Careers360: Cognizant’s Chief People Officer Talks About Careers and Work Culture at Cognizant

“The perks of working at Cognizant are many—professional but informal work culture, multicultural atmosphere, competitive remuneration, fun at work, too:" Careers360

“[Cognizant’s] global workforce reshapes how companies around the world operate, innovate and compete,” writes Careers360 magazine in its “Big Recruiter” feature about Cognizant. The report touches upon various aspects of the employee philosophy, career growth opportunities, learning and development initiatives, and work culture at Cognizant.

“The perks of working [at Cognizant] are many—professional but informal work culture, multi-cultural atmosphere, competitive remuneration, fun at work, too,” the magazine writes. “Most importantly, Cognizant does not enforce any kind of service agreements or bonds with its associates,” it adds. “Our practice comes from the belief that retention is the by-product of commitment and motivation that individuals have in an organization; bonds do not increase commitment or motivation,” says Shankar Srinivasan.  

Talking about how a young workforce has affected Cognizant’s work culture, Srinivasan says, “Millennials are driving the consumerization of technology. To facilitate this new way of working, we are doing away with outdated “command-and-control” structures in favor of “coordinate and cultivate” methods of operation. We understand the need to give them the right tools to replicate their digital lives in the workplace.”

When asked about Cognizant’s take on innovation, Srinivasan says, “Innovation is not just about ideas; it’s about converting them into tangible benefits. Most organizations equate innovation with the dollar-spends in R&D, we believe it is important to create a culture of innovation within the system. Two key aspects; one, create an ecosystem that’s not fail-safe but where it’s safe to fail. Two, have a different set of reward and recognition mechanisms for innovation—it’s critical to focus on motivating right-brained people from diverse backgrounds to innovate within a left-brained environment.”

Srinivasan’s advice to youth on career building: “Potential recruits, irrespective of their academic background, must constantly seek an answer to this question, “How can I become employable?” Yes, it’s important to be skilled. But what’s equally important is to be “employable”,” he says.

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