MC Interview | Mercedes-Benz looks for future skills, agility when hiring, HR chief says

Colleen D’Souza, head of human resources, Mercedes-Benz India

As electric vehicles (EVs) become popular, the automotive industry has changed its hiring approach. Traditional skills are no longer the only eligibility criteria. The focus now is more on learnability and the potential to evolve with the ever-changing world.

Potential recruits must be skilled in digital tools, in-car technology, and advanced driver assistance systems, Colleen D’Souza, head of human resources at Mercedes-Benz India, told Moneycontrol in an exclusive interview. D’Souza said the luxury vehicle company now hires from work functions that were earlier not associated with the automobile industry. Edited excerpts:

How is the talent landscape in the auto sector evolving in India? Any changes in the hiring strategy?

As the automobile industry transitions to electric vehicles, expertise in electrification, battery management and handling of flexible production processes are necessary skills in the workforce.

Today, our factory simultaneously manufactures internal combustion engines as well as the pinnacle of luxury EV, EQS 580, on the same line and employees have expertise in handling complex technology such as MBUX Hyperscreen, Head-Up-Display, etc.

With cars becoming ‘gadgets on wheels,’ it is important for potential recruits to be adept in digital tools, in-car technology, and advanced driver assistance systems, among others.

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Moreover, business models for the luxury automobile industry are constantly evolving. At Mercedes-Benz India, we introduced a direct-to-customer, ‘Retail of the Future’ model, which resulted in the formation of multiple new business functions ranging from data analytics and online retail to new avenues in sales operations. This led to hiring from multiple different work functions which were earlier not synonymous with the automobile industry.

What is the hiring plan for the next year? What roles and skills are you looking at?

We follow a multi-faceted recruitment strategy, mapping talent to a diverse pool, which helps balance diversity and inclusion.

Some recruitment practices we follow to encourage diversity include an assessment-centre-based approach to hiring and a focus on digital natives to easily adapt the digitisation across all processes in manufacturing as well as the workplace.

With cars becoming ‘gadgets on wheels,’ it is important for potential recruits to be adept in digital tools, in car technology, and advanced driver assistance systems, among others

What do you advise junior and mid-level HR staff to look for in prospective hires?

Mercedes-Benz India’s focus is to increase diversity in all forms – we encourage equal opportunity and a culture of appreciation and respect – a culture in which one’s ethnicity, age, gender and sexual identity or orientation are celebrated.

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At the onset of the recruitment process, we gauge the candidate’s inclination towards the possibility of moving across roles within the organisation in a few years. This showcases their willingness to upskill and grow.

We are committed to hiring more digital natives to be a part of the automobile sector’s transformation.

What special requirements does Mercedes-Benz India require from managers?

We require three things for managers: resilience, entrepreneurial mindset, and willingness to learn.

As the industry changes, we welcome recruits who display resilience in their approach towards this evolution. Managers build the growth trajectory of the team and they must lead the path in disruptive times.

In addition to resilience, managers need to imbibe a problem-solving attitude, identify and leverage opportunities, learn from setbacks and have a creative bent of mind.

In the end, upskilling is a continuous process and all managerial candidates must be committed to it for both their individual growth as well as the growth of their department and by extension, the organisation.

What has the level of attrition been at Mercedes-Benz India in the past two years? And what’s your prediction in this regard?

Attrition at Mercedes-Benz India was no more than the churn experienced across the industry. This presented us with an opportunity to optimise our team structures to suit our new business model, roll out an entirely new way of working with a permanent ‘Hybrid Working Model’ and work on diversifying the organisation mix.

In the end, upskilling is a continuous process and all managerial candidates must be committed to it for both their individual growth as well as the growth of their department and by extension, the organisation

What is the work mode at Mercedes-Benz India? How many employees are currently working from offices?

Mercedes-Benz India has a hybrid work culture in place, where white-collared employees whose functions permit remote collaboration work 2-3 days from the office mandatorily and the company has provided the flexibility to work from home on other weekdays.

Of course, the hybrid model is only suitable for functions where working from home is possible. Most functions associated with the production process work on-site.

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]