hr news & views aug | 2020
TRANSCRIPT
HR NEWS & VIEWS
AUG | 2020
SKILL BUILDING
HR INTERNATIONAL
CREATING
SYNERGY
HIRING METRICS
COMPANY UPDATES
CREATING SYNERGY
within human resources
Human Resources has evolved as animportant critical function across organization.
With this evolution also comes across thefunctionalization or segmentation of subfunctions with the time of specialists comingin place of generalists in workplace.
HOW IS IT IMPACTING THE CUSTOMERS ?
a quick study of pros and cons of the evolved
system…
The Evolution Cycle …
Personnel / Admin / HR
HR Generalist
HR Specialists
It has lead in creation of multiple subfunctions within HR and that all consolidateinto a Leading role of the function.
Today’s HR …
HR
Hiring
Complete Talent
acquisition
Business Partner
HR Business connect
Employee Engageme
nt
Training
Skill developme
nt and organizatio
nal building
HR Strategic
Compensation &
Benefits
Internal Communic
ations
HR Projects
HR Ops.
Transactional
Employee Life Cycle
management
Brings in greater depth today in respect to the individual subject matters and
experience.
How it operates …
• Each sub-function is driven by individualgoals and objectives
• Performance linked to goals make eachsub-function aggressive enough to strive forhigher benchmarks
• String internal competitiveness to prove it’sworth
• Operating in individual silos
Do we often face a issue in synergy amongst these teams ?
How is Customer impacted …
• HR needs to think from representing alarger team to Business (Customers)
• Customers strives to get a completeinformation at one place
• Either it is half baked information or noinformation
• Evidently visible that each sub function isnot linked / connected with other sub-function
Customer occasionally keeps struggling to find out where does the ownership lies ?
Key Challenge for Head HR …
• How does all the sub-functions talks thesame language
• How does the end customer get a one pointwindow for HR
• How does the expertise and knowledge ofeach sub-functions gets consolidatedtogether to strengthen HR group
• How can the response time be cut down
Customer needs speed, accuracy and efficiency and the evolved HR model which is
one of the good models compared to traditional approach has to enhance its
operational methodology to achieve this …
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EUROPE HR
Paul Strange
HR Consultant
THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS INEUROPE
Most European countries are nowcoming out of the lock-downconditions imposed by Governments.Employers that have been severelyrestricted are now free to restore fulloperations, should there be demandfor their good and services. A keydriver for these businesses is tostimulate consumer demand. Onlinedemand for products has beenhealthy, but demand for services –
the dominant sector - is missing.Now consumers are beingencouraged to go shopping again,though with face masks, handsanitisers, and social distancing rulesin place at all shopping venues. Someretail sectors have been closed almostcompletely during the lockdown –cinemas, theatres, fitness centres,etc. They need more Governmentsupport as they have not been as ableto adapt to the lockdown period withonline sales or alternative services.
HRINTERNATIONAL
In Europe, 40m workers on furlough schemes, under which much of the wagebill is picked up by governments while they are at home.
Few European countries can afford to sustain these state aid programmes forlong periods of time. Governments will need to target certain sectors orregions. For some countries, tourism will be the obvious sector to target.Others will prioritise manufacturing and construction, given that during thecurrent crisis industrial production in the Euro area has fallen by more than17%.
Employers will need to decide what the new level of operations will be for theAutumn period, and how many staff they will need. An academic study I readtoday predicts that 1 in 4 jobs have been lost on the lockdown period.
BLACK LIVES PROTEST CHALLENGES EMPLOYERS AGAIN
The killing of a black man in Minneapolis in May has provoked public proteststhroughout Europe. It has brought in to focus the rights of black people in allcountries, and other ethnic minorities. These protests have resonance incountries with a colonial history: The UK, France, and Belgium are examples.Organisations and employers are impacted by this debate. Organisations mustshow support for black and ethnic minority rights, and to reflect this in theirproduct or service advertising. For employers, there are new calls to putsome teeth into diversity policies which may be too passive. Employers areasked to be proactive in preventing discrimination and training their staff.Last year, The London Financial Times issued a ranking of European employersdemonstrating advances in diversity. They surveyed more than 80,000employees across 10,000 companies on diversity policies. Surveyed companieswere from a range of industries in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The indexlooked for “success in promoting all types of diversity, including genderbalance, disability, openness to all forms of sexual orientation, and an ethnicand social mix that reflects wider society, rather than just one aspect ofdiversity”.
A Dutch travel company topped the poll, followed by US multinational Colgate-Palmolive. Some scored particularly well on ethnicity, others on gender issues andage. Some countries are improving diversity because of demographic challenges.In Germany, diversity was not a hot topic a few years ago, but labour shortageshave changed attitudes recently. More migration into Germany has required it.
Changes to consumer tastes and opinions is one pressure on organisations tobecome more diverse, and labour and skills shortages are another. In the US,some employees are openly challenging their bosses to change internal policies.This has not been reproduced in Europe but is only a matter of time beforeemployees here begin to advocate for improved diversity in their own companies.
COMPANIES ASKED TO STOCK FACE MASKS FOR FUTURE PANDEMICS
French companies are being asked to stock at least 10 weeks supply of masks fortheir employees in case of a second wave of virus infections. Shortages of allkinds of masks were a major problem in March and April. Though this foresightmight not be all good planning.
The government is encouraging companies to buy from French textilemanufacturers who have a glut of masks after they switched to making them atgovernment request earlier in the pandemic. Textile and luxury goods companieswere requested to stop making fashions and, instead, make masks in April. Yet,imports from China are still readily available, and there is now a surplus of 20million masks.
The government minister for the economy told a parliamentary commission. “Weare asking companies to plan for 10 weeks of mask stocks, with a little reminderthat we now have French producers.”
TRUCKERS TO GET BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS
Patrick Ranocha, a Belgian truck driver who has 20 years’ experience of driving inEurope earns about € 3,500 gross per month. Belgium is close to many of themost important transport hubs in Europe – large airports such as LondonHeathrow and Amsterdam’s Schipol, and major ports such as Hamburg.
But Patrick thinks that the EU's 2004 enlargement to include many easternEuropean countries has made it harder for companies like his to remaincompetitive. Drivers coming from Eastern Europe, with a cheaper labour force,has really created unfair competition with the transporters established inBelgium, he thinks. Drivers from these countries are paid only a fifth of his wages.Many of these drivers spend months at a time on the road, mostly in westernEurope, living and working in their trucks. Rarely did they work in their homecountries.
The haulage industry in Europe has little recognition of country borders and is oneof the most openly competitive in the continent. The European Union’s openmarket policies are ideally suited to the industry where the major benefit is totransport goods across country borders as quickly as possible. However, Patrick’splight is being recognised by the EU. They have announced plan for a ‘MobilityPackage’, a set of new rules which will improve the working conditions but alsowill harder for trucks to operate in a foreign EU member state.
Drivers must go back to their country of origin every four weeks and will not beallowed to take their weekly rest inside their truck. Also, companies will need toprove that a substantial activity in the country where they are registered, andtheir trucks will have to return to that base every eight weeks.Overall, the new rules will improve working conditions and set new standards ofoperation that all hauliers must comply with.
BOREDOM AT WORK’ WINS €40,000 IN COURT CASE
I liked the story from France of an employee who was compensated or beingunderused at work. He claimed that the resulting boredom was a form ofharassment. The labour court agreed.
Frederic Desnard, from Paris, took his employer Interparfums, a luxury perfumemaker, to a labour court. Mr Desnard, a manager, was sidelined after thecompany lost a big contract in 2010. Under French labour laws it is difficult tomake employees redundant. Instead, they are often sidelined or shelved – called“mis à l’écart” – in the hope they will get bored and quit. Mr Desnard did not quitbut was only given menial tasks to do, such as escorting tradesmen at his boss'shome. The term ‘Boreout’ was coined in 2007 by two Swiss business consultants.The court used this term in its judgement, to explain that Mr Desnard wassuffering from a psychological disorder that causes physical illness.
HIRING METRICS
YATENDRA KUMAR – ESSEL GROUP – HEAD HR
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SKILL BUILDING
a study by RD Group
What are the various policies you have that encourages employees to enhancetheir skills
• Skill Development or Apprentice is more or less same but with differentapproach. The Companies need to focus on quality manpower for which SkillDevelopment Centers need to be build up to train quality manpower for futurecrisis.
• IDP• Focus Group, Calibrate Skill Matrix and linked to there development needs/goal• training policies• KRA Based Performance Appraisal System *HSE Meetings *Integrated QHSE
Systems• Employee engagement like Sports activity, sharing the gain & pain with
employees in the shop floor meeting, Appreciation for best performer of themonth, Birthday celebration.
• Reward & recognition• Some of the steps are:- Discuss and create a development plan during the
performance planning cycle Cross-training Provide timely behavioral feedbackon performance and discuss ways to improve and develop further Mentoring
• Career Advancement Policy
UPDATES
Amazon plans to relocate some employees out of Seattle
Amazon.com Inc. is offering Seattle-based employees a choice of smaller officesoutside the city, suggesting the Covid-19 outbreak and a new local employers taxhave pushed the e-commerce giant to consider alternatives to its hometown.In a message to employees Thursday, Amazon asked which communities nearSeattle -- including Tacoma and Redmond, Washington -- they’d prefer. The titleon the message, which was shared on Reddit and later deleted, was “officeworkplace options." Amazon declined to comment on the matter.
Amazon, which reported a total global workforce of almost 877,000 as of June 30,has been expanding beyond Seattle for years. It is building a second major officecentre in suburban Virginia near the nation’s capital and has satellite locations incities including New York, Austin and Los Angeles.
The company has threatened to focus employment growth outside Seattle due toa rocky relationship with city officials and new taxes imposed on big employers.The message suggests Amazon could significantly shrink its presence in itshometown, where it employs about 50,000 people in a mixture of offices it ownsand leases. In 2019, it announced it would relocate its worldwide operationsdivision, which oversees Amazon’s shipping and logistics, to nearby Bellevuewhere it currently employs 3,000 people.
Even before the pandemic, Amazon considered building more satellite officesoutside the city, according to a person familiar with the matter. The companyplans to expand its Bellevue offices, which it has had since 2017. Such locationsare seen as an amenity for employees tired of commuting to Seattle and as a wayto reduce the company’s exposure to the city’s taxes targeting big employers,said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.
Two years ago, Amazon helped defeat an effort in Seattle to raise money forhomeless services and affordable housing by levying a per-employee tax onlarge businesses. The “head tax" would have raised about $47 million a year.The political climate has since shifted against the company after Amazon’s bigspending on a Seattle City Council election backfired last year. In July, the councilpassed a new levy that will tax large businesses on employees who make at least$150,000 per year. The tax is expected to raise more than $200 million annuallyand cost Amazon even more than the earlier proposal. Source : livemint
Dubai businesses return to growth but not so good news on jobs front
Businesses in Dubai are benefiting from the lifting of lockdown restrictions, withforeign visitors allowed to enter the Middle East’s commercial hub from July 7The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, has kept contagion in checkafter easing many of measures imposed to stop the diseaseDubai’s non-oil economy expanded in July for the first time since its downturnbegan when the coronavirus pandemic upended travel and commerce. Source :Livemint
Covid shot: Companies offer allowance to staff to tide over remote workingchallenges
Now, in its sixth month, work from home (WFH) in India has had its share ofhiccups. From erratic internet connectivity to power cuts to uncomfortablechairs, the transition hasn’t been quite smooth for many. But since it’s part ofthe ‘new normal’, companies are taking steps to make remote working easier foremployees.
A couple of months ago, Google had announced it would give every employee$1,000 to buy necessary equipment and office furniture. Now, several Indianstart-ups have also introduced benefits to keep up productivity and motivationof their staff.
Edtech start-up Great Learning, which has announced WFH till September, starteda monthly Covid-19 allowance of Rs 1,000 in June, which covers Wi-Fi, internet andUPS installations, official phone expenses and workstation setup. Recently, they’vealso started collaborating with furniture rental apps to home-deliver ergonomicchairs and desks. Until now, about 204 of their 500-plus employees have availedthe benefits. “By the end of May, we accepted that this would be a fairly longdrawn work-from-home situation,” says Karthik G, director, people operations. “Ithit us that a lot of our employees are young and working from home for the firsttime, and would never invest in a good internet connection or comfortable chair.”In addition to the allowance, the company also offered to pay for specialrequirements such as LAN cabling for employees who required high speedinternet. Source : ET
COVID-19: Manufacturing, engineering firms now look at temp staffing for coreops too
TeamLease said contractual engineers could make up 5-6% of the total workforceuptake in R&D and design roles this year, up from about 1-2% previously. Thiscould translate to an estimated 10,000 more openings for temp staff. To be sure,manufacturing and engineering firms have always hired contractual workers.Source : ET
Local unlocks, seasonal demand set to cheer up job market during festive season
Work profiles that will be in demand include logistics executive, technical supportexecutive, sales executives, technical support personnel in various areas,healthcare personnel and laboratory technicians as well as shop floor roles for jobsin loading and delivery functions. Source : ET
India's rental home market takes a hit as expats working in the countryuncertain about return
Real estate brokers said expats pay between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and, in somecases, even up to 30 lakh per month for apartments, villas, farm houses andbungalows but many of them are still uncertain about their return dates. Source :ET
Ecommerce drives spurt in temporary hiring
Apart from ecommerce, the other big segments recruiting temporary staff in sales,advisory, content development etc include health insurance companies andinsurance aggregators followed by edtech sector, leading to creation of more jobsat a time when most industries continue to reel under the impact of the Covid-19crisis. Source : ET
Real estate consulting firm CBRE appoints Parimal Galvankar as India HR head
Galvankar will now oversee CBRE’s pan India human-resources activities of aworkforce of more than 10,000 professionals across 10 offices in India. “I lookforward to working with CBRE South Asia leadership to develop and implement aforward-looking HR strategy that will support our business, cultivate leadership,maximize diversity and further position CBRE as an employer of choice,” saidGalvankar . Source : ET
Talent demand down by 5% in March 2020 as firms grapple with Covid-19setback: RecruiteX
The year 2020 started on a cheerful note for India Inc with overall talent demandregistering 12% m-o-m growth in January. However, as the coronavirus pandemicspread quickly from China to India, most industries started operating remotely andthe talent demand in February 2020 noted a dip . Source : ET
Job insecurity for 3,500 staff after ban on Chinese apps
Hiring firms said resumes from employees at these companies have started comingin. These app companies employ people for a range of functions, includingmarketing, sales, content management, data analysis, talent acquisition, HR,strategy and growth, and product development. Source : ET
Board of Directors: The importance of good corporate governance in family runbusinesses
Governance of an enterprise encompasses several aspects such as the compositionand role of the Board of directors, decision making process, oversight ofmanagement, compliance and compensation practices. Source : ET
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