Capgemini CEO stresses the need to build trust in a virtual setting

The Covid-19 virus has sequestered many to their homes, but what it has also done is fundamentally recast the leader-employee relationship.

Though remote work allows businesses to compete in an increasingly globalised society, when workers are siloed communication can get muddled at times and trust and collaboration can suffer. It also becomes difficult to tell if employees are tasked with too little — or too much.

Trust is a very important element of leading effectively in a virtual environment, says Ashwin Yardi, CEO, India, Capgemini. “It requires encouraging a mindset and culture of carrying on tasks with minimum supervision. In a virtual environment, employees need to be entrusted with greater autonomy which would give them a sense of ownership to complete their work and fulfil their goals,” Yardi told BusinessLine.