UPSIDE DOWN – Real Story

We have always thought that we were working because our bosses/entrepreneurs needed us. We thought, we were there to ‘help’ our bosses/owners meet certain targets. We thought, we were hired because the organisation needs us?

Well! well! Well! How about if the truth comes out to be actually a little different. Would you believe, if someone were to tell you that the truth is the other way round? That, it is because of us, that our bosses exist, so that they could facilitate an efficient completion of their tasks? The typical pyramidal structure of organisations is shrinking. Every business today works as an inverted pyramid, whereby, every position in the pyramid works towards facilitating the role of the widest base of the pyramid- the front-line executives.

For a company that’s selling a product, the highest value addition happens at the front-line, with the remaining part helping this front-liners do what they are expected to. And this restructuring cannot happen all by itself, it calls for an efficient leader who can motivate his/her team to think that they are ‘needed’ by their organizations. Some amount of mindset streamlining is also needed, by the front-lines, to get out of hierarchical mentality.

CLOSEST TO ACTION

Front line executives are the touch point of contact between the customers and an enterprise. Hence, the skills with which they handle a customer at this point, decides the future of a business customer relationship. Quite naturally then, a lot needs to be empowered to take day-to-day decisions.

Consultants iterate that the conventional pyramid with fewer senior positions has not changed. The way we looked at a structure, as a top down command and control structure in terms of ‘roles’, has changed.

BUSINESS SENSE OF INVERSION

So, if retaining customer loyalty is the key, one of the best ways to ensure this is by supporting frontline employees. Sometimes, an insecure manager might just not want to delegate responsibilities and if at all they do it’s under tremendous power shift downwards leading to an inverted pyramidal structure.

By putting more decision-making power into the hands of those on the lower rungs of the hierarchy – who are closest to the ‘action’ – especially in the IT and the ITES industries, organisations can act faster and effectively. The top management plays the role of a strategist, but the execution of the strategy is done by the people at the base of the pyramid.

Managers need to spend considerable amount of time in the field, interacting with front line teams collecting first hand feedback from them. This is essential because front liners are in constant contact with customers, and understand the market’s growing needs.

Any knowledge oriented organisation would need this kind of a structure. At organisations where large scale recruitments are constantly happening for global clients, it is the front-line associates who are facing the customers.

HIERARCHY IS PASSÉ

Hierarchical organisation structure is a passé now. It negates today’s rapidly changing market where decisions need to be quick and frontline executives need to be alert to the requirements. So whether or not to evolve is no longer the choice. Yes, how you adapt to change is your choice. So what really happens is, they keep the chunk of the responsibilities to themselves and leave the mundane stuff to others; ensuring that the applauses come to them and brick bats get ducked to the front-liners.
Servant leadership’ is the other side of the mentorship coin – and unless leaders believe that they are serving the best interests of the organization and the people within the organizations, there is no way that they will impact anyone.

WHEN EMPOWERMENT IS ELUSIVE

Organizations fail to implement this structure because of lack of information, low perseverance, and the inability to truly empower team members – where leaders override the team decisions – leading to ‘empowerment’ remaining an elusive concept.

More often than not, managers are unable to see this in the right perspective without losing a sense of importance. More importantly, even at the bottom, the hierarchy mindset that we are brought up with hinders from accepting this philosophy easily.

Proper planning of strategy execution and what it will imply for those who have to actually carry out the execution is needed. The required structure is all about a two way system, in which there are a number of performers and there is the infrastructure, including personnel and facilities, to support it. So, it boils down to the need for managers to act more like ‘colleagues’ and less like ‘bosses’.

more at http://www.citeman.com/12861-upside-down-%e2%80%93-real-story.html#ixzz2kpPwrDgx

Trap – Are you also offering the Cheese :)

Do you consider their performance only when they hand over their final paper?
Unlike trapping a mouse, retaining an employee at the last minute with a lump of cheese is not a bright idea..

"Your contribution has been valuable and has determined our success" 
"We believe you have the potential to take this organisation to the next level and spearhead our international assignments." 
Such statements are only uttered by a desperate boss who is trying to retain a deserving employee.

Sad reality, such level of recognition and acknowledgement is provided only when the person gets an offer from another company. But then again, if timely rewards & recognition were in place, the person wouldn't have chosen to leave, to begin with. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world and doing the right thing at the right time doesn't seem so obvious to most people! So, let’s try to understand this phenomenon a little better and build an opinion on the same.

Cheese'em up - ;)
Being offered a better profile than your current job at the point of exiting the firm just doesn’t seem right. You come to believe that if you really did deserve it then why did your employer only realize your potential after another company recognized it and offered you something worth your salt? This is because most companies today believe in being reactive rather than pro-active. How can we correct this?

Balancing out -

The knee-jerk approach to retaining people is a reality today, and it is a challenge for every HR manager to minimize this. To begin with, one need to understand what it is that triggers attrition in an organisation. A fair salary can be managed by equitable distribution of compensation and the engagement level can be tackled by clearly defining the deliverable: what is required to be done and what is expected from the person.

Stay Interviews-
Another key driver is whether the organisation is bent towards carving out the employee’s career growth path and offers learning. The challenge for us is to therefore be in pre-emptive and not reactive mode in catering to these needs. To foresee issues and nip them in the bud is great but "why is the reactive mode so unsuccessful?" 
Trying to retain an employee after he/she has accepted another job offer is a tough task in itself. The chances of retaining him/her are pretty low because an employee who has initiated a job search has mentally ‘checked out’. The trick is to try and get to them before they begin the search.

Communication A must-
Every manager must ensure that the lines of communication between him and his direct reports are always kept open. Each manager must be held accountable for retaining his people.

Most organisations care less about digging into what their people really want, until they are disgruntled and are about to leave. The idea of last minute machinations to retain an employee who has expressed his desire to quit is flawed at the very conceptual level. The best time for re-engaging and refreshing the commitment of your employees is not when the employee resigns, but long before that.

Nurture 'em -
A good company is one that takes care of its employees right from the day they are inducted. You need to know as to what extent are your employees engaged and committed. Employees should be asked as to what they expect from the company they work for – the idea is to know their needs and to meet them, if they are feasible enough. Only then a sense of belonging will be created. Last minute retention strategies should chiefly be used to understand and subsequently better anticipate and address reasons for employee discontent rather than as tools to retain employees.

Last minute Chaos -
Another demerit of extending last minute hikes would be that it triggers a strong message for others in the organisation that this is the only way of getting a hike which could spell disaster. Any last minute pay hikes and promotions will always be viewed with suspicion. Also, this would set a very wrong example. It will not only give the impression that the employee needs to take drastic steps in order to get noticed but may also creates a precedent encouraging other employees to use resignations as bullying tactics to getting better remuneration.

Having debated on the futility of last minute retention strategies, we still know that it is a bitter reality and there are organisations which opt for it. So, what is their agenda in doing so? Let’s find out.

One of the reasons could be that they want to ramp up fast, and many of them are start-ups who are growing very fast. So, they are looking for a short-term solution. They will get the person with a high price but plateau hikes in the future.

While companies continue to hold on tight to their high fliers by filling their pockets and massaging their egos, as and when they get offers from competition, it is a shame that they are yet to realise the brutal mistake they are making in the process. The mistake of making others in the organisation realise that this is a great tool to make a fast buck. It is not rocket science, its common sense! Reward your people timely and make sure people get what they deserve and you won’t have to beg them to stay with you!

more at http://www.citeman.com/12863-the-trap-%e2%80%93-don%e2%80%99t-offer-the-cheese.html#ixzz2kpOENLQX

Cultural Misfit – Are You the One?

You may be able to do the job well. But if you are perceived to be a person who can’t get along with others at work, you just might be dismissed on account of being a cultural misfit.

Who is a misfit?

Whatever the interpretation may be, it is one of the crucial reasons why out of two similarly qualified or talented people, one might be selected and the other rejected at an interview.

Many Organisations are realising that merely hiring a person who can do the task may not be a bright idea because of a variety of reasons. One of the obvious reasons is when a person is joining an organisation, he/she is also joining its employees to further the cause of achieving the organisation’s goals, and it is hence imperative that the person is able to blend in with his/her peers and their way of functioning, to ensure smoother operations.

There is a conscious evaluation whether a candidate can fit into the organisation or not, especially in an environment such and where the structure is very flat and there is efficient internal as well as external communication, which is very important.

So to agree that the wavelength must be in sync. Also, a good cultural fit with a company can bring better opportunities for promotion, increased responsibility, and more income. Not fitting into a corporate culture can stall or derail a promising career. And a cultural misfit hurts the organisation as it shows up in employee performance and retention issues that affect productivity. ‘Hire attitude; teach skills’ is the simple rule company’s have started to follow. Skills can be taught, but an attitude (the kind we seek) is something that is inherent. That is why focusing only on whether a person can do a job well is not quite enough.

MUST BE MADE TO FIT

Culture attributes vary and are usually described with adjectives such as: tough, aggressive, lean, competitive, bureaucratic, rule bound, fun, playful, demanding, egalitarian, laidback, introverted, quixotic, unfocused, impulsive or risk-averse. Like people, corporate cultures are not the same, which enables all of us to find the best personal and organisational fit by ensuring that people are in tune with the organisation’s culture. Additionally, when a person is gelled with the overall organisational culture, he is very unlikely to quit; hence this could serve as a brilliant retention tool. When we keep hiring 'Right' cultural fits, we build an organisation where all the people are aligned with goals, mission, vision and values. It is the kind of organisation where coming to work every morning is a pleasure, something the employees look forward to, and hence stay for longer.

CULTURE DEFINES IT ALL

How do things get done? What is the decision making style? How do they act on decisions? These answers can show cultural variations across different companies. The culture that is followed by an organisation directs the overall functioning of the firm, which is why companies in the same type of industry have similar cultures due to the product/service, market and regulatory demands. Managers look for people who can be a part of it, without attempting to alter it or feeling lost. A fairly easy, open, hierarchy free organisation where how well you do your job is respected more than what your level is. That kind of culture demands people who are a lot more secure about themselves.

Does the company accord preferential treatment to those at higher levels? Does it recognise and reward people? Is everyone included or do some groups and levels absorb a greater share of attention? These are important indicators of cultural progress (or stagnation) in an organisation.

MORAL OF THE STORY

The culture that is observed in any organisation is the basic fabric of that organisation and hiring an employee means weaving him/her into its way of life/work. A sheer mismatch of a candidate’s personality with that of the organisations’ could not only result in rejection but also make the hired feel lost and isolated, further pushing the importance for hiring cultural fits.

Every organisation has a set of unsaid rules. For example, the employment guide of a prominent Fortune 500 high-tech company touts flexible work hours and telecommuting as benefits to employees. What is not stated is that this is a driven culture with 12+ hour days and no time for vacations.

A CULTURAL FIT IS REFLECTED FROM THE FOLLOWING:

Your mode of dressing

Your way of speaking

Your attitude and behaviour

Your ability to work within the structure and get along with others

Your involvement in your organisation’s activities

Your willingness to go the extra mile..

And you do it all and still don't fit...Ha ha! Change the job... its sheer bad luck Darling.

more at http://www.citeman.com/12501-cultural-misfit-%e2%80%93-are-you-the-one.html#ixzz2kpSTdIwr

CALLING ALL STRESS-BUSTERS…Take it Light

“I felt like ripping my hair off by the end of the day!” 

 “I just wanted to quit my job and make a run for it.” 

“I used to just dread mornings, all I wanted to do was call in sick… everyday!” 

These may sound like convincing excuses by an employee who’s trying to procrastinate but they are, in fact, true confessions of a victim: a victim of stress. And I assume we all have used these or some other excuses/lies at some point in time at our workplace.

With the globalization/going "Glocal" as I would call it , one of the fall outs has been that employees have been bombarded with excess workload to meet the water-tight deadlines. The outcome-"Stress" which takes a direct toll on productivity as people tend to slack when burdened with huge portions of work. Fortunately, organisations are waking up to this reality and are manifesting their concern for their employees’ health by carving out several initiatives to build a stress-free environment for them.

A Weighty Issue

It is a well-known fact that most people tend to ignore their health when under tremendous stress. While some overeat, others just ignore proper meals. To battle this growing trend, many organisations are trying to encourage healthy living at the work place. Many employees stretch their work timings to meet deadlines. In the process of doing so, they ignore their health, have poor concentration and bad eating habits. There is a latent need to have something that will help these employees in addressing their concerns over stress and health related issues.

# An aware step would be in introducing a "health byte" initiative for all the employees to educate them about various health risks relating to stress. The basic objective is to encourage employees who wanted to participate and make a concerted effort at reaching the optimum desired weight.

# Another initiative is to make working-out more exciting, start competitions for all the employees for a quarter with the basic objective to help the employees to reach their desired weight in a matter of three months and encourage healthy living. During the competition, regular tips are required to be shared to help participants in their endeavour and also award cash prizes, when they meet their goal.

# Many organisations create self-awareness by joining hands with gyms and healthcare institutes in an attempt to nurture the health and wellness of their employees. One of the initiatives we started in our organization was having a fully equipped gym at our workplace. We also had a fitness consultant to advise employees on heath, exercise, diet etc.

It’s all in your mind

Apart from tie-ups with gyms, many organisations are also helping their employees beat stress by conducting yoga and meditation classes at the work place. Meditation and yoga classes in office are a way of relaxing the employees. Apart from that many companies have started yoga and spirituality camp for all their employees across the country.

Want to indulge?

Ask any woman, what is the best way to beat stress and she will tell you: ‘Shop till you drop’. Taking cue from the above, Unisource Group has come up with an innovative solution to delight their employees. They have started an employee-centric privilege programme called ‘Indulge’, which aims to make available special privileges and offers to the employees of the company.

They started Indulge in early 2005 and built strategic alliances with providers of various brands, F&B outlets, lifestyle products, electronics and cellular services and resorts, whereby employees can avail of discounts from 5-30 per cent. ‘Indulge’ is renewed every six months with new and attractive additions, and is re-launched with an event called ‘Indulge Week’ where employees were given access to the new and existing affiliates. Affiliates offer discount coupons, giveaways and host competitions at the company premises which also provide phenomenal visibility for them.

Indulge Week giveaways and activities in the past have included pizza eating competitions, ‘panja’ competitions, free holiday giveaways, free gym memberships, donut days, free checkups and health talks with regard to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Stress-free work zone

Combating stress at the workplace cannot merely be done by addressing the stress points. Some times stress could be rooted to unfair practices and inadequate compensation which could also take a toll on productivity. The key factor to creating a stress-free environment for employees is:

1. setting clear expectations, 

2. having a regular and consistent reward and recognition program,

3. emphasizing on training and employee development, 
4. creating a transparent and open work culture with clear channels of communication – all this surely adds up in creating a work environment that is secure and minimizes stress for all employees.

Reflecting on the benefits of having stress busting initiatives at the workplace to have a fresh approach to work and this could do wonders. Organisations who have realised this mantra are increasingly bending over backwards to ensure that their people are fit and ready for the battle.

more at http://www.citeman.com/12866-calling-all-stress-busters%e2%80%a6take-it-light.html#ixzz2kpMjmoQn

Brand Ambassador or Absconding Employee – Make a Choice

Alright,  given a choice which one will you pick out of these?

# An absconding employee

# A Brand Ambassador

Astounded!! What does an absconding employee have to do with a Brand Ambassador? What is the common platform here? Wait till you understand the entire thing, have you made your choice? I know most of us will select the second one…. and not because we want to be one too but then who would want to be an absconding employee? yet we end up doing the same… almost, narrating the story here of problems faced by both employers and employees. The newest being….

I got an experience letter from my ex-company mentioning my years of experience and designation and they have mentioned that as I was absconding hence was relieved from the services of the organization.

as per the company policy the employee has to serve a 30 days notice period in which I served zero days hence the short fall amount has been recovered.

…..right now am working in a different company on contract basis and they haven’t raised any issue about this certificate. Please let me know if this certificate is worth having and will it create serious issues in my career.

So here is another crisis one can face when you just scamper away without communicating to the employer, and in such cases what can be done? One cannot go back and discuss the matter, so you have a permanent fixture in your experience letter that you fled from your last employment.

We generally are of the view that only the employees suffer if they leave the company without any acquiescence or information, but we forget that the companies also have to deal with ‘waiting for them’ to close their accounts, no communication from employees keeps the organization in a stagger and so they are made to send legal notices and other similar stuff.

Absconding employees have to face the tyranny of not having an experience letter, relieving letter and also in some cases no salary or F&F. What benefit do you get by being absconding? Just one- that you did not serve the notice period... or you join the other company a little early...

Serving a notice period is not an intricate assignment chiefly when you have gained an experience of ‘n’ number of years in an organization. Even if you have dealt with some scuffles with your ex employer/boss, yet leaving them with a proper handshake is so much more beneficial, it not only provides for a positive reference but there are possibilities that you might meet your ex Boss/HR people somewhere else also. And once they know how professional you are it becomes all the more better for your career and progression.

But again is it necessary that all employees have to serve notice? can't we relieve them early knowing they are not interested to work anymore, making them stay creates more problem than resolve the handover issue.. think about it..

Brand Ambassador

What is a Brand Ambassador? Ranbir Kapoor, endorsing the John Player Brand or Amitabh Bachchan endorsing Reid and Taylor? We can all do something like that for the companies we have been associated with once, but no don’t worry you don’t have to wear/carry their products to be the One. We can simply endorse them by moving on without any anarchy and pandemonium!

Being an emissary is possible from both sides, employers and employees, its in the hands of an employer too; how they utilize their ex-employees, for instance, when I left one organization we made sure that we would remain in touch, and till date they have done so, calling me once in a while for my assistance and suggestion on various issues and giving me information on what new products and services they are launching, which in turn genuinely makes me endorse them amongst my friends and family…and why not?

Being a Brand Envoy on the other side is a win-win situation for both, but now the question is, how can we give our backing to the brand/company once we decide to part ways…and the answer to that is- let’s just do it for old times’ sake. When you leave a company on a good note, the prospects of going back to them is also open, the world is small you never know where you land up one of these days. Not only this, but benefits of being an Emissary to your ex-employers are plenty.

So make a choice today for a lot of respite tomorrow…

more at http://www.citeman.com/16186-brand-ambassador-or-absconding-employee-%e2%80%93-make-a-choice.html#ixzz2VnsCI4Y1

Employee Education Program (MDPs) – Opportunities and Hurdles

Training and development the least thought of area of Human resource Department, which makes me write experiences through this editorial. Investing in Employee education program would enrich and improve employee productivity and performance moreover directly affecting the company’s own efficiency and profitability. A coin has two sides- positive and negative, hence we will discuss the hurdles that come in the way of Employee education programs in organizations; what an employee perceives and what is the employer’s side of the story and then gradually we will share the opportunities that can be tapped through organizing such programs in firms. So here we go:

Flip side story- Employee opinion

# The absence will create a gap: many employees feel that once they are absent for a longer duration from day to day work, their absence will actually cause more gaps in terms of team building, office politics and sometimes it’s a belief that employers also do not support them.

# The acting team leader takes over the team and then the difference in personality type and techniques of team handling often causes a rift between two individuals. Sometimes to the extent that the person who has just returned is given an altogether new area and team to work on and someone else bears the fruits of their efforts.

# Without the management’s support the learning of many months or days goes waste if the employees are not given a chance to utilize these skills and knowledge in the organization as it may require changes in the system or offering of some new projects. Sometimes the management looks at this initiative as an expense without realizing that in the long run such investments can bring many benefits.

# Managing work and education side by side creates hurdles, there is less time for studies, no option for flexible timings, lack of support from the team leaders for studies, all this and more can create a mind block for the employees to opt for such benefits.

Miffed employer

# Many employers assume that once employees are trained they are more likely to leave the company for greener pastures, but actually, the opposite is true: trained staff are happier and more likely to stay put.

# The cost is high, and these expenses actually will bring in more complications, lets not waste our money on something like that, where there is no guarantee if the employee will stay with us or leave for better opportunities.

# Employers feel that absence from work for a long duration may result in less productivity, which indeed is the case in many companies where the employees have to go for full time courses or university/institute courses and their absence does cause less productivity – but isn’t that a short term drawback?

Opportunities:

# Team Work: Employees who take part in workplace education programs are better equipped and motivated to work successfully with others. They gain a clearer appreciation of how teamwork is essential for workplace success and how they can contribute to the performance of the team. At the same time, they gain skills that they feel would make them better team players who can perform at the same level as their colleagues.

# Latest development: Such programmes often enhance the knowledge in latest developments and technologies. It is a useful tool to keep employees up to date with what’s new and can benefit the organizations. Keeping abreast with new and improved techniques and technologies- is important to fight competition and overcome monotony.

# Succession Planning: This is one tool which can help you in succession planning, once you have identified the resources (human resources) who can take up a larger role with bigger teams then you can invest in them. Sending them for MDPs bridges the gaps that are currently there and equip them with the required skills and makes them capable of handling enhanced new roles.

# Individual development: Good way to enhance their capabilities. Not only is the company giving the employee added skills, attributes or a value addition to their resume, it is also investing in something that would reap a lot of benefits in the long run. Employees are able to train themselves and acquire new abilities for company expansion. It should be used as a tool to transform its human resources into agents of development.

# Retention: It is one way of retaining your employees, contrary to the common myth that people will leave once they are well equipped with such skills and knowledge; whereas the people becomes more loyal and would like to stay for longer durations to apply their newly learned skills.

# Less employee turnover: Once you sponsor their education, they are more likely to stay with your company. If their education is paid and they are learning while earning what better things they can ask for, especially for employees who have to leave their studies to take up family responsibility.

Cisco is one such company and surely the retention problems are fairly low apart from other benefits. Coca Cola is another example for initiating such programs. Punjab National Bank is another name.

Share with us for the benefit of other members; your story of such programs, their success ratio and benefits!

more at http://www.citeman.com/15321-employee-education-program-mdps-%e2%80%93-opportunities-and-hurdles.html#ixzz2c7uW5StN

Reference/Background – A Reality Check

A phone call comes and you are asked about an ex-employee who worked in the company; what would you do? In most cases we would talk positively about that person and use flowery and decorative language so that the next employer gets impressed and/or in reality would be eager to just get rid of the person ASAP and so the best way would be to talk very nicely.

On the other side, a similar phone call and the Manager responds negatively about the employee, he would say all that he could think of saying just to spoil his/her image and restrict the chances of that employee to be employed anywhere else. It is not necessary that an ex employee is always really bad; it could very well be the employer’s version of maligning him/her just to take revenge or show dislike.

How Hypocritical? Isn’t it? It’s a really debatable topic! Isn’t this a common situation in many organizations? I’m sure many of us must have behaved in one of the two manners while giving references, unless of course, if the employee is worthy of these kinds of feedback-positive or negative. It gets confusing many a times as to what to say and what not to say about an employee…

Miscellaneous examples tell different tales about reference check and their failure in various organizations,to quote one such example;

A Recruitment Manager hired a female employee in the HR department, the girl looked suitable for the specific role and after clearing all the rounds smoothly she joined as a Recruitment Executive. One error that was made was that there was no reference-check done, and few months down the line everyone could see behavioral problems coming up, sometimes to an extent that she would go in to depression for days and just refuse to open up to anyone. She would complain about her work environment, colleagues and even her Manager and surprisingly all of them were baseless complaints.

After 3 months we got to know that she even tried to commit suicide when she was in her previous organization. An error turned in to a blunder, which implies that due importance should be given to reference-check in every organization.

There are many myths attached to reference-checks that if we give negative remarks about employees their future will be in jeopardy, but think this way if you do not give the right feedback there are chances that you as an employer may not get the same and so, all this practice of reference-check loses its lustre. Why not use our own prudence and rationale prior to providing feed backs about the employees?

In fact, some employees do not hesitate to file defamation lawsuits even if they are just angry over missing out on a job and such inherent perils have effectively tied their hands and make them (employer) shy away from honest, insightful and detailed answers.

The Prevention:

• A reference check is not the time to give vent to your malice or get your own back against the former employee. Let’s be professional and not take revenge of any kind.
• One should stick to a factual, unbiased and accurate evaluation limited to the work-related aspects of the employee’s behavior.
• Never offer judgmental opinions, voice-subjective ideas or misleading/incomplete information.
• If required, hold the phone call, take out the file and then tell them about the ex- employee through it.
• If asked, try and disclose both negative and positive aspects of the ex-employee, and unless asked for do not speak about any other information on your own.
• If at all there is something that your employer needs to know, present your side of the story during the interview itself, especially in case an ex employer has not relieved you happily.
• In case of any serious offence, do let them know about it, but if the matter is sub-judice then seek out legal help before giving reference.

Each one of us have our own strengths and liabilities, and sometimes how differently people perceive them obstructs our path, so be very vigilant while providing feedback! And who knows you might also require some references in future….so think twice and be wise!

As it’s a complex, debatable topic I would invite insights from fellow HR professionals about the same, be it stories, examples, cases…which can be of use to all. So wear your thinking cap and put your thoughts in here…….;)

more at http://www.citeman.com/15415-references-%e2%80%93-a-reality-check.html#ixzz2c7tEz3dr

Motivate employees for motivators :)

We changed the entire area of our terrace in the company premises and converted it into a fully functional gymnasium, managing rights given to a branded company with personal trainers available for 18 hours (BPO). In the first month our HR Manager tried hard to get the registrations for the gymnasium, motivating employees to work out during their break time through posters, danglers & all sorts of promotional activities. However, there were just 7 registrations which included the MD and the VP.

The company decided to give it another shot and kept it functional for the next one month but there was no change, hence they decided to close the gymnasium.

What makes or breaks an initiative in an organization are people’s interests and preferences. Sometimes the HR department thinks that they are launching the best practices in their companies; however they get a major setback when the so called benchmarked best practice fails. And then they ask- “If it worked for the other company, then why not for us?”

The answer lies in the diversity of people and their choices, tastes and motivating  factors. Some will be happy with a sport/games facility in the workplace, but others who may be avid readers might want a library instead, health freaks would opt for a gymnasium.

A forum member also posted a similar story about how the HR department launches new activities and how the employees do not participate in it. Then the entire blame for its failure falls on the HR people and rightly so!

Here are some facts which will help you in introspect on the HR initiatives as you try to put yourself in their shoes and think from their perspectives before launching any new motivational/ recreational/employee engagement activity.

Employee participation: Employee turnover was becoming higher every month, and all other activities were not giving the expected results, so we implemented a system of suggestion boxes at all the floors and asked for agents/CCE opinion on what would they would want the company to do to retain them. We got almost 500 plus suggestions and out of that more than 300 employees asked for similar things- More monetary rewards or gifts. One can also demonstrate in a credible way that the program saves, the organization, money and gets all the senior management support that you need.

We started some new initiatives such as ‘Star performer’ of the week or month, punctuality award, attendance award, and many performance oriented awards and they were given ipods, LCD TV. Employees who won two consecutive awards were given pen drives, Nokia/Samsung/Sony handsets, cameras and anything else they asked for. The attrition in 2 months time came down from 17% to 6 %.

Study their behaviour: Every individual is unique, has a variety of behaviours, value system and that is why their motivational requirement also differs from each other. HR department needs to go down to their level sometimes- feel, think like employees and then start working on new initiatives. Studying the people and their interests and behavioural patterns is very important to get the profitability and performance in the long run.

Communication: To ensure employee participation, the message should be communicated to them properly. Employees are keen to know what is in store for them, so they need to be informed and showed what are the benefits of the program/activity that the company is introducing. Clear communication with well-articulated words can do wonders. Don’t let your employees feel that it is just a passing fad like many others, keep it running, teething troubles will be there but long term benefits will also keep flying. Try it. :)

Incentives: The primary approach to high work and home demands with limited discretionary time for fitness is to move to the “incentive solution”, give incentive to the people to participate on their own terms and in their own time.  Yes, some people would like to join an activity in the evening after office hours. If they want to play a game of Snooker after 7 pm to de-stress then why not, let them enjoy.

Focus Groups: Create some focus groups and re-frame the issue of participation, ask them for their opinions on relationships, connectivity, self-care, sleep, recreation, stress control, stress management, positive attitude, understanding others, communication skills, breaking monotony of work, engagement of employees and then let them decide what they feel is the best for their own teams. Composing focus groups can actually enhance the participation level for various activities which the HR alone may not be able to induce.

So, get going and increase the level of participation with small changes here and there and then measure the results, I’m sure if implemented properly these recommendations can go great guns, says an experienced HR professional.

Ciao till we meet again….. :)

more at http://www.citeman.com/14942-motivate-employees-for-motivators.html#ixzz2c83hQdd2

Performers are all rounder

Being good at one thing doesn't qualify us for HIPO, it’s a gradual process of being good at multiple things that matters for any organization.  The options of just being great at one’s area of work or getting expertise in that area and still be known as the performer are less.

Think about it, after years of experience in particular field we get knack of the things, but will it work if Integrity is missing…or we won’t respect our peers, subordinates…Yes that’s the point!! And how will we know how to find out the HIPOs , this is where HR can help.

Designing effective policies, creating efficient redressal systems, beginning with the steps for forming a culture, Setting values, Change agent..Give this any name or cal it any HRD, HRM or Human capital department, but facts remain its more to do with managing humans as rhythms. Every key making a different sound, yet have to perform similar function - Composition of great Music!

Evaluate a performer on the basis of what they are doing for organization over all, not just for one function/department…You would say how naive, we know all this..but where are we showing it in our Performance Management system? Are we? We conclude with appraisal letters being sent out…but what happened to the gaps that came out..Training calendar created? If someone lacks in discipline but shows results in say sales figures – did we make it a point to justify his/her ratings on these parameters where he/she lags behind…

Will leave you all thinking here…with an interesting example of what happened with Phaneesh Murthy during his Infosys days, a bright, apple of the eye, performer (in his own areas) got the company to shell out Huge amount for a scandal.. Is that a definition of HIPO? IGate gave another opportunity, but then again history repeated itself with him…and the end result, well you all know what happened there.

Living by values of organization/institution, Integrity, respect, implementation of policies and code of conduct may sound very Subjective – but are the true value generator! 

Practice it to believe it! Or keep calling your “Functional Heroes” as performers…

Kaizen Effect in Life- Grow with It

Change, improvement, achievement, goals, success all these words sound so good to the ears, but these are not mere words, behind each one of them stands the dream of millions of people, and some may even die before reaching their destination. Have you ever thought why it happens, why a dream remains a fiction and never becomes true? What is it that we lack to convert our dreams into reality?

James Freeman Clarke rightly said, that

“We are either progressing or retrograding all the while. There is no such thing as remaining stationary in this life”. 

We do not realize that in the due course of life we don’t remain stationary at all; there is either a process of advancement or regression. So how does it matter then? Most of the time we become so occupied in living life that we don’t even comprehend what our dreams are all about and just keep on hovering over the river of life. We go to the school which is selected by our parents (yes, there is a less chance of us making our own choice here), we opt a career of our parents’ choice, we work for a boss, where is our life then?

“When what you want doesn’t happen, learn to want what does.” (Arabic proverb) and here it goes, this is what we all do though we may think that there is nothing wrong in accepting the facts of life, but then one needs to ask- what about dreams?

So, what should we do for the continuous growth? Dream and then make sure that you fulfill all of them, without accepting defeat, be it professional dreams or personal, and ironically many of us do not even realize the difference between the two, for us becoming a doctor is a dream which is both personal and professional. Similarly, receiving a promotion is a dream and it becomes both personal and professional.

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. Benjamin Franklin

So my dear friends let us Progress, let’s look at the sky with open arms and just grab all the opportunities which come our way.

Here are the recommendations on how we can progress in Organizations:

Discover: What do you want to be? This much we all know, but how to reach there gets difficult as we join a company. Discover yourself, your strength, your key interests, your talents, weaknesses, limitations and everything that you can get to know about yourself. Just like a company has its own vision statement, why don’t you also envision one for yourself? An intelligent foresight will help you realize your vision and mission in life.

Affiliation: Discovery of inner self is done, though it is an ongoing process to discover oneself, the next step is to take affiliation wherever possible, acquire a skill set which you think is missing or lacking, network with people who can help you accomplish your goals, join some club, become a part of a project team. Get involved with people, groups, and communities, just open your wings and fly to connect with others. Continuous improvement can be acquired with addition to something new be it hobbies, interests or just adapting to changes.

Communication: Now comes the difficult part, communicate with people in the network so that you get the opportunity to grow and prosper in to what you want to be. The goals can be achieved if they are properly communicated to the Leader of the organization or vice versa. In fact, how you present your self is also part of communication and plays an important role in the path of progress. It has many facets such as seeking and giving feedback, listing, empathy and plan.

Conception: So you have a plan, now is the time to draft your actions accordingly. Take one step at a time, do no hurry and design your course of action. These actions are like foundation stones of a building, the strength of which carries the entire burden of a building and the people in it. :)

Execution: Not so difficult and not that easy too…if any problems comes in between the realization of dreams now, make sure you don’t change the desired goals, just change the action plan. It is always better to change a path than changing a destination altogether, which can not only be tiring but painful too. Especially in organizations the distress it causes affects the personal life too, and sometimes to such an extent that we may say “I QUIT.”

Measure: Yes, measuring the goals and actions are a necessary requirement, which keeps you under check all the time and ensures that you are on the right track and that there is no hindrance coming your way. Evaluation is also empirical for knowing what more needs to be done, as well as the areas we lack in and how to increase the efforts. We can also call this performance check but the only difference here is; that this is an internal performance evaluation.

So here is cheers to Kaizen, lets improve, lets progress and embrace changes with open arms and cultivate the same in our teams as well.

more at http://www.citeman.com/15219-kaizen-effect-in-life-grow-with-it.html#ixzz2c7vZ9bPA

Relationship Building with Teams

From sharing a common goal, common tasks to sharing a rapport of working together, a few jokes here and there, sometimes teasing a team member… all this and more goes on when teams are formed. Some members would like to keep the relationship very professional where as some others would like to meet after the office hours for a couple of drinks.

Managing the relationship sometimes gets tough for the managers, and they encounter various problems sometimes to such an extent that the coalition disrupts to the level of beyond revamp.

What can be done by Managers to create magical teams where the problems can be resolved before they erupt? How can it be handled in a way that the team does not plummet?

Emotional Intelligence-EQ: Yes, it has been a very popular topic of discussion in the recent years, but alas the patience level of our people in the organizations is taking a plunge and from destructive feedback, to hurling abuses, to less ratings we are doing all of it just to pull each other down. Where is the empathy factor? Bring it back, empathize with your team members and once the relationship starts to develop you will see the results.

Trust: Instill that confidence in them every time they are seeking any guidance on new projects, or experimenting with the ideas. As a manager your role is focused on the objectives of the team and how to accomplish them, for that building a sense of trust in each member is suggested. Give them constructive feedback, let them be involved in decision making and nurture them as family members at times. Investing time and effort to guide them will bring back desired results.

Recognition: Although recognition brings trust still we will discuss it as a separate point, make them feel good, praise them, review their performances, and say good things and the ball is in your court then. The team will reach the destination without many hurdles of relationship related issues. The confident team can bring better results than the stressed team; choice is yours! Which one would you want to choose?

Manager’s perception: Please understand this; your perception is not necessarily a reality, so do not bring in stereotypical thinking in between the relationship with your team. Do not perceive, as people may not like to be handled in a particular way. Individuals are unique and so are their problems and solutions.

Resolve their conflicts: Take them and their problems seriously, if some one comes with a conflict do not hesitate to ask questions, do not avoid thinking that it may get resolved on its own, sometimes smaller problems take time to get resolved as unique people carry different emotional baggages and their perceptions do not give them a chance to resolve those problems as they may have encountered a similar thing in the past and their beliefs are set. Identify the root of the issue without wasting any time and effort, just deal with the conflict with your maturity and experience.

Apart from these suggestions, managers can involve various team building and relationship building activities during work hours; it will not only help in creating a better team culture but also break the monotony of the work/project. The leader’s job is to bring creativity amongst the team members and make their relationship as healthy as possible to reach to the desired goals.

Some activities which can be used for relationship building are:

Trust walks: Make pairs in a team, and then one member can go blindfolded and the other partner can guide him/her without speaking, to the other end of the room with lots of hurdles(read objects like chair, dustbin etc). It makes it fun as well as creates a sense of trust amongst the team members.

Tell me a truth and a lie: Ask all the team members to write a truth and a lie about themselves on a piece of paper and ask others to guess which one is a lie and which one is a truth.

Jigsaw Puzzle: Divide the team in to two groups and give them a jigsaw puzzle to solve. The way they communicate, and work towards solving the given task, will reflect in their real life project.

more at http://www.citeman.com/14906-relationship-building-with-teams-image-added-please-publish.html#ixzz2c857AnWb

Internship - Campus to Corporate

An internship or/and summer training results in full time employment when the student completes his/her course or in some cases well before that. Why do you think institutes like the IIMs, IITs and other top 50 institutes take equal interest in placing their candidates for summer internship? The reason being, that most of them are acquired by the companies for future jobs as well. Most employers feel that there is a huge gap which students have to cover from the campus to the corporate; they are not empowered with the practical skills that are required in companies.

Then why not take summer placements seriously, when your best bet is to treat your internship as seriously as you would a job, and treat your internship provider as you would an employer. While you are there to learn as much as you can about the field of study you’re interested in, you’re also there to be helpful to your internship provider and other staff who depend on interns, which in turn can open a plethora of openings for you.

Don’t agree?? Read more to understand how a seriously done internship can benefit your career in the long run, even if you are not placed in the same company for a job, the experience gained can actually help you in designing your future course of action and change you as a person.

What an internship can do for you?

With a tsunami of such institutions in every line, and availability of project reports on sale, the seriousness of summer placements is weakening, and every day we see many queries on “Help for my project” on the forum. A seriously done internship can do wonders for you, here is how:

Deciding your career interest: Internship is a great tool to help you define your career goals and it also helps the students in getting clarity of thought by helping them identify their field of interest. By picking projects that lie in their area of interest, students can evaluate if their current interest area excites them. Being in the real work environment will allow you to determine what role suits your skill set, and thus will help you to apply for jobs later.

For example, if you’re majoring in HR, but have an eye on IT as well, you might consider an internship with some IT/ITES company in their HR department. Or another example could be, if you’re planning to major in marketing but not sure whether you want to go into advertising or digital marketing, you should consider getting knowledge in both areas to help you decide which is best for you.

Gateway to full-time jobs: By working with a firm closely during the internship period, a PG student gets an opportunity to understand the working culture of the company. The company, in turn, gets an opportunity to evaluate the student for a potential full-time job offer. This way the student gets a fantastic opportunity to convince employers to hire them, by displaying their skills.

Develop practical skills: Reading course books and term assignments only helps to understand the basics, but what goes on in real life work situations in your field is different from that. As an intern in an organization, you stand to benefit immensely by observing how veterans from various fields tackle projects and also gives you a chance to apply the theory learnt in classroom into practice. Hands-on experience is very important!

Networking: Your first step in the corporate world, an internship programme will immensely help you create a professional network and bring you in contact with people from your field. This will be valuable in the coming years and also if you land in a job with the same company. As a trainee, colleagues around you will be open to sharing their experiences which will surely help you get your final placements. So network, learn and get placed.

Value addition to your resume: There are companies willing to take in freshers and train them; an internship adds value to your CV before you go for the final placement/ or after completing your graduation. An experience of a few months – where you have learnt some basic facts of bridging the gap from campus to corporate will surely take you a long way with newly acquired skills and knowledge added to your resume.

Learn!! don’t waste your energy on getting a project report for free/ or for money, this would not benefit you in any way, place your best efforts to grab an opportunity to work during that golden period of “8 weeks” in a company which adds value to your career path and helps you design your future  (not just a compromise)

Members please pour your thoughts here and add more points which can help students to understand the value of an internship and make them work towards their project reports instead of focusing on copy-paste and/or purchasing of reports. Look forward to a tremendous response…

Here’s – for the next Generation!! Gen Next..:)

more at http://www.citeman.com/15480-summer-training-campus-to-corporate.html#ixzz2c7sNT4xa

Dilemma- Notice Period

Let's start with a Case let-

Virat, appeared for an interview and after qualifying through all the rounds; during the negotiation stage he was asked:

Interviewer: When can you join the company?

Virat: I have to serve a two months’ notice period.

Interviewer: Mr. Virat, we cannot linger this position for two months.

Virat: After a hiatus, ok, Sir I will try to talk to the HR department for early relieving.

Interviewer: We would like you to join in 20 days.

Virat: That would be complicated but I will try to cope as I have some leave balance.

Interviewer: Alright then, here is your offer letter.

Virat: Thank you (he signs the letter).

This is what happens with many of us….isn’t it? Now let’s see another scenario where Virat resigned from this company:

Same Interviewer (HR Person): You have to serve the notice period of three months.

Virat: But Sir, I cannot do that, I have some leave balance which can be adjusted or else I will pay the amount for 2 months and serve one month notice period.

HR Person: That is not possible Virat; the position is crucial and requires a proper handover to the new person who will be taking over.

Virat: Sir, Handing over will not take much time, it will be done in one month; but I have to join the new company in a month’s time.

HR Person: No, Virat, this will not be possible or else we will have to go the legal way.

So, dear friends what do these two scenarios depict? The same person who asked Virat to join in 20 days is not ready to relieve him in one month’s time. Question here is, why do we have such double standards? As an HR professional isn’t it our responsibility to create and design policies in a manner beneficial to both the company and the employee? When you want a person in your company, you show them fear of loss of the opportunity and ask them to negotiate with the notice period, and once you are faced with  a similar situation the entire world goes upside down and you threaten them with legal proceedings.

There are many cases which keeps coming in in the portfolio companies, handled at PlugHR about not serving the notice period, legal proceedings by companies and relieving letter, and the crux of all such posts happen to be the same. Here is an example:

I worked with an Indian IT major, my employment was on contract for first 9 months and later they made me permanent 3 months ago in Jan. I was not very happy with my profile and package and in between got an offer from some other company who wanted me to join in 15 days.

I put the resignation in the tool (online) stating that I have got an offer from some other company who are paying me better and also told them (verbally) that I have some financial issues in family hence need this job anyhow and will not be able to serve 2 months’ notice. I also told them in writing that I am willing to give ‘notice pay’. My manager paid no heed to it and said that he could not relieve me until I served the 2 months notice (nor could he increase my salary or change my role in the team) and I would have to give KT to the replacement. I kept requesting them for 2 weeks (post resignation) but they did not consider my request , hence I left the company (told my reporting manager over the phone) and submitted the laptop (took receipt from the IT dept) and joined the other company.

My new employer knows the entire scenario.

After one week of joining I got a call from HR (of previous co.) stating that they will send me a legal notice as I have not given proper KT and will run an absconding action against me which means that I will not get the relieving letter and experience letter and the full and final settlement will not be done either.

I want to know what can be the implications or consequences of this legal notice , can they send it to me even after I have stated that I am ready to pay the notice pay amount and have also submitted the laptop?

Sometimes I wonder, when will our HR Managers learn to be austerely professional while handling such matters and accept resignation without taking it as rejection. How do we edify the significance of the notice period to both the parties? We all have started taking it for granted. Why such a scurry to hire a person when in need and then when the same person (has become habitual) desires you to relieve him/her early, why bully them with trepidation of going legal etc. Manipulation is not HR’s job but still we all live it out in our day-to-day life.

Practice of notice period, in companies, was introduced to grant a respite to both the employee and the employer, in order to reconcile them in their respective roles, for the employer it is vital as they can hire opposite replacement and proper handling over can be completed. Employee gets the benefit of bidding good bye on a positive note which creates constructive reference for them in future.

Is there any record available somewhere which depicts how many employees leave a company without serving the notice period even after being threatened by the HR department about going the legal way? Also how many employers really go to the extent of filing a legal suit against such employees (apart from sending a legal notice)? I seriously won’t think there will be many unless something of severe nature absolutely demands such an action from the employer.

So, the practice is very normal, then why are we adamant on having a notice period for such a long duration when we cannot make our employees adhere to it, in fact we only entice them to do such things in the first place. The policies are drafted keeping in mind the suitability of both the employer and the employee, with such practices of not serving notice period, who is getting the advantage?

Settle on, consider and then transform policies for the benefit of all!

more at http://www.citeman.com/15693-dilemma-notice-period.html#ixzz2Vnz2t1Ay