Why Infosys President Ravi Kumar Says It’s Time To Change The Future Of Work Conversation

Is the conversation about the Future of Work working? It’s an interesting question raised by Ravi Kumar, a leading voice in the global conversation about the Future of Work, and whose view has been shaped by the wide range of initiatives he’s spearheaded at Infosys, the 250,000-employee IT services and consulting company where he currently serves as President. Given that, it’s no surprise that leaders from a range of backgrounds, from politicians to CEOs, seek out his views about how to do the same within their own companies, institutions, and educational systems.

In a recent article, Kumar discussed the range of programs and initiatives underway that have enabled Infosys to do breakthrough future-focused work, particularly in the areas of job creation, workforce transformation, and digitalization. Given that, what suggests the Future of Work conversation isn’t working? “Start by looking at overall job market data trends, attrition rates in many companies, or the continued lack of participation in the workforce to recognize that we’re missing something. This goes beyond a discussion about return to work or digital – we’re missing something fundamental in the current conversation.”

Double Down on the ‘S’ in ESG

Kumar sees an opportunity to evolve the conversation as companies accelerate efforts to demonstrate progress on key ESG initiatives: “It starts with a stronger focus on the ‘S’ within an ESG agenda and doubling down on our social efforts.” Kumar underscores what other leaders have also shared: Successful businesses of the future will earn their seat at the profit table by showing how they have helped society and contributed to the social agenda in tangible ways.

For example: “We’ve seen at Infosys how we benefit by hiring an extremely diverse talent pool. We have developed a proven ability to educate and train people from all backgrounds, including non-business, non-technical backgrounds, in order to deliver high value work to our clients around the world. It’s why we’ve developed strong partnerships with community colleges across the United States and invested millions into training computer science teachers from underrepresented communities through the Infosys Foundation.”

He points out that this model creates an ongoing supply of workers in a tight labor market while also providing concrete, tangible outcomes in our communities: “We know great talent doesn’t just come from a handful of universities, and we’ve embedded that understanding into our business model. As a result, we’re able to move beyond having a theoretical conversation about how to create opportunity and upward mobility in our society. We’re actually doing it.”

Companies Have a Unique Role to Play in Growing Trust

The biggest benefit to all of this? The opportunity to strengthen trust between employers and employees. As Kumar shares: “Studies like the Edelman 2022 Trust Barometer highlight how businesses continue to be the most trusted institution in our society right now. That gives companies an important and unique role to play as we think about the future of work.”

He adds: “To us, this means we must deliver concrete results that matter on a personal level to our people. We have to actually give people access to the future. And we are. For example, we’ve hired outstanding talent, including a group of Amazon truck drivers, who did not have degrees or traditional technology backgrounds. We enrolled them in our global training and apprentice program, and they are now working full-time in data and security operations. In the technology world, it was unheard of to hire non-technical, non-degreed people at one time. We’ve completely dispelled that notion.”

He points out that companies who understand their role in the broader societal conversation about trust have a huge advantage: “People trust companies right now more than the government or the media. Think about what that means for your organization and how you’re shifting your culture, your leadership, your investments as a result. There are plenty of smaller players out there who are able to take on much bigger competitors because they are able to grow trust in meaningful ways, right now. That is a powerful differentiator when it comes to attracting and retaining great people.”

Employees Don’t Want to Sit on the Sidelines

It’s efforts like these that also put a new light on the concept of the employee value proposition in the future of work conversation. “It’s time to give the employee value proposition a radical makeover. To retain and attract great talent in the future, we’ve got to move beyond some of the traditional elements we’ve considered when it comes to how we communicate and provide value to employees.”

To Kumar, that includes the current conversation focused on compensation, flexibility, or even company culture. “While no one is disputing the importance of those elements, they are table stakes. Employees have come to expect strong answers in these areas from employers. What they want now is much more purpose.”

He shares an example from his own organization’s ESG Vision 2030, which seeks to empower 10 million people globally with digital skills by 2025. “As we put digital skills, tools, and education into the hands of others, we assumed our employees would be happy to simply know that they were part of a company that was making a difference. Yes, employees felt good about this, but it wasn’t enough. They wanted to be part of it, too. They wanted to contribute and bring this purpose into the communities in which they live. They were not simply content to sit by and watch while others did it.”

For Kumar, giving employees an opportunity to be immersed in the company purpose is part of the deal today. “It is one thing to say you have a purpose as an organization. That is only the beginning. Value for employees means providing opportunities for them to engage in that purpose in tangible, immersive ways. This goes beyond the occasional day off to clean up the streets in the neighborhood. It might mean time to work on a side hustle, and then, using corporate infrastructure to help nurture that side hustle.” He adds: “This may not be easy, but it is where we need to invest and expand our thinking because it is what creates stickiness between employers and employees. We’re seeing strong examples of companies who are already doing this as a regular practice. That is undoubtedly strengthening the type of value proposition they are able to offer employees in a compelling way.”

From Conversation to Action

Kumar notes: “All our stakeholders – investors, clients, employees – expect us to bring ourselves into the future and modernize ourselves.” Those companies who can do that in the ways Kumar is highlighting are the ones who will win in the future. He concludes: “We know there are real challenges in the world, whether we look at burnout, a lack of upward mobility, high attrition. These are complex issues, but the answer starts with evolving the discussion about the Future of Work. And the conversation is only the beginning – it’s what we do as a result of it, in concrete, tangible ways, that will count.”