TIME TO WALK THE AGILE WAY?

 

AGILE seems to be the mantra that drives the IT industry today. This methodology seen as a successor to the rudimentary waterfall model, is a robust system which in layman terms can be explained as a methodology that differs from the waterfall approach in that it is iterative in nature and the different phases of the SDLC, namely, Requirement Analysis, Design, Development etc. takes place in quick short cycles called sprints which allows for ample feedback and tighter controls and promises customer delight.

The scrum master in addition to the Project manager and team leader checks for any deviations from the agile model and acts as an effective controller to make sure the resources are channelized ably to achieve the short cycle goals which , leads to crafting the bigger picture according to this model.

As a HR professional entering an IT environment practicing the agile model so fervently, he/she needs to be aware of the fallouts of its implementation in organizations and the  its implications on the different functions of HRM.

Learning and Development, has become a continuous, everyday process with conservative(to embrace technology) companies facilitating cross functional sharing through their portals , company blogs and Enterprise content management tools like SharePoint , Documentum , Jive etc.,  which are fast gaining popularity. Thus L&D is not restricted merely to classroom and one need not wait for the experts to impart knowledge , it happens through peer learning and with easy access and availability of information, the employees indeed stand to gain.

Performance Management too, in the agile way is not a standalone process of appraising employees at the stipulated time of the year. It is dynamic since the feedback is constantly fed into the process. However it is extremely daunting for the appraisers since this methodology is directed at self -managed, cross functional teams. Here teams are held more accountable than individuals. Sometimes evaluating and comparing employees from different functions can lead to disparities and discontented employees. In this fast paced world of agility, even recruitment happens in the blink of an eye. Employers today source their prospective employees through the social media like LinkedIn and MySpace and rollout offer letters for immediate employability and unhindered productivity.

Like I mentioned earlier, agility is modelled for customer delight but what is in store for the IT professional involved in a project that believes in agility? Does it delight the IT whiz as well? Well, continuous learning, evaluation, moderation and control, the so-called striking features of the agile model can often lead to disgruntled employees since it means busy schedules, constant monitoring and being accountable as there are scrum calls which track daily performance and progress.

Having said that, agile also aids an employee’s growth and accountability and builds his/her learning curve and aids career progression. Hence, the company practicing agile methodology should adopt employee friendly HR initiatives to ensure that they are happy. Like they all say “happy employees indeed lead to happy customers!!”

Author : Radhika K Iyer

HR Lessons from Singapore Airlines

For any organization operating in any sector, Human Resources is definitely a valuable asset  – right  from the traditional agricultural sector to the modern Information Technology sector. It is human input which brings together all factors of production to achieve the goals and objectives set for the company. Taking into consideration the recent news of ‘turbulence’ in the Indian Airline industry, it would be interesting to take inspiration and few HR lessons from one of the Most Admired Airline in the world – Singapore Airlines (SIA).

SIA’s success can be directly attributed to its customer centric services. To achieve this, holistic and overall growth of employees are encouraged. Employees are allowed to continuously innovate and new ideas are given support. The employees here are trained to delight customers in a cost effective manner. One of the service initiatives of SIA is the ‘Transforming Customer Service’ programme. The aim of this initiative is to ensure that the entire journey of a passenger right from the purchase of a SIA ticket till the passenger reaches the destination; everything is made comfortable and enjoyable for them so that they are happy and contented and in this way will prefer SIA over the competitors.

For these customer centric services to happen, staff members are divided into various groups and team spirit is built among these members through many activities. The objective is that everyone should work together towards the common purpose of satisfying the customer and at the same time each member of the team must know, appreciate and be at ease working with others in these functional team set up. SIA uses 40-30-30 rule in this regard.  This simply means that 40% of the resources are devoted to training, 30% of resources on the review of various processes and procedures across departments and the remaining 30% of resources are used for creating new product ideas and services.

SIA’s rewards system pays bonus based on the profitability of the airline. Thus employees make best use of resources available and also come up with schemes that have good profit margins. So continuous feedback is taken from passengers to be in tandem with their changing preferences – be it in designing loyalty programmes or in coming up with food and wine options or in providing services that will meet or exceed customer expectations.

Training in SIA is considered the best in the airline industry and a SIA steward / stewardess has excellent reputation wherever he /she goes. The training period here is for four months, longer than training given in any other airline companies and the entire crew knows how to go about in a professional manner with a personal touch when dealing with passengers travelling to and from different parts of the world. Every employee, irrespective of the level of management he /she belongs to, has a specific and actionable training and development plan. Training is given in functional areas along with training in personal skills and emotional skills based on the nature of the employee’s job. Frequent travellers have mentioned that the interpersonal skills of the flight attendants and comfortable journey and good service are the factors that attract them to choose SIA over other brands.

Further, employees are encouraged to form groups having similar interests across different sections of the airline like ‘Gourmet Circle,’ ‘ Performing Arts’ group etc so that employees can engage in activities they like outside of their job and satisfied employees will have work-life balance which means their performance and efficiency will also be high. The recruitment and selection processes here are of high standard. When the need arises, employees usually flight attendants are selected at the international level from countries where SIA flies to, so that there are no language barriers or culture shocks when starting the job. Approximately, for every 20 seats, 1 SIA flight attendant is responsible and so from a human resources point of view, the value of a flight attendant as a SIA employee is undeniable. It is said that only people who naturally enjoy serving others are hired and that’s why even employees stay longer with SIA.

It is no wonder then that Singapore Airlines bagged the Top Worldwide Airline Award for the 6^th consecutive year by Wanderlust Travel Award 2013 (UK) in January this year. Thus the HR discipline, by itself or as a strategic business partner has gained importance in today’s workplace and will continue to grow even in years to come and it is employees who drive the growth of a company.

Author: Sharnitha Ramachandran

Reference:

With insights from Heracleous Loizos (2004). Cost effective service excellence : lessons from Singapore Airlines. Business Strategy Review. 15(1), 33-38.

2013: The year of Social HR

1.     Gamification Becomes A Standard Practice  

In 2013, gamification will continue making huge inroads in many business processes.

Delloite is one company already using gamification, integrating levels, “badges” and top-scoring leader boards into its “Deloitte Leadership Academy,” which has trained over 20,000 executive users since its inception in 2008. As a result of this effort, Delloite and its clients can boast rewards like engaged employees who are committed to improving at work.

Delloite believes that letting employees share their badges – earned through completing various training modules – on Twitter, LinkedIn and in their company’s intranet is a huge motivator. People like having something to show for their achievements, especially as employees at all levels become ever more invested in maintaining a robust personal brand.

The technology research firm Gartner, Inc. predicts that 70 percent of Global 2000 businesses will be managing at least one “gamified” application or system by 2014.

2.     The Death of the Resume

In 2013, the traditional resume will be replaced by the breadth and depth of your personal brand.

Before you’re interviewed by a potential employer, expect the recruiting manager or hiring manager to check out one or more of the following sources about you: 1) the top ten searches on your name on either Google or Bing 2) the number of Twitter followers you have and last time you tweeted, 3) the size and quality of your LinkedIn community, 4) the number and quality of recommendations you have on LinkedIn and 5) your Klout score.

Sound Darwinian? It may be, but it’s already happening. Taking the lead from innovative applicants like  Shawn Mc Tigue, who made this 2:50 video as part of his application to a Mastercard internship, more workers will take a creative approach to marketing their experience.

3.     Your Klout Score Will Become A Measurable Currency

In the next year, your Klout score will find a prominent place on your resume and LinkedIn profile, and may even help you get your next promotion.

Klout calls itself the SAT score for business professionals, measuring the online “influence” of each user. A Klout score is a statistical score from 1-100 which ranks you on variables such as: how many people you reach through social media; how much they trust you; and on what topics.

As the biggest player in the growing world of “digital influence,” Klout is still setting the bar for what this means. Prepare to answer the Klout tag line, “what’s your influence?” in your next job interview.

4.    Personal Branding Will Be A Required Skill

Companies will follow the lead of PricewaterhouseCoopers, which holds an annual Personal Branding Week wherein a series of training exercises helps train prospective new hires on building their personal brand and increasing their marketability. We will see more forward-looking companies catching onto this type of mutually beneficial training, and use this as a point of differentiation in recruiting top Millennial talent. If personal branding seems shallow, think again. Putting value on candidates’ networks and spheres of influences makes perfect sense in an age where crowd sourcing the right solution to a problem is just as good as coming up with it yourself.

5.     Recruiters Will Find You Before You Know You Are Looking For A Job

Not only applicants must know how to use social to their benefit; HR executives in charge of talent management also must know how to use social tools to their advantage.

Already, entire businesses are cropping up to streamline the process for them. Start-ups like Entelo and TalentBin help companies find eligible applicants by scanning social networks and spotlighting certain candidates. Their search tools consider the experience and history mentioned in users’ profiles, but also their use of the social network. These companies can pinpoint those who have updated their bios lately or often, to determine which candidates are getting ready to get back on the job market. Getting this head start on head hunting is crucial as top corporations’ search for top candidates becomes ever more competitive.

Reference: This article originally published at Forbes . Written by Jeanne Miester.

15 Oddball Interview Questions

1. “If you were to get rid of one state in the US, which would it be and why?” – Asked at Forrester Research.

2. A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero.  What does he say and why is he here?” – Asked at Clark Construction Group.

3. “What songs best describes your work ethic?” – Asked at Dell.

4. “Can you say: ‘Peter Pepper Picked a Pickled Pepper’ and cross-sell a washing machine at the same time?” – Asked at Master Card.

5. “My wife and I are going on vacation, where would you recommend?” – Asked at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

6. “What’s your favorite song?  Perform it for us now.” – Asked at Living Social.

7. “Calculate the angle of two clock pointers when time is 11:50.” – Asked at Bank of America.

8. “Pick two celebrities to be your parents.” – Asked at Urban Outfitters.

9. “If you had turned your cell phone to silent, and it rang really loudly despite it being on silent, what would you tell me?” – Asked at Kimberly-Clark.

10. “On a scale from one to ten, rate me as an interviewer.” – Asked at Kraft Foods.

11. “What kitchen utensil would you be?” – Asked at Bandwidth.com.

12. “If you could be anyone else, who would it be?” – Asked at Salesforce.com.

13. “How many cows are in Canada?” – Asked at Google.

14. “What do you think about when you are alone in your car?” – Asked at Gallup.

15. “Name 3 previous Nobel Prize Winners.” – Asked at BenefitsCONNECT.

Reference: Taken from the article Top 25 Oddball Questions by Glassdoor.

Human Resource | The path for reforms in Public Sector Banks

With the onset of financial sector reforms and the growing competition from private and foreign payers public sector banks (PSBs) have been on a transformation journey. Many such reforms came in the form of implementation of prudential norms, retail banking, IT implementation and Basel II recommendations on banking standards.

In spite of many positives, one most critical area where PSBs today are seriously handicapped vis-à-vis their competitors in the marketplace is human capital. They have made little effort in undertaking any major human resource (HR) reforms. The HR function in most PSBs is still concerned with mere admin work; with focus on compliance and maintenance. Except some ad hoc measures in training and performance appraisal, the core of HR has lacked any long-term orientation.

PROBLEMS (The Khandelwal Committee, 2010)

• HR does not find a place in the strategic management matrix of banks.

• HR is highly transactional, ad hoc and inadequately professionalized, with high degree of standardization and militant trade unionism.

• Outsourcing of non-core activities is limited.

• Employee engagement strategies are patchy.

• The performance management system and its administration are generally routine. In many banks, clerical staff is not covered by the appraisal system.

• Lack of any worthwhile manpower planning linked with strategic and business plans.

• Progress in business process reengineering and change management is tardy in most PSBs.

• Underutilized talent pools.

• Diversity management and associated issues are given inadequate attention.

FUTURE ACTION PLAN

Introduction of bank-level wage negotiation: In a bank level arrangement, banks should consider variable pay as a major component of wages. In such an arrangement, banks can also have the discretion to go in for Cost-to Company (CTC) concept which is a prevalent trend world over. It would also align employees to bank level problems and engage them in the bank level transformation programme. Linkage of wages with productivity in individual banks will greatly enhance their capacity for long term sustenance and create sensitivity towards customer satisfaction.

Professionalization of HR: Professionalization would involve installation of scientific systems in HR backed by professional expertise and long term policy formulation. HR specialization must drive the core element of developmental HR functions, including manpower resourcing and manpower planning, talent management, performance management and measurement, compensation management, leadership development, employee surveys, HR audit and employer branding.

Succession planning and Leadership Development: Although most PSBs identify succession as a major problem, few initiatives have been undertaken to tackle it. There needs to be a comprehensive strategy to develop people to take up strategic positions in senior and top positions. The quick promotion system adopted currently to tide over the problems of finding successors to retiring top management levels without rigorous leadership grooming is far from adequate in meeting the new challenges. The tendency to fill the positions will not serve the purpose. Selecting them through a brief process of interview is inadequate. The best way would be to create an industry pool of PSB general managers for identifying the potential candidates through the assessment centre methodology.

Employee engagement: The challenge before the banks is how to get the employees go an extra mile for achieving the organization objectives. Banks should set up efficient system for grievance readressal and motivate employees to increase job satisfaction. Banks will need to work out innovative methodologies for employee engagement

Enunciation of HR policy: Banks have a written policy document approved by the board for most functions. Such documents include loan policy document, risk management policy, etc. But when it comes to HR, most banks don’t have a policy document. In the absence of this, there is wide variation in managing this crucial function by different managements and there is no monitoring by the board or by the regulators to adhere to pronounced policies. The policy document should clearly lay down the direction of initiatives in the various subsystems of HR such as recruitment, talent management, career planning, employee engagement, and succession planning and leadership development. This would facilitate engagement of the top management in implementing HR reforms and professionalize the function.

Author: Rahul Sharma

Reference: Report of the AK Khandelwal committee on HR issues of public sector banks

For Freshers @ Work

A first job can give anyone the jitters but if mentored correctly, they can be an asset to the organisation, elaborates Unnati Narang

Adjusting to a new person in the team can be bit of a task. However, with a little effort, companies can be sure that a fresher in a team is not only welcomed but becomes a crucial part of the team within no time. So what can the senior members of a team and management do to turn a fresher into an asset?

Old vs new 
Senior management often view freshers as inexperienced and hence, not sufficiently skilled. When they come in, they tend to challenge set patterns. This is the first hurdle to freshers becoming an asset to any team. “Given that experienced professionals are used to a certain way of working which has delivered results in the past, it is quite natural that the mind gets conditioned to follow the same. It is a problem of mindset which every experienced professional goes through when challenged or exposed to a new idea. At the same time, from a fresher’s perspective, he may be reluctant to bring forth or share a new idea with his seniors due to the fear of being rejected or ridiculed,” says Deepa Poncha, Head, Human Resources, Centrum Group.

To avoid such a stalemate, organisations must go back to their books and take a leaf out of Fredrick Taylor’s mental revolution concepts. “Negativity at a workplace is nothing but conflict of opinions based on prior experiences. For example, an experienced professional working on a project will have a different approach from that of a fresher. Often these situations might lead to negativity due to strong biases. To mitigate unconstructive emotions at the workplace, it is essential for the companies to design strong communication platforms to motivate and encourage team building exercises to fabricate strong interpersonal skills and positive attitude,” says Prashant Bhatnagar, Director Hiring, Sapient – India.

Mentoring newbies
It is important for experienced professionals to see the other side of having a fresher in the team. Saravanan, Head, Engineering at Nyootv, has been part of several mixed teams where freshers and seniors work together. What qualities does he see freshers bringing to the table? “Since they have no work experience, they tend to work harder. They can be put to work on any technology; this is not always possible with experienced professionals who have already trained and worked on specific technology for a while and are reluctant to change. In a typical work situation, some of the mundane tasks can be delegated to freshers.

Most companies have a training period. This acts as a window for the fresher to learn. In the initial months, the fresher becomes an asset to the company by way of what he learns, thereby adding value in subsequent periods. But for that learning to take place, a supportive team is critical,” says Gupta. While the fresher should come in with an open mind, a large part of the responsibility of turning the person into a crucial asset to the team lies with the company.

Size matters 
How does the size of any team affect the role of a fresher? “Generally, freshers feel more comfortable in smaller teams; where they are not afraid to speak out and voice their opinions. In larger teams, freshers have a tendency to blend with the crowd, as they take on a role of a quiet observer. For a fresher to be an asset to a team, the team manager should bring out the best in him,” says Prashant Bhatnagar, Director Hiring, Sapient – India.

Ultimately, for anyone to be an asset to the team, shared interest must prevail over personal interest of individual team members.

*This article originally appeared in the Economic Times on November 3, 2012*

Human Resource Management around the world

Management practices adopted at the global level have always been an interesting topic to research on and write about, since it differs from country to country and some practices seem to be fixed within the cultural framework while other practices evolve with time. Currently, the focus has shifted to HR practices across countries as well.

Books on Japanese management style are selling like hot cakes these days though the glory of effective management practices belonged to the U.S once upon a time. Though techniques of Chinese management are also becoming popular now, thanks to their supremacy; the European management style has also gained considerable attention worldwide due to numerous countries differing culturally despite coming from the same geographic region. One good thing from all this is that the management styles can be transferred and replicated in any place but how well it suits the context of the country or the company needs close attention.

Japan, after World War II, went on a rapid growth mode and developed strong policies to regain its competitiveness at the international arena. Japanese managers are characterized by long term orientation and take collective decisions even if it means the process of reaching consensus is going to take time or become slow. There is collective responsibility and accountability in such companies and a chief characteristic in Japanese companies is the lifetime employment that many employees prefer. From a HR perspective, a person’s ability to get along well with other employees becomes one of the selection criteria in Japan and once hired, loyalty towards the company is expected. In Japanese companies, there is rank system and so promotion will be slow but long term performance is keenly appraised and for this reason even training and development is considered as a long term investment. The main purpose of appraisals is to recognize subordinates and review their efforts and performance.

The U.S management style, on the other hand, has a formal bureaucratic organization structure with emphasis on individual accountability and responsibility. U.S companies have short term orientation with managers resorting to quick decision making and implementation. Personal interviews carry more weight in the U.S during employee selection. Face to face confrontation is common and Americans opt for frequent job changes as well. As a result, training and development initiatives are usually undertaken with hesitation unless the returns are justified. However repeated performance evaluations and short-term appraisals happen here since promotions are based largely on individual performance. While framing HR policies in American organizations, it must be borne that employees look for rapid advancements and incentives play only a reasonable role in designing salary packages. An interesting finding is that job insecurity is high among U.S employees than any others since the fear of being laid off during recession or due to lack of performance is there at the back of their minds.

The Chinese prefer framing both long term plans spanning 5 years and short term ones that are annual plans. They can identify themselves with the company that they work for but when it comes to loyalty to the company and the job that they do, it is usually low as strong family ties and relations can help them get jobs elsewhere with ease. There is slow promotion here but a steady and regular increase in salary is done from time to time. From the HR point of view, training programs are imparted extensively and there are even state exams that managers need to take up to go up the career ladder. Employee tests are a key selection practice in Chinese companies and incentives play an important role in the pay package here for able and qualified employees. Leadership style is paternalistic in private companies and harmony is emphasized in family-run companies but most of the businesses here are state owned. Top level management make all decisions while lower level managers have little authority here due to hierarchy being given preference in Chinese communities.

The European countries are numerous and so they can be broadly classified into 4 main groups namely – Northern countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland; the Anglo-Saxon countries of Great Britain and Ireland ; the German countries namely Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Latin countries comprising France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Portugal.

The Northern countries display participative style of management and a strong organization structure and good organization culture. The southern countries have many laws in place and so is more of a conservative society with emphasis on hierarchy and authority. The German countries are said to have a positive orientation towards work-life quality and balance and there are no status differences among employees. The Latin countries are the fast developing countries in the European region with a modern outlook towards work and HR policies. Nearly 50 hours of training of employees is required in Europe, the highest among Japan, U.S and China.

In Europe, France is easily a good example of strong HR policies being followed and it is becoming an attractive destination for employees aspiring to work abroad. The work time policy in France requires employees to work 35 hours per week and annually, five weeks of vacation is granted to them. Even during sick leaves, employees are entitled to social security benefits and sometimes even additional sums are given to them during this leave period if the case is serious. France’s HR policies also give equal employment opportunities to differently-abled persons and many well-known companies in France have differently-abled persons comprising nearly 10% of their workforce and they are given adequate benefits and allowances. French companies have also taken up measures to encourage and elicit participation from employees to tackle future technological challenges and continuous improvements at workplace. Guidance is also provided in designing career plans and healthy work practices. The HR policies of French companies are in consistent with the values, cultural norms and environment of the country and so is accepted by both employers and employees amicably.

Thus in today’s globalized world where overseas assignments have become common, knowing HRM practices of different countries across the world keeps us well-informed and better prepared to face the reality.

Author: Sharnitha Ramachandran

DELI & Job Sculpting

One of the major challenges that organizations face today is the high rates of attrition. Employers are finding it difficult to retain the talent in organizations as young professionals leave their current jobs the moment they find better opportunities elsewhere. Timothy Butler and James Waldroop attribute a major part of attrition to the inability of organizations to understand the psychology of work satisfaction; they assume that people who excel at their work are necessarily happy in their jobs.

Employers need to understand that the key to retain employees is to offer them a job that matches their deeply embedded life interests (DEMI). These interests are not hobbies (Cooking, Swimming) nor are they topical enthusiasms, such as the stock market or oceanography. Instead, deeply embedded life interests are long-held, emotionally driven passions, intricately entwined with personality and thus born of an indeterminate mix of nature and nurture. Deeply embedded drive what kind of activities makes people happy. At work, that happiness often translates into commitment. It keeps people engaged, and it keeps them from quitting.Life interests start showing themselves in childhood and remain relatively stable throughout our lives, even though they may manifest themselves in different ways at different times. A person’s life interests essentially vary as a child, teenager and adult.

Job sculpting is the art of matching people to jobs that allow their deeply embedded life interests to be expressed. It is the art of developing a customized career path for the employees that increases their chances of staying in the organization.

• Job sculpting demands the managers to identify each employee’s deeply embedded life interests. Managers using psychology and behavioral science principles can implement sculpting. Managers should make this effort to know their employees and retain the best of talent.
•  Each change in assignment provides an opportunity to do some sculpting. For instance, a human resource manager with an interest in quantitative analysis might be given new duties working with the marketing analysis wing of compensation & benefits unit while remaining in the human resource department.

The eight life interests identified by Timothy Butler and James Waldroop are:

Application of Technology measures interests that are often associated with engineering, production, operations, and the general use of technology to accomplish business objectives
Quantitative Analysis measures interests that are realized through problem-solving that relies on mathematical analysis
Theory Development and Conceptual Thinking measures interests involving broadly conceptual approaches to business problems
Creative Production measures interests that are realized through highly creative activities such as the development of new products or marketing concepts, the gernation of new business ideas, etc.
Counseling and Mentoring measures interests that involve developing relationships as a crucial part of business work, such as coaching, training and mentoring
Managing People and Relationships measures interests that involve developing relationships as a crucial part of business work, such as coaching, training and mentoring
Enterprise Control measures interests that are realized through having ultimate decision-making authority for complete operations
Influence Through Language and Ideas measures interest in exercising influence through the skillful use of written and spoken language

 

In order to carve a career path for employees; employers should lay emphasis on performance reviews. They should actively listen and ask probing questions to employees during the reviews and at the same time allow them to put forth their concerns. Once it is done; managers can customize the jobs according too the interests of the employees by either adding (or removing) responsibilities or changing the job altogether.

As the concept of learning organizations grows in this knowledge-driven economy; it is important for organizations and managers to understand the essence of career development of employees which can contribute a lot in retaining employees in the long run. Managers should not underestimate the criticality of understanding their employee’s expectations. It’s time they make an effort to know the hearts of their employees along with their minds!

Author: Rahul Sharma

Reference: Job Sculpting: The art of retaining your best people (Harvard Business School)

A to Z of Human Resources

25 uncommon but important human resource terms which every employee irrespective of the domain must know and understand because eventually everyone becomes a human resource for organizations!

Acturial Analysis: A calculation carried out by an actuary (a business professional who deals with the financial impact of uncertainty) to assess somebody’s life expectancy or the degree of risk involved in an insurance proposal.

Blue Laws: US regulations governing business activities on Sundays.

Carousel Training: Training which involves moving from job to job or from department to department in an organization.

Decruiting: Policy of replacing permanent employees with temporary ones. An important factor in running a young industry.

Economic Tort: Economic harm done to  one of the parties in an industrial dispute (such as when shops stewards introduce workers to take industrial action and harm the company’s finances.)

Furlough: A period of unpaid leave or absence from work, especially for military personnel, government employees or expatriates.

Garnishment: A procedure by which wages or salary are withheld to pay  off a debt.

Hot-desking: A flexible working practice that enables employees to occupy any vacant workplace  instead of sitting at  a desk they think of as their own. The system is usually adopted on the grounds that conventional offices are only full for a fraction of the time they are open, because of sickness, holidays or teleworking, and hot-desking enables expensive office space to be fully utilized.)

Icarus factor: The tendency of managers or executives to embark on projects which are too ambitious and consequently fail.

Job ceiling: The maximum number of employees employed at a given time.

Kickback: An illegal commission paid to someone, especially  a government official, who helps in a business deal.

Leap-frogging: Pay demands where each section of employee asks for higher pay to do better than another section, which then asks for further increases in turn.

Moonlighting: The practice of doing a second job.

Netiquette: The rules for proper procedure and good manners that are usually observed when communicating on the Internet.

Organogram: A chart showing the hierarchical relationships between the employees in a company.

Permalancer: Someone who is officially a freelance but has worked for the same company for so long that  they are regarded almost as a permanent member of its staff (slang).

Quorum: A minimum number of people who have to be present at a meeting to make it valid.

Red circle rate: The practice of paying staff at a higher rate, even if their jobs have been downgraded.

Scalar principle: The principle that employees should only communicate with their seniors through the established hierarchy.

Three martini lunch: A business lunch at which a lot of alcohol is drunk to relax the client.

Understudy: A person who is learning how to do a job which is currently being done by someone else, so as to be able to take over the job if the present incumbent retires or is ill.

Vicarious liability: The legal responsibility of a person for actions committed by someone else when they are officially under that person’s control, especially the liability of an employer  for acts committed by an employee in the course of their work.

Wildcat strike: A strike organized suddenly by workers without the approval of the main union office.

Yellow dog contract:  (US) An agreement between an employer and employee that the latter will not join a trade union or engage in trade union activities.

Xers: Generation Xers are people born between 1965 and 1976 – 1980, and are independent, enjoy informality, are entrepreneurial, and seek emotional maturity. They want to build a repertoire of skills and experiences they can take with them if they need to, and they want their career path laid out in front of them – or they’ll walk. Gen Xers also seek balance in their lives now – not when they retire. They seek time to raise their children and don’t want to miss a minute – as their parents did. Gen-Xers also want immediate and honest feedback.

Zero-hours contract: A contract of employment where the employee is not guaranteed any work, but must wait on standby until required, and is paid for hours actually worked.

 

Author: Rahul Sharma and Vineet Rejeeve Joseph

Reference : Dictionary of Human Resources and Personnel Management (A&C Black, London)

Cracking a Job Interview

Interviews represent a crucial moment for every person going through it, especially at the professional front. Mixed feelings of anxiety and confidence can be seen among the candidates. However, with the right kind of planning, preparation and efforts, the dream job could very well be YOURS ! The key to success lies in having prepared well for the interview and also performing well at the interview. Some pointers to be remembered are : –

I. BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

• Know yourself first – Do a little introspection to know your personal and career goals, your strengths and weaknesses, your personality and style of working etc. This will be useful as then you can explain yourself well during the interviews.

• Know the company details – This is repeatedly said since the first few questions will always revolve around the company, the vision, range of products/ services, achievements of the company, competitors etc to test how well-informed and interested you are about the company and its progress. Making a mistake here will show your lack of responsibility and commitment and since interviewers need a ‘just enough’ reason to reject you, make sure you do your homework well and don’t lose out here.

• Study the profile – A job description for the vacancy is usually given and so go through it and determine how your skills and learning can be effectively applied to that position. Put in efforts to learn additional skills that will be crucial for the job.

• Practice answering questions – Though often this is overlooked, it is a good idea to practice answering questions. Be strong in your subjects and current affairs and practice possible questions that can come. So if you are applying for a post in investment banking or advertising, know the relevant concepts properly. Also practice answering familiar questions like :

–         Tell us more about yourself.

–         Why this organization?

–         Why this job? Details about your past job, if any.

–         Why should we employ you?

–          In what ways will you contribute to the company?

 

• Carry all the appropriate documents with you – Have multiple copies of your resume, certificates of certification courses and other appropriate documents and photos.

• Dress well – First impression is the best impression when it comes to how you carry yourself in an interview. So pay attention to colour coordination, minimal make-up, good hair cut etc.

• Be on time – The last thing you want to show the interviewers is that you are not punctual in the first place! Some interviews didn’t happen at all because the candidate missed the time slot. So come well in advance and make yourself comfortable and scan the environment.

II. DURING THE INTERVIEW

• Do the basic things – Knock before entering. Make eye contact. Greet the interviewers. Shake hands firmly. Do not sit unless instructed to do so. Look calm and confident.

• Small talk from the interviewer – Initially, every interviewer will try to make you feel comfortable and may ask questions like ‘What are your hobbies,’ ‘What is the colour of the wall behind you?’ etc. Wherever appropriate, you can exhibit your sense of humour or presence of mind.

• The Interview – Once the actual interview starts, be honest, direct and conversational. In case you need time to think, take a minute to do so. If you didn’t understand the question, ask again for clarification. Think from the perspective of the interviewer as they are judging you and so see if you can initiate a different solution for hypothetical situations. Do not make wild guesses for the sake of it.

Admit that there are some areas that you do not have enough knowledge about. Answer in such a way that you do not miss important information but at the same time don’t ramble. Avoid use of fillers like um’s and ah’s. Maintain a good body language. The interviewers usually have enough experience or expertise in ‘identifying’ who will be ideal or not, so just be yourself and give your best.

 

• While leaving – The interviewer usually knows how to wind up and takes the initiative, so you don’t have much of work here! In case they ask ‘Do you have any questions for us’ – you may ask them about culture, kind of training you will receive or other relevant questions. Any questions regarding salary need to be asked carefully by those who already have prior work experience. Thank the interviewers and greet them. Leave with a smile even if you felt the interview did not go well.

III. AFTER THE INTERVIEW

• Others – As soon as you come out, there will be other interviewees in line asking you how it went and what were the questions asked. Don’t explain anything in detail as you yourself were under timed pressure while answering. You can never be sure if they have selected you or not till the final call letter comes. A smile or a grimace from an interviewer can be a cue but don’t take things for granted.You may think that you did not do well – but the interviewers benchmark your performance against others and so you may turn out to be the best among the lot. So after the interview, just loosen up and drink water or eat a chocolate and relax for some time! Write down the questions that were asked so that in case you didn’t make through this interview, you can prepare yourself better for the next one. After all, when one door closes, there are other doors waiting to be opened.

Good luck!

Author: Sharnitha Ramachandran