Global IT services company in India, ITC Infotech, is the first Indian IT company to be certified to the social accountability management system standard - SA 8000: 2008
DNV in India awards ITC Infotech, a global IT services company and a fully owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd., the prestigious SA 8000 certification. The main objective of DNV’s SA 8000 certification to ITC Infotech, is to improve working conditions globally by providing universal standards in all business and country sectors to work in parallel with human rights and labour organizations worldwide. Eventually, benefiting the business and consumer community through a “win-win” approach.
A challenging project
Pointing out, Mr. Vadakepatth Nandkumar, DNV’s Project Manager said, “The Social Accounting (SA) requirement is easy to interpret and apply for a labour-centric organisation, as against a knowledge-based company like ITC Infotech, where the employees are highly educated & skilled, and are very much aware of their rights and responsibilities. In such knowledge based companies, the interpretation and the application of the SA requirements have to be done using a different approach.”
Before actually getting into the auditing process, the DNV audit team engaged the employees of ITC Infotech with a brief understanding about SA 8000 standard and its requirements. “This led to a synchronised understanding of the subject matter, eventually resulting in smooth audit execution,” says Nandkumar pointing out, “We got excellent support from the employees of ITC Infotech, who very much were in sync with the objective of the audit process.”
DNV’s Shamanna Nandakumar wheedled key personnel from ITC to speak on the company’s SA 8000 certification, to which Mr. Sanjiv Puri, Managing Director, ITC Infotech, said, “It is a matter of great pride for us to receive this prestigious certification. It is a strong testimony to the global and ethical workplace standards followed by ITC Infotech, where all employees are provided with the best working conditions. A satisfied and motivated workforce is one of our biggest strengths and we shall continue to follow best practices in HR Management.”
Echoing Mr. Puri’s views, Mr. Anand Talwar, Senior Vice President, Talent Management, ITC Infotech, said, “The benefits of adopting SA 8000 are significant and it includes improved staff morale, more reliable business partnerships, enhanced competitiveness, less staff turnover and better communications. This certification will also provide a public report of good practice to consumers, buyers, and other companies, and is intended to be a significant milestone in improving workplace conditions.”
Going ahead
Shamanna Nandakumar pointed out, “This contract will definitely help us consolidate our presence in the IT sector and strengthen our SA business further. I am sure that taking a cue from India’s premier IT company, ITC Infotech, others in the same league with follow suit.”
There was lot scepticism prior to SA 8000 certification, as it was assumed that the customer was far and well ahead of the expectations set out in the SA 8000 standard. ITC Infotech therefore decided to have a formal review of each SA requirement during the implementation process, says Nandakumar adding, “Nevertheless, during the certification process, the customer appreciated some finer aspects of the SA 8000 requirement pertinent for business improvement, eventually leading to aligning some of their best practices with SA requirements.”