Vrunda Thakkar on HR Strategies to retain top talent in the competitive market
Vrunda Thakkar, Chief of Staff. Augment: Gold For All—One of India's largest completely integrated gold players from refining to retailing (i.e. Digital Gold, Gold Loan, Gold on EMI/SIP, Scrap Gold, Gold FD/ETF/Gold Bonds, Gold Coin, etc) and a member of India Good Delivery on NSE, BSE and MCX.
Q. How does your organization ensure employee engagement and satisfaction within the workplace?
Ans. Join our chat groups to get spammed if you wish to know this! From celebrating with cakes and goodies on each milestone to actively seeking their input on process improvements, we are all aboard 😊 We do have external hosts every month, alternating fun and learn across the year. Whether it’s offsites, Diwali, or Christmas, there’s always food, DigiGold vouchers, and a sprinkle of confetti to keep the spirits high! 😊
Q. What approaches are used to attract and retain top talent in the competitive Gold-Tech industry?
And. The Gold-Tech space demands a fine blend of domain expertise and technological prowess. Attracting top talent for us means showcasing Augmont as a company that’s growing at 10x speed while retaining a human-first ethos. We highlight our unique proposition—working on innovative gold products while being part of a close-knit, visionary team. Retention is powered by providing meaningful work, growth-oriented challenges, and OKRs that align with both short-term wins and long-term impact.
Q. What role does employee training and development play in Augmont’s overall growth strategy?
Ans. For us, training isn’t a checkbox; it’s a business-critical strategy. Augmont’s focus on scaling 10x means we prioritize equipping our people with the tools, skills, and mindset they need to grow alongside us. Whether it’s curated crafts for our product teams or partnering with firms like xto10x to improve our leadership quotient, every development initiative is tied to our OKRs and growth milestones. Upskilling isn’t just encouraged—it’s essential
Q. How has the adoption of technology transformed HR operations in your organization?
Ans. We certainly do what every tech-front company does—from automated payroll and compliance systems to using portal insights for talent acquisition and quicker background verifications, technology has helped us spend less time on transactional tasks and more on strategic initiatives. Yet, we’ve retained the human touch, ensuring that while technology scales processes, it doesn’t replace connections.
Q. What steps does the company take to ensure compliance with labor laws and ethical practices?
Ans. We follow a zero-compromise approach when it comes to adhering to labor laws and ethical practices. Whether it’s meticulous payroll management, seamless ESIC/PF transitions during inter-company transfers, or maintaining transparency in employee policies, Augmont ensures every rule is followed and every action is fair.
Q. How does the company address challenges related to employee performance and productivity?
Ans. Performance and productivity challenges are inevitable in a fast-paced organization, but at Augmont, we tackle them head-on with data-driven insights and personalized interventions. Our OKR model is structured to identify blockers early (rather than following the traditional annual goal sheets), enabling us to implement coaching, PIPs, or role adjustments proactively. We focus on outcomes and ensure alignment between individual contributions and organizational goals.
Q. What are some of the key HR policies that set Augmont apart from its competitors?
Ans. Our policies are a reflection of who we are as an organization: agile, empathetic, and innovative. Key standouts include a structured OKR framework, a focus on seamless onboarding (even for branch-level roles), and flexible work models tailored to our team’s realities (read: Mumbai traffic woes). We also ensure that every policy fosters growth, whether it’s our leave transfers during mergers or our talent development programs.
Q. How does Augmont foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement among its employees?
Ans. Innovation at Augmont is everyone’s responsibility—There’s no special R&D team! By encouraging cross-functional workshops, transparent product meets, weekly leadership sprints, and even small idea-pitching initiatives, we’ve built a culture where every employee can contribute to improving products and processes. We, at the leadership, set the tone by welcoming constructive dissent and promoting an “always learning” mindset, ensuring continuous improvement is second nature!
Q. What initiatives has Augmont implemented to support diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
Ans. As a company deeply rooted in Indian culture yet forward-looking in tech, Augmont champions diversity in all its forms. From hiring across geographies and languages to ensuring our policies are inclusive for all life stages, we celebrate our differences. Initiatives like B School Guest Lectures and campus recruitments in Tier 2/Tier 3 cities in the North or conducting offline kiosk drives in rural South.
Q. Can you share some success stories of employees who have significantly grown or advanced their careers at Augmont?
Ans. We are at growth-stage for so many of our products, so there are quite many examples, including mine 😊 Take Bhargav, who had joined us as a Chief Valuer and is now a Gold Auditor, setting benchmarks for quality and compliance. Or Samuel, who had joined as Warangal Regional Head and is now GM spearheading the entire franchisee development vertical. Each success story reflects our belief in nurturing talent, aligning it with business needs, and celebrating every milestone along the way.
For a deeper insight into the evolving workplace paradigm, stay tuned to PeopleManager.co.in.
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