Dear friends,
I received the following Q. from one HR person, I thought of putting it before all of you to respond:
"I have recently joined a MNC. During interview I was asked to join with in a week of offer to which I expressed the inability because I was supposed to serve a notice period of two months. I requested that in case they want me to join immediately; they should pay for my notice period. HR refused to accept because of having no such policy. However, being tempted by the Co. brand , I joined within a week though spoiled the relationship with the previous co. and also lost notice pay. After joining,I came to know that co. was having such a policy of reimbursing the notice pay. I felt cheated. When I asked my senior HR , why they told lie to me in interview, he smiled and said, it was a negotiation game, wherein we won and you lost. How do you view this negotiation game by HR?"
Regds
From India, Delhi
181I received the following Q. from one HR person, I thought of putting it before all of you to respond:
"I have recently joined a MNC. During interview I was asked to join with in a week of offer to which I expressed the inability because I was supposed to serve a notice period of two months. I requested that in case they want me to join immediately; they should pay for my notice period. HR refused to accept because of having no such policy. However, being tempted by the Co. brand , I joined within a week though spoiled the relationship with the previous co. and also lost notice pay. After joining,I came to know that co. was having such a policy of reimbursing the notice pay. I felt cheated. When I asked my senior HR , why they told lie to me in interview, he smiled and said, it was a negotiation game, wherein we won and you lost. How do you view this negotiation game by HR?"
Regds
From India, Delhi
Dear Mr Anil Kaushik,
It would be foolhardiness to call it as a game of negotiations. The gentleman who call this as incident as "negotiations", must not have iota of idea of what negotiations are! .
The job applicant was needy and company has taken undue advantage of applicant's neediness. During the interview, the interviewer must have gauged the impatience of the job candidate. The company has harnessed this impatience to their advantage.
Following are the interpretations of the incident:
a) Any policy that is made for the organisation, has to be applied consistently. Inconsistent application leads to the frustration and lowering down of the employee morale. While HR might have saved the cost of notice period, could HR calculate the cost of the low morale of the job candidate?
b) HR is custodian of the organisation's culture. Through informal communication the newly joined employee will spread this message in his own network. Generally informal communication is accepted at its face value. This incident will create atmosphere of distrust in the company. What would be the cost of the environment distrust? Can HR calculate that?
c) Organisations grow because of the innovative ideas by the employee. The newly joined employee has started on a bitter note. With this bitterness in mind, will this employee come up with the innovative ideas? If not, then what would be the cost of lost opportunities? Can HR calculate that?
d) Rather than that negotiation, it is a game of skulduggery. The incident could be reflection of the valueless culture that prevails in the company. The cheated employee could start counting his days in the company. The incident has sowed seeds of attrition. What would be cost of future attrition, could HR calculate that?
Final comments: - It is a well known fact that HR in general, is unable to do the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA). It is lack of this business acumen holds their growth back and hardly any HR becomes CEO. Let us think for a while that there was pressure from top to play tricks of this kind. However, rather than doing proper CBA and anticipating future costs, HR has played at the hands of the top management. While there could be personal gain of HR in such case, it has comes at the expense of the organisation.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
It would be foolhardiness to call it as a game of negotiations. The gentleman who call this as incident as "negotiations", must not have iota of idea of what negotiations are! .
The job applicant was needy and company has taken undue advantage of applicant's neediness. During the interview, the interviewer must have gauged the impatience of the job candidate. The company has harnessed this impatience to their advantage.
Following are the interpretations of the incident:
a) Any policy that is made for the organisation, has to be applied consistently. Inconsistent application leads to the frustration and lowering down of the employee morale. While HR might have saved the cost of notice period, could HR calculate the cost of the low morale of the job candidate?
b) HR is custodian of the organisation's culture. Through informal communication the newly joined employee will spread this message in his own network. Generally informal communication is accepted at its face value. This incident will create atmosphere of distrust in the company. What would be the cost of the environment distrust? Can HR calculate that?
c) Organisations grow because of the innovative ideas by the employee. The newly joined employee has started on a bitter note. With this bitterness in mind, will this employee come up with the innovative ideas? If not, then what would be the cost of lost opportunities? Can HR calculate that?
d) Rather than that negotiation, it is a game of skulduggery. The incident could be reflection of the valueless culture that prevails in the company. The cheated employee could start counting his days in the company. The incident has sowed seeds of attrition. What would be cost of future attrition, could HR calculate that?
Final comments: - It is a well known fact that HR in general, is unable to do the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA). It is lack of this business acumen holds their growth back and hardly any HR becomes CEO. Let us think for a while that there was pressure from top to play tricks of this kind. However, rather than doing proper CBA and anticipating future costs, HR has played at the hands of the top management. While there could be personal gain of HR in such case, it has comes at the expense of the organisation.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
Concurring with the views of Mr.Dinesh, I add that the action of HR raises questions about the ethical culture of the organisation and more precisely the HR..The very basis of any negotiation is to achieve a win-win situation to both the parties and therefore, has necessarily to be based on ethics and mutual trust to achieve it.In the instant case, it is not negotiation but a treachery and dirty tricking.There is no scope for dirty tricks in negotiation.The organisation might have got the employee but it may not retain him for long because it lost his confidence and trust.Such actions dent employer reputation and branding in the market.The HR is wholly unprofessional and unethical.
B.Saikumar
HR & Labour Law advisor
Navi Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
B.Saikumar
HR & Labour Law advisor
Navi Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
Thanks for the valuable sharing of both Mr. Dinesh & Mr. Sai
I do agree all your views that you have shared. The way that the HR shouldn't have done so. He should have disclosed with the candidate & later he should have negotiated to come across the win-win situation.
I do want to share my views on the candidate too. The practice that the candidate did is also not accepted. How can a candidate quit from the job with in 1 week & join new organisation because of the brand? Doesn't he have roles & responsibilities to ensure smooth exit process? That too being a HR Professional he shouldn't have done so and I strongly disagree his appointment. What is the guarantee he/she may behave the same way in the current organisation also by quitting the organisation with out giving reasonable time?
From India, Bangalore
I do agree all your views that you have shared. The way that the HR shouldn't have done so. He should have disclosed with the candidate & later he should have negotiated to come across the win-win situation.
I do want to share my views on the candidate too. The practice that the candidate did is also not accepted. How can a candidate quit from the job with in 1 week & join new organisation because of the brand? Doesn't he have roles & responsibilities to ensure smooth exit process? That too being a HR Professional he shouldn't have done so and I strongly disagree his appointment. What is the guarantee he/she may behave the same way in the current organisation also by quitting the organisation with out giving reasonable time?
From India, Bangalore
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