Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Interview questionnaires

Interview questionnaires

When a wide geographical coverage is required and a large number of people have to be contacted, the most efficient and convenient method is to collect data through mail/web questionnaires. The Researcher or Surveyor (RS) can send thousands of questionnaires at a comparatively low cost. Since RS cannot seek further clarification as in the case of interviews, RS should take utmost pains in preparing the questionnaire.

The following hints will be of help:
  1. Each question should be clearly framed and should seek to elicit the information related to the topic of RS report.
  2. It should be precise and not vague. For example, if RS askS, “Do you see films regularly,” RS’s respondent will not understand what RS means by ‘regularly’. And suppose he says ‘yes’ how will this answer help RS? But if RS says, “How often in a month do you see a movie?” he will understand what RS wants to know and his answer will be precise and useful.
  3. Avoid leading questions – questions which suggest or anticipate answers and thus conditions or prejudice the respondent’s mind. For example. “Do you read The Hindustan Times?” is an attempt to lead the respondent. A better question to ask would be, “Which daily newspaper do you read?
  4. As in the case of interviews, do not ask any questions which may embarrass the respondent. Questions about sex habits, religious beliefs, personal income etc are better avoided. When RS have to write a report touching on such matters, obtain the consent of the respondent beforehand if possible and keep the information secure and confidential. In all situations avoid asking questions which may hurt the respondent’s self respect pride or ego.
  5. Since RS are making a demand on the time of strangers, ensure that questions are easy to answer and the questionnaire is brief and convenient to handle. Leave plenty of space in it for answers. It would be irritating for the respondent to find that he cannot write what he wants. Often questionnaires remain unanswered because of this defect.
  6. Arrange RS’s questions in a logical order and get them cyclostyled or printed neatly. Mail the questionnaire in an attractive envelope along with a covering letter, courteously seeking the respondent’s cooperation and help. In many respects this letter should be similar to a sales letter. It should be able to attract the respondent’s attention, make him feel important and induce him to fill in the questionnaire and return it to RS promptly. Courtesy demands that RS should enclose a postage paid envelope for reply.

BPO Policies: 5 Emerging Trends

BPO Policies: 5 Emerging Trends

Watch out for the next three years! A turbulent phase of global consolidation and aggregation should see Indian BPOs and KPOs emerge bigger and stronger. Some may even become MNCs and global industry leaders. Human resources will, however, be the key challenge at the industry level as well as for the individual HR professional. Successful HR managers will have to be prepared for five emerging trends.

Deepak Wadhwan, consulting advisor, KPMG, points out in an article in The Economic Times a few key trends which he claims may get overlooked. The top five are:
  • The next three years will see a lot of mergers and acquisitions in BPO space worldwide.
  • Most new voice/data BPOs will be at least 1000 seaters while KPOs serving any specific domain, 100 seaters.
  • Attrition will rise in the middle and top levels leading to a talent war.
  • Most top Indian BPO/KPO companies would have multicultural/multinational operations/workforce.
  • Bottomline: Those who focus on brand building will perform, others will perish.

HR managers who are better prepared to handle these trends are more likely to perform rather than perish. That means, they must be prepared for:
  1. M&As
  2. Scalability
  3. Talent War
  4. Multicultural Ops
  5. Brand Building

Not that all factors will be applicable to all organisations in BPO/KPO space. Each business will have its own strengths and opportunities and weaknesses and threats. The individual HR manager too has to asses what his/her organization specifically needs. A proactive manager will try to outguess the board and keep some plans ready even before they are actually asked for.
An M&A human resource impact study keeping in mind any one/several possible victims/predators in mind is a good example. M&As are complex and traumatic affairs from a HR point of view. In case one’s organization has any chance of becoming a participant in any M&A event in the near future, a little early planning can prove to be a big help.

Similarly, being all ready to ramp up overnight, as it were, due to some early preparation on your part, can only earn you kudos from the guys who matter. The same can be said about each of the other big trends such as the possibility of talent war or multicultural and multinational operations. The key issue is to correctly asses which way your own organization is headed and then to be specifically prepared for it.

Some companies will not bother much about brand building – either because they don’t need it or care for it, for some reason or the other – but most others would do so. That would mean an additional set of headaches for HR professionals. Apart from the many intangible values that add up to create robust brand equities, some very necessary and tangible aspects are getting certifications of various kinds, following industry best practices and maintaining/improving delivery standards. Achieving these goals will require constant development of HR systems and processes. In plain English that simply means more work for the HR professionals.

Managing human resources in an HR and knowledge intensive BPO/KPO industry was never easy, but with a period of turbulence about to set in, its just going to get tougher! But then being forewarned is being forearmed – just ride out the storm.

Geeta Saar

This is what Bhagwan Shri Krishna wants to tell you:

Hey Parth (Employee),

Incentive nahi mila, Bura Hua

Salary cut rahi hai, Bura Hua

Extra shift hogi, woh bhi buri hogi.

Tum pichhla incentive na milne ka paschatap na karo,

Tum agle incentive ki chinta na karo,

Bus apni salary main santusht raho....

Tumhari pocket se kya gaya , jo rote ho?

Jo aaya tha sab yahee se aaya.

Tum jab nahi the, tab bhi company chal rahi thee

Tum jab nahi hoge, tab bhi chalegee.

Tum koi experience leker nahi aaye the..

Jo experience mila yahi mila...

Jo support diya company ke liye...

Degree leker aaye the, experience leker chalo.

Jo system aaj tumhara hai...

Woh kal kisi aur ka tha....

Kal kisi aur ka or parso kisi aur ka hoga..

Tum ise apna samajh kar kyo magan ho rahe ho..

Yahi khushi tumhari tension kaa kaaran hai.

Kyo vyarth chinta karte ho, kisse vyarth darte ho, Kaun tumhe nikaal sakta hai.

Policy change company ka rule hai

Jise tum policy change kahte ho, wahi to trick hai.

Ek pal main tum Best performer or Hero no.1 ya Super Star ban jaate ho,

Dusre pal main tum worst performer or target nahin achieve kar paatey ho.

Appraisal, incentive etc. etc. mann se hata do, vichaar se mita do,

Phir company tumhari hai or tum company ke.

Na yeh increment wageyrah tumhare liye hai, na tum iske kabhi ho,

Parantu job secure hai

Phir tum tension kyon lete ho........?

Tum apne aap ko company ko arpit kar do,

Yahi sabse bada golden rule hai,

Jo is golden rule ko jaanta hai,

woh review, incentive,recession ,retirement aadi se sada Ke liye muqt ho jaata hai.