Friday 21 November 2014

Are you Human Oriented?

"JOIN OUR FAST-PACED COMPANY"
We have no time to train you.
"CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE"
You'll be here very late, very often -- might as well be comfortable.
"MUST BE DEADLINE-ORIENTED"
Your first four projects are already way overdue.
"SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED"
Did we mention that you'll be here very late, very often? And most weekends.
"DUTIES WILL VARY"
We might not check with you before adding more responsibilities
"CAREER-MINDED"
Female applicants must be childless, hope pregnancy is not on cards.




I came across these tweets which were shared with an intended pun but actually is a bitter reality check and an eye opener. These just reiterate that Human Resources have been more of treating Humans as resources. In the fast paced competitive work place before we even realized Human got dropped somewhere midway and hence people became numeric assets good enough to be shown on dashboards. Numbers good enough to be deleted or added as per market climate.

Mostly organizations in urgency to increase the productivity try to optimize their bottom line which in turn results in aggressive target settings for the employees to produce desired results. As much as the top line is important ignoring employee wellness and a stress free environment is what should not be ignored either. These tweets portray the outcome based approach or behavior pertaining to most of the startup and SME where understanding human aspects still looks to be far cry.

My intention is not to counter the organization expectation but only if humans are treated as beings and not machines, as people and not just resources, as family not just assets, growth is inevitable.

So next time don’t look at your watch when somebody is late!!


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Thursday 20 November 2014

Are you ready for it yet?


“Mumma, I want that stick”, Medhansh pointed towards a piece of dry stick while we were strolling in the garden. I picked it up and gave it him.

“Can I have that big one please?” He dropped the earlier one and even before I could nod a yes he had the bigger one in his hand.

As we moved couple of steps more, his desire for a next one grew and there he had another big one. This time one in each hand. So in some 20 mins he picked up 6 to 7 sticks each bigger than the other one. I kept mute and just kept watching the gleam in his eyes every time he found a new BIG stick and it hardly took him time to let go the one he just picked a minute back till such time I saw him aiming for small branch of a tree. Reading his thoughts I simply said  ,”NO, that’s too big for you”. And as expected he started his tantrums because a NO wasn’t expected. I didn’t rub it much and let him do what he wanted and within couple of minutes he realized why I was saying NO. Frustrated by his inability to handle a branch, two times his own size, he started crying. Well….
 
We all have little Medhansh in us, who keeps demanding more, whose desire is to touch and have all for himself and that too in the shortest span. Only difference is Medhansh is just three year old but the same tendency in a 30 year old…imagine how you would set it straight.

As a Human Resource manager I see people changing jobs for more salary, without even consuming the past job they move to next one. The change here is referred as better prospects by many. It’s not usual to find people with a set frequency in terms to job changes. Such people start looking out as soon as they near the threshold point in a company. But what happens in reality is that by the time you make four such changes you lose the hold on the subject because your vision was always short term, because quitting was your first option, because you thought the grass is greener on the other side .

Job change is not bad and I honestly believe that change adds value and variety but you should make sure you have gathered enough knowledge in your current profile before you move to next. Cracking interview is just step one and mostly we do lot more than our Job Description suggests. Going too quickly for a larger pie might excite you but its more about sustaining the expectations which it brings with the size. Also many times the carrot is a fancy designation with hardly any real work and you can trust me for meeting many such people who regretted such hasty decisions

Think about it when you feel edgy about changing your job. Is it a right time for you to move? Have you done enough here? Have you grown enough to aim for a jump? Would waiting for a while fetch you more strength to face the challenges of new profile.

Medhansh with time will learn  as to when is the right time to handle the big stick but until then he should value and enjoy what he has and try to focus on his current possessions so tomorrow he doesn’t regret but enjoy the BIG stick!!

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Tuesday 18 November 2014

Why you should love Facebook?

 
 
I asked her, “So are you there on Facebook?”
She answered in a little awkward tone, “Not really, but I am on Linkedin”
She wondered how this was related to her subject. I just smiled and carried on with the Interview.
It’s sometimes is so interesting to see that a platform which has a base of 1.35 billion active users (WOW!! That’s like a country in itself) and still many don’t feel it makes sense to be there. Well may be as a user we haven’t realized that why it adds value to be on this platform.
 
I asked a quick question and here is what people replied and some responses off course are very interesting considering that each of them come from different professional and personal backgrounds. I am glad my friends have some good reasons to love Facebook. So here adding to them is my list which is not exhaustive but purely my own experience with this amazing #social tool.
 
We establish connects and contacts with people whom we would have never possibly known or if not digitally. This media has provided the space and also common grounds to interact on with chosen people publically or directly. It certainly helps on to network with likeminded people and later leverage the same as per the need. Many businesses thrive on social networks, thanks to all of us for choosing the platform. Adding to that it remains closed to the people you choose provided you used your settings smartly.
I got my last two jobs through Facebook. Really!!Don’t be shocked. With so many users around the recruiters are more than eager tofind the way out to reach the right candidate. Thanks to ‘Facebook Graph Search’ which has made the path more defined and focused. It’s a place where you and your activity talk more than your two page resume and guess what that’s what organizations are looking for, your true self!!
So are you part of Facebook groups? Have you explored any till now? Well that’s another unique way to learn from experts and you’re your own chose fraternity. A place where you can share your mind, seek advices and learn a lot from a mini comment. I see startup communities which talk about new ideas, challenges and solutions around it and then there are friends group who share their own old secrets with you. All on one platform!!
You wonder why some people are so regular with their status messages. Well Facebook is also a tool to share your mind and let your thoughts travel globally with a speed of light. What you share is what people perceive about you .The frequency and content helps them to establish an image which overall contribute towards their personal online branding. You never know who is watching you and considering it’s an open platform with limited privacy you off course should think twice before what you share.
Facebook pages are the new website and even more it’s free. What better way to connect with your audience so closely? In times where Gen Y is ruling we will soon have a career section on FB pages too apart from all the other offerings.
Do you need more reasons to love this brilliant platform and not to miss there is so much feel good factor of numerous likes on your profile pictures. And wait did I say..its very easy Onboarding here!!
 
 

Friday 7 November 2014

What is VUCA??

 
Is it another HR Jargon?
What does it really mean?
                                                  Will this affect me too?
 
 
This is what I thought when I first came across the term VUCA!!
Isn’t the term itself is quite intriguing.I wanted to know more about it than just its meaning, Volatile – Uncertain -Complex –Ambiguous. Though I am sure it explains now what it means. To me it sounds like ,”Don’t mess, I can be really crazy”. So as I became more interested about exploring  VUCA, happened to come across NHRD Mumbai conference which had organized a Panel discussion on the said topic with dignitaries like Dr. Gopal Mahapatra , CLO – RPG Enterprises , Ms. Rani Desai, Chief People Officer – Deloitte India, Mr. Lakshmanan MT – Head Talent Mgmt – L&T Ltd.
Must say the insights really made me feel the VUCA is a reality of everyday. I realized that VUCA has been there since the humanity existed , though we might have not called it by that name. Doesn’t our life gets us in situations which we never predicted, which have been beyond our control. It’s an environment which can be confusing and complicated, an event which can turn things topsy turvy and we with our best laid plans can’t even resist the change.
So though I felt more than debating about whether VUCA is a myth of reality , we should rather try to figure out the way to deal with it. For even if we deny the existence the change would still happen, so why fret rather deal with a grace. Adding to the thoughts shared by the panel where one of them quoted that India specifically has been one of the most adapted countries in terms of changes, after all those invasions and attacks from the historical times Indian are attuned to handle VUCA environment . Possibly that could be a reason why many Indians don’t feel that it even exists for its so much part of our normal lives. Morever it’s not a challenge but an opportunity to stand out and carve your own way. Now relating it closely to my subject, Human Resources Management here are some workspace events quoted by the brilliant panel to make it more relevant to us.
Layoffs and Pink slips are one of the most terrible times of conflict in a Human Resource professional’s life cycle. It takes me back to 2008 and 2009 when people dreaded to come office as it could be there last working day.
Talent Acquisition not matter how fancy the term sounds ask the pain of ‘back outs’ from a Hiring Manager who is uncertain even after the prospective candidates joins the organization.
What happens during the Mergers and Acquisitions? How to deal with people issues when the situation itself is not clear? Imagine the confused state scenario where the HR manager still has to be grounded and take it in the best stride.
How to handle the staff when a major project has been lost? Will you retain them or not? The dynamics changes overnight. One deal lost affects many around. Isn’t that a VUCA environment to deal with?
Summing up this, today when we are better equipped and much more aware, the solution lies in the word itself. Handle Volatile with Vision, Uncertainty with Understanding, Complex with Clarity and Ambiguous with Agility. It’s an age of unlearning and relearning and every change demands us to do that, world now has been different than it was a decade back .We have to get into vertical development , where every individual and organization finds the solutions and adapts the best practice to win over VUCA times.
 
 
 

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