself as “very happy”.

From our discussion with Swati one thing was clear, the company culture at Wipro hugely contributes to her happiness at work. In 2018 Forbes published an article on how to build a positive company culture stating that it is the “backbone of a happy workforce”. We asked Swati to explain the culture at Wipro:

“The company culture is very inclusive. The people are very friendly and it’s a people-based culture. The focus is to have an interactive working environment and flat hierarchy which means one can reach out to management very easily.”

This means employees have direct access to all levels of management rather than being segregated into smaller teams where access to higher up members of staff is discouraged.

“People are very important to the company. Work relationships are built as team members work very closely and bond with each other. In my past experiences, I have worked with organisations where we were not allowed to skip any layers but here, if I need someone’s support, help or involvement, I can directly reach out to the top level management.  Accessibility here is very easy,” explained Swati.

As we discussed in our Diversity Diaries article Cultivating Community, encouraging ease of communication can help develop a strong feeling of community amongst staff. This in turn leads to increased happiness at work. But why does happiness matter in the workplace?

“A significant time of our day is spent at work, so it’s important that we’re happy. Our ability to be happy at work contributes to a comfortable environment that will be conducive to our and the team’s growth. A positive environment allows us and the company to thrive. Essentially, if we are a happy employee we’re going to be more productive and add to our and the company’s success,” said Swati.

Flexible working is increasingly making its way into the headlines and into organisations worldwide, particularly following COVID-19 where most organisations were forced to embrace remote and home working. Wipro has a flexible working and output-based policy that has a great impact on Swati’s happiness at work. She said:

“Being a part of sales team involves travel. On the days we’re not travelling, we can work from home or go to one of the locations if required. In case there is an important commitment such as   a doctor’s appointment, we can take time off as long as the tasks are completed.”

“At Wipro a set of metrics is used to accurately measure performance as opposed to the traditional ‘clock in, clock out’ approach. The company that was started in 1945 has successfully embraced modern working methods.”  

Swati described that many of the employees she has met at Wipro have been there for many years. Perhaps they are happy to stay in a company that supports its employees, trusts and highly values them.

“People don’t feel the need to leave because they are happy at the company, as it has a very flexible environment. It also supports and gives back to the civil society in many ways. I particularly like the fact that the company believes in treating each person with respect and advocates a culture of collaboration.”

Wipro have a number of staff networks including a Return to Work Programs and Parenting/Wellness Workshops that support staff and enhance the positive company culture they have evidently succeeded in cultivating. Swati is a member of the “Life – Stage” Based “Women of Wipro” (Wow) Framework.

The Women of Wipro (WoW) programs build a framework of Inclusion for women at all life and career stages. The framework structures Wipro’s internal policies, processes and initiatives that promote gender inclusion and empowerment. By developing staff networks Wipro is actively focused on Diversity and Inclusion. From our conversation with Swati it is plain to see that the company works to respects uniqueness among individuals and nurtures an overall sense of belonging; a definitive factor in creating a happy employee.

Thank you to Swati for contributing to our Happy Workforce month.

If you are interested in a career at Wipro, head over to their jobs page for their current openings.