As a budding Human Resource professional, one is frequently confronted with questions as to how organisations can improve the productivity of their employees, how to build engagement among them so that they are passionate towards the organisation and want to sincerely take it forward. Innumerous theories have been suggested by many a renowned management guru but have met with little success.
I recently discovered what might be quite the recipe for success in such a domain. While not satiating enough by itself, in conjunction with other measures it is sure to whet the appetite. Surprisingly and sadly, it has been given very little importance by most organisations.
If you've been wondering what I have been alluding to all this while, the answer is as simple as it might sound: "food"
One look at the food served at so-called great places to work, during lunch-time, and you will be convinced that I am not as loony as I might sound and there might actually be some merit in my claim. I recently went to the office of a leading organisation and was unlucky enough to be forced to have my lunch there. The food was appalling. I honestly wondered why it could not be compared with the stuff served at Tihar jail and how it could possibly get worse than this.
I remember that day quite well. After an intense session of non-stop work I was famished, and looking to attack my lunch with gusto, but my misery was trebled when I saw what was being served. My heart went out to the poor employees who were forced to bear such injustice day after day. Why, it almost made me not want to join the organisation at all once I graduated.
We all talk about attracting and retaining talent. Here was a new one: repelling talent...don't want talent to join you?? Treat them to food in your cafeteria and you've lost them forever...
Enough sarcasm, I have made my point. Let us look at the flipside.
I did my training at the Taj President Mumbai for a period of 16 weeks. I remember the employees, all working hard, (lots of physical labour in hotels) and then seeing them attack their food. Lunch was a gala affair. The best hour of the day. All their energy came from the fact that they were being given good food. Look at the positives:
The employees feel cared for and well looked after
They work on a full, satisfied stomach
They are healthy and up to the task
I tried to put the same picture in the leading organisations. A dull and dreary cafeteria replaced with good and healthy food. The entire scene transformed. People were happy and satisfied. Employees did not look for the first excuse they could find to complain about the food. They were proud of their workplace, and it was the topic of the season with friends from other companies. (USP for attracting talent??)
We keep talking about best practices and how organisations should adopt them. How come this one has missed the eye? I haven't even seen much research being done in this regard either. I sincerely believe that this is an investment worth making. I agree with the fact that you need to cut costs wherever you can, but one has to realise that this is one area that should not be compromised. I am not campaigning for high class multi-cuisine being served. Nothing of the sort. All I ask for, is a decent square meal, that I can look forward to, after an exhausting day's work.
Think about it...
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Justice and Sanjay Dutt
Just scanning through the newspapers today, and for the ignorant ones I'll have you know that all it talks about is Sanjay Dutt and his six years in the prison. The latest, in a series of protests comes from none other than the Bollywood fraternity itself, taking the form of an online petition for reducing his sentence. What am wondering is, which part of the story have these people forgotten: the Aesop's fables told to children at bedtime about what justice means and how important it is to be sincere and just? What Dutt did? What was he accused of? What this sentence is for? What???
For as far as I can see, its a simple point - U commit a crime, you pay the price - No partialities, no preferential treatment. Don't get me wrong here, am a big Munnabhai fan myself and am not the happiest knowing that he won't be acting for the next six years but I do have peace of mind, that for once - justice has been served.
Despite all the tombfoolery and skulldaggery that happens in our esteemed Judicial department, this is one case where the judge has stuck to his guns and been fair in his approach. The common man of India is perhaps, jolted that a sentence was announced in the first place. Looking at how people manage to get away with crimes as long as they have power and the means (don't get me started on the long list of politicians, bureaucrats et al) it was a big surprise that this case was dealt with at all.
Look, all I am trying to say is Dutt is being punished for a crime, not for being a criminal - there's a huge difference, try and recognise that. Don't over-sympathise with him and try to reduce his sentence. Good decisions are rare in our Judicial system, let this one be. It will hopefully pave the way for other judges to be as bold and sincere in their approach as this one has been - don't thwart this attempt. If you need more convincing, think of all those unfortunate many, who also wished to make amends but probably did not have the means and so chose the next best path to show they are sorry - by spending time in jail. Don't let their attempt to go in vain.
Sanjay Dutt today has an iconic status in the country, beyond doubt. Six years isn't going to change any of that. However, reducing his sentence would mean a failure of the justice department and a loss in belief (what little is left) of millions in our judicial system.
So just let this decision lie at where it is and for once, let justice prevail.
For as far as I can see, its a simple point - U commit a crime, you pay the price - No partialities, no preferential treatment. Don't get me wrong here, am a big Munnabhai fan myself and am not the happiest knowing that he won't be acting for the next six years but I do have peace of mind, that for once - justice has been served.
Despite all the tombfoolery and skulldaggery that happens in our esteemed Judicial department, this is one case where the judge has stuck to his guns and been fair in his approach. The common man of India is perhaps, jolted that a sentence was announced in the first place. Looking at how people manage to get away with crimes as long as they have power and the means (don't get me started on the long list of politicians, bureaucrats et al) it was a big surprise that this case was dealt with at all.
Look, all I am trying to say is Dutt is being punished for a crime, not for being a criminal - there's a huge difference, try and recognise that. Don't over-sympathise with him and try to reduce his sentence. Good decisions are rare in our Judicial system, let this one be. It will hopefully pave the way for other judges to be as bold and sincere in their approach as this one has been - don't thwart this attempt. If you need more convincing, think of all those unfortunate many, who also wished to make amends but probably did not have the means and so chose the next best path to show they are sorry - by spending time in jail. Don't let their attempt to go in vain.
Sanjay Dutt today has an iconic status in the country, beyond doubt. Six years isn't going to change any of that. However, reducing his sentence would mean a failure of the justice department and a loss in belief (what little is left) of millions in our judicial system.
So just let this decision lie at where it is and for once, let justice prevail.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
The i-share revolution
You’ve been hearing it so often lately its almost become a cliché now – The new era is that of the knowledge worker. Its now an employee’s market rather than the employer’s market, where the internal customer is gaining as much importance as the external customer. The external customer on the other hand, is becoming far more demanding and wants more options than ever while deciding what to buy and whom to buy from”.
However, there is another revolution taking place, slow, silent and deadly. A change in paradigm that threatens to prove all the management theory thus far, to be redundant in the times to come. I like to call it the “i-share” revolution.
New words are popping up in the consumer’s dictionary today – orkut, torrents, ebooks, youtube, esnips, forums, blogs. It is appropriate to call this the knowledge era. What one generally omits to add is that this is fast becoming the knowledge-sharing era, the information sharing era and thus, the i-share era. Consumers no longer want to pay for more than half the services and products companies are willing to provide. There is nothing more appealing than a freebie, now more so than ever, and torrents, youtube etc provide just that. New lines are being drawn, and new rules are being written. Lesser people are going to the halls to watch movies today, they rather prefer to watch them on their desktops/laptops. And multiplexes seem to be adding towards their own misery. They have raised ticket prices to such an extent that hardly anybody feels that the cinematic experience is really worth it anymore.
A revolution took place, a few decades ago, with Netscape and the concept of open sourcing. Well, open sourcing is now back in a whole new avatar – the freebie. You just have to log on to the internet to see the wealth of information, software, movies, games etc you can get for free!! People are willing to just share what they have without expecting anything in return and this mentality has spread across the globe resulting in the i-share revolution.
Companies, for their part, are now going to be in a real jam. With this revolution it is going to be very difficult to come up with products that customers would be willing to pay for. Hardware would still sell, no issues there ( though the success of ebay etc may change that trend soon too) but those that sell internet products, they have got to come up with some good ideas, and fast otherwise this information revolution is going to gobble them up. The only reason it hasn’t already is because of the lack of awareness of these media. People still use the internet for only emails and browsing and so have no idea about the power at their disposal. Moreover, connectivity is an issue too, and most people do not have access to fast network connections. However, once all that changes and people know about these media, then there is going to be no refuge. And this may happen sooner than you think, what with talks of people getting enabled and more and more people getting connected everyday.
It is no good saying that this stuff is illegal and that would prevent its proliferation cause it won’t. For what its worth, make strict rules regarding use of these media, and you’ll watch their popularity soar even higher. I have been wracking my brains for the past one week, thinking of how companies can counter this new threat, but have failed to come up with any answers. In my view, the paradigm has changed already, the i-share revolution is here for good, and though this is a boon to the consumer, it may spell doom to the providers.
However, there is another revolution taking place, slow, silent and deadly. A change in paradigm that threatens to prove all the management theory thus far, to be redundant in the times to come. I like to call it the “i-share” revolution.
New words are popping up in the consumer’s dictionary today – orkut, torrents, ebooks, youtube, esnips, forums, blogs. It is appropriate to call this the knowledge era. What one generally omits to add is that this is fast becoming the knowledge-sharing era, the information sharing era and thus, the i-share era. Consumers no longer want to pay for more than half the services and products companies are willing to provide. There is nothing more appealing than a freebie, now more so than ever, and torrents, youtube etc provide just that. New lines are being drawn, and new rules are being written. Lesser people are going to the halls to watch movies today, they rather prefer to watch them on their desktops/laptops. And multiplexes seem to be adding towards their own misery. They have raised ticket prices to such an extent that hardly anybody feels that the cinematic experience is really worth it anymore.
A revolution took place, a few decades ago, with Netscape and the concept of open sourcing. Well, open sourcing is now back in a whole new avatar – the freebie. You just have to log on to the internet to see the wealth of information, software, movies, games etc you can get for free!! People are willing to just share what they have without expecting anything in return and this mentality has spread across the globe resulting in the i-share revolution.
Companies, for their part, are now going to be in a real jam. With this revolution it is going to be very difficult to come up with products that customers would be willing to pay for. Hardware would still sell, no issues there ( though the success of ebay etc may change that trend soon too) but those that sell internet products, they have got to come up with some good ideas, and fast otherwise this information revolution is going to gobble them up. The only reason it hasn’t already is because of the lack of awareness of these media. People still use the internet for only emails and browsing and so have no idea about the power at their disposal. Moreover, connectivity is an issue too, and most people do not have access to fast network connections. However, once all that changes and people know about these media, then there is going to be no refuge. And this may happen sooner than you think, what with talks of people getting enabled and more and more people getting connected everyday.
It is no good saying that this stuff is illegal and that would prevent its proliferation cause it won’t. For what its worth, make strict rules regarding use of these media, and you’ll watch their popularity soar even higher. I have been wracking my brains for the past one week, thinking of how companies can counter this new threat, but have failed to come up with any answers. In my view, the paradigm has changed already, the i-share revolution is here for good, and though this is a boon to the consumer, it may spell doom to the providers.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Innovative Movie Names (must-read for all HR professionals)
Innovative names for educational movies that could be shown to employees by HR managers in the near future:
Employee Almighty: A blue collar employee gets to be CEO of the company…and realizes it isn’t all as easy as it seems
Happy Employee: An employee’s extraordinary dance skills make the workplace a fun place and changes the originally disciplinarian culture
The Last Employee: Relocated into unknown and unfamiliar territory an employee learns about the way of the new organization and becomes a changed personality
The League Of Extraordinary Employees: Each had his/her own core competency…they came together to fight the greatest threat of all time…
Good Employee Hunting: He had it all…the talent, the skill…but he just wouldn’t come to work!!
The Employee Of Zorro: The Unions had become oppressive…management could do nothing…He was their messiah
A Few Good Employees: A co-worker had been accused for a crime he hadn’t committed, and he was the only one who could save him
The Usual Employees: A fascinating tale of why they didn’t turn up at the office for an entire month…and that’s exactly what it turned out to be in the end…a tale.
Employee Number Slevin: Two rival trade unions…both target the same employee…or so it may seem
How to lose an Employee in 10 days: A practical guide to the dirtiest tricks in the book to get rid of your employee..not guaranteed to work though…as she was soon to find out.
Coming Soon
(to an office near you)
Employee Almighty: A blue collar employee gets to be CEO of the company…and realizes it isn’t all as easy as it seems
Happy Employee: An employee’s extraordinary dance skills make the workplace a fun place and changes the originally disciplinarian culture
The Last Employee: Relocated into unknown and unfamiliar territory an employee learns about the way of the new organization and becomes a changed personality
The League Of Extraordinary Employees: Each had his/her own core competency…they came together to fight the greatest threat of all time…
Good Employee Hunting: He had it all…the talent, the skill…but he just wouldn’t come to work!!
The Employee Of Zorro: The Unions had become oppressive…management could do nothing…He was their messiah
A Few Good Employees: A co-worker had been accused for a crime he hadn’t committed, and he was the only one who could save him
The Usual Employees: A fascinating tale of why they didn’t turn up at the office for an entire month…and that’s exactly what it turned out to be in the end…a tale.
Employee Number Slevin: Two rival trade unions…both target the same employee…or so it may seem
How to lose an Employee in 10 days: A practical guide to the dirtiest tricks in the book to get rid of your employee..not guaranteed to work though…as she was soon to find out.
Coming Soon
(to an office near you)
Monday, March 5, 2007
Watching "Eklavya"
Jus saw "Eklavya - The Royal Guard" and I have nothing better to do than to enlighten the world with my take on what I think of the movie...so here goes...
As per expectation great performances by the entire star cast and Amitabh is a standout, which is now becoming a regular feature and soon would no longer deserve special mention..The movie, as a whole, was disappointing with the word "dharma" coming in at least 50 times so much so that u wish, halfway thru dat da least they could do was use a synonym for the word and save u some misery...but alas! they don't
A tale that starts off with a promise of intrigue, treachery and lots of twists and turns...ends up being nothing more than a plain Jane storyline which is revealed in bits and parts all throughout the movie and there is no misleading the audience, suspecting the wrong people, no red herrings, nothing..zilch!!! The movie runtime is 1 hour 45 mins but if u can manage it somehow, try watching the movie at double the speed, I promise u, u won't miss anything vital..this movie can be over in 45 minutes flat but then the Bollywood industry is replete with talent that can stretch a movie to unimaginable and unbearable extent....One classy scene is Amitabh hitting a target blindfolded (don't wanna reveal too much now do we...what if despite my insistence you still plan to watch the movie..??) is real classy. All in all, watch it once if you are really intrigued and are a big Amitabh fan...don't waste money in the hall to watch it..u r guaranteed to sleep thru it if u don't start shouting in sheer frustration at the speed at which the frames move!!
As per expectation great performances by the entire star cast and Amitabh is a standout, which is now becoming a regular feature and soon would no longer deserve special mention..The movie, as a whole, was disappointing with the word "dharma" coming in at least 50 times so much so that u wish, halfway thru dat da least they could do was use a synonym for the word and save u some misery...but alas! they don't
A tale that starts off with a promise of intrigue, treachery and lots of twists and turns...ends up being nothing more than a plain Jane storyline which is revealed in bits and parts all throughout the movie and there is no misleading the audience, suspecting the wrong people, no red herrings, nothing..zilch!!! The movie runtime is 1 hour 45 mins but if u can manage it somehow, try watching the movie at double the speed, I promise u, u won't miss anything vital..this movie can be over in 45 minutes flat but then the Bollywood industry is replete with talent that can stretch a movie to unimaginable and unbearable extent....One classy scene is Amitabh hitting a target blindfolded (don't wanna reveal too much now do we...what if despite my insistence you still plan to watch the movie..??) is real classy. All in all, watch it once if you are really intrigued and are a big Amitabh fan...don't waste money in the hall to watch it..u r guaranteed to sleep thru it if u don't start shouting in sheer frustration at the speed at which the frames move!!
Friday, March 2, 2007
World's Most Unusual Termination Letter
Now since, am an HR student I guess its only apt to start my posting with something related to HR..
WARNING: The following post is not intended for HR professionals or people looking for value add in HR...it is more a light hearted take and must be taken in that manner only...
This was written in the busy hours of the WAC class (to be read as "What A Course!!"...otherwise known as Written Analysis and Communication class) while we were supposed to be learning the format of a termination letter....however my creative instincts had other plans and I drafted this...U'll be surprised to know, though that this idea, is roughly the basis of a new Hollywood movie, (Hot Fuzz, which has already gathered a rating of above 8 on imdb.com)...and I now plan to send all my writing, no matter how arbit (read arbitrary) it is... to Hollywood, might as well make some money out of it..while I still I can....
Disclaimer: The following is only a work of fiction and no organisation (thankfully) has been known to have issued such a letter to any employee. Further, this document is only for the sake of amusement and not meant to be a reflection of the standards of any organisation existing today.
WORLD’S MOST UNUSUAL TERMINATION LETTER
To: atiuttam@oldfashioned.com
Subject: YOU’RE FIRED…
Dear Mr.Atiuttam
We are sorry to inform you that your services shall no longer be required as of today (December 6, 2006)
This is by no means a reflection of your capabilities as, in fact the company has found you to be too capable!!
You always came to meetings on time, you have been receiving the best employee award consecutively for the past 5 years. You have always achieved the maximum sales for the company. In fact, you have set such high standards, that the other employees have lost their drive.
As you are well aware, that in this day and age of competition, there is no room for second place. As a result of your excellent performance, your colleagues are now demotivated. We lost two very valued employees last month for precisely the same reasons.
You have been found to be a team player, but since your performance is so superior, your colleagues have stopped competing. In fact, your performance has made your superiors feel threatened on more than one occasion.
Had you been receiving regular promotions, you would have been heading this company three years back, which is a good indicator of the growth you can expect at your future place of work.
However, as we are an old-fashioned organization, we all value our jobs very dearly so we have no choice but to let you go.
We have been a little hesitant in forwarding your resume to other companies, as they might face the same problems that we have, which might deteriorate our relations with them.
As a result, we were unable to provide any future employment options for you.
However, we are confident that with your abilities, you will not consider this a setback.
We would be thankful if you do not contact us this day onward so that our other employees can hope to make a fresh start.
Wishing you all the success in your future endeavours.
Cheers
XYZ
Personnel Department
OldFashioned & Co.
WARNING: The following post is not intended for HR professionals or people looking for value add in HR...it is more a light hearted take and must be taken in that manner only...
This was written in the busy hours of the WAC class (to be read as "What A Course!!"...otherwise known as Written Analysis and Communication class) while we were supposed to be learning the format of a termination letter....however my creative instincts had other plans and I drafted this...U'll be surprised to know, though that this idea, is roughly the basis of a new Hollywood movie, (Hot Fuzz, which has already gathered a rating of above 8 on imdb.com)...and I now plan to send all my writing, no matter how arbit (read arbitrary) it is... to Hollywood, might as well make some money out of it..while I still I can....
Disclaimer: The following is only a work of fiction and no organisation (thankfully) has been known to have issued such a letter to any employee. Further, this document is only for the sake of amusement and not meant to be a reflection of the standards of any organisation existing today.
WORLD’S MOST UNUSUAL TERMINATION LETTER
To: atiuttam@oldfashioned.com
Subject: YOU’RE FIRED…
Dear Mr.Atiuttam
We are sorry to inform you that your services shall no longer be required as of today (December 6, 2006)
This is by no means a reflection of your capabilities as, in fact the company has found you to be too capable!!
You always came to meetings on time, you have been receiving the best employee award consecutively for the past 5 years. You have always achieved the maximum sales for the company. In fact, you have set such high standards, that the other employees have lost their drive.
As you are well aware, that in this day and age of competition, there is no room for second place. As a result of your excellent performance, your colleagues are now demotivated. We lost two very valued employees last month for precisely the same reasons.
You have been found to be a team player, but since your performance is so superior, your colleagues have stopped competing. In fact, your performance has made your superiors feel threatened on more than one occasion.
Had you been receiving regular promotions, you would have been heading this company three years back, which is a good indicator of the growth you can expect at your future place of work.
However, as we are an old-fashioned organization, we all value our jobs very dearly so we have no choice but to let you go.
We have been a little hesitant in forwarding your resume to other companies, as they might face the same problems that we have, which might deteriorate our relations with them.
As a result, we were unable to provide any future employment options for you.
However, we are confident that with your abilities, you will not consider this a setback.
We would be thankful if you do not contact us this day onward so that our other employees can hope to make a fresh start.
Wishing you all the success in your future endeavours.
Cheers
XYZ
Personnel Department
OldFashioned & Co.
Continuing from where I left off
Ya, so as I was saying...one other reason that prompted me to start a blog was also da fact that I am in MDI Gurgaon....now don't get me wrong, MDI rocks and not a day goes by when am not thankful to God dat I am here...but there's one thing you get to do when u r in MDI...you get time to blog! If you need explanation for what I say, all you gotta do is pop over at individuallyhazaaar.blogspot.com and read why my good friend Sabari decided to start a blog and Voila!! all your questions will be answered...all doubts eliminated... :)
Welcome all
K the only thing that surprises me most is why I took so long to actually sign up for stuff like blogs cause I love to talk and I love to write and well, dats essentially what blogging's all about no?
so after a million requests from my friends (talk about exaggeration!!) and lots of encouragement from my well wishers( not exactly Mr. modest eh? ;)), I've finally landed up here with frankly no idea what I am writing about...(don't worry, I'll figure out something soon)
neways..u r all welcome to stick around and have fun ( there, I've warned u enough now...)
Since this is more an introductory piece, I thought I'd share with you that I am a big time PG Wodehouse fan and write poetry. Apart from that I love quizzing and writing and am currently pursuing an MBA in HR at MDI Gurgaon....
There, so much for the introductions.
Hope you have fun browsing around...Enjoy
so after a million requests from my friends (talk about exaggeration!!) and lots of encouragement from my well wishers( not exactly Mr. modest eh? ;)), I've finally landed up here with frankly no idea what I am writing about...(don't worry, I'll figure out something soon)
neways..u r all welcome to stick around and have fun ( there, I've warned u enough now...)
Since this is more an introductory piece, I thought I'd share with you that I am a big time PG Wodehouse fan and write poetry. Apart from that I love quizzing and writing and am currently pursuing an MBA in HR at MDI Gurgaon....
There, so much for the introductions.
Hope you have fun browsing around...Enjoy
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