TRAINING AIDS AND ADVANTAGES – EMPLOYEE TRAINING

TRAINING AIDS AND ADVANTAGES – EMPLOYEE TRAINING

Films, Slides, Projectors, Movies, Stills
Charts, Graphs, Flash Cards, Flannel Boards, Pictograms
Pamphlets, Brochures, Handbooks, Manuals
Libraries and Reading Rooms
Teaching Machines, Closed Circuit TV.
Exhibits ,Posters and Displays.
Notice Boards, Bulletin Boards, Enlarged Drawings.
Cartoons, Comic Books, Books.

Follow –up

The final step in most training procedures is that of follow-up .When people are involved in any problem or procedure,it is unwise to assume that things are always constant.Follow-up can be adopted to a variable reinforcement schedule in the discussion of learning principles .The follow-up system should provide feed-back on training effectiveness and on total value of training system shown below

Advantages of Training

The contribution of imparting training to a company should be readily apparent .The major values are:

1.Increased Productivity: An increase in skill usually results in an increment in both quality and quantity of output. However, the increasingly technical nature of modern jobs demands systematic training to make possible even minimum levels of accomplishment.

2.Heightened Morale: Possession of needed skills help to meet such basic human needs as security and ego satisfaction .Collaborate personnel and human relations programs can make a contribution toward morale ,but they are hollow shells if there is no solid core of meaningful work down with knowledge , skill and pride

3.Reduced Supervision The trained employee is one who can perform with limited supervision. Both employee and supervisor want less supervision but greater independence is not possible unless the employee is adequately trained.

4.Reduced Accidents: More accidents are caused by deficiencies in people than by deficiencies in equipment and working conditions. Proper training in both job skills and safety attitudes should contribute toward a reduction in the accident rate.

5.Increased Organizational Stability: The ability of an organization to sustain its effectiveness despite the loss of key personnel , can be developed only through creation of a reservoir of employees. Flexibility , the ability to adjust to short-run variations in the volume of work requires personnel with multiple skills to permit their transfer to jobs where the demand is highest.

Organizations must be family friendly

Organizations must be family friendly

Employees today are asking for a workplace that helps them balance the demands of their work and family lives, rather than forcing them to choose one over the other. Organizations have also accepted that among the many other aspirations of employees, the most important is one that seeks to be able to ‘provide well’ for their families Amongst the many schemes that organizations have introduced for their employees, having special schemes for their children is the latest addition. While some are offering various schemes like scholarships, medical benefits, and training some young kids to accompany their mothers to work. Many organizations boast of instances where they have gone out of their way to extend special help to the child of a particular employee.

At NIIT, one would witness various examples of how these commitments have been actually put into practice. Little NIITian is a special name given to the kids of NIITians (read: employees), who are a special part of NIIT. The company’s ‘calendar’ is dotted with many fun activities which encourage active participation from these little ones. No matter what the occasion, if it touches and concerns a NIITians or his / her family, the company tries to be a part of it. Amongst the many schemes which the company offers towards employee welfare, the one which was found most special was the one wherein on the birth of a little NIITian, the company contributes a sum as investment in the name of the new born. NIIT also has schemes like ‘Little NIITian Care Leave (LNCL)’ under which, the NIITians can avail half time working hours on half pay, to take care of a child at home. The leave can be utilized for a maximum of six months period for half days till the child is one year old.

High expectation levels, increasing attrition rates and increasing demand for work life balance has forced organizations to look beyond run of the mill HR interventions. Objective is to create ‘Home away from Home’, an atmosphere where the basic needs of employees are met and they don’t have to be bothered about the daily routine tasks. Under the ‘Child Care Support’ scheme that the company offers, crèches, workplace nurseries, out-of-school care, holiday play schemes and after school clubs are included Similarly, Cellebrum proposes to have scholarship programs, wherein the child of a meritorious and tenured employee with good academic records will be given scholarship fees based on the company’s policy. “Cellebrum has already initiated tie ups with various schools / institutes to take care of the child’s admission at the time of relocation. There is also a ‘Career Counseling Cell’ which provides in-house career counseling options for children of employees.

Amongst the various schemes that 24/7 Customer has initiated for the families of its employees, some of the most prominent ones include ‘Family insurance Scheme’, ‘Employee Welfare Fund’,’ Family Oriented Reward Program’, ‘Reward & Recognition,’ ‘Parents Day’ and ‘Daycare Centre’. 24/7 Customer is the only BPO in India to provide extended insurance to the employee and their families (employee plus four dependents). Under the ‘Employee Welfare Fund’, employees in any kind of medical emergency or need can avail it as a loan. There are instances when one of the family members of an employee had to undergo a major surgery and the amount from this scheme proved to be very helpful. Every month, on Parents Day, the family members of employees are invited to spend a day with their children/spouse/sibling.

Multinational Corporations

Multinational Corporations

Multinational corporations (MNCs) have their headquarters in one country but their operations are in many countries. Of the ten largest multinational industrial corporations, ranked by 1985 sales, eight are American. The ten are (1) General Motors, (2) Exxon, (3) Royal Dutch / Shell Group (Dutch-English), (4) Mobil, (5) British Petroleum (English), (6) Ford Motor Company, (7) International Business Machines (IBM), (8) Texaco (9) Chevron, and (10) American Telephone and Telegraph.

In its early stages, international business was conducted with an ethnocentric outlook; that is, the orientation and type of operation was based on that of the parent company. The polycentric attitude, on the other hand, is based on the notion that it is best to give foreign subsidiaries, staffed by local nationals, a great deal of managerial freedom. It is assumed that nationals have the best understanding of the local environment. Region-centric orientation favors the staffing of foreign operations on a regional basis. Thus, a European view may be composed of British, French, German, and Italian influences. The modern multinational corporation has a geocentric orientation. This means that the total organization is viewed as an interdependent system operating in many countries. The relationships between headquarters and subsidiaries are collaborative, with communication flowing in both directions. Further more key positions are filled by managers of different nationalities. In short, the orientation of the multi-national corporation is truly and goes beyond a narrow nationalistic view point.

Multinational corporations have several advantages over firms that have a domestic orientation. Obviously, the MNC can take advantage of business opportunities in many different countries. It can also raise money for its operations throughout the world. Moreover, multinational firms benefit by being able to establish production facilities in countries where their products can be produced most effectively and efficiently. Companies with worldwide sometimes have access to natural resources and material that may not be available to domestic firms. Finally, the large MNCs can recruit management and personnel from a world wide labor pool.

Despite the increasing competition and the cost advantages of some foreign corporations, a number of US companies have done very well in the international environment.

Fortune studied a number of large companies that earn more than 20% of their revenues from overseas operations. The reasons for the success of these firms differ greatly. IBM’s size makes it possible to dominate the market. Coca-Cola is very adept at opening up new markets rather rapidly. McDonald’s on the other hand, does not rush into the market but carefully assesses the potential for success. Hewlett Packard and Boeing bring foreign managers to the United States to expose them to their organizational culture.

The MNCs that were studied structure their organization very carefully to suit the needs of each individual country. In addition, these firms are flexible in their product design and marketing. It should also be noted that the operations abroad were largely managed by foreign nationals.

Managerial Functions in International Business:

Evidence shows that management fundamentals may be applicable in different countries. However, the practice of carrying out the managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling differs considerably in domestic and international enterprises.

Planning requires setting objectives and then selecting strategies, policies, programs, and procedures for achieving them. A critically important activity for the MNC is the assessment of opportunities and threats in the external environment. This is a complex task even for a domestic enterprise, but it becomes much intricate when many different, ever changing world markets must be scanned.

External threats and opportunities must be matched with the internal strengths and weakness of the firm. For example, a poor educational system makes it difficult to find qualified personnel. Similarly, cultural orientation towards time will affect planning. Specifically, cultural attitudes that emphasize a short time perspective will not be conducive to long range planning. Finally, political and economic instability in a country makes it difficult to forecast and will discourage long term commitment of resources.

Interviews can reveal candidates’ market value

Interviews can reveal candidates’ market value

Interviewing for a new job can reveal the true market value of an individual’s skills and experience—if he is well prepared to negotiate his salary

Everybody loves a good pay hike. Since he is highly unlikely to get as many increments in a year as he may like, he might consider switching jobs. He may figure that a new employer would value him more, and send off a resume. How well prepared will he be when it’s time to talk about money?

The interview is going the individual’s way, and he is able to impress everyone. Then the human resource (HR) manager shoots the big question: how much remuneration he is expecting? Usually, money is discussed only when the interview reaches the negotiation stage.

The candidate’s answer to that question can make or break the deal. HR managers believe it’s a loaded question. During the negotiation stage, managers rate him for individual personal qualities on the basis of the remuneration he demands. While the individual is justifying his demand, the managers are assessing his mindset towards money, as well as rating his knowledge, self-assurance and understanding of the current demand-supply scenario for jobs in the industry.

How much to ask for? In most people-oriented industries where retaining employees is tough, a hike of 25-30% above an individual previous salary is acceptable. Yet HR managers are not necessarily put off by interviewees who ask for more than the industry norm.

It is expected the interviewee to have given good thought about how much his paycheck should be. People should be asking for remuneration according to their abilities, liabilities and future goals. Their salaries should help them move forward in life.

Their demand will not always be in tandem with industry standards, but that should not deter them from asking what they think they deserve. Lying about an individual’s previous salary is not at all recommended in fact prohibited. Many people resort to this, since the higher salary at the new job would be based on the previous salary. Not only is lying legally and morally unacceptable, but it is also unlikely to work if he is seeking to switch to a reputed company. For most companies, it is now the norm to ask for an individual previous salary slip, Form 16, and reference letters from people in the individual’s field of work.

Some multinationals in fields like real estate, where salaries are sky-high, even hiring a third party investigator to check on the credentials of new recruits. In such a scenario, an individual’s best option and one that is legally unimpeachable is to switch jobs after getting an increment at his old job. Salary structure today is decided on a “cost to company” basis. This means companies look at the total expenses they would incur on an employee which include medical expenses, leave travel allowance, and sometimes even office space.

Trying to decipher exactly how much cash will actually flow into an individual hands may seem confusing at first glance, as he run down the list of sub-heads like car fuel, entertainment, attire, and other allowances. It is, of course, a good idea to make the effort to understand the salary structure. But if he really wants to save all the fretting, let the new employer know the “take home” that he would like each month.

Leave the fine tuning to the accounts department. Tax benefits Interaction with the accounts department, however, is inevitable, because a candidate needs to know the tax implications of his salary. Employees are often so engrossed in their jobs that they forget to inform the accounts department about their investments, home loans, and so on. Then they get a surprise when they see the tax deductions in their first paycheck.

When a individual joins a new company, he needs to declare the tax benefits he is eligible for. Proof of those investments can come later, so long as it is before the end of the financial year. Cash in hand depends on ones ever growing needs— a house, a car, a better lifestyle. Having more cash in hand is becoming an imperative, leading to a new trend among employees to prefer cash in hand, rather than gratuity and provident fund (PF) contributions by the employer.
Employee stock ownership plans have lost some of their allure, because of the fringe benefit tax on the profit, starting from this year. This is paving the way for higher take-home salaries.
There is more good than bad in going for interviews. Interviews that reach the monetary negotiations stage enable one to know his market value. Some interviewees may go ahead and accept the offer for a new job. And others will use their new-found market value to get that elusive pay hike from their existing company.

BPO policies- what works

BPO policies- what works

The biggest challenge that HR managers working for BPO companies face is that of attrition. How to tackle attrition? Which HR policies work best? To start with, there are no easy answers. Nor should we expect any standard policy package to work for all companies. Each company needs to work out the HR policy package that would work best given the company’s specific character. A few general guidelines can, however, be suggested.

It is first necessary to point out that in the Indian BPO industry, attrition is more of a problem in voice operations and not so much in non-voice operations. Second, most Indian BPO companies operate in the low-end of the information food chain or the low end of the knowledge spectrum and rates of attrition are highest in these firms and, therefore, they pose a problem for HR managers. Attrition is not really a problem in high-end BPOs. Thus, the problem of attrition is most acute in call centres and, therefore, what we really need is a policy package to tackle attrition in these firms.

Many HR managers in such firms believe that high rates of attrition in Indian call centres are a phenomenon peculiar to India. It is not so. Various studies have shown that if the average rate of attrition in Indian call centres is in the region of 30-35 per cent, it is around 25-30 per cent in the US or UK. Moreover, in call centres in other countries competing with India (for example Philippines) the attrition rate is again at least as high as it is in India. Thus, high rates of attrition is a kind of given in the call centre industry around the world.

Studies show that Indian BPO firms which have been able to tackle the problem of attrition successfully adopt policies which can be grouped into two basic categories:
(a) policies that are based on the basic strategy of “learning to live with it”, and
(b) policies that are based on the basic strategy of “learning to tackle it”.
The emphasis in the first group of policies is on constant recruitment and training and not on retention while in the second group of policies the emphasis is on retention rather than on constant recruitment and training.

Studies also show that in call centres, the basic strategy of “Learning to live with it” works best while the basic strategy of “Learning to tackle it” works best for non-voice operations and in firms engaged in high end processes. In call centres, adopting a basic strategy that emphasizes retention can be suicidal because however much HR managers may try, call centres will have high attrition rates. Hence, spending too much on retention will only result in hiking costs and thereby eroding the very cost arbitrage that is the basis of the call centre business while it will not help in reducing the attrition rate appreciably. On the other hand, if the emphasis is on constant recruitment and training, costs can be kept down without affecting operations even if the attrition rate is in the region of 30-35 per cent.

Studies also show that one third of all attrition in call centres are because of high stress levels and the desire to pursue higher education or alternative occupations while two thirds can be attributed to better job opportunities in the industry. In short, a large majority of people quitting go to another call centre. This is the reason why many call centre HR managers fall into the trap of putting emphasis on retention thinking that if they can implement good retention policies then the two thirds of the people going to other call centres for better job prospects would not do so. These HR managers fail to realize that irrespective of the retention policies, two thirds of the people will still leave for better job prospects and that beyond a point spending more on retention would only eat into margins and erode the basic profitability of the business.

In this context some facts are worth noting:

(a) most Indian call centres need no more than graduates and there is no dearth of graduates in India so that there is no basic shortage of manpower as long as the call centre company does not make the mistake of recruiting over qualified people for their operations. Such over qualified people will leave anyway after a few days or weeks once they realize that their expectations do not match with the reality.

(b) Most Indian call centres need to train people for no more than three months to get them to become fully productive as long as the raw recruit had basic English language skills, especially verbal communication skills. Moreover, in many low-end processes where the script is given by the client and agents have almost no discretion, even basic skills of communication in English is not required since almost anybody can be trained to read a prepared script with a certain specific accent and diction. Hence constant recruitment and training is cost-effective even with attrition rates of around 30-35 per cent.

(c) In most Indian call centres, the majority of the agents are in the age group 18-26 and their focus is on the here and now. Such employees prefer to get their entire compensation in cash and not through such rubrics as provident fund, medical cover, superannuation benefits etc. Hence, call centres need to structure their compensation package in a way that most of the benefits go to the employee in the form of cash or through such things as company credit cards, easy car/housing/consumer durable loans, club membership etc. For this reason, proprietory firms have an edge over corporates as it is easier for proprietory firms to structure a pay package with a larger “here and now” cash component.

(d) Since most employees are young they are emotionally less stable than older employees and are prone to switch jobs for the most trivial reasons. Instead of spending a lot through higher pay packages in a bid to retain talent, call centres would do well to concentrate on constant counseling at the workplace to help young employees realize the virtues of patience and the fact that even a call centre job can lead to a long term career.

(e) Again instead of continually increasing the pay package, call centres would do well to try and create opportunities for upward mobility not just through scaling up of operations but also through moving up the value chain in terms of processes handled (this should anyway be a strategic goal for any BPO unit irrespective of whether it is facing a problem of attrition or not).

(f) The usual stress busting mechanisms should be in place – work should be fun – partying, get togethers, sporting events, facilities for yoga and aerobics exercises, good food and cafeteria facilities, etc help in a big way to retain younger people.

Space limitations do not permit a fuller discussion, but some of the basic issues have been covered above. From what has been said so far it should be obvious that what kind of policies a firm must choose to tackle attrition depends a great deal on the kind of processes it is handling. The problem of attrition is highest in the firms engaged in low end processes while those engaged in high end processes do not have so much of a problem. Also, while firms engaged in low-end processes would do well to adopt the basic strategy of “learning to live with it”, firms engaged in high-end processes would do better by adopting the basic strategy of “Learning to tackle it”. For those adopting the second strategy, talent retention policies would tend to be similar to standard policies adopted by most companies such as a fast track promotion policy, frequent hikes in the compensation package etc. For firms engaged in low end processes, the key to success is to realize that emphasis on retention will not work and, therefore, it is better to concentrate on constant recruitment and training.

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.

HR managers need to be better performers

HR managers need to be better performers

It may sound a bit ironic. Indian managers may be high performers in their area of expertise but the performances of the people who manage them leave much to be desired for. That in short is the synopsis of a recent survey conducted by global management consultancy firm.

In the firm’s High Performance Work Force study 2007, conducted by interviewing 40 Indian CEO and Human Relation (HR) department heads, the majority of the executives cited that HR is their most critical workforce (Globally, HR is ranked No. 7 in the pecking order of importance).

However, there was deep dissatisfaction with HR’s performance. In an adequacy vs expectations survey across different workforce like sales, manufacturing, R&D, HR, etc HR performed the worst. The study pointed out that CEOs believed that there is a huge gap between the potential and actual achievement by their HR function.

The survey sought executive insights in three broad areas – most important factors in achieving high performances and how their companies are addressing these factors, the importance of various workforces to company’s success and their performances and the extent to which the HR function is supporting the company’s key workforces and positioning them for success.

The executives in the study came from diverse industries like steel, construction, engineering to finance and entertainment.

In India, both old and new economy companies are trying to fish in the same pond, creating severe talent crunch.

As new economy companies continue to attract talented people in droves, old economy companies such as those in steel, power generation and manufacturing appeared to be better prepared to deal with talent issues. These companies are more willing to use “appropriate metrics” to track HR and over workforce performance.

In what could be particularly worrisome, the middle management level was found to be unhappy with how organizations treat them. The amount of effort in retention and leadership development at this level is just not good enough.

As companies often get their next generation of leaders from this level, the study found that the HR department needed to do much more as executives in this level are at a critical point of their career. The study found that it is a situation that should be troubling not only for HR leaders themselves, but for the executives as a whole.

Flow of communications in an organization

Flow of communications in an organization

Three types of communications in an organization can be classified by their flow: vertical, horizontal and informal. In directing activities of subordinates, the manager issues orders to others further down in the hierarchy. Organization charts show the flow of authority and the channels through which this downward, vertical communication flows. Authority lines are important channels of communication but they comprise only one type of channel. Control reports and memoranda flow back up through the levels of the hierarchy as subordinates are made accountable for their actions. This upward vertical flow of communications is the heart of a control system.

Horizontal channels provide means by which managers on the same level of an organization coordinate their activities without referring all matters to their superior. Such communication is sarcastically named as a “gang plank”. Because many matters can be handled at the same level of an organization by direct mutual interaction instead of a formal communication thereby speeding action while at the same time relieving superiors of unnecessary problems. Multiple copies of memoranda that flow to all positions needing the information increase coordination of effort.

Formal communications are planned to meet the specific needs of the organization; however, many communication are informal. The grapevine may be helpful for the attainment of organizational goals, but it also serves the social needs of the individuals in the organization. A manager can utilize the grapevine as a positive aid, but may also face problems of rumors, gossip, and other negative outlets of expressions by people in the organization. The grapevine cannot be destroyed; therefore, it should receive conscious attention. Informal channels may be superior for some organizational purposes. A “word” can be dropped at the proper time and may remedy a disciplinary problem without resort to a formal reprimand. Because the speed at which information flows through a grapevine is often astounding, management must seriously consider this third type of communication.

Communication may be viewed as a pattern of interconnecting lines, referred to as networks. Researchers have experimented with various structural patterns of communications in small groups.

Overloading of communication channels can cause the network to be jammed with irrelevant messages. Newer methods of processing and transmitting data have increased the number of communications which flow to executives. Managers can literally be buried in memoranda and reports with no hope of digging themselves out. The answer to this problem lies in monitoring the channels to clear messages in order of priority and importance. More messages do not necessarily mean more information. The communication system should provide for editing devices, or persons, to regulate the quality and quantity of communication with regard to sufficiency of information for decision centers.

Timing of communications can result in problems for management. Some types of messages need to be released so that everyone will receive them simultaneously. Other types of messages being transmitted should be timed sequentially so that receivers will not be confused by issues that are not important to them at the moment.

Routing of communications should provide sufficient information for a decision to be made by the proper persons. The route may determine the content of the message and the language in which it is stated. If official information is first received by the grapevine, or from persons outside the organization, the employee may be placed in an insecure position. If a supervisor receives information from subordinates, it signifies a short circuit in the line of communication from top management, and thus threatens the supervisor’s status and authority. The answers to the problem are in the proper planning of a communication system and in the recognition of its human elements.

Determination of the flow of communication and recognition of the many barriers to good communication is basic to the communicating function. Communication networks, communication channels, and barriers to communication must continually receive attention.

Employees or customers

Employees or customers

Paucity of talent coupled with high rate of attrition has forced corporate companies in India to give higher priority to employees than the customers sometimes to ensure their top and bottom lines continue to improve.

Cutting across sectors, employees both in new age and brick and mortar companies are today in the enviable position of choosing their employers, contrary to the dictum of chasing a job. With this reversal in trend companies are thriving to become “employer of choice”.

Finding the right talent has become much harder in today’s world and the employers need to create brand value for themselves among the job seekers. Employers are now working in a small field with very few quality candidates and finding right person is three times harder than it was ten years ago. Employer branding comes as a rescuer in such a scenario.

Waking up to the need, a number of companies, from IT firm HCL to tires to pharmaceutical group Apollo International, are projecting themselves as employer of choice, while valuing their workers more than customers.

At HCL a strong message is conveyed to employees that customers come second to the employees. This imbibes a feeling in the mindsets of employees that they are the priority for their organization. This creates a sense of belongingness and employees on their part feel a sense of responsibility for the organization.

Apollo wants to be known as the most preferred employer of choice mentions a top HR director of the company. The branding is the need for the day, be it for a product, a person or a company. An “inside-out method” is followed, as per which internal branding compels value proposition for external people as well as current employees.

The industry players believe the new focus is helping the companies not just for hiring new as well as right talent, but for also retaining their existing employees. With the companies having a better brand value than others, the existing employees stay on for longer recognizing the brand promise and new candidates are also attracted. In addition, the exercise also saves on hiring and related costs.

The tool has helped up in significantly cutting cost per hire. High reputation in marketplace helps in attracting specialist talent in the present difficult market. This tool fosters employee productivity and helps to retain and attract employees.
However, the rule is not the same for each and every company. To create a brand value, the company first needs to be good at its original business.

Firstly a company has to be successful at its business. Also, they should walk their talk by running an organization which has a sense of purpose and which treats employees fairly based on the current market value.

The dividends reaped, however, are significant for the companies that have successfully implemented this model.

A fastest growing IT corporate company in India is projecting itself as a young dynamic company with a workforce that could pay a leading role in the information technology sector, and this projection has helped with the company becoming the fastest growing IT company in India, managing to be in the top five slots for the last few years.

Here we would like to clarify that customers are not neglected for the sake of employees. It is while customers are given certain privileges the same benefits are also passed on to the employees subject to feasibility and practical possibility. For example in case of 5 star hotels the facilities given to their guests is even extended to the employee and his family members subject to the rules even guests may have to follow. In case of a IT company a club facility meant for top management and their high value customers is noe being extended to employees beyond a certain grade. Another IT company provided a chauffeur driven car to an employee of Assistant manager and above category on his or her marriage anniversary day at company’s expense.

Examples of Items You Can Use for Employee Recognition

Examples of Items You Can Use for Employee Recognition

Employee recognition is best approached creatively. While money is an important form of employee recognition, ideas for employee recognition are limited only by your imagination. Use the following ideas as you approach the provision of employee recognition.

Money

Base salary
Bonuses
Gift certificates
Cash awards

Written Words

Handwritten thank you notes
A letter of appreciation in the employee file
Handwritten cards to mark celebratory occasions
Recognition posted on the employee bulletin board
Contribution noted in the company newsletter

Positive Attention From Supervisory Staff

Stop by an individual’s workstation or office to talk informally
Provide frequent positive performance feedback – at least weekly
Provide public praise at a staff meeting
Take the employee out to lunch.

Encourage Employee Development

Send people to conferences and seminars
Ask people to present a summary of what they learned at a conference or seminar at a department meeting
Work out a written employee development plan
Make career development commitments and a schedule

The Work Itself

Provide cross training opportunities
Provide more of the kinds of work the employee likes and less of the work they do not like
Provide opportunities for empowerment and self-management
Ask the employee to represent the department at an important, external meeting
Have the employee represent the department on an inter-departmental committee
Provide opportunities for the employee to determine their own goals and direction
Participation in idea-generation and decision making

Gifts

Company logo merchandise such as shirts, hats, mugs, and jackets
Gift certificates to local stores
The opportunity to select items from a catalog
The ability to exchange "positive points" for merchandise or entry into a drawing for merchandise

Symbols and Honors

Framed or unframed certificates to hang on the wall or file
Engraved plaques
Larger work area or office
More and better equipment
Provide status symbols, whatever they are in your organization

Shortage of talent - higher compensation

Shortage of talent - higher compensation

Many IT companies in India have offered higher salary increases during the increment season of this year, compared to what they did the year before. The increases appear to be particularly high at mid levels, where talent scarcity is becoming pronounced. More so in smaller companies, for whom retaining talent has become extremely challenging.

"i-Gate" has announced an average increment of 16% this year against 13% last year. TCS has increased it by 15% this year, 4 % points higher than a year ago; HCL has hiked it by 15% as against 12% last year. Mid-sized companies like Subex Systems have been giving 20% hikes across the board for the last two years, while its top performers have got a 30-35% increment.

But despite the high pay packet structure in MNC companies, India still offers a low cost arbitrage which in turn has forced Indian biggies to push up their salary levels.

Infosys’ average hike this year is said to be roughly the same as last year, at 12-15%, but the hikes for the top performers is whopping 30%, against about 8% at lower levels.

HR head of Infosys explains this difference on the grounds that ‘supply to the entry level remains god, but the supply of mid-level people is challenging. Wipro, which will announce its increments only later this year (it had given an average hike of 12% during Q3 of last fiscal),is expected to follow a similar strategy . HR head at Wipro, says when there are constraints on the budget, it’s important to differentiate top performers from the average.

While most employees are likely to rejoice at such salary increases, companies are far from enthusiastic. The issue now is how long they will be able to maintain these levels of increases. The general cost factor is becoming a concern said a COO of another company. In the salary game, everybody is a loser considering particularly that billing rates have not gone up dramatically.

HR managers in the biotech field appear to have realized that they would not be able to attract and keep top talent if companies do not open their purse strings long and wide. Some surprisingly pleasant facts expressed by the concerned top management personnel are,

A Rs. 2.5-3 lac package is now not foreign to the sector even for a fresher and in a year he is able to scale up to a Rs. 4-6 lac bracket. And the scene is getting all the same, especially for those who add to their qualifications on a regular basis, given the rapidly evolving technologies.

At the team leader stage the salary often crosses the Rs. 10Lakh mark, and the project head can look forward to pocketing a Rs. 25-lakh annual sum.

At the senior levels there has never been a cap . Senior biotechnologists whose skills are difficult to replace with get paid handsomely. In a company of India called Biocon alone there are at least four people who earn more than Rs. 1 cr ($ 250,000) per annum.

The biotech sector has money It’s only a matter of companies wanting to part with it. That can only happen if they find an exceptional talent. Companies seem to have realized the need to take care of the fresh candidates. In case of IT its becoming difficult between retaining employees and clients as the billing rates have not gone up to meet recurring increases in compensation to employees.

The Seven Levels of Delegation

The Seven Levels of Delegation

Delegation isn't just a matter of telling someone else what to do. There is a wide range of varying freedom that you can confer on the other person. The more experienced and reliable they are then the more freedom you can give them.

The more critical the task then the more cautious you need to be about extending a lot of freedom, especially if your job or reputation depends on getting a good result. Take care to choose the most appropriate style for each situation.

1. "Wait to be told." or "Do exactly what I say." No delegation at all.


2. "Look into this and tell me what you come up with. I'll decide." This is asking for investigation and analysis, but no recommendation.


3. "Give me your recommendation, and the other options with the pros and cons of each. I'll let you know whether you can go ahead." Asks for analysis and recommendation, but you will check the thinking before deciding.


4. "Decide and let me know your decision, but wait for my go ahead." The other person needs approval, but is trusted to judge the relative options.


5. "Decide and let me know your decision, then go ahead unless I say not to." Now the other person begins to control the action. The subtle increase in responsibility saves time.


6. "Decide and take action, but let me know what you did." Saves more time. Allows a quicker reaction to wrong decisions, not present in final level.


7. "Decide and take action. You need not check back with me." The is is most freedom that we can give to the other person. A high level of confidence is necessary, and needs good controls to ensure mistakes are flagged.

Salary And Wage Management

SALARY AND WAGE MANAGEMENT

Here are some ways and means of fixing the compensations levels, taking into consideration various factors like experience, identical industry knowledge, qualifications and proven skills. This in short we have comprehended as ‘Salary and Wage Management’.

Acquire Qualified Personnel:

Compensation needs to be high enough to attract applicants. Pay levels must respond to supply and demand of workers in the labor market since employers complete for workers. Premium wages are sometimes needed to attract applicants who are already working for others.

Retain Present Employees:

Employees may quit when compensation levels are not competitive resulting in higher turnover of manpower.

Ensure Equity:

Compensation management strives for internal and external equity. Internal equity requires that pay be related to the relative worth of jobs, so that similar jobs get similar pay. External equity means paying workers what comparable workers at other firms in the labor market pay.

Reward Desired Behavior:

Pay should reinforce desired behaviors and act as an incentive for those behaviors to occur in the future. Effective compensation plans reward performance, loyalty experience, responsibilities, and other behaviors.

Control Costs:

A rational compensation system helps the organization obtain and retain workers at a reasonable cost. Without effective compensation management, workers could be over or under paid.

Comply with Legal Regulations:

A sound wage and salary system considers the legal challengers imposed by government and ensures the employer’s compliance.

Facilitate Understanding:

System should be easily understood by human resource specialists, operating managers, and employees.
Wage and salary programs should be designed to be managed efficiently, making optimal use of the human resources information system, although this objective should be a secondary consideration compared with other objectives

Systems to Achieve the Objectives

The above mentioned objectives are achieved by the use of the following systems.

1. Job Evaluation:
   All jobs will be analyzed and graded to establish the pattern of internal relationships. It is the process of determining relative worth of jobs. It includes selecting suitable job evaluation techniques, classifying jobs into various categories and determining relative value of jobs in various categories.


2. Wage and Salary Ranges:
   Overall salary range for all the jobs in an organization is arranged. Each job grade will be assigned a salary range. These individual salary ranges will be fitted into an overall range.


3. Wage and Salary Adjustments:
   Overall salary grades of the organization may be adjusted based on the data and information collected about the salary levels of similar organizations. Individual salary level may also be adjusted based on the performance of the individual employees.

Principles of Wage and Salary Administration

There are several principles of wage and salary plans, policies and practices. The important among them are:

1. Wage and salary plans and policies should be sufficiently flexible.


2. Job evaluation must be done scientifically.


3. Wage and salary administration plans must always be consistent with overall organizational plans and programs.


4. Wage and salary administration plans and programs should be in conformity with the social and economic objectives of the country like attainment of equality in income distribution and controlling inflationary trends.


5. Wage and salary administration plans and programs should be responsive to the changing local and national conditions.


6. These plans should simplify and expedite other administrative processes.

The Elements of Wage and Salary System

Wage and salary system should have relationship with the performance, satisfaction and attainment of goals of an individual. The following elements of wage and salary system are identified by experts in HR,

1. Identifying the available salary opportunities, their costs, estimating the worth of its members of these salary opportunities and communicating them to employees.


2. Relating salary to needs and goals.


3. Developing quality, quantity and time standards relating to work and goals.


4. Determining the effort necessary to achieve standards.


5. Measuring the actual performance.


6. Comparing the performance with the salary received.


7. Measuring the job satisfaction gained by the employees.


8. Evaluating the unsatisfied wants and unreached goals of the employees.


9. Finding out the dissatisfaction arising from unfulfilled needs and unattained goals.


10. Adjusting the salary levels accordingly with a view to enabling the employees to reach goals not attained and fulfills the unfulfilled needs.

How to beat dirty negotiating tactics

HOW TO BEAT DIRTY NEGOTIATING TACTICS

Much has been written about negotiation styles. There have been many courses about negotiation, which dedicates entire course work on collaborating and reaching a win-win scenario. In today's 'flat world' business environment, positional bargaining method or fact and reference based negotiation model are standard prescriptions for commercial negotiation.

But what do you do, when you sit across the table from somebody whose goal is not to come to a win-win conclusion, but to really beat you down and manipulate you. Well, although it is always a drain to combat dirty negotiation tactics, I have learned that being prepared can help overcome some of that headache.

The ten tips described below are designed to help you identify and respond appropriately to common dirty negotiation tactics used by unscrupulous business people.

• Shock effect
  
  As much of value selling and convincing you have done, at the end of the deal when the time comes to discuss price, many customers show some shock effect. What! That much for enterprise licenses, are you kidding me?
  
  It is very easy to fall in the trap of desperately wanting to close the deal and offer unnecessary concessions like free services, installation etc. This will be a good time to remind your customer how they will truly benefit using your offerings.
  
  Also, it is not rude to tell them that quality products have a fair price; after all you get what you pay for.


• Ongoing discount
  
  Have you ever heard something on these lines, "We are so close to signing this contract, if only we can solve this last issue?" You oblige, then comes out another issue followed by one more and then another. Very soon, you are giving away much more than what you originally intended.
  
  It is a good practice to list all customer issues early in the sales cycle based on priority. If new issues are added, put it in the list and re prioritize. When your customer asks for resolving this last issue, get a firm commitment on closing the deal right then after that issue is resolved. In this way, you only maybe give in to the last demand and not the ones following it.


• Boss knows best
  
  I have spent countless hours discussing value props with customers convincing them to buy from me, only to find out that they are not the true decision makers. They can only negotiate to receive discounts but really do not have any rights to actually buy from me.
  
  Basically I have negotiated with the wrong person. One way to avoid this is to ask early in the sales cycle how the decision to buy is being made on the customer side. Who makes the decision? Who influences the decision? Especially for higher end technical sales, many a times although the CIO has the final say on the procurement; he is completely dependent on the class architect to make the call on the vendor.
  
  It is important to identify the players involved in the decision making process and talk to them individually or collectively to resolve their issues.


• Fake deadline
  
  "If we cannot sign the agreement today, the deal is off". Be very wary when your customer puts a time pressure on the day of the meeting trying to get you committed on an unfair deal. Time is a valuable pressure tactic. Tell your customer that you are trying to create a true solution for them.
  
  It is important that you truly understand their issues first and do due diligence. It is unfair to you and him if you commit on something you do not feel comfortable about.
  
  If they do not want to listen and force the time issue, it is your call whether you want to walk or budge in to their unilateral demands.


• Delays
  
  March, June, September and December are hot months for sales folks trying to sprint to quarter end. Although progress has been made, your customer is deliberately delaying making a decision.
  
  Many manipulative customers feel that they can count on the fact that you have spent time and money on the sales process for a long time and will not want to go back without selling. This will be a great way to snag in a few concessions.
  
  It is wise to stay as emotionally detached as possible not caving in and making unnecessary concessions to close these deals. Remember, that your customer also spent valuable time with you in the sales cycle. You both have skin in the game. Don't rush to closing; you have mutual benefits tied to the deal.


• Unfair trading request
  
  A friend of mine in Dallas built a nice little dashboard for a manufacturing shop that can track orders online in near real time. When time came to close the deal, the manufacturing unit wanted sole rights to the product. They wanted to use it for themselves and then resell it to other similar outfits in the manufacturing space.
  
  However, they did not want to offer my buddy any cuts from the profit for it. This is an example of unfair trading request. Ask something in return of value always. You may lose some deals in the short run, but probably will come ahead of the curve in the end when forcing fair trade.


• Suddenly cold
  
  Many employers like to play this mind game while trying to hire somebody. They seem very interested in the early stages of the interview process, and then all of a sudden they seem to have lost all interest in you.
  
  When you pursue your interest for the position again, they say they will hire you. But they really cannot pay what you think they were going to pay you. You agree to their terms thinking that they seem to like you moderately and are not really jazzed up about you.
  
  This is a good time to resell yourself again on why they should pay you what you think they should pay you. Craft your message on "what's in it for them" to hire you.


• Wrongful summary
  
  The other party summarizes the agreement but misrepresents certain sections on his favor. If you listen especially carefully to the wrapping up part of the negotiation, you will not fall in this trap.
  
  You should take notes and refer back to them if necessary to make sure that the summary accurately describes what you agreed upon.


• False importance to an item
  
  A great deal of importance is placed on a agenda item that your customer knows that you simply cannot budge in. They make you feel guilty, put pressure etc. hoping that you would give them other concessions to make up for the one you could not give in. One way to avoid this is to treat each issue independently and make separate decisions.


• New player
  
  You feel that you are moving along well and suddenly you see a new person negotiating with you. He wants to start discussing every item from scratch and do not want to acknowledge previous agreements. If you cannot pursue him to honor prior understanding, start fresh again.
  
  It may be good to get another negotiator from your side to start dealing all over again since you may get frustrated dealing over the same issues again.
  
  As hard as it may sound, negotiators are better off remembering that dirty tactics used by manipulative negotiators are never really personal and it is all part of the game. If you are fair in your dealings and stay emotionally detached, you will possibly negotiate your way to a win/win result most of the time. I wish you all the best in your negotiations.

TRUST AND LEADERSHIP

TRUST AND LEADERSHIP

Trust, or lack of trust, is an increasingly important leadership issue in today’s organizations. In this article, we define trust and provide some guide lines for helping build credibility and trust.

Trust is a positive expectation that another person will not through words, actions, or decisions act opportunistically. The two most important elements of our definition are that it implies familiarity and risk.

The phrase positive expectation in our definition assumes knowledge and familiarity about the other party. Trust is a history dependent process or relevant but limited samples of experience. It takes time to form, building incrementally and accumulating. Most of us find it hard, if not, impossible, to trust someone immediately if we don’t know anything about them. At the extreme, in the case of total ignorance, we can gamble but we can’t trust. But as we get to know someone, and the relationship matures, we gain confidence in our ability to have positive expectations.

The term opportunistically refers to the inherent risk and vulnerability in any trusting relationship. Trust involves making oneself vulnerable, as when, we disclose intimate information or rely on another’s promises. By its very nature, trust provides the opportunity for disappointment or to be taken advantage of. But trust is not taking risk per se; rather it is a willingness to take risk. So when I trust someone, I expect that they will not take advantage of me. This willingness to take risks is common to all trust situations.

Evidence has identified five:

1. Integrity
2. Competence
3. Consistency
4. Loyalty, and
5. Openness.

---

1. Integrity:
   
   Integrity refers to honesty and truthfulness. Of all five dimensions this one seems to be most critical when someone assesses another’s trustworthiness. For instance, when 570 white-collar employees were recently given a list of 28 attributes related to leadership, ‘honesty’ was considered as the most important..


2. Competence:
   
   It encompasses an individual’s technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills. One is unlikely to listen to or depend on someone whose abilities are doubtful. A follower needs to believe that the leader has the skills and abilities to carry out what he or she says they will do.


3. Consistency:
   
   It relates to an individual’s reliability, predictability, and good judgment in handling situations. Inconsistency between words and actions decrease trust. Nothing is noticed more quickly than a discrepancy between what executives preach and what they expect others to practice.


4. Loyalty:
   
   Loyalty is the willingness to protect and save face for another person. Trust requires that you can depend upon someone not to act opportunistically. The final dimension of trust is openness.


5. Trust and leadership:
   
   Trust is primary attribute associated with leadership and when this trust is broken it can have a serious adverse affect on the group’s performance. Honesty and integrity are two of the essential traits to be consistently associated with leadership. Leaders’ task is working with people to find and solve problems provided they access for adequate knowledge and creativity. When followers trust a leader they are willing to be vulnerable to the leader’s action. The followers will also get confidence that their rights and interests are not abused.
   
   If a leader is found not trustworthy by the followers are unlikely to look up to him as they consider the leader as dishonest and unreliable.

Honesty for instance consistently ranks at the top of the most people’s list of characteristics they admire in their leaders. Honesty is absolutely essential to leadership. If people are willing to follow a leader into a battle or board room they first want to assure themselves that the person is worthy of their trust.

How to get your boss to notice you

How to get your boss to notice you?

Sometimes you wonder as to how to get your boss attention in the work place. It is an area where several of us congregate in various departments to discharge varied functions. You not only need to be noticed & recognized but your absence even for a single day in the office should create a fur ore. These are certain invaluable tips to all the employees on how to make themselves prove their worth and simultaneously get the stamp of positive approval from the boss.

• Increase your value. You do not get compensated by how hard you work but how much value you add to the world around you. And the best way to begin adding value to the world is to start becoming a more valuable person. Acquire skills no one else has. Read the books no one else is reading. Think thoughts no one else is thinking. In other words, you need to be more in life in order to get more from life.


• Take decisions. Your life is a sum total of all the decisions you have taken in your life. Decision making skills is one of the most important skills which you should develop in order to sustain in the new economy. By making a decision, you will come to know whether you have taken a right decision or not & if you have not taken the right decision you will correct the wrong decision taken. In other words, you will help your boss in taking right decisions.


• Communicate well. Communication does not primarily mean talking with one or more person but it also means writing well, listening well. You need to communicate to boss / subordinates in such a way that the receiver or the person who is listening to you understands the way it has to be understood by the sender. You also need to do a lot of listening act & by listening you get a lot of information which otherwise you would not have got if you would have indulged in the act of communicating.


• Solution oriented. You need to be solution oriented & not problem oriented. When faced with a crisis & difficult situations you have to think in terms of solutions & not get perturbed with impediments which come in your way. You should not just identify a problem, but design the best solution to solve the problem. For this purpose, you need to be intelligent, experienced & up to date with latest developments. In other words, it refers to problem solving skills.


• Administrative abilities. You need to be a great planner, thinker & help your boss to frame plans & policies. This is not an easy task & it requires a tremendous acumen in oneself to sharpen the administrative skills. Further, you also need to work within the limits set by the organization. The policies, plans drawn need to be necessarily implemented so that the organization gains in terms of productivity in a consistent manner.


• Accept responsibility. Responsibility begins with your taking full & complete control over the content of your conscious mind. The interesting thing about responsibility is that the more you start taking responsibility the more responsible you feel. The more responsible you feel the more rapidly you move toward the accomplishment of more of the things that are important to you. Thus, you see yourself moving on the fast track which would make your boss definitely take a note of you.


• Be excellent. Today, the market pays excellent returns & rewards for excellent performance, excellent product products & excellent services. Commit to excellence in your work, especially in your key areas & core competencies. Resolve to commit to top performance. This will not only make the others notice you whom might include your boss but also move you into the fast lane in your career than any other decisions you can make.


• Take care of your customers. What we are today & where you are today determine how your internal & external customers treat you. You need to take care of your customers very well & once you start touching their emotions you surge ahead. Your customers in your work place are your subordinates, colleagues, bosses with whom you have not only to vibe but touch their emotions. Human beings move when their emotions are moved.

Today, it is all about selling & how good are you in selling. You may be qualified, experienced like others but in order to move ahead in your career you need to distinctly display your attributes which not only inspire your clients who are buying our goods & services but also move the hearts of internal customers (boss, subordinates, and colleagues at work place) with whom you work with. If you start connecting yourself emotionally with your boss & subordinates in your work place & your devoted customers in the market you will carve a unique place for yourself. Human beings are bundle of emotions & your boss is no exception. You can move both these internal & external customers or get their hearts only when you follow the strategies as discussed.

Handle Conflict Expertly

Handle Conflict Expertly

In any job there are times when you need to learn how to manage conflict. Specifically in restaurant and hotel entry level positions where tensions can run high due to the need to meet customer satisfaction, knowing how to diffuse a heavy situation comes in handy almost every day. Ever had a demanding customer approach you aggressively? What about a colleague who just won't get off you back? Instead of getting hot and heavy with your opponent, learn how to evaluate the situation and come out of it looking better then your opponent, learn how to evaluate the situation and come out of it looking better then you did going in. Julienne Robins - an employee at a Pickle Barrel location in downtown Toronto - advises to "skip conflict when you can, but when it is unavoidable, you need to know how to do battle...and how not to." Ever been in a sticky situation? Well then, read on.

Managing a tough situation

To manage a conflict effectively, you must know how to please people. Better yet, "skip the conflict altogether, if you can," says Julienne. To avoid conflict, it is essential in the hotel and restaurant industry to always know that the customer is right, and that you as an employee should always aim to please the client, no matter how outlandish of a request they make. If you integrate this into your everyday interactions, you will probably run into very little problems. However, if at some point you need to resolve a situation smoothly, you need to evaluate your options.

"Take a step back, think about the situation, and try to find a compromise," says Michael Terebij, a downtown Toronto Delta Hotel employee. You need to know what angle is best to approach the situation from; as a general rule, do everything you can to meet the requests of the customer. If a person is angry, it is best to speak as calmly as possible, and agree with everything they say. Apologize and remediate the situation ASAP.

Conflicts between coworkers should not arise, as you are trying to minimize such occurrences in your day-to-day work. If it does happen that you have a disagreement with someone you work with, apply the same tactics - be respectful of the individual, but do not let yourself be pushed over. Basically, to resolve a problem, "respect, listen and compromise," says Julienne.

As a general rule for all conflicts, listen to the problem in full, agree with the customer completely, and resolve the problem immediately.

To speak or not to speak?

It is best not to get involved in anyone else's problems, although sometimes this may be necessary. If you see a coworker trying to deal with a dissatisfied customer, and they are a new inexperienced employee or are obviously becoming frustrated (angry or otherwise upset), you might need to step in. Use the above mentioned tactics, and let your coworker off the hook. Don't get involved unless it is absolutely necessary for both party's happiness and the quick resolution of the conflict. Don't let either side get too angry or otherwise distressed - an angry customer is not good for business, and a crying employee is never a pretty sight for people coming into the hotel or restaurant. If you often step in and demonstrate proficiency at resolving disagreements, you might become the workplace guru!

To really put it in perspective, let's break it down. Here are the steps to resolving a conflict effectively, and with as little casualties as possible:

When a problem specifically pertains to you:

1. Listen to the person presenting the problem
2. Agree with their point of view
3. Speak in a respective tone, and be courteous
4. Immediately remediate the problem
5. Let the customer (or whoever else) know that the problem has been resolved, and thank them for notifying you of it - establish trust by letting them know they can rely on you in a situation, and that the problem will not happen again

When someone else is having a disagreement:

1. Listen to the problem from a distance to learn what it is about
2. If any of the people involved are becoming angry or distressed, step in and ask politely if you can help
3. Apply the steps above (when a problem specifically pertains to you), and liberate the employee previously involved with the customer
4. Check in on the other employee at a later time, letting them know how you handled the situation and what the outcome was - this will ease their mind about their own involvement and teach them future tactics of conflict resolution.

Conflict in the workplace is a tricky situation, but with practice and a knack for human psychology you will be able to walk away smiling. It may be difficult at first to agree with taking the blame for something you believe is not your fault, but eventually you will see rewards in terms of a smoother day with less - and more effectively handled - confrontations.

Three Things to Motivate & Retain Employees

HR Managers today must provide an attractive and motivating environment to their employees than just a handsome salary in order to retain them. Employees these days hop jobs for a mere10-15 per cent pay hike!

Organisations that succeed to attract, retain and motivate employees, emerge as winners. It doesn’t take much to have a motivated workforce; all you need to do is create an exciting environment. Three things to motivate & retain employees are…

Positive work environment.
Rewards for proper conduct.
Employee involvement.
How to create a positive work environment?


Explain to them ‘The Big Picture’ to give them the sense of pride and purpose for working with the company. Give your employees a chance to put forward their views in decision making (whenever required and possible).

Their suggestions are important. Give them resources to support them and to ensure they perform better. Cater to their growth needs and give them a mentor for improving and developing new skills.

Rewards for proper conduct - Praise & Recognition

No money in the world can replace a compliment. Sure, it does attract talent through the front door, but it never prevents them from leaving through the back door. Two most important elements for employee retention are praise and recognition. Monetary rewards are fast forgotten, try something that will stay forever. For instance;

A retail store came out with “My Shinning Star” peer recognition programme. Every month employees were rewarded for their outstanding conduct & qualities like taking beyond duty calls, perfect attendance, hard work, team work, friendly & caring nature etc.

Employees had the power to reward their peers for doing a good job. An employee who received the highest number of votes in a month received a special gift from the store manager along with his name being put up on the bulletin board.

This is what is called a FAST-FUN formula…

Focus on the behaviour to be rewarded.
Avoid bureaucratic committees.
Simplicity
Team ownership.
FUN, entertaining and spontaneous..
Involve your Employees

Employee involvement plays at all levels from self-esteem, motivation to retention. A feeling of belongingness and worth will attach the employee with the organisation and its affect will be higher than that of a hefty salary. Find a way to tell your employees that they are special to the organisation. Whichever way you take it, keep in mind these key factors. Your employees will enjoy their work, feel that they have a purpose and therefore will be able to reach their potential.

HR Processes

HR Processes

One day while walking down the street a highly successful Human Resources Manager was tragically hit by a bus and she died. Her soul arrived up in heaven where she was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter himself.

"Welcome to Heaven ," said St. Peter. "Before you get settled in though, it seems we have a problem. You see, strangely enough, we've never once had a Human Resources Manager make it this far and we're not really sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," said the woman.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have higher orders. What we're going to do is let you have a day in Hell and a day in Heaven and then you can choose whichever one you want to spend an eternity in."

"Actually, I think I've made up my mind, I prefer to stay in Heaven", said the woman

"Sorry, we have rules..."

And with that St. Peter put the executive in an elevator and it went down-down-down to hell.

The doors opened and she found herself stepping out onto the putting green of a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a country club and standing in front of her were all her friends - fellow executives that she had worked with and they were well dressed in evening owns and cheering for her. They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times. They played an excellent round of golf and at night went to the country club where she enjoyed an excellent steak and lobster dinner.

She met the Devil who was actually a really nice guy (kind of cute) and she had a great time telling jokes and dancing. She was having such a good time that before she knew it, it was time to leave. Everybody shook her hand and waved goodbye as she got on the elevator.

The elevator went up-up-up and opened back up at the Pearly Gates and found St. Peter waiting for her.

"Now it's time to spend a day in heaven," he said. So she spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds and playing the harp and singing. She had great time and before she knew it her 24 hours were up and St. Peter came and got her.

"So, you've spent a day in hell and you've spent a day in heaven. Now you must choose your eternity,"

The woman paused for a second and then replied, "Well, I never thought I'd say this, I mean, Heaven has been really great and all, but I think I had a better time in Hell."

So St. Peter escorted her to the elevator and again she went down-down-down back to Hell.

When the doors of the elevator opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and filth. She saw her friends were dressed in rags and were picking up the garbage and putting it in sacks.

The Devil came up to her and put his arm around her.

"I don't understand," stammered the woman, "yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a country club and we ate lobster and we danced and had a great time. Now all there is a wasteland of garbage and all my friends look miserable."

The Devil looked at her smiled and told...


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Yesterday we were recruiting you, Today you are an employee