Let us take the case of Aparna, who works for a popular bakery. Known for her insatiable curiosity and boundless enthusiasm for learning new recipes, techniques and ingredients, she thrives on attending workshops, experimenting with flavour combinations and delving into the nuances of pastry making. Despite her relentless pursuit of knowledge, Aparna’s output may not always match that of her colleague, Mark, who consistently churns out flawless pastries with precision and speed. Should the bakery reward Aparna, the perpetual learner, as generously as Mark, the top performer?

“While it may seem straightforward to reward top performers, a nuanced approach is required to ensure that the organisation thrives both in the present and in the long term,” points out Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Navin Fluorine. It is crucial to assess the value employees generate for the organisation through their learning outcomes. For instance, if an individual is adept at acquiring knowledge but fails to apply it effectively in their work, resulting in stagnant output and negligible value addition, then their learning efforts may be futile.

“While it may seem straightforward to reward top performers, a nuanced approach is required to ensure that the organisation thrives both in the present and in the long term.”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Navin Fluorine

“While both aspects hold significant value, finding the right balance between the two is crucial for fostering a motivated and innovative workforce,” emphasises Manish Majumdar, head-HR, Centum Electronics. While rewarding performance serves as a clear indication of an individual’s contribution to the organisation’s objectives, learning-based rewards, on the other hand, promote a culture of continuous improvement and personal development, fostering creativity and resilience within the workforce.

While performance-based rewards motivate employees to excel in their roles, driving productivity and efficiency, encouraging employees to acquire new skills, explore innovative ideas and adapt to changing industry trends is essential to stay competitive.

“Rather than viewing it as an either-or scenario, organisations can consider adopting a more holistic approach that recognises and rewards the symbiotic relationship between learning and performance.”

Sharad Verma, VP & CHRO, Iris Software

“Rather than viewing it as an either-or scenario, organisations can consider adopting a more holistic approach that recognises and rewards the symbiotic relationship between learning and performance,” suggests Sharad Verma, VP & CHRO, Iris Software. High performers who are also avid learners essentially future-proof themselves and the organisation. By continuously expanding their knowledge and skills, they not only maintain their current high levels of performance but also equip themselves to adapt and excel as business needs evolve.

Conversely, those who are great learners but struggle with performance may simply need more targeted coaching and development opportunities to translate their newfound knowledge into tangible results.

“While both aspects hold significant value, finding the right balance between the two is crucial for fostering a motivated and innovative workforce.”

Manish Majumdar, head-HR, Centum Electronics

However, solely focusing on one metrics can have its drawbacks. For instance, employees who actively seek knowledge and acquire new skills contribute to the organisation’s long-term success. Ignoring learning efforts may lead to stagnation and hinder innovation.

Similarly, while ensuring performance is relatively straightforward, with tangible outcomes such as sales targets achieved or projects completed on time, assessing learning is more challenging. “Unlike performance, which can often be quantified through metrics and KPIs, assessing learning outcomes can be more subjective and nuanced.  Determining the extent of learning and its direct impact on organisational success requires a structured framework and objective evaluation criteria,” asserts Majumdar. Objectivity is crucial in this process, as learning experiences can be subjective and difficult to evaluate uniformly.

Furthermore, the relevance of learning to one’s job role must be considered. While some learning directly enhances job performance, individuals may also seek knowledge outside their immediate responsibilities. Balancing these divergent learning paths is essential to ensure that learning efforts contribute meaningfully to organisational objectives.

To reward employees based on their learning capabilities, Lochan suggests three key criteria. First and foremost, it is crucial to assess the extent to which employees apply their learning to enhance their work and contribute positively to the organisation; mere acquisition of knowledge without value creation diminishes the significance of learning achievements. Secondly, it is essential to examine employees’ potential for growth beyond their current roles for succession planning and talent development. Lastly, emphasis should be placed on employees’ innovative capacity, as those who leverage continuous learning to drive innovation and spearhead breakthrough practices contribute significantly to the organisation’s long-term success.

Both aspects of employee development warrant appreciation, albeit within the context of their respective contributions to the organisation. Therefore, another approach to rewarding learning is to tie it directly to job-related activities and responsibilities. For instance, employees who acquire new skills or knowledge relevant to their roles can be given opportunities to apply and share their learning within the organisation. This may involve mentoring colleagues, leading training sessions, or participating in knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Another approach, as Lochan suggests, is “to categorise employees into quadrants based on their learning orientation and execution excellence.” In this framework, Quadrant C represents individuals who excel in both learning and performance, making them prime candidates for recognition and reward. However, the focus should not solely rest on this quadrant; rather, attention should be directed towards Quadrant D, where employees demonstrate a strong inclination towards learning but struggle to translate it into tangible results.

Instead of pitting learning against performance, organisations can implement a reward system that celebrates the virtuous cycle of learning enabling better performance, which, in turn, creates new learning opportunities. “This can involve offering personalised development plans, stretch assignments, or even job rotations to high-potential employees who demonstrate both a hunger for knowledge and the ability to apply it effectively,” asserts Verma.

Furthermore, a comprehensive approach to rewarding employees involves aligning incentives with both short-term achievements and long-term strategic objectives. Organisations can overcome the challenge of measuring learning and execution performance by adopting meaningful metrics such as learning agility, knowledge transfer, impact assessment, and 360-degree feedback. These metrics allow for effective assessment of employee development and ensure that rewards are distributed equitably based on both immediate contributions and long-term potential.

Whether to reward employees based on learning or performance is a question that necessitates a nuanced approach taking into consideration the value they bring to the organisation, their potential for growth, as well as their capacity for innovation. By striking a balance between recognising learning achievements and rewarding tangible results, organisations can foster a culture of continuous improvement and drive sustainable growth in the ever-evolving business landscape.

The post Striking a balance: Rewarding learning vs rewarding performance in the workplace appeared first on HR Katha.

For us, the top priority in 2024 will be to develop new skills. While newer skillsets, multi-skilling and upskilling would take centre stage, new talent and new technology would come in based on need. Our renewed focus on superior quality and better asset utilisation needs skillupgrade campaigns in several areas. In line with this, we have started enterprisewide programmes in the following three areas —i) larger foray into AI/ML based problem-solving; ii) safer operations through adoption of emergent safetymanagement methods and tools; iii) adoption of analytics as a way of life. Adoption and practice of these formative processes will improve our employee retention. Employees have already started showing keen interest in these programmes. Thus, attracting new talent will become easier. With this major shift to the world of analytics, adoption of new technology will also become easier.

One of the ways in which hybrid can become a true and win-win value proposition is by ensuring very sharply-defined KPIs/metrics for each employee

Work reimagined: Office redux, remote reign, or hybrid harmony in 2024?

Hybrid working is a reality and is set to continue as an accepted and mainstream working model. Except for manufacturing operations and its related functions such as logistics and quality analysis (QA) where a physical presence is mandatory, the other functions will assimilate hybrid working as a reality. In fact, I consider it to be a unique employer-value proposition. Today, there is a purported myth around lower work output/efficiency in the hybrid-working model. One of the ways in which this model can become a true and win-win value proposition is by ensuring very sharply-defined KPIs/ metrics for each employee and clearly stating daily/weekly outcomes. This will improve accountability of output and thereby make hybrid working a reality.

Inclusion illusion or inclusive ideal: Can HR build true equity in 2024?

In our quest to improve diversity and inclusion, we have put in place programmes and policies that encourage representation and participation of diverse groups of people, including people of different genders, races and ethnicities; with different abilities and disabilities; following different religions, cultures; belonging to various ages; having different sexual orientations; belonging to diverse backgrounds, and with different experiences, skills and expertise. To make this a success and to make quantifiable progress, measurement metrics have been put in place.

This article is sponsored by Thomas Assessments

43 leaders predict the upcoming trends for 2024. To download the e-copy click here

The post “Hybrid working is an accepted mainstream working model,” Pankaj Lochan appeared first on HR Katha.

Companies often cite various strategic reasons for resorting to year-long notice periods. For complex roles with intricate knowledge-transfer requirements, a prolonged handover ensures continuity and minimises disruption. In industries such as medical research and development (R&D), where projects have long gestation periods and key personnel are integral, a year provides valuable time for knowledge sharing and ensuring project continuity. Client-centric industries, where trust and familiarity are paramount, often champion extended notice periods, prioritising smooth client handoffs and minimising disruption.

A recent survey by Blind, a tech forum, revealed that 60 per cent of employees on year-long notice periods felt demotivated and unproductive. However, 40 per cent also reported feeling valued and supported during this transition, thanks to open communication, flexible work arrangements and continued learning opportunities. This suggests that the impact of year-long notice periods hinges not just on their length, but also on the organisational culture and the support mechanisms in place.

“This extended period is more for the employer’s benefit, ensuring they have time to find a replacement who can seamlessly integrate into existing client relationships”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Navin Fluorine

Longer notice periods for departing employees, often touted as a perk, may paint an incomplete picture. The extended timeframe provides individuals a safety net, allowing for a smooth transition to a new role, skill development and knowledge-transfer opportunities. For the organisation, it ensures continuity, facilitates comprehensive succession planning and minimises client disruption – the primary beneficiary is often the organisation itself.

As Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Navin Fluorine, points out, “This extended period is more for the employer’s benefit, ensuring they have time to find a replacement who can seamlessly integrate into existing client relationships.”

This employee-centric viewpoint is also questioned by Praveer Priyadarshi, a senior HR leader, who argues that notice periods are primarily driven by employee decisions and factors such as job satisfaction, manager compatibility and compensation. He reframes the notice period as a reflection of an employee’s personal calculus.

Industries with high turnover, such as FMCG or marketing, often have shorter notice periods due to readily-available talent, while fields such as medical R&D justify longer periods due to the criticality of specific roles.

While the year-long notice period offers undeniable advantages in knowledge transfer, succession planning, and client management, it also presents a unique set of challenges. Is it a double-edged sword?

Emmanuel David, another senior HR leader, cautions against a one-size-fits-all approach, stating, “It can be beneficial in certain situations, but in more dynamic and uncertain sectors such as IT & software, it may pose risks, leading to demotivation and a loss of agility.”

The success of a year-long notice period hinges on several crucial factors. Communication is paramount, ensuring transparency and addressing concerns to maintain team morale. Flexibility is key, as circumstances can evolve over time, requiring adjustments to the transition plan. Employee well-being is non-negotiable, supporting both the departing and remaining personnel through the process.

“It can be beneficial in certain situations, but in more dynamic and uncertain sectors such as IT & software, it may pose risks, leading to demotivation and a loss of agility”

Emmanuel David, another senior HR leader

So, how can organisations navigate this labyrinthine terrain and ensure a productive, high-morale farewell?

Communication, as always, reigns supreme. Openly discussing the rationale behind the extended notice period, outlining expectations and providing regular check-ins are crucial in addressing concerns and maintaining engagement. Encouraging professional development, offering flexible work arrangements, and acknowledging the departing employee’s continued value can further bolster motivation.

As David adds, “Clear deliverables and accountability mechanisms can help ensure that work stays aligned with the organisation’s goals, even during this extended period.”

Striking a delicate balance between organisational needs and employee well-being is key. Fostering a positive environment, that values collaboration and graceful exits, as Lochan emphasises, can go a long way in maintaining morale.

Additionally, a robust performance review system, focused on key performance indicators (KPIs), can help maintain a sense of rhythm and accountability.

Industries with high turnover, such as FMCG or marketing, often have shorter notice periods due to readily-available talent, while fields such as medical R&D justify longer periods due to the criticality of specific roles.

Praveer Priyadarshi, a senior HR leader

Lochan further underscores the role of managers, stating, “It’s crucial for managers not to disengage mentally when an employee resigns. Employees often want to contribute until their last day. Managers play a significant role in maintaining a healthy rhythm during exits.”

The recent decision by a tech giant to implement year-long notice periods, serves as a focal point, the implications of this extend far beyond their specific confines. Are they an inevitable evil in certain industries, or do they represent an outdated relic of a bygone era? Exploring alternative models, such as staggered notice periods or phased handovers, can offer valuable insights into navigating this complex landscape. Additionally, delving into the legal aspects of these extended goodbyes, exploring their enforceability and potential challenges, can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the terrain.

Ultimately, the maze of year-long notice periods presents a complex conundrum devoid of easy answers. By unpacking the multifaceted rationale, acknowledging the potential pitfalls and prioritising open communication, organisations can navigate this terrain with greater clarity and purpose. Perhaps, amidst the maze of challenges, lies an opportunity to redefine the farewell narrative, transforming it from a protracted period of limbo into a productive, collaborative journey of knowledge transfer, mentorship and graceful departures. This will of course require one to venture deep into the labyrinth, acknowledge its complexities and seek innovative solutions.

The post One year out: Navigating the labyrinth of extended notice periods appeared first on HR Katha.

The post Should we hire industry hoppers? appeared first on HR Katha.

“Resenteeism” is a new term that has become popular in the realm of work. Introduced by RotaCloud, a provider of staff management software, the term is used to describe the feeling of resentment and dissatisfaction that can arise when one is trapped in a job one dislikes. That is, when one feels one can’t leave due to financial or other constraints.

Resenteeism can have a significant negative impact on an employees’ mental and emotional well-being, as well as their job performance. It can lead to stress, burnout and decreased productivity, which can ultimately exacerbate the situation and make the employees feel even more trapped.

“First, an unsatisfactory job can lead to a negative mindset, which impedes the ability to contribute and learn, thereby hindering growth opportunities.”

Pankaj Lochan, ex-CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power

Pankaj Lochan, ex-CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power, says, “First, an unsatisfactory job can lead to a negative mindset, which impedes the ability to contribute and learn, thereby hindering growth opportunities. Second, when employees are stuck in a job they do not enjoy, they may not reach their full potential, which affects their contributions to the organisation. This can occur if they are forced to stay in the job due to certain circumstances or lack the necessary skills to advance.”

Lochan also rightly points out that during the first five to seven years of an employee’s career, when learning and growth are crucial, even a poor boss can hinder progress.

What are the signs?

Decreased productivity: When employees are resentful and unhappy at work, they are less likely to be productive and engaged in their work. This can lead to lower quality of work, missed deadlines and decreased efficiency.

Frequent mistakes and accidents: Resenteeism can lead to a lack of focus and attention to detail, which can result in more mistakes and accidents on the job. This can be particularly dangerous in jobs that involve operation of heavy machinery or working in hazardous environments.

“It is important to observe employee behaviour, such as whether they are actively communicating and volunteering for tasks or staying under the radar,”

Amit Sharma, CHRO, Volvo

Reduced morale: One employee’s resentfulness and unhappiness at work can also affect the morale of coworkers. This can create a negative work environment that can be toxic and demoralising for everyone.

Higher turnover: Employees who are resentful and unhappy are more likely to leave their jobs, which can result in higher turnover rates and more expenditure in replacing employees. This can also lead to a loss of institutional knowledge and experience, which can be difficult to replace.

According to Amit Sharma, CHRO, Volvo, identifying the signs of ‘resenteeism’ can be challenging because it can be difficult to distinguish between those who consistently underperform and those who have started to disengage.

“The signs can include lack of participation in meetings, missed deadlines and reduced contributions. It is important to observe employee behaviour, such as whether they are actively communicating and volunteering for tasks or staying under the radar,” adds Sharma.

“It is important to establish wellness initiatives, educate workers about the value of taking time off when unwell, appoint wellness counsellors, assess job workload and demands, and cultivate a positive organisational culture.”

Anish Philip, chief people officer, Movate

He also explains that some employees may exhibit behaviour that suggests they are not invested in the company’s or the team’s success. It is crucial to recognise these behaviours and take action to re-engage such employees.

Anish Philip, chief people officer, Movate, opines that there are several tactics that employers can employ to combat and address ‘resenteeism’ in the workplace, including fostering an atmosphere of transparent communication, providing adaptable work schedules and making mental health assistance available.

According to him, it is important to establish wellness initiatives, educate workers about the value of taking time off when unwell, appoint wellness counsellors, assess job workload and demands, and cultivate a positive organisational culture.

What can be done?

Identify the root cause: It’s important to identify the underlying reasons why employees are feeling resentful and unhappy at work. This may involve having a conversation with them to understand their concerns and challenges.

“Employers should communicate with their employees and address their concerns, whether it’s a few individuals or a larger trend.”

P. Dwarakanath, former non-executive chairman, GSK

P. Dwarakanath, former non-executive chairman, GSK,says that there are ways for employers to prevent and handle resenteeism in the workplace. The first step is to identify the root cause, which is often a lack of connection or engagement.

Encourage open communication: Creating an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns and feedback can help prevent resentment from building up over time. Encouraging regular check-ins and open communication can help address issues before they become bigger problems.

Dwarakanath explains, “Employers should communicate with their employees and address their concerns, whether it’s a few individuals or a larger trend. This can be done through surveys and feedback sessions. It’s important to address the issues early on before they spread.”

Resenteeism can create a negative feedback loop that can be very difficult to break. It’s important for employers to create a positive work environment that values the well-being and happiness of their employees. To prevent resenteeism from taking hold, it is also essential for employees to take care of their own mental and emotional health

The post Why ‘resenteeism’ is a slow poison appeared first on HR Katha.

The process had actually begun in April 2022 but was put on hold later when Musk accused the top leadership of Twitter of not revealing true facts about the users of Twitter. Musk alleged that the social-media company had more bots than users on the platform which created a bottleneck. However, on 27 October, the $44 billion deal was closed.

With a major leadership churn at the top, there is a strong likelihood of Musk wanting to bring about drastic changes to the company, including altering the processes and the very way Twitter operates. Will this acquisition of Twitter by Musk transform the culture of the organisation?

HRKatha spoke to some HR leaders in the industry about the kind of changes this acquisition may be expected to lead to.

“Musk is the kind of leader who will prefer a more KPI-focussed culture and processes in the organisation”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power

As per Shailesh Singh, chief people officer, Max Life Insurance, given the kind of leader Musk is, it is evident that he will bring major changes to the position of the company.

“Musk would definitely want to re-orient the culture of Twitter post this acquisition. He would prefer to nurture a leaner and less people-intensive organisation with a more tech-driven culture,” says Singh.

This is also kind of clear from the initial steps Musk has taken after the acquisition of Twitter. He is looking to cut 2000 jobs in the company and has asked the managers to prepare a list of employees that need to be laid off, as per global news reports.

More significantly, as soon as Musk took over the ownership of Twitter, he sacked the entire leadership team including Parag Aggrawal, CEO, Twitter. This clearly indicates that Musk is looking to change the culture at Twitter, starting with the leadership itself, as all HR leaders also agree.

However, the need to change the culture or integrate the culture of the acquiring firm depends on many factors. As Tuhin Biswas, CHRO, Emami shares, there have been acquisitions in the past such as the DHL and Blue Dart merger. If the company is doing well, the acquiring party would not want to make many changes to the culture of the organisation. In fact, “Culture is also one thing that companies acquire other firms for,” tells Biswas.

“Senior-level leadership will be more impacted than the lower-level employees”

Shailesh Singh, chief people officer, Max Life Insurance

Singh further points out that this is not a traditional acquisition. Musk has a vision for Twitter and will look to position the company in a different way. As Biswas mentions earlier, it is the profitability of the company that defines whether the culture needs to undergo a change or not.

Of late, Twitter has not been doing well financially even though it has shown some signs of improvement. In 2020, Twitter posted a $1.1 billion loss and in 2021, it posted a $221 million loss, an 80 per cent reduction in loss from the past.

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power, points out that since Twitter has been far from profitable, Musk would attempt to bring in more objectivity and meritocracy in the culture of the organisation. “Musk is the kind of leader who will prefer a more KPI-focussed culture and processes in the organisation,” Lochan observes.

With a change in the leadership ranks, some amount of turmoil is also expected, says HR leaders. “Senior-level leadership will be more impacted than the lower-level employees,” says Singh.

“If the company is doing well, the acquiring party would not want to make many changes to the culture of the organisation”

Tuhin Biswas, CHRO, Emami

However, Lochan is of the opinion that as a startup, Twitter has witnessed such fast-paced changes in the past as well, and therefore, people may be used to such major disruptions. “I believe that people at Twitter are used to such major changes and will survive this turmoil as well,” asserts Lochan.

Musk has mentioned in the past that Twitter’s acquisition would be the first step to the realisation of X.com, his dream of giving America its first ‘Everything App’, where users can have an experience of a social networking website, payment solutions, online buying and selling and personal messaging just like China’s WeChat.

As the saying goes, ‘To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often’. We can only sit back and watch the changes that may or may not sweep through Twitter.

The post How twitter’s acquisition by Elon Musk could bring a change in culture appeared first on HR Katha.

For some, money is more important because it gives them the power to make their own choices. For others, the benefits that come with their pay are more important. This is because, these benefits provide additional support in their time of need, and helps them get things that they can’t otherwise afford.

What exactly do employees prefer more? HRKatha asks some esteemed HR professionals.

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power

Primarily, three things have contributed to employees’ preference for better pay. First, the average mean salary has gone up. That means, people are getting paid better than before.

Second, more people are aware about better wages, and are attracted to jobs that offer attractive packages. Third, employees have also begun giving more importance to comfort, and with money they have a better chance to acquire whatever they may need. General wisdom also dictates that if employees are already getting good pay, they are likely to buy the necessary things themselves, rather than rely on a third party to offer it to them.

Especially after the pandemic, employees have started to give more weight to better salaries because they desire financial stability over any additional benefits.
They have become focused on providing for their families themselves, rather than wait for someone else to swoop in and save them in times of emergency.

Anil Gaur CHRO, Akums Pharmaceuticals

We need to look at the different age groups and their priorities in terms of pay and benefits. The younger generation is mostly concerned with living in the present and is attracted to bigger wages. They want the money in their hand and care little about additional benefits such as healthcare or maternity leave.
However, the older generation which grew up in times when its members had more responsibilities on their shoulders, looks for better benefits with a focus on the future.

They are likely to seek better packages from their employees that will help them create a suitable retirement plan.

These days, companies have started providing compensation according to what their employees prefer. While this is prominent in IT companies, even Akums Pharmaceuticals has launched a flexible benefit plan allowing employees to choose the kind of benefit they want.

Maneesha Jha Thakur, HR Leader

Most employees prefer higher pay and less benefits.

Employees value cash in hand so that they can decide how they want to spend their salary. They look at benefits as an addition to this salary, and not as a substitute for money.

Benefits such as group medical insurance, PF, gratuity and accident insurance, which come in handy at different stages of life and in case of unforeseen circumstances, are valued at that time. For instance, in sickness, employees appreciate generous mediclaim coverage.

However, as short sighted as they are, this is not a key aspect that employees look at when they consider their compensation.

Maybe organisations need to emphasise benefits more to drive home the point.

Benefits such as facilities pertaining to pregnancy care, childcare and generous maternity leave are likely to be preferred over higher pay, especially by women.
Also, ESOPs which have potential to generate serious wealth are highly valued benefits.

In recent times, facilities such as work from home, flexible work schedule, choice of location are being valued by employees more than money.

There is yet another category of benefits that employees value highly — benefits that help in career advancement, for instance, access to MBA courses from premier institutes that the organisations tie up with, top-notch training and certification opportunities, option to take a sabbatical and so on.

The post Do employees want better pay and less benefits or vice versa? 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.

Given the competitive labour market, reliance on referrals from existing employees within a company has increased.

According to a research by Dr John Sullivan, 88 per cent employers feel that referrals are the best way to acquire above average talent. However, accountability and integrity of the professionals who are taken onboard through referrals can still be suspect sometimes. The primary reason behind this could be laxity in the hiring process, owed to the referral.

Consider this example:

A tech company, primarily dealing in lead generation, decided to hire an IT professional for its data generation team. One of the senior lead developers in the team recommended a former colleague of his for the position.

After a brief recruitment process, the company hired the person. Two months post recruitment, the company discovered that some of its data was being leaked to the market. Upon investigation, they found that the new hire was the one who had caused the leak. Further probe revealed that he had been found guilty of something similar in his previous employment. Naturally, the company terminated his employment.

However, soon fingers started to be pointed at the senior developer who had recommended the bad hire. He was blamed for a bad recommendation, due to which the company lost business and also earned a bad reputation in the market.

Should the person who referred a bad hire face the repercussions of the wrongdoings of the bad referral?

If yes, what should be an adequate action against him? Prominent HR leaders opine:

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power

The bad hire in this case is clearly reflective of a weak hiring process. Any hiring process comprises of five parts: sourcing of CV, the shortlisting process, the interview, onboarding— after the person has accepted the offer— and then subsequent referral checks.

In this case, the reference check process failed. It is no crime to recommend somebody for a position. People are recommended only if they are found to be an adequate match in terms of competency,for the role at hand. Therefore, the person who has recommended the bad hire can only be accountable if that person is not competent for the position.

If it is an ethical issue, where integrity of the new hire is suspect, that candidate should have been weeded out after the reference check itself.

It is best for the company to implement a more serious approach to the methods of hiring being employed. In this case, where the position being hired for requires the person to deal with confidential data, there should be a three-level referral. For Level 1, the company should speak with the people that the job seeker has mentioned in their CV. While speaking with them the company must ask for names of others whom the person had engaged during the previous employment. Level 2 should comprise of interactions with these people, which will help the company understand their perspective on the person’s character. The company can go for subsequent levels of referral checking, by contacting people who were engaged with the person without them knowing.

Viekas K Khokha, CHRO, Dhanuka Agritech

The referral needs to be only treated as the source of the CV and nothing else. The process of recruitment is more important. Here, it is clear that due diligence wasn’t given to the hiring process. Otherwise, the employee has only named a suitable talent, which is what a company could expect. Verifying that talent’s integrity is the responsibility of the HR. Employees cannot be expected to do referral checks. The organisations themselves have to gauge the person’s character, first hand. A follow-up process can help the organisation eliminate the possibility of a reoccurrence of such situations in the future. There needs to be a proper orientation of new hires, with clear do’s and don’t’s.

Emmanuel David, HR leader

It’s an ethical question. We are hiring people for skills and competence and not for their ethics and values. Hence, such situations may be witnessed regularly. One needs to understand the process of hiring and figure out where it is lacking.

However, if the senior developer who had referred the new hire was privy to his previous engagement, then it is tantamount to being a discipline issue. A deeper probe must be undertaken. The HR must interact with the senior developer and ascertain his involvement in the whole situation as well. If he was genuinely unaware at the time of hiring, then it shouldn’t be his fault and he shouldn’t be held accountable. However, if he is found to have been in the know of the character of the hire, then the HR can plan what suitable action should be taken against this person depending on the severity of the information leak and loss to the company.

(This article appeared in the HRKatha monthly magazine)

The post Should the referrer be blamed for a bad hire? appeared first on HR Katha.

Can leaders be empathetic and kind to their employees always? After all, leaders are human beings too. They are bound to face situations at the workplace that may test their patience and even drive them to the edge, forcing them to show their not-so-polite self. If leaders are rude and overly strict with their employees, tension can result at work, leading to larger conflicts as well.

On the other hand, if leaders go overboard with their show of empathy and kindness, they may end up making the employees too comfortable, leading to carelessness and a casual attitude. This can have an adverse effect on work and most importantly, weaken their ability to judge situations without bias.

Is there a way for leaders to be empathetic and kind in their roles while still maintaining their professional roles?

“CXOs may have broader problems to deal with, but they still have to work with other human beings —quirks, idiosyncrasies, strengths, and weaknesses et al. This is just as apparent and relevant to their success in the C Suite as it was they landed their very first managerial role.”

Amit Das, director-HR and CHRO, Bennett Coleman and Co

Rajorshi Ganguli, global head-HR, Alkem Laboratories, says, “At the end of the day, a person should be respectful to others. Situations may arise, where leaders will be required to act tough and assertive, but this shouldn’t happen at the cost of disrespecting anybody.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the leader shouldn’t be demanding. It is just that their behavior should never slide into discourtesy, explains Ganguli.

“Being assertive doesn’t necessarily mean one has to be abusive. Empathetic leaders who speak softly are also capable of being assertive. They just have to be cautious not to be too stern in their roles while interacting with the employees,” advises Ganguli.

“While leaders can show empathy and kindness during the employees’ time of need, they should otherwise interact with them in a professional manner.”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power

Paramjit Singh Nayyar, CHRO, Hero Housing Finance, says, “Being humble is a pre-requisite for a leader. For a leader, being humble is essential and not a choice. It is the bare minimum expected of a leader.”

“Leaders are often required to have uncomfortable conversations with their employees, which the latter may not like. Yet, leaders can retain their humility and continue to be respectful to them,” says Nayyar.

Even the toughest and most difficult discussions or confrontations can be handled with a smile on one’s face and a humble demeanour. This actually makes the conversation that much easier,” points out Nayyar.

“Leaders are often required to have uncomfortable conversations with their employees, which the latter may not like. Yet, leaders can retain their humility and continue to be respectful to them.”

Paramjit Singh Nayyar, CHRO, Hero Housing Finance

“Leaders are the ones who set the right stage for the culture of their organisation. If they lose humility, then it percolates down to all the employees in the organisation. It is critical for leaders to demonstrate behaviour which promotes the right culture in the organisation. Therefore, being humble at all times is critical,” asserts Nayyar.

Too much empathy can work against leaders as well, because it may raise the expectations of employees in terms of how they want to be treated. This, in turn, will interfere with their own behaviour and performance at work.

“Leaders spoil their employees by overempathising with them. Employees need stimulus for work, and they get it in the form of salary,”opines Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power.

“Being assertive doesn’t necessarily mean one has to be abusive. Empathetic leaders who speak softly are also capable of being assertive. They just have to be cautious not to be too stern in their roles while interacting with the employees.”

Rajorshi Ganguli, global head-HR, Alkem Laboratories

Lochan believes that while leaders can show empathy and kindness during the employees’ time of need, they should otherwise interact with them in a professional manner. Empathy should depend on the situation, and shouldn’t be an end approach to every conversation between leaders and their employees.

Amit Das, director-HR and CHRO, Bennett Coleman and Co, emphasises, “Leaders guide their teams to achieve results. Their responsibilities can be summarised in three keywords —‘guidance’, ‘team’ and ‘results’.”

According to Das, “CXOs may have broader problems to deal with, but they still have to work with other human beings —quirks, idiosyncrasies, strengths, and weaknesses et al. This is just as apparent and relevant to their success in the C Suite as it was they landed their very first managerial role.”

Recalling what he learnt from Kim Scott’s book, Radical Candour, Das talks about two dimensions that can help leaders navigate the demands of guidance, teams and results.

The first dimension is ‘care personally’. It is not enough to care only about people’s ability to perform a job. It is essential to recognise that each one of us brings our whole selves to work. This includes our stresses, pleasures, frustrations, challenges, highs and lows.

The second dimension is to ‘challenge directly’, which involves telling people when their work isn’t good enough as well as when it is. It is important to tell people when they are not going to get the promotion they want, or the new role they coveted, or when the results don’t justify further investment in what they’re working on. On the other hand, when bosses belittle employees and embarrass them publicly, or create conditions where employees dread the leader, their behaviour can be termed as ‘obnoxious aggression’. This kind of aggression sometimes gets great results in the short term but leaves a trail of carnage in its wake in the long run.

When leaders don’t care enough about a person to challenge directly, they use ‘manipulative insincerity’. This happens when they are too focused on being liked or think they can gain some sort of political advantage by faking friendliness—or when they are just too tired to care or argue anymore.

When leaders not only care about people, but equally care about organisational priorities, and therefore, challenge people when they are off track, they practice radical candour.

Therefore, leaders must be respectful towards all, be patient in their conversations, but should not be afraid to point out the issue in performance or behaviour with candour, when it impacts organisational results. Then they should guide the team to improve performance. Radical candour builds people performance, without pulling them down.

In the end, what matters is that leaders’ approach should be balanced, and never tip toward extremes on either sides. Everyone expects to be treated fairly and respectfully at the workplace, and leaders should help create a work environment that is democratic and allows freedom of expression.

At the same time, it is important to not get carried away with one’s feelings and be overly sentimental while interacting with the employees. True, leaders should never be discourteous and rude to their employees, but they should also maintain a healthy distance from them so that it gives them perspective during difficult situations and doesn’t interfere with their decision making.

The post How leaders can be empathetic & emotional without compromising professionalism appeared first on HR Katha.

Break with the past

In 2020, most companies were in survival mode. The pandemic had hit all of a sudden, and companies were busy ensuring business continuity. The challenge was how to stay afloat in those difficult times. In 2021, there was another massive disruption. The market dynamics were changing very fast, and companies realised that they needed to develop future capabilities to quickly adapt to this change.

“What I can foresee is that for the next two-three years, availability of good talent and ability to retain talent will be a major challenge for many companies across sectors”

SV Nathan, chief talent officer, Deloitte

Future capabilities needed new skills and talent, which created a sudden surge of talent requirement. And when there is a sudden demand in the market, shortage is bound to happen. SV Nathan, chief talent officer, Deloitte, opines, “What I can foresee is that for the next two three-years, availability of good talent and ability to retain talent will be a major challenge for many companies across sectors.” The fluctuations in the last two years have, in fact, introduced a plethora of challenges that businesses may not have necessarily faced before. These challenges, and hence, the subsequent shifts in businesses primarily dictated the way industries, and thus, organisations, shifted their focus when it came to their workforces. These shifts in the talent landscape across industries are essential to ascertain what kind of talent requirements industries are facing at the moment and what the focus could be in the near future. All of these are forcing companies to restructure their talent strategy.

Richard Lobo, executive vice president & head-HR, Infosys, elaborates that today’s talent atmosphere will require organisations to account for multiple facets into their strategies. “Today, the pursuit for talent is as competitive as ever, led by a growing skills shortage, advancing technologies, generational shifts and evolving dynamics around the nature of work. Organisations, therefore, will need to invest in diverse talent in order to be able to compete successfully,” Lobo says.

Mindset makeover

The employer-employee relationship has changed. It is primarily driven by employees and many employers have acknowledged it. The necessities of employees aren’t linear any longer, and in order to attract, engage and retain talent, organisations must first understand the needs of their workforce, then develop a strategy and quickly execute a plan. Today’s employees expect much, much more from their employers— sense of purpose, caring and empathetic environment, total flexibility and a better employee value proposition.

“There are not many who understand how tech functions in aviation and one needs to bring in people from different spaces, have them exposed to the tech that we are utilising and facilitate their understanding of the process. It is definitely a long process”

Raj Raghavan, senior VP and head-HR, IndiGo

“The way people are looking at workplaces is very differently today. Their ambition quotient is rather high. Apart from that, there is a big change in the mindset. Ever since the pandemic struck, people want themselves to be heard and wish for their organisations to take action quickly on the challenges they may face,” says Nathan.

Flexibility, remote or hybrid working, transparency and empathy are now basic requirements, not ‘nice-to-haves’. Companies that want to remain competitive and retain and engage their top talent will need to get creative in order to differentiate themselves from the rest of the market.

“Today, people do not seek longevity in companies. They want to learn something new. They are averse to doing the same kind of work day in and day out. Hence, companies need to carve out strategies where employees can learn and grow. They need to prioritise career growth for their people in a bid to retain them for a longer time,” says Nathan.

Fast track digitisation

The pandemic forced companies to rush towards digitisation and that increased the demand for tech talent. People working in IT became the primary facilitators of this business transformation. With demand soaring, the supply hasn’t been as sharp for tech talent. “Currently, there is a huge demand for technology talent post the pandemic. Some of this is due to increased technology investments, supply shortage, and to some extent the lack of mobility that we see in some geographies,” says Lobo.

“Today, the pursuit for talent is as competitive as ever, led by a growing skills shortage, advancing technologies, generational shifts and evolving dynamics around nature of work. Organisations will therefore need to invest in diverse talent in order to be able to compete successfully”

Richard Lobo, EVP & head-HR, Infosys

Contrary to popular belief, digital transformation is less about technology and more about people. One can buy any technology, but the ability to adapt to an even more digital future depends on developing the next generation of skills, closing the gap between talent supply and demand, and future-proofing one’s own and others’ potential.

Raj Raghavan, senior VP and head-HR, IndiGo, details the criticality of tech talent and its crunch in the aviation industry, “Digitisation has been an absolute key to an airline’s performance, in supporting customers and improving internal efficiency as well. Unique talent in tech is recent in formation and is, therefore, in very high demand in the aviation industry as well. It’s not just about the technology behind the digitisation, but about how one incorporates it in one’s business to deliver the required results. Tech has a big impact —so big that billions of revenue can be lost if tech does not perform up to the mark.”

Raghavan admits it is indeed a challenge to find people who understand aviation technology. “There are not many who understand how tech functions in aviation and one needs to bring in people from different spaces, have them exposed to the tech that we are utilising and facilitate their understanding of the process. It is definitely a long process.”

Rush for automation

If the airline industry is looking for digitisation post pandemic, the manufacturing industry is grappling with automation. The deficit of business that the manufacturing industry had to incur due to the pandemic has led many factories to cut down significantly on manpower. This led to manufacturing companies exploring automation of processes for cost benefit.

“Talent building needs persistence and courage. Most of us are beneficiaries of bets taken by our leaders – we were provided opportunities to explore and venture into unexplored terrain. Identification of potential is most important because leaders can make an informed choice and ensure career success”

Raju Mistry, president & global CPO, Cipla

“Manufacturing companies will have to hire people who could juggle multiple roles. This will be a common factor across industries, as the concept of flexible working, the flexibility offered in terms of matrix structure, will become the centrepiece,” says Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power.

Further, Lochan says, “The whole concept of multi-skilling and automation of processes and systems will go beyond cost-benefit analysis now. The talent landscape will change. Only processes that will not add value when automated will remain, along with people possessing multiple skills. What will drive talent acquisition will be measured by how much impact one is making on the KPI”.

The same goes for the packaging industry. The sector has seen a massive shift in terms of automation and upgradation of machines, which has led to a shift in the skill requirement. “We need tech skills — which include mechanical, electronic and automation — capable of managing the demand. Talent with the aptitude and ability to learn, who can perform the day-to-day production tasks is sought after. Unfortunately, we are currently facing a gap in terms of mid-level skills,” says Chandan Chattaraj, president- HR, UFlex Group, a leading company in packaging.

Hunt for specialist 

It’s not that the industry is only looking for IT talent. Sector-specific talent is also much in demand, but somehow the demand for tech talent is also impacting the non-tech talent. The demand for tech talent is so huge that IT companies are forced to hire talent from parallel sectors as well.

“We operate in a polymer based industry where there is scarcity of ready talent. In fact it is rare to find people with experience and skills that match the demand of this industry. That is why we have been the talent generator in this segment”

Chandan Chattaraj, president- HR, UFlex Group

As Nathan explains, “IT giants today are hiring people irrespective of the degree or academic background. They want people to code for them, and in return they are willing to teach people those skills in three months, and put them onto live projects.”

In fact, IT companies are hiring mechanical engineers, mathematicians, and even arts graduates to fill vacancies. “This is impacting other adjoining sectors, such as manufacturing, where civil engineers, automobile engineers or electrical engineers are needed. Since these big IT companies can afford to offer better compensation packages, the adjoining sectors are getting impacted by a shortage of talent.”

“The kind of roles we see increasing will be concentrated in areas of managing new technologies. That is because, companies as well as governments have been and will continue to ramp up their technology spend to deal with the challenges that the pandemic has presented. These will include jobs related to AI, data analytics, product engineering, cloud computing and so on, as well as jobs that focus on the human – technology intersection, such as interface design and consumer behaviour analysis,” Lobo enunciates. One sector which has been majorly affected by the demand of talent in other sectors is hospitality.

With a majority of hotels and restaurants shut for the greater part of the past 18 months, the hospitality sector had to shed a significant chunk of its workforce. Sanjay Bose, executive VP and head-HR, ITC’s Hotel Group, believes that the hospitality industry, which includes businesses in travel, tourism and hotels, have a slow path to recovery ahead of it. “As this sector was so severely impacted, the pool of talent has taken a hit. People in the service sector will probably look at more stable industries, where employment may not be as subject to change as it has been in the hospitality sector recently. People who had chosen hotel management as their occupation may in all likelihood may opt for another industry which they deem to be more stable,” he said.

“The landscape will change. Only process that will not add value when automated will remain, along with people possessing multiple skills. What will drive talent acquisition will be how much impact one is making on the KPI”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power

This is already reflected in the sudden drop in the number of applicants for hotel-management courses. According to the Ministry of Tourism, on an average, about 32,000 applications are received for hotel management courses every year. In 2021, this number dipped to an alarming 12,000.

Out of the woods 

For Infosys, the hiring strategy is built on four key pillars — scaling digital capabilities, deepening automation and artificial intelligence (AI), reskilling employees, and increasing local hiring. “We will continue hiring based on this strategy, while making allowances for tailoring brought about by the pandemic. The talent market continues to be dynamic and evolving as several firms compete for the same set of people,” says Lobo.

Quality talent is always difficult to come by and onboard. This is the case for all organisations across sectors. For Lenovo, there is no imminent talent shortage at the moment for the core business. However, for its new initiative, where it is venturing into a new IT services and solutions business, talent does pose some challenges. “The name ‘Lenovo’ does not bring to mind ‘services and solutions’. Therefore, for the more seasoned and experienced talent, it may not appear to be the grandest of opportunities,” points out Bhavya Misra, director & head HR, Lenovo India. Further, finding talent for Lenovo’s tech sales vertical is also tough. “For tech sales, we are open to get talent from other industries but we do face challenges when it comes to finding experienced people in our line of business, that is, the tech consumer manufacturing line. There are not many large players in India operating in this space,” she states.

Gig works the problem

Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) has taken a very different approach to cover this gap. “We can hire tech talent from outside but at the same time, we need our internal workforce to be able to handle the digitalisation process in a sustainable way,” Lochan says.

“Our own people need to acquire these cognitive skills. We have engaged consultants — senior level digital executives — to ascertain what tools are primarily needed for our business. For manufacturing, it is mainly artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which act as pillars for the digitisation process, while IoT skills serve as a canopy to these pillars,” he adds.

“The instability in the hospitality sector forced people to look at more stable sectors. People who had chosen hotel management as their occupation may in all likelihood opt for another industry which they deem to be more stable”

Sanjay Bose, EVP & head-HR, ITC Hotel Group

The major challenge at the moment is to identify the list of tools and skill sets that are essential to facilitate digitisation and impart them on the existing workforce in a coordinated manner.

That is why, JSPL hires tech professionals as facilitators, whose main job is to train and guide the existing workforce. “When we outsource tech talent for a project, we retain the knowledge that they have to a certain extent. On the basis of this, we create a framework upon which our existing workforce is upskilled. At the end of the day, it is a game of upskilling,” says Lochan.

Shortage of skilled and specialised workers has forced companies to share talent. The flexibility offered during the pandemic has led to skilled professionals juggling multiple projects on a freelance basis.

According to Lobo, the challenge for companies will be to re-engineer their workforce in order to integrate this freelance talent with the permanent workforce so that synchronicity between the two is maintained.

He further assesses that the gig-economy will only accelerate, as better talent platforms get enabled that will allow more on-demand models to function, giving people better opportunities to deploy their talent and get paid.

Polishing talent from inside 

Grooming talent and building an internal talent pipeline is not restricted to companies in the tech space alone. Raju Mistry, president and global chief people officer, Cipla, shares that since it is difficult to find good, relevant and employable talent, most companies have to build their talent pipeline, which she says is a daunting task given that people hop jobs every few years.

“Building talent takes time and persistence. Courage is required to bet on people. Most of us are beneficiaries of these bets – we were provided opportunities by our leaders to explore and venture into unexplored terrain. That is why, identification of potential is most important because leaders can make an informed choice and ensure career success,” she says.

Mistry believes that it is unfair to expect talent to be cent per cent ready for a job, as it’s not possible – each one gets there over a period of time. “The talent-management processes at Cipla enables us to address some of these issues effectively through our Talent Review Board, which are held periodically and systematically with the leadership teams,” she said. “We operate in a polymer-based industry where there is scarcity of ready talent. In fact, it’s rare to find people with experience and skills that match the demands of this industry. That is why, we have been a talent generator in this segment,” Chattaraj voices a similar concern.

Therefore, UFlex has a similar approach of training people in-house. It has been on a continuous expansion mode since the pandemic. Hence, there is a deficit in terms of talent. “We don’t get people who are pre-trained in dealing with the level at which we operate. Hence, we try to cope up with this deficit by providing extensive training to our new hires, as well as regularly upskilling our existing workforce,” shares Chattaraj.

The aviation sector also needs to train its workforce. In fact, Indigo has its own institute to do so. Raghavan explains that for the aviation industry, there are two broad types of talent required. Firstly, the industry-agnostic workforce — people who can work for any industry in similar roles such as marketing, sales, operations, for which hiring can be done externally. Then there is talent which is specific to the aviation industry. Raghavan deems them to be the nerve centres of the industry in terms of talent.

For the aviation industry, finding pilots was always a struggle, but with post-COVID restrictions, this challenge has been overcome to a certain extent. However, the big challenge is finding aircraft-maintenance technicians and ground engineers. “Freshly-trained academic talent is generally not ready to undertake these roles and needs further on-ground training. The Government has several initiatives to make this talent deployable, but I still think there is a lot to be done,” asserts Raghavan.

“We do face challenges when it comes to finding experienced people in our line of business, that is, the tech consumer manufacturing line. There are not many large players in India operating in this space”

director & head-HR, Lenovo India

Teaming up with the academia 

Academia certainly has a role to play in developing talent for the future. Chattaraj believes that the industry-academia partnership plays a very important part in creating a pool of freshers from the institutes which run very industry-specific courses.

“Hiring from such institutes provides us with ready-to-go-to talent and is very beneficial. However, they still require training intervention.” “Academia can only do as much. Beyond a point, where the talent needs to be made competent towards a very specific industry-related role, a company needs to address within. That sort of upskilling is a very continuous process, since tech is very dynamic,” he says.

Lobo opines that there is an urgent need for educational institutions and the industry to be proactive working together to train talent to become industry ready. “There is a need to look at re-skilling talent, introducing new courses and broadening existing academic disciplines to ensure that the talent we are grooming today in our universities can meet the needs of this dynamically changing industry,” he explains.

Infosys has maintained a sharp focus on reskilling employees in order to help bridge skill gaps. Lobo says, “While we work closely with educational institutions in curriculum design and courseware-delivery methodology; spend considerable amounts on fresher training; and attempt to address the skill gap at an entry level; the aspect of continuous education and learning has been at the forefront of our reskilling endeavours for employees.”

“This helps us accelerate project starts, aid rapid deployment of skilled resources, and create a strategic talent pool that can augment our delivery capabilities across diverse skills. Trainability has also become one of the dimensions in our selection process for experienced professionals, since there are skill linkages which can help reskill the employees through targeted training interventions,” he explains.

Misra feels that the onus of talent development lies with both industry and academia. “For the academic institutions, we, as industries, have a big role to play. If need to allocate enough time to guide the academic institutions to exactly figure out what the requirements are and how they can be bridged them. Only then can we really expect to find fresh talent ready to partake in the industry. We have to build curricula in collaboration with academia. Senior leaders need to devote their time and work hand-in-hand with the academia,” she advises. When it comes to ensuring that talent is industry ready, Bose of ITC hotels feels that academia is lagging. “We would like the education institutes to focus more on making talent industry ready. We have found alternate means of getting industry-ready people by running our own courses and joint programmes for those who have passed class 12,” he shares.

Are these institutes going wrong somewhere? Are they unable to meet the talent requirement? “That’s a problem with academia for many industries. Their conceptual knowledge is either not current or is outdated. Secondly, there are skills required by a person to be industry ready, which are beyond the scope of the classroom. That’s an area I believe most hospitality institutes need to focus on,” Bose concludes

(This article was first published in HRKatha Print Magazine)

The post What has created ‘The Great Talent Crunch’ appeared first on HR Katha.

A new group of people, whose efforts to bring a sense of stability and safety to their organisations during and after the Covid-19 outbreak, has been observed throughout the world, is now being referred to by a new name that defines them succinctly — consequential leaders.

These leaders, from Google CEO Sundar Pichai — who donated $800 million to NGOs, small businesses and healthcare workers — to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella — who approved WFH even before the government mandates —have a lot in common with each other.

Consequential leaders never go by the books. Instead, they make their own rules and step away from the well-trodden path to create better solutions for organisational problems. They’re not afraid to try new things and learn from their mistakes. Not only can they adapt themselves to difficult situations, but they can make others feel safe as well.

They thrive in chaotic situations that provide them with the thrill of danger or risks and at the same time present an opportunity to come up with ways to tackle complex situations.

It isn’t enough to be a hard-working and caring leader; which is what most leaders try to be. Consequential leaders are those who take initiative and drive overall change. Apart from the usual traits that characterise them, consequential leaders have an extra edge that sets them apart.
Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power, states three major characteristics that can be identified in all consequential leaders.

1. They treat every threat as an opportunity: When many people see problems at the workplace as just a threat or a cause for disruption, consequential leaders see an opportunity to turn things around in favour of the organisation. A problem becomes dangerous when leaders don’t know how to respond to them. Only a few can offer creative solutions to resolve them. Consequential leaders see doors where other people see walls.

2. They confidently lead the way: Consequential leaders don’t impose their own agenda on people. Instead, they lead them to achieve goals by showing them how to work towards them. By encouraging and supporting people, the leaders enable others to succeed in their tasks at a quicker pace.

3. They are focused on developing a deeper sense of purpose: Big changes happen when people in organisations are dedicated toward a common cause. People who are able to foster a sense of purpose in those around them, and help them stay on the right path throughout their journey are the strongest leaders of consequence.
Consequential leaders are less likely to focus on the business and profit, and more on the welfare of the employees and other people.

Anurag Verma, vice president – human resources, Uniphore, says, “Consequential leaders, who lead with their hearts and not their minds, are usually the most successful in difficult situations. They are capable of making connections with people in stressful times and provide them the necessary flexibility to sort out their problems before coming back to work”.

As Verma points out, the pandemic also proved to be an agent of change for many people, who had to act in different ways because of the drastic situations and acquire skills needed to be leaders in their organisations. As a result, they came out stronger and wiser, with the knowledge and wisdom required for the good of others.

One of the most important qualities that has shown a rise in leaders, especially during and post pandemic, is their ability to connect and understand people’s feelings.
Ravi Kumar, senior leader, people and culture, Roche Diabetes Care Global Commercial Organisation, says, “One of the factors that differentiates consequential leaders from others is that they are highly empathetic.”

They are able to relate with people’s problems by putting themselves in their shoes, and this quality makes them react more effectively to crises.

Secondly, they are able to serve as a catalyst for change and bring people together, he says. CEOs and leaders who helped people, not necessarily from their own organisations, get oxygen cylinders during the pandemic, and ensured hospitalisations for others were clearly driven by their genuine concern for others. They wanted to use their privilege and power to help those in need.

Consequential leaders want to make the world a better place, and wish to achieve their goals by serving everyone who needs their help. They have broken the barriers that were in place before the pandemic, and stepped in to treat everyone with empathy and equality. It is only through such selfless acts and efforts that the world can progress toward a better future, where the humane quality of people will be more important than how much work they can offer to their organisations.

The post Who is a Consequential leader? appeared first on HR Katha.

Our culture has long promoted this attraction to titles. A person’s importance grows with the higher positions he or she attains within an organisation. Since everyone wants to be somebody, this obsession with designations is only fair because they come to be a measure of the value of a person and his/her overall worth in the society.

However, in the evolving world of work, we talk about flatter organisations with open work culture. We also have specialist – who usually prefer to work solo. Besides gigs are increasing their numbers in the workforce. In this new world of work, can we say that designations are losing its shine?

“As organisations grow in size and complexity, the intricacy and cross-functionality of job roles increases, and often, the two aspects of performance management become entwined, resulting in promotions happening without enhancement in job roles”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power

Biswaroop Mukherjee, head – HR, commercial vehicle business unit, Tata Motors, says, “Designations still matter because they’re a way to gauge a person’s social status.”

For instance, people put their designations on Linkedin, share them with their family and friends, which gives them wider recognition as professional achievers, says Mukherjee.

There is a sense of personal accomplishment attached to a high-level designation as well. That is how our social systems are today. With new ways of work, flatter organisation structures, agile organisations, and project-based teams emerging in the days ahead, this paradigm will also undergo change. For now, however, a designation remains important.

Maneesha Jha Thakur, HR consultant , says “Designations are very important to people because they are a way of signalling success to the world. It is also a way to assure oneself of one’s organisational and personal worth.”

According to Thakur, in India, the love for designations and growth in designations sometimes even supersedes the need for money. Employees are very competitive about it. “Sadly, the quest for designations is hollow because the focus is not on the role, responsibilities, authority or learning opportunity, but only the title,” rues Thakur.

“In recruitment, comparison of designations across companies by employees can be problematic, since titles and designations are internal structures of the organisation,” stresses Thakur, going on to say, “Often, companies add layer after layer of designations to satiate this need and be attractive in the talent market.”

In the long run, however, Thakur cautions that “this compromises the organisational structure, makes it vertically steep with too many layers, messing up operations, decision making and HR systems. It also renders designations and titles meaningless.”

“The quest for designations is hollow because the focus is not on the role, responsibilities, authority or learning opportunity, but only the title”

Maneesha Jha Thakur, HR consultant

Organisations are certainly responsible in perpetuating this rabid affection for designations.

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power, explains the intense focus on designation through four cases in which the organisations are likely or unlikely to promote their employees to a higher role.

In the first case, an employees are promoted even though they are not moved to a higher job role. This means, they may get a promotion based on good performance, but there is not much difference in their responsibilities. There is no added work that comes with a higher job role, but the title indicates a bigger position.

In the second case, the employees are promoted and their job role is elevated as well.

In the third case, employees are moved to a higher job role, but do not receive a promotion. In other words, they carry out responsibilities meant for a higher job but are not given the title.

In the fourth case, employees are neither moved to a higher job role, nor granted a promotion.

The problem, Lochan explains, arises primarily in case 1, when people are promoted even while their job roles remain the same. There is no change in their responsibilities, which means that the title becomes a mere decoration, and people are likely to flaunt their improved designations because of the societal importance that has been accorded to them.

“Organisations have confused measurement of performance with measurement of potential,” asserts Lochan.

Measurement of potential means judging how well the employees are able to perform at a high- level job and carry the responsibilities, and then granting them the title based on the same.

“Designations still matter because they’re a way to gauge a person’s social status”

Biswaroop Mukherjee, head – HR, commercial vehicle business unit, Tata Motors

Measurement of performance means when the organisation looks at high-performing employees and grants them a promotion without considering whether they possess the potential to succeed in this role with the added duties.

“As organisations grow in size and complexity, the intricacy and cross-functionality of job roles increases, and often, the two aspects of performance management (performance rating and promotions) become entwined, resulting in promotions happening without enhancement in job roles. In such cases, it is important to correct (restore) the pyramidal shape of the organisation structure, while keeping the right spirit of ‘promotions’ alive,” enumerates Lochan.

Empty titles do more harm than good, because people become image conscious and pay less attention to what they are supposed to do at work.

Society has taught all of us to look up at people in higher positions and aim to be like them. In following this thought process, we have become even more focused on how our job title elevates us in other people’s eyes than what it actually means.

It is only through a proper re-examination of organisational practices and reforms that we will be able to move past our obsession with designations and look at them without any false sense of inflated pride.

The post Are we still obsessed with designations? appeared first on HR Katha.

Some of the entrepreneur CEOs in India, are even younger – many in their 20s!

It’s common for people to assume that the average age of CEOs is going down by the day; that they are getting younger, but that’s not the real picture.

“In brick and mortar companies, there has generally been a reluctance to hire anyone below the age of 50″

Jaikrishna B, president-HR, Amara Raja Group

The average age of a CEO among the 500 largest companies was about 58 years in 2021, according to an executive search firm, Spencer Stuart. According to another report by Deloitte, the average age of men CEOs in India was 61.1 years in 2021 and that of the women CEOs was 57.4 years. The broader trend in CEO age still doesn’t favour youth.

Most Indian companies, especially the traditional Indian corporates, still rely on experience and prefer silver-haired CEOs.

“Larger companies prefer only CEOs who have toiled hard in situations for long periods of time. They will not hire people with just five to seven years of experience but take on people with at least 15 to 20 years of experience as CXOs,” says Gajendra Chandel, senior HR leader and practitioner.

Scale of operation

Amit Chincholikar, Global CHRO, Tata Consumer Products, explains the difference between a large company and a smaller company, through a maritime example. He likened a large, traditional company to a freight container.

When a freight container needs to take a turn 10 nautical miles from a point, it’ll have to start planning in advance, about 10 miles away. A new startup or a smaller business venture, on the other hand, is like a speedboat, and therefore, more agile in its journey.

“The average age of CXOs in large companies has come down by seven to eight years”

Amit Chincholikar, Global CHRO, Tata Consumer Products

As Chincholikar rightly states, “Large, well-established companies are defined by their big scale and complexity in operation. To manage such a scale requires a set of experiences, which enable a person to think from the point of view of understanding what it takes to succeed”.

He goes on to explain, “Typically, those with a variety of experiences are preferred as CEOs of large companies, because they are expected to have the ability to manage scale and complexities and large cross-functional chains,” says Amit Chincholikar, global CHRO, Tata Consumer Products.

However, he believes that there has been a shift in the norm of the average age and experience in the C-suite. Earlier, the norm was that people needed to spend about three years in a role, before being promoted to the next role. In a large corporation, about seven to eight of such experience sets are considered essential before one attains the coveted CXO position.

“Even in large organisations, the average tenure per role has come down to two years. Hence, the average age of CXOs in large companies has come down by seven to eight years in the past 10-12 years,” he asserts.

Jaikrishna B, president-HR, Amara Raja Group, points out that each organisation is at a different stage. Small-scale companies need people with experience for the top positions, assuming that they are in a turnaround complexity. However, they will not generally choose by age.

“A younger company may not look at someone with so much experience as CEO because with experience, unlearning may be difficult”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power

“Sometimes, they will look at people with at least two decades of experience, which can be attained by a person at around forty, which is still a younger age. However, for brick and mortar companies, there has generally been a reluctance to hire anyone below the age of 50,” states Jaikrishna.

The primary reason behind hiring older CEOs is that they are expected to have much more wisdom attained through years of experience, and are expected to possess better intuition in running a large-scale company.

Experience

He adds that even though young entrepreneurs may be able to successfully set up businesses out of an idea, or establish operations which may successfully scale up, they still need people with experience of handling large setups efficiently.

Hence, it is not uncommon to see a more established startup hiring a CEO who comes with an experience-rich background. “Larger startups also bank on experienced CEOs, even though the founders of the startups may be young and willing to take risks and make investments. After all, in large companies too, the founders were young when they started and over time when next-gen promoters took charge they happened to be much younger. Founder CEOs will be predominantly and relatively young at the time of starting the enterprise. As the size of operation increases, they tend to bring in people with more experience to helm the organisation.”

“The primary criterion assessed at the time of appointing someone at CXO level is their mindset rather than experience in a startup”

Gajendra Chandel, senior HR leader and practitioner

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power, says, “Large companies look for people with at least one and a half to two decades of experience. A younger company may not look at someone with so much experience because with experience, unlearning may be difficult. When building a business, one would need someone with a propensity to learn, and greater unlearning may be required for someone with much experience.

“For JSP, the CEO would need to have knowledge of dealing with a large set of people, be aware of the possible outcomes of decisions, logistics — inbound, outbound — liasoning, and so on. The position requires a mature mind, knowledge of all parts of the business and the value chain,” Lochan says. He further explains that hiring young people also disrupts the hierarchy of the organisation. Between a 30-year old and a 45-year old with the same IQ and capabilities, Lochan would prefer the latter for the CXO position, simply because of the decade of experience advantage on the side of the 45-year old.

However, he stresses that the hiring will still be done strictly on the basis of merit, not age.

Lochan also shares Chincholikar’s observation of the declining age of CEOs even in the traditional companies. “In terms of learning and development, India’s manufacturing space has evolved from pure physical input to management input L&D. Training people on management skills has become a part of the KRAs. With this, competencies have increased and the average age of CXOs has thus decreased. Whether it is a good trend or not, I cannot really say,” he says.

“Companies keep on challenging talent. If they perform well, they are fast-tracked to the position of a CXO”

Praveer Priyadarshi, Senior HR leader

Startups

Chandel says that the new-age companies do not look at experience when they hire someone for a CXO position. The primary criterion assessed at the time of appointing someone at the highest levels is their mindset. People who break into the top management positions for such companies need to be agile decision makers with a mindset aligned with the vision of the founders of the startups.

The general vision with which the founders operate is to secure growth in a relatively short time, and that means, quick turnaround time.

Chandel observes that people looking to nurture a career gradually, aren’t ideal for sustainable employment at such companies. Even when they end engagements with these startups, they don’t bag lucrative positions elsewhere.

Senior HR leader, Praveer Priyadarshi, observes that in recent times, people are getting better-quality exposure and experience as compared to the past. That’s why, their skills and capabilities are growing much faster. “One doesn’t need to work for 30 years to hold the office now. Age and experience are not as important today as they were before. I also foresee this translating to larger companies,” he says.

“We don’t look at talent as a function of age any more. It is a combination of capability and competencies. The CXOs of many big multinationals today are relatively young. Companies keep on challenging talent. If they perform well, they are fast-tracked to the position of a CXO,” Priyadarshi explains to HRKatha.

Train young CXOs

Priyadarshi believes that there needs to be more rigorous inculcation of softer skills. Leaders need to be better prepared to handle situations that they may encounter in their career. Cases such as the better.com firings (link previous article here) point towards the dearth of softer skills in leaders.

“The trend of people reaching CXO positions at a relatively young age will not last very long”

Debjani Roy, advisory CHRO, Mind Your Fleet

He observes that even though the trend of younger CXOs is picking up, these leaders definitely require coaching and nurturing to be effective. Older people, who are battle tested and come with tonnes of experience make for good coaches and can use their years of experience to nurture the younger talent.

Debjani Roy, who works as an advisory CHRO for Mind Your Fleet, has experience of engaging with such startups in consulting roles. Explaining the challenges associated with training younger CXOs in a company, she tells HRKatha that during her seven-month engagement as the CEO’s strategic counsellor, she observed a clashes in ideologies. Further, she does not believe the trend of people reaching CXO positions at a relatively young age will last very long.

Roy explains that leaders such as Ratan Tata and Anand Mahindra, even though they came from promoters family, have risen through the ranks through years of institution building and managed to build their careers gradually, fare much better professionally and command greater respect.

“There needs to be a minimum years of experience for a professional to graduate to a leadership position. That is the fundamental of the traditional way to do business. One can’t make this stand on its head, which is what attaining such high positions with limited years is doing,” she asserts.

Roy further says that young companies prefer younger CXOs to avoid clashes in board meetings. After all, people who bring in more experience will have a different perspective on how businesses should be conducted than the young founders, who aim for quick growth.

The post The age battle for CEOs: young vs old appeared first on HR Katha.

Merging of two private entities is quite common, and this isn’t the first time Tata has taken over a business. It has done so in the past too, and that too, around the world. So, what makes this takeover different?

Here, we are talking about a private company taking over a public-sector undertaking (PSU) with the aim of making it profitable again.

“The employees know that since it is the Tatas, they do not have to worry about their jobs. However, they now certainly will be worried about the fact that they will have to deliver”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power

There will definitely be challenges and hiccups along the way. In fact, there have been many instances of businesses failing after mergers due to the lack of understanding of the cultural nuances of the companies involved. Such mergers are often unable to sustain the workforce of the new entity.

It is pertinent to recall the takeover of Snapple — which manufactures bottled teas and juices — by Quaker Oats, which also owns the drink, Gatorade. The $1 Billion deal took place in 1994, and at that time, many experts believed the amount was quite high. Eventually, after 27 months, Quaker Oats sold Snapple at a mere $300 million price. Quaker thought it could turnaround things leveraging its relationships with the supermarkets.

Snapple originally gained revenue from smaller channels such as small retail stores and gas stations. The executives of Quaker were not even able to understand the cultural nuances of Snapple, which reflected in poor brand communication strategy. Eventually, big brands such as Coca-Cola and Pepsico launched various competing products in the market and Snapple failed to sustain.

So, while many are hoping that Tata will turnaround Air India, there are several challeges that may need to be overcome.

Challenges and solutions

Changing employee mindset — Since the employees at Air India are used to the old ways of working, they need to bring about a change in their mindset, so that they can be part of a company which now wants to make profits. Acceptance of new processes and people systems will be a big challenge, as it would be for any private company. Jacob Jacob, CHRO, Malabar Group, who has worked for Emirates in the past, and has witnessed major mergers and acquisitions at a global level, believes that there should be clear and frequent communication on what is going to be the new culture and the vision of Tata Values. “Top leadership will have to play a key role in embedding the Tata Values,” emphasises Jacob Jacob.

“It is challenging to change people’s old ways of working, sometimes the only way is to weed out those and bring new blood”

Kinjal Choudhary, management consultant, D360One Consultant

Expectations of a high-performing culture – With the Tata Group taking over Air India to turn it into one of the finest Airlines ever, the expectation of a high- performing culture is natural. Since many of the PSU employees are not really used to the performance review systems and high expectations of corporates, it would be difficult for them to adapt. “The employees know that since it is the Tatas, they do not have to worry about their jobs. However, they now certainly will be worried about the fact that they will have to deliver,” says Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power.

To overcome this, the employees will need to be given a value proposition. They need to be given a meaningful purpose to achieve those goals and align them with the organisational strategy.

This is where the rewards come in. The employees need to be told what the organisation’s vision is, and then, link the same with an appropriate rewards strategy.

Aligning two very different cultures – Air India and Tata are culturally different organisations. In such situations, aligning two different cultures becomes a challenge. Basically, the culture of the entity taking over should be aligned with the strategy of the two entities involved. While efforts are needed to change the manifested behaviour of employees to align the culture to the strategy, in reality, it becomes quite a challenge, especially if employees have been deeply rooted to the old ways for years or decades.

“Top leadership will have to play a key role in embedding the Tata Values”

Jacob Jacob, CHRO, Malabar Group

“The only option is to weed out some of those who are unable to adapt to the new ways and replace them with new blood capable of displaying the desired behaviour required to execute the strategy,” says Kinjal Choudhary, management consultant, D360One Consultant.

“This also sends out a loud and clear message to all those fence sitters who may still be waiting and watching to see if the new management is truly serious about changing the culture to align it with the new strategy. Although separations have their own nuances, many times that is the only option,” adds Choudhary.

Culture is like the motor of the strategy. If it is not aligned with the engine of the strategy, things will fall apart. In Tata’ s case as well, the Company will have to take baby steps — make plans for three, six and 12 months — to achieve the desired results and make it all work. The turnaround will take time, but consistency will need to be maintained.

The post Air India; culture change when PSU turns corporate appeared first on HR Katha.

However, many a time, some imbalance does arise. Pankaj Lochan, executive director & group CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power says that the ‘V=V’ formula works in such a case. He explains that, as long as the ‘value’ one creates for the company is equal to the ‘value’ the organisation expects from one, there is no issue. The problem starts only when there is an imbalance in this formula.

Very recently, Indra Nooyi, ex CEO, PepsiCo, said in an interview that she never ever asked for a hike in her career and that she considered such a demand ‘cringeworthy’. Though many have taken this statement to a very different level by even dragging in the debate of equal pay and parity for women into the issue, HRKatha wanted to explore how it works for star performers.

“Many top performers find it embarrassing to ask for a hike. Rather, if they feel that the company is not valuing them enough, they simply choose to move out”

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

Matter of pride

Usually, all high performers expect their company to give them respectable hikes for their work. However, what happens when the ‘V’ is not equal to ‘V’? Do star performers usually find it embarrassing or ‘cringeworthy’, as Nooyi had stated, to ask for a hike?

Many HR leaders believe that the star performers usually do not demand a hike. They are the cream of the crop. Generally, for them, asking for a hike is beyond their dignity and pride. “Many top performers find it embarrassing to ask for a hike. Rather, if they feel that the company is not valuing them enough, they simply choose to move out,” says Lochan.

Seeking other opportunities

It is true that star performers seldom approach their managers directly to seek a hike. In most cases, when strong performers sense that their work is not being valued, they start seeking other opportunities in the market and try to bag a higher compensation from their prospective employer. After they receive a lucrative offer from another company, they try to negotiate their current package with the existing employer. If the internal benchmarking system allows the current company to match the offer or if the company feels it cannot really afford to lose such a critical talent, it will definitely retain that employee by offering the desired raise.

There are also a certain class of high performers, who prefer to simply leave the company without any drama.

“Generally, if an employee asks for a hike, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the management”

Kinjal Choudhary, management consultant, D360One Consultants

Reaction of management

Human resource leaders also mention that asking for a pay hike is not considered normal or ‘okay’ in a corporate environment. “Generally, if an employee asks for a hike, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the management,” says Kinjal Choudhary, management consultant, D360One Consultants.

As per Ajay Tiwari, VP-HR, Lupin, the performance-management system in a company keeps the high performers happy anyway. Therefore, all the star performers are given relatively good hikes as per the standard process. If the employees still feel they are being paid less, this may not go down well with the management. Tiwari believes that the employer — the firm an employee is working for — is a better judge of how much the employee really deserves to be paid. “High performers who seek higher compensation merely on the basis of their star performance, are simply being ‘greedy’,” opines Tiwari.

Choudhary shares that granting a hike on demand does not guarantee the loyalty of the star employee. “Many a time, I have observed that those who demand a hike do not really stay hooked to the company for long, even if they are granted the hike,” asserts Choudhary.

“High performers who seek higher compensation merely on the basis of their star performance, are simply being ‘greedy’”

Ajay Tiwari, VP-HR, Lupin

While the high performers may feel they are underpaid, there may also be average performers who feel the same way. Lochan admits to having witnessed situations where high performers are often granted a hike on demand, but when it comes to average performers, the company would prefer not to break the standard operations procedure (SOP).

Depending on the level of raise they are looking for, demand for hikes from star performers may not be that difficult to digest or grant. However, such demands may lead to them being tagged as ‘greedy’.

The post Why star performers find it cringy to demand a hike appeared first on HR Katha.

In many traditional companies, it is not unusual to find employees spending their entire careers with the same company. “Many core companies have become somewhat quasi-government organisations. People take pride in admitting that they belong to the second or third generation of their family working for a core company,” says Emmanuel David, former director, Tata Management Training Centre (TMTC).

“Many core companies have become somewhat quasi-government organisations. People take pride in admitting that they belong to the second or third generation of their family working for a core company”

Emmanuel David, former director, TMTC

Manufacturing vs services

An analysis of the difference in attrition levels between the manufacturing and the services sectors, reveals many differing factors in the operation of both industries. These lead to the difference in the rates at which employees switch jobs there. David believes that in services, people hold more power as they contribute to a greater extent to the company’s turnover. “The value-add in manufacturing primarily comes from the machinery. Most of the value-add came from the precision equipment or machinery we had. In the knowledge economy, however, the human resource is more valuable to the company. The employee cost as a percentage of turnover is around 30-40 per cent for new-age companies in the knowledge economy. When I worked in the oil and gas sector, the employee cost to turnover was about two per cent. In good manufacturing companies, it is around 7-8 per cent.

Now, where it is 30-40 per cent, the power lies with the employees, and hence, attrition would be more commonplace,” he says.

Nature of job

Lochan says that the very nature of the jobs is responsible for the difference in attrition levels. “Manufacturing offers a more steady job. In contrast, in IT/services, the nature of the job is more transient. Hence, there are uncertainties regarding the job and the consequences thereof, in the form of dissatisfied employees or employers,” he explains. Further, he adds that the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in traditional companies are better defined, which enhance job stability for the employees. “The nature of job in the manufacturing space results in low attrition. Manufacturing involves a process, a machine. I call it ‘the causative element’. One has greater control over the cause. In case of services, the overall control over causative elements is lower,” he points out.

“Manufacturing offers a more steady job. In contrast, in IT/services, the nature of the job is more transient. Hence, there are uncertainties regarding the job and the consequences thereof, in the form of dissatisfied employees or employers”

Pankaj Lochan, group CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power

Lochan says that career stability in traditional companies also entails a steady rise in the career path. The career trajectory for IT personnel may be dependent on the nature of their projects. “In services one’s stars work more than one. Promotions and appraisals are totally dependent on the performance of the project,” he says, pointing out that luck matters.

Defined career paths

Praveer Priyadarshi, former chief people officer, Jindal Stainless, also believes that steady, better-established career paths offered by traditional companies play a big factor in their attrition rates. “Attrition is a choice of an employee. This choice is based on various factors in an organisation. In a traditional organisation, things are well oiled. Therefore, many things are predictable, and hence, uncertainties are taken care of to a great extent. On eliminating these uncertainties, employees are able to see a stable, steadily-growing career path, and, hence, are less likely to shift,” he says.

“In traditional firms, things are well oiled hence, are predictable and managed to a greater extent. Employees see a stable growing career path, and are less likely to shift”

Praveer Priyadarshi Ex CPO, Jindal Stainless

Priyadarshi points out, “Change is a constant in a new-age company. However, in an established organisation, the systems are well defined and so are the career paths. Therefore, the element of uncertainty is practically non-existent.”

Emmanuel David also believes that work culture plays a huge role in lowering the attrition rate. He feels that traditional companies have evolved over time in a way that they prioritise employee welfare and provide a much more comfortable work environment.

The post Why do traditional companies have lower attrition rates? appeared first on HR Katha.

A US-based survey conducted by Blind, which sampled 3,000 employees from top-tier companies, including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, found that employees prefer to permanently work from home than get a $30,000-a-year-raise. A good 64 per cent of the respondents said they would prefer to continue operating from home.

“It could be reasoned that working from office would be better for their future subroles or promotions. Their daily productivity may also be linked to the annual increment. Hence, their output, which is better from office, will dictate their career growth, promotions and annual increments”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power

Motivate employees with incentives

The onus of motivating employees to return to office may lie with the company itself. Along this line, a Japanese manufacturing company, Disco Corp., set up a system by which those working remotely deposit a certain amount of their salary into a fund, which gets divided amongst the employees who come in to work from their office.

In India, some smaller companies are reportedly offering their employees salary hikes to return to their pre-pandemic workspace. In order to understand whether such a monetary incentivisation could work for a larger organisation, HRKatha contacted Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power.

Lochan, who oversees a workforce of about 39,000, believes that such a strategy will not be sustainable for a company of such a size. He, however, suggests that employees can be reasoned to return to office by the company if their output or productivity is significantly better while operating from the physical office. “It could be reasoned that working from office would be better for their future subroles or promotions. Their daily productivity may also be linked to the annual increment. Hence, their output, which is better from office, will dictate their career growth, promotions and annual increments,” he says.

“For Emami Agrotech, being a very hardcore FMCG, production-driven operation, we weren’t considering work from home as a continued policy. Now, however, we have been able to develop a sound mechanism. Hence, we put out a policy for permanent work from home for certain identified roles, where output isn’t compromised”

Maneesha Jha Thakur, president-HR, Emami

For Lochan, managing employees while working from home isn’t really an option, since Jindal Steel is a manufacturing company. For companies where it is a factor, he suggests that annual increments could be made to vary upon the employee’s preference. For instance, if employees opt to work from home, and hence their net output is reduced, their appraisal would be in the five per cent bracket. Those who work from office, could get an appraisal in the 10 per cent bracket.

Any shift has to be gradual

For Maneesha Jha Thakur, president-HR, Emami, working remotely after the pandemic wasn’t a policy change that the Company’s agrotech initiative was considering to continue. However, since the mechanism for remote work was smoothened over the last year or so, they have decided to move forward with it. “For Emami Agrotech, being a very hardcore FMCG, production-driven operation, we weren’t considering work from home as a continued policy. Now, however, since a year has passed, we have been able to develop a sound mechanism. Hence, we put out a policy for permanent work from home for certain identified roles, where output isn’t compromised,” she says. However, she believes that the shift to remote operation has to be gradual for a company. Hence, working from office once or twice a week is something that Emami is considering to do as part of the transition.

Employees have welcomed the hybrid approach and feel motivated by the work-life balance, convenience in terms of commute as well as face to face connect with colleagues it provides, Jha suggest.

Take away things from people who work from home. Roles have specific requirements. Discovering the potential of working from home.

“People who are not in favour of rejoining office and prefer to continue remote work will have two options, to change their role within the company, or seek a job in another company”

Abhijit Bhaduri, HR leader & author, Dreamers & Unicorn

Talent will find its own space

Abhijit Bhaduri, HR leader & author, Dreamers & Unicorn believes that the process of reopening will lead to a major rejig. People who are not in favour of rejoining office and prefer to continue remote work will have two options, to change their role within the company, or seek a job in another company. In other words, talent will find its own space. Therefore, a reshuffle is inevitable.

“Suppose I move to a remote location, or for personal reasons am unable to work from office — I’d have to figure out ways to manage my work remotely and still deliver. If my employer feels that work can’t be done remotely, I’d have to look for an organisation, which allows me to work from home. So, I’d have to change the role or the employer in order to continue working remotely,” he explains.

Companies can, however, look at increasing the salary of employees for office work, if the differential to find and train a replacement for the employee is high.

The post Reopening the workspace: How to bring employees back willingly appeared first on HR Katha.

A. The HR portfolio was always there with me along with something else. For instance, when I was working with JSW Steel at the Vijaynagar plant, I was the HR head as well as the TQM head. Later, I was heading HR as well as R&D. So, in a way, I was never away from HR.

I realised that as a leader, the biggest lever I have used for efficiency and effectiveness at work, is ‘people’. As one transitions as a CHRO, one just needs to season one’s role a bit.

Yes, in between, I managed manufacturing for Ambuja Cements’ eastern India division with a production capacity of seven million tonnes. However, I was looking for a bigger canvas. And then, this opportunity from JSPL came along, offering a very big canvas and bringing me back to HR. One can do as much as one wants.

What has changed for workers in these years is that shop floors have become safe and everything is SOP driven.

Q. After completing engineering, you started with manufacturing and there was a short stint as head – HR

A. Up to 2006 I was solely into the manufacturing industry. Then, I moved into projects and became project head, which was again a life-changing role. However, I was offered a business- transformation role and that brought about major change in my function.

The first step jump in my career happened when I joined Dr Reddy’s, in a similar business- transformation role. The change in industry taught me a few new lessons, as it opened so many avenues and thought processes. I was the project head for the New Horizon Leadership Development programme in association with McKinsey.

Next, I moved to JSW taking up the twin roles of HR head and quality head. One was a left brain job and the other a right brain one. In that stint, I grew as a manager before becoming a leader. That is where I realised that I have to subordinate my growth with my learning.

I believe I have to be at the centroid of the action, and the action is in the plants. More than 95 per cent of our employees are based out of our plants. So I have to be there.

Q. How did the transition from being a manager to a leader take place?

A. This transition happened in JSW, where I was asked to look at an organisation-wide transformation through TQM, to introduce analytical thinking and statistics. Though I had the support, and guidance of my boss back then – Dr Nawal who was the deputy MD— I realised that I would have to start from scratch. Had I had hired an experienced lot I would have to make them unlearn and learn again.

Therefore, I started with a bunch of nine graduate engineering trainees from the 2014 batch. I helped them shape up for the next five years. What gives me immense pleasure and fulfilment is that all of them are doing very well in life.

This is when the realisation dawned that till then I had been doing a manager’s job. It was the success of those nine professionals that transformed me into a leader.

I personally believe that people should do less physical work on a job and be engaged in other skill-based roles. By ‘physical work’, I mean extreme labour, such as loading goods for eight hours, manually, under very hot conditions. Machines should replace such strenuous work.

Q. You started your career in 1995. In these 26 years, how has life changed for a worker at the shop floor?

A. My professional life started in one of the most challenging shop floors of Tata Steel. I was in charge of six blast furnaces, of which one was made in 1908. Even the youngest or most recent blast furnace was made in 1958! So you can imagine the kind of safety features they were equipped with.

What has changed for workers in these years is that shop floors have become safe and everything is SOP driven.

On the other hand, the ‘never say die’ spirit is less visible in today’s people.

So, on certain counts things have improved and on others they have deteriorated.

Q. CHROs generally sit in corporate head offices, but you are still at the plant. Is it by choice or is there some other reason?

A. This is by choice. I believe I have to be at the centroid of the action, and the action is in the plants. More than 95 per cent of our employees are based out of our plants. So I have to be there. Out of the nine plants, I usually operate out of the biggest two.

Our chairman, Naveen Jindal, also thinks that the primary purpose of a CHRO is to be a people’s person. Therefore, he/she should always be present to comfort the people and reside with them to know the environment that they are working in.

He is extremely people-oriented and considers the well-being of every individual and their families.

I strongly believe that if the CEO of the company plays the father’s role, as a CHRO I have to play a traditional mother’s role and care for my employees. And a mother’s role can only be played if one is close to people. In fact, I prefer eating with them at the canteen and not at my office.

Firing in MNCs can be a business decision, but in Indian companies it’s a performance-based decision.

Q. How has automation of plants affected the lives of the grassroot workers in the manufacturing sector? What’s going to be their future?

A. I think the overall skill base will go up. That means, we will still need people. Yes, so unskilled jobs will be left to intelligent machines or artificial intelligence (AI) and people will do what machines cannot do.

I personally believe that people should do less physical work on a job and be engaged in other skill-based roles. By ‘physical work’, I mean extreme labour, such as loading goods for eight hours, manually, under very hot conditions. Machines should replace such strenuous work.

Besides, safety features will further increase, and organisations will have to ensure that no worker gets hurt because of its lack of a safe and effective management system.

Japan has built itself post the Second World War on the basis of TQM. I have talked about the implications of TQM in the Indian context in my book.

Q. Do you think the gig economy has led to some uncertainty in the workforce in manufacturing?

A. Good corporate houses will steer clear of malpractices. We believe anyone who enters the gate is an employee, whether casual or permanent, irrespective of the payroll.

We even count job contracts. There is a specific department that looks into compliance tracking of their wage payments into their bank accounts. Any non-compliance has to be reported to the audit team.

The concept of ‘casual labour’ has to be replaced by ‘allied workforce’. One may enter into a contract for casual workforce with third-party companies, but such workers should be employed with those companies.

My efforts have to be focussed on bringing down the casual workforce to zero. Some job contracts will exist but only for very specific skill-based jobs, for instance, refractory shutdown jobs where people have to move from one plant to another. We can’t afford to have them on the rolls, because they come with specific requirements, roles, objectives and projects.

Q. What should the Indian companies do to attract the new generation, who otherwise fancy the MNC work culture?

A. I am glad you raised this question. Indian companies keep people at the core and the concept of firing does not exist. The multinationals (MNCs), however, keep profits at the core of everything. So, in an MNC, one may be on a highly-paid job today and jobless tomorrow, and that has been an accepted norm.

Just take the case of the layoffs in Europe and America during the pandemic. They are not comparable to India, though all markets were equally affected.

It is not as if Indian companies are not performance driven. Yes, people may lose jobs but only if they fail to improve even after several reminders.

Firing in MNCs can be a business decision, but in Indian companies it’s a performance-based decision. People will not get fired after a bad quarter. Even when JSPL was in the red some time ago, we didn’t fire a single employee.

We don’t fire people if they fail to perform extraordinarily, and I am not talking about people at the grassroots level, but at the mid-manager level. People will be asked to move and change departments before being asked to leave.

Q. You are also an author. Tell us about this part of your life.

A. Seven books authored by me are available on Amazon. My books are about the long-term approaches and plans. They cover talent management, annual business plans, business analyses, daily management plan, roles and responsibilities, SOPs and visual SOPs. One book is on employee engagement, one on daily work management, and so on. Whatever I have written is based on all that I have learned over the years.

For instance, Japan has built itself post the Second World War on the basis of TQM. I have talked about the implications of TQM in the Indian context.

The reason why people find my books great is that they feel they can easily apply the principles talked about in their own respective fields.

The post “If CEO is the father of an organisation, CHRO is the mother,” Pankaj Lochan appeared first on HR Katha.

In the HR domain as well, the focus shifted from industrial relations (IR) and administrative work to capability building, employee experience and enhancing the productivity of employees. Human resources was considered as a true business partner in the organisation.

Now, however, in this pandemic drama, the HR is playing the lead role. It has grown to be the most important function during these trying times. “While HR has played the true business partner in progressive companies in the last two decades, it has taken centre stage in the last 13 or 14 months, thanks to the pandemic pushing its relevance,” says Udbhav Ganjoo, head-HR, global operations, India, emerging Asia & access markets, Viatris.

“In India, businesses are very asset and process driven. For organisations, business assets were more important. COVID – 19 made the organisations realise that people are also equally important to run the business.”

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

With the lockdown coming into the picture, HR leaders feel that there has been a major shift of focus to the health of the employees. For businesses, people became their priority. “With the spotlight on the in the last 14 months, HR gained more relevance in the business environment. It was the HR that was banked upon to manage business continuity,” points out Ganjoo.

“In India, businesses are very asset and process driven. For organisations, business assets were more important. COVID – 19 made the organisations realise that people are also equally important to run the business,” shares Pankaj Lochan, executive director & group CHRO, Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL).

Giving an example, Lochan explains, “During the lockdown, many manufacturing units around the country were shut. However, operations continued at JSPL and the HR team played a major part in making that possible. I took everybody into confidence and assured that manufacturing would continue to operate.”

At JSPL, arrangements were made for the workers by creating cubicles inside the factory premises where the workers could stay. This saved them the need to travel to work every day and also ensured business continuity. When the lockdown impacted the supply chain and logistics, at JSPL, they were able to overcome the challenges by providing hostels for truck drivers to stay after work.

“While HR has played the true business partner in progressive companies in the last two decades, it has taken centre stage in the last 13 or 14 months, thanks to the pandemic pushing its relevance.”

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

With HR coming into the limelight, the lives of HR professional changed too. While earlier it was the CEOs or other business leaders who always appeared to be talking about business to the media, this role was taken over by CHROs who came forward to talk about business continuity. “I would not shy away from saying, that now, CHROs are being considered for the role of CEO,” shares Lochan.

Anurag Verma, VP-HR, Uniphore, adds, “The spotlight was on the HR leaders to talk about the well- being of the people and how companies were maintaining business continuity. Also, other companies were keen to know about the industry trends and what others were doing in the people management area.”

Not just the HR leaders, but the lives of all HR professionals, in general, changed. As per Ganjoo, the tasks and work related to HR have become more challenging, because it is now all about the survival of the people, and hence, the business.

“The spotlight was on the HR leaders to talk about the well- being of the people and how companies were maintaining business continuity. Also, other companies were keen to know about the industry trends and what others were doing in the people management area.”

Anurag Verma, VP-HR, Uniphore

“The HR team is working round the clock to ensure the human resources of the company are safe. Whatever needs and requirements they have, are fulfilled by the HR team. In these difficult times, people are looking up to the HR for help and support, in terms of medicines, beds or oxygen. Everything is facilitated by the HR. Also, the very out look of people and departments towards the HR function has changed as a whole. Realisation has dawned that the HR is adding directly to the sustainability of the business and organisation,” explains Verma.

Ganjoo also describes that it was the responsibility of the HR to facilitate the coaching and training of leaders and manage teams during these days, because team management and the need for a shift in leadership skills was felt during these difficult times.

There has been yet another important change, as Lochan cautions — the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of HR leaders or professionals have changed. “For instance, I have realised that with rewards I can drive the performance of people and improve productivity. At JSPL, we changed from annual payouts to quarterly payouts, which has resulted in better productivity. As mentioned earlier, HR has been at the forefront in helping continue production at factories, which has really made a difference. Now, HR professional will have to maintain these KPIs to see success, because now businesses will need KPI-focused people in the HR department,” explains Lochan.

Organisations have come to realise, now more than ever before, that people are their most important assets. This realisation has pushed the work of HR into more prominence. With conversations increasingly revolving around what organisations are doing for the overall and holistic wellbeing of their people, much attention is being given to the mental health of the employees too. This is one area that is set to grow in importance with each passing day. This momentum is expected to continue, because the pandemic can bounce back any time. Therefore, the safety of the people, and hence, business continuity, rests on the HR. Therefore, the spotlight is likely to freeze on the HR and remain so in the foreseeable future!

The post As the pandemic drama unfolds, the spotlight is on HR appeared first on HR Katha.

The US-state government may have had its reason to pass this judgement, but does rehiring laid off employees make sense strategically. In India, we do not have any such law, but rehiring employees who have been laid off earlier can have its own pros and cons.

First let’s look at the positives. “Rehired people develop a feeling of faith and trust with the realisation that the layoff is just a temporary procedure to cope with the losses. This happens only when the company undertakes the drive due to some economic reason. In such cases, the employees don’t feel unwanted. Instead, they feel secure under the company’s roof,” says Kamalesh Dangi, group head – HR, Incred.

“If it’s a case of performance-oriented layoffs, rebuilding the workforce with those employees may be a challenge. In every group, there are always some people who fail to develop themselves even after repeated and varying attempts.”

Kamalesh Dangi, group head – HR, Incred

In fact, Dangi’s organisation, Incred is also planning to rehire some of the laid-off employees from a section, which was dissolved for a reason.

“The rehired people will be brought back for the expansion of another section, shortly. This will be conducted on the basis of the closest and matching skills of the laid-off employees to those required for the section under expansion,” he shares with HRKatha.

Talking about the benefits of rehiring laid off employees, Amit Das, CHRO, Bennett Coleman & Company (BCCL), says, “These resources can cater to both the ‘what and how’ of the performance for business deliverables, since they are already culturally aligned with the core values of the organisation, and also possess deep knowledge of the organisational dynamics, to effectively navigate the known stakeholder ecosystem.”

However, it doesn’t mean that companies should go full hog with rehiring laid off employees. It’s a path to be treaded with full caution.

“Organisations should desist from rehiring any laid-off resources who had performance or behavioural challenges, and must take the opportunity to hire the right talent from the market to consciously push up the productivity and talent quotient of the enterprise.”

Amit Das, CHRO, Bennett Coleman & Company

Dangi says, “If it’s a case of performance-oriented layoffs, rebuilding the workforce with those employees may be a challenge. In every group, there are always some people who fail to develop themselves even after repeated and varying attempts.”

“In such cases of performance-based layoffs, the rehiring may add to the disadvantage affecting the productivity at the end,” he opines.

Das of BCCL is also of a similar opinion. “Organisations should desist from rehiring any laid-off resources who had performance or behavioural challenges, and must take the opportunity to hire the right talent from the market to consciously push up the productivity and talent quotient of the enterprise,” he says.

He is of the view that rehiring people who have been laid off in the past for low performance ranking or being low on the behavioural scale is a wastage of resource and time, with negative or neutral effect on productivity.

“Learning, development, upskilling and reskilling don’t just revolve around performance, but also interpersonal communication skills. Therefore, when a person is accused of any misconduct, the liability should be divided between the employees and the employer.”

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

Pankaj Lochan, executive director and group CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power, is quite optimistic. He believes even if a person is being laid off on the grounds of misconduct or approach, the organisation has to be accountable and take responsibility to some extent.

“Learning, development, upskilling and reskilling don’t just revolve around performance, but also interpersonal communication skills. Therefore, when a person is accused of any misconduct, the liability should be divided between the employees and the employer,” he says.

Lochan is of the opinion that rehiring such employees can be turned advantageous with proper addressal of the reasons behind layoffs.

“Organisations enjoy the best of trust and dedication on rehiring the laid off employees. They come back with more passion and purpose, which makes the rehired employees’ potential assets for the rest of their tenure. They express the urge to learn more and further develop whatever skills they possess. I would prefer rehiring candidates because they give their best,” Lochan concludes.

The post Hire laid off employees, but with caution appeared first on HR Katha.