Giving Matters at ICICI Prudential LIC

Last month, we interacted with Judhajit Das, Chief – Human Resources at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co Ltd, one of India's largest private sector life insurance companies and one of GiveIndia’s strongest Payroll Giving partners.Being in the organization for over 11 years, Judhajit has provided leadership for building a scalable HR infrastructure through technology deployment in order to support the growth of the business from 5000 to 20,000 people. Here's what we learnt about his views on employee engagement and corporate social responsibility.


How would you define the giving culture at the organization ?
Judhajit: At ICICI Prudential Life, we seek to integrate the way we do business for the betterment of society. Today, we serve over 8 million customers and fulfill their need for health and protection, savings, investments and retirement solutions through our various products and services. As part of our CSR initiatives, we undertake projects that support sustainable value creation and  long term impact for children and the elderly. We also undertake projects that help to protect the livelihood and healthcare needs of disadvantaged communities.

What platforms have you adopted to ensure the Culture of Giving at your organization?
Judhajit: We encourage CSR participation and a culture of giving through multiple platforms- through Payroll Giving program, Employee Volunteering and participation in the Teach for India fellowship.

Our payroll giving program offers employees a platform to help change lives by making contribution to the causes of their choice. ICICI Prudential Life contributes an equal amount for causes that fall under the organization's CSR focus areas - education, health and care for the elderly. The Payroll Giving program offers a unique proposition to employees as they can identify and contribute to causes of their choice from a wide variety of projects. Importantly, the causes and NGOs are audited and scrutinized to ensure that such contributions are meaningfully utilized for serving the intended beneficiaries. The platform offers ease and convenience as it is available online on the Company's Intranet home page.

The 'Teach for India fellowship' is aimed to bridge the education gap in India by offering employees the opportunity to participate as a primary school teacher for a period of 2 years to help improve the literacy levels in the country. The Company provides employees leave with the pay for period of their 2 year fellowship with Teach for India. The program offers employees a unique opportunity to work in the social sector for the betterment of society and develop their capacity for leadership.

The Company also supports employee volunteering and runs programs from time to time to encourage employees to volunteer in causes of their choice. On the occasion of the Company's Foundation Day on December 12th,volunteering activities are organized and employees are encouraged to participate in causes of their choice. The Company supports employee volunteering and encourages employees to make contribution for the betterment of society.

What, according to you, is future of giving at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance ?
Judhajit: As mentioned earlier, at ICICI Prudential Life we believe that we have the responsibility to serve our customers and the society. Our CSR philosophy is aligned to the broader cause of serving society on areas pertaining to health and  protection of disadvantaged communities, the children and the elderly. We shall continue to provide support to causes that fall under the framework as outlined above. Also, we will continue to reiterate our commitment towards providing platforms and opportunities for our employees to make a difference by making financial contribution or contribution of their time through volunteering initiatives.