Star India is one of the leading Media and Entertainment group in the country. This month we find out how a television entertainment company excels in engaging its employees and viewers to make a difference to the society.
We had the pleasure of interacting with Amita Maheshwari, Head – Human Resources, APAC & India, DMED to learn about various platforms to promote giving culture, challenges faced and the future of giving at Star India.
GiveIndia: What is your role and for how long have you been with Star? Amita: I joined Star in 2009 as the Head of Human Resources.
GiveIndia: What is the idea of Giving at Star India and what platforms have you adopted to ensure a Giving culture?
Amita: At Star, we believe we have a responsibility to not just do the right thing, but to do it right for as many people as possible. We do that by creating stellar and socially responsible content for our viewers. The chief example of this being Satyamev Jayate -- a show through its well-researched and sensitive narrative brought to fore burning issues, that were till then at best matters of hush-hush conversations behind closed doors. When I say hush-hush, I'm referring to issues such as child abuse, corruption in medical field, female foeticide, treatment of elderly etc. The show in itself raised a lot of money toward causes supported by partner NGOs. In many cases the government also responded by changing regulations based on the show.
In addition, we have anchored events such as ‘Saath Hain Hum Uttarakhand' that raised funds for rebuilding lives of people hit by floods there last year. All these go on to prove that as a company we are fully committed to giving back to our society.
GiveIndia: Till date, on an average 50% employees from Star India have signed up for the Payroll Giving program. In fact, the group companies do match contributions as well. Do you think Payroll Giving makes for an easier way for employees to engage with the cause of giving?
Amita: Yes, absolutely, it provides a very simple platform for them to give. Although people want to contribute to the society a lot of the time, they do not have the time and access to do so. Payroll giving program helps them contribute with ease, sitting at their desk and to the cause of their choice.
GiveIndia: Given that employees at a media and entertainment company work round the clock how easy or difficult does it become for you to get employees engaged at CSR initiatives?
Amita: I would say it isn't difficult at all. Given the fact that we're driven by the philosophy of 'inspiring a billion imaginations,' we won't be able to inspire others if we ourselves don't believe in it. At our network, we believe strongly in what we do. Hence, I say our task is that much easier.
GiveIndia: Lastly, what is the future of Giving at Star India?
Amita: Star as a company is fully committed to give back to society and would continue to create content and platforms to engage with the relevant causes concerning our country.
Source: Blog.giveindia.org
