It’s been a tough time for the global economy in the past few months, with things likely to get worse before they get better. Indian companies too have been reeling under the impact. Many businesses have seen steep salary cuts, others have rescinded offer letters for internships and jobs, and yet others have halted their annual appraisals.
In this time, it’s heartening to see that there are some companies that are bucking the trend. Personal care brand Mamaearth is one such heartening story. The company has gone ahead with its annual appraisals this April, with several employees getting high double-digit salary hikes.
Additionally, the company has gone out of its way to make sure that their personnel strategy isn’t affected by COVID-19. There have been no salary cuts, performance bonuses are being paid out as per usual, and offer letters have continued to go out. In fact, the company has continued its hiring spree and has recently hired three key members for its senior leadership team. Sambit Dash (MBA from IIM-A and formerly Head of Marketing at Taco Bell), Ramanpreet Sohi (previously CFO at Epigamia), and Ashish Mishra (formerly Head of International Business Development at VLCC) have all been recently hired in senior leadership roles.
When asked about how Mamaearth has managed to steer clear of the general trend of panic and pessimism, Varun Alagh, founder Mamaearth said, “This is undoubtedly a time of unprecedented crisis — something the world has never seen before and is unlikely to see again. But it’s times like these that can really transform the culture and mindset in a company — for better or worse. It can bring out an incredible amount of resilience that will help with long-term growth, or it can result in a panic and scarcity-driven mindset which can also define the culture in the long run.”
Alagh continues, “It was very clear for us which way we wanted to go. We stand for toxin-free products— more than that we stand for a better way of living. Our latest campaign comes with the tagline of “Goodness Inside”. So this idea of goodness and being better is an integral part of who we are as a brand. In times of crisis, we can’t act from a place of fear and take actions that go against this value system.”
