SIRO becomes maiden CRO in India to introduce hybrid working model

SIRO Clinpharm has announced the introduction of a Flexiwork policy for its employees, which would enable them to work within a hybrid environment and enjoy a healthier work-life balance, a company statement notified.

SIRO made the decision to implement a hybrid working policy to create a thought-leader model of flexible working, which allows employees to work from their agreed-upon base location, with robust monitoring mechanisms, and a mandate to attend certain days in the office each month to facilitate team meetings and inter-departmental coordination, the statement further said.

Karan Daftary, Director, SIRO Clinpharm, commenting on the move, said in the statement, “Rather than being reactive to the situation created by the pandemic, the team at SIRO looked at where they envisioned the organisation to be positioned in the next three to five years. Hybrid working is here to stay and given the young leadership and quick decision-making abilities, we decided to completely switch to the new model of working overnight while ensuring a framework is in place.”

Currently, the company has launched a three-month pilot to test the implementation of the policy which will then be improved and extended based on the feedback and observation from employees and senior stakeholders. The decision to introduce the policy was taken after an internal survey by SIRO, in which its employees expressed satisfaction with the work-life balance provided by the new hybrid model. The survey also showed that majority of the employees preferred a flexible work policy which allows them to work from their base location, while visiting the office few times in a month, the statement added.

It also said that a minimum of four days of attendance a month for each employee has been mandated. In addition, team meetings and review meetings will be conducted regularly to ensure the connect is maintained between departments and deliverables are met.

As a measure to ensure discipline and a strong framework, the organisation created a web-based calendar system that enables vertical business leads or managers, to plan meetings at the start of the month in the ‘SIRO monthly calendar’ and circulate it to all team members to prepare them for the days they are expected in the office. Each meeting is clearly defined with purpose and objectives and can be customised monthly based on business needs and requirements. A provision for need-based meetings and reviews has been made a part of the Flexiwork policy, it further said.

In addition to the monthly calendar, the company will also maintain a strong mechanism to ensure productivity in the flexible work model by mandating the filling of weekly timesheets, regular catch-up meetings and frequent performance reviews, concluded the statement.