Life Before Titan
The year was 1991. I was in Chennai working as an assistant to an advocate when my friend showed me an ad for a job opening. The company was Titan and the role was that of a Steno Clerk. To make things dramatic, it was the last day to apply. I hurried up, made a biodata (we didn’t have CVs then!) and reached the Hosur factory. And guess what? I was one of the 3 candidates selected from a pool of 68.
Hosur Diaries
In chilly weather, I remember waking up at dawn and finishing breakfast by 8. We would punch in sharp at 8:30 AM and wind up around 5-5:30 PM. At the time, all I wanted to do was learn. First as a Steno Clerk at work and then as an orchestra member outside work. That’s right. Despite being a factory, the plant was a lively place with many co-curricular activities. As an orchestra member, not only did I make new friends but memories I cherish to this day.
Bangalore Days
In 1995, I got engaged. And the time had come to bid Hosur goodbye. I requested my manager to transfer me to the Regional Office (RO) in Bangalore. He was hesitant for a while but since he cared for me, he gave in. And thus, began a new chapter in my life. Before I knew it, I was an assistant to the Regional Manager (RM) at work and a wife and mom at home. My curiosity made me pick up new skills. Skills like stock transferring, MIS, and institutional sales to name a few. But the most important (and terrifying) one was preventing the Sales Managers from getting an earful from the RM. As soon as I’d find out the metrics from the RM, I’d rush to the Sales team and share the data so that they’re prepared in advance (I’m still in touch with these managers and we laugh about these things now). Life was going smoothly and I was enjoying the ride. And, then one day my boss was transferred. As National Sales Head, he had to move to the corporate office. Although there was no assistant assigned for him, he insisted on having one. He wanted me to join his team. Change was calling and I answered the call. Due to my work ethic and communication skills, I was hired. A new position was created especially for me.
Working with Titans
In the coming years, I got opportunities to work with the likes of Suparna, Venkat, Sandeep and even Harish Bhat. I’ve learned something from each one of them. When Sandeep would say, ‘If I give some work to Shanthi, I will never have to follow up again’, I believed in myself. When Venkat encouraged me to think out of the box, I left my comfort zone. Let me elaborate: Venkat was Chief Ethics Counsellor at the time, and I was fascinated by the subject of ethics. I think it’s because my father instilled strong values in me while growing up. One day, I was thinking about all the gifts we receive via honorarium (gifts our employees can’t accept). I didn’t want them to lie on the floor and simply gather dust. That’s when it struck me, why not auction them to our employees? I managed to bounce the idea off Venkat. When he looked at me and said, ‘start immediately’, I was thrilled! I connected with the IT team and thus began our first ever auction. Over the years, the auction has become a mainstay in the company, and I still put my heart and soul into it.
An ‘Ethical’ Dilemma
While figuring out my next move, a part of me wanted to focus more on my family. And truth be told - I was inclined towards taking an early VRS. But somehow, I couldn't let this company go. After a tug of war between mind and heart, I spoke to Bhaskar and Venkat and got my application revoked. Very soon, there was an opening in the Ethics department. The experience I had working with Venkat before came to my mind. And I knew that this is the path for me.
The Second Innings
Work has always been a part of my life. But it was only after I joined the ethics team that work started influencing my life profoundly. Part of the job was to understand the concerns of our employees. So, I started to learn more about counselling techniques like NLP (Natural Language Processing). And slowly I found myself becoming more empathetic. I've spent years in this company - but trust me - nothing has given me more satisfaction than solving our employees' problems. When they thank me for a piece of advice, my heart feels full, and I feel grateful.
In February 2023, I was awarded the Ethics Torch Bearers award from Tata Group's chairman, Mr. N. Chandrasekaran. While receiving it, my whole career flashed before my eyes. How I went from the factory office in Hosur to the podium I stood on. All on the strength of hard work. It reinstated my belief in this: if you keep doing your best, someday, someone will recognize your true worth.
