The answer lies in learning, unlearning and relearning, which is the mandate for success.

Culture of continuous learning

Central to preparing for the phenomenon called ‘permavucalution’ is the notion of perpetual learning. “It’s not just about acquiring new skills but also unlearning outdated ones and relearning in alignment with evolving organisational needs,” emphasises Anil Mohanty, CPO, DN Group. This culture of continuous learning lays the foundation for a workforce capable of navigating the complexities of the modern workplace, where AI integration is not just a possibility but an inevitability.

As highlighted by industry experts, including leaders from Maruti Suzuki and other prominent organisations, traditional approaches to strategic planning are becoming obsolete. Instead, businesses are embracing a mindset of learning, unlearning and relearning to navigate through the complexities of the modern world.

“Businesses must cultivate resilience, fortifying themselves against unexpected disruptions while remaining poised to capitalise on emerging opportunities.”

Anil Gaur, senior HR professional

AI: A catalyst for transformation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this transformation, promising to revolutionise industries and streamline operations. Systems enabled by AI have the potential to make decision-making more efficient, reduce manual intervention and enhance accuracy. “Leaders must emphasise the need to view AI as an enabler rather than a threat, recognising its ability to simplify tasks, accelerate processes and improve overall productivity,” advises Mohanty. Additionally, they must stress the importance of adequate training and preparation to harness the full potential of AI and ensure that all stakeholders are equipped to embrace this technology.

The fourth industrial revolution, driven by advancements in AI, machine learning, 5G technology, robotic and quantum computing, presents both unprecedented opportunities and challenges. To remain competitive, businesses must invest in up-to-date technological infrastructure and foster a culture of digital literacy and innovation.

“It’s not just about acquiring new skills but also unlearning outdated ones and relearning in alignment with evolving organisational needs.”

Anil Mohanty, CPO, DN Group

Embracing uncertainty

The advent of the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) era further underscores readiness in the face of constant flux. What was once considered an exceptional circumstance has now become the norm, demanding a paradigm shift in mindset and strategy. “Businesses must cultivate resilience, fortifying themselves against unexpected disruptions while remaining poised to capitalise on emerging opportunities,” emphasises Anil Gaur, senior HR professional.

Furthermore, the need for flexibility and adaptability has never been greater, as businesses must navigate unpredictable disruptions such as economic downturns and public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To thrive in this environment, organisations must embrace a more iterative and responsive approach to strategic planning, continually reassessing their strategies to capture emerging opportunities and address evolving challenges.

Therefore, rather than overestimating future growth or relying on long-term projections, businesses are encouraged to focus on short-term strategies that prioritise agility and flexibility. By staying attuned to current market conditions and avoiding overly speculative assumptions, organisations can position themselves to respond effectively to unforeseen challenges and capitalise on emerging opportunities.

Logic and pragmatism

Amidst market fluctuations and economic uncertainties, leaders emphasise the importance of logic and pragmatism in decision-making. Rather than chasing quick gains or engaging in speculative practices, businesses are advised to pursue gradual, incremental improvements. “This entails avoiding excessive risk-taking, maintaining a balanced approach to planning and prioritising long-term sustainability over short-term gains. By adopting a logical and methodical approach to business strategy, organisations can navigate through turbulent times with resilience and confidence,” suggests Mohanty.

Crisis as catalyst for innovation

Agreed, there is a perpetual state of crisis, but then it also presents an opportunity for innovation and evolution. Startups, buoyed by government support and venture capital, are driving change and challenging established norms. However, as Gaur cautions, “the journey from inception to success is fraught with challenges, requiring not only creativity and strategic direction but also the ability to navigate crises of leadership, autonomy and control.” 

Embracing change with confidence

As organisations embrace the imperatives of learning, adaptation and resilience, they are better positioned to thrive in an ever-changing business landscape. With the right mindset and strategic approach, organisations can transform challenges into opportunities, paving the way for a brighter and more prosperous future in the dynamic world of modern business.

However, “despite the urgency and significance of the ‘permavucalution’ phenomenon, awareness and adoption remain limited within the business community, particularly in regions such as India,” points out Gaur. While some forward-thinking organisations and industry leaders have begun to embrace the permavucalution mindset, many others remain unaware or indifferent to its implications.

He further suggests, “Moving forward, it is imperative for businesses to prioritise education, awareness and proactive action in response to the permavucalution paradigm. Professional bodies, industry associations and thought leaders have a vital role to play in facilitating discussions, disseminating knowledge and driving organisational change.”

While the road ahead may be fraught with uncertainty, it also presents boundless opportunities for those willing to embrace change and innovation. By harnessing the collective ingenuity of industry stakeholders and leveraging the transformative power of technology, organisations can navigate the turbulent waters of modern commerce with confidence and resilience.

The post Navigating the ‘PermaVUCA’ business landscape: Strategies for success appeared first on HR Katha.

In today’s hyperconnected world, a concerning trend has emerged: doomscrolling. This term describes the habit of endlessly consuming negative news and distressing content on social media and other digital platforms. Characterized by a relentless scroll through news feeds for updates on crises, disasters, and conflicts, doomscrolling has become prevalent among employees, particularly during periods of global uncertainty. Whether it’s industry turmoil, political unrest, or natural disasters, individuals find themselves trapped in a cycle of negativity, unable to escape the constant barrage of alarming headlines and distressing imagery.

Understanding the allure of doomscrolling

While some may be surprised that individuals actively seek out negative content, the reasons behind this behaviour are complex. Some people believe that consuming such information prepares them for potential disasters or allows them to warn loved ones. They might feel a sense of control or preparedness by staying informed. However, this engagement often backfires, as exemplified by the common experience on social media platforms. Clicking on a news article about an economic recession, for instance, can quickly lead to an algorithm-curated feed flooded with content about impending layoffs, salary reductions, and business closures. This relentless stream of negativity reinforces anxieties and fuels the doomscrolling cycle.

“Doomscrolling creates a cycle of anxiety and pessimism, ultimately eroding morale. It also leads to decreased focus and efficiency during work hours, as attention is diverted towards consuming and reacting to distressing content rather than completing tasks.”

Ravi Mishra, head HR, BITS Pilani

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“AI is our ally in the quest for human connection,” says Ashish Pinto, CHRO, Nesco. “It frees us from the tyranny of the mundane, allowing us to devote our energy to understanding the nuances of human potential—the stories behind the resumes.”

“It frees us from the tyranny of the mundane, allowing us to devote our energy to understanding the nuances of human potential—the stories behind the resumes”

Ashish Pinto, CHRO, Nesco

Imagine a world where HR professionals no longer spend hours sifting through endless resumes, their eyes glazing over with exhaustion. Instead, AI handles the initial sorting, highlighting potential candidates based on their skills, experiences and most importantly, their unique human stories. This liberation allows HR professionals to dive deeper, to engage in conversations that uncover hidden dreams, silent struggles and untapped potential.

“AI gives us a glimpse into the human heart,” says Anil Gaur, a senior HR leader and a former CHRO. “It helps us move beyond checklists and bullet points, to see the person behind the paperwork, and to build teams that aren’t just efficient, but truly aligned with shared values and aspirations.”

One of the most profound impacts of AI in HR is its ability to challenge unconscious bias. By analysing data with an unbiased lens, AI helps HR professionals recognise and overcome hidden prejudices that may have otherwise hindered their ability to see the true potential in every individual.

“Artificial intelligence is like a mirror reflecting our blind spots,” says Ravi Mishra, SVP-HR, Aditya Birla Group. “It forces us to confront our own biases and build a workplace where diversity isn’t just a buzzword, but a living, breathing tapestry of human experiences and perspectives.”

“It helps us move beyond checklists and bullet points, to see the person behind the paperwork, and to build teams that aren’t just efficient, but truly aligned with shared values and aspirations”

Anil Gaur, a senior HR leader and a former CHRO

Performance reviews, often dreaded by both employees and HR, can be transformed into catalysts for growth and fulfilment with the help of AI. By analysing data beyond just numbers, AI can uncover hidden talents, suggest personalised development opportunities, and guide HR professionals in providing meaningful, actionable feedback.

“Artificial intelligence becomes our personal growth advisor,” Pinto explains. “It helps us create development plans that tap into individual strengths, address hidden challenges and unlock potential that may have otherwise remained dormant.”

The ability of AI to monitor stress levels and work patterns, and even analyse sentiments has made it an invaluable ally in promoting employee well-being. It can identify potential burnout before it takes hold, allowing HR professionals to proactively intervene with support, resources and personalised interventions.

“AI gives us the power to create a workplace where people don’t just survive, but thrive,” Mishra emphasises. “It’s about nurturing a culture of empathy and care, where every individual feels valued, heard and supported in their journey toward personal and professional fulfilment.”

“AI gives us the power to create a workplace where people don’t just survive, but thrive. It’s about nurturing a culture of empathy and care, where every individual feels valued, heard and supported in their journey toward personal and professional fulfilment”

Ravi Mishra, SVP-HR, Aditya Birla Group

The future of HR, powered by AI, is a harmonious blend of predictive insights and human intuition. Artificial intelligence can anticipate talent needs, identify potential successors and even predict employee sentiment, giving HR professionals a powerful tool to proactively plan for the future and build resilient, adaptable teams.

“ArtificiaI intelligence is our partner in building the future of work,” says Mishra. “It helps us create workplaces where people feel like they’re dancing to their own rhythm, not just following a set beat. It’s about empowering individuals, fostering collaboration and ensuring everyone feels valued and heard.”

In this unexpected symphony of technology and humanity, AI isn’t the soloist overshadowing the human touch. It’s the supporting orchestra, amplifying the melody of connection, empathy and growth. Together, they create a workplace where HR professionals are no longer just cogs in the machine, but conductors of human potential, unlocking the magic that lies within each employee. And that, truly, is the most unexpected and human outcome of all.

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High levels of pressure can create excessive stress and burnout, which can ultimately hinder performance and productivity.Does that mean organisations that prioritise a supportive and empowering work environment tend to foster higher levels of engagement and productivity, especially amongst the sales personnel?

Does effective sales management require recognition and appreciation of achievements, provision of regular feedback and coaching, opportunities for growth and development and cultivation of a positive team culture?

Anil Mohanty, senior HR leader

Pressure is not the only tactic in sales to maintain productivity or achieve results. Sales organisations should strive for a balanced approach that combines both pressure and positive reinforcement. Effective leaders understand the importance of motivating their team members and creating an environment that encourages productivity. This can be achieved through a combination of setting clear goals, providing support and guidance, recognising and appreciating achievements and offering constructive feedback to drive improvement.

It’s crucial for sales leaders to develop effective coaching and management techniques that cater to the unique needs of their team members. This may involve conducting thorough research to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each individual, implementing tailored strategies and providing the necessary resources and training for success.

Pressure can be a part of the sales environment to some extent, but finding the right balance between pressure and positive reinforcement allows for individual growth, fosters a motivated and engaged team and ultimately leads to sustainable and long-term success.

Praveen Purohit, deputy CHRO, Vedanta Resources

In today’s sales environment, the perception that salesrooms are filled with constant drama and high pressure situations is not accurate or common. Though occasional instances of heightened emotions or tense moments may occur, it is important to note that such occurrences do not define the entire sales profession. Sales roles often involve targets, deadlines and performance expectations. The belief that pressuring individuals is the sole tactic to maintain productivity and achieve results is outdated and ineffective.

Successful sales teams now focus on embracing technology and innovation. By incorporating digital tools and data-driven insights, sales professionals can optimise their discussion should then move on to what was done well, followed by areas that could have been improved upon. The focus should be on identifying gaps and setting goals for improvement. 

Anil Gaur, CHRO, senior HR professional

Leaders should lead by example, demonstrating the desired behaviour themselves. Creating an environment of trust and collaboration is essential, and the incident involving the HDFC manager shouting at his team members, which subsequently went viral clearly did not promote such an environment.

Any review meeting or discussion should begin by appreciating the good work done by the team members. Each individual possesses unique capabilities and competencies, and it is important to acknowledge each one’s contributions, big or small. The strategies, identify new market opportunities and tailor their approach to meet customer needs more effectively.

The sales team should look beyond organisational boundaries to understand industry best practices and learn from successful counterparts worldwide. This broader perspective allows sales teams to adopt proven strategies, refine their processes and stay ahead of evolving market dynamics.

With greater emphasis on intellectual and creative problem solving, sales professionals are encouraged to think critically, adapt to changing customer needs and find innovative solutions to build stronger relationships with customers and deliver sustainable business growth.

Throughout these conversations, leaders should maintain a polite and humble demeanour, aiming to connect with their team members on a personal level. Inclusivity is crucial, allowing for open sessions or town-hall meetings where the voice of employees can be heard. It is the leader’s responsibility to handle, guide, support and provide advice to enable the team members to perform better.

The post Is pressure the only tactic in sales to maintain productivity or achieve results? appeared first on HR Katha.

When choosing HR software, smaller businesses should focus on essential functions. This includes keeping all employee details in one central database, tracking attendance efficiently, automating payroll for accuracy and time-saving, using tools for performance management and employee development, and streamlining the hiring process from posting jobs to onboarding new hires. These features help smaller businesses improve efficiency, stay compliant and create a positive employee experience.

Anil Gaur, a senior HR professional, says that startups typically face challenges in daily operations, lack internal resources, struggle with technology investments and may prioritise other aspects over technology adoption.

That is why, Gaur suggests, “While renowned solutions such as Oracle or SuccessFactors may be too expensive, there are affordable alternatives tailored for startups, such as BambooHR, Zoho People, Face Team and many more.”

“Learning Management Systems (LMS) support the shift to eLearning and microlearning for training. While succession planning and compensation may not be immediate concerns for smaller businesses, HR analytics and recruitment modules can enhance decision-making”

Anil Gaur, a senior HR professional

Along with that, SMEs typically grapple with financial constraints and operate with a smaller workforce compared to larger corporations. The limited availability of funds and a compact employee base pose unique challenges for SMEs. As a result, these businesses often seek cost-effective solutions and streamlined processes to efficiently manage their human resources.

Ramesh Shankar S, chief joy officer, Hrishti.com, asserts that for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking cost-effective HR software, essential features would include attendance tracking, performance management, communication tools, employee-engagement surveys and training modules.

User-friendly interface

One of the primary considerations for HR software in smaller organisations is usability. A user-friendly interface ensures that employees and HR staff can navigate the system with ease. Intuitive design and clear functionalities contribute to quicker adoption and reduced training time, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations.

Cost-effectiveness

For small businesses and startups with limited budgets, cost-effectiveness is a critical factor. Cloud-based HR solutions, often available on a subscription basis, eliminate the need for significant upfront investments in hardware and software. Additionally, many HR software providers offer scalable pricing plans, allowing businesses to pay only for the features and number of users they require.

“Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking cost-effective HR software, essential features would include attendance tracking, performance management, communication tools, employee-engagement surveys and training modules”

Ramesh Shankar S, chief joy officer, Hrishti.com

“Opting for subscription models allows SMEs to manage costs effectively, with the flexibility to scale as needed. Streamlined onboarding processes, rewards and recognition programmes and a modular approach tailored to specific needs contribute to an efficient HR system,” says Shankar.

In his opinion, cloud-based solutions offer accessibility and ease of use, while responsive customer support and training resources are crucial for successful implementation.

Scalability

Startups and SMEs often experience rapid growth. Therefore, the chosen HR software should be scalable to accommodate an expanding workforce. Scalability ensures that the system can grow with the business without requiring a complete overhaul or migration to a new platform.

“Large-scale, high-end HR systems may not be practical for SMEs with limited scalability. Instead, considering the offerings from startups that specialise in customised Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) tailored to Indian processes can be a strategic choice. These HRIS solutions typically cover essential functionalities such as performance management, compensation management and exit management,” points out Amit Sharma, senior HR professional and former HR head of a large automobile company.

Compliance and security

Human resource software must comply with data-protection regulations and ensure the security of sensitive employee information. Look for software that incorporates encryption, regular security updates and compliance with industry standards. This is particularly crucial for businesses handling employee data, such as personal and financial information.

Integration capabilities

To enhance overall operational efficiency, HR software should seamlessly integrate with other business applications, such as accounting software, communication tools and project-management platforms. Integration eliminates data silos and fosters a more connected and collaborative work environment.

Mobile accessibility

In today’s dynamic work environment, employees may not always be confined to traditional office settings. Opt for HR software with mobile accessibility, enabling employees to access essential HR functions on the go. This is especially relevant for startups and small businesses that prioritise flexibility and remote-work options.

“Large-scale, high-end HR systems may not be practical for SMEs with limited scalability. Instead, considering the offerings from startups that specialise in customised Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) tailored to Indian processes can be a strategic choice”

Amit Sharma, senior HR professional and former HR head of a large automobile company

“Learning Management Systems (LMS) support the shift to eLearning and microlearning for training. While succession planning and compensation may not be immediate concerns for smaller businesses, HR analytics and recruitment modules can enhance decision-making,” adds Gaur.

Sharma opines, “While talent management and applicant-tracking systems can be considered later as the company grows, focusing on a basic HRIS that handles onboarding, employee lifecycle management, and core HR functions is a practical and cost-effective approach. Customisation based on specific requirements can further enhance its effectiveness for SMEs.”

Selecting the right HR software for small businesses, SMEs and startups involves careful consideration of various factors. Looking for user friendliness, cost-effectiveness, core HR functionalities, scalability, compliance, integration capabilities, and mobile accessibility is the key. By investing in the right HR software, smaller organisations can streamline their HR processes, foster employee engagement and contribute to their long-term success.

The post What’re the HR software for small businesses, SMEs and startups? appeared first on HR Katha.

Traditionally, employment has revolved around long-term relationships between employers and employees. Workers would join a company and stay put there for the most part of their careers, building expertise and loyalty over time. However, this traditional model is undergoing a fundamental change.

The integration of technology and automation is giving rise to what is commonly referred to as the ‘transactional workforce.’ A transactional workforce is characterised by employees who primarily focus on completing routine tasks and activities within the confines of their job descriptions. These workers tend to prioritise immediate, tangible results and often work within established processes and guidelines.

While a transactional workforce can contribute to operational efficiency and productivity, it may also lack adaptability and innovation, as employees may not venture beyond their predefined roles.

The IT and manufacturing industries have both experienced significant changes in their workforces due to technology and automation.

In the manufacturing sector, technology and automation have revolutionised the production process. For instance, take the example of the automotive industry. Automation has enabled car manufacturers to dramatically increase production rates while maintaining consistent quality. Robots equipped with advanced sensors and programming now weld, paint, and assemble cars with precision and speed, reducing the margin for error. While this shift has led to a reduction in some manual assembly line jobs, it has also created a demand for engineers and technicians who can programme and maintain these robotic systems.

“This approach offers distinct benefits — especially when these roles are tailored to repetitive tasks that lack transformative elements — such as the ability to provide swift training and adaptability to evolving organisational needs”

Mangesh Bhide, senior vice president and HR head, Reliance Jio Infocomm

Similarly, the IT sector has undergone a profound transformation driven by technology and automation. One clear example is the evolution of cloud computing. Cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud have automated the provisioning and management of computing resources. This has allowed businesses to scale their IT infrastructure on demand, reducing the need for physical servers and extensive manual configurations. As a result, IT professionals have shifted their focus from hardware management to optimising cloud services and developing sophisticated applications.

A transactional workforce can offer several distinct advantages to organisations. It is extremely efficient and cost effective. These workers are proficient at handling repetitive tasks with precision and speed.

This type of workforce can also provide the means to fund personal interests and achieve short-term financial goals. However, this approach often lacks the long-term job satisfaction and personal fulfilment that come with more engaged and purpose-driven work. Balancing financial objectives with meaningful engagement in one’s work is crucial for a well-rounded and fulfilling career.

The transactional workforce comes with its share of challenges, including potentially high attrition rates due to repetitive tasks, limited room for innovation and dependence on rigid processes. Automation also poses a risk, potentially displacing jobs in transactional roles. Employee engagement may suffer, hindering productivity and limiting skill development.

Mangesh Bhide, senior vice president and HR head, Reliance Jio Infocomm, points out, “This approach offers distinct benefits — especially when these roles are tailored to repetitive tasks that lack transformative elements — such as the ability to provide swift training and adaptability to evolving organisational needs.”

“The transition to a transactional workforce is evident across various sectors, including manufacturing and IT. In response to fluctuating demands, industries such as manufacturing have embraced a contingent workforce, including freelancers and gig workers”

Anil Gaur, senior HR professional

However, it’s important to acknowledge the potential drawbacks inherent in such a model, particularly concerning attrition rates. According to Bhide, “Individuals with higher aspirations and a desire for more meaningful and fulfilling work may eventually seek opportunities beyond roles that are characterised by routine tasks.”

Anil Gaur, senior HR professional, shares, “The transition to a transactional workforce is evident across various sectors, including manufacturing and IT. In response to fluctuating demands, industries such as manufacturing have embraced a contingent workforce, including freelancers and gig workers. This adaptable workforce model offers the benefit of flexibility and diverse experiences, enabling companies to efficiently navigate seasonal variations in production.’

However, he adds that this shift comes with its own set of challenges, including limited access to traditional employment benefits.

Gaur points out that the influence of a transactional workforce extends beyond manufacturing and permeates the IT sector as well.

” To adapt to this changing landscape, organisations must reconsider their approach to employee engagement. This may involve fostering a culture of flexibility and adaptability, providing continuous skill-development opportunities, and exploring innovative ways to support and benefit transactional workers,” opines Gaur.

Praveer Priyadarshi, senior HR leader, affirms the importance of embracing a transactional workforce.

According to him, the decision to embrace a transactional work culture depends on a multitude of factors. “It necessitates a thoughtful analysis of the organisation’s specific requirements, industry dynamics and long-term objectives. The nature of work being undertaken, the need for flexibility and the cost considerations all play pivotal roles in determining whether a transactional workforce model is a suitable fit.”

“The nature of work being undertaken, the need for flexibility and the cost considerations all play pivotal roles in determining whether a transactional workforce model is a suitable fit”

Praveer Priyadarshi, senior HR leader

Additionally, Priyadarshi emphasises that considering the organisation’s technological infrastructure and tools is essential, as they can significantly boost the efficiency and effectiveness of a transactional workforce. Equally critical is the need to address employee engagement and motivation within a transactional framework, given that monotony and attrition can present noteworthy challenges.

To cultivate a workforce motivated by more than financial incentives, organisations should prioritise instilling a sense of purpose, encouraging personal development and fostering a positive workplace culture. This involves effective communication of the company’s mission and values, facilitating skill-building and career growth and recognising employees’ contributions. Promoting positivity, collaboration and work-life balance within the workplace is essential for a well-rounded approach to engagement.

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How significant are middle managers? What are the challenges they face? How can organisations empower and support middle managers to become effective leaders and change agents in the evolving workplace? Let us try and find some answers.

Middle managers often find themselves caught between the expectations of senior leadership and the realities on the ground. While their managerial skills are essential for driving team performance and achieving strategic goals, they may be overshadowed by the spotlight placed on individual contributors. This undervaluation can stem from misconceptions about middle management roles or a focus on immediate results rather than long-term leadership potential.

Mukul Chopra, CHRO, Convegenius, agrees that in some organisations, the focus may primarily be on cognitive chief experience officers (CXOs) and other high-level executives, diverting attention from the contributions of middle managers.

“The prolonged experience of middle managers within the organisation gives them valuable institutional knowledge and historical context, which newer employees may lack”

Mukul Chopra, CHRO, Convegenius

“Middle managers play a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s culture and effectively bridging the gap between the strategic vision set by senior leadership and the implementation on the ground. They serve as a critical communication link, transmitting the higher-level objectives into actionable plans for their teams,” says Chopra.

To unlock the full potential of middle managers, organisations must cultivate a culture that recognises their significance and encourages their growth as leaders. This involves providing training and development programmes tailored to their unique needs, offering mentorship opportunities and acknowledging their achievements. By offering a supportive environment, middle managers will feel empowered to lead with confidence and navigate change adeptly.

Chopra adds, “The prolonged experience of middle managers within the organisation gives them valuable institutional knowledge and historical context, which newer employees may lack. This makes them invaluable resources for new hires and an essential part of any leadership pipeline. Their consistent presence and contributions over the years make them a symbol of organisational stability, continuity and reliability.”

“Leaders should embrace a more inclusive approach, focusing not only on personal achievements and targets but also on the development of their team members. Supporting, guiding, coaching and mentoring middle managers is crucial as they represent the future leaders of the organisation”

Anil Gaur, senior HR professional

Anil Gaur, senior HR professional, believes, “While middle managers may not always have the final say in decision-making, they should undoubtedly be involved in the process. Their expertise and insights can significantly influence the outcomes of various assignments and projects. However, challenges arise when some leaders fear that capable and competent middle managers can pose a threat to their own positions. In such cases, they may overlook or neglect these talented individuals, creating a gap in recognising and promoting deserving candidates.”

That is why, Gaur suggests that leaders embrace a more inclusive approach, focusing not only on personal achievements and targets but also on the development of their team members. Supporting, guiding, coaching and mentoring middle managers is crucial as they represent the future leaders of the organisation.

As the business landscape evolves rapidly, middle managers must adapt to new challenges and technologies. Comprehensive training and development programmes are essential to enhance their leadership skills, emotional intelligence and ability to handle organisational transformations. By equipping middle managers with the necessary tools, organisations can build a robust leadership pipeline and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement.

In modern organisations, the role of middle managers is evolving to encompass broader responsibilities. Beyond traditional supervisory tasks, they are increasingly seen as facilitators of innovation, promoters of diversity and inclusion and advocates of employee well-being. Middle managers are the vital link between fostering a positive work culture and nurturing the next generation of leaders.

“The art of managing a team requires consistent training and learning to navigate the complexities that arise while leading a diverse group of individuals. Through regular training and self-improvement, middle managers can enhance their skills and become successful leaders who inspire and motivate their teams to achieve collective goals,” says Anil Mohanty, senior HR leader.

Additionally, he explains that to be a successful manager, one must possess the competency to handle the complexities of managing multiple individuals with different personalities, competencies and expectations. Each team member requires tailored approaches, making it crucial for managers to strike a balance in their interactions.

“The art of managing a team requires consistent training and learning to navigate the complexities that arise while leading a diverse group of individuals”

Anil Mohanty, senior HR leader

“Middle managers serve as the weather vane of the organisation, reflecting the mood and morale of their teams. Their ability to gauge and interpret the pulse of the workforce is instrumental in fostering a positive work environment and driving employee engagement. In times when organisational loyalties may be tested, these managers become the stabilising force, contributing to the overall retention and loyalty of employees,” shares Chopra.

Being the backbone of organisations, the managerial skills of middle managers are indispensable for sustained success. By recognising their value, fostering a supportive culture and providing ample opportunities for growth and development, organisations can empower middle managers to become effective leaders and change agents. Embracing the evolving role of middle managers will lead to a stronger and more resilient organisation capable of thriving in an ever-changing business landscape.

The post Why middle managers are to be valued for their managerial skills appeared first on HR Katha.

The much-discussed phenomenon called the ‘Great Resignation’— when job seekers, especially techies, were spoilt for choice amidst a deluge of job offers and were resigning in droves—seems to have now given way to the ‘Great Regret’.

People may regret quitting their jobs because they did it for the wrong reasons. For instance, they may have switched just because everyone else was doing it, or they may have done so because they were unhappy with their situation but didn’t really have a concrete plan to improve it or navigate their next steps.

According to a recent study, one out of every four individuals who were part of the Great Resignation is unhappy about the decision to move.

While the study finds that 42 per cent of respondents felt that their new job did not match up to their expectations, 40 per cent underwent more difficulties in finding new jobs than they had anticipated.

“Quitting can harm one’s professional reputation and future career prospects. Even if one doesn’t see the immediate impact, it can have long-term consequences in 5-10 years. It’s better to prioritise one’s long-term career growth rather than seek short-term gains”.

Anil Gaur, group CPO, Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals

Herd mentality

During the Great Resignation, many individuals re-evaluated their priorities and sought a different outlook on life. They realised that there is more to life than just work and decided to explore other aspects, such as personal health and world experiences. However, not everyone could afford to make such a drastic change due to economic responsibilities. Some people impulsively followed the herd mentality and quit their jobs without fully understanding the circumstances of others.

Amit Chincholikar, global CHRO, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires, explains, “The aftermath of this impulsive decision started to set in when individuals realised the need for a steady source of income and the importance of economic stability.” Government support during the pandemic, such as reduced social security contributions and financial aid, gradually diminished as COVID-19 came to an end in 2021 or 2022. Additionally, high inflation rates caught many off guard, adding to the challenges people faced.

Citing an example, Chincholikar enunciates, “If a colleague of mine quits, I may feel inclined to follow suit without fully understanding their circumstances. It is only later that the reality dawns when they realise that there is still a need for a steady source of income and to ensure that there is some degree of certainty in how businesses operate, and so on”.

“Many individuals take a break from traditional careers to explore unconventional paths or try something new. However, if these alternative models fail to yield the desired results, it is important for people to acknowledge that their previous decision does not have to define their future.”

Amit Chincholikar, global CHRO, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires

Impulsive resignations among young professionals

Anil Gaur, group CPO, Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, believes that impulsive resignations are more common among young professionals with one to four years of experience. These decisions can be driven by factors such as job title, position, role, salary, or relationships with managers and colleagues. Peer pressure also plays a role, with employees being influenced by their colleagues’ job changes or better pay.

Subir Roy Choudhary, CHRO, Satin Creditcare Network advises individuals not to assume that switching jobs will automatically solve their concerns. People often get excited or are motivated to change their life without even evaluating the consequences they may face. The grass on the other side seems greener but the reality is not always what we expect it to be.

How to rectify the regret 

To rectify a wrong decision, employees should try to adjust, understand, and accommodate themselves in the new job. If the current role doesn’t interest them, they can explore new job opportunities and learn new skills. Gaur cautions against making decisions based on others’ successes. He emphasises the importance of personal growth and career development.

“It’s important to focus on self-improvement, learn new skills and enjoy one’s work instead of quitting,” suggests Gaur.

He goes on to advise, “Quitting can harm one’s professional reputation and future career prospects. Even if one doesn’t see the immediate impact, it can have long-term consequences in 5-10 years. It’s better to prioritise one’s long-term career growth rather than seek short-term gains”.

If someone has made a particularly bad decision and things aren’t working out despite their best efforts, they may need to consider leaving their current job. However, Gaur advises staying and giving one’s best shot at saving the job, as there’s no guarantee that moving to another company will prove to be better in the long run.

According to Chincholikar, many individuals take a break from traditional careers to explore unconventional paths or try something new. However, if these alternative models fail to yield the desired results, it is important for people to acknowledge that their previous decision does not have to define their future. They should consider reapplying to the workforce, knowing that as long as they possess the necessary skills that companies seek, they will be welcomed back with open arms.

“New employer’s responsibility lies in creating a welcoming and supportive onboarding process. This includes providing clear job expectations, offering necessary training and resources, and facilitating a smooth transition into the new role.”

Subir Roy Choudhary, CHRO, Satin Creditcare Network

Should employees consider boomeranging?

For those who regret quitting their job impulsively, going back or ‘boomeranging’ to their old company can be a viable option. Chincholikar emphasizes, “Many organisations are now more understanding and open to re-evaluating the employment status of individuals who leave and then express a desire to return.” It is important for these individuals to treat their resignation period as a break and actively reapply to the workforce. Being honest about their reasons for quitting and expressing a genuine desire to return to work can help rebuild their careers. Progressive employers value talent and recognise that everyone makes mistakes. As long as individuals possess the necessary skills and qualifications, employers are likely to welcome them back into the workforce.

What can employers do?

While employees carry the burden of their decisions, employers who are losing their employees also hold a considerable responsibility in averting the resignation to prevent regret later, by creating an empathetic work environment — an environment that prioritises employee well-being and growth, alongside business objectives.

Choudhary suggests that new employers should actively engage in ongoing communication with employees, seeking feedback and addressing any concerns or challenges that arise.

He further elaborates that the new employer’s responsibility lies in creating a welcoming and supportive onboarding process. This includes providing clear job expectations, offering necessary training and resources, and facilitating a smooth transition into the new role. New employers should also make an effort to understand the individual needs and career aspirations of their employees.

Gaur also suggests conducting stay interviews when everything is going well to gauge employee engagement and job satisfaction. These interviews help assess whether employees are enjoying their work and provide an opportunity to identify areas for improvement.

The Great Regret experienced by individuals who quit their jobs is often rooted in impulsive decisions, wrong motivations and unrealistic expectations. However, there is hope for those who regret their choices. All they need to do is, reassess priorities, learn from regrets and seek growth opportunities, so that they  can rebuild their careers and find fulfilment in the workforce. It is, after all, important to focus on long-term career prospects and to make informed decisions rather than succumb to impulsive actions that may lead to regret.

The post The Great Regret: Why people quit their jobs & then regret appeared first on HR Katha.

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According to Anil Gaur, group CPO, Akums Pharmaceuticals, in the manufacturing industry, people development is one of the four pillars, other than quality control, lean manufacturing and supply chain management and therefore customising programmes for employees’ needs is important.

“Skill development and capability upliftment, of both existing and new hires, is essential, and job shadowing can be a useful tool in career progression and succession planning,” emphasises Gaur.

Structured job shadowing

“Skill development and capability upliftment, of both existing and new hires, is essential, and job shadowing can be a useful tool in career progression and succession planning,”

Anil Gaur, group CPO, Akums Pharmaceuticals

When job shadowing follows a specific plan or schedule, it is called structured job shadowing. This type of job shadowing is organised by the employer or the training institution, and it typically includes a set of learning objectives or goals that the participant must achieve during the job-shadowing experience. The participants may also receive feedback from the professionals they are shadowing as well as from the employers or the training institution.

Structured job shadowing works best when the participants or shadows have a specific career path in mind and wish to gain a deeper understanding of the skills and knowledge required for that job. It is also useful for those who are transitioning to a new field or industry, as it can provide them with valuable insights into the day-to-day tasks and challenges associated with the job.

According to Ranjan Banerjee, group head – HR, Berger Paints, in corporations, the most effective type of job shadowing tends to be a structured, short-term programme that allows employees to observe and learn from experienced colleagues in different roles or departments.

Banerjee explains that this usually works best when it involves:

? Clear objectives and expectations: Banerjee enunciates, “Both the employee and the mentor should know what the goals of the job shadowing experience are and what is expected from each party.”

? Preparation and orientation: He also adds that providing background information about the role, the department, and the mentor can help the employee / shadow have a better understanding of the job they are shadowing and make the most of the experience.

? Active participation: “Encouraging the employees / shadows to ask questions, collaborate on projects, and actively engage in the work process helps them gain a deeper understanding of the role and responsibilities,” says Banerjee.

? Reflection and feedback: Banerjee says “At the end of the job-shadowing period, both the employee and the mentor should reflect on the experience, discuss what was learned, and provide feedback for improvement.”

? Follow-up and support: Finally, he adds providing ongoing support and resources, such as access to relevant training or workshops, can help the employee apply what they’ve learned from the job- shadowing experience to their own role or career development.

“Encouraging the employees / shadows to ask questions, collaborate on projects, and actively engage in the work process helps them gain a deeper understanding of the role and responsibilities.”

Ranjan Banerjee, group head – HR, Berger Paints

Informal job shadowing

Amit Sharma, CHRO, Volvo, believes, “Informal job shadowing in a workplace setting can be more effective because it allows the shadow to experience the real-life situations and challenges that the person they are shadowing is facing, in an unstructured environment”

Informal job shadowing does not follow a specific plan or schedule. Instead, it is a more casual approach that allows the participants / shadows to observe the professionals they are shadowing as they go about their daily tasks. Informal job shadowing is usually initiated by the participants, who may ask a friend or family member to introduce them to a professional in their field.

This type of shadowing works best when the participants are exploring different career options or are simply curious about a particular profession. It can provide them with a low-pressure environment to observe and ask questions without the expectations of achieving specific learning objectives.

Sharma points out that one of the benefits of informal job shadowing is that it provides the shadow with a more authentic and valuable learning experience.

He explains, “Compared to formal or structured job shadowing programmes, or virtual shadowing opportunities, informal job shadowing is far more effective.”

He reasons, “By being physically present in the workplace and observing how the person they are shadowing navigates real-life situations and challenges, the shadows can gain valuable insights into effective problem-solving techniques, communication skills, and other job-specific skills that may not be taught in a classroom or training programme.”

Additionally, informal job shadowing provides an opportunity for the shadow to ask questions, seek feedback, and receive guidance from their mentor in real time. This can help the shadows to gain a better understanding of the job requirements and expectations, as well as receive personalised advice on how to improve their own skills and performance.

“Compared to formal or structured job shadowing programmes, or virtual shadowing opportunities, informal job shadowing is far more effective.”

Amit Sharma, CHRO, Volvo

Virtual job shadowing

Virtual job shadowing, as the name suggests, takes place online. It has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly post the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual job shadowing typically involves video conferencing with a professional in a particular field, who then walks the participant through their workday and explains their tasks and responsibilities.

This works best when the participants are unable to physically visit the workplace due to geographical or other constraints. It is also useful for those who prefer to observe from the comfort of their own homes or offices.

Gaur also cites examples of surprise job-shadowing programmes, and how they can help develop skills and knowledge in various areas, including people management and decision-making.

He further says, job shadowing can be effective in other industries as well, such as aviation and hospitality. Overall, Gaur emphasises the importance of customised job shadowing programmes for effective employee development.”

The type of job shadowing that works best depends on the participants’ or shadows’ goals and preferences. Regardless of the type of job shadowing, it is important to approach the experience with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

The post Which type of job shadowing works best – structured, informal or virtual? appeared first on HR Katha.

Introductory meeting

To start things on the right note, it is essential to schedule an introductory meeting with the new boss. This meeting should be used to introduce the team and discuss their roles and responsibilities. It will also help establish a rapport with the new manager(s) and learn about their management style. This is also an opportunity to ask questions and clear any doubts that people may have.

Anil Gaur, group CPO, Akums Pharmaceuticals, believes that the most important things to consider while onboarding a new boss are technical and functional knowledge, organisational structures and an understanding of the company’s products, services, customers, technology, systems, processes and policies.

“To successfully onboard a new boss, one must have a clear understanding of the company’s structure, culture, and practices and be able to communicate this information effectively to the new boss.”

Anil Gaur, group CPO, Akums Pharmaceuticals

Information sharing

Gaur further adds that, during the onboarding process, it is crucial to share the right information with the new boss from the right perspective. This includes, providing historical knowledge and information about the business, offering reverse mentoring and acting as an enabler.

The organisation should clarify expectations with the new boss. Expectations for roles and responsibilities must be explained and clarification must be sought in areas where there is uncertainty. It is crucial to ensure that the organisation understands its priorities and goals for the team. This understanding will help the organisation align its efforts with the new boss’s vision.

Sharad Sharma, CHRO, Pramerica Life, says, “When new bosses join the organisation, it is important to engage with them to provide a clear picture of the company’s context, profile of employees, business channels, strengths and high points. Before updating them on HR policies and completing joining formalities, it is crucial to ensure that they do not feel out of place on their first day.”

“This can be done by organising an induction programme that includes presentations on key differentiators, meeting the team and setting expectations. It is also essential to provide support and logistics as required and organise informal meetings or meals with direct reports to facilitate bonding,” explains Sharma.

Sharing knowledge about the company’s team and projects with the new boss is also important. Insights into the team dynamics and any ongoing issues have to be offered along with information regarding the team’s successes or challenges faced.

“When new bosses join the organisation, it is important to engage with them to provide a clear picture of the company’s context, profile of employees, business channels, strengths and high points.”

Sharad Sharma, CHRO, Pramerica Life

Communication

Communication, and proactive communication at that, is very important while onboarding new bosses. Keeping them informed about ongoing projects, updates and potential issues is crucial. Progress reports should be proactively shared and guidance sought when necessary.

Gaur opines “An open and transparent culture is essential in organisations, and it is crucial to communicate both written and unwritten practises to the new boss. Political learning should also be considered, including decision-making processes, diversity, equity, equality and inclusivity.”

“To successfully onboard a new boss, one must have a clear understanding of the company’s structure, culture, and practices and be able to communicate this information effectively to the new boss,” advises Gaur.

Most importantly, the person who is onboarded and the organisation, both should be open to change. The new bosses may have new ideas and approaches for the team, and the organisations should be receptive to their new ways of working. Embracing the opportunity to learn and growing under a new leader is the right way to go forward. Organisations may be surprised by the new perspectives and insights brought to the table by new bosses.

Onboarding a new boss requires effort and open mindedness. It is crucial to establish a positive working relationship with the new boss to ensure a smooth transition. Following these strategies will help onboard a new boss effectively and demonstrate the organisation’s value.

The post How to onboard a new boss appeared first on HR Katha.

The HR manager may be responsible for both HR and operational tasks. That is, handling recruiting, hiring, and training of employees, as well as managing the day-to-day operations of the organisation.

Handling of multiple roles and responsibilities by HR managers can be rather beneficial for organisations.

It can improve communication and coordination, increase efficiency, and achieve a better understanding of the organisation’s needs and goals.

In smaller organisations, HR managers can easily take on dual roles, as they don’t necessarily hire multiple experts to manage the various verticals. They also look at different variables in terms of revenue and profitability.

Since these organisations have built up the business from scratch, and scaled up rather gradually, people there tend to have a multitasking mindset from the very beginning.  Therefore, it is common to see most of the promoters managing HR along with supply chains.

“In small organisations, people are initially hired for a specific role, but it is implied that they may have to wear multiple hats”.

Vinesh Nair, head of people and culture, Captain Fresh

 

Vinesh Nair, head of people and culture, Captain Fresh, says “In small organisation or startups, not just HR but almost everyone in the organisation shoulders more than one function in the initial stages. There is no job description in such small establishments”.

Nair adds, “In small organisations, people are initially hired for a specific role, but it is implied that they may have to wear multiple hats”.  There may not even be a typical HR person doing the hiring. Such organisations usually have recruiters or agencies helping them with the recruitment. “However, when an HR manager come in, he or she takes care of recruitment, employee welfare, as well as payroll. Everything is kind of done by that same person within HR,” explains Nair.

“Sometimes, these HR managers may go beyond their domain and also be involved in certain elements of the sales or operations, because they come under the realm of people management,” adds Nair.

Having HR managers play a dual role can provide certain benefits to the organisation, such as:

Cost-efficiency

One of the major benefits of having an HR manager play a dual role is cost efficiency. Smaller organisations often have limited resources and need to be more efficient in their operations. By having the HR manager handle multiple responsibilities, the organisation can save on costs and maximise the use of its resources. This can lead to a more cost-effective and efficient organisation.

“Organisations where the HR guy handles the administration, HR and public communication.”

Anil Gaur, group chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceuticals

Anil Gaur, group chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceuticals, says, “If the business is small —less than 200-300 crores — then having too many verticals and too many people in each of the verticals will not only increase cost, but also create confusion and challenges in terms of alignment.”

Gaur feels that in smaller organisations, every person on the management team understands the business nuances. They also understand the implications of the business environment on various functions, and therefore, they believe that one person can take on dual responsibility. He also says that he knows a couple of “organisations where the HR guy handles the administration, HR and public communication.”

Better coordination

Human resource managers playing a dual role improves communication and coordination between the HR and the rest of the organisation.

The HR manager can understand the needs of the organisation and ensure that HR policies and procedures align with the overall goals and objectives of the organisation. This can lead to a more effective and efficient HR function.

Improved productivity and decision-making

With the HR manager being better aware of the business requirements and the goals of the organisation, better decision-making can be ensured when it comes to human resources. The HR manager will be able to weigh the pros and cons and gauge how the decisions will affect the rest of the organisation. Therefore, the overall results of the organisation will be better.  

Samir Bhiwapurkar, head HR and general administration, Japfa Comfeed

Effectiveness

The HR manager can be more involved in the operations of the organisation and can provide valuable suggestions for improving processes and operations. This can lead to a more productive and efficient organisation.

According to Samir Bhiwapurkar, head HR and general administration, Japfa Comfeed, it is important for HR managers to have more than one responsibility. He believes, “HR should always have a dual role. The manager should understand the business. This is how I have worked for the last 25 years.”

He explains, “If required, the HR can act as a business manager, and in the absence of the business managers,he should run the show. In fact, HR managers should be able to rise to the occasion even if they are required to stand on the shop floor and run production. Even if they are not technically aware, they should administratively know who is good at what.” 

Bhiwapurkar feels that in smaller organisations, HR can contribute in a much bigger way by taking on dual responsibility.

Although it is beneficial for HR managers to be handling dual responsibilities in small businesses, it is important to ensure that the HR manager has the necessary skills and expertise to effectively manage both HR and operational tasks.

It is also important to monitor the performance of the HR managers and make adjustments, as needed, to ensure that the organisation is functioning effectively and efficiently. 

The post Can HR managers play dual roles in smaller organisations? appeared first on HR Katha.

Employee retention has become one of the greatest challenges for organisations today. Quite understandable, because the job market has opened up and how! With so many options and opportunities, candidates are almost spoilt for choice. So much so that HR leaders feel that employees have the liberty to choose their boss!

Well, differences between employees and bosses have existed for the longest time. In fact, such differences are the main reason for employees moving on from an organisation. Why do gaps exist between employees and their immediate bosses?

Let us look at some of the primary reasons.

“Many a time, when there is a gap, senior leaders do not sit together to discuss their differences”

Rattan Chugh, senior HR leader

Gaps and differences between employees and their immediate bosses exist at all levels in an organisation. However, the reasons for the same and the challenges of dealing with the same vary as we climb up the corporate ladder.

Rattan Chugh, senior HR leader, shares with HRKatha, that in the middle-level management, the most common reason for such differences is the lack of training or emphasis on leadership development and managerial training. “When companies hire freshers at the entry level, the emphasis is more on the skills that they bring to the table and not their ability to manage people,” points out Chugh.

He goes on to say that many companies have only now started to realise how important it is to train first-time managers when they move to roles where they have to manage people and teams. Chugh believes that more than just training managers, the evaluation process of a team leader and a first-time manager should also give adequate weightage to people-management skills. “Out of five, managers need to be evaluated on three functional goals and two people-management skills,” suggests Chugh.

In fact, many companies also follow a multidimensional process of evaluating mid- level managers. On one hand, the managers are rated on their team or individual performance on a scale of one to five, and on the other, they are also evaluated on values and people skills indicating with a grade such as A, B, C, D and E. Therefore, if the rating is something like a ‘4 D’, it would indicate that the person may be good at achieving goals but a poor people manager.

“The managers will need to inculcate the attitude of ‘care’ when it comes to establishing a bond with the employees”

Anil Gaur, chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceutical

“It helps to identify managers who are ready to go into next-level roles. Some people may be very good at achieving targets but poor managers,” cautions Chugh.

According to Satyajit Mohanty, CHRO, Crompton, most differences come with how people perceive their performance. The employees have their own way of perceiving their performance and the managers have their own view. Mohanty goes on to explain that if data reveals a performance gap, the manager will see it as a gap in performance, while the employee will see it as a failure to achieve what was expected of him/her. However, for the employee, the element of ‘context’ also exists. For instance, the employee may have been unable to achieve what was expected due to bad market conditions.

“Seldom do companies train managers on ways to identify such psychological gaps or make them aware of the same,” asserts Mohanty.

Mohanty mentions that at Crompton, they are trying to bring in the element of ‘context’ in evaluating performance data and sensitising managers towards doing the same.

More often, managers fail to understand what they really expect from their employees. Anil Gaur, chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceutical, mentions that at his firm, the practice of making managers write the job description is quite effective. It allows them to understand what they should expect from their new hires.

Additionally, the organisation also encourages its managers to hold routine morning meetings, informal meets and also bonding sessions with families of team members. “The managers will need to inculcate the attitude of ‘care’ when it comes to establishing a bond with the employees,” advises Gaur.

“Seldom do companies train managers on ways to identify psychological gaps or make them aware of the same”

Satyajit Mohanty, CHRO, Crompton

As Chugh mentions, challenges at the senior-management level are very different. At the top, mostly all are competent and the issue of skills does not exist. There, the issues and challenges primarily revolve around ego clashes and differences in opinion. “At the senior level, the only solution is to communicate as much as possible. Many a time, when there is a gap, senior leaders do not sit together to discuss their differences,” Chugh rues.

The flaws may not be limited only to the managers. At times, the employees also fail to understand the perspective of their employers due to a narrow-minded view of things. As per the HR leaders, in such a case as well, the onus rests on the managers to make the employees understand the wider perspective of things and take them along.

Informal team engagements, one-on-one sessions with the managers and skip- level meetings are some ways in which organisations can help their employees and their immediate managers to eliminate the communication gap.

The post How to eliminate gaps between employees and their immediate bosses appeared first on HR Katha.

However, over the years, with the implementation of labour laws, the volatility of these industrial workforces and the frequency of such unrests have decreased. This reduction in disruptive activities does not necessarily mean that employees are more satisfied and less disgruntled. It is just that, with the evolution of industries such as information technology, aviation and other services industries, a new breed of employees emerged — the white-collar workers! Their collars may be white, but that doesn’t make them an eternally happy or fully satisfied tribe. Unrest amongst this lot of employees is not uncommon. Take for instance, the recent silent protest going on at IndiGo Airlines.

Most of the ground staff and technicians at IndiGo went on mass leave to express their dissatisfaction with the management. Media reports say that these employees, who called in sick, were busy attending job interviews with Air India, Jet Airways and Akasa Airlines, which are on a hiring spree.

“I believe that understanding the needs of white-collar employees is much more difficult, and therefore, it is far more complex to negotiate with them”

Tuhin Biswas, CHRO, Emami

It is true that the aviation Industry has not seen much profitability ever since the pandemic struck. While most people had to take salary cuts, a significant number were laid off. At IndiGo as well, all staff members took a salary cut. What irked them was that their salaries were not restored to pre-pandemic levels even when the aviation sector started picking up. From pilots, to cabin crew, ground staff and technicians, everyone has been upset over their meagre remuneration, and hence, they decided to protest in their own way.

Any discussion on the unionisation of IT and services sector employees in India is incomplete without mention of the uproar over the non-compete clause at Infosys. Even in the banking sector, many PSU bank employees have protested against the privatisation of the sector by calling strikes.

In the current scenario, HRKatha asked some HR leaders, ‘Who are more difficult to negotiate with — the white-collar staff or the blue-collar ones?

The clear and unanimous answer was — “The white-collared employees are more difficult to negotiate with”.

Why white-collar employees are hard nuts to crack

All HR leaders jokingly mention how difficult it is to deal with the salary issues of white-collar employees at the negotiation table. With so many instances of recent unrest, most HR leaders were able to relate with such situations.

Human resource leaders believe it is very easy to understand the needs of blue- collar employees, as their requirements are quite basic and are mostly related to wage and basic hygiene amenities. When it comes to white-collar employees, however, the demands vary.

“Blue-collar workers have very straight-line demands, of which all HR professionals are aware. It is like a question paper where we know what questions to expect and also know the answers to the same”

Pankaj Lochan, executive director & group CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power

Background and education: We need to understand that both sets of employees come from very different backgrounds. The blue-collar community comprises members who are not highly educated, with their needs always revolving around meeting their basic living standard. However, white-collar employees are usually highly educated, very aware and have very different needs that go beyond just their salary.

Needs beyond salary: For white-collar employees, their standard of living, career progression, work-life balance, job satisfaction, growth in terms of rank/position and income are all very important. They seek to be decision makers driving change in the organisation, rather than just mere employees.

“Blue-collar workers have very straight-line demands, of which all HR professionals are aware. It is like a question paper where we know what questions to expect and also know the answers to the same,” shares Pankaj Lochan, executive director & group CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power.

As per Tuhin Biswas, CHRO, Emami, it is the silent protests amongst these white- collar employees which are hard to deal with. “I believe that understanding the needs of white-collar employees is much more difficult, and therefore, it is far more complex to negotiate with them,” tells Biswas.

Perks and benefits: “The white-collar employees seek all kinds of amenities, be it the work-from-home benefit or the extra perks such as travelling allowance. Not only do they have more demands, but they are much more aware about their own rights and the pain points of their employers,” points out Anil Gaur, CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals.

Value and demand: Lochan mentions that it is on the white-collar class that the real business depends on. Employers do not want such people to leave. Lochan classified white-collar employees into two categories. The first one comprises those who are running after money. “It is easier to deal with this set of white-collar employees as long as they are paid as per industry standards. If someone pays them more, they just leave. Employers need not really worry about this category, because they will anyway leave at some point, even if they are given a raise,” asserts Lochan.

“The second category comprises those who care about their careers. It is this lot that employers need to worry about. They are not much concerned about their salary in the early stages of their career. Rather, they seek assurance of the right learning and career-development path, which will lead to leadership positions in the future,” explains Lochan.

“If one stays as real and genuine as possible with white-collar employees, things will remain calm”

Anil Gaur, CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals

He further believes that this is the class of employees from where the future leaders can be picked. “Negotiations with them are what employers are most afraid of losing. That is another reason why they are more difficult to deal with,” says Lochan rightly.

Does IR experience matter in negotiating with white-collar employees?

Human resource experts believe that negotiating with white-collar employees is a much more evolved HR challenge. It has emerged as a new problem for HR professionals since the instances of unrest amongst these employees are more visible now.

“It is essential for HR professionals to understand their employees. It is a difficult skill, but one that must be mastered nevertheless,” says Biswas.

Lochan believes that industrial relations (IR) has become passé now. The new HR leaders who want to make a difference are the ones who come with great knowledge of organisational design or possess organisational development (OD) skills.

Explaining further, Lochan says that OD skills allow the professionals to understand the different structures of the organisation, vertical and horizontal. They are then able to provide employees a clear path for career development. “And nothing less than a five-year road map will work for these employees,” states Lochan.

Anil Gaur believes in practising the mantra of authentic leadership in such cases. “If one stays as real and genuine as possible with these white-collar employees, things will remain calm,” he feels.

Dealing with white-collar staff unrest is a much bigger and complex issue for HR professionals.

As the HR experts admit, no one has a straightforward answer to the problems of white-collar staff, but that only means that the HR / the employers need to equip themselves to deal with such challenges ahead.

The post Why white-collar employees are hard nuts to crack appeared first on HR Katha.

Those were the times when the HR was considered as more of an administrative function. In fact, many people thought it hardly added any value to the business.

However, with mass labour protests, unrest and union strikes, businesses came to realise how important the HR function is when it comes to business continuity.

From IR to ER

When the Indian economy opened up, the influx of IT services firms and technology companies changed the meaning of HR. From IR, it came to be associated with ER, that is, employee relations. After all, people became the primary assets for businesses, especially in the services sector, where businesses are mostly people- oriented. This increased the value of HR.

Technological advancement

As per Avadhesh Dixit, CHRO, Acuity Knowledge Partners, things have really changed in the past few years. In fact, he believes that the value of HR was high in the past too, but the changes brought upon by technological advancement and new working models, have caused organisations to rely more on the HR for support in handling the changes. Therefore, the value of HR has increased manifold.

“Those who say that HR does not add value, probably do so because they have witnessed the incompetency of some of the people or leaders associated with the HR function at some point, and not because of the function itself”

Anil Gaur, chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceutical

From the backend to the centre

“In the last three decades, given the extent of changes, HR has gained value. Thanks to the pandemic, those who thought HR was just an administrative function or that HR personnel worked only at the backend, have come to realise that HR is driving businesses at the centre,” says Dixit going on to add, “It is the HR that is driving the agenda of adapting to different working models and maintaining productivity”.

However, there still exist some professionals or business leaders under the misconception that HR does not add real value to the company.

“I have not come across business leaders who fail to understand the value of HR, especially nowadays. Those who say that HR does not add value, probably do so because they have witnessed the incompetency of some of the people or leaders associated with the HR function at some point, and not because of the function itself,” clarifies Anil Gaur, chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceutical.

Taking orders vs being proactive

There are two types of HR leaders or professionals. One kind will actually make the effort to understand the current business challenges, align themselves with other business leaders and bring solutions to the table whenever needed. The other kind will just take orders and fail to add real value. “Unless one makes an effort to talk to other business leaders, understand their people issues and offer solutions to them and the organisation as a whole, and ask the right questions, one will remain an order-taking HR,” says Asit Kumar, CHRO, Lendingkart.

“No one will underappreciate or disrespect a person who makes the right efforts. As an HR person, this must start with you,” adds Kumar.

“No one will underappreciate or disrespect a person who makes the right efforts. As an HR person, this must start with you”

Asit Kumar, CHRO, Lendingkart

Is the HR more valued in IT and services sectors?

Quite often we assume the HR would be more valued in the IT and services sectors, as they have more people-oriented businesses, maintain large workforces and consider people to be their true assets. Is this actually true?

“I think this is a myth. Are we trying to say that in the manufacturing sector, people have no role to play? Wherever there are people, HR will have value,” asserts Dixit.

Cases of HR heads being killed or attacked by the unions or labourers in the manufacturing sector are many. What happened in companies such as Honda and Maruti Suzuki, where HR heads were the target of disgruntled workers, is still fresh in everyone’s minds. These are not freak incidents. If people at the bottom of the pyramid are unhappy and ignored, such cases will only become more common.

Even Gaur believes that while the value of HR does not vary, the expectations from the HR leaders may differ. They will be different for the manufacturing sector and services sector, depending on the business requirement.

“Thanks to the pandemic, those who thought HR was just an administrative function or that HR personnel worked only at the backend, have come to realise that HR is driving businesses at the centre”

Avadhesh Dixit, CHRO, Acuity Knowledge Partners

“For instance, in a services business, the performance of value of the HR may be measured on how fast they are able to fill vacancies as the demand increases. In the manufacturing space, however, they are measured on how they maintain the same level of productivity and output with less number of people,” explains Gaur.

All HR leaders believe that most of the progressive organisations will never undervalue or underappreciate HR as a function. However, a lot depends on the culture of the organisation too. If people still believe that HR does not add value to the business, they probably need to become more aware of the current scenario and the manner in which the business landscape is changing.

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The most unique quality of humans is adaptability. We have learnt to adapt to the demand of the hour. By now, we have accommodated a new set of behavioural patterns and expectations. People will see changes in terms of working environment such as hybrid workplaces, artificial intelligenc(AI) supported jobs, a mixture of technical and soft skills specific hiring, compassionate leadership and productivity focused working and monitoring.

The companies that have witnessed no adverse effect on productivity with remote working will be interested to offer more flexibility to employees with the hybrid workplace model. This will benefit both employers and employees in terms of cost and energy saving. This flexibility will also allow employees to maintain work-life balance, especially by saving time in routine travel and minimising the stress and discomfort of traffic and pollution.

People who handled tedious jobs with routine and repetitive tasks will be supported by AI-efficient technologies. Employees will have more access to technology, which will help them improve their efficiency. Organisations will likely put more efforts into digital transformation. Employers will also invest in tools and technologies for monitoring employees’ functioning as they may not be able to enforce discipline on remote workers.

Technical skills based hiring has always been a priority for organisations but this approach has to now shift towards soft skills focused hiring. Employers are understanding the importance of emotional intelligence in building a resilient workforce, which can stay strong in the face of adversities. Organisations will work to develop compassionate leaders who can help their team members with better hand holding and insights on life-enhancing skills.

“A shift from technical skills based to soft skill based hiring is needed”

AI to change and impact HR post digital transformation

I predict the acceleration of digitisation and automation of systems, processes and manufacturing operations. I also believe that use of technology, digital platforms and innovation will generate more jobs, and businesses will expect a higher transition to job growth 2022 onwards.

It is worth mentioning here, that only 25-30 per cent of jobs can be performed in a more productive way remotely. Therefore, it is also important to consider that most of the digitisation and innovations will still have to be addressed through physical jobs.

Also, HR has a big and strategic role to play in digital transformation and providing businesses with solutions to address repetitive issues. By freeing up the personnel from having to handle more complex situations, HR can channelise efforts towards performing tasks that require focus on improvements and creativity.

Human resources should focus on areas where AI can be applied and strategies formulated eventually. Lastly, HR should look for ways to develop a digital culture and digital mindset, because ultimately, it is not the technology which increases productivity but the people who are going to use that technology.

Coaching or mentoring to become compassionate leaders

The pandemic has forced leadership to shift focus from ‘What’ an Organisation does to ‘how’ an organisation does’. I think leadership capabilities will continue to shift toward embracing empathy and demonstrating leadership in its full sense, and it will be more towards visionary, inspirational and motivational leadership where the high focus will be on people. The definition of ‘HR’ must change to ‘HHR’, that is, building ‘Heart to Heart Relationship’ with people. The success of leaders is not measured by the big tag and authority they hold, but by the number of people who rely on them and come to them for inspiration and motivation.

Thanks to the pandemic, people are still stressed and confused due to anxiety and social deprivations. At such a time, hand holding by leaders becomes essential. They need to develop a deep connection with employees. Leaders are required to carefully address the needs of the people they work with. An intentional change is required, to bring compassion as a value in totality. Leaders’ coaching should be designed in a way that can enable leaders to envision their role as a catalyst for boosting employees’ morale when they need it the most.

Function that will see highest salary increase in 2022

Jobs in the technology sector will see the highest salary increase in 2022. Other jobs in consumer products and pharmaceutical industry will also witness big increases. The main reason is that COVID has actually accelerated the use of technology and the digitalisation process across sectors, including automation and artificial intelligence.

These developments, along with the adoption of the WFH / hybrid work model have actually impacted the high salary projections in these areas. The manufacturing and retail sectors are witnessing rising demand, driven by the lowering of COVID restrictions and a positive outlook of order inflows.

Will internal mobility help in retention?

Internal mobility is the most important phenomenon. Over a period of time, it has been realised that the cost of replacements is very high. This includes the hiring cost as well as cost of loss of business opportunity and productivity, which is relatively high. When new employees replace the existing and productive employees, they take a longer time to deliver the expected output and performance. We cannot overlook the fact that when employees decide to quit, they tend to be less sincere while executing their job, which means there is loss of productivity months before the actual exit happens. Along with the joining expenses, these intangible expenses should also be taken into account. Internal hiring can be a very effective tool for preventing such departures.

After numerous assessments of exit reasons, we can realise that lack of career development within a company is one of the biggest reasons for exits. Employee attrition happens when leaders fail to recognise the talent, skills, loyalty and hard work of people. We must strategise to ensure that the professional development of people is given due importance so that people do not fly away under the influence of outside powers and external opportunities.

We need to identify and implement professional-development programmes and career paths, which encourage potential employees to stay and deliver their best.

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One of the emerging models that seems to be especially successful is the ‘open talent’ or ‘flexible’ model. In simple terms, flexible models allow organisations to use employees outside of their workforce for a limited amount of time to complete a project.

‘Open or flexible talent’ is a broad term that includes everyone, from local freelancers being hired for a specific job and contract workers, to people coming on board for projects after being selected through competitions.

Win-win: It works well for the organisations as well as talent. It offers a way for fresh talent to use the skills needed for specific projects while the organisations do not have to wait or stress their employees by imposing new responsibilities to learn new skills in short periods of time, which could lead to several blunders.

“Millennials are a future-oriented generation, and are more likely to adapt to an open talent model because of the flexibility they have acquired through the years”

Anil Gaur, CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals

Anil Gaur, CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals, says “More organisations are going to adopt the open talent model in the coming years because it is mutually beneficial for both parties.”

Evidently, organisations that hire gig workers have the advantage of having their projects overseen by experts who are likely to take less time to complete them and do their jobs more comprehensively. On the other hand, gig workers get recognised for their talent and can get more work based on successful results.

And this is one of the biggest points to remember about this model; that gig workers aren’t people who are unemployed or any less deserving of jobs than permanent workers, as Gaur explains. They are actually experts in their domains and they bring a very high level of knowledge and competency to projects. Gig workers also get more compensation if they complete a project before the timeline or improve some aspects of it, he adds.

Youth: Of course, open talent model is a new mode of working, which is likely to attract young people more. That is because, youngsters are not set in their ways of operating unlike the older lot that have been working the same way for decades in the same roles at the same organisations.

“Millennials are a future-oriented generation, and are more likely to adapt to such models because of the flexibility they have acquired through the years,” points out Gaur.

‘Open talent model’ has seen swift acceptance outside India, Gaur points out.

Profitablity: “In Europe, especially, gig working has become a very normal phenomenon. Slowly, these models are being accepted by corporations in other parts of the world as well because they have proven to be very profitable for organisations,” enunciates Gaur.

“Many organisations use the open talent model to upskill their employees, fill short- term vacancies, such as those created by maternity leaves, or if they want a person for a specific role immediately but don’t want to wait for a long time to hire someone permanently with the right skills”

Abhijit Bhaduri, executive coach & author

“Since gig workers aren’t bound by long-term contracts, the companies do not have to worry about different kinds of benefits, increments, or even about firing them from their jobs,” he says.

Application across industries: Anurag Verma, vice president – human resources, Uniphore, gives an example of how the model can be utilised in the automation industry.

Unifore remains in contact with language experts, who come in for the purpose of fixing speech-recognition processes in their projects. “Sometimes, when there is a new language, linguists are required to explain what mood or sentiments mean and how they have to be interpreted,” Verma says.

Gig workers are much sought after in industries where skills for projects need constant updating and adjustment. Hence, their skills become more valuable and are in high demand.

“Gig workers also get paid more sometimes, even better than the permanent employees because of their expertise and based on the kind of projects they are working on,” states Verma.

Short-term hiring: Prior to this, companies used to hire people from consultancies because they couldn’t afford the experts. Now, however, it has become easier to get experts, who complete the job and leave. There is no need to retain them longer than necessary.

“Uniphore leverage the open talent model by being in contact with language experts, who come in for the purpose of fixing speech-recognition processes in its projects”

Anurag Verma, vice president – human resources, Uniphore

Abhijit Bhaduri, executive coach & author, says, “There is a buyer for every skill in the marketplace. Skills that create value will always be in demand but it’ll take time for this practice to become commonplace.”

Apart from being a great way to get talent needed for specific projects, the ‘open talent model’ is also helpful in many different ways.

Upskilling: “Many organisations use this model to upskill their employees, fill short- term vacancies, such as those created by maternity leaves, or if they want a person for a specific role immediately but don’t want to wait for a long time to hire someone permanently with the right skills,” Bhaduri explains.

Flexibility: It has become very clear after the pandemic that people don’t want to remain stuck in the same job for years and waste away their talent. Similarly, organisations have also become a little more flexible after witnessing these changes. They are calling people from outside to work on projects that need expert attention.

In the long run, this can only be a good thing because it will lead to more opportunities for people who aren’t ready to take up permanent jobs. It is also a step in the right direction by organisations in a bid to adapt newer ways of working for a better business future.

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With remote working becoming a norm, the urge in employers to track the activity and movement of their employees using such tools has risen. The HR leaders HRKatha spoke to in the IT industry feel that tracking employee activity is not a very new trend. After all, the industry has been following and managing distributed workforces for decades. Therefore, organisations putting such employee-tracking tools in place is definitely not unheard of.

Speaking to HRKatha, Anil Gaur, CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals, does admit that the need to monitor employee activity during remote work clearly exists. “As an employer, I do have the right to check on my employees during work hours, to see how much time they are spending on various activities,” asserts Gaur.

“The IT industry is also dealing with moonlighting, which further enhances the need to monitor employee activity”

Anand Talwar, HR leader

“The IT industry is also dealing with moonlighting, which further enhances the need to monitor employee activity,” adds Anand Talwar, HR leader and former CHRO, ITC Infotech.

Gaur shares how in his previous company, he tracked the activity of employees on the Internet. The company used to track the websites the employees visited and how much time they spent on each website.

Another way Gaur monitored employees was by tracking their mailing activity. Though the content in the mails was not tracked, the schedules of the employees, the number of meetings they had in a day, the amount of free time they enjoyed and the frequency of mails to any particular person during the day was kept track of.

This kind of monitoring helped the company gauge the productivity of employees.

“Monitoring employees in such a way is not unethical at all,” feels Gaur. He may actually have a point there, since the privacy of the employees is not really being breached. More so because the heads of departments inform the employees that they are being monitored. Although there was some resistance initially, the management was later able to take them into confidence and convince them, says Gaur.

Talwar reveals that at ITC too it was once proposed that the company should install an employee-monitoring tool to record the mouse strokes and keyboard activity of employees. However, after some trials, Talwar himself found the exercise unfavourable. “We got a feedback from employees that they felt they were being treated as school going kids,” Talwar recalls.

“As an employer, I do have the right to check on my employees during work hours, to see how much time they are spending on various activities”

Anil Gaur, CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals

The age old system of monitoring whether the employees logged into the company server was, however, followed. Employees working from home had to log into the company server and it was possible to see when employees logged in and for how many hours.

However, Talwar adds, “Being in the IT industry, where most employees are software developers, it was easy for them to find loopholes and ways to fool the company”.

It is Talwar’s opinion that there is no real need to track the activity of employees. In fact, “as an organisation, we should move to an output-based performance management where instead of the number of hours taken to complete the work, it is the satisfactory outcome that should be given weightage. “Indian companies should move to outcome-based performance review,” says Talwar.

There is always a challenge, as Sharad Sharma, CHRO, Pramerica Life Insurance, rightly points out, when it comes to some enabling and supporting functions involved in the backend transactions whose outcome cannot be really quantified. “The performance of those in the sales or recovery departments in the insurance sector can be tracked by their numbers, but not of the other backend and supporting roles,” asserts Sharma.

“Monitoring of enabling and supporting functions through outcomes is still a challenge” 

Sharad Sharma, CHRO, Pramerica Life Insurance

Gaur shares that Akums is working on streamlining the measurement of outcome- based reviews for the accounting folk, but the work is still in progress.

Most HR leaders agree that there is a strong need to bring innovation into the monitoring of employees either through technology or processes, since the old or existing practices can be manipulated and employees can find loopholes in the same.

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As per the Indian government, the economy is expected to grow at more than nine per cent, which is a great sign and much better than many other economically powerful nations of the world.

“This budget also shows a major focus on skill development, where people can get access to formal education. It will also increase the availability of better talent in the market”

Dharm Rakshit, head-HR, Hero Motocorp

The major focus of the budget this time is on giving a boost to infrastructure development. In line with this objective, significant push has been given to the PM Gati Shakti plan, which was launched by the Government in October 2021, to build the infrastructure of roadways and railways, and improve connectivity.

The key highlights in terms of a push to infrastructure development in the country includes the expansion of national highways by 23,000 KM in 2023. Additionally, multimodal logistics park will also be developed at four locations. The ‘one station-one product’ concept will help local businesses and supply chains, while 400 new Vande Bharat trains will be introduced in the next three years. About 2,000 km of network will be brought under ‘Kavach’ for safety and capacity augmentation in FY23. Development of 100 cargo terminals over the next few years is also planned.

All these key announcements are certainly aimed at growing the economy and also creating more employment, even in the rural areas.

As per Dharm Rakshit, head-HR, Hero Motocorp, “the production-linked incentive scheme has received a major boost”. The scheme was announced to create manufacturing champions and jobs for the youth in India.

“Some relief in the tax slabs could have helped us introduce some tax-friendly components in the pay structure to benefit our employees”

Anil Gaur, CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals

“The infrastructure growth will create major job opportunities in the country. The budget looks quite promising and has been made with long-term growth in mind,” says Biswarup Goswami, CHRO, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals. The Government’s next target will be to create 60 lakh new jobs in the coming year.

One area where the budget disappointed majorly was in reforms or relief in the income tax slabs of salaried individuals. As the country is recovering from the aftermath of the pandemic, there is a clear indication of inflation in the market with fuel prices sky rocketing and other expenses also going up. The middle class salaried employees who were hoping that income tax slabs — which have not been revised since 2014 — will be reduced, were deeply dejected. “It is very disappointing to see that the Government has not changed anything in the tax slabs and standard deduction. Apart from that, the overall budget looks promising from a macro and micro perspective,” says P. Dwarakanath, former non-executive chairman, GSK.

“It is very disappointing to see no change in the tax slabs and standard deduction”

P. Dwarakanath, former non-executive chairman, GSK

“Unfortunately there was no change in the tax slabs,” rues Anil Gaur, CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals. Inflation is quite high and people have seen salary cuts and jobs getting slashed during the pandemic. “Some relief in the tax slabs could have helped us introduce some tax-friendly components in the pay structure to benefit our employees,” says Gaur. However, despite this disappointment, on a positive note, Gaur adds that they “have revisited our compensation and will bring some reformed benefits for our people”.

As part of the budget, the Government has also announced the launch of DESH e-Portal, a digital skilling and training platform for students. Sitharaman also announced the establishment of digital universities in collaboration with major institutes, which will work as per a hub and spoke model.

“The infrastructure growth will create major job opportunities in the country”

Biswarup Goswami, CHRO, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals

This will facilitate students’ skilling and reskilling in major areas, which will further make them employable. “This budget also shows a major focus on skill development, where people can get access to formal education. It will also increase the availability of better talent in the market and will help organisations to not just hire people but skilled talent who are fit for the job,” explains Rakshit.

“With this new budget, companies may have to relook at their employment model — whether they would want to hire skills or people. With skill-development plans in the pipeline, the gig economy will see a major boost with companies having to hire specialists on project basis,” adds Rakshit.

Paramjit Singh Nayyar, CHRO, Hero Housing Finance, is very positive about the Budget 2022. As per the new budget, 80 lakh houses will be completed in the year 2023 with an allocation of Rs 48,000 crore for the initiative, under the PM Awas Yojana. Some other key highlights Nayyar mentions are single-window environmental approvals, better coordination between the Centre and states for approval processes and uniform registration of deeds, which will boost the affordable housing sector.

“The housing industry will see a major boost through the newly announced budget leading to more jobs opportunities and growth”

Paramjit Singh Nayyar, CHRO, Hero Housing Finance

“When a major boost is expected in our sector, there is always hope for employment creation. Other than that, it is too early for me to predict how the budget will impact the overall HR strategy just yet. Things will unfold in the coming future,” says Nayyar.

On one hand, HR leaders are pleased that the Government has taken the right approach by coming out with a balanced and progressive budget, which will boost the economy and create more jobs. However, on the other hand, no change in tax slabs is a major setback and huge disappointment.

The post Budget 2022 – How will it impact the ‘people strategy’? appeared first on HR Katha.

This perception strengthens or weakens employees’ good or bad networking skills, and eventually decides their position at the workplace. Equally important are the relationships that employees form with their co-workers and seniors.

Employees are unlikely to get much support as leaders, if they have made no effort in communicating with people around them. On the other hand, if employees take no time in knowing and interacting with their co-workers, they will not know what talents they may have in addition to merit, that could help them get a better position.

To make connections in an organisation, employees have to work hard on creating relationships that sustain for a long time.

Anil Gaur, group chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceuticals, says, “relationships form the key lever in success and growth.”

Today, people may have a new jargon for such things, but Gaur points out that networking and relationship building existed even before the computer era. They were instrumental in the growth of employees within the organisation.

Those who are good at communicating their perspective to others, and also listening to their positive and negative feedback will definitely build strong relations with their co-workers and seniors in the company, feels Gaur. Everyone is likely to be drawn towards an employee who is seen as mature, skilful and open to positive and negative criticism.

The key here is not promotion, Gaur stresses, but success that comes with the efforts an individual takes to create and maintain relations in the office.

Gaur cites a delightful example of his personal ‘Coffee with HR’ policy at work. Employees can have tea and coffee with him and discuss things other than work. Naturally, such close interactions help Gaur keep his rapport with the team healthy and establish more meaningful relationships with his employees.

Pia Shome, chief people officer at U GRO Capital, believes, “to be able to connect, or more importantly, work effectively with colleagues is a key skill.”

“As one grows up the corporate ladder, connecting with people is not just related to getting things done in normal parlance, but often also means creating a circle of influence. This helps leverage information to benefit the larger agenda of the team,” explains Shome.

Connecting with a large number of people helps one gain more knowledge about the goings on within the workplace. Shome goes on to stress, “Connect can also loosely mean networking effectively, both within and outside the organisation. As the saying goes, one’s network equals net worth. Being networked helps one with critical information, which otherwise is not commonly available to everyone.”

Deepti Mehta, assistant vice president – HR, Schneider Electric-Luminous India, believes that “growth certainly depends on the individual.”

“It is important for employees to be keen to play a bigger role in the company, and be more passionate about their work,” she adds. This is because, growth in a corporation also depends on each employee’s behavior, which strengthens everyone’s belief in their capabilities.

Mehta recounts the five core values of her company — ‘customer first’, ‘dare to disrupt’, ‘embrace different’, ‘learn every day’ and ‘act like owners’. She uses, ‘dare to disrupt’ and ‘act like owners’ as examples of how one can achieve growth in the organisation. When individuals are willing to take risks, and make crucial decisions, they will be seen as responsible members of the corporation and attract everyone’s trust.

Trust is a major factor in maintaining connections in the corporation. Teams look up to their respective leaders because they have trust in their ability to keep them together, and work effectively.

It is crucial for people to gain the trust of those they interact with. After all, having n number of contacts in one’s mobile phone will not make a difference if none of them can give one anything worthwhile in one’s time of need. Only by understanding people, proving to them that one is capable of handling responsibilities, and connecting with them on a deeper level can result in true, worthwhile growth in an organisation.

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Many employees who found it easier to work at home, may not be comfortable in the office environment anymore, because of the stark difference in the setting and space. They may also find it difficult to adjust to the behavioural demands of the office.

Similarly, the employees who were recruited during the pandemic, and worked only from their homes, may not be able to get the hang of the workplace rules and behaviour. Add to this the lingering shadow of the pandemic and the scare of the Omicron variant, and the picture is far from rosy.

“It is important that they remain tolerant with the employees, and not expect everything to return to normal immediately”

Anil Gaur, group chief people officer, Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals

Working in the safe confines of one’s home, where one can move, dress and work more freely, without any restrictions is very different from having to share space with co-workers.

Deprived of the same level of freedom, the employees may feel restless and constrained, and find it challenging to focus on their work. The pressures of work, and the constant need to remain cautious and alert at all times may even weigh down heavily on some.

To alleviate this pressure and ensure that the employees are well settled in the office, and do not have trouble adjusting to the new environment, the companies have to outline rules and guidelines for them to follow.

Do’s and Don’ts

Dola Mukherjee, head of human resources, Exide Life Insurance, suggests, “There need to be do’s and don’ts in place to ensure that everybody remains safe, even while maintaining a stable pace of work.”

It is highly likely that after working from home for a long period of time, employees may become lax, forget boundaries, throw caution to the wind and start interacting with each other without protection.

Mukherjee says, “By placing importance on social distancing and wearing masks at all times, the supervisors can secure the workplace against spread of infection.”

People should also respect each other’s personal space and not encroach on it while working.

“There need to be do’s and don’ts in place to ensure that everybody remains safe, even while maintaining a stable pace of work”

Dola Mukherjee, head of human resources, Exide Life Insurance

To make the process of easing back into work smoother, the companies shouldn’t demand that the employees work from the office every day. Coming in to work from the physical office on alternate days, and following the hybrid model would be ideal, at least in the beginning.

Following COVID protocols

Divya Srivastava, CHRO, GE Healthcare, believes that reinforcing COVID protocols will help manage employees at work.

She also adds that the employees who were hired during the pandemic, onboarded online and have been working from home, should be properly assimilated into the workplace. They need to be explained all the rules and regulations in advance so that there is no confusion and trouble later.

It is essential to ascertain that everybody is comfortable while working, even as they follow social distancing and mask mandates.

Role of leaders

The responsibility to see that the guidelines are being followed by employees falls on the team. A company that is apathetic towards its employees, is unlikely to get anything done properly. It should always be vigilant to the concerns of its employees.

Haphazard steps taken to push people back into the office have only led to disasters with multiple people getting infected after only few days of opening.

“Supervisors and managers at work should practise high emotional intelligence while dealing with employees returning to office,” advises Anil Gaur, group chief people officer, Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals.

Not only do they need to act with concern for their employees but also show care while handling them and their issues.

“The employees who were hired during the pandemic, onboarded online and have been working from home, should be properly assimilated into the workplace”

Divya Srivastava, CHRO, GE Healthcare

The leaders must come up with a formal programme to discuss the measures to bring everyone back to office in a more disciplined way.

They must prepare themselves for the changed circumstances and follow COVID safety protocols strictly.

“It is important that they remain tolerant with the employees, and not expect everything to return to normal immediately,” he says.

On the other hand, the employees should also be diligent and not treat the workplace as a place of vacation.

Double masking, with surgical masks above cloth masks, also needs to be made mandatory to curb the spread of infection.

Employees should practise social distancing, avoid sitting close to each other and refrain from sharing food during lunch break. It’ll be better if they continue to remain alert after and beyond work as well, just to protect themselves and everybody else from harm.

Gaur explains further, that the lockdown has drastically changed a lot of things for people with families. For instance, women with small children whose schools are closed, will find it difficult to come in to office regularly. To avoid this difficulty in compartmentalising, Gaur suggests that the workplace follow a hybrid plan of working from home and office on alternate days.

With the rising threat of the Omicron variant across the country, it’ll be difficult to run the workplace with the same expectations as few years ago. If the leaders and employees collaborate and take all the necessary precautions and abide by all the rules, it’ll make working a whole lot easier.

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The latest example is that of Amazon, where the marking of attendance has been fully automated. However, due to algorithm errors, even workers who were on leave for medical crisis and mothers for baby care, were marked absent and underpaid. When the employees tried to connect with the concerned HR personnel or the case officer, a chain of automated phone call trees patched them to the already overwhelmed India, Costa Rica and Las Vegas offices.

Clearly, complete automation of some of the critical HR processes that actually require human intervention is bound to kill the entire employee experience.

“An automated process may understand the ‘what’ part of the whole story, but it cannot understand the ‘why’ part of it”

Ashwin Shirali, former VP-culture and HR, Accor

According to a research a single point of HR contact for employees is more likely to make an HR department be rated as value promoting. Also, more interactions of employees with the HR department or someone ‘human’ in HR ensures a better employee experience. As a result, these employees are more likely to recommend that company to others as a good place to work.

What do we understand by this? While automation and digitalisation are important for faster processes, having a human element at various touch points in the employee lifecycle is equally important.

That is why, for any company, it is important to understand some of the HR processes that should never be automated.

Let us look at some HR processes, which HR leaders pointed out to HRKatha as being vital and where human interaction cannot be replicated.

Onboarding

Parts of the onboarding process were suggested to be never automated by a company. Organisation orientation and making the new joinees understand the culture of the organisation should always have human intervention. “These initial contacts and interactions of new comers cannot be automated as these give them the first impression about the company and its experience,” says Ashwin Shirali, former VP-culture and HR, Accor.

“A robot cannot understand human emotions’

Anil Gaur, group chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceuticals

Performance review and appraisal

We all know the importance of the performance review and management process. This process should never be fully automated. All interactions and feedbacks in the performance management, review and appraisal system of a company need human interaction for better employee experience.

“An automated process may understand the ‘what’ part of the whole story, but it cannot understand the ‘why’ part of it,” shares Shirali. For instance, it is easy to spot people who may not have fulfilled their KPIs, because that is visible, but we need a human being to understand exactly why those individuals failed to do so. After all, they could be facing various problems —mental distress or some personal emotional crisis in the family.

“An automated system always has a black and white approach, but we are humans, and we need to focus on the grey areas,” asserts Shirali.

Adding to this, Anil Gaur, group chief people officer, Akums Pharmaceuticals, says, “While an objective performance review is required, there is always the need for a subjective overview of the whole process to assess behaviours. This can be done effectively by a human being rather than a machine.”

Exit interviews

Exit interviews have been quite popular for some time now. Here, the companies interview outgoing employees to understand what really went wrong and lead to a separation. The whole process involves understanding of emotions and reading between the lines to get the true picture, as rightly pointed out by the HR leaders. Automated and digitised processes will always give false responses, which may not give the true picture at all. One will get to hear answers, which, as an employer one may want to hear from someone. This will give one the impression that nothing is really wrong, while the true reality may fail to come out. “An individual physically sitting in front of one may not lie for more than 10 minutes. It is not possible to exhibit false expressions for too long. And these signals cannot be read by a robot or a mechanised automated system,” points out Gaur.

“All HR processes which are not redundant cannot be fully automated”

Manoj Kumar Sharma, CHRO, Aarti industries

Employee engagement

Employee engagement, as a process, is all about understanding emotions. It is about motivating people and making their day a happy one at work. This can never be fully automated believe HR leaders. For instance, employee-engagement surveys and scores, if automated, will give one mechanised answers. These responses will never paint the true picture. Again, the main issues and problems will never get highlighted and employers will simply live with the false idea that everything is ‘fine’.

Gaur shares that when he was with Uniparts, a team of people was constituted just to listen to people and console them during the pandemic when many were going through a hard time. “We allowed people to cry in front of us,” shares Gaur. There is no way such a process can be mechanised, digitised or automated. “A robot cannot understand human emotions,’ asserts Gaur.

Training and development

At the shop floor and the factories, the assembly-line workers cannot be trained through digitised learning processes. E-learning solutions or digital learning can only help to some extent, but one requires a physical coach or a mentor to teach someone how to use a certain mechanical part or an engineering process. “This learning cannot be fully automated,” admits Gaur.

Even in the process of coaching and counseling people for career advancement and leadership development, automation or digital tools can not be used to make that happen since a physical and face time is required to do that.

“All HR processes which are not redundant cannot be fully automated,” says Manoj Kumar Sharma, CHRO, Aarti industries.

Yes, we need technology to make our work easier, but its job is to automate redundant processes or tasks which are repetitive in nature and time consuming. Surely, automating all processes in HR may scale up processes and improve speed, but the ‘human’ in human resources will be left behind and instances similar to that of Amazon will become regular in the future.

The post Some HR processes that should never be automated appeared first on HR Katha.

As Gaur shares with HRKatha, Akums is at a growth stage and he will have to play a crucial role in stepping up the HR for the company. The Company employs close to 17,500 people and has robust plans to grow in the future.

The contract research and manufacturing organisation, claims to produce close to 11-12 per cent of the drugs consumed in the country. The Company has over 12 manufacturing facilities in India, which are very well equipped to produce all kinds of modern tablets, hard-gelatin capsules, soft-gelatin capsules, powder in sachets, liquid syrups and suspensions, injections, eye/ear drops, ointments, creams, gels, lotions, ayurveda and herbal preparations, nutraceutical and cosmetic preparations and much more.

Apart from taking people practices to a higher level for the Company, his role will also involve taking on a lot of responsibilities pertaining to cultural and business transformation, reveals Gaur to HRKatha.

In the past, Gaur has worked at various known brands, such as Dabur, Tata Power, Eicher, Blue Star, Maruti Suzuki, Otis Elevators and many more. However, he prefers to develop HR practices in smaller companies. He believes that in a big firm, as an HR leader, the role is not that fulfilling and satisfying because it involves mostly maintenance work. However, working in a small company gives one satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment an accomplishment. “In my current role, HR needs real intervention for the business to grow further,” shares Gaur.

Under Gaur’s leadership, Akums aims to become the employer of choice and create a workplace, which attracts the best-in-class talent in the pharma sector. In this role, though Gaur will be based out of the capital, and the job will involve a lot of travelling to other manufacturing sites and R&D centres.

In his checkered career, Gaur has served significantly long stints with organisations.

He served with Maruti Suzuki for seven years from 2005 to 2013 as general manager HR responsible to handling strategic HR and plant HR for the company. After Maruti, when Gaur moved on to Jubilant Life Sciences as the vice president HR, he served with the company for almost five years where Gaur was involved in formulating key HR interventions for the company as part of its strategic HR agenda. With Dabur also, Gaur served for five years as an HR manager and was involved in revamping the HR processes and implemented a structured employee satisfaction survey mechanism for the company.

An illustrious HR leader, Gaur started his career in July 1990 as a personnel officer with Nicco Batteries. He carries close to three decades of experience in the HR space.

Having led Indian and multinational groups in engineering, FMCG, and automotive, Gaur comes with best-in-class HR experience in business partnering, leadership transition and development, people capability and employee engagement.

He has a bachelor’s degree in social work from JMI, New Delhi and a master’s degree in human resource management from the same institute.

The post Anil Gaur joins Akums Pharmaceuticals as group chief people officer appeared first on HR Katha.

While this feeling may differ from person to person, for many employees business travel was a perk that came with the job. This is because, as part of their work-life, they also got the chance to see the world and new places. In fact, from a business effectiveness point of view, for many professionals, there is nothing like meeting their clients for a face-to-face interaction. It helps to understand and go deeper into the details of the business deal and build a better relationship. A study of the human behaviour also suggests that a simple handshake helps to release oxytocin in the brain, which builds trust between strangers for better co-operation. However, there are still some places and cities in the world and India, which are fighting the corona virus and an expected third wave! Therefore, organisations may have already prepared themselves for the new normal.

Earlier executives or mid-level employees found business travel attractive, but now, given the additional stress that comes with it and the disturbance it causes in their work schedule, many do not really find it as fascinating any more

Anil Gaur, CHRO, Uniparts Group

The HR leaders that HRKatha spoke to, also predict that orgnisations will now start to cut down expenses on business travel. “In the coming days, for any company, cost will be an essential variable to gain a competitive edge in the market, and since during the long months of lockdown and the pandemic, businesses have realised that people can also be equally productive working from home, they will start cutting down costs on unnecessary business travel,” says Anil Gaur, CHRO, Uniparts Group.

This prediction by the HR leaders may actually become a reality. According to a global study, almost 69 per cent of the respondents were of the view that in a post-COVID era, organisations will cut costs on business travel. But we also need to think about people who really enjoy travelling for work. Will they be able to let go of business travel in the new normal? According to the same global study mentioned earlier, it was found that 84 per cent of professionals were actually missing their business travels. In fact, they were quite eager to get back to ‘business travel mode’ as soon as possible.

Prasad Kulkarni, SVP-HR, Citco Group, believes that companies will come up with some guidelines and restrictions to curb business travel in a post-COVID era. However, he also highlights that there are some people who enjoy travelling for business and depending on the preference of such people, companies will make exceptions. “High attrition rates are a big challenge for many industries at this point of time. Companies will not compromise on losing people just because they want to curtail business travels to save cost,” shares Kulkarni.

“Personal liking or choice of people does not stand when it comes to their safety and health. People will think many times before making a decision to travel for work, as there will always be a fear of getting infected”

Udbhav Ganjoo, head-HR, global operations, India, emerging Asia & access markets, Viatris

For Udbhav Ganjoo, head-HR, global operations, India, emerging Asia & access markets, Viatris, employees are really concerned and fear for their health and safety. They will want to avoid a five or a six-hour travel for a one-hour meeting. “Personal liking or choice of people does not stand when it comes to their safety and health. People will think many times before making a decision to travel for work, as there will always be a fear of getting infected,” asserts Ganjoo.

Gaur points out that earlier executives or mid-level employees found business travel attractive, but now, given the additional stress that comes with it and the disturbance it causes in their work schedule, many do not really find it as fascinating any more. In fact, he shares that even before COVID, at Uniparts, he used to interact with overseas teams on virtual platforms. He finds that very convenient because the meeting is quite precise and at the same time, one can refer to documents and reports whenever required.

Ganjoo admits that even in the pharma industry, where sales and marketing people are used to travelling frequently, there has been a drop in business travel. “Doctors prefer to discuss many details or processes virtually rather than meeting sales representatives in person,” says Ganjoo.

It is not as if people in the corporate world will suddenly stop travelling altogether in the post-COVID era. Organisations will simply come up with guidelines and revisit their travel policies to curtail travel. Employees will only travel if it is urgent or necessary.

“High attrition rates are a big challenge for many industries at this point of time. Companies will not compromise on losing people just because they want to curtail business travels to save cost”

Prasad Kulkarni, SVP-HR, Citco Group

 

We need to understand a few things. First, businesses have realised that there is no need to travel for every engagement or meeting. Second, curtailing travel will save costs. Third, employees’ physical and mental wellbeing is also a big priority for companies now. However, companies may have to make exceptions in case of employees who consider business travel a big perk that accompanies their job.

The post If business travel was a perk, are we ready to let it go? appeared first on HR Katha.

Happiness@work is powered by Happyness.me, a part of the consulting division of House of Cheer Networks, a full-service people, technology, media and entertainment hub specialising in Creation, Curation and Consultancy, to help companies reimagine their business and growth strategy.

In this latest episode of Happiness@Work, Anil Gaur, CHRO, Uniparts talks about how he has been driving the agenda of employee happiness through various initiatives. He also believes that one does not have to do something big to bring happiness to anyone, small gestures are enough to bring a wide smile on someone’s face.

The post “Happiness can bring tangible results in people strategy,” says Anil Gaur appeared first on HR Katha.

2020: What to learn – what to erase

For manufacturing companies in India, such as the Uniparts Group, work-from-home (WFH) came as a big change, but the good part is that we learnt to standardise, regulate and accelerate the WFH situation.

We realised its impact on businesses. It not only helped us safeguard our people, but also reduced commuting hassles and air pollution, resulted in cost savings and offered opportunity to spend quality time with family. At the Uniparts Group, we decided on WFH in mid-March 2020 and by June, we did away with the rented corporate office and shifted to one of the factory locations to save space and cost. This new normal has pushed companies to a different orbit of work culture, savings and managing surprises and complexities differently.

Another realisation was digitisation and the need for technological advancement. Even during the peak of lockdown, our company was able to function smoothly due to our strong digital. We are now aggressively investing on bringing the latest technology and accelerating digitisation along with innovative ways to promote it in all our manufacturing and delivering processes. On the personal front, the year forced us to understand the difference between needs and wants.

HR needs to be more resilient

Anti-fragile people are those who manage well during changes, volatility, complexities and chaotic situations or may be survive by chance. We are all living in an unpredictable social, political and economic era, wherein every day is full of surprises and unexpected happenings.

Going forward, people will need to focus on the emerging skills of managing uncertainties, versatility, flexibility, agility, pace of response, learning and navigating naturally amidst disruption. I think the actual VUCA world, which we have been discussing for more than a decade, is being experienced by us now. In such a situation, it is the HR function that will help organisations navigate new-age challenges. Therefore, HR professionals need to be anti-fragile and consider building resilience in the organisation. That means, managing not only with data and certainties, but with intuition and vulnerability by way of creating and facilitating an enabling environment and culture.

Shift of talent calculus to more buy-and-rent and less build

When organisations need to acquire talent, they have three options available — buy, build, and/or borrow. They can buy talent, that means hire someone from outside to fill the skill gap immediately. They can also choose to build talent, which involves training and retraining of employees to assume new or different responsibilities. Or they can also borrow talent, that is, engage with a freelance advisor or consultant to perform specific tasks, what we call gig-workers.

In the VUCA world and amidst the fast technological advancement, the life span of any skill and competence has become extremely less. Hence, it has become difficult to train people and wait for them to deliver, because building and developing talent takes its own course and time. Building a talent pool works better when one’s workforce is stable, and one is in a situation to effectively keep them engaged in the organisation.

As we move forward, the need for specialised skills will increase to deliver faster. In such a scenario, ‘buy and borrow’ is the best strategy, and instead of hiring a full-time employee, organisations will prefer to hire a freelancer, advisor, contractor, or consultant. Another option is hiring part-time, on-call, or seasonal workers. This is right around the corner — what is referred to as the ‘gig economy’. But using a ‘borrow’ strategy involves a mindset shift. For years, organisations have considered freelancers as ‘temporary’ or ‘dispensable’ workers, but those days are over. To successfully implement ‘borrow’ tactics, organisations should view contingent workers as an essential piece of their workforce strategy. The biggest advantage of borrowing talent is the proper utilisation of resources. Organisations can get specialised talent when they need, without hiring a full-time employee.

The actual VUCA World, which we have been discussing for over a decade, is being experienced by us now

Extension of fixed-term employment is another opportunity to use borrowing tactics. At the Uniparts Group, we have consciously started looking at retirements. We start telling retiring employees — six months to a year in advance — that freelance or consulting work is available. It is a win-win for the employees and the company both, because it allows known and capable employees an opportunity to stay with the organisation longer. The decision to build, borrow, or buy largely depends upon the time and resources available. Organisations with limited time may not be able to build talent. Similarly, companies with limited budgets may not be able to buy the talent they need. Therefore, they should think about their current and future skills requirements and then plan accordingly. Hence, I believe that with the increase in demand for skills, companies will shift their investments from developing talent to buying and borrowing from outside.

HR to stay human in virtual workplace

In a virtual workplace, HR professionals need to look at the consumerism of HR by creating the WOW employee experience, which can be achieved by being humane with people. Human resources must focus on total employee experience by providing them with the user experience they have outside the firewall. Provide choice, flexibility and personalisation by way of regular communication, conversation, connection and collaboration. As information continues to grow at a fast pace, we need to ensure that the right information reaches the right audience faster with the help of technology. This will help in alignment and in building transparency and trust. Hence, the remedy is to communicate, communicate and communicate.

Today, in order to be successful and achieve organisational results, it is important to understand how employees prefer to work and what their needs are. Therefore, authentic one-on-one conversations with people are important to discover the talents and individual strengths. Employees need tools that allow them to connect across the organisation, leverage intellectual property and gain insights from one another. These will result in better collaboration, which is the core of innovation. This is also required to solve business problems and operate productively, by leveraging knowledge across the organisation.

The post ‘Contingent workers will be essential to workforce strategy,’Anil Gaur appeared first on HR Katha.