HR by Choice - Why does HR exist??

I was trained in HR however my HR career started with a question –why does HR exist. Answer was obvious – to give their best to the organisation and as a result both grow. Years passed by, the formula that I had derived seemed to have worked. People loved me, so did the line managers and my bosses. I changed organisations, changed roles and had the opportunity to work across all divisions of HR –recruitment, training, compensation & benefits, succession planning, I did it all. And I loved my job.

Sometime during 2009 I got an opportunity to head the HR division of an ITES start up. This was my chance to create an HR function exactly the way I visualized it. Also the business was people intensive, with 80 per cent of the employees dealing directly with the customers, the right people or the lack of it could make or break the business.

First few months went by in building the team, training them and getting policies and processes in place. As the initial euphoria died down and we settled into every day operations, we realised that in the first eight months, we had over 60 per cent turnover. Despite competitive pay and benefits and a promise of relatively fast career growth, as compared other players in the industry, our employees were leaving. Something was amiss.

When I delved deeper, I found that employees were not happy and felt that they were not treated well. Most of them had left because of an altercation with the trainer or the manager for reasons as small as taking a sick leave, coming late by five minutes and so on. In a bid to create a company with high standards of operations and impeccable discipline we had given the impression that we just didn’t care. To make matters worse, 12 customer service associates of a process which had 25 people in total applied for a leave on the same day. It was Christmas and all of them had to attend the mass. I knew that no matter what I did, I could not have persuaded them to not go; also as per them, they had applied for the leave two months in advance which I was not informed about. As an interim solution, I suggested to get staff from other processes. However, the management and operations team refused saying that the employees should not be granted the leave and if they still go, they shouldn’t be allowed to return. The employees rebelled and resigned and we were short staffed by 50 per cent. While I managed to get replacements in 10 days, business suffered, employees were over worked and the impression that the company simply didn’t care was reinforced.

Once the issue was sorted, I decided to take it up with the management giving an argument that the company had exemplary practices and we didn’t deserve to not have the best people just because of the lack of sensitivity about people’s aspirations, beliefs and the problems that they faced. We had to care a little more and if we did that we will be invincible, unbeatable.
But the management didn’t understand that, I was asked to be thick skinned, not so approachable, replace people if they decide to leave and change my approach. I was told that I am too nice to be in HR.

Whether I continued with the organisation or not is another story but I did think about what I was told and I have still not been able to figure out, if I was being too nice, or I was thinking long term in favour of the business, because a business like ours simply cannot sustain without people, that too the best ones.

My first introduction to Kotagiri was through someone who had lived there and claimed that it was the prettiest place in the Nilgiris. Having visited Ooty and Coonoor earlier, I was surprised I hadn't heard of it. My interest was fuelled years later when I read an article about Longwood Shola, one of the few remaining shola forests in the Nilgiris, and saw that name again — Kotagiri. During the last week of June 2012, I visited Longwood and explored this little-known town.

                                                                                     Our first view of Kotagiri

 



Green Nest Resort

 

Kotagiri, home of the Kota tribes and picturesque trekking trails, lies below the busy town of Ooty and above the growing town of Coonoor. We checked in at Green Nest resorts, a quiet homestay run by two young brothers who plied us with scrumptious food at regular intervals. This is indeed a very pleasant place to stay and irrestibly beautiful. This is the place where the Blue Mountains turn Green. Its located in the middle of Green Tea plantation like its name states (Green Nest Resorts), with its out of the world views and superb state of the art facilities and a great get away spot which can be enjoyed thoroughly.  

 

We set off to the St Catherine Falls, Aravenu. It involved a walk up to one of those quaint viewing huts that are found throughout the Ghats and offered a splendid view of the rugged hills and the 250-ft jet of water gushing down the mountain. In the evening, we drove to Kannerimukku, home of the first European resident of the Nilgiris, John Sullivan, the then Collector of Coimbatore. He built this bungalow in 1819, and then went on to build Ooty. The bungalow itself has a rich history -- it changed hands many times and was used as a summer home, godown, village school, cattle shed and was finally renovated and opened to the public in 2002. It showcases some ancient photographs, tribal art, implements used by the Kotas, Badagas, Todas and other tribes of the Niligiris. It even stocks the Nilgiris' very own and rather impressive magazine -- Bluest Heaven. We were then taken around the village and were shown the Panchayat-style meeting place of the villagers -- a giant tree. Badaga women gathered at their doorsteps, made conversation and even invited us for a cup of tea.  

                   

Ketty Valley

 

For old times' sake, we decided to visit Coonoor the next day. We stopped on the way to see the Ralliah Dam, which was closed. A narrow trail led into a thick, silent forest which was completely deserted, offering an exhilarating hike. After lunching at Coonoor, we drove past Wellington and its famous Gymkhana Club and made our way upwards to the Ketti Valley View Point near Ooty. From there, one can see all the Badaga villages nestled in the valley, and the trail of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway -- "where Chaiyya Chaiyya was shot" -- our guide supplied helpfully.

The Kodanad View Point was the high point of our trip, literally. Tea estates sprung up from the clouds on either side of the route in an unending expanse of green. We saw a lot of uniformed men on the road and learnt that Kodanad was Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa's summer retreat. We reached the view point after having heard for a few minutes the driver and guide debate about the number of rooms in her bungalow. A few plain clothesmen (who informed us they were Jayalalithaa's guards on their day off) suggested we wait for a while -- and in about half an hour, the mist lifted, unveiling to us a view that exhausts superlatives.

The Mysore Plateau spread out before us, the green of the Thengumarahada forest extended up to the soft velvety mountains (the "folding hills"), the Rangasamy Peak stood out like a guardian, the mighty muddy-green Moyar river flowed through the plain and the white lines of the Catherine Falls cut through the brown rock. We took in this scene in a meditative silence. Suddenly, I saw two brown moving blobs in a clearing.

"Elephants!" I yelled, waving at them impulsively. "Haha," said the men politely, "you're seeing cows." Grabbing the camera frantically, I zoomed in, and one could see that they were quite unmistakably a bunch of elephants strolling in the sunshine. We took a couple of photos, and before we knew it, a thick fog descended on the mountain and the view was gone.

Early morning in the Nilgiris, and the vegetation is covered with needles of icy frost. This flower is glazed with a coating of it. The temperature at 8 AM on a June morning was 16 degrees Celsius. 

Kotagiri shows you a side of the Nilgiris which you might not have seen earlier. Away from thee commercial hustle-bustle of the other hill stations, it gives you a chance to experience the mountains at your own pace, like a local and not a tourist.



 

Soon after Roger Federer's historic collapse, the hysteria began. The beginning of the end. His last great chance to win Wimbledon. Yep, just more hyperbolic moments in the life of the "Slam King". 


This is nothing new, of course. With every win, the rhetoric revolves around Federer's rejuvenation. With every loss, panic overcomes his legion of fanatics. Has there ever been a player whose entire future is redefined over and over by a single match?


Federer has bestowed us with too many lasting images to remember. But perhaps it's now time for him to give back. Yes, the scrutinized Swiss owes Novak Djokovic a heartfelt thank-you letter.

Because the newly minted world No. 1 might very well play the primary role in deciding which player, Federer or Rafael Nadal, ends his career with more majors. Djokovic, as we've all witnessed in awe for months, is heads above the rest in this new paradigm of all-court command. His ability to turn defense into offense and then produce remarkable shot-making is slowing down Nadal's quest to catch Federer in the Slam department.

The next two or three years are imperative for Nadal. The rate at which he is catching Federer has been alarming. Nadal, who trails Federer by six majors (16-10), is four years younger than his rival -- a world of difference in the life of a tennis player. With Nadal's mastery of Federer through the years, it appeared only health concerns would slow down Nadal from unseating Federer as the all-time best. Now, Nadal has his own nemesis to contend with. And if this season is any kind of indication, Federer will remain perched atop the pantheon of greatness a lot longer than we thought months ago. Maybe even permanently.

Every Djokovic major is one fewer for Nadal, which, of course, means the somewhat comfortable gap at the moment will remain intact.

Nothing is a foregone conclusion, though. The success of even the best tennis players is more fleeting than that of athletes in many other sports. Federer and Nadal are a rare breed who are innately motivated to win over long periods of time but also adroit enough to adapt to new challenges, even if just subtle at times.

Djokovic, despite a smashing season, has a dubious track record. He regressed quite considerably after his first Grand Slam title three years ago in Melbourne. But he's matured, as we've all seen. And there's little indication to suggest he'll encounter the same travails again. But even if he does go on to win the U.S. Open, it's still just a single stretch of domination.

All that success will lead to even loftier expectations. And those expectations will produce pressure. Does Djokovic have the stamina to maintain this pace for the long haul? It's not hard to believe he won't right now, considering the number of titles he already owns this season and, more so, the manner in which he's won those titles. But it's a mental burden. It's also physically taxing.

However, two things are for certain: Djokovic's amazing year is lifting his legacy. It just might preserve Federer's as well.

Emotional Atyachar @ Work

Recently I've read through Rashmi Bansal's case for building "emotional gyms" in today's workplace for HR to deal with Emotional Atyachar and moving beyond it. I slowly realized the fact that office romance is fairly common as office is the place where we spend so much of time these days and corporate houses are tracking a new concept called "Office Spouse" because of increased dependency on each other as office colleagues, seeking emotional support.

Being a HR practitioner myself I've had plenty of these personal experiences earlier and gone through some rough patches in life which made me to understand that such relationships will end up in forcing us to a mental trauma and thus creating more problems for self and the family. Let us understand the whole concept of Emotional Atyachar at work.......        

Once upon a time, men came to office, did the work they had to, and went home at 6 o clock in the evening. There, a hot meal and unconditional acceptance (if not necessarily 'love') could always be counted on.

They worked for money and got emotional support at home. But hey, that was then.

Today, there is no guarantee of that hot meal or unconditional anything, coz women are working, or following the daily soaps.

Besides, you don't work just for money. You work for your life to be thrilling, meaningful, and full of tangible achievements. You must be recognised, praised, rewarded, respected, even loved for this act of showing up and doing your work.

When life at home is shitty, you take refuge in your office. Sometimes, that works. You live in a fantasy world where this is your family, and so you cross that lakshmanrekha - and share your secret world.

But let's say life at office is equally shitty. And you don't have a boss or colleagues for emotional support. You escape from home to be trapped in office. You escape from office, only to enter the torture chamber you call 'home'.

There are millions of people out there in this horrible situation. And they simply don't know how to get off this Misery Merry Go Round.

If you're lucky, you have a bipolar mind where no matter what pins and needles are stuck in your heart, your mind continues to function and you are able to 'deliver' at work.

If you can't, well then, at some point your job will be in danger. And then, things will only get worse.

Yes, it's all very depressing but the worst of it is, it's like second hand smoke. An 'innocent bystander' can also get depressed, when he or she becomes exposed to your toxic emotions, constantly.

Your problem thus becomes everyone's problem. The world itself becomes sooty, coughy and grey.

Some Interesting Articles: HR, Social Business

Eric Garland thinks HR systems and processes are at odds with the demands of innovation and creative destruction. And I think he's right. HR focusses on how do we hire/promote/develop people based on what has worked in the past. Which could be a huge reason why successful companies fall into the Innovator's dilemma. What do you think? I'm currently with a leading French company in Chennai and started negotiating on how to change the trends followed by them all these years in terms of employee engagement and their sustainability in an Organization. 

Oscar Berg writes how in today's increasingly virtual workplace corporate social networking helps employees build strong personal networks that cut through silos.

McKinsey’s new survey research finds that companies using the Web intensively gain greater market share and higher margins. A new class of company is emerging—one that uses collaborative Web 2.0 technologies intensively to connect the internal efforts of employees and to extend the organization’s reach to customers, partners, and suppliers.

Prasad Kurian asks whether HR should stop worry about being a "strategic partner to business" and instead try and become "Architects of Meaning"

Did you know that the word "dynamic" was the most overused word in Indian job hunters' resumes - according to analytics by Linkedin. See some of the fun facts andother hackneyed phrases here.

And if you've ever worked in a toxic workplace you'll nod at the Gervais principle or recognise the Office according to The Office 

Happy reading!!!

Amplifying Strengths and Talents - HR's Achilles' Heel

So someone asked me "Why do people in organizations spend so much energy focusing on what is not there? Why don't they polish and make what's already there, and grow that? When customers pay you, they pay you for your strengths, not for what you're doing to remove your weakness".

I agree. We spend too much time, effort and energy focussing on "I lack this. This is my weakness" kind of thoughts. When we get feedback from our managers. Or when we give feedback to our subordinates.

I remember when I had read Marcus Buckingham's book "First Break all the Rules" - he said the strengths based thinking is usually not transferred to organizations, because careers are not designed to maximise on strengths. In the book he gave an example of a law firm, and how when a lawyer grows in his/her career- the focus sharpens from a generic area to a specific area. Compare that to a typical corporate career where people usually see an expansion in their skills - and therefore the need to develop newer and newer skills - until they hit what is known as the Peter's principle.

The way to really leverage the concept of strengths in an organization is to look at not one's career path and therefore a pyramid, but a multitude of alternate career paths, taking off from each role. Giving rise to fractal career ladders.

Such careers will not just leverage each employee's inherent strengths but also contribute to the organizational knowledge and innovation, reducing the need of people to blend in - and encouraging their individuality.

The question is: are organizations really mature enough to embrace the creativity and the chaos that this calls for?

Responsibility of Employees Towards An Organization

The new and existing employees that are hired in an organization have a certain responsibility towards the organization, society, and the nation, at large. Therefore, it is important to induct the ‘right’ employees in the organization. The traits that these employees personify include teamwork, integrity, commitment, and work ethic.

Roles & Responsibilities Of Employees

1. Do Early Homework: Every employee is responsible for understanding the work allotted and determining if it is appropriate for him. He/she should make sure whether he/she has mastered the skills required to perform the task completely. If he/she is not sure about how to handle the work allotted to them they should talk with their superiors and get suggestions and directions in fulfilling the work allotted to him/her. This will help the employee in building good relations with not only their superiors also with their colleagues.

2. Plan with the Manager: Having a proper work schedule or time table for the work allotted to the employee helps the employee in Time Management and reaching the deadlines in time Also, when a new work is allotted

3. Use Available Resources and take responsibility: The employees should have sense of responsibility towards the resources of the Organization. As a part of the Organization every employee is equally responsible for the long life of the existing resources, for which smooth usage and suggestions for usage is required, which in case is not provided should be requested for.
4. Participation: Active listening and participation in teams will ensure that all employees become good team players and work with unity towards common goals of the Organization. Whenever a new work is being allotted all the Employees should be eager enough to take the initiative rather than trying to avoid newer tasks. This will facilitate in employees learning new skills and reaching the Organizational goals with much effectiveness.

5. Be Punctual And Regular: The Prime responsibilities of every employee must be Punctuality and Regularity. You can be better organized by being punctual and regular. Unwanted and unexpected work delays can be dealt effectively.

6. Cleanliness is Next To Godliness: One should maintain the cleanliness of their desk, and also premises of the Organization. If you and your premises are clean you will find it more encouraging to work and also it is convenient to work for other employees.

7. Washroom: Please use the washrooms bearing in mind that you are not the only person who is using it. See to it you don’t spill the water across the wash basin when you are using it same with the premises of wash room. Health and Hygiene of you and others should be your prime concern.

8. Cost Effectiveness: The employees should develop the habit of cost saving work style and put stress on waste control methods with maximum output.
9. Creative Thinking and Suggestions: The employee should always think upon the improvement of work efficiency and organizational development

Please be organized and contribute to the growth of the Organization. Everyone grows with the Organization. So, Organizational Growth is the Growth of individual and nation.