Believe it or not, leadership development is growing as a concern for most organisations with every passing day. Traditional leadership rubrics are being ruled over by new traits and ways, as digital transformation across fields is redefining the entire human dynamic, including impacting the workforce. While organisations are generously investing in leadership development, most find they’re not reaping the best results. As per a Fortune magazine study, a mere seven percent of Fortune 500 CEOs think their companies are building effective leaders. A McKinsey study says that leadership development is a multi-billion-dollar industry, accounting for roughly one-third of all learning…
Author: Lipi Agrawal | HRKatha
Lipi Agrawal | HRKatha
On days less busy, Lipi enjoys being a foodie, poet and an explorer. Add to that her experience as a journalist who covered the HR beat for seven years and you know her grasp on content is firm as well.
Attrition is one of the most common issues grappling HR heads across industries. However, attrition itself is not the issue. While it is just the tip of the iceberg, recruitment makes all the difference to how long a person sticks around. So, what is it about hiring that can go wrong to the extent of causing discontent and attrition in an organization? The answer lies in the fact that most people don’t leave a job, they leave their managers. This means, amongst all external and internal factors that may impact a person’s performance and existence in a job, the human…
Workplaces of today are well interconnected and more efficient, as technology has blessed us with some wonderful solutions to bring people closer and make the day-to-day job much easier. That said, workplace chatbots are one such invention of our times, which has transformed the way we interact and handle transactional affairs. While ‘HR chatbot’ is the buzzword these days, not many organisations have adopted it yet, and many of those that have may still be struggling with getting their workforces used to it. RB Health, Reckitt Benckiser’s healthcare products arm, has just launched an HR chatbot called ‘RBuddy’. Not only…
Talk engagement and all you imagine is a host of activities and plans to keep people in the office motivated and happy. Do you ever visualise a factory, an assembly line or a back-end facility management team when you hear the word ‘engagement’? Most likely not, unless you’re an HR professional posted at a plant or managing large sales forces or the ground force of an organisation in the hospitality or manufacturing sectors. Yes, employee engagement is necessary for the blue-collared workforce, as much as it is essential to keep the white-collared workers happy, productive and always in action. More…
DevOps is defined as a combination of cultural philosophies, practices, and tools that increases an organisation’s ability to deliver applications and services faster and better than the organisations using traditional software development and infrastructure-management processes. This means, DevOps is a strong determinant of business capability and success, more so, with the world of DevOps changing rapidly over the next few years. With customers of all kinds expecting faster and more efficient updates in software services, the technology providers definitely need smarter DevOps teams. A survey by DevOps Institute, titled ‘2019 Upskilling: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report’, outlines the most valued and…
All work and no play has never worked, especially, when it comes to employee engagement! The word ‘engagement’ itself suggests ‘being in it’ and when infused with play, engagement efforts are sure to become more effective. While games are all about having fun and gamification of employee engagement is about making engagement more interesting, the process of doing is a serious one that needs to be thought out well. But before that, organisations need to believe in the power of gamification, especially in employee engagement. Here are three reasons why organisations should look at gamifying their employee-engagement efforts: 1. It’s…
All that glitters, is not gold! For glistening trophies and medals received as awards in the workplace— which a lot of people still take pride in displaying at their work desks— the saying holds even more true. With millennials constituting the majority of the workforces in the current times, the value of conventional awards seems to be diminishing. Millennials and Gen Z have different expectations from the workplace, and when it comes to rewards and benefits, the traditional means of rewarding and appreciating do not motivate them enough. We’re talking of a generation here that’s moved on from gifting casseroles…
The fact that talent development is vital to business growth is already well established. However, today, it’s not just enough to equip a workforce to meet the current business demands. Organisations need to think beyond and enable workforces to adapt to future business changes as well. The future demands more adaptability and a workforce that’s learnt how to adapt well, is more equipped to innovate, without which there’s no survival in the rapidly-transforming times ahead. That said, the ideal worker of the future will bear T-shaped virtues. Now, what makes a T-shaped worker? The T-shaped worker is an expert in…
Losing talented employees in a business is equivalent to business loss. The cost of replacing people —both in terms of time and money — and the opportunity cost of having a better resource in place when replacing someone in a haste, is all too consuming for any business. That is why employee turnover is that big menace most organisations try to keep at bay. Employee turnover is defined as the number or percentage of workers who leave an organisation and are replaced by new employees. But, why do people leave? Most employees tend to scout for greener pastures, when they…
The concept of employee engagement is highly subjective and often misunderstood. While many equate engagement to happiness, that’s not fully correct, as engagement is not just employee happiness. While it is a challenge to understand engagement in its real sense, organisations are definitely aware of its many benefits and make efforts to keep their people feeling engaged. However, driving employee engagement has been rather tough for organisations across industries, geographies and sizes. The whole confusion around where to begin and what to consider while planning employee engagement is not unusual and at times all one needs is a little guidance…
Tales of businesses reaching the peaks of success and then facing extinction due to their inability to innovate and transform with changing times are innumerable. The only foolproof ways to counter obsolescence are, by learning constantly, upskilling and adapting. That said, even the ways in which people actually learn are changing now. Organisations that are cognizant of this shift and have begun supporting their people on their learning journey are the ones that have put their best foot forward towards ensuring future success. In an era where skills form the most valuable assets, Kelly Palmer and David Blake’s book, The…
How do you define learnability? With learning mechanisms having evolved significantly over the years, newer ways have rendered older ones outdated. Do you think there’s one perfect way to impart learning that sticks? If yes, what is it? Learnability, according to me, can be best explained through the following four stages: 1. You don’t know that you don’t know 2. You know that you don’t know 3. You know that you know 4. You don’t know that you know – learning becomes subconscious (driving a car) Stage One is a blind spot for people. Learners are not even aware that…
Awards are perceived as a proof of great performance. Therefore, the whole concept of pleasure and pride in winning an award or disappointment in not winning one holds strong. Ironically, however, an award that isn’t followed by a strategic and stringent process isn’t worth winning and one that does come with a structured process is a no-loss if not won, as it leaves every contender with great learning, reflections and ideas for improvement. As the saying goes, ‘It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters more.’ The Best Employer Study by Aon is also one such journey that allows…
Seeking a formal bank loan in India has been tedious and it always means large sums of money. For smaller needs, people simply borrow from friends, relatives and often employers too. This introduces risk for the lender, and can cause loss of dignity or respect for the borrower. Employee needs can arise at any time, and for various reasons. From an employer’s point of view, handling such lending transactions on a frequent basis can become a hassle. Offering respite, NIRA, a new-age digital credit provider, partners with employers to offer credit to their employees as their needs arise. Even in…
Nilesh Kumar, who was the vice president, HR at Zivame, has joined Viacom 18 as the vice president-HR. By accepting this position, Kumar has switched from omnichannel e-commerce to the media and entertainment industry. Having joined Viacom 18 in mid-September, he has moved to Mumbai. In his new role, Kumar will contribute to the Group’s larger people-development agenda through his years of experience and expertise across industries and functions. He reports to Abhinav Chopra, who is the CHRO and senior executive vice president, HR. Kumar, an IIT Kharagpur and XLRI Jamshedpur graduate, comes with over 14 years of experience across…
A complex-looking future is already knocking at the door. Organisations cannot afford to go easy on preparing their workforces for times when almost everything around us will be disrupted, or at least influenced by AI-enabled processes. With a prevalent fear of certain jobs getting swept away, awareness about this shift just doesn’t seem to be an issue. Yet, however, a new research by Accenture reveals that only 20 per cent of Indian business leaders believe their workforce has the skills needed to work with advanced technologies, such as AI. Although the vast majority of Indian organisations believe that advanced technologies…
In the agile, dynamic world of work, all an individual or a business requires to thrive, survive and grow is relevant skills. Availability of the right skills and learning opportunities that equal expertise in the business world, make for the survival potion for successful companies. Kelly Palmer and David Blake’s book – The Expertise Economy – brings a fresh approach to learning as a medium for business growth, offering CEOs and business leaders a look into the future and how learning can serve as their fool-proof weapon against obsolescence. Through their book, the authors—Palmer, who’s chief learning officer, Degreed, and…
Appreciation for good work has always been a great motivator, but it is recognition by the peer group that really does the trick.
As the chief Marketing officer for Skillsoft, Tara O’ Sullivan has extensive experience in using product marketing, branding, driving strategic growth, and overseeing the content production business and corporate marketing. During a recent visit here, she shared how the learning paradigm is changing and how technology is making it more user-focused.
Irrespective of how long one stays with an organisation, certain benefits such as a life insurance go beyond the employment term and stay with the person even after they’ve quit.
Exit Interviews aren’t a new fad. Getting it right is the key. Here is how to relook at the signing off ceremony.
Here’s how employees’ financial woes impact work–life and performance, and an easy solution to help them overcome these concerns.
It’s been less than a year since Johnny C. Taylor Jr., SHRM-SCP, took over as the president and CEO of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). A practising lawyer and a seasoned HR professional, Taylor has authored a book The Trouble with HR: An Insider’s Guide to Finding and Keeping the Best People.
He was in India recently and took out time to chat with Lipi Agrawal of HRKatha. Here are the excerpts of the interview, where he talks about the changing landscape of HR and the role of technology in it.
A core business professional turned HR leader, Kaustubh Sonalkar is currently the president-HR at Essar, and chief executive officer at Essar Foundation. He believes good people management is about idealistic thinking, and is more invested in the practical execution and achievement of those futuristic ideals through creative channels.
A high risk taker, willing experimenter and learner, and also an out-of-the-box thinker, Sonalkar is design oriented rather than control oriented. He talks to HRKatha about his experiences across industries and cultures and what future organisations will look like.
Appraisals are a tricky thing, with employees expecting bosses to deliver what they’ve been promising, and managers dealing with unfulfilled expectations
From finance, to HR and even entrepreneurship, the VP and HR head of IBM India and South Asia has diverse experience, which lends him a holistic perspective for effective decision making.