Sterlite’s solution was a bold three-pronged attack, shattering the mould of traditional appraisals. Transparency, fairness, and individual growth became the cornerstones of their new system. One of the first things to go was the dreaded bell curve. No more categorising employees against each other in a fight for limited rewards. Instead, Sterlite focused on rewarding absolute performance. “Someone exceeding their goals by 115 per cent gets acknowledged for that achievement, not compared to someone else,” explained Pande. This eliminated the time-consuming debates about rankings and ensured everyone who met or exceeded expectations got rewarded.

But fairness wasn’t just about the present. Sterlite understood the importance of investing in the future. Their ‘Job Worth Model’ meticulously evaluated the market value of each role, ensuring salaries reflected not just current worth but also anticipated future demands. This helped mitigate the risk of losing talent to competitors offering better compensation. It was a future-proof strategy that recognised that a satisfied and valued workforce was the backbone of any successful organisation.

“The potential for higher increments based on increased proficiency fuelled a growth mindset within the organisation. Employees were no longer cogs in a machine; they were valued partners whose development was seen as an investment in the company’s future.”

Ruhie Pande,  group CHRO, Sterlite Power

Next came the expertise factor. Sterlite recognised that continuous learning and development were crucial not only for individual growth but also for the company’s continued innovation. Employees were assessed based on their current skill level, from beginner to expert. This not only recognised their contributions but also incentivised them to keep learning. The potential for higher increments based on increased proficiency fuelled a growth mindset within the organisation. Employees were no longer cogs in a machine; they were valued partners whose development was seen as an investment in the company’s future.

But potential wasn’t ignored either. Sterlite used a robust ‘talent-assessment process’ to evaluate an employee’s potential, ability, and overall fit. This multi-layered approach ensured consistency and fairness in assessing potential across the organisation. Variable pay, with the possibility of earning up to 150 per cent, was directly tied to this assessment. Here, Sterlite was acknowledging that some individuals possessed the drive and talent to excel beyond their current roles. By identifying these high potentials and rewarding their potential, Sterlite was investing in future leaders who would drive the company forward.

The linchpin of this system was the OKR (objectives and key results ) methodology. OKR ensured everyone, from top to bottom, understood how their individual goals contributed to the company’s overall objectives. There was no cap on variable pay, further motivating employees to strive for excellence. Production goals cascaded down from top-level profitability objectives, ensuring everyone was aligned towards a common purpose. Imagine a well-oiled machine where every part functioned seamlessly to achieve a greater goal. That’s what Sterlite was striving for – a company where individual ambition and purpose were harnessed to drive organisational success.

This new system wasn’t without its challenges. Rewarding potential was a leap of faith, and ensuring accurate talent assessment was crucial. Budgeting also required adjustments, as there was no longer a system of ranking and elimination. Open communication with employees was paramount to ensure a smooth transition. However, Sterlite successfully navigated these hurdles, and the feedback from employees was overwhelmingly positive. They felt valued, heard, and invested in, a stark contrast to the often-negative sentiment associated with traditional performance reviews.

The company’s commitment to continuous improvement didn’t stop there. Regular benchmarking ensured they stayed ahead of market trends in compensation and performance management practices. Variable pay was awarded twice a year to reflect market fluctuations, keeping employees engaged and focused on delivering results throughout the year. Looking ahead, Sterlite planned to digitise the entire appraisal process, catering to the mobile-first preferences of the younger generation. The goal? To streamline discussions and focus on providing valuable developmental feedback, not just debating performance metrics. Performance reviews, once a dreaded formality, were being transformed into meaningful conversations about growth and development.

Sterlite Power’s innovative approach to appraisals proved that performance reviews could be a tool for growth, not just a box-ticking exercise. By focusing on transparency, fairness, and individual development, they created a system that benefited both the company and its employees, ensuring they remained a leader in the ever-evolving energy sector. In a world where the only constant is change, Sterlite had embraced a performance management system that was flexible, adaptable, and future-oriented, positioning them for success in the years to come.

The post What’s in Sterlite’s three-pronged approach to appraisals? appeared first on HR Katha.

Wilson shared that Air India is in the process of compiling numbers, and the annual appraisal will come in retrospective effect from 1 April 2024.

The company, according to Wilson, is tallying its yearly financial figures and also working on the appraisal cycle. Therefore, he has requested the employees to be a bit patient and wait for the process to be completed.

The official mail also revealed that Air India’s third A350 aircraft has been put into service, along with two new A320s.

The first batch of cadet pilots has been brought on board and the members are readying to begin training at Air India’s partner flying academies in the US in late April 2024.

Air India is undergoing the final phase of the transformation process called Vihaan.AI, which began in 2022. This was the Tata Group’s transformation plan for Air India under which it intended to grow the airline’s fleet and network, and also revamp its customer proposition, ensuring reliability, sustainability and innovation. Last year, as a part of this process, a new roster system had also been put in place which permitted crew to switch flights and even manage their accommodation during layovers. This was a step towards its plans to increase the carrier’s market share to a minimum of 30 per cent in the domestic market, while also increasing international routes.

The post ‘Annual appraisal news in few weeks’: Air India CEO assures staff appeared first on HR Katha.

What can keep employees from considering moving?

Here are some insights from a recent appraisal trends survey.

Most of the employees (30 per cent), who wish to continue with their current employers, are doing so because of the team leading opportunities. About 26 per cent are staying on with their current employers because of the office culture, while 25 per cent are doing so because of the learning opportunities. About 20 per cent are continuing with their current jobs because of their roles and responsibilities.

Twenty per cent would stay on for the perks and benefits, while six per cent prefer to stay on for the flexibility they enjoy in terms of the work model.

The appraisal cycle for the year 2022-23 saw 62 per cent employees getting an appraisal. However, the trend varied based on the geographical location, the industry and the work experience / position in the hierarchy.

Appraisals by hierarchy

Entry-level professionals were the most unfortunate ones, with 62 per cent of them getting no appraisal this year. However, 11 per cent of associate-level and mid-level managers got an increment of 0 to 5 per cent. About 23 per cent of mid-senior level employees received a hike of 5 to 10 per cent. Amongst senior-level employes, 17 per cent got hikes in the range of 10 to 15 per cent.

A 15 to 20 per cent appraisal was given to 13 per cent of the senior employees. The top-ranking associate-level employees received over 20 per cent appraisal.

Appraisal by industry

Over 20 per cent increment was given to 11 per cent of employees, while 10 to 15 per cent hike was given to 23 per cent of employees. The highest appraisal was witnessed in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) industry. The lowest appraisal, on the other hand, was witnessed by the telecom/ISP industry, with only two per cent of employees getting a hike in the financial year 2022-23.

Appraisal by geographical location

Employees in the metro cities received higher appraisals than their counterparts in the non-metro cities. However, professionals from the non-metro cities saw a higher increment range.

About 13 per cent of professionals in the non-metro cities saw over 20 per cent hike while only 11 per cent of their counterparts in the metro cities saw a hike in the same range.

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This is part of the Tata Group’s attempts at reviving the national carrier, and in the process, bring about more transparency and fairness in the appraisal system. This digitised performance-management process, under the Rise.AI project of the carrier, will clearly convey what the employees are expected to deliver.

The employees have been informed of the new system by Campbell Wilson, chief executive officer and managing director, Air India, via an e-mail. Among other things, the system will define job descriptions clearly and also put forth specific performance goals for staff to chase.

The new system will also be aligned with the pre-existing Vihaan.AI goals of the airline. Vihaan.AI was the name given to the Tata Group’s transformation plan for Air India under which it intends to grow the airline’s fleet and network, and also revamp its customer proposition, ensuring reliability, sustainability and innovation.

A new roster system has also been put in place which permits crew to switch flights and even manage their accommodation during layovers. This was a step towards its plans to increase the carrier’s market share to a minimum of 30 per cent in the domestic market, while also increasing international routes.

The post New transparent, digitised performance-management system for Air India’s non-flying staff appeared first on HR Katha.

A letter to this effect was issued to all eligible employees by the CHRO of TCS. He clarified that all experienced professionals who complete their first year in the job at TCS on 1 April, 2022 or after, can expect their increments or hikes when the subsequent appraisal process or increment cycle takes place in the organisation.

Earlier, the process followed was that on completion of a year from the date of joining, the concerned employees would receive a mail congratulating them and announcing their revised compensation / increment. Many companies follow a similar appraisal process.

However, this tweaking of the appraisal at TCS has been labelled by Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) as cheating. The Union feels the Company should have informed or consulted with the employees before making such policy changes.

The Company, however, maintains that it is not doing away with the appraisals, but only talking of giving increments as part of the annual salary appraisal that follows the anniversary of the employees’ joining. “We have always had increments in line with industry benchmarks. Even during the pandemic, we ensured our increment cycles were unaffected. It is incorrect to suggest otherwise. All experienced hires will be given an increase as part of the annual salary appraisal that follows their one-year anniversary,” TCS spokesperson says.

The Company drew attention to the fact that its increments have always been as per benchmarks in the sector and were offered even during the touch times of the pandemic.

The post TCS’ anniversary appraisal system altered appeared first on HR Katha.

Earlier at Quick Heal, the performance management system had four parameters – cost, quality, quantity and efficiency. With these parameters, it used to undertake the traditional annual performance review. 

However, the Company has now done away with these parameters and has changed it by introducing the balance score card as a goal-setting process, in which every employee has to have goals in four buckets — customer, financial performance, people and learning and process excellence. 

Reetu Raina, CHRO, Quick Heal, says, “We are moving away from an activity-driven culture to an outcome-driven one. Our new parameters and the OKR model indicate that you are your own boss and that you have to deliver without any micromanagement. This is the underlying philosophy behind this new performance management system.”

Raina believes, “It is not the physical presence of the employees in the office or their being around, that matters, but how strong an organisation’s performance management system is, and how one has put to use the metrics that help in achieving the outcome.”

Appraisal, bonuses and incentives

The Company concluded the appraisal process in the month of May, and bonuses or performance-linked incentives (PLI) were also disbursed.

The bonuses were performance linked and connected to three major drivers  – company performance, functional performance and individual performance.

For the senior management, the focus was more on company and functional performance, whereas for the entry- and mid-level managers, it was focussed on the individual.

The Company gave out bonuses to 85 per cent employees and the remaining 15 per cent comprised either those who had exited the company or were non-performers.

“If your basic business model is robust and agile, then you will think of employee reduction only as the last resort”

“We have given out an average of 50-75 per cent bonuses. Some of the employees have also got 100 per cent bonuses based on their ratings. The parameters where they got less was the functional or company performance,” she adds. 

Another pandemic-led change undertaken by Quick Heal was the correction in critical roles and new skills. “We re-looked at our salary benchmark, studied certain new scales that exist in the market, and accordingly, made corrections in terms of critical roles and skills,” she states.

From a process point of view, the appraisal cycle was carried out as usual. According to Raina, “Before putting the performance rating into the system, managers were asked to converse with each and every employee. After all, the value of a dialogue or a discussion shouldn’t be ignored, just because the employees are working remotely.”

The IT security services company also rolled out increments, but only for a select few. The remaining increments have been postponed to September. The same will be finalised after the board meeting to be held the same month.

Earlier, the Company was considering reducing the salaries of employees and laying off a few, but eventually, decided against the move.

“These are testing times for any organisation, because it tells you how strong your foundation is. If your basic business model is robust and agile, then you will think of employee reduction only as the last resort,” the CHRO explains.

Leave policy

In India, work from home is a relatively new concept. The pandemic has forced people to go without leaves or breaks for a longer period of time, as the entire work culture has transformed.

When Quick Heal looked at the employee burnout ratio of its employees in the past three months, it realised that the employees were working beyond their work hours and that too without taking any leaves. Therefore, it decided to revise its leave policy and began to encourage employees to take leaves.

As per the new policy, which will be applicable from next week, the leaves will lapse by the end of the year if the employees do not utilise the same. A Burnout Report was shared with the managers, which talked about the number of hours that employees are working and the number of leaves they have taken in the first half of this year. The managers were asked to encourage their team members to take leave to rest and relax.

“The intent is to ensure that employees take breaks to care for themselves, and spend time with their families. We have asked them to exhaust their leaves and clarified that the unutilised leaves will not be carried forward,” she adds.

Employee Engagement Policy

Several engagement activities were to be rolled out this year, such as Fun Fridays, Team Meetups, Award Meets and so on. Thanks to the pandemic, the Company had to bring about changes in its employee engagement model. It decided to continue with its plans, but with certain alterations. The impact it has had on the organisation is huge. In keeping with the new remote-working structure, the Company is planning to increase the spending budgets on employee-engagement activities.

Fun Fridays were replaced with ‘Coffee on Fridays’, wherein the managers sit with a cup of coffee and have a chit-chat with the entire team. Team and Award Meetups were replaced with online get-togethers.

Quick Heal introduced ‘Moon Short Walks’, where every employee records the number of steps covered in a day. The numbers are shared with the employees after a span of one week.

In Raina’s words, “These engagement activities help us bring momentum and prevent employees from feeling lonely. Earlier, most of our employee-engagement practices involved the physical presence of the people in the room, where they would have a dialogue, discussion and fun moments together. We converted the entire offline practice to the online mode with a different flavour and ensured that employees don’t feel lonely in this journey, but experience a feeling of virtual togetherness.”

In order to maintain the sanity of the employees, Quick Heal has engaged a counsellor. The employees can book an appointment and have a one-to-one conversation with the counsellor, if they feel low or depressed.

Keeping in mind the current situation, the Company has renewed its health insurance policy. Earlier it covered employees for Rs 4 lakhs, but now the amount has increased to Rs 5 lakhs. It has also added a feature on warranty top up and one for parental coverage, which did not exist earlier.

Currently, around 90 per cent employees at Quick Heal are working from home, while the remaining 10 per cent are coming to offices for need-based work.

“Giving utmost importance to employee wellbeing, no employee was forced to come to office unless required,” Raina concludes.

The post Quick Heal to change its performance-management system appeared first on HR Katha.

However, in the last quarter, HCL Technologies had also mentioned that there will be no layoffs. Staying true to its commitment, HCL has ensured job security for its employees as long as their performance is up to the mark.

Speaking to HRKatha, Varre Appa Rao, CHRO, HCL Technologies, says, “Typically, there will be a small percentage of people who will exit because of performance, which is the same for any industry. But, we will surely not be reducing our workforce due to the drop in business.”

That is not all. The tech firm plans to continue its lateral hiring. It will recruit as per demand.

“We never stopped hiring in the first place. Currently, it is going on at the right pace. Our lateral hiring is dependent on two factors, attrition and growth,” points out Rao.

As there was a complete lockdown situation, Rao adds that the Company was a little slow in lateral hiring, but with the relaxation in government guidelines, it picked up in the month of May and June.

“We never stopped hiring in the first place. Currently, it is going on at the right pace. Our lateral hiring is dependent on two factors, attrition and growth.”  

“The downward trend in attrition continues. It is expected to continue in the next quarter as well. Attrition has come down significantly, but we will not be hiring significant numbers for immediate replacement,” adds Rao.

Most of the IT companies keep a bench of four to five per cent. During uncertain times, it’s common for companies to repurpose that bench first. However, Rao shares, “The bench levels in the Company are not reduced. In fact, we were repurposing and using them all, and for that the mobilisation has also increased.”

Initial challenges

Just like other industries, HCL too had felt the heat of the pandemic in the beginning. Different organisations opted for different strategies, and hence, came together to fight this battle.

When lockdown was announced, Rao continues, “We were slightly affected because there was a dependency on labs. In our engineering and R&D services, a lot of equipment is being tested for our partners — be it the aircraft industry, the manufacturing sector or the automobile industry — and for obvious reasons, this testing couldn’t take place at home.”

“Meanwhile, it took some time for the Government to formulate their guidelines, so the Company suffered a setback in its line of business. Also, a lot of customers had not given the approvals to work from home, and it took them nearly two to three weeks to approve the new normal,” Rao adds.

According to Rao, “There was very little disruption for a month and a half until the Government guidelines were relaxed.”

“Although we have a staff strength of around 1500 in China, when the virus spread was at its peak in the country, we brought our executive crisis management team into force on January 27. Going by the intensity of the situation, we declared WFH on March 4, almost three weeks before the lockdown was announced in India,” shares Rao.

This move gave HCL the runway in terms of providing laptops, desktops and VPN connections to its employees.

With almost 98 per cent staff working from home, it was a challenge to keep engaging with its workforce and also ensure their safety and well-being.

Talking about employee engagement, Rao shares that there are several modules ranging from zumba classes at 6 p.m. in the evening to yoga sessions for five to ten minutes every day.

For the employees’ safety, HCL runs a global helpline, which is managed by doctors and life coaches. Employees who feel anxious, or are in need of medical assistance at any point, will be provided assistance and ambulances. These healthcare facilities are not just limited to the employees, but extended to their family members as well.

“We also provide our employees with testing support. All our campuses have hospitals, manned by HCL Healthcare. We work with our third-party administrators and insurance companies for employees and their family members who need hospital beds,” Rao explains.

Meanwhile, the organisation is encouraging its employees to come to office. Although, Rao candidly admits that employees are not obligated to come to office in any way. “This is just a suggestion, and as long as the employees are safe, and deliverables are taking place, we are okay with the majority of the staff working remotely,” he adds.

Moreover, “It is not just about the employees alone. Their families should also feel secure, which is why, we are not mandating work from office. Employees are coming to office of their own will / choice.”

Currently, around two per cent of the total workforce has returned to offices to work.

The post HCL: No appraisal in 2020, no mass layoffs, lateral hiring continues appeared first on HR Katha.

Issues and complaints from employees vary depending on the kind of organisation and the nature of work. However, most of the time it is possible to classify these complaints into the following common categories:

1. Compensation

Compensation is the most common complaint across all organisations and among employees worldwide. It is the one thread, which binds all HR professionals and employees together and which everyone can relate to.

Problems pertaining to compensation mostly arise among junior employees and not at the middle or senior levels. This is because, junior workers are quickly bored with their current reality. They have a constant need for recognition and expect greater compensation for their work within a short span.

For the senior-level employees, it is usually focussed on their career trajectory and career development. They are more concerned with professional development and enlargement of roles.

“In such cases, organisations should take action on an individual level and engage the employee on a level beyond pay. Possible reasons could be an unfair manager, wrong job choice or unrealistic expectations. Working on an individual level helps find the root cause of the problem”, says Ravi Parmeshwar, CHRO, ReNew Power.

2. Leaves

“I have leaves but I cannot take them”. How many times have we heard this? It is common for employees to complaint about their inability to avail leaves despite having unused leaves left. Nowadays, the workload has increased for organisations making it difficult for employees to take time off work. This is because, most of the time, other employees cannot pick up the slack by themselves. Job responsibilities have increased so much that employees cannot find substitutes to work for them who are not burdened with their own load.

“While handling compensation issues organisations should take action on an individual level and engage the employee on a level beyond pay. Possible reasons could be an unfair manager, wrong job choice or unrealistic expectations”

It is not always possible for HR to find a solution to such problems. Responsibilities have to be taken up one way or the other. If an employee takes too many leaves, the system gets used to not having that person around and as a result, it will reflect during appraisals. “In such cases, companies have to drive a philosophy which encourages employees to take on responsibility and also make adjustments accordingly”, says Parmeshwar.

3. Favouritism

It is common enough for employees to feel that their boss has a favourite. Any kind of interaction where human beings are involved will contain a certain amount of bias, which cannot be helped. Each organisation will have its own method of dealing with such complaints. Organisations can be proactive in managing subjectivity by maintaining an open transparent culture. Or, they can be reactive in dealing with the situation post-allegation. “It is better to deal with such situations in an open and transparent manner. This enhances the credibility of the organisation and increases trust among the concerned stakeholders”, says Amit Das, director HR, CHRO, BCCL (Times Group).

4. Promotions

After a promotion, it is fairly common to find some employees feeling left behind or upset with the whole process. They may feel that the process is not transparent or that there is no clear checklist of what is required to qualify for a promotion. In such cases, employees should have access to continuous feedback so that they know how much they are actually contributing al to the company.

“Appraisals have to be continuous so no surprises are sprung. Constant communication is the key. Employees need to know what is required to get to the next level”, explains Parmeshwar.

“To truly understand the issue of disconnect between employees and their managers, we have to communicate from the bottom up and eliminate the noise”

5. Employee–manager disconnect

Often, there is lack of understanding or clear communication between an employee and a manager. Most of the communication happens in a top-down manner and information may not get accurately delivered to the employees on lower rungs.

Multiple, robust and consistent communication is the way to avoid such disconnect. When this happens, messages and deliverables are reinforced many times over, ensuring they are understood by all. Another way is to adopt the bottoms-up communication approach, such as engagement surveys and day-to-day communication using chatbots, which can gauge the mood of the employees. “To truly understand the issue, we have to communicate from the bottom up and eliminate the noise”, asserts Das.

All problems are dealt with in a manner that is appropriate to the company or the culture. Of course, issues arise depending on the organisations as well. What we discussed were only some of the common complaints that any HR department in any organisation can relate to. Remember, every problem will not have a crisp solution, and it is up to the HR to understand that and also convey the same to the people in such a way that they cooperate.

The post How HR deals with common employee grievances appeared first on HR Katha.

Any appraisal system is fraught with issues. At the time of giving feedback and ratings, there are some psychological factors that influence the objectiveness of the managers consciously or unconsciously. To deal with these problems, managers need to be trained to run a smooth and fair appraisal process in the organisation.

HRKatha had a chat with some senior HR leaders who run various training programmes within their organisations to train and tackle these issues. This helps them run and conduct a smooth appraisal system.

Change flows from the top, or so the saying goes, and that is exactly what happens at Alkem Laboratories. According to Rajorshi Ganguli, president & global HR head, Alkem Laboratories, this year, the Company conducted interviews with senior HR leaders on how to handle appraisals. Also, every year, the Company holds sessions for its managers to guide them on the do’s and don’ts associated with appraisals.

Alkem also runs micro video sessions where managers are shown short clips on how to provide meaningful feedback to subordinates during appraisals. It was noticed that some of the managers were not providing a detailed feedback to their juniors. So, the Company selected some sample feedbacks given by its senior leaders to show to the managers and teach them to give detailed, fair and serious feedback.

“A good appraisal begins with a good dialogue or feedback. This should be taken seriously by managers,” shares Ganguli.

Likewise, Optum, the healthcare services company, runs modules to provide training in coaching conversations, setting goals and evaluating people.

The Company also focuses on mitigating the psychological factors, which hinder a smooth and an objective appraisal.

Optum runs cultural training programmes for its managers, which focus on human operating systems. Through these it makes its managers understand selective perceptions, separate realities, energy levels and filters that create issues in giving an objective feedback. It tries to explain the complexities of a human brain to its managers.

“The human brain is a fairly complex organ. Everything that we humans say is perceived differently by everyone. It is very important that we understand those differences, and at the same time, appreciate them,” mentions Kshitij Kashyap, VP & head, human capital, Optum Global Solutions.

The appraisal period is a very crucial time in an organisation’s journey, and therefore, it is critical for it to be totally fair. “It is important for the senior leaders to create seriousness around the appraisal system. It is not an HR need, but a need of the business,” comments Ganguli.

On the other hand, HR also needs to play a big role in mitigating the difficulties or issues around the appraisal system and help managers in the process. “I do not believe in modules. It is very important to track the managers’ journey and examine the kind of problems they face during performance management, evaluation or employee engagement. The HR personnel should hand hold the managers and assist them in overcoming such difficulties,” explains Kashyap.

Many talk about AI being the future of appraisals and at the centre of a great revolution in the performance management system, but as of now, it is at the initial stage. Till then, humans are the ones who will make all the related decisions. Though giving feedback and evaluating employees is not only HR’s need, they should prepare their managers so that they can give proper feedback and evaluate employees. This can further help to bring down the attrition level and enhance employee engagement and motivation.

The post How to train managers to handle issues around appraisals appeared first on HR Katha.

We presented this question to our HR experts and these were their responses:

Irfan Shaikh, group CHRO, Liberty Oil Mills

“I think in this situation, the decision taken by the organisation is justified. There should be an increment in the salary of the person who has been promoted to the GM level, which can be 10 to 15 per cent and maximum 20 to 25 per cent, but it would be wrong to pay him two lakhs. The previous general manager had the experience and capability, which is why the organisation paid him what it did. However, the person who has just been promoted needs to grow in that role. There are certain companies who practise the slab structure, which gives an employee a substantial jump in the salary from one lakh to two lakhs, but not all organisations follow this pattern. But in my opinion an increment of 10 to15 per cent is pretty much justified in such situations. The person should not be dissatisfied with the salary she or he is getting because with a promotion a lot of other positive things come for the employee, such as recognition. So, it is a reward for the employee. Before taking up the role, HR should convey the desired expectations and message to the employee, but if the person is still dissatisfied he has two options— first, he can work beyond the expectations of the employer and prove himself and then ask for an increment after a year or so, and second, he can share his problem with his boss so that some solution can be arrived at. “

S. Naga Siddharth, group CHRO, Total Environment Group

“In this situation, there are a few factors that we need to look into. First is the structure of the company. If the organisation follows a linear structure, where one DGM reports to the GM, then it is a different point of view. If the GM is the aggregator of four regions, then the span of delivery increases. Second factor is the level of capability of the person who has been promoted, for promotion or performance. Third is what the market says, that is, what according to the market is the minimum that we need to pay him. Finally, we have to see whether there is a plan to hire a DGM under him or not. It is not as if the person was fit for the GM role from day one. The person is a potential candidate for the role that is why the promotion has taken place. It has to be handled in a high-tech high-touch manner. We cannot give a person a jump in salary of a lakh straight away. We need to look at the factors before taking the decision. The HR needs to explain to the employee that she or he will reach there in a couple of years and that the organisation will invest in her/him and arrange for relevant trainings and conferences.”

Karan Makhania , CHRO, Reliance Health Insurance

“The way I see it, we cannot increase the salary of a person so drastically and pay him the maximum that the role demands, because the previous boss must have had that much of experience and capabilities, that made him deserving of the two-lakh package. The newly promoted person still needs to grow in that role and function. The second thing is, if it is felt that the newly promoted person is overloaded with work, we have to remember that the same work pressure will be faced by his juniors also at lower levels. This is a great opportunity for the person to develop, evolve and learn, with additional work and responsibilities. I disagree with the fact that the person should be given the same amount that his superior was getting but yes, the increment can be a little higher at about 20 per cent, which varies from one organisation to the other. The company needs to position the person properly before the promotion takes place. It will have to explain to him that he will get monetary gains in the future with more respect and recognition from the team members. Yes, the organisation should increase his pay according to the industry standards. Say, if the industry standard is 1.7 lakhs and the previous GM was getting two lakhs, then he may not be able to reach that level in three years also. So, the figure cannot really be specifically pinpointed.”

The post Why is it justified to pay a person less after promotion? appeared first on HR Katha.

The grading of the employees will be very transparent and available on the public domain, with the grades assigned by the people determining the salary and promotion of the government employees.

The Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) process has also been altered by the 7th Pay Commission, as people were not happy with the earlier process.

The remuneration will ensure that the employees are valued and given fair and just treatment, while those who have ceased to be useful will be discouraged from continuing in the system.

As per the Commission, employees unable to attain the benchmark (for MACP or normal promotion) within two decades of service will not receive their annual increments. With a view to improving efficiency of the staff, the MACP benchmark is also likely to be raised from ‘good’ to ‘very good’.

The post Government promotions to be based on performance and feedback/rating appeared first on HR Katha.

There are certain companies which are considered to be a safe haven for employees. Once in, it’s almost difficult to lose the job unless an employee gets involved in some kind of unethical or immoral practice.

In such companies, it is rare to lose jobs for underperformance. Such organisations believe in giving plenty of opportunity to improve oneself. If an employee is underperforming in a particular role, function or division, he or she will mostly have an opportunity to move to try out new things in the company.

However, many employees use such unwritten policies as an opportunity to stay put with the company.

There are numerous Indian companies which are quite sympathetic to their employees and Wipro Technologies is one such company. For underperformers, the annual raise may have been low or below the average but the fear of losing jobs was never there.

Now that’s going to change. Wipro Technologies, post its annual appraisal this year, has put many employees under the scanner.

In an internal memo sent out to employees, Abid Neemuchwala, CEO, Wipro, asked the employees to have an open discussion with their supervisor and HR manager on how they can grow and contribute going forward.

“Rotation to billable digital engagements will be key for them. Job rotations and upskilling are important levers for growth in the digital age. Inability to keep pace with change will leave you behind! Continuous learning and adaptability are critical,” Neemuchwala wrote.

Many employees have told HRKatha that they have been put under PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) and unless there is a mark improvement in their performance, they will have to go. In fact, the HR is unofficially asking them to find a job within the given time frame.

Harbouring underperformers costs the company in terms of high potentials or star performers.

At Wipro, the average appraisal has been in the line of 6-7 per cent which is at par with its rivals TCS and Infosys, but those performing really well have also been given a double digit increment, especially those involved with digital.

The company has mentioned, “Routine legacy work will be viewed less favorably compared to digital functions and interest to re-skill.”

Wipro has been going through a tough time recently. The company’s overall performance has been hit hard by the bankruptcy of two of its clients, and a slowdown in some industry verticals.

“Our efforts at cost optimisation are important to ensure we deliver margins in line with the industry, as salary increase this year is expensive for the company and we need to ensure we drive cost productivity to make up for the MSI (merit salary increase) and create headroom for next year,” Neemuchwala wrote in the internal memo.

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It is that time of the year again for most organisations when employees are apprehensive of whether they will receive the desired returns for the efforts they have put in over the year, and employers are busy mulling how to convey the right message without having to turn off some people in the process. It is that time of the year when the trust employees place in their bosses and the organisation, is put to test. Appraisals are tricky for both employees and their managers. While employees expect the bosses to deliver what they’ve been promising, the managers have to deal with the unfulfilled expectations of their employees.

Social media, in fact, is buzzing with humorous tweets, memes and posts that convey the disappointments and discrepancies that people face during appraisals. For instance, someone tweeted, “Dialogues of the month—agle saal tera pakka hai, management ne tere liye kuchh bada socha hai, bell curve me nai baith raha tha, and the big one… maine tere liye bohot fight kiya”

Conversations around performance should go on throughout the year and not just come as a surprise to the employee at the end of the year. A formal setting is better, but even if in an informal way, the continuity of these conversations is important.

Ideally, these discomforting conversations should not even arise, if appraisals are treated the way they should be. When it comes to real appraisal discussions between employees and line managers, the reality employees perceive is far from the utopian picture of a fair and value-driven organisation, as presented by the human resources teams.

Dialogues of the month

“Agle saal tera pakka hai”

“Management ne tere liye kuchh bada socha hai”

“Bell curve me nai baith raha tha”

and the big one…

“Maine tere liye bohot fight kiya”Kamlesh Dangi, group president human resources, ?UTI Mutual Funds feels that it is extremely unfortunate that most people look at appraisals as an event than an ongoing process. “Conversations around performance should go on throughout the year and not just come as a surprise to the employee at the end of the year. A formal setting is better, but even if in an informal way, the continuity of these conversations is important,” he says.

In line with the thought, Prem Singh, president, global human resources, Wockhardt says, “80 per cent of the issues and drawbacks in appraisals are owing to the fact that the focus is more on the appraisal conversation rather than being on the actual goal-setting process.” He strongly believes and suggests that organisations give more prominence to goal setting than to appraisals. Goal setting is the starting point, wherein goals should be well defined, outcome driven with an inbuilt stretch, coupled with quarterly feedback discussions.

80 per cent of the issues and drawbacks in appraisals are owing to the fact that the focus is more on the appraisal conversation rather than being on the actual goal-setting process. Organisations give more prominence to goal setting than to appraisals.

From the employees’ perspective, it is important for them to keep track of their own individual performance. Dangi suggests that employees should be able to gauge the non-verbal signals throughout the year. For instance, not getting to be part of critical projects on which business success or performance of the boss depends, means that they are being seen as not performing up to the mark. Also, the level of engagement or how they are showcased in front of their seniors, are other cues that they need to watch out for.

Singh feels that appraisals are mostly skewed towards the manager. However, in reality, those getting appraised should realise it is their primary responsibility to drive their own performance and the manager only plays a secondary role in supporting the same. “Employees need to be proactive in identifying and defining their tasks, take ownership of their performance, stay focussed and seek feedback and support from superiors, when required,” he opines.

In addition to these thoughts, based on HRKatha’s interviews with Dangi and Singh, here are a few dos and don’ts for both managers and employees with regard to appraisals.

Dos for employees
– Keep a track of all your achievements and failures, if any. Being data backed with everything that has worked and hasn’t in the year gone by, helps to have a meaningful conversation. It also helps managers take a more informed decision on your performance.
– Document all of it in bullet points and explain in detail during the discussion. Essays can turn off a manager who may have to take up several other appraisal discussions.
– Be open during the conversation and treat it as a mutual learning process.
– Appreciate the fact that your boss has multiple times more responsibilities than you currently handle, and therefore, his perspective of looking at things may be different than yours.
– Focus on partnering with your boss. Let her/him contribute to your success by actively seeking support and guidance.

Don’ts for employees
– Do not play the blame game. Use facts to justify your stance or accept any feedback as learning for the future.
– Don’t be defensive or fixated on your own perspective or your boss may even refrain from sharing genuine feedback going forward.
– Don’t get carried away or be driven by one exceptional performance during an appraisal conversation, as the bosses prefer to look at your overall success.
– Don’t externalise any feedback. Instead, take ownership.

Dos for managers
– Goal-setting should be a bigger focus than the appraisal discussions that follow. Define sharp, smart and outcome-driven goals.
– Ensure objectivity and fairness in the process.
– Plan the whole process and the end conversation well, as employee motivation and future performance depends on it.
– Listen more than you talk and make data-backed decisions. A bad rating that’s data and logic backed may still turn off an employee, but will be justified and fair as compared to a dictatorial decision.
– Keep the organisational context in mind and reward accordingly. For instance, if an organisation has a socialist culture, the rewards may well be fairly distributed among people of various performance levels. However, in a capitalist culture, people who do well get rewarded accordingly, while below-average performers do not get rewarded at all.

Don’ts for managers
– Don’t be judgemental or personal, and don’t be disrespectful to anyone irrespective of how junior they may be.
– Don’t make it an investigative process. Keep it open and transparent.
– Never skip appraisal conversations with the high performers thinking they’re all fine without it. It’s even more important to have the discussion with them to keep them motivated and encouraged to sustain their performance.
– Appraisal conversations and year-long conversations are different–do not mix them up. Wear the hat of a coach during the year-long conversations and that of a judge during the appraisal conversations. Don’t be a judge throughout the year and threaten the employee of a bad appraisal.
– Don’t pass on the blame for a low rating to the management or HR, saying that you had given a better rating but the seniors chopped it off. It will never be accepted as the truth. Take ownership of what you convey to the employee and justify it as logically as possible.

The post Dos and don’ts for both employees and managers during appraisal appeared first on HR Katha.

Hard work alone will get us nowhere. It is the smart work that takes the cake. Rather than screaming your lungs out, asking for that promotion you deserve, it is always better to self-promote yourself intelligently—such that your boss is compelled to give you your due, and that too, happily.

We list down five ways to promote yourself at work without appearing to pushy or desperate.

1.Add a new skill to your resume
Innovation is the key to success. Just as machines, we need to continuously update ourselves to stay abreast with the constantly evolving times. If you don’t change, you become a dinosaur—extinct! There are plenty of online and offline courses curated especially for the working folk. Join them. It will give you an edge over your counterparts.

2.Volunteer for the multi-layered projects
There is nothing more ego satisfying than instant gratification, but the real win is in the long-term gain. Eye for the bigger gains, scout for projects that will give you a chance to showcase your real talent, handle complex projects, which might not yield immediate results but will go down in your favour in the long run. Handling multi-layered projects is not everyone’s cup of tea and your boss will surely take notice of sincerity. But remember your limitations while taking up any new task at the workplace. Your aim is to shine, not drown in work you cannot handle.

3.Be that delightful co-worker
Nothing is sexier than a smile. Flaunt it as much as you can. A smiling face and a helping attitude will take you places. Kindness never goes unnoticed. Your kind and helping attitude will send positive signals to your boss about your ability to take initiatives and manage people. It will give your boss the confidence to delegate more responsibility and power to you.

4.Brush up your social media skills
You have all the prerequisites to take centre stage; it’s time to show this to the world. Tell the tales of your achievements; it will reach the right ears eventually. Linkedin is the place to be, if you intend to climb up the ladder. Beef up your profile, add your achievements, and constantly update your feed with relevant work achievements. It will not only impress your boss, but also help you get better job opportunities.

5.Push yourself beyond your limits
Last but not the least, let your work do the talking. Never shy away from taking up challenging projects at work. Push yourself beyond your own expectations and you will be amazed at your own capabilities. No one ever learned swimming without entering the pool. Take that plunge you have always been afraid to take. We never realise our true capabilities until and unless our limits are tested.

This is why we suggest that you roll up your sleeves and sign up for that assignment you have been shying away from.

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Performance management processes have seen various ups and downs in the last few years, as organisations tweaked and twisted their performance-evaluation techniques several ways, to fit employee expectations. Despite there being no single perfect process, some organisations just manage to find their best bet — a performance evaluation system that is transparent, fair, and one that motivates all to perform better.

Gionee, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer set up its office in India only four years back and has come a long way in terms of establishing itself. From an initial handful to about 400 employees now, Gionee in India boasts of a strong performance evaluation system as the spine behind its rapid growth. The point-based performance evaluation system at Gionee is grounded, yet modern in terms of taking care of employees’ ambitions and expectations.

The five-point rating scale in performance evaluation may not be something new. However, there is something unique about the point-based system at Gionee. Gaurav Sharma, director-human resources, Gionee India points out that, “The unique aspect about the point-based evaluation system we have is that the accumulation of points over time, helps people visualise their growth path and encourages them to outperform themselves. It also makes the accountabilities clear to them at each level.”

 “It can take up to two to ten years for an employee to get promoted to the next band, depending on their performance and potential.”

Each employee is assigned points on the five-point Likert scale based on their key performance indicators or KPIs. The five points range from exceeding expectations, to not meeting expectations at all, from five to zero respectively. Employees, who take up additional assignments or are able to accomplish more challenging tasks, in addition to their day jobs, are awarded additional points for the same. On the contrary, those who may be found involved in disciplinary issues or matters pertaining to non-performance may get their points deducted.

The points employees score, can be accumulated, contributing to their growth within a band, until they get promoted to the next band. The accumulated points act as an employee’s ticket to the next band — the more they score, the earlier they get to be in the next band. “It can take up to two to ten years for an employee to get promoted to the next band, depending on their performance and potential,” says Sharma.

The points make people eligible for the next level as they are an indication of one’s potential and performance, both of which take up a specific weightage in the rating system. For the upper or managerial or directorial levels, the percentage ratio for performance and potential is 60–40 respectively, while for the lower levels it is 80–20.

Sharma describes the system as one that may not necessarily slow down promotion but will certainly ensure and expedite progression. “The point-based system ensures smooth linear progression. It is also a unique way of encouraging job enrichment through motivating people to break their inhibitions and take up more challenging assignments in a bid to earn more points,” he says.

The company also has a unique salary increment allocation system, based on a merit matrix. It ensures fair distribution to employees on the basis of, not just their performance, but also the state of their existing salaries.

 “The point-based system ensures smooth linear progression. It is also a unique way of encouraging job enrichment through motivating people to break their inhibitions and take up more challenging assignments in a bid to earn more points.”The two-dimensional matrix divides the entire budget into four quadrants, where 40 per cent of the budget is given out to employees, who are high on performance but low on salary; 30 per cent to those who are high on both performance and salary; 10 per cent to those who are low on both salary and performance and none to those who are low on performance, but already high on salary. In this, 20 per cent budget depends on the discretion of the HODs.

Both the point-based evaluation system and the merit matrix for salary increments are two strong pillars that support unbiased growth and progression at Gionee. The company is also looking to digitise its point-based evaluation system but Sharma shares that they haven’t yet come across a suitable platform to facilitate this. Nevertheless, in times when technology is disrupting everything, the point-based performance management system, despite being a manual process has proven to be a classic performance booster.

The post How Gionee’s point-based evaluation system is a performance booster appeared first on HR Katha.

While the IT industry has been the talk of the town for its recent tough phase, with extremely low salary increments and layoffs galore, the IT product space may have a different story to tell. Unlike the IT service organisations that rely on projects, the IT product organisations can vouch a stable and certain growth, not having to sacrifice talent to situations, such as bench and slowdown in projects.

At a time when the IT service space is going through a rough patch in terms of talent, the IT product company, e-Emphasys, has just given out salary increments to its staff, that are way better than the industry standard. On an average, the Company has provided over 20 per cent increment to employees at the base level. The overall increments, including baseline and managerial level, stand at an average of 11–12 per cent.

The IT industry, on the whole, has been able to pay out much lesser increments this year. The KPMG Annual Compensation Trends Survey 2017–18 stated that the increments in the IT sector this year will be at 7.6 per cent and for ITeS it should be 12.9 per cent.

e-Emphasys just finished handing out the increments to its people, putting them at par and in some cases, even above the industry standards. Abhishek Jha, director-global human resources, e-Emphasys, says, “The increment exercise has been a watershed moment for us, with many employees at the baseline levels getting increments averaging 20 per cent plus. Needless to mention, performance was a rider in this exercise. Overall, we have seen an 11–12 per cent increment across baseline and managerial levels.”

Explaining what makes the IT product space so sustainable in times, such as these, Jha adds that, “As an organisation with a ‘product spirit’ at its core, we are insulated by variables, such as bench, projectised work and headcount-driven growth. In the absence of these, we were able to work around competitive increments for our employees.”

In addition, he shares that for several of their employees, the company consciously worked around increments that would take them to a ‘market benchmark vis-à-vis experience’ in the truest sense.

“With this exercise, I feel we have reached a point, where salaries of our employees are placed perfectly and in line with market, pedigree, performance & experience,” Jha concludes.

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Appraisals are like the sea waves that begin forming somewhere in the middle of the ocean until they reach the land, to sweep away some part of the shore as they recede. The pattern keeps repeating. Similarly, appraisals make some people unhappy and lead them away from their current organisations, while others who receive expected results stay grounded and focussed. However, experts believe that a hasty decision taken under the impact of a dissatisfactory appraisal may not be a wise thing to do.

An appraisal is not about an end result but about an ongoing process of meaningful conversations, feedbacks, guidance, determination, focus and shared vision. It is about aligning individual aspirations with organisational vision and showing people better paths to carry forward both with ease. To do so, it requires both individuals and their managers to work in tandem, with the common aspirations in mind.

“Appraisals are not just about a one-time conversation with the manager on one’s performance over a period of time.”

Mahalakshmi R

In line with that, Mahalakshmi R, head-HR India, Mondelez, says, “Appraisals are not just about a one-time conversation with the manager on one’s performance over a period of time.” Also, she believes that it is not just the managers’ onus, “My suggestion to everyone is to NOT wait for the appraisal, to have the performance conversation,” she adds.

As a proactive measure, avoiding the stress that follows, it is important for every employee to be in constant touch with their manager and vice versa, in order to ensure there are no gaps in performance expectations. “Keep the dialogue with your stakeholders and your manager ongoing – so there are no surprises in the ‘appraisal’ dialogue,” she adds.

Explaining how people generally react to a not-so-good appraisal, a senior industry practitioner says, “The tendency to start looking out for other opportunities when someone is not so satisfied with their appraisal, is a risky proposition. It’s because, one desperate move may land you in the wrong job, in turn impacting your entire career. It’s not wise to look for a job desperately. Instead, look for one smartly. One needs to stay calm and make a smart move and not a hasty one.”
Going further, as a word of advice for budding professionals, SV Nathan, senior director & chief talent officer, Deloitte, says, “Don’t change your job in haste over an appraisal that did not meet ‘your’ expectations. How you respond will determine your happiness, and your growth over time.”

At the same time, Mahalakshmi, says, “Each feedback is a gift, and an opportunity to reflect. Many times talent is not aware of how their actions land on their customers — and the feedback is a great starting point of discovering more about one’s strengths, opportunities and overall impact.”

“Don’t change your job in haste over an appraisal that did not meet ‘your’ expectations. How you respond will determine your happiness, and your growth over time.”

SV Nathan

A senior industry professional explains how people need to look at their ‘not-so-good’ appraisal as an opportunity that will motivate them to take the next big leap in their career rather than a setback in their current job.

“It’s an opportunity to introspect, analyse your stand in the job market, understand the other available roles and positions, and decide on the next big move. Do not, in haste or desperation, move into something parallel to your current level. Think about the kind of job you would have looked out for if you were leaving on a friendly note and not under the influence of a bad appraisal,” he concludes.

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After revolutionising the 4G offerings in the telecom industry, Reliance Jio Infocomm, a wholly- owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, is now delighting its employees too as it is providing salary hike of up to 25 per cent to its top performers.

Jio has increased salaries of the top performers among its junior and middle-level managers by 15 per cent while the high performers among its senior executives, in the level of DGM and above, have got a 10 per cent raise, a spokesperson close to the matter shared with HRKatha. He also said that, “A few people who have done extraordinarily well in their roles, across levels and functions, have even received a hike of 25 per cent.”

However, the decision to provide hikes that are way better than what the telecom industry has offered this fiscal, is not a retention strategy resulting from recent key exits from the company, but are in line with the company’s endeavours to excite its employees as much as its customers.

“The recent exits from the organisation are limited to functional challenges, performance issues, etc. and are something that every organisation faces once in a while. However, the attractive awards and appraisals are to keep the force motivated to deliver their best,” he said. In fact, in addition to the hike, the annual performance-based incentives handed out to people have also been 100 per cent for the second consecutive year.

It was the top management’s idea that at a time when the company is introducing something new and path breaking in the industry, even the employees should feel the change, the spokesperson shared. Reliance Jio has been selling like hot cakes as it is attracting about 1 million new subscriptions each day and such business success is not possible unless its people feel motivated to perform.

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Now students will appraise and evaluate their teachers! The Academic Performance Indicators (API) — a mandatory requirement for universities and colleges in India to select and promote faculty members—has been slightly changed by the University Grants Commission.

As per the new rule, students with 75 per cent or more attendance will be eligible to evaluate their teachers and will have the right to participate in the performance appraisal of their teachers.

UGC has also modified API to make teaching/learning the main criterion of performance appraisal, instead of research and co-curricular activities.

Previously, 55 per cent of the API grading under the research category was based on the number of research papers/publications, 20 per cent on research projects, 10 per cent on research guidance/undergraduate dissertations and 15 per cent on the training course and conferences/seminars. Now, a teacher can score high in the research category by focussing on any of the above elements.

Teachers’ unions have been protesting against API scores ever since their introduction in 2010. Their argument is that they are inflexible and the strict regimentation of a teacher’s work kills free and critical thinking. The new API criteria will be notified soon.

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As she looked at her face in the mirror, she realised there was something missing. She had an appraisal discussion in the next 10 minutes. This was not the first one and she knew this would not be the last either. She remembered how her dad always told her to put on the most valuable possession before stepping out every day. So, she wore a ‘smile’ before she entered the discussion!

There sure is apprehension, as most of corporate India gets ready for an appraisal discussion. Yet, we do display our most professional image (including a polite smile) at the discussion. However, there are some ‘dead-give aways’ each time. Let us explore some of them:

Actions speak louder than words: Most people feel they will be held more accountable for their speech than for their gestures or body language. They may even practise what to say, but rarely think of practising the gestures. They may rehearse the reactions expected of them but will be unable to gesticulate in the manner anticipated.

For instance, if you are asked why targets were not achieved, you may believe that it was because your manager didn’t support your endeavour. However, in the appraisal discussion, you do not wish to get into that area. That is a moment to watch out for. You may find, yourself going stiff when this topic comes up and you may try to state other reasons.

Sometimes to ensure that your body doesn’t betray what you truly feel, you may attempt to move as little as possible when you are on the verge of lying. But the truth is that it’s impossible to keep the body still when talking and not look odd. Yet, liars use far fewer gestures than the average person.

Professional interrogators say that they often realise suspects are lying when they freeze their upper body. It is similar to a prey freezing in its place on spotting a hawk flying overhead. The prey hopes that it can remain unseen if it is frozen. Such behaviour is noticed in kids as well. Research reveals that children, as young as five years old, show a tendency to move less when lying.

If the conversation suddenly seems odd — you might unconsciously notice that the upper body has frozen — with no movement when the person is talking. You might be right to consider this part of the conversation as deception.

Own words can betray: Usually, people lying would work hard to construct their entire story in their minds in a way that sounds logical and correct. However, just like gestures, verbal slippages give away important clues to catch a lie. Once the lie has been uttered, it is hard work to keep up the story. Liars have to remember the story, possible questions and plausible answers. They also have to be cautious to avoid contradicting themselves, be consistent with what the other person may know, not make mistakes, not appear nervous, look normal and so much more. Therefore, chances of verbal slippages, especially in long conversations are very high. Here are a couple of pointers on how words can betray your thoughts:

1. Parroting a statement: If you ask a question and someone repeats it back to you, it may be because that person is buying time to think of what to say. For example, if you ask “What do you think about the project “XYZ” that I completed in October 2015?” and the person answers with “What do I think about the project “XYZ” that you completed in October 2015? Well, I guess, it was OK” – then you need to sit up and pay attention. Had the person simply started with “Your project XYZ….” or “In Oct 2015….” – the person is perhaps recalling the project in her mind before answering. But repeating the entire question verbatim indicates that she is buying time.

2. Speaking too much or too little: In answer to a question, when someone is either too crisp or too wordy — you can bet that there is some deception underway. So for a question like “What do you think about the project “XYZ” that I completed in 2015? “, if the answer is either “good” or “the project was given to you based on your capabilities to implement. Though I did spend some time with you to give you the details about the project, you did complete the project on time. Basically, it was a good project with many complexities. There are many such projects being done in the organisation nowadays”. Both the answers are ‘dead give aways’. Too little information is as bad as too much of meaningless information.

There are more such pointers that can help in understanding lies and deception, especially in a performance appraisal discussion. Like John Maxwell said, ‘It’s better to prepare than to repair’. Being prepared with a smile on your face is good, but you would do better by knowing when there is deception underway in an appraisal discussion.

(The author is an HR consultant).

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Pharmaceutical companies are expected to offer the maximum hike this fiscal. According to the job portal, Career Builder, the average salary hike in the pharma sector, will be 12.1 per cent. The chemical industry will come in next with an expected average salary hike of 11.8 per cent.

Hi-tech and media companies will offer an average salary hike of 10.9 per cent followed by IT enabled services at 10.8 per cent.

In terms of appraisals, engineering companies come in next followed by automobile companies. While the former will offer an average salary hike of 10.6 per cent in 2015–16, automobile companies will offer 10.4 per cent.

Retail and logistics companies are at the bottom of the list with a salary hike of less than 10 per cent.

The job portal says that the average salary increment projected for the year 2015–16 across sectors is 10.8 per cent. In comparison, the projected salary hike in Indonesia will be 9.5 per cent and in China, 8.6 per cent. The expected future in HongKong and Singapore, is 4.5 per cent while in Australia the average salary hike in FY16 is expected to be 3.4 per cent.

In terms of hierarchies, the junior management level is expected to get a hike of 11 per cent, while for the clerical level, the figure will be 10.8 per cent. For the senior, middle and top management levels, the projected hike will be 10.5 per cent.

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This could be the usual story in any of the Indian corporates. So, it will not be surprising if many of the readers can relate to the characters.

The story starts with Mohan, the boss. He has three people reporting to him – Akash to be referred as A, Biswas to be referred as B and Chivas, the C.

Mohan is a hard-working guy and is considered to be a good resource in the organisation. In order to accomplish his projects, he is quite dependent on his subordinates. His team members, who realise the same, also estimate their individual importance in the team and perform accordingly.

Let’s observe the performance and roles of these three team members.

A is an above average performer. He is high on energy and is always ready to take on newer challenges. He is highly ambitious, and for him the sky is the limit. A also happens to be an attention seeker, and Mohan, who is aware of this quality, uses it to his advantage. Mohan knows that A will perform any task, which will keep him in the limelight. In other words, A is like the dependable Hanuman in Mohan’s team, who will rescue him from any difficult situation.

B, on the other hand, is an average performer who does what is told. However, he will not go that extra mile to get the project completed. His peers consider him to be a performer, but not an initiator. He prefers to follow than to lead a team. As a team leader, Mohan certainly has faith in B’s capabilities, but knows where to draw the line and how much to rely on him.

C, the last one in the team, is a below average performer. He needs continuous guidance and support to accomplish any task. He is rated as a slow performer by his peers and colleagues.

Mohan realises that in order to keep the project going, he has to have someone to pitch in for C’s incompetence. He has only two options— use either A or B.

As evident, B is reluctant to perform that extra task because of his very nature, so in a way Mohan is left with only one option, that is A.

Since A is always keen to perform extra and is an avid initiator, he is more than happy to complete what C has left undone.

And things continue this way!

As time passes, Mohan starts assigning more work to A, even tasks which are not part of his KRA (Key Result Areas).

If earlier, A left his workplace at 8 pm, he now leaves at 10. However, this does not bother A. His bigger goal keeps him motivated. He expects a ‘superb’ rating at the end of the year, at the performance review.

Everything goes fine, till one day, an incident changes the entire ecological balance.

Incidence 1: It is a fine sunny morning of the 13th of October, 2013. C comes to Mohan and asks for seven days of leave for Dipawali. Mohan is quite generous and asks C to take three more days and increases his vacation to 10 days. What prompts Mohan to be so compassionate with an underperformer?

The reason is simple. Mohan does not consider C to be adding any value to the team. On the contrary, he is glad that C will be away for at least 10 days.

The outcome —both Mohan and C are happy.

Incidence 2: It is a not so fine morning of the 18th of October, 2013. A comes to Mohan and asks for six days of leave to attend his best friend’s wedding.

Mohan refuses to oblige. He fears for the project, deadlines et al. He says some nice words to A reminding him how important he is to the whole team and how his performance is the key driver for the project and also a great influence on the others.

Finally, A gives up his wish and nods in acceptance. However, A is not too happy with the outcome, and this is just the beginning.

The incident forces A to realise that in this team it is going to be difficult to be rewarded in a positive way.

He starts believing in the old saying – ‘The reward of good work is more work’.

The fact that he is unable to attend his best friend’s wedding keeps pinching him and the fact that C is sanctioned leave bothers him even more.

Finally, it is time for the annual review—time to be awarded for the hard work one has put in throughout the year.

Unfortunately, the organisation has decided not to grant any employee with the ‘superb’ rating that year. All team leaders are asked to rate their reportees with either ‘good’, ‘not so good’ or the last one – ‘perform or leave’.

Mohan is in a dilemma. He is a lenient boss and does not like to make anybody unhappy. So he does exactly what is expected of a lenient boss.

He decides to grade everyone at par with a ‘good’ rating assuming that it is confidential and none of his team members will learn about each other’s ratings.

Unfortunately, however, A learns about the ratings of B and C over a cup of coffee. He is shocked and shattered.

A is flabbergasted by the fact that despite so much of extra effort he is kept at par with B and C. He has not received the reward and applause he deserves.

This leads to a high level of dissatisfaction in A and finally, he exits the organisation.

Who is the ultimate loser?

The organisation, of course.

What about B and C? Are they affected too?

The answer is ‘yes’. B realises that in this team extra work will never be awarded and it is better to stick to his current way of working. He is not motivated to put in additional effort and continues to work in a relaxed way.

C also learns his share of the lesson. He realises that in this team ‘no work’ is rewarded with more leaves and eventually a ‘good’ rating as well.

He continues to be a leech in the team, sucking the blood of the organisation’s resources as well as money to grow further.

Lesson – What went terribly wrong in the entire scenario?

It was Mohan’s judgement and the way he handled his team. Though Mohan identified the horse of his team, he kept burdening him with more load and finally converted the horse into a donkey.

At the same time, he knew that he was unable to change the donkey in his team to a horse.

In the entire process, he went terribly wrong in rewarding the horse and considering him at the same level as the donkeys and ponies of the team!

This eventually resulted in the sad demise of what was actually a ‘winning team’. Amen!

One should remember – ‘A horse in the race will only be able to win, if he is fed properly.’

Who do you relate to? A, B or C ?

(The author is HR Manager at Godrej and Boyce.)

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