Meet the Indian boss who gave cars, apartments and diamonds to ...
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"The Plunder of the Kaiserbagh," William Howard Russell, 'My Diary in India', vol. 1, 1860. Source: ebay, Jan. 200
Meet the Indian boss who gave cars, apartments and diamonds to employees
Forward-thinking Hari Krishna chairman marks Diwali by lavishing
almost 500 cars and more than 200 apartments on his long-serving staff
Cars are lined up for Sunday’s bonus presentation ceremony to staff at Hari Krishna Exports in Surat.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
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Savjibhai
Dholakia - known as Kaka to staff - was a school dropout who worked his
way upOf the 1,268 employees rewarded for loyalty and performance,
almost
500 opted for Fiat Punto cars, while 207 went for apartments and 570
employees chose jewellery. Such largesse has taken even generous
corporate houses in India by surprise, but diamond industry observers
detect canny altruism in Dholakia’s gesture of disbursing nearly 500m
rupees (£5m) in this manner.The diamond polishing industry in India has
been suffering for a
while, so giving away such eye-catching gifts – to be paid for by the
company in instalments over the next few years – may help retain talent
at a difficult time.Dholakia, who began Hari Krishna Exports in 1991,
said he had
earmarked R500m for the staff even before targets were drawn up for this
financial year.“It’s a refund of sorts to those who have stayed with
us, helped
improve our products and grown with the Hari Krishna family. I am merely
giving back,” said the 53-year-old, a primary school dropout from a
small village near Amreli in north Gujarat, who moved to Surat as a
diamond worker and worked his way up. “I know what it is like to have
needs. When a worker is happy, he can do anything at all for
you.”Dholakia’s “rough-to-retail” diamond company has long been a
trendsetter. Eight years ago it was the first in Surat to build an
on-site kitchen for its nearly 6,000-strong staff, and was also the
first to distribute helmets to employees who ride to work on
motorbikes.“Kaka”, as the chairman is known to staff, has also insured
280
employees who have been with the company for more than a decade to the
tune of £100,000 each, and ensures that employees’ families get to go on
annual pilgrimages at company cost.Administrative assistant Kanak
Patel, 28, has worked with Hari
Krishna Exports for the last decade. He believes the bonus culture
reflects a wider commitment to staff welfare by the company. “We have
gyms and family programmes,” he says. “We have the freedom to meet the
management with our suggestions; there are drop-boxes located on each
floor to receive our ideas. It’s like a family – I wouldn’t dream of
leaving.”The headline-grabbing loyalty scheme was started two years ago
when
three cars were given away; last year 70 cars were gifted as
incentives.“We created the hunger among the employees – they work
better, they take home better incentives,” Dholakia said.His company
currently exports finished diamonds to more than 50
countries through affiliates in the US, Belgium, UAE and Hong Kong.
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