togethr march-april 2012

8/2/2019 TogetHR March-April 2012

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DearReaders,

We take pride in releasing the fourth issue of TogetHR.

With the financial year at its close, corporates busy tallying their accounts and balance sheets, the

going on media buzz regarding the elections in five Indian states, all highlight the need of

statistics in ensuring efficiency and accuracy in different situations. All in all, the commonality in

almost every major happening is the vital role of anticipating, forecasting and predicting

changes, be it the new expected regulations or the exit polls. With this insight we present you

the role of analytics in the field of HR through our Cover story:HR Analytics - Adding value to

Organisation

Under the Concoction section, Article of the Issue is Generation Z as Human resource. It

talks about the concept of change and highlights the quality of Generation Z which will

become the future workforce of organisations. The article Change is Motto, takes the

concept of change further. It talks about how organizations are realizing the significance of

managing and conforming to change. As it is rightly said that change is the only thing that is

permanent. The article on Role of HR professionals in satisfying subtle needs captures the

vital role an HR professional plays in maintaining work-life balance a crucial requirement for

improved efficiency and productivity of the organisation. Is Employee sabbatical- a double-

edged sword? discusseswhether organizations give employee sabbaticals or not, and what

are its pros and cons.

We got an opportunity to interact with Ms. Neha Karde, GM (Corporate Human

Resources), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. She shared her views over the recent trends in HRM

and those specific to Mahindra & Mahindra as well. The detailed interview features in the

Conflux section.

Campus Buzz section of this issue talks about HuRicane, an online HR quiz organized by team

usHR to enrich the HR knowledge of the participants here at IIM Shillong.

Team usHR would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all our readers.

Do write in to us with your feedback and enjoy reading this issue!!

Team usHR

aculty Advisor:

of. Rohit Dwivedi

of. Sonia

ongmaithem

eam usHR:

nkita Shah

NK Srividya

oopur Borwankar

Padmini

ourojit Ghose

ayur Kumar Lakhmani

eetisha Arya

ooja Batheja

kshi Prashar


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Disclaimer: The views presented are the opinion/work of the individual author and The HR Club of IIM Shillong

bears no responsibility whatsoever.

Cover Story 10- Ankita Shah | IIM S

In the ever changing business scenario HR

functions have evolved from a mere

functional and clerical role to giving valuable

importance to human capital and predictive

analytics strategy commonly known as HR

Analytics. HR analytics plays a significant

role in providing valuable insights for the

proper and efficient functioning of an

organisation.

Conflux 11 Excerpts of Interview with Ms. Neha Kharde

Concoction 44 Employee Sabbatical A Double Edged Sword

- Vibhav Kardam |IIMS

7 Change is the Motto

- Vidhatri M | GIM

14 Generation-Z as Human Resource

- Sunny Lekhraj Telang | SIMSREE Mumbai

18 Role of HR Professionals in Maintaining Work

Life Balance - Mahajan Abhijeet | IIM Indore

Campus Buzz 20Connoisseur Speaks! 21Contest With The Best! 23

Conten

ts

arch - April 2012


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Conflux

www.iims-ushr.in | 1

Please tell us about your experiences before joining

Mahindra &Mahindra.

I graduated from JBIMS in 1993. It was a time when not

many people took up Human Resource Management as a

serious career option. But I was always interested in HR and

was personally fascinated by the design aspect of it. My stint

in L&T gave me a number of opportunities to learn more

about this field. L&T is one company which had an HR

department even before the HRD ministry was established.

So the learning there, was immense.

After that I shifted to BPL mobile, Mumbai circle. Telecom

industry was one of the sunrise sectors during this time. You

see, start-ups have their own challenges and working there

added a completely new dimension to my experience. I then

moved to UK for the next four years to pursue CIPD

qualification. There I worked as a

recruiter for a company which is into

online buying of shares. It gave me a

very good understanding of HR

functioning in a developed economy.

Post that, I worked in Pidilite where I learnt how aggressive

FMCG sector is when it comes to recruitment. All these

experiences helped me understand how the role of the HR

department varies from sector to sector.

Then I moved to Tata Motors as Head of the Recruitment

and Competency vertical where I worked in different

processes. Finally I was attracted to the Mahindra Group.

This company offers a lot of freedom for employees. In

2008, I was on sabbatical for 18 months and moved to

Switzerland with Family and did my PhD at the Swiss

Management Centre. After returning back to India I went

back to my work at Mahindra. During that time, there was

expansion in the group domains and I was appointed as the

Head of Project Harmony. It was only last year that I joined

the Corporate HR department and was involved with the

entire chartering of the Mahindra Rise.

Please tell us something about

Mahindra Rise.

Rise, is a concept, a philosophy which

aims at creating a culture. We attempt to

Tete e Tete with

Ms. Neha KhardeGeneral Manager -Corporate Human Resources,

Mahindra & Mahindra Limited

On Mahindra Rise and

uman Resources at M&M Ltd


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Conflux


bring in practices where all the stakeholders rise along with

the organization. We believe in

rising for change wherever

necessary, instead of just

accepting the way things are.

We have tried to create an HR

framework where we train

people and try to inculcate this philosophy into them. The

main aim is to deliver this brand experience to our

customers in every way possible.

What is the importance of developing new talent for

M&M?

The main difference between Tata Motors and M&M is that

in Tata motors emphasizes on grooming the internal talent

while the philosophy of M&M was always to bring in

talent from outside. Both companies follow

opposite beliefs. At M&M, we now realise the

importance of both outsourcing talent as well

as developing it in-house. Therefore, we try to

strike a balance between both to get the best

possible results.

In times of recession, how do you pursue talent

management-something which does not clearly

have defined ROIs?

It is true that talent management is affected immensely

during recession. However this is not the case at Mahindra.

It is the commitment of the top management towards

development of talent which

sustains our efforts to promote

talent management in the

company. Furthermore, these

practices are practised in-house

at Mahindra, which reduces

cost, and consequently helps us insulate ourselves against

such problems. Also, Mahindra continued to perform well

even during the downturn of 2008. So, we have never faced

an issue engaging in talent management.

We have often seen Human Capital Management and

Talent Management being synonymously used with each

other. Do you also agree with this view?

No, I dont agree to it. Human capital

management and talent management cannot

and should not be used synonymously. Talent

Management is the process of identifying key

successors and hot pots and grooming them in a

systematic manner so that their talent can be

harnessed effectively. Human Capital Management

on the other hand is a broader term which is not just

restricted to successor planning. It encompasses

talent management as well.

Mahindra entered two wheeler segments by taking over

Kinetic Motors in 2008 in India and in 2011 they acquired


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Conflux


Ssangyong Motor Company in South Korea. During these

acquisitions what challenges did you face while tackling

with the cultural differences, inter-personal conflict and

the likes?

It is common to face challenges during acquiring and

integration and Mahindra is no exception. Even we faced

challenges but what is important is how we handled it. We

believed at integrating the activities and harmonizing them.

However, this is not a rule. In fact it depends upon the need,

market conditions and the company cultures followed. When

a company is acquired, depending on the situation, we let

them work independently.

There is no function-wise

integration. For

instance in case of

Swaraj, it was

better for us to

let them function

as they did, before

the merger. They have

their own strengths and

making them work according to the Mahindra philosophy

would only have reduced their efficiency. And our strength

lied in allowing them to function as they actually were.

During mergers, therefore, the important thing is to allow

both companies to leverage on their respective strengths.

There is a notion of gender bias in the IR sector of HR.

What is your take on that?

Well, yes, this domain has traditionally been employing men.

However, the scenario is fast changing. Women are now

being given equal opportunities. Nowadays, you see equal

number of women on the shop floor. The gender bias, that

once used to exist, is slowly getting eliminated. And a similar

belief is shared at Mahindra as well. We have started with a

tie-up with Ford and Ford factories employ a lot of women.

How has the human resource management contributed to

the rapid growth of M&M?

The Rise philosophy is an important feature of the growth of

M&M. And Rise is driven through two things one is the

brand and the other is the internal portion which is done

through HR. It is crafted by top the HR management and all

the big HR heads are involved in the key decisions.

Mahindra gives a lot of importance to this domain and

recognizes the contribution of the development of human

resources towards the holistic growth of the organization.


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Concoction


One of the great perks working at Intel in the US is that

every seven years you get eight weeks paid Sabbatical ,

Jeff Hodgkinston. Jeff is a senior member of Intel

organization and this will be his fourth sabbatical. No doubt

this statement of Jeff makes it evident that he was eagerly

looking forward to this. This break like the earlier three will

help him rejuvenate his body and mind, improving his work

performance when he returns. The icing on the cake is

that he is getting paid for all this. Look at another

statement Tim took 3 months to complete the assignment

which he earlier used to complete in 2 months, John

Gatte, senior manager, IFCIA Corporation, complaining

about the negative impact a long sabbatical had on one of

his subordinates. Sabbatical, as I see it, is a double-edged

sword. If not planned, implemented and controlled

properly, could backfire on the organization over time.

Seeing the plus side of the sabbaticals we can say that

they are of great help in employee retention and

development. They give employees the respite they need

to balance their work/life needs by providing them an

opportunity to

pursue their

hobbies and

areas of interest.

This in turn paves

way for greater

productivity,

higher morale on

the job which ultimately leads to increased job satisfaction.

Sabbaticals are of immense importance in professions that

crave for creativity and innovation like that of scientists and

researchers. Sabbaticals give employees the creative

space they need to think something new and different.

Probably this explains why the list of the companies that

have successfully implemented various sabbatical

programs is headed by Apple and Intel which are known

for their innovative products. For software companies

sabbatical is way through which they can test their bench

strength in terms of project readiness.

A sabbatical program can help employees gain perspective

and return to work with a stronger commitment to the

company. Apart from the numerous benefits that sabbatical

offers to the direct beneficiary (the employee taking

sabbaticals), it also gives a chance to the employee to fill

in his shoes for acquiring new skills and competencies.

Sabbaticals provide him/her an excuse to get away from

the daily monotonous task and learn new things.

Employee sabbaticala double - edged sword


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Concoction


If we see the other side of the coin then we will observe

that sabbaticals dont always paint a rosy picture as

seemed at the first instance. Many times it happens that

sabbaticals are restricted down the hierarchy and across

the departments. The employees who are not included feel

neglected which could decrease their morale and work

performance. Employee loyalty and trust may also at times

get affected as a result of this perceived partiality.

Sometimes taking a sabbatical for an employee proves to

be a nightmare when he is unable to adjust to his job after

returning back.

As a result of this the employee feels out of sorts,

disinterested and demotivated. This is more common for

jobs which have continuously changing work environment.

For employers sending employees on sabbatical turns

disastrous when they resign midway or sometimes even

dont report back to work. This problem leaves organization

with a huge gap to fill especially when the employee was a

senior member of a team or was working for a long time at

a position. Seeing the urgency of the work requirement

and importance of the emptied position, the vacancy is

filled in an unplanned and haphazard manner which further

complicates the issue.

Sabbatical, in India is a relatively new concept. When I

probed sabbaticals in Indian context as compared to their

cross border counterparts I observed two major

differences. Firstly unlike foreign private organizations like

Intel and Google where the main purpose of sabbatical is

to reinvigorate the employees, in India, sabbatical is used

mainly as a cost cutting tool and social service move.

Employees in Indian organizations are mostly not given

more than 50% of the

salary and are often

required to work for

an N.G.O. during the

sabbatical period.

The other difference

comes in the way

society sees an

employee on

sabbatical. In western

countries and USA

sabbaticals are taken by the society as a common practice

whereas Indian society attaches social stigma with the

person without job. As an aftereffect he is bound to feel

dejected and low on self-esteem. This could deter

employees from taking sabbatical in spite of all its benefits.

After analyzing both sides we can say that the positives of

the sabbatical program outweigh the negatives but the

repercussions cannot be easily

ignored otherwise the results

could be tragic as

discussed. In my

opinion a

befitting sabbatical

policy can easily

take care of

these issues.


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Concoction


First of all the sabbatical policy needs to clearly specify the

eligibility requirements which should be strictly based on

consistent performance and number of years worked in the

organization. The policy also should define the

compensation benefits that will be given during the period.

The compensation should be uniform for all the

hierarchical levels to maintain parity. By that I mean for

example if the decided compensation is 90% of the pay

during sabbaticals. Then all employees whether one is

working at junior engineer level or as a board member

should be given 90% of the salary during his sabbatical.

For best results sabbatical should be given after

determining the parameters on which the organization want

the employee to improve and this must be communicated

to the employee in advance. Appropriate measurement

metrics should be in place to check for post sabbatical

improvements which will determine the effectiveness of the

sabbatical program and further refinement in it if required.

Pre planning of how the employees work will be handled

during sabbatical time is also of paramount importance.

Lastly I feel that the policy must clearly indicate that there

is no job risk in taking a sabbatical for the employee. A

felicitous sabbatical policy possesses the potential to play

humongous role in organizational development and

profitability. Similarly an ill-prepared one can be the biggest

hurdle in organizational growth.

Vibhav Kardam | IIM Shillong


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Concoction


Change can affect an organization in numerous ways.

Change occurs when organizations shift their strategies

and processes, or through mergers and acquisitions, or

restructure, or downsize, or introduce new technologies.

The result of such an organizational change results in

stress amongst employees and all the baggage that

accompanies it.

Theoretically, managing change seemed easy to me

because whenever I was quizzed on the same, I would

give the same rhetoric reply as to managing change starts

with the top management realizing the need to confront

change, and collaborating with the middle level managers

in setting a strategy to handle change and then

communicating this strategy across the organization.

Pheww!! Such a participative method, of course, would

help the management succeed in changing organizational

culture and employees attitudes rather than top-down style

of management to handle change. Then, why is change

still feared and why do some organizations fail in their

transformation initiatives to confront change?

When management executives are asked the reasons

behind their successful change management programs,

they give a variety of different answers. This is because

they form their perspectives from their personal

experiences in their firms, and on different factors. Some

of these factors called the soft factors includeleadership skills, ability to motivate, communication skills,

culture prevalent in the organization, commitment between

top management and employees towards change etc.

Managing these factors is necessary but definitely not

sufficient to bring about change as they are not easy to

measure, and even if measurable, the results need not be

authentic and most importantly it is difficult to change

existing attitudes and relationships.

The emphasis on hard factors has gone amiss in thepursuit of the soft factors. Some of the hard factors that

help in bringing about change are the specific time period

required to accomplish milestones in the targeted change

program, the number of people required for this program

and their ability to complete the program on time, and the

projected financial results that the intended change

program is expected to achieve. These hard factors are

easy to measure, and form the base of most businesses.

Thus, it is essential to begin with the hard factors and then

include the soft factors in the change management

program.


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Concoction


Having talked about change programs, let us consider a

recent incident The acquisition of Motorola Mobility

Holdings, Inc. (MMI) by Google for $12.5 billion. These

two companies are poles apart in their cultures, working

styles and their business processes. Google focuses on

software and has the

advantage of flexibility while

Motorola Mobility specializes

in hardware (phones) where

once the phone is delivered in

the market, MMI loses its

flexibility of correcting the defects in the phone. Despite

Motorola delivering some hit cell phones, it lost out its

market share because of little innovation from its

employees, and the bureaucratic layer of middle

management. It is obvious that due to the cultural

differences, employee lifestyles, management issues, the

employees of MMI would find it hard to adapt to the

prevalent Google culture. Thus, after the acquisition,

Google decided to treat MMI as a separate entity for the

time being.

Google would be a trendsetter if it could manage these

differences. From the business perspective, we as

customers would benefit from this acquisition but Google

must give a thought to MMIs employees. MMIs

employees would love to be associated with a brand like

Google but face the problem of management style. While

most of the employees in MMI are middle-aged on

average, the employees of Google are far younger on

average. So, the former employees would not like to have

terms dictated to them by

Googles employees. MMIs

employees lifestyle is different

from those of their Google

counter parts right from the way

they dress, the car they use to

the salary and incentives they receive. Google should not

only view MMI solely for its patents but should also

consider it as a complementary partner and work towards

synergy.

MMI has realized, from its past mistakes, that how

important change is. And, to implement change, a work

culture is needed that adapts quickly to new challenges

and opportunities; something Google prides itself for. By

being part of Google, Motorola can now have the edge it

always wanted. While Google makes its OS more and

more functional, consumers can be sure that support for

their handsets is always ready. It instills in customers a

kind of confidence that makes them stick to MMIs phones.

Though we perceive MMI as a corporate mogul stuck in


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Concoction


its past, their recent actions and products have shown

sparkles of innovation and needless to say, innovation is

synonymous with Google. By being partners, both can

benefit each other to achieve their ultimate goal market

dominance (Googles Smartphone OS dominance).

According to a Google press release, Google plans to

supercharge the Android ecosystem. Although Google

will operate MMI as a separate entity, the structural

changes will not only strengthen Android smartphones and

devices, but are projected to change the smartphone

environment.

They should consider both the hard factors as well as the

soft factors of change as discussed above to bring about

this synergy. Google should conduct team training

programs for the managers in MMI and Google to come to

a consensus in adopting methods to create a more flexible

work environment. Managements of both Google and MMI

should chart out the future strategy of MMI in alignment

with Googles.

On the other hand, since Google is growing, it could take

the best of the management experience of MMI and try to

integrate it into its corporate policy. On 29th October,

2011, Mr. Jha, CEO of MMI announced 800 job cuts to

rein in costs, as they prepared themselves to be acquired

by Google. Google should plan an employee retention

strategy for the existing MMI employees as job security is

of paramount importance in these times. If Google cuts

more jobs after the acquisition, then the synergy may get

disturbed and become one-sided, and the entire deal could

collapse.

Its high time for Google to show its competence on the

concept ofChange as well.

Vidhatri MannemGoa Institute Of Management


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Cover Story


Cover Story


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Cover Story


HR ANALYTICSAdding value to organisations

In the ever changing

and dynamic

environment where

businesses operate

in uncertainty, operations have transcended from a

transactional to a strategic level, technology has not only

highlighted but also validated the importance and worth of

the irreplaceable human capital, and HR functions have

evolved from a mere functional and clerical role to giving

valuable importance to human capital and to

predictive analytics strategy commonly

known as HR Analytics. HR

analytics plays a significant role in

providing valuable insights for the

proper and efficient functioning of

an organisation. It helps in

anticipating, forecasting and predicting

changes not only in the internal environment

i.e. within the organisation but also in the related external

environment.

Technological progress in the form of

automation of processes like payroll,

succession planning, need to identify the

what if circumstances, determine the

workforce trends before and as they happen

and to initiate a proactive approach towards

uncertainties and the

dynamic environment

have made HR

analytics a must for

any organisation. In

this world where everything is quantified and measured in

numbers HR analytics plays a crucial role in measuring the

vital contribution HR makes towards the growth and

progress of an organisation. It can be

easily summarised in words of

Zach Thomas of Forrester

as, Forward-looking

analytics that push well

beyond traditional metrics

are the cornerstone of

this effort. But siloed

systems, inconsistent data,

and a lack of benchmarks and

tools have made this increasingly difficult to achieve. To

address this problem and become more strategic, HR

professionals must get their arms around the data, identify

key performance indicators (KPIs), settle

on a technology approach, and infuse the

data into their organization.


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Cover Story


As an HR Head or Manager, an individual needs to take

key decisions in various fields vis--vis performance

management, selection and recruitment, packages and

salary offered and the training

that needs to be provided. The

CEO of the organisation is

more interested in numbers in

terms of cost per employee,

conversion rate, attrition rate,

absenteeism, ageing analysis,

joining ratio, effective employee relation, workforce

utilisation, rise in productivity and output and hence its

impact on the organisations top line and bottom line rather

than in simply qualitative terms. HR analytics facilitates this

process. It helps aligns the HR strategy with the corporate

strategy and supports strategic planning by accelerated

use of current data and information and a more

effective decision making

process. The recent trends like

increasing economic constraints

which any organisation faces,

the growing need and

importance of human capital

and focus on using HR metrics

to quantify HR contributions has

heightened the need and importance of HR analytics.

HR analytics is not only talked about but also increasingly

implemented in todays world. Renowned organisations like

Cognizant, Oracle and Ramco Corporations have

increasingly implemented HR

analytics in their organisational

structure. Ramco Decision

Works, a corporate

performance management

solution, provides tools to

measure how well an

organisation is meeting its targets and hence be

accountable for the resources that it manages. Oracle HR

Analytics as implemented by Oracle is a subset of Oracle

Business Intelligence Applications (OBIA). Oracle analytics

help provide timely, fact-based insight into activities across

the entire organization including CRM, Supply Chain,

Finance and HR. Here data processing is enabled

from multiple systems; cross-

functional analysis becomes

possible. Oracle HR Analytics

supports the organization all the

way from insight to action with

extensive integration of

workforce, financial, and

operational data sources and

guided analytical workflows. Furthermore Cognizant uses a

HR analytics system known as HRTIPS which serves the


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Cover Story


same purpose. Another example is AT&T and Google

which has shown quantitatively that one who takes

initiative will give a higher job performance as compared to

one who has only high academic achievements.

Statistics further corroborate the significance of HR

analytics within any organisation. Statistics shows that

approximately organisations that implement HR analytics

have been able to increase their sales

growth figures by 8%, net

operating income by 24%

and higher sales per

employee 58%. The

biggest

advantage of

using HR

analytics within an organisation is that it makes the

complex data required easily accessible especially with

role, responsibility, profile and package demarcations for

future references, analysis and optimal decision making

process. It also facilitates active and immediate action in

the corporate world where timely and quick action is

extremely essential for gaining competitive advantage over

the rival firms.

Despite the importance, need and role that HR analytics

can play within any organisation, a large number of

organisations are still to implement it and exploit the

advantages it beholds. Though there arises several

difficulties in implementing HR analytics in terms of cost,

restructuring, consent within the organisations the benefits

it has makes it a must for any organisation.

Lastly the words of Clay Shirky, US Now, truly reflect what

role HR analytics can play in adding value to an

organisation- A revolution does not happen when society

adopts new tools, it happens when society adopts new

behaviour.


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Concoction


I would like to begin my article with a quote which I find

relevant to our present situation and to the theme of my

article. Ronald Reagan once said: Each generation goes

further than the generation preceding it because it stands

on the shoulders of that generation. You will have

opportunities beyond anything we've ever known

Human Resource is an inseparable part of a business.

Irrespective of its size, each business relies heavily on its

Human Capital, particularly the Innovation driven and

manufacturing driven organisations. With changing time the

methodologies of doing business have changed

commensurately. The changes in these methodologies

were mainly driven due to emerging generations within the

society.

Each business required alterations with oncoming of new

generation. Organisations capable of quickly adapting to

this change are able to survive while the rest struggle.

Changes in the customer behaviour with each new

generation was evident to companies, it was also known to

them that the same characteristics are being reflected

within the organisation, since the new recruits belong to

the same generation.

Belonging to generation Y, Ive seen the differences in the

manner of doing business between my generation and the

previous generation. Since entire generations of

employees are being replaced in regular intervals, it

becomes essential for Human Resource Managers to align

himself with these changes. A new generation is knocking

on the doors of these HRMs, eagerly waiting for an

opportunity to prove themselves.

Generation Z, also known as Generation I, or Internet

Generation, and Generation Text, and dubbed Generation

@ is the new work force for any organisation. The

characteristics of this generation are of vital importance to

HRMs, since some of the traditional theories of HR would

seem less effective while managing them.

RECRUITING: According to me the most important

aspect while recruiting Gen z employee is to forget the

outdated concepts of Degrees and Certifications that

symbolized quality. HRMs would want to recruit them on

the basis of relevant ideas

and

methodologies to their

business rather than the degrees and certifications they

hold. This has been true for ages, right from Henry Ford to

Mark Zuckerberg. Imagine what it would be like to miss out

on Mark Zuckerberg while recruiting just because you were

emphasizing on degrees. Recruitment for the younger

generation would require emphasizing on Talent and


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Concoction


relevant Innovative Ideas and being lenient on the actual

qualification front.

Recruitment sources would also require an overhaul.

Traditional sources of recruitment such as employment

agencies would have to

be given less priorities.

If there is a Talent

available out there, you should be rest

assured that the name will pop up on

a social networking site more

than often.

HRMs would have to extremely mobile during

recruitment process. Searching techniques have to be

broadened to include more of internet localities. Age old

written exams and interviews would require new

supplements to gauge the employee. Needless to say the

process has to be technology driven. Psychological

analysis would also play a vital role during assessment.

Competitive edge for companies would rely on how they

are able to identify younger and younger talent for

recruitment.

ALIGNMENT: This generation grew up with

Yahoo and Google. Internet is their hometown. Search

engines, cell

phones and

now smart

phones are

extended part

of their

senses. They

communicate

through technology, primarily on social media sites and

their network of friends is large, much larger than any

other generation. As digital natives', they are comfortable

sharing their personal lives and private thoughts with a

large network of people, many of whom they have not met

face to face. They are not focused on developing

relationships but rather on the getting immediate

responses to their requests.

HRMs would have to take into account this peculiar trait.

Gen Z is exposed to different kinds of social network over

the internet and has the constant urge to communicate

with everyone possible. For HRMs it will be essential to

manage their work force

given the fact

that there

are

multiple ways in

which they can get distracted and

deviate from the goal. HRMs will have to ensure that the

employees are aligned in such a way that they identify

themselves with the goal of the organisation and are clear

about individual goals set in front of them.

As earlier mentioned, Gen Z will have an internet presence

far-reaching than their physical presence and will not

differentiate between their private and professional life

when it comes to expressing their thoughts. So it has to be


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Concoction


ensured that employees do not communicate classified or

sensitive information which could be used for the wrong

purpose.

A good HRM will be able to publicize his organisation

through his employees communication channels. A good

boss creates a good impression; a good impression gives

birth to good thoughts and Gen Z excels in communicating

their thoughts through whatever means available. Just

imagine what kind of organisational brand can be created

through social networking sites if a HRM is able to keep

most of his Gen Z employees happy.

MOTIVATION: Gen Z would require different

sets of motivational techniques within the organisation.

Monetary incentives would drive them to a certain point but

not all the way. For them, working environment will need to

support various forms of technology including the use of

personal gadgets and personal social media site

participation. Each new technology which is an integral

part of their personal lives has to be part of the office

environment as well.

They will seek out organizations with a large social media

presence and understanding of how to use it, creatively, to

build and market products and services. Occasionally they

will seek help out from others from the virtual world to

share ideas, create products, and service customers. Gen

Z being very independent, would look for employers who

can provide them with self-directed training environments

where they can learn without being dependent on others

very often.

Employees from Gen Z will be bubbling with energy; it

would be absolutely critical how their energies are

channelled. HRMs would have to ensure majority of it is

utilized for the organisations benefits. Social gatherings,

cultural events and other employee engagement activities

within a company would have to be organised more often

since they are integral part of Gen Zs lives.

Recognising the efforts of employees would be one of the

key factors to encourage them. Most of them have set out

to achieve high goals and to make it big. It would motivate

them if HRMs are able to recognize their efforts. Long time


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Concoction


employee retention would not be problem if due

recognitions, acceptance of new ideas and greater scope

of creativity is provided to them.

Gen Z loves a challenge, wants to be surrounded by

bright, creative people, want everything right now. They

thrive in multimedia environment and can learn any time

anywhere. So it would be absolutely necessary to include

majority of their learning process through various forms of

multimedia. It can be clearly seen that motivation for the

Gen Z would be sets of small efforts which look out for

their basic social needs. If the above mentioned steps

are taken care of, theyll serve as an extended employee

retention program as well.

Some other motivations could be providing flexible hours,

work from home, less or no attire regulation at workplace

and encouraging parallel careers for the employees.

Gen Z employees would not be leaving organizations

rather managers inability to deal with the frustration that

comes with managing the younger generation.

There is a new breed of

players coming into

the stadium,

players who are in a

league of their own, if given

an opportunity and guidance

are going to redefine the way the game is played. Looking

at the present economic scenarios over the world, its not

a pretty field we would be handing over to them, probably

one of the worst conditions the economies have been

through, but the final and the most important characteristic

which I forgot to mention was that this generation is

Innovative, which has been the driving force behind all the

businesses.

If this generation as a consumer has been responsible for

the drastic changes seen across the globe, across the

businesses, we can only imagine how much disruption will

be created by their innovations when they ascend within

organisations.

For my conclusion I would like to quote Bill Gates whose

words precisely portray the potential of Gen Z: Generation

I will be able to conceive of the Internets possibilities far

more profoundly than we can today. This new generation

will become agents of change as the limits of the Internet

expand to include educational, scientific, and business

applications that we cannot even imagine

Sunny Lekhraj Telang | SIMSREE Mumbai


21/28

Concoction


To begin with, lets consider

the Maslows hierarchy of

needs. Now every organization

claims that it more or less has

satisfied the needs of an

individual given in the

hierarchy of Maslow. This is where a scope for

investigation lies. Is it really so? If yes, then why do the

employees fail to achieve a sustainable balance between

the work and life? One of the

Nestls HR policies is that it tries

to make the workplace so

comfortable that the employees

should feel happier while coming

from home to office rather than

vice versa. But is that true for the

others as well? And the answer really is NO. Because no

matter how much organizations speak of, they fulfill the

hierarchy of Maslows needs only to some levels.

Physiological needs, is what even the Government takes

care of, for most of the individuals. Then if we were to talk

of safety needs, social needs, or self-esteem needs, these

are fulfilled by the companies through the many

schemes and offers they have in their jobs. All

the parties that people attend, all the movies

that they watch, all the enjoyment they do, to

achieve a work life balance, is but just limited to

up to four levels of Maslows pyramid.

But what the organizations

turn a blind eye to is that there

is a fifth level also in the

hierarchy given by Maslow,

which is the Self Actualization

Needs. The most fundamental

and essential fact is that, until this need is satisfied, an

individual can never have a sound balance between work

and life, with the extreme case making him a workaholic or

lethargic fellow in the company,

none being good for the company.

The first step is that one must ask

himself why I am doing and what

am I doing? just as Will Smith

says, too many people spend

money to buy things they dont

want, to impress people they dont like. Most of the times

we are busy in our life without giving a thought to the fact

whether whatever we are doing corresponds to our values

and purpose of life. It is just like a captain of a ship

announcing to his subordinates, we are in middle of the

sea, but we dont know where to go from here. Our lives

are not much different. We are also busy in

doing things, with our joys and sorrows, but we

are not able to establish a proper balance

between work and life, as we never ask

ourselves, what is the purpose of my life and

do my present activities align to that purpose?

If at all we get the answer to this question, then

Role of HR professionals inmaintaining


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Concoction


not only we will direct our lives properly, but we will be

eternally happy and blissful. We must ask ourselves, If I

were to die now, what would my friends, relatives and

people who know me talk about me? One would love to

be known as a good, loving and caring person. But soon

after evaluating our present pursuits, we realize the harsh

but true reality. We come to know that we are really giving

time to do things which would be done for the pleasure of

others, and not for the pleasure of our selfish desires.

Despite the most sophisticated and advanced learning

processes today, what is taught merely teaches one to

focus on the transient goals, all of our affection is based

on fleeting things, and moving behind our selfish pursuits.

One has to rise above this dimension for a change. A

change which will be a positive one, and one which will

bring about a real sense of satisfaction, enabling an

individual fulfill his self-actualization need, and at the same

time, benefitting others.

For all this, one has to ask oneself whether the activities

that one is doing are for his/her own selfish desires, or are

things done for others selflessly. Man by nature is a social

animal, and there is always a tendency to love others and

to receive love from others. Love in this context does not

mean romance with the opposite sex, but it means selfless

service attitude. To some extent at least, one must have

this selfless service attitude towards others, without any

reservations for the self. When this is fulfilled, then comes

an inner feeling of satisfaction, which makes him happy. It

not only makes him happy, but also makes him generous,

humble, courteous, and loving and caring to all in the

society.

The HR professional has a very important role in this

regard. The HR professionals need to make the individual

realize that he/she has such a need called as self-

actualization need, and then help him achieve it. Most of

the people remain miserable because of ignorance. So

they need to realize it first, and then can be guided.

Physical things around us wont really make us happy in

the long run. If they were to make us happy, then we

would not have found millionaires and billionaires

committing suicides due to frustration.

The HR professionals have a great deal of work in this. It

is they who need to focus on the fact that, instead of

making things better, they must strive to make people

better. Because when the hearts are transformed, then

great heights can be achieved. Making things better, only

leads to another stage in which they have to again make

them better, and then again, and then again. This cycle

will never stop. When we make people better, then groups

become better, organizations become better, society

becomes better, country and eventually the world becomes

a better place.

Mahajan Abhijeet A | IIM Indore


23/28

Campus Buzz


Come March and it is time for exams. Students gear up on

the preparation and the stress of study increases. To

relieve this stress, usHR team organized a

stress buster online event for the

students of IIM Shillong.

HuRicane, the 1st ever onlineHR quiz was held at the campus.

The event required the participants

of the 1st

and 2nd

year PGP batches to

register in groups of 2. The quiz comprised of

20 questions and the teams were required to answer them

in a time limit of 30 minutes. The

team which gave the highest

number of answers

in the shortest

possible time was to be

declared winners. In case

of a tie, the team that

answered the maximum number of

star marked questions correctly was to be declared

winners.

The event generated considerable interest among all the

participants and 16 teams registered for the event. The

level of difficulty of the questions asked in the quiz ranged

from absolute sitters to very tough ones. A few questions

contained graphs and 1 question contained a cartoon

description too. The questions basically aimed to test the

overall HR knowledge acumen and the ability of the team

to work together and effectively.

There was a tie in the end between

3 teams, all of whom

answered the same

number of

questions correctly.

However, as pre-

declared, on the

basis of number of star

marked questions answered

correctly and the time of submission,

the team CPR formed by Anzaar Rana and Kailash

Madan were declared winners. A cash prize of Rs. 1000

was awarded to them.

The winners said it was mainly due toteam work that they managed to winthe event. The event was widelyappreciated and the participantsexpressed their desire that more suchevents should be conducted.

Campus BuzzOnline HR Quiz conducted in IIM Shillong


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Connoisseur Speaks!


Hi, my immediate boss was my batch mate in post-

graduation. Due to personal grudges of those days he

is showing bias against me. He is making me work

overtime everyday which is disrupting my personallife. Also he keeps insulting me in front of his

colleagues and mine. My work life has been

completely disrupted despite the effort and

commitment I have shown. What should I do? Please

help.

Hi, I am 26 years old married woman working in an

MNC. My husband and I have been working for

this organisation since past 4 years and came to

know each other here itself. After a year of

marriage now we are facing problem to be at the

same place. Earlier we were in different process, but

now we both are part of the same process. The

problem we are facing here now is that our fellowemployees keep us isolated and dont talk to us

much. The main reason behind this is I feel that

post-marriage we both were too much involved with

each other and used to spent time together without

caring for our fellow employees. Now this is having

negative repercussions on us. Please suggest a

solution so that we can gain back the confidence of

our fellow employees and get a chance to mingle

with them.

Connoisseur Speaks!!!

Spouses working at the same place create different kinds of

problems. We can understand the situation you are facing

and this problem needs immediate attention because it

may turn worse if it gets too late. Constant efforts by you

and your husband can easily solve the problem. You can

start with a few simple steps like other than the lunch

hours, dont take coffee breaks together. Try to go on the

short breaks with your friends in the process. During lunch

hours also, sit with your friends rather than with your

spouse. If your desks are adjacent or very nearby, thenrequest your TL to provide you desks in such a manner so

that you can increase your interaction with other

employees rather than with each other. Get involved with

your fellow employees more and more. You will need to

make constant efforts for a short while and hopefully

situation will be fine soon.

Hello, we really empathise with your situation. Such

situations of personal bias are not new or unheard of in the

workplace. Our advice to you would be firstly to try and

keep your personal and professional life separate. We

know it is easier said than done but letting work related

issues affect your personal life would harm you drastically.

Again go and talk to your immediate boss, explain him that

college days are over and we should not get our personalproblems in between work. This would not only harm you

but also the work quality and hence the goodwill of the

company. Our advice to you would be to resolve the

differences between you and him. In case he is still

adamant to treat you wrongly, maintain a performance

record of yours, continue working effectively and with

sufficient proof approach your bosss boss with the

happenings. Even if that fails then please talk to your HR

head about the situation and approach the grievance

redressal cell if one exists in your organisation.


25/28

Connoisseur Speaks!


Hi, I am a 30 year old man working in an

MNC in Mumbai. I am at the Team Leader

post and have been at this post for the past 2

years. During this period I have seen many

employees working under me and significantly

contributing as a group. However, currently I

have 2 employees under me, only seven months

old in the organization, who are always

competing against each other, at times for no

reasons. It is in a way affecting the morale of

other employees who constant see the conflict

in front of them. These two employees cannot

get along with each other and they constantly

complain about each other to me. What

should my approach be in dealing with such

employees? Please tell me a way out because I

have not come across such a situation before.

I understand the situation you are facing and such a

conflict very adversely affects the work environment and

the morale of the fellow employees. This is a very

sensitive issue and needs to be dealt very carefully byyou as you can only bring harmony at the workplace.

First step should be to individually talk to them and let

them know that how their behaviour is adversely

affecting the workplace environment. Tell them that

they are valuable assets to the firm and that such

behaviour would not only affect them but also the

workplace. Take the matter seriously with them and ask

them to work out their differences and ensure that they

understand the gravity of the situation. If required, a

third party intervention can be welcomed i.e. in case the

situation goes out of control. Make them realize the

repercussion of the extreme steps that can be takenagainst them. However, take up these measures only

when they refuse to manage the problem on their own.
mailto:[email protected]


26/28

Contest


Last date for sending the answers for Contest: April 30th, 2012

Email ID:[email protected] of the email: TogetHRContest4_CollegeName

Unscramble these five Jumbles,

one letter in each square, to form

words related to HR

usHR, IIM Shillong

Connect the following

SAPAILPAR

OLMASW

MEBNHGNRKCAI

RVWEINTEI

NPYOETMMLE
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


27/28

Contest


This Issues Results The prize for Article of the Issue has been awarded to Sunny Lekhraj Telang from SIMSREE Mumbai for his

Article Generation-Z as Human Resource. He is awarded with a cash prize of Rs.1000/- and a Certificate ofAppreciation.

All other articles selected for the issue shall also receive Certificate of Appreciation. The prize for Contest with the Best for JAN-FEB 2012 Issue has been awarded to Sowmiya V from SDM

Institute for Management Development, Mysore. She is awarded with a cash prize of Rs.500/- and a Certificateof Appreciation.

1. Assessment Centres

2. Attrition

3. Hawthorne Effect

4. Performance Appraisal

5. Talent Management

6. Cost Leadership

7. Downsizing

8. Succession Planning

Team usHR invites articles from B-Schools all across India. We are looking for original articles related to field ofHuman Resources. References should be cited wherever necessary. The best article will be featured as the Article ofthe Issue and would be awarded cash prize of INR 1000

Instructions:

Kindly email your article with the file name and the subject as __ by 30th April 2012

Article must be sent in Microsoft Word Document (doc/docx), Font: Times New Roman, Font Size: 12, Linespacing: 1.5. The size of the article should be between 700-1000 words

The cover page of the article should only contain the Title of the Article, the Authors Name and theInstitutes Name. Results shall be announced in the next issue of TogetHR

For other updates, check our Facebook page usHR-HR Club of IIM Shillong

Also certain entries which could not make the cut to the TogetHR will get figured on our blogwww.iims-ushr.in

9. Mentor

10.Counselling

11.Enculturation

12.Benchmarking

13.Grievance

14.Negotiation

15.Recruitment

Last Contest Answers

Announcements

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28/28

Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management

Mayurbhanj Complex,

Nongthymmai, Shillong - 793 014

Email Id:[email protected]

Mobile: +91-9774000740
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

togethr march-april 2012

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