Dear Sir
My name is Deepti Sharma. I am working in Multinational Telecom Industry. I have read your article on Employee Retention. As per your article we have many motivational programs in our company and not very high but a good compensation package too. But still we face the attrition on a daily basis.
I have conducted the Employee feedback survey through which we came to know that the reasons of attrition is less appreciation by the seniors and a proper training.
Though we have started to work on Training part but regarding lack of appreciation, we discussed with the Head's of the Department and found that they have taken that into implementation but when we speak to the employees they says that this they do only infront of you.
Now I have decided to work on Retention Policy for which I am seeking the help from my seniors. I would be obliged if you can help me in this and tell me how can I start on this and things should I add in the Policy.
Waiting for the response.
Thanks & Rgds.
Deepti
From India, New Delhi
My name is Deepti Sharma. I am working in Multinational Telecom Industry. I have read your article on Employee Retention. As per your article we have many motivational programs in our company and not very high but a good compensation package too. But still we face the attrition on a daily basis.
I have conducted the Employee feedback survey through which we came to know that the reasons of attrition is less appreciation by the seniors and a proper training.
Though we have started to work on Training part but regarding lack of appreciation, we discussed with the Head's of the Department and found that they have taken that into implementation but when we speak to the employees they says that this they do only infront of you.
Now I have decided to work on Retention Policy for which I am seeking the help from my seniors. I would be obliged if you can help me in this and tell me how can I start on this and things should I add in the Policy.
Waiting for the response.
Thanks & Rgds.
Deepti
From India, New Delhi
Hi Deepti,
Am extremly sorry for delayed response.. :D
May we suggest that you re-work on the exit interview process to assess whether you are getting the genuine feedback and many times would be ex-employees give general answers..
Less appreciation by seniors :
It is very subjective and grey area to work on..if it were so then HR doesn;t need the feedback from employees..it should be visible ! :D
I think you(HR) should be able to judge it from the day to day workplace observations..
This reminds of the article i just read today on " Are HR Professionals in the people Business any longer ? " Really hillarious one but a true picture of the state of HR processes in today's world which appeared in the Hindu paper which says..
"As a human resource consultant, I have had the unenviable task (on more than one occasion) of introducing my clients' HR manager to their own employees! If you find this hard to believe try this test - ask a random sample of employees in any large organisation to list the names of their HR team members. If they do pass this test, ask them if they have seen them at least once, face-to-face. If they pass this test too, they are blessed."
Rest is reproduced at the end of this posting..
Here what we would suggest is that you have to focus on the culture on Manager catching the employees doing the RIGHT things!..which requires the MINDSET change on the part of the supervisors
Therefore incorporate the following :-
1. Employee of the month scheme.
2. Make sure that your frontline & second tier of employees who are important drivers of the business get the opportunity to meet the HODs or the CEO on a one to one basis say for lunch atleast once a month.
3. If there is less appreciation by the supervisors - then may be you need to analyse the same as they charity begins at the top( or home). Discuss the same with the Top Management highlighting this factor as how they impact the attrition rate and the company's bottomline!.
4. HR to be actively alert to the latent & pressing needs of the organizations.
Hope these provide some pointers..
Regards,
Rajat Joshi
Are HR professionals in the people business any longer?
Ganesh Chella
A sound grounding in the science of human behaviour will help today's HR professionals diagnose people issues better and strike a better balance between business demands and people's needs.
As a human resource consultant, I have had the unenviable task (on more than one occasion) of introducing my clients' HR manager to their own employees! If you find this hard to believe try this test - ask a random sample of employees in any large organisation to list the names of their HR team members. If they do pass this test, ask them if they have seen them at least once, face-to-face. If they pass this test too, they are blessed. The rest may read on ...
The reason for the `invisibility' that I have implied in the example is the fundamental shift in the way today's HR professionals are seeing their roles. They seem to be taking a "hard" and "business like" view of their roles to the exclusion of the "softer" championship, advocacy and connect dimensions. As a result, many of today's HR professionals are not dealing with "people" as "people" and that is worrying.
While the transformation of HR as a serious partner in today's business environment is welcome, leaving behind the "humanness" is not. While HR professionals are busy designing and implementing programmes that are intended to benefit people, their current mode of relating with people seems to be what psychologists would call "agentic" ¡ª a cold approach, caring less about their feelings but more about what one wants from them.
This is what has prompted me to ask if HR professionals are in the people business any longer?
The five drivers
I see five factors driving this new "HR attitude towards people".
The preoccupation with becoming a strategic partner
It looks like some HR folks read only parts of Dave Ulrich's landmark book. While he spoke with as much gusto about the employee champion role as he did about the strategic partner role, most seem to consider the latter more attractive. In fact, the preoccupation is so severe that "being in touch with employees" is seen as totally non-strategic.
In my opinion, being champions and advocates is indeed strategic. It is for this reason that HR professionals were traditionally groomed in the "employee relations" role before being moved into "corporate" roles.
The frustration with the lack of reciprocity
In the past, the people-friendly attitude and actions of the HR professional met with a fair amount of reciprocity from the employees. Using the depth of this relationship, HR leaders were able to solve sticky people problems, negotiate with unions and hire and retain employees. In the emerging employment arrangements that we are witnessing, the relationship and persuasive powers of the HR Manager is unable to match the harsh forces of the labour market.
This is obviously leading to a certain level of frustration and anger among the HR folks with employees and their attitudes. The empathy and Theory Y assumptions needed among HR professionals to deal with the situation are not evident. Nor is there reflection about how they seem to have contributed to these changing (read bad) employee attitudes!
Disconnected by design
As organisations scale like never before, HR professionals have to spread themselves thinner than ever before. Spread thin beyond a point, HR presence becomes meaningless and leads to complete disconnect. The need for focus and specialisation is also driving the HR functions into silos. Like the super-specialist medical professional, each vertical within the HR looks only at one aspect of the employee - talent acquisition, talent engagement, talent development and so on. No one seems to be seeing the whole human being!
Feverish HR outsourcing, recourse to self-help technologies, emphasis on managerial responsibility for people and other such actions are also making HR more and more disconnected from people.
The modern HR manager has fewer and fewer touch points with his or her employees and this does not seem to cause any worry. Right from selection interviews to exit interviews, external service providers are taking over.
Mistaking a `Talent mind-set' for a `people mind-set'
HR is now called talent management and HR professionals prefix or suffix these words to their titles. Many believe that this gives the function and the professional a greater sense of purpose.
The only problem is that "Human" is now missing not only in spirit but also in "letter"!
The way the term talent is used also gives me the sense that HR is in the business of materials management and not in the business of people!
While the urgency to compete and establish supremacy in the labour market is high, the orientation seems more mechanistic and less humanistic.
Less science more techniques
Many of today's HR professionals lack knowledge about the basic science of human behaviour which forms the edifice for understanding people and their motives.
On the other hand they are overwhelmed with what today's HR consulting firms dish out - talent assessments methodologies, engagement models, criteria for becoming the "best in the list" and so on.
A sound grounding in the science of human behaviour would have helped today's HR professionals diagnose people issues better and strike a better balance between business demands and people's needs. Without this understanding of people, the empathy and concern are hard to come by.
The HR profession is undoubtedly under a lot of pressure given that most of today's business problems revolve around people. Merely being the warm and fuzzy guy around will not do. Giving up the people agenda altogether will not do either!
So... .
Let's get in touch with our own humanness
Let's understand the people behind the talent
Let's reconnect with these people as people
(The author is the founder and CEO of totus consulting, a strategic HR consulting firm that designs and implements systems and processes for organisations across diverse industries. He can be reached at
)
From India, Pune
101Am extremly sorry for delayed response.. :D
May we suggest that you re-work on the exit interview process to assess whether you are getting the genuine feedback and many times would be ex-employees give general answers..
Less appreciation by seniors :
It is very subjective and grey area to work on..if it were so then HR doesn;t need the feedback from employees..it should be visible ! :D
I think you(HR) should be able to judge it from the day to day workplace observations..
This reminds of the article i just read today on " Are HR Professionals in the people Business any longer ? " Really hillarious one but a true picture of the state of HR processes in today's world which appeared in the Hindu paper which says..
"As a human resource consultant, I have had the unenviable task (on more than one occasion) of introducing my clients' HR manager to their own employees! If you find this hard to believe try this test - ask a random sample of employees in any large organisation to list the names of their HR team members. If they do pass this test, ask them if they have seen them at least once, face-to-face. If they pass this test too, they are blessed."
Rest is reproduced at the end of this posting..
Here what we would suggest is that you have to focus on the culture on Manager catching the employees doing the RIGHT things!..which requires the MINDSET change on the part of the supervisors
Therefore incorporate the following :-
1. Employee of the month scheme.
2. Make sure that your frontline & second tier of employees who are important drivers of the business get the opportunity to meet the HODs or the CEO on a one to one basis say for lunch atleast once a month.
3. If there is less appreciation by the supervisors - then may be you need to analyse the same as they charity begins at the top( or home). Discuss the same with the Top Management highlighting this factor as how they impact the attrition rate and the company's bottomline!.
4. HR to be actively alert to the latent & pressing needs of the organizations.
Hope these provide some pointers..
Regards,
Rajat Joshi
Are HR professionals in the people business any longer?
Ganesh Chella
A sound grounding in the science of human behaviour will help today's HR professionals diagnose people issues better and strike a better balance between business demands and people's needs.
As a human resource consultant, I have had the unenviable task (on more than one occasion) of introducing my clients' HR manager to their own employees! If you find this hard to believe try this test - ask a random sample of employees in any large organisation to list the names of their HR team members. If they do pass this test, ask them if they have seen them at least once, face-to-face. If they pass this test too, they are blessed. The rest may read on ...
The reason for the `invisibility' that I have implied in the example is the fundamental shift in the way today's HR professionals are seeing their roles. They seem to be taking a "hard" and "business like" view of their roles to the exclusion of the "softer" championship, advocacy and connect dimensions. As a result, many of today's HR professionals are not dealing with "people" as "people" and that is worrying.
While the transformation of HR as a serious partner in today's business environment is welcome, leaving behind the "humanness" is not. While HR professionals are busy designing and implementing programmes that are intended to benefit people, their current mode of relating with people seems to be what psychologists would call "agentic" ¡ª a cold approach, caring less about their feelings but more about what one wants from them.
This is what has prompted me to ask if HR professionals are in the people business any longer?
The five drivers
I see five factors driving this new "HR attitude towards people".
The preoccupation with becoming a strategic partner
It looks like some HR folks read only parts of Dave Ulrich's landmark book. While he spoke with as much gusto about the employee champion role as he did about the strategic partner role, most seem to consider the latter more attractive. In fact, the preoccupation is so severe that "being in touch with employees" is seen as totally non-strategic.
In my opinion, being champions and advocates is indeed strategic. It is for this reason that HR professionals were traditionally groomed in the "employee relations" role before being moved into "corporate" roles.
The frustration with the lack of reciprocity
In the past, the people-friendly attitude and actions of the HR professional met with a fair amount of reciprocity from the employees. Using the depth of this relationship, HR leaders were able to solve sticky people problems, negotiate with unions and hire and retain employees. In the emerging employment arrangements that we are witnessing, the relationship and persuasive powers of the HR Manager is unable to match the harsh forces of the labour market.
This is obviously leading to a certain level of frustration and anger among the HR folks with employees and their attitudes. The empathy and Theory Y assumptions needed among HR professionals to deal with the situation are not evident. Nor is there reflection about how they seem to have contributed to these changing (read bad) employee attitudes!
Disconnected by design
As organisations scale like never before, HR professionals have to spread themselves thinner than ever before. Spread thin beyond a point, HR presence becomes meaningless and leads to complete disconnect. The need for focus and specialisation is also driving the HR functions into silos. Like the super-specialist medical professional, each vertical within the HR looks only at one aspect of the employee - talent acquisition, talent engagement, talent development and so on. No one seems to be seeing the whole human being!
Feverish HR outsourcing, recourse to self-help technologies, emphasis on managerial responsibility for people and other such actions are also making HR more and more disconnected from people.
The modern HR manager has fewer and fewer touch points with his or her employees and this does not seem to cause any worry. Right from selection interviews to exit interviews, external service providers are taking over.
Mistaking a `Talent mind-set' for a `people mind-set'
HR is now called talent management and HR professionals prefix or suffix these words to their titles. Many believe that this gives the function and the professional a greater sense of purpose.
The only problem is that "Human" is now missing not only in spirit but also in "letter"!
The way the term talent is used also gives me the sense that HR is in the business of materials management and not in the business of people!
While the urgency to compete and establish supremacy in the labour market is high, the orientation seems more mechanistic and less humanistic.
Less science more techniques
Many of today's HR professionals lack knowledge about the basic science of human behaviour which forms the edifice for understanding people and their motives.
On the other hand they are overwhelmed with what today's HR consulting firms dish out - talent assessments methodologies, engagement models, criteria for becoming the "best in the list" and so on.
A sound grounding in the science of human behaviour would have helped today's HR professionals diagnose people issues better and strike a better balance between business demands and people's needs. Without this understanding of people, the empathy and concern are hard to come by.
The HR profession is undoubtedly under a lot of pressure given that most of today's business problems revolve around people. Merely being the warm and fuzzy guy around will not do. Giving up the people agenda altogether will not do either!
So... .
Let's get in touch with our own humanness
Let's understand the people behind the talent
Let's reconnect with these people as people
(The author is the founder and CEO of totus consulting, a strategic HR consulting firm that designs and implements systems and processes for organisations across diverse industries. He can be reached at
From India, Pune
Hi Rajat,
This article has really helped me out in enhancing my final year project on recruitment and selection. Can you suggest some relative points on recruitment and selection of an IT industry.
Thanks & Regards,
Radhika
From India, Hyderabad
This article has really helped me out in enhancing my final year project on recruitment and selection. Can you suggest some relative points on recruitment and selection of an IT industry.
Thanks & Regards,
Radhika
From India, Hyderabad
Hi Rajat,
Since this subject is close to your heart..thought i share this news/trend on the same.
Regards,
Bhawana
HR Must Think Beyond Boundaries
Attrition is a reality and HR now has to shift focus from battling attrition to retention of key talent. With a shortfall of 15-20 pct expected in mid-level managers, HR should seriously consider effective retention methods and let go of the bottom 5-10 pct that are leaving the company, said Mr Ahmed Ali, Managing Director, Cornucopia, a Bangalore-based HR consultancy firm.
He was speaking at a seminar on `Retention — Biggest Business Challenge', organised by the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Bangalore. Mr Rajeeva Kumar, Director, Omam Consultants, who presented survey data on a compensation study, said that variable pay is increasingly becoming a bigger component of the salary of Indian executives. "Senior and top management receive the highest percentage of variable pay (17-30 pct). Variable pay has increased across sectors this year: in banking from 13 to 24 pct, in IT from 13 to 18 pct, manufacturing from 10 to 16 pct, FMCG from 14 to 18 pct."
Source: 03-03-07 The Hindu Business Line New Delhi Edition
From India, Mumbai
Since this subject is close to your heart..thought i share this news/trend on the same.
Regards,
Bhawana
HR Must Think Beyond Boundaries
Attrition is a reality and HR now has to shift focus from battling attrition to retention of key talent. With a shortfall of 15-20 pct expected in mid-level managers, HR should seriously consider effective retention methods and let go of the bottom 5-10 pct that are leaving the company, said Mr Ahmed Ali, Managing Director, Cornucopia, a Bangalore-based HR consultancy firm.
He was speaking at a seminar on `Retention — Biggest Business Challenge', organised by the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Bangalore. Mr Rajeeva Kumar, Director, Omam Consultants, who presented survey data on a compensation study, said that variable pay is increasingly becoming a bigger component of the salary of Indian executives. "Senior and top management receive the highest percentage of variable pay (17-30 pct). Variable pay has increased across sectors this year: in banking from 13 to 24 pct, in IT from 13 to 18 pct, manufacturing from 10 to 16 pct, FMCG from 14 to 18 pct."
Source: 03-03-07 The Hindu Business Line New Delhi Edition
From India, Mumbai
Hi Rajat,
Thanks for such a useful article. I am new to the this site and really happy and surprised to see the co-operation of members towards each other.
I was searching for a website specifically for HR professionals for a long time. And finally I got this one.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks & Regards,
Priyanka.
From India, Delhi
Thanks for such a useful article. I am new to the this site and really happy and surprised to see the co-operation of members towards each other.
I was searching for a website specifically for HR professionals for a long time. And finally I got this one.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks & Regards,
Priyanka.
From India, Delhi
Dear Mr. Joshi,
Greetings of the day..
Please help me with this issue;when i ask my line staff/managers to recognize or thank their people.
Managers say, “Why should I recognize or thank him? He’s just doing his job.” And, life at work is busy, busy, busy....et all
Yes, we gave Employee Recognition Systems & policies in place..
Regards,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Greetings of the day..
Please help me with this issue;when i ask my line staff/managers to recognize or thank their people.
Managers say, “Why should I recognize or thank him? He’s just doing his job.” And, life at work is busy, busy, busy....et all
Yes, we gave Employee Recognition Systems & policies in place..
Regards,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Hello Rajat:
Greetings of the day and hope thatyou are feeling better :)
Please help me with this issue;when i ask my line staff/managers to recognize or thank their people.
Managers say, “Why should I recognize or thank him? He’s just doing his job.” And, life at work is busy, busy, busy....et all
Yes, we have Employee Recognition Systems & policies in place..
Regards,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Greetings of the day and hope thatyou are feeling better :)
Please help me with this issue;when i ask my line staff/managers to recognize or thank their people.
Managers say, “Why should I recognize or thank him? He’s just doing his job.” And, life at work is busy, busy, busy....et all
Yes, we have Employee Recognition Systems & policies in place..
Regards,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Hi Bhawana,
My ideas have helped you and please share the results with us.
Regards,
Rajat
Dear all,
The prophetic words of Winston Churchill when Britain agreed to give freedom to India sometimes ring true :D ..especially when you find Govt interfering in the operations of the private sector especially when they can't put their own house in order and issues like Ram sethu seems a priority..read on
Don't demean BPO staff, leave personal lives untouched: Nasscom
Software industry body Nasscom on Friday reacted sharply to the reported statement of Health Minister A Ramadoss on the habits and health hazards of employees in the BPO sector, saying the government should not interfere in personal lives of the people.
"Nasscom is deeply distressed by the comments, as reported in the media made by the Minister of Health. This is a generalised slur on half a million youngsters working in this industry," the association said in a statement.
It said that allegations of bad diet, excessive smoking and drinking were "exaggerations that demean BPO employees". Personal lifestyle of adults is for them to choose as long as it is within the law, Nasscom said.
"We no not think it is for companies or the government to interfere in the personal life of adult Indians," it said.
ITeS-BPO exports rose 33.5 per cent at USD 8.4 billion in 2006-07 and expected to rise to 10.5-11 billion dollar this fiscal, according to Nasscom projections.
The IT-ITeS industry is the largest and fastest-growing employer in the organised sector. It directly employs more than 1.6 million and has indirectly created job opportunities for an additional 6 million people in related industries.
Ramadoss is reported to have expressed shock at the young BPO workers facing health hazards at the workplace and lifestyle leading to heart attacks and other major ailments.
"We are, therefore, finalising a blueprint of India's first dedicated health policy for the BPO sector," he was quoted as saying in a newspaper report.
From India, Pune
My ideas have helped you and please share the results with us.
Regards,
Rajat
Dear all,
The prophetic words of Winston Churchill when Britain agreed to give freedom to India sometimes ring true :D ..especially when you find Govt interfering in the operations of the private sector especially when they can't put their own house in order and issues like Ram sethu seems a priority..read on
Don't demean BPO staff, leave personal lives untouched: Nasscom
Software industry body Nasscom on Friday reacted sharply to the reported statement of Health Minister A Ramadoss on the habits and health hazards of employees in the BPO sector, saying the government should not interfere in personal lives of the people.
"Nasscom is deeply distressed by the comments, as reported in the media made by the Minister of Health. This is a generalised slur on half a million youngsters working in this industry," the association said in a statement.
It said that allegations of bad diet, excessive smoking and drinking were "exaggerations that demean BPO employees". Personal lifestyle of adults is for them to choose as long as it is within the law, Nasscom said.
"We no not think it is for companies or the government to interfere in the personal life of adult Indians," it said.
ITeS-BPO exports rose 33.5 per cent at USD 8.4 billion in 2006-07 and expected to rise to 10.5-11 billion dollar this fiscal, according to Nasscom projections.
The IT-ITeS industry is the largest and fastest-growing employer in the organised sector. It directly employs more than 1.6 million and has indirectly created job opportunities for an additional 6 million people in related industries.
Ramadoss is reported to have expressed shock at the young BPO workers facing health hazards at the workplace and lifestyle leading to heart attacks and other major ailments.
"We are, therefore, finalising a blueprint of India's first dedicated health policy for the BPO sector," he was quoted as saying in a newspaper report.
From India, Pune
Dear Mr Joshi,
Trust this post finds you in the best of spirits. :D
Please advise me as i have recieved an offer from a reputed manufacturing firm and the key assignment is to work on retention strategies and implementation. They are facing 35 % attrition rate.
Please advice whether my limited experience in BPO industry would be relevant and help me to take on this assignment.
Thanks,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Trust this post finds you in the best of spirits. :D
Please advise me as i have recieved an offer from a reputed manufacturing firm and the key assignment is to work on retention strategies and implementation. They are facing 35 % attrition rate.
Please advice whether my limited experience in BPO industry would be relevant and help me to take on this assignment.
Thanks,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Hi Bhawana,
Am traveling at the moment and I would not be able to respond to your question in detail and be elaborate.
I refer to your query whether your experience on Retention Strategy in BPO Industry would be helpful in the new assignment viz Manufacturing sector.
Well, it¡¯s difficult this question right away as it depends on two factors :
1.Your experience and expertise on Retention Strategies gained in BPO Sector
2. Your would be company¡¯s work culture and the support you get from the Top Management ¨C here I would lay emphasis on the dyadic relationships.
Retention strategies is no rocket sciences and the cornerstone of retaining staff is based on 3 R¡¯s viz Respect, Recognition and Rewards. These should be aimed to make the organization ¨C a great place to work!
One needs to be in sync with the organization¡¯s dynamics as one cannot write the strategies in Ivory Tower! Also one needs to develop the good working relationship with the Top Management to convince of the same and very well understand the nuances of the organizational dynamics.
Let me share an example, if you come across the profile of the employee in the job portal, first thing you should do is to have a discussion with his/her supervisor about his performance and possible reasons for a change. Assess the same first in detail and then have an interview with the aforesaid employee with a plan in mind as what should the company do to make their stay at the company worthwhile with a win-win situation. Please remember compensation is not always the topmost reason !.
Best wishes in your new assignment!.
Regards,
Rajat Joshi
From India, Pune
Am traveling at the moment and I would not be able to respond to your question in detail and be elaborate.
I refer to your query whether your experience on Retention Strategy in BPO Industry would be helpful in the new assignment viz Manufacturing sector.
Well, it¡¯s difficult this question right away as it depends on two factors :
1.Your experience and expertise on Retention Strategies gained in BPO Sector
2. Your would be company¡¯s work culture and the support you get from the Top Management ¨C here I would lay emphasis on the dyadic relationships.
Retention strategies is no rocket sciences and the cornerstone of retaining staff is based on 3 R¡¯s viz Respect, Recognition and Rewards. These should be aimed to make the organization ¨C a great place to work!
One needs to be in sync with the organization¡¯s dynamics as one cannot write the strategies in Ivory Tower! Also one needs to develop the good working relationship with the Top Management to convince of the same and very well understand the nuances of the organizational dynamics.
Let me share an example, if you come across the profile of the employee in the job portal, first thing you should do is to have a discussion with his/her supervisor about his performance and possible reasons for a change. Assess the same first in detail and then have an interview with the aforesaid employee with a plan in mind as what should the company do to make their stay at the company worthwhile with a win-win situation. Please remember compensation is not always the topmost reason !.
Best wishes in your new assignment!.
Regards,
Rajat Joshi
From India, Pune
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Effective employee retention strategies-BPO. doc
Attrition Control and Retention Strategies for Changing times.ppt