An organisation is as good as its workforce. Here’s how Ketto is ensuring just that
Authors-Rose D’souza & Sharanya Gulwadi. Edited By-Lamya Karachiwala
Pick up any book on organisational culture, and the one key takeaway will be about its inevitability. Since in its most watered-down version, organisational culture is “the way things are done…” (Deal and Kennedy, 2000), it is a given that no matter the size, structure or purpose of an enterprise, it will arrive at some ways in which it would like to do things.
We, at Ketto, work towards empowering the impoverished by promoting a culture of giving. We have envisioned the audacious goal of healthcare for all. Our team is the bridge between those who need help and those who want to help. Therefore, everyone within our organisation must be on the same page regarding how things are done.
Over the years, we have defined the following guidelines that have helped us ensure a motivated workforce resulting in a high-performing culture.
1. Shared commitment to Ketto’s mission
We have realised that when employees are aware of how what they do is vital in the larger scheme of things, there is an increased sense of belonging to the organisation. Through clear communication lines, we endeavour to engage everyone in meaningful purpose-driven work while always linking it to the overall mission of Ketto.
2. Open work culture
Even though we have a hierarchical structure in terms of organisational design, we are inclined towards clan culture regarding how interactions are carried out, decisions are made, and problems are solved. In other words, Ketto has a decentralised management system which leads to higher autonomy and ownership amongst even mid-level employees. Additionally, we are also highly conscious about ensuring inclusivity and diversity in our hiring.
3. Rewards and Recognition
There is little debate that positively reinforcing desirable behaviour through rewards and recognition results in higher job satisfaction and improves retention rates in an organisation. At Ketto, we follow a system of Annual and Quarterly Rewards Programmes to ensure a consistent feedback and recognition loop. We have recently initiated a P2P (peer to peer) recognition programme to promote a more democratic feedback process.
4. Employee Recreation & Benefits
Ketto endeavours to ensure a competitive benefits package for all its employees. Some of the perks include health insurance plans, paid vacations, and financial support through advance salary options. Ketto constantly works towards upgrading its benefits and compensation packages because it acknowledges its importance in contributing towards employees’ satisfaction and motivation.
5. Leadership-Managerial Effectiveness
The constant emphasis on leadership development to better manage organisational culture is a crucial focus at Ketto. We do this via constant feedback, timely evaluations, honest communication and regular surveys about managers’ performance.
6. Career growth
We at Ketto strive to create a culture of continuous learning to support our employees. Through appropriate and timely training and capability-building initiatives, we do this through lateral hiring and a strong emphasis on the employees’ intellectual growth. This has shown to help foster creativity and innovation. We also undertake cross-departmental and group learning approaches that significantly contribute towards strengthening our culture.
In its inception stage in 2012, Ketto was just eight employees in a 500 square ft space. Today, it has grown into nearly 250 employees, all working from home. 50% of these employees were hired entirely virtually during the pandemic. These are people who have not yet met their fellow staff members in person or visited the office premises. Yet, the reason why we all come together to make good things happen is that we are clear about the organisation’s vision and each individual’s role in achieving it.
