Minister of public services and procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos, and president of the treasury board, Anita Anand, described the initiative as a crucial step towards “improving the overall human resources (HR) and pay experience for employees.” Their words resonated with countless public servants who have endured the frustrations of the existing pay system.

However, the journey to a new system isn’t without its challenges. The sheer complexity of managing HR and pay for over 420,000 employees across diverse departments and agencies, compounded by nearly 150 collective agreements from over 100 departments and agencies, demands a solution tailored to these intricacies.

While testing of Dayforce, a human capital management platform, yielded promising results in terms of technical viability, it revealed the need for deeper process improvements. Simplifying and standardising procedures across departments, consolidating employee records, and ensuring government-wide readiness are top priorities before full implementation.

To address immediate concerns, the government is parallelly stabilising current pay operations. Increased staffing of compensation agents and the strategic use of AI aim to expedite transaction processing and reduce outstanding issues.

“Public servants deserve better,” declared Duclos, acknowledging the persistent problems with the existing system. “We are taking action on both fronts – ensuring accurate and timely pay now, while building a modern system for the future.”

Anand echoed this sentiment, emphasising the importance of collaboration with stakeholders such as bargaining agents to create a system that truly serves employees.

While Dayforce serves as a potential foundation, the story extends beyond a single platform. This is about a government actively addressing a long-standing issue, learning from past mistakes, and prioritising the well-being of its workforce.

The final decision on the new system is expected later this year. Until then, public servants can take comfort in knowing that relief is on the horizon, and a more efficient, user-friendly HR and pay system is within reach.

With 4,750 participants already involved in testing, the government is moving steadily towards a more efficient and user-friendly HR and pay system for its public servants.

The post Canadian Government overhauls troubled HR & pay system appeared first on HR Katha.

Presently, Job Hai has more than a lakh vacancies listed on it from tier 1 and tier 2 cities including Chennai, Mumbai, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Noida, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kochi and Pune.

This integration will also allow candidates to get in touch with the recruiters directly, which will facilitate fixing of interviews without delay.

The collaboration is aimed at empowering job seekers to find jobs that are most suitable for them in terms of skills match. With the resources of the two platforms now coming together, the network will be widened and will involve more recruiters and job seekers. The likelihood of candidates being noticed by the right recruiters will also go up.

Users of Vi will be able to access newly-listed vacancies half an hour early, while the visibility to recruiters will be doubled. The applicants will be able to track the status of their job applications too.

Available in 10 regional languages, Job Hai presently lists local jobs under 45 categories across over 50 cities. The profiles include that of graphic designers, telecallers, Sales personnel, business development personnel, back office, delivery workers, security guards and so on. It will be possible for Vi prepaid users to search for jobs within the locality or city they prefer.

The post Vodafone Idea & Job Hai tie up for better job opps for youth appeared first on HR Katha.

MiPAL is the result of the Company’s intention to adopt a forward-looking approach to offering better employee experience. The Chatbot will help 12,000 on-roll employees of Manipal Hospitals to obtain answers and responses to all their HR-related queries, doubts or questions, including compensation, leaves, and mediclaim.

Talking to HRKatha, Partha Das, chief people officer, Manipal Hospitals, reveals some of the chatbot’s features and how the technology works.

“MiPAL is a one-stop solution for all HR-related queries for the employees. Now employees do not need to write a mail to the HR or reach out to them with their queries as such, which will save a lot of time,” shares Das.

“MiPAL is a one-stop solution for all HR-related queries for the employees. Now employees do not need to write a mail to the HR or reach out to them with their queries as such, which will save a lot of time,”

Partha Das, chief people officer, Manipal Hospitals

The chatbot comes with an application, which the employees can download on their smartphones and laptops. Using this app, employees can pose any query or question to the HR team and the bot will reply to it instantly. The application also has some internal features that can answer any further questions that the employees may have related to HR policies.

Though the integration of the chatbot technology into the already installed HRMS system at Manipal Hospitals started in mid 2021, the entire process took a while. Manipal Hospitals was finally able to roll out MiPal on December 24, 2021. Before launching the AI chatbot, the chain of hospitals also had to customise the technology as per the needs of the workforce. Some questions or queries needed to be answered a certain way, so specific algorithms had to be customised to create suitable responses as per varied needs.

In addition to answering the normal queries and doubts of the employees, MiPAL will also be used to conduct employee-engagement and satisfactory surveys. This will help the Company collect and generate authentic data and insights, since it will be directly collected by an internal system. “This will also help us save the expenditure otherwise incurred on conducting surveys through external vendors,” says Das.

He goes on to add, “Other than the surveys, significant real-time data and insights collected while interacting with the bot, will further help us create and curate strategic HR decisions”.

As per Das, earlier, the HR team at Manipal Hospitals spent a lot of time answering employees’ queries, which was more of a transactional task for the team. Now, with the implementation of MiPAL, the HR team will have more time to spend on the strategic aspect of HR and contribute significantly towards the Company’s growth. “Now, the HR will add more value to strategic decision- making in the Company,” explains Das.

Manipal Hospitals has about 6000 doctors on contractual basis, in addition to the 12,000 on-roll employees. Das shares with HRKatha that in the second phase of this project, the Company will further launch MiPAL for its doctors. “Though the doctors will mainly use the AI Chatbot more for operational purposes and less for HR-related queries, it will be beneficial for them too,” says Das.

It has only been a while since the implementation of MiPAL, but the employees at Manipal Hospitals have responded well to it. “Initial reaction from the employees has been decent. As of now, 52 per cent of our workforce has already downloaded the application and many have showed a positive intent,” asserts Das.

The post How 52% of Manipal Hospital’s workforce is already using MiPAL, its new AI chatbot appeared first on HR Katha.

“We use this data to identify the counselling needs of our high performers if we find their performance dipping over time.”

Kamlesh Dangi, group CHRO, Incred Financial Services

The data collected for reviews is vital, and different organisations will have different ways to collect the same.

A variety of methodologies and tools can be used to collect the data, including feedback from managers or even a 360-degree feedback. Ultimately, everything boils down to how companies use this valuable data. How is this data helpful in other areas and in ensuring efficiency?

Apart from the quantitative data which is collected, in today’s time, organisations also practise taking feedback from employees and managers which becomes a source of qualitative data. Insights derived from these qualitative data points can be used to make actionable decisions on improving other HR processes at the firm.

“Performance review gathers a huge amount of qualitative data which can be used to measure employee engagement with the help of Natural Language Processing (NLP). Through algorithms, it is possible to measure employee sentiments by analysing the language used in the performance reviews.”

Satyajit Mohanty, CHRO, Crompton Greaves

As psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman once said, “Often the performance review reveals more about the appraiser than the appraisee.”

Not only can the data be used to reduce noise and bias in the evaluation process, it can also be used as a very good feedback and development tool for managers.

Aligning roles vertically

The performance review data is used to align certain roles vertically. Let us take the instance of the roles of accounts manager and payroll manager. In the review meeting, the conflict between the two roles sometimes comes to the fore. Many a time, the payroll managers may claim they did not get some approval from the accounts managers, which led to delays. Aligning these two roles with each other, will ensure clarity. It will also improve the relationship between co-workers. “The data can be used to clarify the job roles and align them with each other, so that one role does not blame the other for non-delivery, as in the above-mentioned example of the account manager and payroll manager,” explains Sudhansu Misra, CHRO, Tata Coffee.

“The data can be used to clarify the job roles and align them with each other, so that one role does not blame the other for non-delivery, as in the above-mentioned example of the account manager and payroll manager.”

Sudhansu Misra, CHRO, Tata Coffee

Improving recruitment

The data, which is collected in the performance-review system, also helps improve the recruitment process of the organisation.

As per Avadhesh Dixit, CHRO, Acuity Knowledge Partners, “There are some mature organisations that use this data to improve efficiency in their recruitment process. They combine the recruitment data with the performance-review data, to analyse how many of the candidates who scored well in the hiring process turned out to be high performers.”

Rajeev Singh, CHRO, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires shares that at Yokohama, the performance review data is used to set internal benchmarks for hiring candidates in different roles.

“From the performance review data points, we get to know the attributes and skills required to be successful in a certain role. These benchmarks help us to make decisions while hiring people,” tells Singh.

“From the performance review data points, we get to know the attributes and skills required to be successful in a certain role. These benchmarks help us to make decisions while hiring people. At Yokohama, we have a programme called performance review and enhancement programme, where the company uses the data collected in the form of feedback from employees and managers to carve out team and individual training and development needs in the organisation”

Rajeev Singh, CHRO, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires

“Through use of qualitative and qualitative data, it is possible to derive correlation between competencies, behaviours, and performance. The same can be used for assessing ‘right fit’ at the time of interviews. Also by gauging the manager bias, the recruitment process can further be augmented,” opines Satyajit Mohanty, CHRO, Crompton Greaves.

At Crompton, a continuous performance feedback process has been initiated. “We not only draw significant inferences about talent assessment, career development and training, but also increasingly have started to understand and apply the data in some of the other uses,” says Mohanty.

Checking role fitment and performance

Some employees may be struggling in their current roles, and the organisation may find that some are better suited for other roles within the organisation, and make the necessary changes. That means, data tells one about role fitments in the organisation.

It will also be able to reveal who among the regular high performers are losing their touch. A trend may come to light where the performance of the regular performers may show a decline. Such revelations allow for the timely identification of such people who can then be counselled before it is too late. “We use this data to identify the counselling needs of our high performers if we find their performance dipping over time,” Kamlesh Dangi, group CHRO, Incred Financial Services.

“There are some mature organisations that use this data to improve efficiency in their recruitment process. They combine the recruitment data with the performance-review data, to analyse how many of the candidates who scored well in the hiring process turned out to be high performers.”

Avadhesh Dixit, CHRO, Acuity Knowledge Partners

Improving performance and training

Performance-review data points out the training needs of the organisation. It reveals where the employees lack in performance and how such gaps can be filled by training.

As Singh shares, at Yokohama, they have a programme called performance review and enhancement programme, where the company uses the data collected in the form of feedback from employees and managers to carve out team and individual training and development needs in the organisation.

Google for instance uses its performance-review data to identify certain must-have traits in its managers under Project Oxygen, a strategy derived in 2008 and revisited in 2018, to train future business leaders and inculcate best performance practices. This had some great impact because using the people analytics data made it more credible. As it was derived from a popular mandate which was employee feedback, it inspired other employees to follow suit. It just had wider acceptance. Also because it was based on data, managers themselves accepted and acknowledged the need for scope of improvement in their management style and function.

Combining engagement data with performance review data

As all companies conduct annual engagement surveys, how about combining that data with the performance review data? This will help the companies avoid regrettable turnovers amongst employees. By combining engagement scores with that of the performance-review scores, one will get to know the sentiments of the high performers. Whenever one finds some of the high performers going through a bad experience at the firm, one can take timely action and avoid losing a quality talent.

“Performance review gathers a huge amount of qualitative data which can be used to measure employee engagement with the help of Natural Language Processing (NLP). Through algorithms, it is possible to measure employee sentiments by analysing the language used in the performance reviews,” explains Mohanty.

Therefore, other than in the areas of succession planning, promotions and compensation, the performance-review data can be effectively used in many ways that can be beneficial to the organisation. It would be easier for HR teams to carve out plans, strategise and deliver HR solutions more efficiently.

The post How performance review data usage can be maximised appeared first on HR Katha.

The driver received an automated e-mail informing him that his services had been terminated. A bot had fired a human! For Amazon, this may be quite acceptable given that Jeff Bezos, chief executive officer, Amazon, believes that machines make more accurate decisions than humans because they are devoid of bias. However, what could be a reason for alarm is the dependency on tech to carry out key functions, such as termination of a contract which is expected to be done personally.

“We run a human organisation, and if we don’t provide a human interface for a decision which involves an individual’s career and livelihood, then we’d better not be in this business. Let’s not employ human beings at all then. Tomorrow I may not even need a leadership team. I could just bring in AI-enabled machines and make them managers. Getting a system to come back and execute a termination is completely inhuman. An organisation choosing to do so shouldn’t be in the people business.”

Nihar Ghosh, president – HR, Emami

Is it feasible?

Use of artificial intelligence and machine learning approach in the first stages of hiring isn’t uncommon. Many organisations indulge in early sieving of CVs with the use of a set algorithms to narrow down their searches. However, giving machines the power to take critical, high-risk decisions, such as analysing set parameters to conclude whether or not to keep someone at a job can be detrimental. In the Indian context, how feasible is this approach now that the dependency on technology in HR has increased manifold?

Rajesh Balaji, CHRO, Matrimony.com, is rather confident that such a system will take at least a couple of decades to be widely accepted in India. He, however, doesn’t rule out the possibility completely, because the bot is just executing the decision of the organisation. He also suggests how it can be made a lot more compassionate despite being a mechanical process.

“An adequate ecosystem needs to be created for people to be made aware beforehand that they will be fired, and the bot will just execute it. The message should not come as a surprise. The concerned employees should be provided a warning about them being in the red. One more mistake and the person is fired. So, if adequate filters are put in place, then it will not matter whether it is a bot or a human at the other end,” Balaji explains.

“An adequate ecosystem needs to be created for people to be made aware beforehand that they will be fired, and the bot will just execute it. The message should not come as a surprise. The concerned employees should be provided a warning about them being in the red. One more mistake and the person is fired. So, if adequate filters are put in place, then it will not matter whether it is a bot or a human at the other end.”

Rajesh Balaji, CHRO, Matrimony.com

He also points out that such things mostly occur at the entry level because as the pyramid goes up, the sensitivities are much stronger.

The reason why he thinks such a process will take some decades to enter India is that currently there’s no integrated system for the same, but perhaps, one day, there will be. He also speaks of the nudge technology — apps on phones that nudge people to meet deadlines without annoying or angering them. In fact, people try to overachieve to compensate for their shortcomings.

“There is no question of being offended because there’s no individual emotion there. Therefore, it is all about creating a technological ecosystem, which will prepare people to expect a termination from a bot,” suggests Balaji.

Who will look into the intangible data?

What has been mapped in the algorithm is yet another matter to be factored in. The algorithm maps tangible data, such as achievements, performances and personal track records, but what about the intangible data?

“In performance-management processes, we rely on machines to give us performance data. We use that data to make performance decisions. In selection of resources as well, we leverage machines. The key difference is the next step — what do we do once we have the output from machines? Do we rely solely on the scores or also try and understand other factors that may have impacted performance, say, a personal exigency? How do we communicate the outcome to the concerned people? Can we communicate even bad news with deep empathy? That decision is for humans to make.”

Amit Das, CHRO, Bennett Coleman & Company

Nihar Ghosh, president – HR, Emami, does not condemn technology if it involves an AI programme which has been designed and mapped well with defined parameters. However, it should come back with a recommendation. The precipitation of the action should involve a human interface, where somebody talks to the individual with understanding. It should have human involvement rather than being interpersonal.

“We run a human organisation, and if we don’t provide a human interface for a decision which involves an individual’s career and livelihood, then we’d better not be in this business. Let’s not employ human beings at all then. Tomorrow I may not even need a leadership team. I could just bring in AI-enabled machines and make them managers. Getting a system to come back and execute a termination is completely inhuman. An organisation choosing to do so shouldn’t be in the people business,” Ghosh asserts strongly.

Although he agrees machines cut down on biases, he is against them making the final call. “The world will not be governed by programmed learning. It is not an Avenger series. We created machines to serve us and not become subservient to them,” Ghosh points out.

Amit Das, CHRO, Bennett Coleman & Company, however, would not hastily label the Amazon case as one of machines taking over human jobs, without understanding what really happened. A contractor signed a contract to perform a job to a pre-defined standard. When the contractor failed to perform as per the standard, the contract was terminated through a pre-configured communication template. However, the decision to use this system of machine-monitored, machine-executed performance system was taken by humans. Machines can be designed to perform many routine and advanced tasks. However, the earmarking of tasks between man and machine is still a decision for humans to make.

“In performance-management processes, we rely on machines to give us performance data. We use that data to make performance decisions. In selection of resources as well, we leverage machines. The key difference is the next step — what do we do once we have the output from machines? Do we rely solely on the scores or also try and understand other factors that may have impacted performance, say, a personal exigency? How do we communicate the outcome to the concerned people? Can we communicate even bad news with deep empathy? That decision is for humans to make,” Das explains.

Does the answer lie in digital empathy?

Technology should be an enabler for us to take the right steps in the interest of the organisation, while preserving human dignity. It would be able to perform monotonous tasks and take away cognitive load from decision making, so that humans can perform higher-order functions. “To harness the power of technology, leaders will need to develop their digital empathy, and use it to design technical solutions. Only those organisations that focus on developing this critical competency in their leaders will be able to leverage the gift of technology. Others will relinquish their responsibility to machines in pursuit of hollow rational goals,” asserts Das.

Firing of a person by a bot can come as a shock to many, and understandably so. When dealing with people, one has to keep in mind human emotions and empathy. So, while AI and machine learning should be leveraged to get data, they shouldn’t be the ones making decisions such as terminating someone without any human interface.

The post Can humans be fired by a bot? appeared first on HR Katha.

A global study by Gartner found that the use of digital monitoring tools has increased over the years. In fact, the study reveals that the use of such technology by employers has increased from 30 per cent in 2015 to 50 per cent in 2018. The report which was released in 2020 expected it would increase to 80 per cent, that year.

However, in the post-covid scenario, when maximum employees have been working from home, the demand for employee-surveillance tools in India, as per industry estimates, has increased by 55 per cent.

What’s bothering is not the increase in usage of surveillance tools, but to the extent it is being used. These days, employee-monitoring software come with unique features to monitor employees in real time. Eighty-one per cent of such tools come with features, such as keystroke logging, where the employers are able to see every click of the keyboard of an employee. As per industry estimates, significant 61 per cent of these tools facilitate the monitoring of instant messaging, and 65 per cent come with user-action alert, where they notify the employer if the keyboard is kept idle for a specific period of time.

“If the industry and the nature of work so require, we can use such technology but with the consent of the employees.”

Paramjit Singh Nayyar, CHRO, Bharti AXA General Insurance

Some of these tools even allow employers access to the webcam, which monitors an employee by clicking pictures after every 10 minutes!

It was reported earlier in PC Magazine, that in companies, such as Deloitte and Bank of America, employees wore Humanyze badges, which were capable of tracking the movements of employees through beacons placed inside the offices. These badges also analysed the pitch of the employees’ voices, to identify whom they was talking to. This would help the employer track their movements and find out whom they were interacting with.

There is a new tool in the market, and people have named it, ‘Bossware’. It’s because, it can continuously monitor and record activity at a granular level and record the screens of users as well. What’s even more frightening is that it can be done without an employee’s knowledge.

Use of surveillance tools is rampant in the BFSI sector. But there is a need for it. It’s done to safeguard important data

“Sometimes, firms use applications that require access to employees’ mobile data. Without this access, the employees cannot mark their attendance or make use of other benefits the apps offer. In such cases, employees will always be worried that someone from the IT department has access to their personal mobile data at all times.”

Shailesh Saumya Singh, head of talent acquisition, Max Life Insurance

“If the industry and the nature of work so require, we can use such technology but with the consent of the employees,” says Paramjit Singh Nayyar, CHRO, Bharti AXA General Insurance.

Nayyar also adds, “We are a trust-based employer and at Bharti AXA, the managers have the accountability to make sure that all employees are working honestly.”

Shailesh Saumya Singh, head of talent acquisition, Max Life Insurance, also admits that his company also monitor but not with the purpose of tracking an employee’s movements but for the sake of keeping company data safe. In fact, he says that many people do not really know how the technology works and have their own assumptions.

He explains that the company keeps three areas under surveillance, but this can hardly disturb the privacy of any employee.

First is encryption of the data centre, which includes the cloud, e-mail Ids with company domain, and so on. The data centre is the area where all the company data is securely stored. Monitoring is required to ensure its safety, and the employees are well aware of this.

“Organisations may not openly admit to monitoring their employees, but in this digital era, nothing is really personal now. Managers may just ping the employees and if they do not respond instantly or do so after a long time, it does give them an indication that the employee is not at work. Even small information, such as the ‘last seen’ indicators on various messaging apps, help to monitor people. This way, indirectly, companies do keep an eye on their employees.”

Mahipal Nair, CHRO, Neilsen IQ

The second area under surveillance at Max Life Insurance, is the network, which includes the Wi-fi. “This allows access to information such as the IP address of the device being used, but this only reveals the location of the employee. In any case, the employees have provided their current and permanent addresses to the company. So, this is something that should not bother them much,” explains Singh.

Third is the hard drive of the company laptop and all the data stored therein. “That is all company data, and therefore, belongs to the firm. It is different if the employees choose to store anything inside the hard disk, which is their personal data,” mentions Singh.

Singh clarifies that these methods of tracking are not really meant to monitor employees, but to keep the company assets and data safe. “Most of this includes client details, which are the company’s asset. We cannot afford to have that data leaked or exposed to the public,” says Singh.

Surveillance tools are so advanced that they can track the typing speed, and also take pictures The objective is to align all of that data to get evaluate productivity level of the employee. This sounds ridiculous to Singh.

“It is pointless to go that far. After all, we are supposed to trust our employees. If companies do end up using such tools, they are making it pointless to have any teams in the organisation at all, because there is no trust factor,” points out Singh.

Singh draws attention to the fact that if an employee is using a mobile application, which is solely developed for internal use of the employer, then there can be a breach of privacy.

“Sometimes, firms use applications that require access to employees’ mobile data. Without this access, the employees cannot mark their attendance or make use of other benefits the apps offer. In such cases, employees will always be worried that someone from the IT department has access to their personal mobile data at all times,” shares Singh.

HRKatha tried speaking to several of the HR heads to find out what surveillance tools their companies have been using to monitor employees.

The HR head of a popular food-delivery app in India said an emphatic ‘no’, but chose not to comment further. The CHRO of another global IT firm refused to comment saying this is a sensitive issue.

It’s an irony that on one hand we talk about employee trust and outcome, and on the other hand there is increase usage of such surveillance tools.

Mahipal Nair, CHRO, Neilsen IQ, he replies, “We are strictly against such practices because we respect the freedom and privacy of our employees and the privacy laws. Those who own such systems should respect the choice, freedom and privacy of a person. Not just in COVID times, but even before that, our employees enjoyed flexible working hours at the firm. Many of them also worked from home, but we never felt the need to monitor them, because we trust them and do not want to breach their privacy in any way. ”

As Nair rightly points out, organisations may not openly admit to monitoring their employees, but in this digital era, nothing is really personal now. Managers may just ping the employees and if they do not respond instantly or do so after a long time, it does give them an indication that the employee is not at work. Even small information, such as the ‘last seen’ indicators on various messaging apps, help to monitor people. This way, indirectly, companies do keep an eye on their employees.

With everything getting digitised, people are leaving their digital foot prints behind. Nobody is really in the know of the kind of data, or the volume of information they themselves are sharing, and how it can be used. Therefore, it is only ethical for employers to monitor employees only to the extent that it does not invade their privacy. Most importantly, employees should be made aware of any such monitoring activity being indulged in.

The post Are we crossing boundaries while digitally monitoring employees? appeared first on HR Katha.

The voice BOT was inducted by the firm in the month of October 2020. TVS credit was earlier collecting data manually, but later, the firm decided to digitise this process for faster turnover. It took almost 18 months to fully implement and execute the idea of a voice BOT. TVS Credit’s workforce is multilingual with a combination of English, Tamil (and its different dialects) as well as Hindi. Therefore, it took time for the Company to find a vendor who could fulfil their requirements. Employees can interact with the BOT using multiple devices, AI Powered nudges and also via Whatsapp.

“Using the data collected by the BOT, we have been able to continuously attend to the needs and requirements of our people. There are numerous examples where the Task Force has helped many employees procure beds, medicines and other medical equipment.”

Jayashubha K, chief people officer, TVS Credit

Talking to HRKatha, Jayashubha K, chief people officer, TVS Credit, shares details about the functions that the BOT takes care of –

Continuous engagement – The BOT continuously keeps a check on each employee, to ensure that they are fine, in terms of their health and physical safety. It also follows up regularly with the employees regarding their COVID-related needs and requirements.

COVID survey – The BOT is also being used to take a COVID survey of the workforce to check how many are infected. It asks the employees if someone in their family has contracted the virus. If anybody needs immediate help, the BOT collects the details, which are then used by the People Task Force at TVS Credit to reach out to these employees and do the needful.

Vaccination survey – The BOT collects data on how many people have been vaccinated and how many are due for their second shot, and so on. The Company uses the BOT as a tool to spread awareness about the importance of vaccination.

The People Task Force at TVS Credit was formed in 2020 itself, just after the lockdown was announced by the Government. “We felt the need to form a task force immediately, to help those who may need any food items or other essentials during the national lockdown, amidst mobility restrictions,” says Jayashubha.

With the second wave of the pandemic hitting the country, the Task Force has shifted its focus to building contacts in the hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other government agencies so that they can help employees deal with shortage of oxygen, medicines, beds or any other COVID-related requirements.

Volunteers from amongst the employees are part of this Task Force. The leadership team is divided into geographical areas and there are 11 regional heads, who further report to zonal-area heads. “As our people are spread across geographical regions we needed an organised People Task Force to cater to their problems,” points out Jayashubha.

The employees can directly contact the members of this Task Force in case they need any help. “Using the data collected by the BOT, we have been able to continuously attend to the needs and requirements of our people. There are numerous examples where the Task Force has helped many employees procure beds, medicines and other medical equipment,” tells Jayashubha.

Under its Employee and Employee Family Assistance Programme (EFAP), called ‘Parivaar’, the Company is all set to sponsor the education of the children of the employees who have lost their lives due to COVID-19. As part of this initiative, TVS will sponsor the school-level and graduation-level educational programmes of the employees’ children. It will also pay the monthly salary of the deceased employees to their families for three years.

Under the ‘Parivaar’ programme, the Company has promised to provide job opportunities to a family member of any deceased employee, at TVS Credit, according to the qualification and professional experience of the person. “We are trying to hire such people in multiple roles depending on their education and experience. We will endeavour to at least accommodate such people in data-entry jobs, or at the call centre or in other back-end processing functions,” reveals Jayashubha.

TVS Credit claims that in cases where it is unable to offer jobs, the family members of the deceased employees will be given an opportunity to upskill themselves in various areas — in consultation with them — so that they can become employable. “We have tie-ups with many learning agencies that are helping us upskill these people,” shares Jayashubha.

The family assistance programme rolled out by TVS Credit, has had a positive impact on the lives of at least 20 families.

The post How TVS Credit engages a voice BOT to find employees’ COVID needs appeared first on HR Katha.

Viva is designed to help employees learn, grow and thrive, with new experiences that integrate with the productivity and collaboration capabilities in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams.

Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft, says in an official communique, “We have participated in the largest at-scale remote work experiment the world has seen, and it has had a dramatic impact on the employee experience.”

“Every organisation will require a unified employee experience from onboarding and collaboration to continuous learning and growth. Viva brings together everything an employee needs to be successful, from day one, in a single, integrated experience directly in Teams,” he adds.

Viva allows integration and will enable customers to integrate their existing employee experience systems and tools with Viva to make them more accessible and discoverable to employees.

The new tool from Microsoft has four modules – Viva Connections, Viva Insights, Viva Learning, and Viva Topics.

Viva Connections provides a single-entry point for employee engagement and internal communications. It allows leaders to connect with employees via company town halls. At the same time, employees are able to access everything from company news, policies, and benefits to employee resource groups or communities they want to join.

Viva Insights provides individuals, managers and leaders personalised and actionable privacy-protected insights that help everyone in an organisation thrive. For instance, it can help managers see if their team is at risk of burnout and provide recommendations, such as encouraging them to turn off notifications, set boundaries in their calendars, and set daily priorities to focus on what matters most.

Similarly, it promises to help CXOs address complex challenges and respond to change. It provides leaders with organisational network analysis to understand the connectedness and cohesion between and across teams.

Viva Learning will allow organisations to create a central hub for learning in Teams, with AI that can recommend the right content at the right time. It aims to make learning a natural part of every employee’s daily work as well as the company culture. It allows managers to assign learning to their team members, and track the completion of courses.

The fourth tool, Viva Topics delivers a knowledge discovery experience that helps people connect to information and experts across the company. It integrates knowledge from a variety of third-party services.

The tool is also enabled with consulting and advisory services from a global network of services partners, including Accenture, Avanade, PwC and EY.

The idea behind Microsoft Viva is to provide a unified platform and a one-stop solution to organisations to integrate their fragmented workplace tools, which is otherwise a $300 billion industry of a fragmented market of services, infrastructure and hundreds of tools.

The post Microsoft launches VIVA for better employee experience appeared first on HR Katha.

The candidates and employees will also benefit from this front-end experience in Microsoft Teams that monitors internal mobility and scans the applications of candidates. Talent Experience Management (TXM) and Teams will come together to reduce collaborative attrition for many small-scale and large-scale enterprises that use Teams for communication.

New upgrades are now available for capability functions for both interviewers and managers. Recruiters can forward promising resumes to the talent managers who can then evaluate them. This facilitates the next step, the automated video interview scheduling for a single candidate or group interviews. Interviewers can utilise in-meeting side panels for notes, as the managers stay focused on the interview.

Employees will also benefit from this collaboration with Team’s internal mobility tools within easy reach. They can browse for job openings based on their portfolio and skillset and get automated answers for common FAQs, which will save the HR team valuable time. Employees can also get job referrals for family and friends, and track their application status.

Team users and Phenom customers can now easily choose candidates that best suit their organisation, without disrupting their workflow. Virtual hiring is more likely to continue, post the opening of offices.

The integration of TXM with Team boosts productivity and gives recruiters access to more areas for hiring candidates. With hybrid and remote-working culture here to stay, the HR team will have their work simplified with artificial intelligence (AI).

Phenom also recently acquired My Ally, a powerful talent-management AI, which can schedule 20,000 interviews every week.

The post Microsoft Teams integrates with Phenom, a global talent-experience management platform appeared first on HR Katha.

Harnessing technology

Speaking to HRKatha, Rajesh Balaji, newly appointed CHRO, Matrimony.com, points out, “Technology is no more a nice-to-have tool for HR. We are talking about creating a talent cloud. There are no more border restrictions in hiring. My vision is to find out how we can make data available for people leaders, so that they are empowered to make decisions faster and offer the best experience to staff and customers.”

“I wish to explore ways to use data science, and slice, dice and analyse data for quick decision-making. This includes predictive attrition, early signs of disengagement, happiness meter and more. We are looking at geo-fencing attendance too. Gone are the days of biometric systems or personal sign-ins. Everyone has a mobile with a GPS now. So, one can figure out where the person is.”

Balaji’s goals include making a future-ready organisation, which includes digital disruption, leadership pipeline building, using data analytically and tactically and raising employer branding, through unique employer-value propositions.

My vision is to find out how we can make data available for people leaders, so that they are empowered to make decisions faster, and offer the best experience to staff and customers

Learning and development

When people work from remote locations, there are multiple advantages, but there are also disadvantages. There are some gaps that need to be filled and challenges that need to be overcome — brainstorming, socialisation, data security and regulation. Balaji is convinced that all of this can be achieved purely with the help of digitisation, data and emerging tools. “What we call a luxury today will become a tool in the future, to manage employee productivity. We will harness the data to improve the productivity of the staff and morale of the employees,” he points out.

This will, however, require some learning and development. Matrimony.com will work on a strategic digital roadmap, which will also include educating the staff to co-exist with machines, such as AI and ML, apart from talent cloud and geo-fencing.

Productivity-based PMS

Similar to many organisations that have seen better productivity in the times of COVID-19, with the work-from-home format, Matrimony too saw a 30 per cent spike in productivity. What helped is the flexible work hours and the moving of the server-based application to the employees’ tablets. The organisation has over 50 per cent women in the workforce, who benefitted the most from the remote-working setup. The Company is now contemplating making flexible hours a permanent format. Now, it is working towards enhancing employee experience in the coming days by using design-thinking processes to solve employees’ problems.

“Design thinking is an approach which will change HR at its core. It will develop a human-centric mind-set that focuses beyond programmes and processes, to develop meaningful experiences for the employees. Design thinking will gauge whether the policies are future fit. Structure, capability, substantial growth are the keys and I believe these can be achieved through technology, policies and processes to improve staff experience,” says Balaji.

Productivity-based performance management system is at the core of it all. “We used real-time data to see how productivity happened on a daily basis. From monthly productivity monitoring we are moving to a daily format. Therefore, we know exactly what to do with the data. That will ultimately decide customer conversion. Infrastructure is, therefore, the biggest parameter,” Balaji signs off.

Matrimony.com’s vision is to create a great place to work, that adapts digital capability to provide the best employee experience.

The post Matrimony.com bets big on HR tech with talent cloud, geo fencing & predictive attrition appeared first on HR Katha.

Studies have shown that chatbots can be a welcome move for companies, as they can help them save up to $8 billion every year by 2022. In today’s era, chatbots have become an essential tool for employers to keep track of their employees’ physical health and mental wellbeing, without any need for physical interaction by managers or the HR department. Moreover, chatbots are known for their ability to escalate issues to the correct authorities, in case the queries or issues cannot be resolved by the chatbot by itself.

Sun Life believes that the launch of its first chatbot on ASCI’s internal employee social- media platform is a positive move, in keeping with the digital transformation across companies. The organisation’s workforce comprises 90 per cent millenials, and clearly, it wants to keep up with the times by providiing its employees a seamless experience.

The idea for a chatbot, such as Nina, came about in a technology team huddle, where the topic of discussion was how to minimise time spent on handling repeated issues or queries and increase the productivity of workers. The end result was Nina.

Currently, the chatbot is handling technology-related queries but the Comany hopes to expand its role to other functions, such as administration, HR, finance and strategic content distribution as well. Sun Life has been sending out tutorials on how to use the chatbot effectively. On first encounter, Nina assures that even though she may not have all the answers, she is a quick learner.

In the first few weeks of its launch itself, Nina has answered 3.87 questions on an average, per user.

Amit Kumar Gupta, head- technology services, ASCI, reveals that Nina is considered a virtual assistant and a member of the technology team, and that she has been very positively received. The Company plans to incorporate more questions and launch it for other markets in Sun Life.

As part of the launch, Nina was inducted like a new employee according to Rajat Vibhas, head- business excellence and communications, ASC. Information was shared with the workforce about the same and today, she is considered a dependable virtual colleague who can answer any IT support-related query at any time.

The post Sun Life ASC India launches chatbot for its staff social-media platform appeared first on HR Katha.

New York City’s Department of Education has also begun to ban the usage of the app for the purpose of learning or working from home.

Of late, there have been several reports of people forcing themselves into virtual meetings of employees without invitation, during the lockdown. Users have also complained that the app has been sending personal data to Facebook, as it employs a software development kit (SDK) used by Facebook. Incidents have to come light wherein hate speeches or flashes of porn and objectionable content have disrupted Zoom video calls.

Google has informed Zoom that it will not allow its staff to use the app on their official laptops or desktops. However, it also conveyed that if the employees wish to use the app on their personal communication devices or mobile phones, they will be allowed to do so at their own risk.

The CEO of Zoom has admitted to a security issue in the app and has assured that the same will be fixed, but that a month’s time will be required for the same.

Meanwhile, a case has been filed against Zoom by one of its investors, Michael Drieu, accusing the company of hiding some of the app’s shortcomings and security defects. It also alleged that the app failed to offer end-to-end encryption.

The post Google employees banned from using Zoom appeared first on HR Katha.

The COVID-19 Employee Safety and Business Continuity Tracker app comes with a live dashboard ‘visualising the scope’ of COVID-19 in their workforce.

Employees will be provided with a set of risk-assessment questions and they can provide details about their circumstances amid the COVID-19. The organisation can then take necessary measures based on their answers saved in the dashboards. 

In an official statement, Alan Trefler, CEO and founder, Pegasystems, said, “Speed and accuracy are critical elements in times of crisis. With the state of the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolving, Pega quickly developed this app to help our clients ensure the well-being of their employees and customers, while also helping to mitigate their business risks.”

Trefler hoped the app will contribute to the fight against the virus. 

Interestingly, the tracking app was inspired by a client, a healthcare provider in the US. The organisation, with over 200,000 employees and volunteers, was in search of a solution as many of its employees were doctors and nurses fighting against COVID-19. 

Pegasystem used this idea and developed its own app to be used across organisations and industries.

The organisation deployed a system to clarify who is cleared to work, and determine when infected or at-risk staff can re-enter the schedule rotation.

Pega says that companies can customise this app and configure according to how the software reacts to different risk scenarios.

The post Pegasystems launches tracking app to track COVID-19 spread amongst staff appeared first on HR Katha.

With the coronavirus outbreak, most companies have asked their employees to work from home or telecommute. However, to assume that all employees will be equally motivated, engaged and high on productivity is too much to expect. Some employees are bound to be slow and sloppy, and may treat the opportunity as an extended holiday. Even for the efficient ones who are already in place, if the telecommuting period is prolonged, monotony may set in. This will cause them to struggle to keep themselves motivated.

It will be the HR’s job to ensure that the business and client delivery remain unaffected. Now, that is a daunting task!

In a virtual environment, there is a need to be socially engaged, wherein the ability to ‘see’ a face builds the trust factor between an employee and employer

For companies to keep the workforce engaged during such difficult times, communication is the key. Being away from the team can make remote employees unsure of whether their contributions are impacting the team or project in any way. Connecting them with other co-workers can make them feel connected to the team. Engaging them on social platforms can work in the company’s favour as well. Clearly, timely communication and frequent feedback can assure these employees that their role is valued, and also keep them engaged.

Mindtree has been actively engaging with its employees, sharing health advisories from time to time. A 24×7 medical helpline, staffed by specialist doctors, has been set up for Mindtree Minds and their families. Initiatives such as a microsite and a helpline specifically created for Covid-19 are helping Mindtree Minds get real-time guidance on any coronavirus-related queries.

Most IT organisations are trying to do their bit to keep their workforces engaged. ”Amid the corona virus scare, and the myths going around, we have to take care of the hygiene factors in an organisation. In such a situation, communication becomes the key and you have to provide social distancing measures to the employees. In the midst of chaotic situations like these, the responsiveness is slow. Therefore, we have to deal with employee fear, hygiene, social distancing, practical sessions, and also get epidemic experts on board to keep the employees engaged,” said the HR head of another IT company.

Where employee engagement is concerned, ITC Infotech is not lagging behind either. Suchismita Burman, CHRO, ITC Infotech, stressed on the kind of roles that an employee plays, saying, “ What needs to be done from an engagement standpoint is purely based on the nature of the role each employee plays. From educational engagement and awareness, to helping them in this virtual journey, is what we are focused on.”

“To make sure that productivity is not hampered and employees remain engaged, keeping the line of sight at a certain level and allowing the employees the required access is a key responsibility of the managers,” adds Burman.

Is technology the answer?

Yes, technological advancements have not only allowed us to work from home efficiently, but have also helped companies monitor their employees. Companies are using collaborative tools and time-tracking applications to effectively examine the remote work 24/7. Video conferencing and skype calls keep the individual employees connected to the team and ensure that employees do not feel alienated and lonely.

“Most of the Mindtree Minds are already working from home, as we have enhanced infrastructure and remote-access facilities such as collaboration tools. We are encouraging Mindtree Minds to utilise the time available to enhance their skills, using our digital learning platform, Yorbit,” says Paneesh Rao, chief people officer, Mindtree.

“In the IT sphere, there is a need to ensure confidentiality of data and arrangements are required to keep data secure. While we have a major concern for the employees, the big question lies in balancing customers, employees, stakeholders and society at the same time.”

Technology and remote working, however, also have their drawbacks.

The HR head of a leading multinational IT company opines that there are prevailing challenges that come with a remote working culture. “Every company is trying to make work from home possible. In the IT sphere, there is a need to ensure confidentiality of data and arrangements are required to keep data secure. While we have a major concern for the employees, the big question lies in balancing customers, employees, stakeholders and society at the same time.”

“we have also issued a detailed guideline to employees and managers to handle remote work. This includes protocols for working as per project requirements, client interactions, teamwork and time accounting for the work delivered. We also have a dedicated team working on issues that come up related to technology, connectivity or people. This has helped us respond quickly”

Trust & Transparency

While technology allows us to overcome some of the logistic problems, that is not the only way out in the current situation.

What employees and organisations should emphasise on are trust and transparency. The fact is that transparency is a two-way track. Both the employees and the employers need to share information freely to increase transparency in a remote environment. Transparency leads to recognition and accountability with clear objectives. It cultivates the health and success of a business. More transparency means more trust and the same is the building block of an employer-employee relationship.

At the same time, building a remote team culture based on trust, on a common purpose and on fostering long-lasting productive relationships is the long-term goal of many multinational companies.

However, it is also one of the biggest challenges, as testified by the number of failures. Yet, despite the numerous benefits, the transition from physical to virtual teams is fraught with difficulties causing many virtual teams to underperform or fail entirely. The need to build trust in remote teams is now more pressing than ever.

Richard Lobo, EVP & head HR, Infosys, says, “The primary attention is focused on employee safety while we meet our client commitments. Our experience is that our workforce is professional and understands that irrespective of the physical location of work, the quality and intensity of the work delivered cannot be compromised. We have not seen anything different in the current situation.”

“Infosys is strictly following guidelines issued by local governments to handle this pandemic, which is why we have advised our employees to work from home wherever possible,” adds Lobo.

“However, we have also issued a detailed guideline to employees and managers to handle remote work. This includes protocols for working as per project requirements, client interactions, teamwork and time accounting for the work delivered. We also have a dedicated team working on issues that come up related to technology, connectivity or people. This has helped us respond quickly,” explains Lobo.

We are encouraging Mindtree Minds to utilise the time available to enhance their skills, using our digital learning platform

At ITC Infotech, managers and employees are made to focus on conversations that will eventually help build the trust factor among them. “In a virtual environment, there is a need to be socially engaged, wherein the ability to ‘see’ a face builds the trust factor between an employee and employer,” shares Burman.

Sharing his work-from-home experience, Satyarth Priyedarshi, head of digital, TATA AIA, posted on social media, “There was a time when I loved work from home. Because that meant lunch at home, tea at home, zero commute, zero supervision, zero dressing up requirements, zero interruptions. But managing work from a distance became a series of calls and mails, which went on until late in the evening. Most of the day was spent locked up in the room, which the family didn’t have access to. Confidential calls became a challenge.”

While remote working is the best way to allow an employee’s creativity to flow, in some ways it is still overrated.

The post Coronavirus: Challenges of telecommuting appeared first on HR Katha.

The concerned employees have been asked to furnish a valid reason for not abiding by the rules. Their salaries will now be paid subject to the reasons furnished by them.

The order had been given last year to ensure that the practice of proxy attendance is checked. It was also a way to monitor the employees, as the biometric attendance system uses smart devices to record the time at which the employees report for work and the time they leave. The employees are required to use their fingerprints to register their arrival and departure.

The municipal commissioner also made it clear that those who fail to mark their biometric attendance will be marked absent.

The Corporation is also determined to distribute wrist watches enabled with the global positioning system (GPS) to keep track of the whereabouts of its field staff. The sweepers’ association, however, does not approve of the plan and the employees have been protesting the move, claiming health hazards from using the gadgets. But the municipal corporation has turned a deaf ear and is expected to purchase these watches soon.

The post Mark biometric attendance or lose salary appeared first on HR Katha.

The attention on HR and job tech is increasing probably because companies are increasingly going digital and the e-commerce space is already almost saturated. Fintech was at the peak in 2019, but in 2020, among other B2B sectors, HR tech seems to be the most popular.

Investors, such as Sequoia, Accel India and Tiger Global have been widely participating in the funding of various startups. Some of the new companies, such as Darwinbox and InterviewBit are returning to seek further investments after having already raised funds in a seed round. Asian investors, including Recruit Holdings and Beenext from Japan are keen to invest in the HR technology sector in India.  In January this year, the job portal, WorkIndia, managed to bag funds worth $5.8 million from Xiaomi.

Unitus Ventures is looking forward to funding job tech startups that are focussed on upskilling, assessment and job hunting. Its investment fund is worth Rs 300 crore. According to the study, investors seem to be on the lookout for companies that will be able to skill workforces and make them future ready.

The post Angel investors more drawn towards HR tech startups: Study appeared first on HR Katha.

The digital employment exchange is powered by Workruit, and will offer information related to over 1,75,000 vacancies. At present it posts more than 1,85,000 vacancies.

As a result of DEET’s collaboration with the placement officers of government colleges in the state of Telangana, as well as with the colleges affiliated to Osmania University, thousands of students will benefit from this facility.

Programmes are being conducted in colleges across Telangana to make students aware of the DEET initiative and how they can use it to gain maximum advantage. Students are also being taught how to search and apply for jobs. With all colleges under Osmania University relying on DEET to place their students, the digital exchange is set to become widely popular.

Those keen to look for suitable jobs may apply for the vacancies posted by first creating a profile on DEET. The app can be downloaded from Google Play Store at http://bit.ly/TSDEET . More information is available on www.tsdeet.com, where job seekers and students can sign up in order to apply for jobs.

The post DEET to simplify job search appeared first on HR Katha.

In the past, only the employer could update this date. And without this exit date it was not possible for an account holder to withdraw money from the account or even transfer the account to a new employer.

However, now EPF account holders can use the Member e-Sewa portal to update the exit date in their EPFO records, online.

All they need to do is, log in to the Member e-Sewa portal by entering their Universal Account Number (UAN), password, and captcha code. Then they have to click on the ‘Manage’ tab and select the ‘Mark Exit’ option. This opens a new tab, where the employer and EPF account can be selected for updating the exit date. This date will have to be two months after the last contribution made by the employer. Once the date is entered, the reason for exit also has to be mentioned. The updation requires the employee to enter an OTP code that is sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number of the employee. A click on the ‘update’ option takes care of everything else.

The post EPF subscribers can now update their online records themselves appeared first on HR Katha.

Chatbots for mental health are the latest innovations. These are bots designed to help provide the first step, for people undergoing mental stress and anxiety, to find a safe place to share their thoughts. They are created to be conversational, sensitive to keywords so as to detect the mood of the person, available 24/7, and also help out by providing insights using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). A structured talk therapy, CBT has proved to be effective in dealing with anxiety and depression.

However, will it be awkward talking to a bot rather than a real person? Not entirely. While a part of the population may think so, the new generation, especially the millennials and Gen Z, may think otherwise. The young crowd is digitally savvy and may be more comfortable sharing with a responsive bot rather than a real person. This makes sense when we think about how workplaces are becoming more remote, and increasing internet conversations are making human interaction more limited.

The algorithms behind the bot have to be designed in a way that ensures it behaves in a particular manner, which is helpful for the person talking to it on the other side. The people developing the bot need to be well aware of nuances of mental health

A WHO survey reveals that depression is a leading cause of mental health disorder across the world, affecting over 300 million people globally. A clear link has been established between suicide in people aged 15–29 and depression. Moreover, in our day-to-day lives, it is seen that talking about mental health issues is still a stigma in most places or considered a fancy or first-world problem.

With such a scenario, having a first aid kind of response in a chatbot can be a useful thing. Let us understand that these bots are not a solution but merely intended to be the first step in dealing with one’s feelings.

Although not yet widely used, they are not new either. In 2017, Dr. Alison Darcey founded the world’s first exclusive mental health chatbot, called Woebot, for young adults in college and graduate school. A randomised control trial at Stanford showed that the students aged 18–28, who used the therapeutic bot, reported significantly reduced symptoms of depression in two weeks.

Today, there are many other such bots, some of which are available online for free. Kamlesh Dangi, group head-HR, InCred, agrees, “It is certainly a good idea as some from that age and generation are very comfortable with digital tech. It is a preferred form of engagement for them. While others will certainly find it odd to talk to a computer, a bot will certainly appeal to them to approach.”

Are chatbots really the answer?
Well, not everyone is convinced and it can be debated whether one ought to be. Mental health is a complex issue and articulating how one feels can be extremely difficult even to a trained professional who can see the facial expressions, nuanced inflections in tone and even body language. Compared to that, using a bot may seem superficial.

Moreover, there are other issues as well. A chatbot will be trained with underlying neural nets and learning algorithms and can potentially inherit the prejudice of its makers. Prasad Kulkarni, VP-global HR operations, Accelya Group, points out, “The algorithms behind the bot have to be designed in a way that ensures it behaves in a particular manner, which is helpful for the person talking to it on the other side. The people developing the bot need to be well aware of nuances of mental health.”

It is certainly a good idea as some from that age and generation are very comfortable with digital tech. It is a preferred form of engagement for them.

Another area of concern is data security, privacy and trust. Many of these interactions will contain sensitive information, which the users may not have shared with their families or friends. With no fear of being judged or made fun of, they may spill all their emotions and give vent to their feelings without any filter. By doing so, they become vulnerable for they have no idea of how their data will be used.

While chatbots are not a panacea for mental health problems, they may prove useful as a support intervention, if the technology is transparent. The use of such bots and the ethical issues surrounding them remain debateable, and they are not widely used among organisations, yet. Whether they will be in the future still remains to be seen.

All that needs to be kept in mind is that AI is merely a support and not a solution. If we start relying on AI to resolve all mental health issues, then we may be playing a dangerous game ourselves.

The post Chatbots for mental health: Will they work? appeared first on HR Katha.

This proposal, if implemented, will not only ensure cost-effectiveness but will also help ensure that all candidates get an equal opportunity, irrespective of their background. It will also make governance simpler.

At first, separate CETs shall be held for graduate, higher secondary (class 12-pass) and matriculate (class 10-pass) candidates, for non-technical vacancies, the recruitments for which are presently done by the SSC, the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).

It is the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) that conducts the civil services examination every year to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS), in addition to other Group A and Group B (gazetted) services. The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) also recruits for Central government departments, primarily for Group B posts.

Presently, there are a total of 6, 83,823 vacant posts in the Central government departments, of which 5, 74,289 belong to Group C, and 89,638 to Group B. About 19,896 vacancies exist in the Group A category. All candidates who hope to land a government job, are expected to take different examinations conducted by various recruiting agencies for positions that have similar eligibility criteria. These exams comprise several rounds of tests, including an online multiple-choice objective round. Over two crore candidates take these tests every year, while the vacancies are only about 1.25 lakh.

If a computer-based online CET is introduced, and handled by a specialised agency, the issue of taking multiple tests (even for posts with similar eligibility criteria) will be eliminated for the candidates. This will also save the candidates the cost of paying multiple application fee. They will not have to unnecessary travel several times to take these tests either.

The candidates from rural areas will be most benefitted because there will be at least one test centre in each district and the candidates will get to choose the centre. The process of selection of candidates will also be speeded up.

The score of each candidate, which will be valid for three years, will be available to the candidate as well as the recruitment agency. The candidates will have the option to appear for a retest twice, to improve their scores, if required.

The candidates will finally be selected on the basis of separate specialised exams held by the concerned recruitment agencies. The CET results can be used by the state governments and ministries to hire talent too.

The post Common eligibility test proposed to fill Central government vacancies appeared first on HR Katha.

In the past, marketers used demographics to segment their customers on the basis of location, age and gender. However, in the 1960s, Daniel Yanklelovish, a social scientist, suggested that companies use non-demographic segmentation for better results. Later, Arnold Mitchel came up with the VALS methodology— short for values, attitudes and lifestyle— for segmentation.

Psychographic profiling, where people are segmented according to their values, interests, hobbies, principles and preferences, can be used by HR to tailor their programmes related to employee health and L&D initiatives.

Nowadays, one size does not fit all. Therefore, products and services need to be tailored on the basis of the demographics and psychographics of the population. The demographics reveals ‘who’ and ‘where’ the targeted audience is, while psychographics goes deep into analysing the behavioural patterns of the people and reveals ‘what’ product they will buy and ‘why’.

“In my earlier stints as CHRO, we have used normal conversations to decipher the hobbies and behavioural patterns of people and track consistency of behaviour”

In HR, psychographic profiling tells us about the motivators, which stimulate the person to take some action. The values, interests, hobbies, principles and preferences of individuals define the motivators of their actions. This can help to segment employees and get to know the real motivators for different groups and individuals.

Though many companies use demographics to segment their employees, with the advancement in technology, they have now begun to collect vital data required for psychographic profiling.

Rajendra Mehta, executive director, Synergy Capitals, told HRKatha that in his career, he has witnessed companies using psychographics during the recruitment process to get to know the candidates better. The data for the same is collected through conversations asking different questions and delving deep into the behavioural patterns of the candidates.

In addition, data pertaining to the employees is also collected by HRMS platforms, and then HR programmes are tailored accordingly.

“In my earlier stints as CHRO, we have used normal conversations to decipher the hobbies and behavioural patterns of people and track consistency of behaviour,” says Mehta.

For psychographic profiling, long questionnaires are not used to collect data. People are given essay-writing tests and hypothetical situations, from which data for psychographic profiling is collected.

Ferns & Petals, an online retailer, also uses psychographic profiling, in its recruitment process.

“We have been using psychographic profiling for a few months now. It has helped us remove bias, bring in transparency, and also find a scientific basis for all our actions now”

It has proved very useful in identifying the gaps in the competency levels of the employees.

Nishant Madhukar, group head-HR, Ferns & Petals, explains that if a person is at level 2, but should be at level 3 based on competency, that means there is a gap. Psychographic profiling helps identify the training gaps and needs of employees or groups of employees.

It also helps Ferns & Petals gauge whether employees aspire to grow, as well as their future development needs for which an individual development programme or IDP is created.

Madhukar explains that they send out online links to employees, which contain essay-writing tests and hypothetical situations, through which relevant data is collected.

“We have been using psychographic profiling for a few months now. It has helped us remove bias, bring in transparency, and also find a scientific basis for all our actions now,” shares Madhukar.

“Within our health and safety pillar, the initiatives for the sales team focus more on driving safety, as they spend a large part of their time driving their vehicles to meet customers, while those for office staff focus on ergonomics, as they spend a significant time at workstations and in meetings”

Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical company also uses the segmentation approach which fits to their workforce. The company segments its employees on the bases of their job profile, gender, age, tenure and preferences.

As rightly explained by Anant Garg, director HR, Eli Lilly, “Within our health and safety pillar, the initiatives for the sales team focus more on driving safety, as they spend a large part of their time driving their vehicles to meet customers, while those for office staff focus on ergonomics, as they spend a significant time at workstations and in meetings. Similarly, our L&D approach for our sales team, who are less than two years old in the company (6, 12, 24 month interventions) is different from what we have for those with a longer tenure.”

The Company collects data through real time, structured and continuous feedback. “The collected data helps us draw trends and make major adjustments in our HR processes and initiatives. This makes our initiatives and offerings relevant and engaging for each group,” mentions Garg.

It is reported that psychographic profiling was widely used to target voters during the US presidency elections, where the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal came out. However, it was widely criticised for the way people’s personal information was used to target them during elections.

If collected ethically, the data can be definitely used by HR for the betterment of not just the employees, but the organisation as a whole.

The post How psychographic profiling is being used for better employee experience appeared first on HR Katha.

The Mumbai-based Talent Litmus was founded in 2016 by IIT and IIM alumnus Satpreet Arora, along with Kiran Wadhwa. The company has created proprietary algorithms based on psychology and data sciences, to power its game-based HR applications. This, combined with highly-engaging game mechanics, enables them to create powerful tools for organisations to engage with not only their present but future employees.

Talent Litmus aims to blend game design, psychology and data analytics to give an altogether new perspective to talent management. Its product, Nautics, won the best behavioural assessment award at the World HRD Congress 2019.

Over the next two years, Talent Litmus hopes to create a client base of over 200+ across India, Europe and the US. The startup will use its funds to invest in research and development (R&D), add to its product range and expand its presence into other regions.

Talent Litmus was already successfully being used at Haptik. That is why, Vaish was convinced about investing in the startup, having experienced the product and its credible R&D.

With traditional techniques being replaced by more innovative solutions in the assessments and corporate learning industry, this is the right time for Talent Litmus to expand.

The post Mumbai-based Talent Litmus receives funding from IPV and Let’s Venture appeared first on HR Katha.

It is reported that the tool will automatically alert management about employees who create a calendar event with over 10 rooms or 100 participants. Clearly, the leadership is trying to put in place ways to get to know without any delay if and when employees try to organise themselves.

However, the Company maintains that the tool is just an extension that reminds people to think before automatically adding a meeting to the calendars of large groups of employees. According to the Company, the extension was created to counter the huge number of spams that were generated due to calendars and events. Google maintains that the tool does not gather personal information about any of the employees and does not hinder the use of calendars either. It only presents a sort of speed breaker when employees try to connect with too many of their peers.

It is reported that once installed, the tool cannot be removed from the computers by the employees.

This browser tool that apparently monitors meeting requests by workers and keeps watch on them, goes against the ‘open’ and liberal culture that Google is otherwise famous for.

The post Google employees accuse employer of monitoring their meeting requests appeared first on HR Katha.

Founded by IIT-Guwahati alumni Bipul Vaibhav and Kumar Sambhav, along with ex-Tracxn member and NIT-Jamshedpur alumnus, Anand Kumar, Skillate was launched in 2016 with the vision of making recruitment easy, fast and transparent. Its B2B SaaS application helps enterprises optimise the hiring process with the power of artificial intelligence (AI).

Skillate’s platform helps recruiters post smart job descriptions, ensures AI-based candidate screening, offers automated phone screening to qualify candidates with the help of chatbots, and also schedules interviews to hire them.

The Company raised a seed round of capital in October 2017 from Incubate Fund, which was utilised to build product and sales. Prior to the seed investment, it was incubated by SAP Labs India.

With almost 2.2 million resumes processed and increasing at the rate of 10 per cent every month, the Company has worked with enterprise customers including OYO Rooms, L&T Construction, Saint Gobain and Yes Bank. Currently, it has a small but dedicated team of 15 people and it is planning to increase to 40 by next year.

Speaking on the inspiration behind Skillate, the founders shared that they had started off wanting to build software capable of ensuring better hiring experiences for recruiters and companies and equipped to make their recruitment process easy, fast and transparent. At every step of the hiring process, organisations and candidates should be clear about the steps to follow and the timeline of the entire process. In large establishments, where thousands of applications are received, keeping track and ensuring transparency becomes difficult, and that is where the trio saw an opportunity to build Skillate.

In the future, there are plans to expand overseas and invest in product development using AI and advanced analytics, and also grow the team.

The post Skillate raises $1M in Pre Series A round funding appeared first on HR Katha.

The survey covered about 1,000 e-mail accounts of employees across organisations. The reason for excessive mails was found to be group e-mails sent to shared inboxes or distribution lists. In fact, a significant 51 per cent of the mails are part of group mails.

The inboxes of employees were full of forwards and copied mails.

While 13 per cent are forwarded, about 8 per cent are cc mails. Even if employees do open 84 per cent of the mails they are copied on, they only reply to about 19 per cent of them. They open only about 70 per cent of the forwarded mails and reply to about 20 per cent of them.

The group e-mails fare no better. Only about 50 per cent of them are opened and replies are sent to hardly 14 per cent of them.

Clearly, the e-mail is not designed to be a collaboration tool even though people do wish to use it to collaborate.

The post Read and response rates for e-mails alarmingly low appeared first on HR Katha.

This new method to hire experienced managers and people in leadership roles involves minimal interaction with the candidates, before making an offer and discussing the commercials.

The process is very much similar to a 360-degree performance review.

The first step is to stop accepting applications and start demanding written nominations from internal and external stakeholders.

The nominees should then be asked to give five references — people they have worked with in the past.

These five references should be asked to give one name each of a current or former colleague of the candidate, that is, somebody who is aware of the candidate’s leadership style and way of working.

Therefore, this process will involve a jury of 10 people, with each one undergoing in-depth interviews. Through these detailed interactions with the 10 references, the hiring managers will be able to obtain a great deal of vital information about the candidate.

“Jury system hiring will definitely work very well. It will give credible and authentic data points about the candidate. It becomes a reliable source of information and also gives several different perspectives”

Finally, the candidate can be called for a meeting at the office, where the conversation can start with a formal offer.

This ‘jury’ system will allow organisations to hire candidates without any bias. The system is better than personal interviews because the candidate does not get an opportunity to lie. Also, 10 different perspectives of a candidate are any day better than just one.

Rajeev Singh, CHRO, ATG Tires, reveals that they do follow this method but not in the exact same manner. They have a more informal approach. Recently, while hiring a C-suite member, they took information from the candidate’s current as well as former colleagues well before scheduling an interview with the candidate.

For VP-level hiring they do take information from references before making an offer, but only after personally interviewing the candidate.

“This strategy for hiring will definitely work very well. It will give credible and authentic data points about the candidate. It becomes a reliable source of information and also gives several different perspectives,” explains Singh.

Apart from this it is also a great method to check if the person is a culture fit or not. “When you take information from people in different companies the candidate has worked in, you get a clear picture of the candidate’s suitability to your company’s culture. This is otherwise rather difficult to ascertain with even psychometric tests,” mentions Singh.

“The important thing in jury system of hiring is how to deal with the collected data. Data has to be applied judiciously using different tools for an unbiased approach”

Subir Mitra, executive director-HR & IR, GAIL, India, also agrees that this 360 degree feedback mechanism is a very useful hiring technique. However, GAIL does not follow such a practice because of a lot of government regulations involved in its hiring process.

This method will allow access to a lot of data and when you have so much data in hand, it becomes very important to use it wisely.

“The important thing is how to deal with the collected data. Data has to be applied judiciously using different tools for an unbiased approach,” asserts Mitra.

He adds, “Whoever is handling the data has to be mature enough to use it wisely. It is essential to analysethe data and create a data bank.”

But everything in this world comes with a drawback. The reliability of the information offered by the references can also be doubted.

“In most cases, we see that many people say only good things about the candidate. This may deprive you of a true picture,” shares Singh.

Leadership hiring is crucial and credible data points become the key in such cases. Though you have many technological interventions to support unbiased hiring, a question mark revolves around the credibility. This ‘jury system’ can work as a great alternative for people who do not trust technology.

The post The ‘jury’ system of hiring appeared first on HR Katha.

The purpose of an exit interview is to know why an employee is leaving. If something is found to be wrong with the environment of the company, the exit interview gives the HR a chance to look into it and take necessary action.

What discourages organisations from conducting exit interviews is that, many people are very dishonest with their responses. Employees are afraid that if they tell the truth, they may have to face certain repercussions.

“In my experience, 99 per cent of employees lie during their exit interviews,” states Bikram K Nayak, head HR, L&T NxT.

Technological interventions have tried to bring about some changes. But are organisations really dependent on these digitally-empowered platforms and tools to conduct their exit interviews and unearth the real truth?

Talking to Nishant Madhukar, group HR head, Ferns and Petals, HRKatha found out that the company earlier used a digital platform to conduct exit interviews but later came to realise it wasn’t very useful.

“At Zivame, we do have a digital tool to conduct exit interviews but it is just like a tick in the box for us. Our HR department shares a great relationship with the employees. This allows them to be very frank and honest during exit interviews”

“The employees were worried about anonymity, and because it was a digital platform and the data was also stored, people used to give candid responses,” shares Madhukar.

He also revealed that many questions went unanswered and only certain mandatory questions got candid responses. So, after doing away with the tool, Ferns and Petal adopted another approach.

Instead of conducting the interview just after the employee leaves, the Company now taps the employee(s) two or three months later.

“This allows the former employee enough time to find another job and also discard the fear of any retaliation from the previous organisation. This also gives us the opportunity to compare,” explains Madhukar.

“Digitising the exit interview process has helped us a great deal in identifying potential people risks and improvement areas. As an organisation present in over 60 locations in India, it was not always possible to reach out to and spend time with each employee that quit”

Though HRMS software—which come equipped with features to conduct exit interviews— give insights to the responses / data collected in exit interviews, the efficiency of such tools depends on the scale of the company as well.

“Working in small and big companies, I can say that in big companies these HR tools may be efficient,” says Siddharth Vishwanath, HR head, Zivame.

He strongly believes that if the HR can understand the pulse of the employees and have a strong connect with them, they will get positive and accurate responses during exit interviews.

“At Zivame, we do have a digital tool to conduct exit interviews but it is just like a tick in the box for us. Our HR department shares a great relationship with the employees. This allows them to be very frank and honest during exit interviews,” shares Vishwanath.

As per Amit Malik, chief people officer, Aviva Life Insurance, it has been three years since the Company digitised the exit interview process. It faced a few problems in the beginning, but gradually streamlined the process.

“When we digitised our exit interviews the employees were worried about anonymity, and because it was a digital platform and the data was also stored, people used to give candid responses”

Digitisation of the exit interview process allowed the Company to reach out to all the employees who exited.

“Digitising the exit interview process has helped us a great deal in identifying potential people risks and improvement areas. As an organisation present in over 60 locations in India, it was not always possible to reach out to and spend time with each employee that quit. This was further complicated by the high attrition rate in front-line sales,” shares Malik.

It helped Aviva get more responses, even from locations where HR SPOCs were not present. It also allowed the organisation to capture and analyse large amounts of data, which helped identify bad practices in certain locations and functions.

“It is never easy to determine whether responses from the employees are accurate and honest. The biggest advantage of a large data set is that individual responses, even if inaccurate, will make a smaller impact and one can start to see patterns emerging. For this reason, while collecting responses, we are focussed more on capturing the reasons or instances that caused employees to feel a certain way, than on simply putting up a rating scale,” mentions Malik.

According to Nayak, it depends on who is doing the exit interview. If it is a person who is trustworthy and shares a great rapport with the employee(s), the departing employee(s) may be willing to talk openly about many things.

“We should always give a positive experience to the employee(s) during exit interviews as they will become the ambassadors of our employer brand to the outside world, and may even come back”

But at the end, organisations should be very sensitive during exit interviews and bid farewell to the parting employee(s) on a positive note.

“We should always give a positive experience to the employee(s) during exit interviews as they will become the ambassadors of our employer brand to the outside world, and may even come back,” asserts Nayak.

Looking at the examples from Ferns and Petal and Zimave, it is clear that HR tech platforms which enable exit interviews are not always useful to the organsiations. On the other hand, a big organisation, such as Aviva Life Insurance is enjoying a great experience from their use.

Exit interviews are very essential and important. They are very sensitive and should have a human intervention. While technology can be used to get valuable insights from the data, collected through these interviews, accurate and honest responses cannot be guaranteed.

The post How digitisation of exit interviews is helping companies appeared first on HR Katha.

Uber Works, its new app, is aimed at helping job seekers find suitable jobs in a convenient manner. To be more specific, the app will help match shift workers with available shift-based jobs as well as temporary and part-time jobs.

Users of the app, that is, shift workers, will be able to get information about the gross pay, work location, the skills required as well as the attire. It will help hire people for jobs as varied as cooks to warehouse workers and even commercial cleaners or event staff.

The app is designed to ensure transparency and also sees to it that the shift workers are paid on time. There is also a facility to get feedback from the marketplace. Also, workers can find suitable/available shifts.

The app has only been launched in Chicago to begin with. The Company will tie up with various staffing agencies who are into hiring, paying and handling worker benefits.

Uber Works will be beneficial for job seekers as well as businesses because there will be a pool of qualified workers available for the taking.

However, Uber Works will not be a unique app in the marketplace, because many apps that help find shift-based, temporary as well as blue-collar jobs already exist in the American and European markets. Some of the popularly used ones are are, Bacon, Catapult, Gig, JobToday, Limber, Rota, Shiftgig, Shiifty, Snag and Syft.

The post Uber to diversify into on-demand staffing services appeared first on HR Katha.

Launched by three former consultants in 2015, Darwinbox is a unique HR platform that is integrated with the finance and customer management functions. It provides its clients access to advanced analytics and detailed information pertaining to the employees, their expenses and also the workflow in the organisation. The startup is currently catering to about 200 enterprise clients—including Arvind, Adani, Mahindra, Kotak, GVK group companies, Bharti AXA, Swiggy, Paytm, and Times Internet—with the Asia market being its prime focus. It has offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Singapore and Indonesia.

According to the founders, Darwinbox helps tackle the challenges of the HR function in large and diverse organisations by offering interactive interfaces. Its recruitment module enables ranking of the best applications from amongst thousands and also schedules interviews. It measures the performance of employees throughout the year. It even offers a unique module for succession planning.

The founders of Darwinbox, Jayant Paleti, Rohit Chennamaneni and Chaitanya Peddi plan to invest more on making the platform stronger, involving artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with special focus on its analytical layer, to enhance its decision-making capabilities.

The post Sequoia Capital invests in HR tech startup, Darwinbox appeared first on HR Katha.

Productivity

The first thing that HR leaders look for while selecting a chatbot partner is how it can improve productivity within the organisation. The aim is to maximise productivity within the organisation by making do with less or the same amount of resources, human or others, from within the organisation. A chatbot can have a big impact in an area that will benefit most from cutting costs. For instance, chatbots used in the customer service department will drive productivity with minimum resources.

Employee experience

The second objective is to deliver employee experience. With chatbots, managers hope to create a delight factor across every area of an employee’s journey in the organisation. Doing this creates good experiences and moments of truth for the workers. And it is not just employee experience but candidate experience as well. Aspiring workers value timely responses and confirmations of their applications when submitted online. Chatbots should facilitate consistent communication, which makes the company more attractive to the candidate.

“Chatbots should be able to understand the Indian accents. The lingual challenge very much exists when talking to a bot”

Customisation

The third area is customisation and personalisation. Amit Das, director-HR and CHRO, Bennett Coleman and Co., emphasises on the need for chatbots to provide customisation options according to the types of employees in the organisation. “Nowadays, with the new generation being added to the ranks, we need a customised approach for every segment of the workforce,” says Das.

This is one area that chatbots have delivered in to quite an extent. The type of customisation and hyper-personalisation needed today and being delivered would not be possible with AI-driven assistants. A chatbot keeps collecting data as and when the employee interacts with it, and based on that data, it is able to provide a lot of insight to the managers. This guides them in terms of the steps that should be taken to engage the employees and keep them happy.

“Nowadays, with the new generation being added to the ranks, we need a customised approach in chatbots for every segment of the workforce”

Language

The fourth is how well the bot can handle the language hurdles. This is especially relevant in a country, such as India. Companies recruit from every corner of the subcontinent and with so many different languages, the accents are bound to be different as well. This is a challenge for bots that interact using a verbal means of communication. The CHRO of Lenskart, Suruchi Maitra, admits that the language barrier is difficult to overcome. “Chatbots should be able to understand the Indian accents. The lingual challenge very much exists when talking to a bot,” says Maitra.

It is not just about accents but how a language is used. Candidates’ use of abbreviations and colloquial words and phrases may be incoherent to a bot and may prevent it from responding accurately.

Efficiency and user-friendliness

And finally, it matters how good the bot itself is. AI bots use data to learn and improve their performance and interact more humanely. A bot needs to be able to get past the early problems of interpreting emotions and recognising disengagement quickly. It has to be easy to use and interact with. It should look friendly and respond in a human-like fashion. The response time should be quick and the answers need to relate to the questions asked.

It is true that AI-driven bots have a long way to go in terms of performing at the optimum level. Bots have not learnt to respond to complex emotions and interpret contextual messages from employees. They have difficulty processing complex human emotions along with translating languages and understanding colloquial information. As of now, bots are only assisting HR to make informed decisions. But pretty soon they will be able to make complex decisions by themselves. However, for all its progress, AI is not there yet. For now, companies have to keep in mind these fundamental factors while choosing a chatbot partner.

The post Five things to keep in mind while choosing a chatbot partner appeared first on HR Katha.

To fill this gap, Magicbricks started its ‘Lecture Series’. This HR initiative involves top speakers from various fields, such as marketing, sales, and HR, who come and share their experiences with the workforce of Magicbricks. They talk about the challenges they faced and how they were able to overcome them. They also discuss the new and upcoming trends, which will make a difference in the coming times.

Already into its third edition, every season of the Lecture Series till now has witnessed around 10-12 speakers, who are invited to the Magicbricks office every fortnight, to speak about their experiences. Around four to five themes are selected, on which these speakers illuminate the audience. Each theme is covered by about four to five speakers. As Magicbricks is an online startup, the HR team tries to invite people who have experienced working in a start-up culture.

“We invite people from various fields and backgrounds. We believe that the kind of learning, interaction and development that you get from such industry exposure cannot be achieved through classroom training,” says Anil Misra, CHRO, Magicbricks.

Nobody is forced to attend the ‘Lecture Series’. Those who are willing can attend; there is no compulsion.

“We invite people from various fields and backgrounds. We believe that the kind of learning, interaction and development that you get from such industry exposure cannot be achieved through classroom training”

“We invite employees. If they want to attend, fair enough, otherwise we do not force or even follow up after sending an invite. There are only 30 seats available at the lecture,” shares Misra.

Magicbricks has been trying innovative ways to engage its employees, with special focus on learning and development, employee engagement among other things. HRKatha reported about the ‘Value 2.0’ programme at Magicbricks a few months back.

Whether big or small, such innovative and encouraging initiatives are required to keep employees engaged and ensure that they learn and gain in some way.

The post Another product from Magicbrick’s HR innovation lab appeared first on HR Katha.

Following many complaints, the civic body decided to take the help of technology to discipline its employees, who often attend to their personal errands and work during duty hours. In some government offices, employees are known to outsource their own work. That is, they pay a third person to do their work for them. The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation hopes that employees will now stop playing truant after registering their attendance. For the time being, these watches will be taken on rent, as they cost Rs 18000 per piece.

Though the present workforce strength is approx. 6,000, only 4000 watches are being rented initially. These will be given to field employees and officers.

The smartwatches have yielded good results in Indore and Nagpur, where they are already being used by some government employees.

The post Smartwatch, the new HR disciplinary tool appeared first on HR Katha.

Let us take a look at one such tool, the personality test.

What is a personality test? It is a tool using which we can analyse the traits and personality of a candidate and then match them with the required traits and personality types that are fit for the job or the organisation.

This tool helps the individual and the organisation get to know the kind of traits a person has. For instance, a person may be an introvert or an extrovert.

But how does a personality test help hiring managers?

With the help of some internal analyses and certain experts, organisations come up with certain types of personalities and traits that are required for a particular role. After performing a personality test, the hiring managers match the data with their requirements and make a decision.

“These tools can be very helpful if the organisation has critically analysed the key traits it expects in a person and which make a candidate a great fit for the job,” says Rattan Chugh, chief people officer, Times Internet.

Sharad Sharma, CHRO, DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance, adds, “The organisation should know what its requirements are. It should know what kind of competencies it is looking for. Otherwise, whatever technology you are using, will not yield any positive results.”

“Personality test tools can be very helpful if the organisation has critically analysed the key traits it expects in a person and which make a candidate a great fit for the job”

While most of the HR leaders admitted to using personality tests for hiring leaders and senior-level employees, these tools are not used to hire at the entry level.

No method is perfect. When we talk about personality tests in hiring, a lot of doubts cross our minds. First is, bias. There is no study that confirms that a particular trait ensures better performance at work. This can prove to be challenging for hiring managers as they may lose out on one of the best talents.

Second is the diversity issue. Using personality tests can also hamper diversity at the workplace as the organisation may end up hiring the same kind of personalities.

“Personality tests must not be used for hiring. Hiring should be based on skills and competencies, and ideally, the tests should check for these too, and not for personality. Personality is more of a trait of a person and it does not really throw any light on aptitude. Also, there is a school of thought which suggests that using personality tests violates a person’s privacy as it delves into a personal mental trait,” shares Ramedrajit Sen, VP & head-HR, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

After all, it is a tool. The effectiveness of the tool purely depends on how the organisation uses it. “To be effective and to ensure that you do not end up hiring the same kind of people, it is important to consider your team dynamics while hiring. The organisation may have seven traits that you need to fit in. You may not find all seven, but you may certainly find some mixed traits while hiring,” mentions Chugh.

“Personality tests must not be used for hiring. Hiring should be based on skills and competencies, and ideally, the tests should check for these too, and not for personality. Personality is more of a trait of a person and it does not really throw any light on aptitude”

But at the end, as Sharma suggests, “You cannot really depend solely on personality tests while hiring. These can only act as a guide for you.” The final decision should not be made only on the basis of a personality test.

Sen believes, “Personality tests can be used by individuals to focus on their development needs and areas. MBIT, which is one of the leading personality testing tools, says that this test must not be used for hiring and instead should be used for self-development.”

“You cannot really depend solely on personality tests while hiring. These can only act as a guide for you”

While a number of tools are used in hiring, every technology will have some shortcoming. It is up to the HR departments to use these tools and technologies to get the best insights, which can help them in hiring.

The post How accurate are personality tests for hiring appeared first on HR Katha.

The ‘One ATG’ plan was implemented with the sole aim of bringing all ATG entities under one umbrella.

One of the major changes that took place under this plan was in the performance management system, with the introduction of the performance review and enhancement programme (PREP).

Earlier, the Company was following the conventional financial performance-driven KRA, using the performance scorecard system. At that time, the performance of individuals was measured only in accordance with the manner in which their performance impacted the business directly. But now, with the PREP programme in the picture, the organisation has added two more dimensions to it—team building and self-building or building oneself.

“In the period 2017-2020 our main focus will be on promoting meritocracy and enhancing performance. With the introduction of PREP, ‘team building’, ‘building oneself’ and ‘contributing to the business’, will all be given weightage during performance review,” says Rajeev Singh, CHRO, ATG Tires.

According to Singh, the new PREP programme gives a different type of psychological message to the people. Earlier, there was an element of fear, but now that the organisation also talks about enhancing performance, it gives out a positive message.

A major shift that the PREP programme has triggered is in bringing together all the entities of ATG. “Whether it is India, America, Europe or Israel, PREP runs on the same and common guidelines for all,” shares Singh.

Alongside the PREP initiative, ATG also launched another supporting programme called ‘manager as coach’. As part of this, various workshops were held to train managers to have coaching conversations with their teams while giving feedback.

ATG Tires’ Rewards 2.0 programme aims to reach out to the bottom level of the pyramid and give them their share of rewards and incentives.

“Earlier, incentive schemes and bonuses were restricted to some senior-level roles and selected people. But now, with Reward 2.0, we are also reaching the bottom of the hierarchy. Our new philosophy is that people should grow when the company grows,” explains Singh.

In the Rewards 2.0 programme, managers are also involved in the allocation of incentives and rewards to their teams. As the organisation’s main focus is on transparency, the performance ratings and incentive metrics are shared with everyone.

Development of a leadership pipeline is also linked to the PREP programme. The organisation provides different kinds of training to different people. Leveraging technology, ATG Tires introduced e-learning, where micro-learning methods are used to train people.

For the middle management people, organisations have identified some programmes in sales learning and other functions. “For instance, in manufacturing, it is very important to create a bridge between the sales and production teams. The production team should realise the pain of a salesperson when deliveries are not made on time, while a sales personnel should understand the difficulty of the production team when they bring last-minute orders,” suggests Singh.

When the company is moving towards a progressive HR system, how can digitisation of HR processes be left behind? With its digital drive, called the HR1, ATG Tires has digitised most of its employee lifecycle processes.

“I believe we should leverage technology wherever we can. I want to make the HR processes paperless. This is also our main focus till 2020,” reveals Singh.

It is time for all the traditional organisations, which continue to stick to their conventional and outdated HR practices, to learn from ATG and take a step forward in the right direction.

The post How ATG Tires is discarding its primitive HR practices appeared first on HR Katha.

For more details of the deal, we spoke to Partha Neog, CEO, and Anjan Pathak, COO of Vantage Circle, in their office at Vasant Arcade, New Delhi. The name of the client is omitted on request.

Neog and Pathak had been dealing with the client’s India team for almost four years, while general conversations had been going on with the US team for about a year till then. The breakthrough came when they bagged a small contract in December, 2019, to launch their product inside the US team. “We had to launch for about 1000 employees, which was one department inside the organisation. But more importantly, we were in their system”, said Neog. “This is the most difficult stage for vendors as access to the client is crucial, no matter the size of the deal.”

The client had a good year in 2018 and they wanted an employee rewards programme to surprise their employees with a reward for all their hard work. Vantage Circle was one of the vendors being considered for the programme. They had already signed a small contract with Vantage Circle in December and the feedback from the client’s India team had been positive. This gave the tech company an advantage. Finally, VC was chosen and the deal was finalised at 20 million dollars. It was the biggest closing by any Indian HR tech company dealing in employee benefits.

The highlight of the deal was that the entire process was completed in three months, right from discussion about the platform and the client’s needs, down to the final delivery of the programme. Moreover, they never met the client once during the entire process! The only exchange between the client and VC was either on the phone or through Skype!

Neog and Pathak listed three possible reasons which may have moved the US team to favour them over other global vendors. They cite the first one as the smooth experience the client had with the earlier, smaller contract and the positive feedback from the India team.

The second reason was the ease of integration into the system. “Our product offered them a quick and seamless integration without any difficulty in launch, despite there being a time crunch”, explains Neog.

The third factor was the ease of customisation which the platform offered. This made Vantage Circle a platform of future-ready capabilities, which could be used regularly by the client, irrespective of the changes required.

“For us, this is a big opportunity. It gave us the chance to launch Vantage Circle in the US market. We already have an office setup in New York. We also have been approached by another US client. This deal spells immense benefits for us in terms of both cash and credibility. More than the cash, the credibility of our organisation has gone up because of our tie-up with the US team”, asserts Neog. “This now shows that we are a company that can handle contracts with big organisations having around 80,000 employees”, explains Pathak.

The platform gives employees a one-time reward which can be accessed through the system anytime at their convenience. Vantage Circle is now in talks with the client and preparing to sign a more permanent contract around the same amount.”

Both co-founders had a positive experience in dealing with the US team. They shared a few points about what they found most satisfying about the experience. “The US team valued time more than money, both ours and theirs. All talks about the deal were done without any wastage or unnecessary meetings. Also, they always had a contingency plan in place in case any detail had to be changed or if something else went wrong”, related Neog.

Adding to that, Pathak said, “Apart from their attitude towards us, which was respectful and polite, their response while dealing with problems was what made working with them easier for us. They were calm and understanding even in challenging situations. For instance, when we ran into a short delay in setting up the programme, they were quite understanding of the situation. Moreover, they valued our inputs in customising the programme. Every change needed, was put forth as a request and not a demand.”

Neog and Pathak have big plans ahead on expansion, having made their entry into the US market. They believe that the market is huge and that their product can make a difference. With their latest achievement, India’s Vantage Circle has made its entry into the global HR tech market!

The post India’s Vantage Circle bags multibillion dollar US deal without a single meeting! appeared first on HR Katha.

Online recruitment is touted to be an objective, fast, efficient, time- and money-saving technology, which can ease the process of recruitment for both the employers and the candidates. In addition, it can give employers a chance to recruit the best talent from a wider pool. Nowadays, even artificial intelligence (AI) is quite commonly used across recruitment software, using data from much deeper micro analyses.

Online recruitment may replace offline altogether, but there is still a long way to go. Technology has not evolved as much as it should to eliminate biased decision making.

To correct the machine bias, it is necessary to correct the human factor first. We all have unconscious biases within, which we may or may not be aware of. These can manifest in the decisions we make. Recruitment software require a lot of parameters, which are to be defined by the employers, and in doing so, some unconscious bias is bound to creep in. For instance, if a company has been hiring from a particular set of colleges and experiencing good results, it may input those colleges as the ideal requirement. The software will then award candidates from other colleges a lower ranking and possibly miss out on better talent. This is called the clustering effect, which means believing all good things come from the same cluster.

Again, the hiring medium itself may lead to biased opinions of the candidates. For instance, if, during a video interview or a telephonic one, the connection is not pitch perfect, then the candidate’s voice and tone may get distorted. This is quite a realistic scenario. And if the job requires excellent communication skills or a certain manner of speaking, then it may reflect negatively on the candidate.

“I would use the word ‘preference’ and not ‘bias’. Moreover, it is true that online recruitment technology was inefficient before, but that is not the case anymore. Nowadays, it has really evolved and there is better predictability because the human element has been removed. There is now more data to refer to, which has brought down the rate of preference hiring,”  asserts praveer priyadarshi, fomer CPO, jindal stainless.

Praveer Priyadarshi, former CPO, Jindal Stainless, disagrees. According to him, the kind of technology we have today and the rate at which it has advanced should be appreciated. “I would use the word ‘preference’ and not ‘bias’. Moreover, it is true that online recruitment technology was inefficient before, but that is not the case anymore. Nowadays, it has really evolved and there is better predictability because the human element has been removed. There is now more data to refer to, which has brought down the rate of preference hiring,” he asserts.

Recruitment technology uses data from all previous hires, and companies provide the same in huge volumes. It acts as a good reference point to select the ideal candidate type from amongst a group of possible hires. However, the data provided can again be a source of bias. The software is trained in the data provided, which may contain biased human decisions or the second-hand effects of those decisions. Even if the opposite is possible, it does not rule out the possibility of biases occurring.

Amit Das, CHRO, Bennett Coleman, concurs and explains that the concern for bias depends on the kind of role or functionality we are looking at. When it comes to volume recruitment and the role is a functional one, then despite the possibility of bias, there are no qualms in using the online tools. “It is only when the role requires complex skills and the ‘how’ part of the performance matters, that there is focus on offline recruiting,” he elaborates.

“It is only when the role requires complex skills and the ‘how’ part of the performance matters, that there is focus on offline recruiting,” elaborates Amit Das, CHRO, Benett Coleman.

Mass recruitment can take a heavy toll on the hiring managers if done offline, and it makes sense to conduct it online. Then again, since mass online recruitment can let some bias seep in, it may deprive the already underprivileged class of people in the society from getting a job, no matter how functional.

There are unskilled or less skilled minority groups in the society, such as the PwDs or the LGBTQI community, who have been struggling to earn a regular income. If the system rejects them, they are excluded from most jobs. In such cases, despite commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, an organisation may unintentionally end up excluding these communities.

“The purpose of going online is to lessen the burden on the hiring managers, and also reduce the cumbersome job of filtering. But the question we should ask is whether those filters themselves are objective or not,” says Sunitha Lal, CHRO, Ather Energy.

Sunitha Lal, CHRO, Ather Energy, agrees that when defining parameters to create the ideal candidate type, it is easy to get carried away. “The purpose of going online is to lessen the burden on the hiring managers, and also reduce the cumbersome job of filtering. But the question we should ask is whether those filters themselves are objective or not,” she concludes.

The post How online recruiting can create bias appeared first on HR Katha.

It is unanimously agreed that online recruitment is the preferred way for the new generation and is easier on the recruiters as well. People no longer want to travel for interviews. With current technology, interviews hardly take any time or effort. Either party can sit comfortably in their respective locations and engage in a conversation. Costs are minimal and a lot of time and energy can be saved. It also takes care of bias and presents an objective viewpoint to the assessor.

Giving the employer a wider field of talent to choose from, online recruitment can literally circle the globe. Nowadays, software has evolved as well. Hiring applications include various assessments, such as psychometric, aptitude and personality tests among others. All of these methods act as filters striving to give the employer a holistic measure of the candidate.

“Online interviews can also be accurate, but for senior and niche positions, hiring managers prefer face to face interviews as the risks involved are high and so are the stakes for the company”

Nisha Verma, CHCO, Apparel Group, agrees, “I prefer the online interviews any day. They are faster, time saving and preferred by my target population. These days, even senior leaders are tech savvy so if I can use online methods why not?”

Not everybody is convinced, though.

Face to face interaction is still valued by a lot of organisations. No matter how widespread online recruitment claims to be, many companies still have on-site and walk-in interviews. Clearly, hiring managers place value on personal interaction and evaluation. It is far reassuring to understand and judge candidates in person rather than on a screen. While many have no qualms using online methods, they would still prefer to conduct the final assessment face to face.

For junior or repetitive job roles the use of online assessment is agreed upon. However, leaders have their doubts when it comes to the senior positions. Ramesh Shankar, executive VP and HR head, South Asia cluster, Siemens, argues, “Online interviews can also be accurate, but for senior and niche positions, hiring managers prefer face to face interviews as the risks involved are high and so are the stakes for the company.”

“I prefer the online interviews any day. They are faster, time saving and preferred by my target population. These days, even senior leaders are tech savvy so if I can use online methods why not?”

Others have a mixed position, claiming both online and offline methods should be used together for a better outcome. Kinjal Choudhary, senior VP and group CHRO, Eicher Trucks and Buses, claims, “The answer is a mix. Online provides many benefits and so do face to face video interviews. However, face to face dialogues provide other benefits. For certain positions, body language, the tone of voice and communication skills are important. A face to face interaction can provide an accurate analysis of the person, far better than online methods can. Both should be used in tandem. It should be understood that online is a complement to offline and not a substitute. Their usage differs from role to role and not function to function.”

So there we have it. Online interviews are faster, objective, time and energy efficient, can reach out to a wider pool of talent and can provide various methods of assessment for the judgement of the recruiter.

“A face to face interaction can provide an accurate analysis of the person, far better than online methods can”

On the other hand, face to face interviews help gather better judgement and more accurate information for the hiring managers. They are preferred when the vacancy is for a senior position or a niche role. When the job role is complex and requires finer decision making skills, then a face to face interaction is ideal.

But the answer may not be as simple and clear as that. Online interview methods have their own problems and face to face interviews cannot always guarantee unbiased hiring. Technology is still evolving and many designs have yet to be perfected. Online interviews can present their own biases.

“Today, the online methods are not evolved enough to be unbiased. Online and offline are not black and white. Online may be preferred because the errors are known beforehand”

For instance, if there is a problem with the audio during an interview, the employer’s bias may creep in while evaluating the candidate. Again, the questions that are posed by the recruiter or the way the assessments are designed can be biased as well. It cannot be guaranteed that the choice of a psychometric assessment will correctly evaluate the candidate and will be totally unbiased.

As Dr Sunil Singh, CHRO, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, concludes, “In the future, online may replace offline but we are not there yet. Today, the online methods are not evolved enough to be unbiased. Online and offline are not black and white. Online may be preferred because the errors are known beforehand. As technology evolves, the preferences may change.”

The post Online vs offline recruitment practices: Which is better? appeared first on HR Katha.

All these products are meant to automate the mundane and repetitive tasks, which HR personnel are burdened with. With the constant growth in technology, HR now talks about the power of data, predictive analysis and AI-based hiring.

Innumerable HR tech solutions are available in the market to support HR with various functions, such as hiring, rewards, learning, diversity, onboarding, employee experience, and so on.

Given the huge pool of vendors with multiple services and products to offer, it is very difficult for HR to decide upon the one most suitable product.

“I would say that automating mundane work would be the most important aspect for any organisation right now. Because many of them have already done it, enhancing employee experience would be the second most priority.”

It is just like entering a big supermarket and wondering what to buy. Actually, all HRMS, e-learning and employee-engagement products are designed on the same lines. It is the HR that has to decide which product is suitable for the organisation and workforce.

By talking to various HR heads and digging into their minds, HRKatha attempted to understand the key things, which make an HR leader choose one HR tech product over the other.

So what is it that HR is looking for?

While analysing how HR technology can really help the HR function, we discovered the following:

• First and foremost, it is the automation of mundane work that really makes a difference. This allows the HR managers to focus more on strategic and business development of the organisation.

• The second most important thing is the enhancement of employee experience. Employee experience is a crucial aspect in today’s world. It helps to keep the organisation’s culture alive and employees engaged.

• The third thing is the growth of the business. Adoption of technology will naturally help cut costs and human labour, which will eventually reflect in profits.

Our interaction with some HR leaders revealed that automating mundane work is the first priority for them, while adopting any HR product. Though many of the organisations have already adopted technologies, such as payroll, HRMS and ATS, the power of artificial intelligence (AI) has not been harnessed in all areas. There are other AI- based technologies, such as predictive analysis during recruitment, which remain to be explored by many organisations.

“I would prefer one single window where I can get multiple services from the HR tech vendor. But, if someone is specialised in a particular function and has a great name in the market, it can make me consider them too.”

Second on their list is employee experience. After all, HR knows that employees are their biggest assets.

“I would say that automating mundane work would be the most important aspect for any organisation right now. Because many of them have already done it, enhancing employee experience would be the second most priority,” says Abhay Srivastava, chief talent officer, Cipla.

With the emergence of small HR tech start-ups, that provide very niche HR products, focussing on supporting one particular aspect of an HR function, it becomes difficult for HR heads to make a decision. Having different vendors for supporting different functions in HR creates a lot of gaps.

“I would prefer one single window where I can get multiple services from the HR tech vendor. But, if someone is specialised in a particular function and has a great name in the market, it can make me consider them too,” shares Reena Tyagi, CHRO, Manipal Cigna Health Insurance.

“I would say one single window is better. But for me, the thing that would mater the most is compatibility. If two platforms or products complement each other and are flexible, it would make things easy for us,” adds Srivastava.

At the end, what will be that one thing that will make HR choose one product over the other?

In any organisation, HR has a visionary approach in this case. As many things are getting outdated due to advancing technology, HR seeks a technology that is so robust that it stays relevant in the future as well.

“It should be user-friendly and simple. Updating technology and then getting used to it takes a long time. We should not be required to re-skill our managers frequently to use such technology. It should be simple and stay relevant for a longer duration,” opines Srivastava.

The features of the product are an important aspect. The product should be engaging and exciting for the employees.

“It should be simple, easy, user friendly and exciting. But at the same time, the basics should be covered. It has to be aligned with the business so that it adds value,” opines Tyagi.

Clearly, price does not worry HR. The focus is on automating mundane tasks, enhancing employee experience and at the same time readying for the future.

The post What CHROs want from HR tools appeared first on HR Katha.

Our country has reached a state where people are using their smartphones day and night, and almost everywhere—in bed, at the dining table, and even inside the toilet. They are obsessed with their smartphones—addicted to them—and cannot seem to survive without them!

Statistics show that India currently has more than 400 million smartphone users. Another study has predicted that this number will cross 700 million by 2025.

With the price wars in the telecom industry, the cost of data has fallen tremendously, making it easier for people to obtain data at affordable prices.

Soon, the 5G revolution will sweep over India, leading to many more changes in all industries.

“We look for technology, which is relevant to the audience and fulfils the purpose it is aimed at. If the focus audience commonly uses smartphones, then we do select technology that’s smartphone based.”

Human resources has not been spared either. Now HR professionals know that if they want to reach out to their people and engage with them, they have to reach out for mobile-first technology.

While people may not carry their desktops, laptops or tablets everywhere, smartphones can be carried anywhere with ease.

For instance, if an organisation wants to launch an internal messenger app for its employees, it makes sense for the employees to access the app through their smartphones.

“There are HR products in market like chatbots which help in driving user experience and adoption,” says Amit Sharma, VP-HR, Zee Entertainment.

“If we are adopting an HR technology, it should be simple and the user experience should be high enough for people to find it compelling,” adds Sharma.

But does this mean that an HR system which is not mobile-first is useless?

Adoption of a technology will not depend only on the mobile-first feature in that HR system. It should simply cater to the needs of the employees.

“If we are adopting an HR technology, it should be simple and the user experience should be high enough for people to find it compelling”

“We look for technology, which is relevant to the audience and fulfils the purpose it is aimed at. If the focus audience commonly uses smartphones, then we do select technology that’s smartphone based,” shares Ramesh Mitragotri, CHRO, Ultratech Cement.

“We also look for quick compatibility across systems in case of multiple audiences and scalability to smartphones for systems of frequent and continuous use,” adds Mitragotri.

There is no doubt that people of all ages use smartphones today. All white-collared employees will have smartphones, but there may be some changes when it comes to engaging with blue-collared employees.

“For blue-collared workmen, we may use SMS texts for reach instead of a smartphone app. As a supplementary or as an alternative to this, we may set up kiosks for their use,” reveals Mitragotri.

While blue-collared employees may possess smartphones, the organisations may have to launch some learning programmes to teach them how to use the new technology to interact with the HR system.

But can we say that if a technology is not mobile-first, it is completely useless?

“I would not say that it is completely useless. Somewhere you need to have human interaction and not completely depend on technology, because HR technology cannot replace HR. It will only automate certain administrative tasks,” clarifies Sharma.

A lot depends on the audiences you are engaging with, their needs and preferences. But with the increasing number of smartphones the engagement level will definitely go up with mobile-first HR system.

With the changing demographics and manner of interaction and engagement, we can conclude that if we do not update ourselves with the changing world, outdated technology and traditional approaches will be rendered useless.

The post Does absence of mobile-first HR system mean zero engagement? appeared first on HR Katha.

These Anganwadi centres that function under the Central government’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, provide benefits to over 1,13,000 children and also help about 4,37,000 pregnant and lactating women.

Each Anganwadi centre is managed by one registered Anganwadi employee who has one to three assistants, based on the size of the centre. Together, they ensure that the nutritional and health requirements along with basic pre-school education needs of small children are met. These centres cater to seven month old infants as well as kids up to the age of six, taking care of their vaccinations too.

The plan is to provide one smartphone at each of the 10,752 Anganwadi centres so that management of these centres becomes easy. Currently, about 18 registers have to be maintained along with attendance.

The cost of distributing these smartphones is Rs 11 crore. However, the Central government’s Poshan Abhiyan scheme will bear 50 per cent of the costs, since the initiative is part of it.

These phones will have applications installed in them to record attendance, as well as the opening and closing times of the centres. Through these phones, photographs of the children being provided food, the time of serving food and so on can be shared and tracked. Adhar-linked registration of all the Anganwadi employees will ensure documentation of their names and household names.

The post Anganwadi employees to get smartphones appeared first on HR Katha.

The formula takes its name from Wallace Ruddell Aykroyd— well known nutritionist and first director of the Department of Nutrition, Food and Agricultural Organisation or FAO—whose recommendations were based on the food and clothing requirements of the people of the country.

Earlier, under the automatic pay regimen, the Government would just revise the salaries if there was a hike of over 50 per cent in dearness allowance (DA). The Aykroyd Formula will now take into account the inflation and the performance of the employees while fixing the remuneration. It will arrive at an appropriate pay package such that all the basic needs of life are met in a comfortable manner.

Aykroyd also took into account change in the price of commodities that are essential to the commoners and are most likely to impact them.

It is reported that based on the Aykroyd Formula, and after taking into consideration other significant factors, the minimum monthly pay for a government employee is recommended to be fixed at Rs.18000.

A new pay matrix has come into play, wherein the status of the employee— which was earlier decided on the basis of grade pay— will now be decided on the basis of where they are placed in the pay matrix.

The minimum pay calculated as per the Aykroyd Formula forms the starting point of the matrix. The ‘horizontal range’ of the pay matrix level corresponds to a ‘functional role in the hierarchy’. Therefore, as the employees climb the hierarchy, they move from one level to the other. The ‘vertical range’ for each level represents the ‘pay progression’ within that level and the employee will move vertically within each level as per the yearly financial progression of three percent.

Civilians, defence personnel and military nurses are covered under different pay matrices. While all the existing levels have been incorporated in the new structure, no new levels have been added.

This system will now decide the emoluments of the 68 lakh Central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners in the country.

The post Aykroyd Formula to replace 7th Pay Commission appeared first on HR Katha.

More than 25,000 clients are already benefitting from Amara in the US, Dubai, Philippines and Singapore, after a soft launch last quarter.

The bot will continuously monitor the employees’ behaviour and reactions and suggest the remedial actions required to retain existing and potential employees.

Capable of being customised to fulfil the specific objectives of human resource and talent assessment (TA) professionals, the bot is equipped to handle thousands of users and chat sessions daily, and respond real fast.

It can analyse sentiments and is adept at natural language processing. Therefore, it can analyse the responses of the employees or candidates and forecast their overall engagement and experience with the company.

Amara can be incorporated into any organisation’s internal systems and also work on whatsapp, sms and various other channels. She can converse and interact with employees like a human anytime, without the need of any human intervention at all.

Looks like bots are all set to take over the HR world. Last year, Tech Mahindra had introduced an AI-powered mood-o-meter to help gauge the mood the employees. This interactive bot assesses the feelings of the employees and notifies the managers if there is something amiss, so that they can take the right remedial actions on time.

The post AI-enabled chatbot, Amara, from HireXp to be launched in India appeared first on HR Katha.

In addition to a job offer, the digital billboard puzzle challenge, aptly called ‘Hack Your Future ‘, also offers hackers prizes worth Rs 10,000, to be shared among the top five winners each day.

This is a unique way to judge the skills and talent of the aspirants. These live digital billboards are put in the main technology parks of the city.

Interested candidates can hack a hashkey-based puzzle on hackyourfuture.in, which is linked to the digital billboard. The techies who succeed in their attempt to crack the puzzle will not only have their names displayed on the billboard, but also get an opportunity to meet the leadership team of SOLV and be part of the team. The link can also be accessed through SOLV’s LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages.

This is a unique opportunity to showcase the skills of techies in real time, as the aspirants can even solve the puzzles on their mobile phones and see their names being displayed on the billboard.

The post A hackable digital billboard to recruit techies appeared first on HR Katha.

However, PeopleStrong will continue to operate in the enterprise technology sector offering products in the areas of HR technology, collaboration, machine learning and analytics.

Analysts estimate the size of the recruitment market, for permanent employment, in India to be approx. $1.8 billion. The recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) segment is said to be the fastest growing one. Today, even startups realise the immense benefits of adopting digital recruitment solutions.

The Taggd brand of PeopleStrong will use its technological expertise to reach out to and deliver RPO across over 14 sectors. The Company presently owns about 15 per cent of the market and hopes to improve its share to 25 per cent in the next couple of years.

Taggd’s client base already includes big names, such as Honeywell, Wipro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Oyo, Swiggy and Renault Nissan.

A combination of the power of data and human knowledge, Taggd is capable of offering advanced talent acquisition solutions to transform the way businesses work and deliver.

The post PeopleStrong launches a new brand for recruitment business-Taggd appeared first on HR Katha.

Talking about the initiative, Dhananjay Singh, director general, NHRDN says, “Digital disruption is bound to cause a rise in the number of new companies that master the digital transformation and bring about the demise of those that fail to do so. Building a Digital HR organisation is one way HR professionals can address the issue of a more inclusive performance management review, particularly when a company has a diverse, multigenerational workforce. The launch of NHRDN Interview Bot is aimed at improving the ‘digital index’ of NHRDN. It will also help assess HR professionals in various competitions, while helping them adapt to today’s digital age.”

The National HRD Network will work in collaboration with the startup to use cutting-edge technology to simplify the entire assessment process. It will enable professionals to take interviews from the comfort of their premises using their own devices, at their own convenient time, with a ‘robot interviewer on demand’. This makes the assessment process simple, user-friendly and utilitarian. Further, the startup will also extend its expertise in developing assessment question banks relevant to every segment of the target audience.

The post NHRDN to launch an interview bot appeared first on HR Katha.

Simply put, this invasive system will be able to literally spy on the employees. It will be able to keep track of the amount of physical activity the employees indulge in, as well as their location and movements within or outside the workplace.

The app, which is called PhoneAgent, will be linked to a fitness band, which the employees will be wearing. This gives the employers information about the employees’ cardiac activity, calorie consumption, stress levels and even sleep quality. It will reveal the amount of time spent by the employees at home and at work, and also how frequently they get up from their workstations.

The data gathered by the app is sent to a cloud server and assessed by a machine-learning algorithm, to determine performance levels. During a trial run, the app was able to successfully differentiate the performance levels of hundreds of workers across industries.

As per the app, the high performers tend to use their phone less, get sufficient sleep, sleep soundly and indulge in more physical activity.

Such a monitoring device can help employees to take steps to improve individual performance, and also help employers evaluate the performance of the workers with ease. But what if organisations misuse such apps to increase profits at the cost of putting employees through unnecessary pressure? This will remain a debatable topic.

The post Employee surveillance may become more invasive appeared first on HR Katha.

The HR productivity is reported to have increased by over 40 per cent, new employee satisfaction has increased to more than 94 per cent, real-time response rate has gone up by 20 per cent and employees reported a 65 per cent improvement in experience in HR interaction. The HR tech solution now handles everything from hiring, onboarding, time and time-off management, payroll, performance, learning, reimbursements and separation.

With mobility becoming increasingly important in today’s tech-savvy world, the app will ensure a unified experience to the employees. The app lends a sense of empowerment to the staff, with the members now being able to connect with each other at any time of the day or night, from any location, and keep track of all transactions.

The introduction of the app has reportedly taken work experience to a new level for the workforce at Aditya Birla Capital.

The company that offers end-to-end financial solutions to its clients, has a workforce comprising more than 20,000 employees who work from about 1,600 locations. Till now, the firm had been relying on legacy systems to not only resolve issues pertaining to the staff, but also to hire and onboard new employees, manage their payments, and so on.

Finally, with the objective of improving productivity and keeping pace with the changing times, it resorted to the app.

The post Mobile app for recruitment and boosting productivity at Aditya Birla Capital appeared first on HR Katha.

Talking to some HR leaders in the industry, HRKatha has drawn up a list of advantages and disadvantages that come with HR shared services.

Advantages of HRSS

Reduces cost – It can be very effective and beneficial for smaller companies because the maintenance cost of a large team of in-house HR professional will be very high. A small organisation, which has a small budget can hire HR services that can look after their day to day tasks. This eliminates the need to hire multiple people for the same task. As the organisation grows, HR shared services can further reduce the total cost of the company.

Allows focus on strategic things – Earlier, the HR department was stuck with the administrative part of the work. With HR shared services taking care of the day to day formalities, such as payroll processing, recruitment, leaves and other legal formalities, the HR department is now free to focus more on talent management and increasing productivity through employee development.

Gains from specialisation – Companies can benefit from the expertise of other vendors who are experts at their jobs. For instance, a payroll processing company can be better than an HR employee at handling issues with banks and deposits. A recruiting company may have various contacts in the industry, which can provide some great talent. Sharing his views on the same, Mangesh Bhide, head-HR, technology & FTTx business, Reliance Jio Infocomm says, “I like to see repetitive work being taken over by HR shared services, especially when there are specialised vendors who are experts in the domain.”

“I like to see repetitive work being taken over by HR shared services, especially when there are specialised vendors who are experts in the domain”

Manages risk – There have been cases in the past where the relations between employees and employers have soured, and a number of lawsuits have also been filed. In this changing environment, there are many acts and labour laws which keep on changing. Therefore, it gets very difficult to keep track of such amendments. This is where the shared services come to the rescue to help keep track of such developments.

Ensures consistency – When an HR shared service is hired, most of the HR functions are centralised and there is a consistency in the process. Consistency can impact the business in a big way and thus, it is very important to maintain it, especially when considering the importance of compliance.

Enhances employee experience – HRSS allows better and quick service. Employees’ grievances and complaints are answered quickly and fast. This helps maintain a great relationship with the workforce and hence, enhances the employee experience.

Disadvantages of HRSS

De-humanisation of HR – In today’s times, employees love to have a face to face interaction with the HR personnel to discuss their problems. With the introduction of HRSS and other HR technology, these things are now handled through phone calls or other impersonal means which can impact the overall employee experience.

Global implementation – In case of a global company operating in different markets and geographical areas, a centralised HR shared service may be difficult to implement. In this case, it may require different HR services centres in different regions to operate smoothly. Sharing his views on the same, Sharad Sharma, CHRO, DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance says, “Talking about the global services when you are working in 30 different countries, the question is whether you are going to follow a system of ‘one size that fits all’ or whether you will have customised policies for different businesses in different markets.”

Morale of existing employees – Pay cuts, job losses and less wages are also a side effect of outsourcing HR services. This can heavily impact the morale of the employees and hence, the overall productivity. It can also develop a rebellious feeling in the minds of the employees.

“Shared services add a lot to the efficiency and productivity, but on the other hand there is no value addition in terms of innovation. It just remains to be a processing arm of the company”

Lack of understanding of a culture – Being an outsider, it may be difficult for the vendors to understand the culture of the company and fulfil the needs accordingly. Just like in the recruitment process, understanding the culture of the organisation is very important before taking in talent. It is essential to see whether the candidate is a culture fit or not.

Confidentiality – While outsourcing some HR function, there may be cases where some vital employee and customer data is leaked to the consultancy company. Vital information, such as bank account numbers, medical information or other government-provided documents are at risk in such cases.

Loss of control to extended agencies – HR executives may depend too much on the HR provider’s services. This can be very damaging for the business, especially if outsourcing is no longer an option or the vendor changes the terms and conditions of the contract.

Apart from the above mentioned points, Sharma believes, “Shared services add a lot to the efficiency and productivity, but on the other hand there is no value addition in terms of innovation. It just remains to be a processing arm of the company.”

The post HR Shared services— Advantageous with some disadvantages appeared first on HR Katha.

Simply put, in the absence of Aadhaar, the employees will neither get their salaries nor will their attendance be recorded.

The system will cover more than five lakh government officials in the state, including the employees of the secretariat and staff of government schools. Everyone, right from the peons and clerks to a secretary of state and even government school teacher will now have their salaries linked to the Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system. Kerala is the first state in the country to implement this practice.

This system will cost the state government a lot of money, as the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will be charging Rs 20 per authentication of e-KYC documents.

For a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ authentication .50 paise will be charged. Therefore, with 5.6 lakh government employees in the state punching in twice a day, the state government will be spending Rs 5.6 lakh daily for registering the attendance. The move has not received a unanimous approval since many feel it is financially impractical.

The rule seems to have taken everyone by surprise as it was neither discussed nor was it a cabinet decision.

The post Govt offices in Kerala to have Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system appeared first on HR Katha.

That is not all. This new breed of augmented analytics software promises more user-friendly interaction to the analysts.

Augmented analytics combines artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to go over large, disparate HR datasets to identify trends or track important metrics. Then, using natural-language-processing technology—which communicates key messages in easily-understood ways—the tools deliver prioritised findings in a conversational form.

The use of machine learning and natural language processing gives augmented analytics tools the ability to understand and interact with data organically as well as notice valuable or unusual trends.

How does augmented analytics work?

Augmented analytics improves overall speed and accuracy. Since more data can be analysed, it can potentially reduce data bias. Data discovery and prepration are faster, as algorithms are applied to data to automatically search for patterns, while features, models and codes are auto-selected. Insights are narrated using natural language processes, or visualisations are created to show what’s important.

“the analytical software tool is being used in recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, employee lifecycle management and performance management”

Let us understand augmented analytics with the help of a hypothetical example. The HR of a company suffering from high attrition rate uses augmented analytics software to analyse a large amount of data. The data will assist leaders to Identify patterns in the turnover of employees. The machine builds an algorithm based on those patterns to identify the cause. The algorithm is then tested again and again, and its accuracy improves over time.

Augmented analytics for HR is like fuel for a car. It empowers the function by streamlining talent hiring, engagement, compensation and training. With every passing year, HR is not only becoming more powerful but also a key player in driving transformation in an organisation.

Jindal Stainless has deployed analytical software suites from a leading international company. Talking to HRKatha, Praveer Priyadarshi, chief people officer, Jindal Stainless says, “the analytical software tool is being used in recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, employee lifecycle management and performance management.”

“Once a candidate is selected, data analysis helps us define our future course of action and create a map for hiring, thus optimising cost”

Employee data is captured by the software, through the entire life cycle of an employee — from joining to exiting. Augmented analytics opens the door for people analytics. HR leaders are equipped with data and actionable information that empower them to apply facts for greater organisational decision making, in areas such as diversity, hiring, retention, upskilling and engagement.

“Essential data about a recruit when passed through an augmented analytic software, helps us to understand her/him better with respect to skills, culture and expectations. Moreover, making the hiring process more time and cost effective,” says Priyadarshi.

There are multiple channels available to shortlist candidates for the recruitment process. “Once a candidate is selected, data analysis helps us define our future course of action and create a map for hiring, thus optimising cost,” says Priyadarshi.

Data analysis helps the recruiter to systematically plan by indicating the success rate of using one channel over another. For instance, a company has greater chances of finding the right talent from a recruitment company than by advertising on job portals on social media. “Insightful analytics helps us in making our decisions much more robust and efficient,” says Priyadashi.

Augmented analytics reveals the hidden side of matters

Analytics is absolutely transparent, free from any bias and prejudice. It just throws up what is in the data. If the input data is not tweaked or manipulated, the result can reveal hidden facts about people and systems.

Analytics can unveil or unmask the top leaders of an organisation. When surveys are done and employees are not obliged to give their names, valuable data is collected that can lead to alarming revelations.

Limitations of algorithm

The quality of data determines the efficiency and accuracy of analysis. If the quality of data is good, then there is no limit to logic. The logic is absolutely defined by the user basis the functional depth that individuals possess, the contextual information they have and the understanding of the ecosystem in which the company is operating.

The post More power to HR with augmented analytics appeared first on HR Katha.