Workplace safety and growth governs the work satisfaction of employees in the healthcare industry. Although a corporate culture is rarely associated with healthcare teams, a safe and prosperous work environment is sought after by the personnel. There-fore, paying attention to these aspects is necessary. In this regard, Dr. Manisha Karmarkar, Chief Operating Officer, Ruby Hall Clinic engages in a conversation with the Women Entrepreneur India magazine to share her ideas on how it can be achieved.   

In What Ways Has Ruby Hall Clinic Nurtured Its Workplace Culture?
I have always been of the opinion that workplace culture in healthcare is important to bring job satisfaction and provide effective patient outcomes. At Ruby Hall Clinic we go an extra mile to ensure every employee feels valued and respected. Joining the Ruby Hall family is akin to opening a world of possibilities and being given the opportunity to grow in one's career and personal life as well. We support employees through thick and thin, whether it's encouraging them to pursue higher studies, providing loans when needed or even caring for their family member's health. We are known to have some of the best HR practices one will see only at the most formidable healthcare institutions across the world. This is the reason our establishment has become a workplace of choice for many women.

How Would You Define The Specialties Of Ruby Hall Clinic?
The name Ruby Hall Clinic has always been synonymous with technologically advanced, high quality compassion-ate care. Through our pioneering and outstanding operations involving technology, we have been able to carve out a niche for ourselves in the diagnosis and treatment of a range of ailments. This ranges from cancer care to neonatology, robotic surgery to cardiology and diabetes to critical care.

It may come as surprise to many, but Ruby Hall Clinic has women at the crux of all departments. We believe that women have always been at the heart of health care. We have a truly unique combination of philosophy, which taps into the potential of technology and research, with our women friendly policies.

How Did Ruby Hall Clinic Become The Best Company To Work For Women?  
Building on our organisation's reputation as a `great place to work' has been and will continue to be one of my top priorities. We want every woman to feel empowered and employees are given a host of benefits intended to help them blossom. These include paternity leave (so fathers can lend a helping hand to new mothers), work from home and extended maternity leave. We've also brought in systems that emphasise meritocracy, gender diversity, and an open-door policy for grievances. Having said that, we also have a grievance cell with the highest level of discretion.

Giving doctors and senior management world-class exposure, the hospital has also invested great care and considerable resources in fostering continued education at illustrious institutions such as IIM, ISB and TISS. Today, a number of leaders have emerged thanks to this initiative.

“The name ruby hall clinic has always been synonymous with technologically advanced, high quality compassionate care”

What Unique Belief Gov-Erns The Hiring And Retention Strategies Of Ruby Hall Clinic?
The bar for recruitment is high at Ruby Hall Clinic. Our core values are respect, passion, stewardship, excellence, diversity and trust and our HR activities are strongly guid-ed by these very values. Our hiring strategy is diverse and we believe this diversity is liable for bringing new perspectives to the organization. Our ideology is that there's no `one-size-fits-all' solution and we have to look at every case as an individual scenario to see what works best for each patient. There-fore, we encourage our diverse workforce to overshadow their own performance from time to time by gathering experience.

We have strong retention strategies that of-fer the employees effective career opportunities and personal goals. We believe these are the two most important elements of job satisfaction.

How Has Your Education-Al And Professional Back-Ground Influenced Your Performance As Company Coo?
Initially, I completed my degree in An esthesiology and joined Ruby Hall Clinic as a Senior Registrar. A few years later I rose up the ranks and started taking up leadership roles at various departments. The management encouraged me to pursue an MBA in Healthcare. Soon, I was asked to take up the reigns of Ruby Hall Clinic Wanowrie as COO and successfully trans-formed the financial trajectory of the hospital. During this time, studying about various new entities kept propelling me forward and I explored courses such as the Advanced Management Pro-gramme in Leadership Development at General Electric; Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Leadership at IIM Ahmedabad. I have since then become the first woman in the hospital's 60-year legacy to shatter glass ceilings and enter the C-suite.

As COO, I've always believed that leading by example is key. I encourage my team to speak their minds and show them that once they set their mind to achieving something, nothing is impossible. Most importantly, I'd like my actions to create a legacy that inspires other women to do more, learn more and become the best version of themselves.

Dr. Manisha Karmarkar, Chief Operating Officer, Ruby Hall Clinic
Core Competencies
A healthcare leader, she has been the dynamic force behind improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the care provided at the hospital, while singlehandedly transforming its financial prowess.