Betti breathes life into workplace<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Betti Setiastuti Alisjahbana was raised to be able to do
\neverything herself.<\/p>\n
At a young age she took sewing lessons until she could take
\norders and her mother taught her to cook. Betti also took
\ndeportment lessons as well as English language lessons, and her
\nparents encouraged her to take part in various school and campus
\norganizations.<\/p>\n
\"You never know what kind of husband you will have, so to be
\non the safe side you must be able to do many things yourself,\"
\nthe president of PT IBM Indonesia said quoting her mother in an
\ninterview recently.<\/p>\n
These early skills prepared her for various situations and
\ntaught her how to effectively manage her time, a lesson more
\nvaluable now that she must juggle numerous engagements in her
\nrole as the head of a multinational company.<\/p>\n
The principles that she keeps also reflect the upbringing of
\nthis 43-year-old petite woman; to do much and complain little, to
\n'do unto others ...', and to share her knowledge whenever she
\ncan.<\/p>\n
Betti's participation as a juror for the Bung Hatta
\nAnticorruption Award recently is just one example of how she
\napplies these principles in her everyday life.<\/p>\n
\"Can it eradicate corruption? No, but it is a step in that
\ndirection,\" she said, explaining that rather than complain about
\ncorruption in the country, her choice is to do whatever she can,
\nno matter how small.<\/p>\n
\"Start with yourself by not getting involved in corruptive
\npractices, and after that try to influence your immediate
\nenvironment,\" Betti explained her methods.<\/p>\n
And as the head of a company her influence is far reaching
\nindeed. A code of conduct guides each employee at IBM, and a
\nstrict control mechanism makes sure that the code is adhered to.<\/p>\n
Whether in sales or procurement, the code ensures that
\nservices or products are bought or sold based on their merits and
\nnot on favoritism or bribes.<\/p>\n
\"A business conduct guideline is not only to find out who is
\ncorrupt and who isn't, but it is a complete code on how to do
\nbusiness, avoid corruption and how to quickly manage corruption
\nwhen it happens,\" Betti, who loves to design her own clothes,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Satisfaction and pride in one's work were also important to
\ndiscourage employees from resorting to corruptive practices. And
\nafter 19 years in the company she knows what makes employees
\nhappy.<\/p>\n
\"We can't blame people for not being loyal to a company when
\nthe company doesn't provide that person's basic necessities,\" she
\nsaid, explaining that companies can no longer expect long term
\nloyalty from their employees unless they can provide long-term
\nbenefits for the employees.<\/p>\n
\"People now feel that they have to be loyal to themselves, to
\nalways be competitive, to always keep up to date with all
\ndevelopments and changes,\" Betti said.<\/p>\n
Four main reasons for employee dissatisfaction according to
\nBetti are: Lack of new challenges, lack of new knowledge, a
\nsalary not commensurate with the work and a nonconducive working
\natmosphere.<\/p>\n
\"A company is obligated to create a conducive, healthy,
\nworking atmosphere, give its employees ample opportunity to
\ndevelop both career and knowledge, and also give a competitive
\ncommission based on their accomplishments,\" Betti explained,
\nadding that in return the employee was obligated to give his or
\nher best to the company.<\/p>\n
Employee' motivation was another thing that Betti said was
\nimportant for the wellbeing of a company. The first step of which
\nthe company must have a reasonable objective which can be
\ntranslated in the job description of each individual employee in
\nthe company.<\/p>\n
\"The simplest example is the operator here at IBM. She can
\nconsider herself just a telephone operator, or as someone who
\ncreates the first impression of IBM. Which will generate a
\ndifferent effect on her job. The overall objective is of course
\nto achieve customer satisfaction,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
Generating employee motivation can be as simple as celebrating
\neach milestone toward a common goal to being transparent about
\nrewards and punishment.<\/p>\n
\"If we work in an environment where it is all the same whether
\nwe do well or badly or just so-so, that will not motivate us to
\ndo better,\" Betti asserted.<\/p>\n
For her, so far IBM has given her everything she wished for.
\nBetti said that the company has never let her be stuck with one
\njob for long, always challenging her and broadening her horizons.
\nFrom her start as a marketing trainee in 1984 she has risen to
\nvarious positions both locally and internationally.<\/p>\n
Betti said she was grateful that her husband, publisher Mario
\nAlisjahbana, was more than willing to share the burden of their
\nhousehold so that she could pursue her career uninterrupted. The
\ncouple, who married in 1985, is blessed with a son, Aslan (16
\nyears old), and a daughter, Nadia (11 years old).<\/p>\n
But Betti also realizes that not all women are as fortunate,
\nand that many leave a promising career due to household and
\nfamily demands.<\/p>\n
At IBM, she tries to reduce these limiting factors to a
\nwoman's career by giving the option of two years unpaid leave for
\nhigh performing employees and the opportunity for them to work
\nfrom home.<\/p>\n
\"This proves very helpful for mothers who have to take care of
\ntheir sick children for example, they can still do their job,
\njust not from the office,\" Betti said.<\/p>\n
The row of lockers at IBM Indonesia's office at Landmark
\nCenter, Central Jakarta, are testimony to how mobile her
\nemployees are.<\/p>\n
\"We have no cubicles here, everyone sits at whatever desk is
\nempty and stores their papers and documents in a locker when they
\ngo out,\" IBM's communication specialist Ariantini Yatim said.<\/p>\n
Betti has also taught her managers to never take it for
\ngranted that women are reluctant to do \"difficult\" jobs such as
\ntaking out-of-town or international positions.<\/p>\n
\"He may think he's doing the woman a favor, but he is in fact
\nobstructing her from furthering her career. They should never
\nmake the assumption that women don't want difficult jobs\".<\/p>\n
Betti then tries to increase the participation of women in
\ninformation technology, not by lowering her standards, but rather
\nby intervening at high school level.<\/p>\n
\"We have at IBM a program called Excite where high school
\ngirls can participate in a technology camp and where we introduce
\nthem to a career in technology,\" Betti said.<\/p>\n
Ultimately what is important for Betti is for her to stay true
\nto her principles, to give and do whatever she can for those
\naround her.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/betti-breathes-life-into-workplace-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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