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Time of India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Debunking HR Myths: Why workplace celebrations and surveys matter, ETHRWorld
Highlights Celebrations boost engagement and reinforce company values. Surveys succeed when organizations take visible action on feedback. Inclusive practices enhance employee experience and trust. Advt Advt By , ETHRWorld Contributor Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Download ETHRWorld App Get Realtime updates Save your favourite articles Scan to download App In today's data-driven business environment, HR initiatives are increasingly expected to deliver measurable impact. Yet workplace celebrations and employee surveys are often dismissed as 'feel-good' activities with limited business value. This view misses the deeper truth: when implemented thoughtfully, these practices significantly enhance organizational health and performance. Here's are frequently first to be cut when budgets tighten. But their impact reaches far beyond momentary happiness.1. They reinforce organizational identity. Celebrating achievements aligned with company values helps embed those values in everyday culture more powerfully than any policy document.2. They build social networks. From national holidays to sports tournaments or health challenges like a Stepathlon, shared experiences create trust and break down silos across teams and levels. Employees who report strong workplace relationships are more likely to be engaged and productive.3. They make progress visible. In knowledge work, where impact isn't always immediately apparent, celebrations provide tangible recognition. This satisfies our basic need to see that our work matters.I call this the 'Visible Investment Effect'—when organizations publicly invest time and resources in celebrating employees, it sends a strong message that people matter. This often leads to increased discretionary effort and commitment. These benefits are backed by behavioural science. Principles like reciprocity, social proof, and psychological safety—all fostered through celebration—are proven drivers of performance and don't fail because employees are tired of them. They fail because organizations don't act on what they learn. To close this 'Say-Do Gap' we use a four-step framework:1. Ask the right questions – Focus on what directly influences performance and experience.2. Communicate transparently – Share key findings, even the difficult ones.3. Take visible action – Even small steps, if linked to feedback, build trust.4. Track and share impact – Reinforce that input leads to REA India, our post-survey actions include department-level initiatives and personalized development plans (IDPs) for managers. These targeted responses have improved our people strategy and driven higher engagement and participation year after year. When feedback loops are closed consistently, surveys stop being a routine—they become a foundation of real power emerges when we stop treating celebrations and surveys as separate. Together, they form a cohesive employee experience strategy that addresses fundamental human needs: to be heard, to feel valued, and to see progress. Surveys provide insight. Celebrations provide meaning. When paired, they reinforce each other and create a culture of appreciation and work has disrupted informal connections and spontaneous moments of belonging. But it has also forced us to rethink what truly builds celebrations, onboarding rituals, and digital recognition moments—when thoughtfully designed—can be just as impactful as their in-person counterparts. In fact, they often have greater reach and seen first-hand how digital-first celebrations can still build connection, clarity, and morale. What matters most isn't the medium—it's the intention: to help people feel seen and is essential in modern workplaces. Celebrations must be respectful of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and preferences. Not every employee connects with the same events or expresses engagement in the same way. Likewise, surveys must be designed to include varied communication styles and needs. Creating space for quieter voices, neurodiverse employees, or those working in different geographies helps ensure everyone's experience is represented. Inclusive practices aren't just ethical—they're HR often leads these initiatives, their success hinges on leadership modelling. When leaders engage in celebrations or reference survey feedback in decisions, it sends a message that these efforts when leaders are disengaged or inconsistent, it undermines trust and devalues the experience. Celebrations and surveys must be sustained—not one-off gestures. Culture is built through rhythm: regular feedback, regular recognition, and a shared sense of time has come to reframe the conversation. Celebrations and surveys aren't fringe perks. They are central to creating a workplace where people bring their best thinking, strongest commitment, and highest creativity. In a world where talent is a company's most valuable and costly resource, the real question isn't whether we can afford these initiatives. It's whether we can afford not to.
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Housing.com reports surge in real estate engagement with 'housing chat' feature
NEW DELHI: has reported surge in user engagement after launching its interactive technology solution, 'Housing Chat', marking a major leap in the Indian PropTech space. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The platform, which enables direct buyer-seller conversations via chat, is now used by over 400,000 users and facilitates more than 1 million engagement sessions per month — a massive growth from just 20,000 users and 25,000 sessions a year ago. With this innovation, remains the only player in the Indian real estate market offering real-time chat-based interactions, enhancing transparency, trust, and consumer experience. 'Buying or renting a home is a deeply personal journey' said chief product officer Simon Hope. 'Our personalised chat feature is a key part of making that journey seamless and user-centric.' Echoing the sentiment, chief technology officer Abhishekh Makkar added, 'By integrating chat capabilities, we have created an intuitive and responsive platform that meets modern homebuyers' expectations. Our focus has always been on enhancing the consumer journey.' As GenAI continues to reshape user interaction in the digital space, is expanding the capabilities of 'Housing Chat' to include multilingual support and deeper personalization, ensuring inclusivity and relevance across India's diverse user base. The chat feature has become a critical touchpoint for users engaged in buying, selling, or renting properties, providing fast, seamless, and disturbance-free interactions, aligning with the demands of a digital-first audience. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now About Founded in 2012 and acquired by REA India (formerly Elara Technologies) in 2017, is a premier full-stack PropTech platform in India. It offers listings for a wide range of property types including new homes, resale properties, rentals, plots, commercial spaces, and co-living accommodations. The platform also delivers services like **virtual viewings, AR/VR content, home loans, online rent agreements, and end-to-end transaction support, through its Housing Edge brand. With a presence in 28 tier I and II cities, aims to simplify the home journey for buyers, sellers, landlords, and renters. REA India is a subsidiary of REA Group, a global PropTech leader based in Australia and part of NewsCorp US.
