Hr's Crystal Ball Insightful Impact With Predictive Analytics The Key ...

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Vol. 25 Issue No. 11 & 12 April & May 2022

PredictiveAnalytics

Hr’s Crystal BallRaj Dharmaraj

Insightful Impact With Predictive AnalyticsSandeep Magavi

The Key EnablersPawan Kumar Bhageria

Breaking BarriersBinu Mathew

Transforming A Crisis Into An OpportunityPuneet Khurana

A Clairvoyant LeaderAjoy Clement Salve

EnvisionDr Prageetha G Raju

From The Publisher’s Desk

If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings franchise, then you will definitely recall Palantir, the crystal ball with Saruman

that enabled him to gaze into the future and predict an outcome. Given the post-pandemic workplace scenario, it is evident that organisations are in definite need of Palantiri (many Palantirs) to counter the multi-faceted challenges that confront them viz The Great Resignation, She-cession, Broken Rung and so on and so forth.

In the April edition, Human Capital is therefore exploring the world of Predictive Analytics to enable organisations to predict the best possible outcomes for the world of work of tomorrow. Raj Dharmaraj has named Predictive Analytics as HR’s crystal ball and has also cited the recent Australian Open Finals between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev where predictive technology was able to recalibrate and predict the winner even though Nadal was two sets down at one point. Sandeep Magavi has co-related the power of Predictive Analytics through Eric Schmidt’s quote that Google is aware of our past and present activities as also our thoughts.

Interview features Pawan Kumar Bhageria, President, Tata Motors Group Strategic Business Unit, who has stated that one of the key enablers for leveraging Predictive Analytics in managing people would be the HR Technology infrastructure. Puneet Khurana, HR Head, Policybazaar.com & Paisabazaar.com, elucidates the

changes brought forth by The Great Resignation and how Predictive Analytics can prepare organisations to overcome talent attrition.

In another exclusive interview, Binu Mathew, Human Resource Director, HP, details the challenges confronted by women employees in the workplace and lists various measures that organisations must undertake to build a

gender-neutral workplace.

Persona features Ajoy Clement Salve, Sr. Vice President, Enabling Functions, Xpressbees Logistics Solutions, who shares the learnings that he accrued from his frontline staff during the pandemic.

Case Study highlights the issue of labour Unions in organisations and the need for both entities to be on the same page in order to realise the company’s Vision.

Coming back to Lord of the Rings, while the Palantir was guilty of showing selective images to predict plausible outcomes, and therefore, leading to obvious results, it is anticipated

that Predictive Analytics will enable and empower organisations to emerge as better employers and providers.

Carpe Diem!

Neha Jain

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ContentsAPRIL & MAY 2022 VOLUME 25 ISSUE 11&12

HR’s Crystal BallBy Raj Dharmaraj

Insightful Impact With Predictive AnalyticsBy Sandeep Magavi

COVER STORY

8

12Growth Driven By Women’s Well-BeingVeena Satish

The Key EnablersPawan Kumar Bhageria

President, Tata Motors Group

Addressing The Gender DivideGauri Das

Own Thy CareerPrachi Mishra

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

INTERVIEW

WOMEN@WORK

CAREER MANAGEMENT

Going Beyond The Definitions…Geetanjali Wheeler

POINT OF VIEW

6

20

26

22

16

Women In Today’s WorkforceSubhashini Panyam

WORKPLACE 2.0

36

Free Of BiasDipankar Das

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

29

Innovating WorkplacesSachin Saxena

TECHNOLOGY

32

The Evolution Of Employee BenefitsMichele Nyrop

EXPERT TALK

34

Upscaling PerformanceIndrani Chatterjee

54

Breaking BarriersBinu Mathew

Human Resource Director, HP

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

38

Transforming A Crisis

Into An OpportunityPuneet Khurana

HR Head, Policybazaar.com &

Paisabazaar.com

42

4 April-May 2022 www.humancapitalonline.com

Contents

A Clairvoyant LeaderAjoy Clement Salve

Sr. Vice President, Enabling Solutions, Xpressbees Logistics Solutions

PERSONA

50

Women In Today’s WorkforceLeena Sahijwani

THE CHANGE CULTURE

46

Shetopia: A Reality Or A Distant DreamMeenakshree Nanda

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

56

EnvisionDr Prageetha G Raju

CASE STUDY

61

Redefining StrategiesPraveen Ratna

UPSKILLING

70

Worried About Engagement Scores?Ghanashyam Hegdekatte and Shivin Tikoo

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

72

Taking It To The Next LevelRahul Pinjarkar

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

58

REGULARS

Editorial2

Industry Bytes19

Story Bytes25

Industry Bytes49

Law At Work66

Appointments75

This issue of HUMAN CAPITAL contains 76 pages including cover

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www.humancapitalonline.com April-May 2022 5

“We have a duty towards our children as they are the future leaders and managers

in workplaces, governments,

education, etc.”

Going Beyond The Definitions…The business case for bringing diversity to organisations is established, but reaping those benefits comes from nurturing cognitive diversity.

BY GEETANJALI WHEELER

and the thought of giving up or compromising easier to embrace.

Reflecting on FlexibilityMany progressive and employee-centric organisations make “flexibility” a part of their employee value proposition to attract and retain talent. While this is great for the most part, many employees also describe this as a Catch-22 situation, especially with the traditional lens of performance evaluation still being so prevalent in these systems. One leads to the other and adds the problem of leaking pipelines at all levels, due to which not enough women get promoted to senior positions. And sadly, this continues as a vicious circle. I do not think any woman wants to achieve success in their career as a “diversity” candidate!

Our organisations reflect the society we live in, and so, this year’s IWD campaign theme of #BreakTheBias is about breaking the bias in our home, community, workplace, and education. We have a duty towards our children as they are the future leaders and managers in workplaces, governments, education, etc.

Organisations that are investing in programmes and initiatives to raise awareness in the workplace have taken up the challenging task of penetrating beliefs and biases that have been cemented for years –

When I first read the book ‘Lean In’ in 2013, gifted by my then manager, I realised

that the challenges women face at the workplace have a universal reality. Of course, they may differ in context, intensity, socio-economic background, or cultural connotation. However, the fact is that many women will still be able to relate to the book’s examples. We are on this continuous journey of creating a more equitable and inclusive workforce, and while it is going to take us many decades to reach where we genuinely want to be, I feel that the mainstream awareness about DEI in the last ten years has improved.

In the initial days of the lockdown, many videos emerged on social media highlighting how we belittled homemakers’ work. Some also encouraged the sharing of load at home, and partnership between all home members became stronger. While this is true, the other bitter truth is that the pandemic has made it more difficult for women to balance the demands of work, home, and children – the primary role of caregiving still rests with women. There is little doubt that the blurring of lines between home and work causes stress on everyone, but the fact is that it is more challenging for women to handle these blurred boundaries. This stretch has made balancing the demands difficult

POINT OF VIEW


thinking passed down for generations that have become norms in our lives. These programmes are not about finding someone or something to blame and then fixing it but about realising that the space of impact is complicated with layers of intersectionality. I want to encourage all such organisations to continue their efforts – we need to keep at it to move the needle.

A Foundation for DiversityI would like to share a couple of personal examples that made me realise that all actions, however small, are significant in building a foundation. My 4-year-old daughter came crying to me because her doll’s legs came off and would not go back in. I could not fix it either, and then my daughter did not want that doll, saying she had no legs.

I immediately realised how our attitude shapes up early in our lives and decided to see if I could help her view it differently. So, I explained to her through pictures about persons with disability, about equity, and how she and her other dolls needed to embrace the one with no legs. In my heart, I did not know whether the trainer in me was at the forefront of this conversation or if my 4-year-old would really understand what I was saying! To my surprise, she understood so easily and even asked me to get a wheelchair for her doll!

This, for me, became an example of bringing home the awareness and knowledge that I got from my workplace. Another example would be when she was doing her online class, and I overheard this conversation between her and her teacher. It was the first period, and while the teacher was waiting for other kids to join, she asked my daughter, “What did your mom cook for breakfast?” My daughter, instantly, without a thought, replied, “My father prepares the breakfast, and my mom cooks

dinner.” My daughters don’t know otherwise as they see both their parents working and picking up household chores depending on who can pick up what!

This is an example of what I would like to take to my workplace and work on my performance or attribution bias. This is also where we could bring more awareness to be an ally in the workplace. It does not just have to be men being allies to women. I do not undermine that at all - in fact, the impact men can create by being allies is significant. However, I would like to highlight that we all need allies in our lives, and if we are sensitive, we will find many opportunities to be an ally to someone.

“...We all need allies in our lives, and if we are sensitive, we will

find many opportunities to be an ally to

someone.”The Next Steps in InclusionThe business case for bringing diversity to organisations is

established but reaping those benefits comes from nurturing cognitive diversity - and organisations cannot achieve this without inclusion. Inclusion means taking the action of involving and providing the right conditions for all to realise their full potential. We must focus on measuring inclusion more proactively than just reporting diversity numbers. What could be the lead indicators in the context of your organisation? We need to go beyond just defining what DEI is! It is about collectively appealing to our ethics, emotions, and logic to open minds and systems to inclusion. That’s when we can create a level playing field!

Disclaimer:The thoughts expressed by the author in this article are solely her own and do not represent the organisation she works for.

About the AuthorGeetanjali Wheeler is a seasoned L&OD professional passionate about building a culture that promotes learning agility at all levels in the organization. With an experience of about 17 years in varied verticals like Telecom, Airline & E-commerce, Geetanjali has spearheaded both global and national roles. Before moving on to her current role of leading L&D for a global financial services group in India, she worked for a large Telecom company.

POINT OF VIEW


from people-related information is growing exponentially. Today, the HR Analytics market in terms of products’ and services’ value, is an estimated $2.5 to $3.5 billion, with solution providers ranging from mainstream HR Enterprise software firms to specialist analytics firms offering a blend of behavioural and data science expertise and HR advisory services.

In a 2019 research paper on the people analytics market, Deloitte classified activities undertaken by organisational analytics teams as ranging from past-focused (descriptive) to forward-focused (prescriptive), and described the progression of activities from the basic “What happened?” and “Why did it happen?” to more advanced “What will happen?” and “How can we make it happen?”

HR.com and Oracle, in a 2021 research study, proposed a related categorisation of this landscape - descriptive, insightful, predictive and prescriptive HR Analytics. While the adoption of advanced analytics

COVER STORY

HR’s Crystal BallThe predictive model is here to stay - far more accurate and consistent than human judgement, in terms of forecasting performance and outcomes, and addressing key dimensions applicable to business contexts as much as sport…

BY RAJ DHARMARAJ

zz What characteristics differentiate the talented from super-achievers?

zz How can such attributes be identified and trained to enhance performance?

Answers to these represent part of the ’holy grail’ of Predictive Analytics for HR. While analysing employee information is not new, the usage of complex analytics by the HR function has surged over the last two decades, led by Google’s much-vaunted use of data to drive the best possible talent and people-related decisions.

HR Analytics: An OverviewWithin the HR function, hiring was perhaps the first area that collected datapoints to evaluate job applicants, the foundation for a range of customised heuristics that companies use to select candidates. HR Analytics has grown rapidly since those origins - vast amounts of untapped employee-related data exist within organisations, and usage of sophisticated tools to unlock insights

GatheringData

ProducingReprots

ConductingAnalyses

BuildingModels

ProvidingInsights

Descriptive � Diagnostic � Predictive � Prescriptive

Midway and two sets into the 2022 Australian Open men’s tennis final, the

match’s Win:Loss predictor read 96% D.Medvedev: 4% R.Nadal. Across the world, thousands of disappointed Nadal fans switched channels and turned-off social media feeds. Yet 3 hours later, Nadal emerged victorious, with a stunning display of mental and physical skill and toughness! Internet memes were quick to cite the fallibility of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered predictor - in actuality, the underlying algorithm improved, adding data variables and updating its complex underlying logic. The predictive model is here to stay - far more accurate and consistent than human judgement, in terms of forecasting performance and outcomes, and addressing key dimensions applicable to business contexts as much as sport:

zz What underlying factors determine eventual outcomes?


tools has gained ground, most organisations continue to rely on descriptive HR analytics rather than on more sophisticated predictive and prescriptive techniques. As per HR.com research, 68% of HR departments make at least moderate use of descriptive analytics, 34% make moderate use of predictive analytics and 43% moderate use of prescriptive analytics, while only 15% make high or very high use of predictive or prescriptive analytics. In effect, HR Analytics is moving from outlining causality between variables and impact, to the complex prediction of future people-events and recommendations to influence desirable outcomes.

“While the adoption of advanced analytics tools

has gained ground, most organisations continue to rely on

descriptive HR analytics rather than on more

sophisticated predictive and prescriptive

techniques.”Predictive Analytics across the HR LifecyclePredictive Analytics has gained popularity in recruitment and retention management, and now finds application across the HR lifecycle. It encompasses a range of statistical tools, including Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, deep learning, data mining, and AI, to create predictive models - extracting information from data, identifying patterns, and providing predictive scores for a variety of organisational outcomes.

According to Mohinish Sinha, (Partner - Deloitte India), this space is rapidly

Skilling &Deployment

Engagement&

Experience

Performance & CareerManagement

TotalRewards

Culture & ChangeManagement

Sourcing& Supply • Skill forecasting

• Role-skill matching• Learning e�ectiveness• Coaching & leadership development

• Employee engagement• Retention management

• Potential & performance prediction • Promotion readiness

• TR Optimization• Pay Equity• Cost modelling

• Culture pro�ling• Enterprise change• D&I

• Talent supply analysis• Hiring e�ectiveness

changing, with organisations moving away from reactive and tactical application of analytics, toward more strategic business applications, integrating cross-functional internal and external data sources. Sriram Iyer (CEO, Hrtech.sg), has been tracking the dynamically shifting provider landscape being driven by technology shifts. Boutique data analytics firms are expanding horizons to target people-related challenges, while traditional enterprise HR system providers are adding capabilities to mine massive employee datasets for insights, forecasts and strategic decision making. In his view, the most important principle for successful analytics programmes is defining the right business problem. Expanding further, Vijayshankar Ananthanarayan (Global Head of Transformation, Darwinbox), calls out elements key to building Predictive Analytics capability - data silo integration, ensuring data privacy controls, encouraging data democratisation and seeking ways to build meaningful business narratives from underlying data.

1. Talent Sourcing & Supplyz¾ Modelling optimal talent supply

sources, mapping performance of hires across entry-level and lateral recruits against sourcing channels, skill-fit, engagement and productivity levels.

Advanced users of predictive analytics for HR are moving away from ‘random’ application of tools, to strategic deployment, focusing on business solutions and integrating multiple data sources across organizational boundaries – Mohinish Sinha, Partner Deloitte India

z¾ Following Google, almost every large technology services firm is making use of talent sourcing software algorithms to improve talent search-and-match. z¾ Behavioural science coupled

with technology, to assess organisational fit – video-

COVER STORY


adopters of ‘flight-risk scoring’, predicting individual employee attrition risk, and viable retention approaches.

HR Analytics needs to first define the business problem being addressed– Sriram Iyer, CEO Hrtech.sg

z¾ Organisational Network Analysis (ONA) offering insights into the ‘hidden’ organisation structure underpinning formal hierarchy – identifying the ‘most-connected’ employees to evangelise enterprise communication, and determine pockets of disengagement that block transparent messaging. z¾ ONA in identifying ways

to improve collaboration in organisational contexts, providing valuable insights for improving cohesion and engagement, especially in the virtual hybrid workplace

4. Performance and Career Managementz¾ Performance management

predictors cover indicators as diverse as academic background, engagement levels, and supervisor-reportee interactions. Best Buy, the electronics retailer’s finding that marginal improvements in engagement levels of its employees, led to a dramatic increase in store revenue.

Meaningful data interpretation is key to successful adoption of HR analytics. ‘Sense-making’ and building narratives around the ‘so-what’ of data is critical– Vijayshankar A, VP, Darwinbox

z¾ Google as one of the earliest employers determining that academic track record had no significant correlation with on-the-job performance, enabling redesign of interview and selection processes, for more successful hires. z¾ Leadership development and

coaching platforms, using a

combination of predictive and behavioural analytics, coupled with ONA to identify potential, fine-tune coach selection, and improve the impact of interventions using behavioural ‘nudges’ and feedback.

“Leadership development and

coaching platforms, using a combination

of predictive and behavioural analytics, coupled with ONA to

identify potential, fine-tune coach selection,

and improve the impact of interventions using behavioural ‘nudges’

and feedback.”5. Total Rewards

z¾ Reshaping compensation modelling and total rewards (TR) design using analytics, including Mercer research on analytics-based TR design offering powerful ways to refine and tailor compensation and benefit packages to specific employee needs. z¾ Optimising TR strategy

using interdependencies between compensation structure, benefits, incentives, performance management and engagement. z¾ Future cost-modelling using

compensation analytics and prediction, especially for services industries, where employee costs are a major determinant of organisational top and bottom-linez¾ Prioritising pay-equity across

employee segments, deploying

based interviewing for analysis of voice stress and visual cue patterns, and simulation interviews, to evaluate judgment and decision-making skills, mirroring real-life situations.

2. Skilling and Deploymentz¾ Making talent build vs buy HR

decisions more effectively than human judgement, especially as hybrid work, part-time and gig-based options proliferate. z¾ AI-based assessments,

predicting skill-adjacencies upto 40% more accurately, as demonstrated jointly by Unilever and Walmart, to enable upskilling, cross-training and redeployment of employees at risk of redundancyz¾ Internal and external ‘Talent

Marketplaces’, powered by underlying skill-role match algorithms providing deeper insights for HR decision-makers.z¾ ‘Hyper-personalisation’ of

learning – leveraging analytics to customise interventions to individual preferences and capabilities, to increase learning effectiveness.

3. Employee Experience & Engagementz¾ Optimising every ‘moment of

engagement’ for employees, harnessing the ability to continuously track, ‘listen-to’ and interpret employee sentiment across diverse forums – pulse check-ins, internal communications, portals, as well as external social media and job-site related commentary. z¾ Generating frequent real-

time snapshots of employee sentiment, correlating to network interactions, and predicting outcomes such as attrition, while recommending mitigating interventions. HP was one of the earliest

COVER STORY


About the AuthorRaj Dharmaraj has three decades of experience in the IT industry, spanning multiple roles in consulting, business development, enterprise transformation and HR. He currently leads the regional HR Strategic Deals team for a Fortune 200 IT solutions provider. He can be reached at [email protected] or https:// www.linkedin.com/in/rdharmaraj.

predictive analytics to test, develop and redesign more equitable and sustainable organisational compensation structures.

6. Culture & Change Managementz¾ Using real-time employee

sentiment and network analyses to craft enterprise transformation programmes, leveraging key influencers and providing early warning indicators of pockets of dissent or non-collaboration. z¾ Tailoring communication

campaigns and change interventions to specific groups or individuals, akin to usage in large-scale political campaigns, such as Brexit or national elections, ensuring the adoption of a common narrative and shared values. z¾ ONA deployed in M&A deals

to identify and address key influencers, evangelists and detractors, and employee values and beliefs, to improve the success of mergers, where culture is often the biggest determinant of success. z¾ Developing and refining D&I

programmes, using data and predictive modelling to track, forecast and enhance effectiveness and internalisation of these initiatives across the enterprise.

Predictive Talent Analytics – Five future takeawaysAs the future of HR Analytics unfolds rapidly, against the backdrop of an emerging world of hybrid, post-pandemic work and challenges of the great migration, the five takeaways for HR professionals to bear in mind when developing their analytics capabilities are:- 1. Begin with the business perspective

and problem to be solved. Start

small, build out ‘pilot’ and localised hypothesis testing, rather than attempt enterprise solutions immediately

2. Data quality & integration are key: Identify data from multiple internal and external sources across silos, and be aware of wider cross-functional and systemic influences that can impact interpretation and analyses.

3. Establish ethical stewardship to avoid pitfalls: Blind implementation of analytics programs can have multiple negative impacts, ranging from employee data privacy violations, unwittingly building in bias into algorithmic decisions such as hiring, and manipulative usage of insights to influence behaviour

4. Push for Data democratisation, with suitable controls: To increase transparency and access to appropriate levels of data. Empowering business managers to own HR decisions can improve agility and impact of people analytics programs, as long as they are tempered with ethical governance mechanisms

5. Focus on opportunities for ‘sense making’: Harnessing the power of analytics to uncover deeper untapped stories from relevant data - such as predictors of resilience and thriving, or the hidden ‘signal-value’ of siloed initiatives such as pay increases, that can potentially have unintended repercussions on employee morale.

In summary, to paraphrase Peter Drucker’s famous quote, if the best way to predict the future is to create it, then Predictive Analytics offers HR a golden opportunity to reshape the future world of work, starting now. References1) ‘People Analytics – Here with a

Vengeance’ – Josh Bersin – Forbes 2017 https://www.forbes.com/

sites/joshbersin/2017/12/16/people-analytics-here-with-a-vengeance/?sh=7a42494432a1

2) HR Analytics Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report “- GV Research May 2020 https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/hr-analytics-market

3) People Analytics Solutions Market Primer” – Deloitte Market Landscape – 2019 https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/human-capital/us-human-capital-bersin-lt-people-analytics-solutions-market-primer.pdf

4) Predictive Analytics in Human Resources – AIHR 2022 - https://www.aihr.com/blog/predictive-analytics-human-resources/

5) The State of HR Analytics 2021 – HR.com - https://www.oracle.com/a/ocom/docs/applications/human-capital-management/hrt-talent-analytics-hrdotcom.pdf

6) Predictive Analytics – Heavy.AI https://bit.ly/3Ce4HxX

7) ‘How AI can unlock hidden talent in the workplace – WEF.org -June 2021 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/jobs-work-skills-future-automation-ai/

8) ‘Predictive Analytics – The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie’ – Dr. Eric Siegel, Wiley & sons – 2012

9) 4 Ways HR Analytics Must Evolve for the Current Landscape – Gartner Insights 2022 https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/4-ways-hr-analytics-must-evolve-for-the-current-landscape

10) Interview – Mohinish Sinha Partner Deloitte India - linkedin.com/in/mohinish

11) Interview – Vijayshankar Ananthanarayanan – VP and Global Head Transformation – Darwinbox - linkedin.com/in/vijayshankar-a

12) Interview – Sriram Iyer – CEO and Founder hrtech.sg – linkedin.com/in/theiyer

COVER STORY


“We know where you are. We know where you’ve been. We can more or less know what you’re thinking about…” - Eric Schmidt, Former CEO, Google

The BIG PictureFor the uninitiated - Predictive Analytics is the use of data, Machine Learning techniques and statistical algorithms that predict future outcomes based on previous data. It can also be inferred as - technology that learns from experience to enable intelligent decision-making capabilities. As the name implies, Predictive Analytics use historical data to predict future events and guide decision-making. With more data, predictions may get better for a bunch of statistical reasons related to the normal distribution and robustness of individual statistics.

A super simplistic representation to drive home the point around this topic:

Predictive Analytics produce probabilistic estimates of the future. No one has a crystal ball that can predict with complete accuracy. Take horse racing for example. People place bets on horses using predictive factors like age, bloodlines, prior performance, etc. The odds reflect the combined predictions of all betters. Most of the time, the odds on favourite wins — performs as predicted. But, every once in a while, the long shot surprises everyone!

Predictive Analytics is not a new concept. Statisticians have been using decision trees and regression for years to help businesses correlate and classify their data and make predictions. What is new is that the scope of Predictive Analytics has broadened. However, it is no longer limited to mathematicians and statisticians. An unprecedented confluence of intuitive tools, new

Insightful Impact With Predictive AnalyticsAn unprecedented confluence of intuitive tools, new predictive techniques and hybrid cloud deployment models are making Predictive Analytics more accessible to a wider spectrum of society and enabling capabilities for making intelligent decisions.

BY SANDEEP MAGAVI

“Modern Predictive Analytics is about using

machine-generated predictions with human

insight to drive the business forward.” MODEL

PREDICTIONMODEL

PREDICTIVEALGORITHMS

NEWDATA

HISTORICALDATA

COVER STORY


Knowing about higher probabilities of what happens next can improve Operations, Sales, Fraud Detection, Marketing, Crime Prevention, etc., and are widely applicable to any Industry, Business, Organisation, Municipality, State or Country!

The key to realising maximum benefits from the Human capital data lies in aligning tying the different data sources to strategic business objectives. Leveraging data from different sources along with the application of predictive models helps in projecting the right picture clarifying holistic analysis of the organisation.

Applying the Principles to Human CapitalWith HR on the cusp of massive change especially in the post-COVID era – the adoption of analytics that impacts people continues to gain strong momentum, and it will not be long before human capital analytics becomes a required fundamental competency. Modern executives realise that people are their only sustainable competitive advantage. The demand for people-related analytics will continue to grow. By themselves, machines, materials, processes, technology, and information do nothing. People create value when they interact with those things and with other people. If people are 70% of your cost and all of your value, why would it not be a fundamental business practice to apply the power

predictive techniques and hybrid cloud deployment models are making Predictive Analytics more accessible to a wider spectrum of society and enable capabilities for making intelligent decisions.

Predictive Analytics can empower businesses to augment historical data with real-time insights and then harness this to predict and shape future outcomes and is a key milestone in the analytics journey. Modern Predictive Analytics is about using machine-generated predictions with human insight to drive the business forward. In business, foresight is everything. If businesses are enabled to predict outcomes to a high degree of certainty based on experiences and data points, they will effectively be able to:

zz Make smarter decisions

zz Get to market faster

zz Disrupt competitors

PRAGATI KHAREHead HR, Arya.ag

“Advancement in technology has created a new horizon for HR to use Predictive Analytics to see what is coming around the corner. Predictive Analysis helps draw sensible outcomes into your HR strategies and creates abilities to generate historical data repository, smart selection of technology, and trained HR resources to capitalise on it. Getting an indication of data-driven predictions helps organisations to define future strategies which can help not only in controlling talent turnovers to driving performance-oriented culture but many other HR decisions.”

ABHISHEK MISRAHead-HR India, Rockwell Automation

“HR Predictive Analytics uses statistics to study existing data and form algorithms that can aptly predict future outcomes. These data-driven models help transform HR into a reliable strategic business partner, by streamlining operations in the hiring process, selecting the right talent based on the organisation’s needs, as well as retaining employees for a longer period. Predictive analytics can also filter out subconscious biases, furthering the goal of diversity and inclusion within a company.”

SHRIJATA BASU SAHADirector- Global HR, iMerit

“Predictive Analysis is emerging as a dominant trend as HR practices move to be more employee-centric to aid overall growth and work-life experience of the workforce. Using ML in scrutinising job performance, service history, and market trends will eventually lead to developing a compact employee understanding and identifying red flags before its too late, and

in turn, the leadership will know the right areas and employees to focus on.”

of analytics to maximise their net contribution?

Human resources are vital constituents for every organisation. In today’s age of competition and growth, it has become crucial to view people as assets rather than “costs” to the organisation. In a fast-paced world, skill requirements are constantly changing with rapid advancement of technology and regulations. Human capital dynamics demand that we apply analytics to reconfigure our workforce scenarios and predict our next best move or else we lose competitive advantage and market share.

COVER STORY


In Predictive Analytics for Human Resources, Jac Fitz-Enz and John Mattox describe three levels of human capital analytics:zz Descriptive Analytics examines

historical data to evaluate connections, relationships, correlations, and causations.

zz Predictive Analytics uses past patterns to predict future patterns.

zz Prescriptive Analytics takes prediction to the next level by using complex data to predict alternative outcomes to optimise the workforce.

Key Segments for Value EnhancementKey segments where Predictive Analytics Can enhance Value for the HR domain include:

zz Employee Segmentation and Profiling: Predictive Analytics can be leveraged for effective talent management by accurately

NIDHI KHULBEHead of Recruitment, INT. (Indus Net Technologies)

“In today’s world, it’s critical to modernise age-old HR practices. Predictive Analytics examines current data to detect patterns and forecast the future. Many businesses are grappling with retention issues as the so-called ‘great resignation’ manifests. Analysing prior hiring records, present and future delivery standards can result in spotting the right talent and a more effective staff retention strategy. It can identify the individual characteristics and distinct experience required for the jobs to be filled.”

segmenting employees which can help in understanding the employee base in a better way. A statistical relationship between profile variables (such as education and experience) and employee value enables HR to identify the most deserving profiles. This helps to increase quality and reduce recruitment cost extensively creating sustainable value for the organisation.

zz Training and Appraisal: Predictive Learning algorithms can help predict the impact of organisational requirements and tailor the programmes accordingly for improved outcomes. Predictive Analytics helps identify employees with specific training needs as well as detect emerging trends in areas such as programme diversity, enrolment, onboarding, employee management etc.

Analytics Levels

Descriptive•Patterns•Connections•Relationships•Correlations•Causations

Predictive•Probability•Potential impact

Prescriptive•Decision options•Alternative impacts

Data Source: Fitz-Enz, Jac and John R. Mattox, II, Predictive Analyticsfor Human Resources. New Jersey: Willey Publishing, 2014.

“In today’s age of competition and

growth, it has become crucial to view people

as assets rather than “costs” to the

organisation.”

SANTWANA PERIWALCHRO, Clix Capital

“HR can forecast hiring success, impact on engagement, and future attrition by analysing different data patterns. The insights thus generated will assist us in moving away from intuitive or experience-based decisions, toward becoming a strategic business partner, allowing us to be more proactive and agile in our war for talent. However, leveraging analytics

in HR requires mastering three fundamentals: data availability, mindset for leveraging Predictive Analytics, and using this to refine the People Strategy.”

COVER STORY


About the AuthorSandeep Magavi, GIC Learning Leader - Growth Platforms & Industry, IBM India. He is an Industry expert on Talent Transformation and Knowledge Services, having been an integral part of IBMs Learning & Knowledge strategy and deployment for 15+ years. In his current role, he leads critical functions to enable strategic capabilities and future skilling on exponential technologies across IBMs global delivery centres. Sandeep is a Neurodiversity Ambassador and promotes DEI and is also the Board Member of the NGO “Shraddha Sansthan”.

zz Forecasting of Human Resources and Recruitment Needs: Predictive Analytics helps to better forecast the organisational requirements by building targeted recruitment plans, optimising HR partner initiatives etc. This enables organisations to maximise resource utilisation and amplify appropriate growth and profit margins.

zz Key Employee Analysis: HR professionals should capitalise on unstructured and structured data from multiple sources to create or redesign their initiatives targeted for Key employees at different levels. Key employee analysis is more effective than general employee surveys in getting fruitful and productive feedback. Such information can promote understanding of how various HR policies, initiatives, organisational changes are being perceived by the employees.

zz Employee Fraud Risk Management: Predictive Analytics helps improve fraud risk management by enabling an organisation to identify employees who are at increased risk of non-compliance with the organisation’s security policy. Organisations can formulate a fraud risk score by analysing employee activity reports using statistical modelling techniques. This can help protect the company’s reputation and possibly prevent financial impact.

zz Intangibles: HR function reports costs of various activities such as training, recruitment, appraisals, perks, incentives etc. Moving in line with strategic objectives, HR teams can increase their organisational presence by focusing on intangible assets (such as leadership, culture, commitment, loyalty) of the organisation.

SUKHPREET SINGHHead-HR, mPokket

“The use of data sets and statistics in HR to forecast future outcomes such as attrition rates, performance analysis, engagement etc. is referred to as Predictive Analytics. It encompasses the end-to-end lifecycle of an employee from recruiting, onboarding to exit. It helps understand an employee’s future success within the organization, assess employee skills, and even reveal knowledge or skills gaps that need to be addressed. Predictive Analytics can also be used to map attrition risk and build an effective employee retention and engagement model.”

Knowledge based on Predictive models can guide towards changes in leadership capability, engagement, culture etc. which can be used for better planning and predictions.

The key to realising maximum benefits from the Human capital data lies in aligning the different data sources to strategic business objectives. Leveraging data from different sources along with the application of predictive models helps in projecting the right picture, clarifying holistic analysis of the organisation. Blending of statistical information from government and other sources along with organisational data provides a clear ground for effective planning and meeting both short term and long-term goals of the organisation.

To play a more strategic role in the organisation, HR teams need to move ahead from operational analytics to predictive competence and helps them play a bigger role in driving strategic organisational vision and objectives. Predictive analytics helps organizations in boosting superlative employee experiences that will help in achieving projected long-term goals with desired optimum efficiency.

COVER STORY


Own Thy CareerWomen in the workforce are faced with numerous challenges including balancing home and work, career breaks, and carving a niche for themselves in a male-dominated industry.

BY PRACHI MISHRA

Women constitute a sizable percentage of the workforce in a number of

industries and organisations and have been making significant and valuable contributions. Some organisations are more inclusive than others when it comes to hiring female employees. There have been umpteen studies by leading consulting firms such as BCG, McKinsey, World Economic Forum, Korn Ferry International etc. that tell us that Diverse and Inclusive organisations outperform their peers in terms of higher growth, better innovation, better profitability, higher EBITDA, and better decision making.

This critical issue is an extensively researched subject and clearly helps in enhancing diversity at the workplace, and hence, is of importance to business. Most organisations are indeed taking positive steps to support women in the workforce through accelerated growth programmes, mentoring opportunities, sponsorship programmes and coaching conversations.

Aspects of Disengagement It is also true that despite all the research and study around the value and importance of diversity and organisational efforts, we still see women disengaging from

their careers. We keep hearing and reading statistics, stories, and surveys about women quitting the workforce in their early to mid-careers in disproportionate numbers and the percentage of women in key leadership roles remain low in most organisations.

Most women take a break from work due to marriage or childcare and have no regrets for making such decisions. Once they are away from their work life, they find it difficult to return to the workforce and pick up where they left off. It takes a lot of grit and determination to successfully transition to a second career innings, as it is not easy to adapt to corporate life after a break. It also becomes difficult to get a role that matches the one they had before the break, and, to top it all, juggling family and work is energy-sapping and requires some skill as well.

A Figure of InspirationI recently watched Magic Beyond Words on Netflix and it gave me a new perspective to this situation. This movie narrates the struggle and journey of J K Rowling from being a single mother who experiences domestic violence to creating Harry Potter and becoming one of the world’s wealthiest women. It is a well-made, uplifting and inspiring story. What specifically held my attention in this story is how Rowling owned

“Most women take a break from work due to

marriage or childcare and have no regrets for making such decisions.

Once they are away from their work life,

they find it difficult to return to the workforce and pick up where they

left off.”

CAREER MANAGEMENT


her passion for writing. Despite her unfavourable conditions, abusive marriage, and financial challenges, she was determined to raise her child, provide her with the best and continue her writing. She had a dream and she continued working towards it with passionate persistence. A great lesson to me is the importance of owning one’s life and what we want to achieve. As Christine Mason Miller, says, “At any given moment, you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.”

Two things must work in tandem to drive progress and growth for women at workplaces.

zz Organisations must continually work towards providing a safe and inclusive environment that fosters opportunities for equitable growth and

zz Women must take charge to passionately own their career and be ready to go the extra mile

The Need for Intrinsic MotivationI would like to focus on the latter as this is an intrinsic motivation and needs attention. In my experience, here are a few critical aspects of owing what we want.

zz Know yourself: Understand your mindset, belief and bias about career, ambition, growth, and power. Is your mindset holding you back? Sometimes, to comply with societal norms, women unconsciously let their careers take a backseat. Be honest. Set yourself free and give yourself the permission to do what you really want to do and what makes you happy.

zz Set a goal: “What gets measured, gets done.” Start by identifying your calling by assessing your values, interest, skills, strengths,

“The great lesson for me is the importance of owning one’s life and what we want to achieve. Like Christine Mason Miller says, “At any given moment, you have the power to say: This is not

how the story is going to end.”

CAREER MANAGEMENT


weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Write your goals down - both short term and long term - and create a roadmap to achieve them. Be ready to learn, take risks, and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

zz Love your goal: Passion and love towards one’s career will go a long way. Therefore, set a career goal for yourself that is important and valuable to you. If you do not love what you do, it will never be a priority and you are probably not going to be motivated to go above and beyond.

zz Care less: There will be unfavourable conditions and there will always be people who will pull you down. People who do not and will not understand why you are doing what you are doing will always be around. Care less for such mortals. Keep an eye on the big picture and the goals you

have set for yourself in the future. Care more for your goals, your aspirations, and your dreams.

zz Care more for self: It is difficult to achieve success by being ill. Take care of your physical and mental health. Eat well, exercise, take a break, cultivate a hobby, speak to a therapist; whatever keeps you going.

zz Create a network: ‘Your net worth is your network.’ No one has ever succeeded alone. Most of the successful individuals have a very strong network. Invest your time in creating and nurturing strong relationships with people who will provide you with honest feedback to promote and support you in this journey.

zz Take responsibility: “The only life worth living is the one we take responsibility for choosing.”- Alexandra Stoddard. Whatever the circumstances, remember we

About the AuthorPrachi Mishra is the Regional Head of Learning- APAC Global Learning & Leadership at Vanderlande. She is a dedicated leader & management executive with 14 plus years of experience in diverse areas encompassing learning & development, executive coaching, organizational development, design & implementation of successful learning strategies.

always have the ‘power of choice’. Complaining and blaming your circumstances or others will not be helpful in this journey. Take responsibility and move forward.

Last but not the least, befriend yourself on this journey. Most women lack self-compassion. They are very harsh on themselves, and this makes achieving goals even more difficult. I truly wish that each woman realises that they can weave their own growth story by owning their goals and career.

CAREER MANAGEMENT


INDUSTRY BYTES

Hindustan Zinc Launches Passenger EVs For Employees

Airtel Upgrades Parental Policy Benefits For Employees

working in order to return to work at their own pace and devote ample time at home to the new born. The Company will also provide two additional paid leaves per quarter for childcare to new mothers.

The upgraded parental policy also offers up to eight weeks of paternity leave for new fathers who are primary caregivers.

Amrita Padda, Chief People Officer, Bharti Airtel said: “Airtel is a place where we pride ourselves on creating impactful innovations that make a mark. In our endeavor to strengthen our workplace and work practices further, we need to stay ahead of the curve and revisit our policies. We have done this with a clear focus on becoming a more diverse & inclusive workplace. We hope this will encourage more women to continue pursuing their careers at Airtel as they move thorough important life stages in their lives.”

Bharti Airtel has enhanced parental policy benefits for its employees by including special childcare allowance and flexible working option for new mothers with an aim to build a diverse and inclusive workplace.

In addition to 26 weeks of maternity leave, women employees returning to work will get special childcare allowance of INR 7000 per month till the child turns 18 months old. The special allowance will also be applicable in case of adoption.

Post maternity leave, new mothers can also opt for up to 24 weeks of flexible

In a bid to replace diesel & fossil-fuel based vehicles at Hindustan Zinc’s mining locations, the company has launched passenger EVs ( Electric Vehicles) for employees to reduce carbon footprint.

The company recently added to its fleet of electric vehicles, including electric scooters for security staff, passenger EVs at locations, and underground service EV for mines. All these vehicles are in addition to the MoUs that Hindustan Zinc has already signed to introduce BEVs in underground mining operations.

“Our decarbonization journey is not only substituting underground frontline vehicles with electric alternatives but also making this shift in service vehicles, LMVs, and passenger vehicles across our locations. Our aim is that in the next five years’ time all machines due replacement are only replaced with battery operated vehicles to realise our vision of zero emission and carbon free mining,” said Arun Misra, CEO – Hindustan Zinc.

Last year, Hindustan Zinc signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Normet Group Oy and Epiroc Rock Drills AB to introduce battery electric vehicles across its underground mines in Rajasthan.

Aurobindo Pharma has announced a Management Development Programme, called ‘Four ‘Four Pillars of Future Ready Managers’ for its employees.

The programme is designed to train its workforce to gain leadership and management skills as well as master the current trends in the market.

The 10-day sessions will be conducted over two Saturdays every month for the next 4 months.

Aurobindo Pharma has collaborated with GITAM University and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to organize this training programme, which addresses key factors like leading self and other, organisational leadership and personal transformation.

A total of 27 employees – in the Manager to Deputy General Manager cadres -- from the Vizag cluster of Aurobindo Pharma have been shortlisted and are now undergoing the programme.

People development has been a key focus area for the Human Resources (HR) department at Aurobindo Pharma.

Aurobindo Pharma Introduces Management Development Programme For Employees


With COVID-19 showing signs of ebbing and employees trickling into

physical workspaces once again, it is time for organisations to rethink what the workplace can offer its employees, particularly women, who primarily faced the brunt of the pandemic. Flexibility, sensitivity, and empathy must be the core of this reboot strategy, focusing on women employees’ physical well-being, mental health, and emotional needs.

As the workplace moved into the personal space in the last two years, women had the challenging task of juggling work and domestic responsibilities, leading to severe stress and burnout. While women have always donned the dual role, the pandemic put this in sharp focus more than ever before.

According to the 2021 Women in the Workplace report from LeanIn and McKinsey, women are more burned out than a year ago, and the gap in burnout between women and men has nearly doubled. In this survey of 65,000 workers across 423 organisations, one-third of women said that they were considering scaling back their careers or leaving the workforce altogether. Alarming as it may sound, if organisations are serious about their gender

inclusivity agenda, they must make their workplace more conducive and welcoming for women.

Hit the Reset ButtonAs organisations gear up to embrace employees once again at the workplace, they must reconfigure working conditions and tweak HR policies. Women who walk the tight rope of work-life balance, benefit greatly and deservedly so. This means that organisations must invest in an ecosystem with adequate support systems and resources that allow women employees to have fulfilling careers.

Hybrid is the Way to GoIn the new normal, organisations may not be able to get back to the pre-COVID times wherein presence in the office during stipulated hours was mandatory. So, organisations continue to offer flexibility, allowing their employees, especially women, to work remotely and from the office, as the need may be.

This creates a hybrid model that is a win-win for all. It ensures better focus and productivity and does not put women in the difficult spot of choosing between family and work, thus relieving women from mental stress and strain. A flexible model will

Growth Driven By Women’s Well-BeingNew-age organisations must move away from a ‘manufacturing mentality’ and nurture an enabling work environment that takes care of the well-being of women employees, ultimately resulting in an equal and empowered workforce.

BY VEENA SATISH

“Flexibility, sensitivity, and empathy must be the core of this reboot strategy, focusing on

women employees’ physical well-being, mental health, and emotional needs.”

HEALTH AND WELLNESS


Embolden and EncourageOrganisations must make the workplace more invigorating for women by giving them more leadership roles that bring out their innate best. Mentoring also plays a crucial role in motivating women to stay on the path of professional development. This includes women mentoring others and women being mentored by experienced coaches.

Upskilling and training women, especially those who return to the workforce after staying away for some time will make sure they do not miss out on opportunities that their male counterparts may enjoy.

Diverse and InclusiveThis is the time for forward-looking organisations to double up their efforts on the diversity and inclusion front and bridge the glaring gender gap in the workplace. While ‘diversity hire’ and ‘inclusive workplace’ are often bandied phrases, the reality shows a different picture. Greater hiring of women, financial parity, rapid career progression, and outcome-based evaluation are some of the critical tenets of the diversity plan that organisations have to implement diligently.

Companies must also eliminate biases against women employees, especially in tech-based roles. Stereotypes such

as ‘women do not work long hours’ or ‘women do not take on roles that involve travelling’ must be shattered by creating flexible timings as long as deadlines are met. Women leaders and decision-makers can be encouraged to participate in webinars and online conferences where physical presence is not a requisite.

Creating an Empowered WorkforceCompanies of the future cannot afford to neglect the needs of women, who form an integral part of organisational strength. It is no longer just about producing ‘X’ products or hitting a particular sales target or volume. New-age organisations must move away from a ‘manufacturing mentality’ and nurture an enabling work environment that takes care of the well-being of women employees, ultimately resulting in an equal and empowered workforce.

“In the new normal, organisations may not be able to get back to the pre-COVID times

wherein presence in the office during stipulated

hours was mandatory.”

also encourage more women to return to the corporate workforce with greater confidence.

Of course, the model is still in its nascent stage, but it will undoubtedly evolve in the coming months as organisations learn to tackle the long-term impact of the pandemic efficiently.

Address Burnout IssuesAccording to a survey by LinkedIn, 47% of working women in India reported feeling increased stress due to the pandemic as opposed to 38% among men. This cannot be brushed under the carpet or dealt with in a casual manner. Pandemic burnout is real and documented, and, it certainly affects employees’ morale. Companies must also be empathetic about the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the employees who have recovered from the illness, including psychological impact, anxiety, and depression.

Organisations must take cognizance of this reality and act accordingly. This translates to offering counselling support that addresses burnout issues early on and providing childcare support so that women are not worried about their children’s needs. Support groups for women within the organisation can also create a safe environment wherein women feel comfortable voicing their concerns.

About the AuthorVeena Satish is the Vice President of People and Culture at MoEngage. Veena heads people operations and talent acquisition strategy as well as oversees the diversity and inclusion goals at MoEngage. She was previously the HR Director at Walmart and has also worked in leadership roles in Bloom Energy and Cisco.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS


Addressing The Gender DivideWomen inclusive policies should be supported in the workplace and men should be actively involved in bridging the gender divide.

BY GAURI DAS

Every year around International Women’s Day, we become very actively involved with the cause

of women empowerment and it results in a deluge of conferences, webinars, panel discussions, pampering and loads of ‘shoulds’. After the International Women’s Day week, the vigour is lost, these take a back seat and life goes on.

While we are making progress towards the cause with each passing year, a lot is yet to be done and organisations need to take serious steps towards it. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, the time to close the gender gap is now 135.6 years. This was estimated to be 99 years as per the 2020 report, and the pandemic added another 36 years to it. This is the extent of the adverse impact of the Pandemic on women. In these situations, it is even more important that efforts are multiplied on this matter. Losing ground at this juncture will be catastrophic for girls and women.

Here are the ways organisations can help.

Address unconscious biases: This year’s International Women’s Day theme is breaking the bias and that is the most important step to advance this cause. Unless there is a change in the mindset, the impact will only be superficial. The bias starts from home. In India, most men have not seen their mothers working, and hence, they find it difficult to accept the fact that times

have changed. At the workplace, they come with the same bias that decision-making is a man’s job, and similar to the perception that the colour of the car can be decided by women while buying the car, men at work treat them the same way.

Biases such as women cannot work in this department since they need to go home early, or they may not be as competent for roles like sales etc., are some examples of these biases. Organisations need to create awareness and formulate policies and processes to ensure that they provide equal opportunity to all genders. E.g. while hiring, the gender of the candidate can be hidden so as to give everyone equal opportunity to proceed to the next step.

Involve men: Today, men occupy most of the decision-making positions and they know the tricks of the trade. They are the gatekeepers for gender equality and a crucial part of any strategy to advance women’s causes. They need to come forward and handhold women and support them with the right knowledge, competencies and guidance. Formal mentoring programmes should be formulated to bridge the gap and men should become sponsors for women. Men need to be part of these conversations so they understand the gravity of the matter and can offer solutions. The involvement of men in inclusion efforts can never be overstated.

“Organisations need to create awareness and

formulate policies and processes to ensure that they

provide equal opportunity to all

genders.”

WOMEN@WORK


Data shows that when men are deliberately engaged in gender inclusion programmes, 96% of organisations see progress while the number is just 30% when men are not engaged.

Support system: Many women need to leave work due to family emergencies or childbearing or similar reasons. While organisations are doing a commendable job in bringing back women after work, the support system should be so strong that women need not give up their jobs. If they are leaving due to location change post marriage, organisations should tap this talent drain by creating remote opportunities for women. If the reason for leaving is childbirth or care for dependence, they should be given an option to cut back on work hours. If they are leaving for higher education, they continue to remain in the workforce.

Pay equality: Pay disparity is well documented not only in India and also across the world. According to ADP’s

study People at Work 2021, in India, only 65 per cent women received a bonus or increment for taking on extra responsibilities or a new role while 70 per cent of men were rewarded for the same. Women are paid less primarily due to two reasons:

zz The penalty of motherhood which literally means not hiring married women as they will need time off due to pregnancy and childbirth.

zz The linkage of the last drawn salary to the next one. When women rejoin work post a break, they lose in the race.

Organisations must chart out a plan to bridge these gaps. It cannot happen overnight but a 3-5 years plan can help.

Provide resources: Women should be supported with the required competencies and should be provided with all the necessary resources. Coaching, training counselling, mentoring etc. are certain tools that

“Data shows that when men are

deliberately engaged in gender inclusion programmes 96% of organisations

see progress, organisations see

progress while the number is just 30% when men are not

engaged.”

WOMEN@WORK


should be deployed to support women. This will help organisations improve productivity and also help retain the talent as they will feel valued. With the help of technology, women can be part of global forums as well, and learn best practices and ways to navigate the transition.

Change mindset: Many times, women themselves are not able to break the vicious cycle of negativity and are unable to make this transition. According to a well-known executive search firm, only 30% women are able to make this transition. It requires a lot of grit and determination to sail through. Juggling with multiple responsibilities does not come easy and it takes both an emotional and physical toll on women. As a women returnee myself, I have witnessed how difficult it is for women to manage this transition, and, I strongly believe that women should be supported to cultivate the right mindset. Self-belief, keeping the guilt away, self-

love, resilience, emotional intelligence are the areas women should be guided in.

While organisations, governments and society work towards supporting women, it is critical that women take charge of their lives, stand for their rights and do not get bogged down by societal norms and pressure. Change never comes easy.

I believe we are on the right path as indicated by Kofi Annan’s quote, “More countries have understood that women’s equality is a prerequisite for development.”

About the AuthorGauri Das is an engineer turned HR Professional with a keen interest in human psychology. She is a strategic HR leader with 15+ years of experience in developing and aligning HR strategy with business goals. She is a possibilitarian who works with business leaders and individuals to drive performance and improve capabilities.

WOMEN@WORK


Honing The Sword

During my early days of learning classical dance, we were made to repeat the same step for several days till we perfected it. Just when we were about to perfect it, new steps would get introduced and this cycle would continue. Over a period, I mastered the steps

by practising daily and started performing better. To get insights into another dance school, me and my guru went to a dance school in Chennai. While I was performing there, I realised that the dancers from that school were performing well. I went up to my guru to understand how they can practice one step for the entire day, she said, “Continuous practice will make you master that step”.

This statement has always lingered in my mind. Be it work or home, I applied this thought process. At work, that employees are our biggest asset, is not a saying that needs to hang on the walls, but is thoroughly embedded in the DNA of all strategies and policies. This makes it so much more important that their skillset needs to be well appreciated, nurtured, and upgraded continuously. During the lockdown, scheduled certain activities for my child to upskill her skillset and am proud of her for following the same regime to improve her game.

So, building a lifelong learning habit is very important. It is about creating and maintaining a positive attitude to learning both personally and professionally. A Lifelong learner will always be motivated to learn and develop. It will enhance our understanding of the world around us, and provide more and better opportunities to improve our quality of life.

BY DIVYA RAO

Women Leaders – We Need More Of You!

We often say, we need our women to be strong, speak their minds, hold their ground, and more importantly, not play the victim. And guess what, when they do so, the same people who ask them to be all of this, do not quite know how to deal with

them. Over the last decade, as I have watched this space closely, I truly believe that there is a clear business case for many people to observe and learn from the women out there. I have worked closely with some of the finest women leaders, and they truly inspire in the manner they wear multiple hats with a smile on their faces many a time, hiding the tears in their eyes. The way they bring their nurturing virtue to conversations, is not a sign of mollycoddling, but of nourishing. It is high time, and we have spoken enough of the glass ceiling. And now, it is not just time for some to break it, but completely do away with it from our dictionaries. If you are a lady, celebrate yourself and the other ladies around you every day and not just on 8 March. If you are an ally, look within and explore the feminine side of you. Bring forth that side to your conversations and interactions. It will not make you less of an alpha male!

About the Author

Divya Rao is General Manager, People and Performance, Colliers India

About the Author

Sahil Nayar, Senior Associate Director – HR at KPMG, is a HR professional whose forte is building an employer brand that helps attract and leverage relevant talent.

BY SAHIL NAYAR

STORY BYTES


The Key EnablersIn conversation with Human Capital. Pawan Kumar Bhageria, President, Tata Motors Group Strategic Business Unit states that one of the key enablers for leveraging Predictive Analytics in managing people would be the HR Technology infrastructure that underpins the Human Capital Management in an organisation.

BY S.AJAY KUMAR

that employees think are important, are often divergent. While there is no single solution to this challenge, technology can help organisations understand the pulse of their people proactively and take actions that may minimise the risk of attrition.

Organisations have implemented Artificial Intelligence-based tools that scan internal data and initiate spontaneous conversations at regular intervals, and at different touchpoints with the employees. Such tools can highlight employees that need special attention, and nudge leaders to act at the earliest. Unlike traditional employee surveys which have long questionnaires and happen once or twice a month, AI tools work every day to ensure that the pulse of what the employees are feeling and act proactively.

“Unlike traditional employee surveys which have long

questionnaires and happen once or twice

a month, AI tools work every day to ensure that

the pulse of what the employees are feeling and act proactively.”

Q The Great Resignation has come about as one of the biggest fallouts for organisations across the globe in the wake of the pandemic. How do you believe companies can make use of Predictive Analytics to avoid mass attrition?

A The Great Resignation reflects the uncertain times that we live – which presents opportunities as well as risks. In most cases, employers do not fully understand why employees are leaving and the factors that employers perceive as important and the factors

INTERVIEW


a) Implementation of Technology Practice within the HR team such that there is an HR technology leader within the team and is responsible for embedding technology across HR processes and integrating them, and

b) Working with new-age Startups and HR tech companies who have innovated nimble solutions to address OEM complex challenges.

We have implemented both these approaches at Tata Technologies and noted some benefits.

Q Given the increased preference for HR in the boardrooms as a strategic partner to the business, do you believe that organisations will rely more on Predictive Analytics in the days to come? What areas of HR shall see a greater infusion of Analytical tools soon?

A We believe that HR has always been seen as a strategic partner to the business and its importance has increased further in the current uncertain times. We see the adoption of Predictive Analytics and technology becoming more prevalent across every stage of the employee life cycle: Strategic manpower planning and forecasting, increased quality of hire, and competency-based hiring – eliminating biases in the selection process, to the management of talent, understanding the organisational and psychological needs of employees and further reducing attrition and redefining employee value proposition, to measuring skill and gaps in talent and effectively bridging the demand and supply.

Q Employee Wellness was one of the most prominent issues that organisations needed to address during the pandemic. How do you believe Predictive Analytics can be made use of the HR departments for the holistic wellness of employees?

Q Anthony DiRomualdo from The Hackett Group has said, “The big challenge in 2021 is putting in place the digital infrastructure, the digital service delivery model for HR so that it can be done in a sustainable way at scale.” How do you believe that organisations can work around the obstacles and ensure optimum use of Predictive Analytics in their HR operations?

A One of the key enablers for leveraging Predictive Analytics in managing people would be the HR Technology infrastructure that underpins the Human Capital Management in an organisation. Companies must think through the entire life cycle of People – Hire to Retire to Rehire while making decisions regarding the digital infrastructure and applications that will support the HR processes in the organisation. It is critical to make sure clean data is captured right at the time of sourcing candidates and that clean data is updated and refreshed throughout the life cycle of the employee and made available to all other HR systems including Learning & Development, Talent Management etc to leverage the full potential.

Q One of the biggest impediments towards the implementation of Predictive Analytics in a big way is the fact is the need for employees with the relevant skillset to interpret the datasets and highlight the areas of relevance for organisations. How do you believe organisations can address this aspect?

A Contextualising Technology to address company-specific issues is a challenge that is being faced by every organisation today. We believe that there are two key approaches that can help organisations get the relevant skillset to leverage Technology in HR processes:–

A While there has been significant adoption of wellbeing programmes, technology wearables and gamified app-based solutions across other organisations – they are perhaps building ways to understand how people are doing, and helping combat employee wellness challenges by reducing stress, building cognitive capabilities and mental resilience. We have been focused on fostering a culture that values mental health, and becoming a mentally flourishing workplace. We are nurturing a culture that provides psychological safety – we are sensitising about what constitutes a healthy work environment, allowing them to be able to cater to the psychological needs (autonomy, relatedness, competence) of the employees.

As for Predictive Analytics, we have benchmarked our wellbeing indicators in happiness, satisfaction, work-life balance, stress etc. that we intend to monitor periodically. We are also measuring the engagement and mood of employees and teams continuously and enabling managers to proactively work on areas that need improvement, to ensure engagement and mood scores remain an upward trend.

Q Data collection is one of the crucial aspects of Predictive Analytics. However, this brings focus on issues related to employees’ data privacy and protection. How must organisations tread along to uphold the element of data privacy and ensure that the Analytics tools are given access to employees’ data?

A Data is the backbone of Predictive Analytics, and we need to make sure clean data is recorded for relevant analytics. With clear data privacy laws and regulations now being available across most countries, we now have a framework of what we can

INTERVIEW


collect and use and what we cannot. Organisations must implement this framework such that all internal systems, as well as vendor partners, follow relevant policies and control for data usage.

“Data is the backbone of Predictive Analytics, and we need to make

sure clean data is recorded for relevant

analytics.”Internal clearances for empanelling of vendors are gathered only after the following security categories’ protocols are found to be satisfactory by our IT Security Team: Information Asset Protection, Identity, Entitlement and Access Management, Platform & Application security, Vulnerability Management, Privacy Information,

Information Security, Industry standard certifications. Additionally, organisations must conduct awareness sessions for their employees and win their confidence on how the data is being leveraged for their good.

Q Increased use of Predictive Analytics is seen to eliminate HR Processes in organisations. What according to you are the pros and cons for organisations doing away with manual HR processes?

A It does eliminate a few redundant steps, and it is helping us to do away with transactional activities, and empowering HRs to be more value-driven. While we can gather actionable insights, with the help of predictive analytics, it is allowing us to commit time to devise scientific/strategic interventions.

zz Pros: Better quality of hire, leading indicator in retention, improved workforce planning, better business performance

zz Cons: High acquisition and maintenance cost of tools, reporting and governance.

Q It has been found that making use of training data sets to develop algorithms for various processes in HR brought in Cognitive Bias into the system. How must organisations bring in Predictive Analytics to overcome Cognitive Bias?

A Most of the Predictive Analytics algorithms today have self-learning capabilities as the systems get implemented. So, organisations must make sure that when they define the training data for the analytics solutions, it is curated to represent the true profile of the organisation and then a pilot for at least a reasonable period to make sure that the algorithm training data sets are being updated through self-learning before it is deployed in full scale.

INTERVIEW


Free Of BiasBiases are pervasive and difficult to recognise, far less cure. But a sincere effort and openness to identify and address biases improve the quality of individual and organisational decision-making.

BY DIPANKAR DAS

of our decisions, be they the devil’s advocate or just someone who is a natural doubter and tends to be critical of things around. Such critics help provide a counterpoint that often exposes the limitations of our decisions.

Data TalkAngel investor and writer, Gokul Rajaram, has devised a framework called SPADE to address our biases. Talk of calling a spade, a spade! The SPADE framework stands for:

zz S is for Setting: Precisely define the What, develop a timeframe and identify the ‘why’

zz P is for People: The first thing to do is to identify the people who should consult and identify a single person who is Responsible (similar to the RACI matrix)

zz A is for Alternative: As the decision-maker, it is your responsibility to find feasible and diverse alternatives. Most importantly, gather critical stakeholders and brainstorm possible alternatives.

zz D is for Decide: Rajaram suggests here that you can take inputs from others. But preferably, it should be done one-to-one, and not in a collective. In the latter situation, the chances of Groupthink taking over are high.

Last time in this column (A Bias for Understanding), we spoke about different kinds of biases

we suffer from and are often unable to realise that we are subject to them. Well, today, let us see what can be done about recognising our biases and addressing them.

In 1974, psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky published an academic paper titled ‘Judgement Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases’. Despite the article’s very academic-sounding title, Kahneman and Tversky essentially launched a new field with its publication - The Study Of Cognitive Biases. With a series of experiments, they uncovered many problems with human decision-making. Biases such as the Confirmation Bias are a common occurrence, but, what can we do about them? Well, let us explore some ways to go about this.

For starters, the fundamental impulse should be an openness to improve our decision-making capabilities by being open to changing the way we think. And, this conviction should include being open to accepting errors in our most treasured perspectives. Sometimes, this is difficult to do but is essential.

Au ContraireIf we wish to break our biases, then it is important to listen to the critics

“If we wish to break our biases, then it is important to listen to the critics of our

decisions, be they the devil’s advocate or

just someone who is a natural doubter…”



zz E is for Explain: The final step is to explain the decision via a committee meeting. This could be followed by steps on delegation and execution.

Devil’s AdvocateOnce we decide on a position, we take a dismissive or a combative view of other perspectives. However, if the decision-making quality is to improve, then we genuinely need to understand where our detractors are coming from. And all detractor views should be discounted only after they have been evaluated and cross-examined.

We could even collect data around the detractor’s perspective, to see if it holds.

Look BackHistory is a great teacher. Historical data and insights provide great insights and help decisions. For example, decisions to purchase equities are preceded by a view to the value of the scrip across the last 52 weeks, if not more. As they say, those who ignore the past are forced

to re-live it. Ignore the past at your own peril!

Many Views, Many PathsThe mystic Saint Sri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa did not automatically believe in the truth of any particular spiritual practice till he had himself experienced it. He felt there are as many paths as perspectives. The Mughal ruler Akbar too invited practitioners from many religions to his Court and patiently heard their views. However, the risk we run is having too many inputs and that can get derailed from the basic purpose of deciding. Hence, it is also important to draw a line and post that quickly close in and a chosen path of action.

The Role of Diversity and InclusionA very serious problem with biases is that often they are unconscious. This is where diversity helps. It is often said about traditional US companies that they are run by old, white men. This relative homogeneity has often been blamed for poor performance

“People who are similar in their

beliefs and culture can altogether miss

out things which may be obvious to

people from different backgrounds.”



by some organisations. People who are similar in their beliefs and culture can altogether miss out on things that may be obvious to people from different backgrounds. Therefore, it is important to ensure that there is a diversity of perspectives.

A Bias-Free Process While individuals break free from biases, we need to ensure processes are put in place to check and address biases proactively. Stakeholders should dispassionately see where biases are most common and adversely impacting the organisation. How does the organisational governance take place, what are the review mechanisms in place, how are hiring, promotions, financial decisions, etc. being made in the organisation?

These decisions are made at many levels and it is important to have organisational checks in place to pre-empt biases running rampant in the organisation. For example, every Recruiter in the company should be familiarised with common biases such as the Horn and Halo Effect. A

full-fledged Learning and Certification programme can be of great help.

Role of Employees Employees have a key role to play in ensuring decisions that are fairly objective. Employees should be held accountable if they are showing biases that derail organisational decision-making. At times, biases occur at the senior-most echelons and is difficult to address them. It is here that the culture of speaking the truth to power comes into play along with systematic checks such as a robust grievance redress process, an Ombudsperson, a whistle blower policy, etc. But, biases at any level need to be identified and neutralised to ensure healthy decision making.

About the AuthorDipankar Das is the author of Cracking the CSAT Code at the Call Centre. He has worked in diverse organisations, including Genpact, Concentrix and for the Tatas. He is currently Sr VP and Global Head of Skill Development at iSON Experiences.



“A key strength of AI is its sheer flexibility and adaptability for complex and simple

problems alike, at whatever scale the use

case may require.”

Innovating WorkplacesImplementing AI solutions at the workplace for employees is a step towards cultivating a smoother, simpler workflow for employees and managers alike.

BY SACHIN SAXENA

When talking about automation of tasks, it must be noted that AI can not only be used to automate repetitive tasks such as calculations and communications, but also human tasks, usually at scale. This, of course, is the true strength of AI, and the only limits to its applications are those that we set.

Implementing AI at the WorkplaceFollowing are some examples of AI being implemented at the workplace.

Siri, Cortana, Bixby, and other virtual assistants are excellent applications of AI. By accessing existing data on user devices, including calendars, emails, and messages, these virtual assistants can aid in maintaining a smoother, simpler workflow by providing automatic scheduling and prioritisation. It is something like Harry Potter talking to the air, essentially, and getting a full schedule, along with the day’s weather prediction and the traffic on your commute. Efficient, to say the very least.

Several processes across business functions can be reliably and efficiently automated with AI. Year-end review and appraisals, attendance tracking and informing, internal and external communications, sales and business forecasting, and a lot more can not only be automated but also simplified and sped up to assist and aid employees with further tasks.

Data science, as a field and a specialisation, has seen a recent boom among

students, learners, and experienced professionals alike. This new wave of data science enthusiasts has brought in several new perspectives to the domain, thus expanding the room both for innovation and experimentation in the domain itself and in the manner in which it is applied.

People from different walks of life, equipped with data science skills, identify and adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions for varied problems and situations. A key strength of AI is its sheer flexibility and adaptability for complex and simple problems alike, at whatever scale the use case may require. From tracking mental health via social media usage to alerting farmers about crop status, AI has enabled us to understand, and thus, improve both ourselves and our environment.

An Exciting AvenueOn that note, one of the most promising and exciting avenues for the application of AI in the workplace. Artificial Intelligence is commonly used to classify and predict data points through self-learning algorithms that constantly update and learn in real-time to improve accuracy and speed. These AI algorithms can be easily applied at the workplace to automate tasks and reduce errors.

TECHNOLOGY


It is important to remember that AI is not implemented to disrupt or interrupt human work but to aid and ease it. The goal of AI being introduced at the workplace is to enhance the employees’ work experience, consequently making their work smoother and more efficient.

A 3-Fold BenefitPersonalisation, automated insights, recommendations and predictions, all of these AI end results are designed to help employees perform their respective tasks with added nuance and understanding. Individually, both AI and human effort may inevitably fall short of their potential, but combined, there exists no limit to what can be achieved.

In fact, the benefit of bringing AI to the workplace is threefold, spanning across time, money, and effort.

An algorithm written to automate the year-end review and appraisal process, for instance, can be run for all employees simultaneously, and provide results in a much shorter timeframe than what an entire team, armed with excel sheets and coffee mugs, would likely require. This frees up the employees to focus on more complex tasks, requiring human input and creative thinking. With AI, it is easy to let computers handle tasks that do not require human intervention.

Further, investing in AI is a highly economic decision, since it more or less guarantees positive returns through automation and reduced errors, thus saving on both dear time and expensive mistakes.

Finally, in bringing AI to the workplace, the effort vs output curve for employees also starts looking better, since they can channel all of their hard work in a direction that is more closely aligned to the organisation’s goals, having eliminated the effort put towards tasks that can be reliably handed off to AI.

From chatbots to auto-responders, businesses see positive results whenever they implement AI solutions for their users. Similarly, implementing AI solutions at the workplace for employees is a step towards cultivating a smoother, simpler workflow for employees and managers alike.

“The goal of AI being introduced at the workplace is to

enhance the employees’ work experience,

consequently making their work smoother and more efficient.”

About the AuthorSachin Saxena is the Chief Human Resources Officer of Aakash+BYJU’S. He is HR professional with experience in evaluating company culture and providing recommendations on changes to accomplish company goals and objectives. Sachin is adept in creating an environment of teamwork and participation management, handling grievances, mediating workplace disputes and evaluating procedures & solutions.

TECHNOLOGY


The Evolution Of Employee BenefitsEmployees prefer a workplace that reflects the diverse communities around them and where everyone feels seen, heard, valued, and empowered to succeed.

BY MICHELE NYROP

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we work

as most workforces moved remote overnight. You and I were willing to do whatever it took to keep our families and ourselves safe. To perform our jobs and to help our customers. With this, we all gained clarity on one thing — the undeniable interconnectedness of work and life. Eventually, adrenaline goes away. And you are left with feelings of exhaustion and burnout. It took us a while to understand that success is not a location: you can move your career forward from anywhere if you know how to do it. No matter how long work from home lasts, the goal is to live and to work in a way that is sustainable. And to show up at your best consistently.

Organisations play a critical role in helping their employees succeed while working from home. It took us a while to understand what communication meant in the new normal. Enabling success for your entire organisation means addressing the two questions that worry every executive and every employee:

zz How do I know my employees are working?

zz How does my manager know how hard I am working?

Knowing employees’ output and productivity is important to the business and that is not going to change. But how you empower that output is key to your entire organisation’s success. The secret to improved employee engagement is something all leaders are revisiting and understanding.

But, employee benefits and satisfaction is a measure that has evolved since the pandemic and for every working individual, a good work-life balance and more meaningful benefits became as important as a good salary and a couple of days off in the week. Benefits have evolved to become more meaningful, valuable, and holistic to employees understanding their unique needs. I am encouraged to see that companies are responding - benefits are truly no more free food and ping pong tables.

Organisations have recognised that employee benefits can be life-changing for their workforce, especially those centred around care, flexibility, and mental health. According to an SHRM 2020 report, by 2025, Millennials or Gen Y are projected to be 75% of the workforce. When it comes to the expectations they have from their employers, it remains a persistent and universal demand in terms of equality. They want distinct and transparent policies that complement this ethos.

EXPERT TALK


About the AuthorMichele Nyrop is the Head- Employee Success, Salesforce India. Michele holds a degree in retail management from the University of Wisconsin however she fell in love with HR early in her career and there was no turning back.

The performance and profitability of an organisation are closely connected to how engaged its employees feel at work.

It is essential for organisations to build a culture centred around the core values that engages people. Organisations like Salesforce believe that in today’s world, work is about meaningful work, purpose, and belonging, which is cultivated through transparency in business processes, philanthropic models, and initiatives on wellbeing and equality. These organisations promote inclusivity at the workplace in all its forms — gender, LGBTQ, or racial by empowering, supporting, and investing in the global community. They listen to their LGBTQ+ community and work on a set of safe and accessible new benefits to support the unique needs of the transgender and non-binary community.

Businesses can be powerful platforms for social change and it is the responsibility to further Equality for All. Creating a culture of Equality is not just the right thing to do; it is also the smart thing. It empowers us to innovate, build deeper connections with our customers, and ultimately become a better company. Employees prefer a workplace that reflects the diverse communities around them and where everyone feels seen, heard, valued, and empowered to succeed. Organisations must strive to create a workplace that reflects this and eventually enables more creativity, innovation, and growth for both the business and its employees.

EXPERT TALK


“Women in today’s world will be rendered

as Rapunzels if they allow themselves to

burn with the overload of work at home and

office.”

Women In Today’s WorkforceWhile gender inequality cannot be solved overnight, there are certain actions that companies can take to include gender and make it more inclusive.

BY SUBHASHINI PANYAM

Hence, the pandemic did see women dropping off the workforce for family reasons. This, in a way, impacted the female power built in the organisation for years. This also led to poor wealth accumulation for the women themselves.

The pandemic does not have a rule book, to define what is right and what is not. Today’s circumstances do not equate with the pandemic that occurred 100 years ago. Every organisation has a D&I initiative, and the question is whether organisations had a chance to review their existing policies and initiatives for the new normal. And if not, it is evident that those organisations that are trying to navigate through the new normal are not making it an inclusive workplace and the very chance of collaboration and success thereafter is deteriorating.

What Women Want!So, let us understand the formula “W3” – What Women Want!

In my experience as a Talent specialist within Human resources, I have spoken to thousands of women professionals across all levels in the last two decades - some aspiring and some established. All of them had common traits. There were some who succeeded and some who did not grow up to the leadership level, and for obvious reasons, leaked through the funnel midway.

“Rapunzel... Rapunzel... let down your hair ...” on hearing this, Rapunzel would let her hair

down and allow the person to come up the tower where she was locked. As kids, we have listened to this story several times. The question is why did Rapunzel not chop some of her hair and save herself! Now, women in today’s world will be rendered as Rapunzels if they allow themselves to burn with the overload of work at home and office.

The last two years of the pandemic have been stressful in many ways. It is not merely the work, but the stress we had for our own families, teams and friends. Everyone was solving problems that were impacting not just organisational health, but also mental and physical health.

The domestic situation altered for many. With schools being virtual, nearly all the parents had to focus on their child’s education. Schooling apart, every individual was donning multiple hats like house help, cook, parental care, after school care and so on. It was impossible for many to play multiple roles, and this led to many quitting their demanding jobs to manage their homes - the obvious choice for women. And why is that? That is because women have naturally taken a back seat in their careers with childbirth, maternity care and return to work post-sabbatical which led to a lower pay as compared to the spouse.

WORKPLACE 2.0


“Those organisations that are trying to

navigate through the new normal are not

making it an inclusive workplace, and the very chance of collaboration and success thereafter

is deteriorating.”

Let us look at some traits that come out evidently that helped them succeed

1. Ask for it, there is nothing that you lose: Whenever there are opportunities or assignments or equivalent where the woman feels that she would like to try or believes that she has the right experience to do so but is not being considered, it is a good idea to ask for it. The worst scenario would be the manager saying no, but at least, they have tried and pitched for it. Most women felt that it eventually registered with the management that the individual is aligned, motivated and deserves an opportunity. That opportunity either came immediately or later!

2. Make your career decisions: I have personally witnessed a huge shift in this. Earlier, for safety reasons, it was the parents who would decide which company and what shift of the day a woman should be working. Later, the same responsibility moved to the partners. With organisations consciously working towards a safe and secure place for

women, this has faded to some extent. However, even today, we see women depending on their spouses for career advice. Some amount of coaching and mentoring will certainly help; however, women should be able to weigh their own options, design the support around family, and jump in to make those critical decisions.

3. Find your mentor: There are always those superstars that we look up to all the time. Find time to speak to them and learn from them. While we upskill on technology, process, products and so on, it is important to upskill our competency behaviours as a human to learn how to navigate through complex situations and decision-making.

4. Build habits that you enjoy: If you love reading books, working out or gardening, or anything else for that matter, make time from your busy schedule at least once a week and gradually build it into a habit. Finding ‘me time’ for yourself is an authentic way to progress. The habit building indirectly builds a lot of

confidence that impacts how we handle work too.

5. Never underestimate: Finally, never undermine your capabilities. A survey points out that men tend to apply for a job even if they fit 70%, while women will not unless they fit 100% for it. Go for it and build that confidence.

While gender inequality cannot be solved overnight, there are certain actions that companies can take to include gender and make it more inclusive. The initiatives of D&I will nurture and foster the role of women in the workplace. Hence, dear Rupunzals, while the environment is becoming more suitable, let us be our own asset, shift our mindset, and drop the hair for ourselves too for a better today and tomorrow!

About the Author

Subhashini Panyam is currently working with Hitachi Vantara as Regional Director for Talent Acquisition and Global Business Partner for Digital Solutions. She specializes in thought leadership, technology driven solutions and business driven models. A well- rounded expert in envisioning, strategizing, leading and managing a robust ecosystem.

WORKPLACE 2.0


Breaking BarriersIn an exclusive conversation with Human Capital, Binu Mathew, Human Resource Director, HP, details the challenges confronted by women employees at the workplace and lists the various measures that organisations must undertake to build a gender-neutral workplace.

BY S.AJAY KUMAR

Q The pandemic-driven job losses have resulted in more women losing their jobs. Also, the jobs that are emerging are not going back to women even in female-dominated domains such as retail, hospitality and leisure. How can companies ensure that women are given preference when it comes to hiring?

A Companies are increasingly recognising that the success of a business is intrinsically linked to a diverse workplace. A healthy mix of gender identities has the potential to proffer a more holistic business perspective, which ultimately fosters high-grade talent. Diversity in talent paves way for a broader range of skills and varied experiences which resultantly improves productivity and allows better synergy. I strongly believe that we should hire candidates with the right attitude since relevant skills can always be taught on the job. Hence, if a female candidate walks in with the right attitude, but her skill set is not 100% in sync with the job description, she should still be considered for the position.

My advice to leaders to encourage diversity and inclusion has always been two-pronged. The first is to invest, grow and promote existing talent. Leaders should encourage women to apply for all the relevant opportunities that come their way, even if they are not 100% ready. The second is to earmark job roles or positions for diverse candidates. With all being equal among applicants,

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW


and witnessed strong loyalty from our female employees who were hired as a part of this initiative.

Q Deloitte’s global study of ‘Women @ Work’ released in May 2021 revealed that more than sixty percent women wanted to quit their jobs given the physical and mental stress amid the pandemic. How do you believe organisations can enable women to continue in the workforce?

A The pandemic has landed us in an unprecedented context that has no playbook and no precedence. While this has been a difficult time for all employees across the board, it has been particularly challenging for the women employees who are constantly juggling to maintain a work-life balance.

As a woman myself, I have grown to believe that the key to establishing a balance between work, family and one’s individual life is flexibility. Working women who are also mothers or wives have been exposed to a more complicated version of work from home. Thus, it becomes critical for organisations to ensure that women are empowered, trusted, and empathized with. In return, it goes a long way in creating a sense

of belongingness and loyalty to the organisation. Managers must have meaningful conversations with their employees and openly discuss their challenges, be willing to flex old ways of working, and embrace newer ways. It is imperative for managers to create and foster an environment where employees can bring their authentic

selves to work.

Q A Multi-year study by McKinsey & Co and Sheryl Sandberg through LeanIn.Org revealed that there were fewer chances for women in entry-level positions to get promoted as first-level managers. This led to the creation of the widely used term “broken rung”. How can organisations get rid of the “broken rung” which has been further impacted by the pandemic and enable greater Diversity and Inclusion among the workforce?

A The broken rung is a serious issue; however, I believe that it needs to be looked at differently. In most organisations, leaders largely focus on getting women to fill leadership positions which typically directs the concentration to the pipeline rather than progression. However, the real problem lies in the first few

one should intentionally hire diverse candidates.

“Leaders should encourage women to apply for all the

relevant opportunities that come their way, even if they are not

100% ready.”For every female employee who moves on from an organisation, the leadership team should make sure that there is a clear alignment with the recruitment team to consider diverse profiles for that role. However, in certain areas such as sales, it becomes challenging to recruit women who are appropriately suited for the job and hold relevant experience. This is when it becomes desirable to diversify the search into other industries like Telecom, hospitality etc.

At HP, we run a tried and tested initiative to empower women to resume work after a career break. We have experienced immense success

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW


members who needed help. From being unrecognised and invisible, I went on to become someone who was impossible to ignore.

Female employees must think of ways in which they can add value, bring new ideas to meetings, roll up their sleeves and help with projects big and small, even if it is beyond their job description. The best leaders today are those that inspire, and, I strongly believe that we possess the power to inspire.

Q A report by the Pew Research Center has consistently highlighted the fact that women earn 84 percent as compared to men. The pandemic has worked to exert added pressure on women in terms of domestic responsibilities and women coming back into the workforce are levied with a wage cut for staying away from active employment. How must organisations regulate their

promotions. It is imperative that we invest in women at lower levels to ensure that there is a healthy progression for the pipeline. If a woman is mentored, recognised, and given the right opportunities early on in her career, we will hopefully see lesser women leaving the workplace. Parallelly, women should take strong actions as well which will ensure equality in opportunities for both men and women, with no broken rung.

“Act like a leader and you’ll become one” is my golden advice for all young women. Early on in my career, I was not promoted when I thought I deserved it. However, I also realised that I needed to speak up and be my greatest advocate at work, no one could do that for me. Even though I wasn’t given the title of a leader, I decided to act like one, in the hope of becoming one. I said yes to all projects that came my way, supported, guided and mentored team

“Women employees must think of ways in which they can

add value, bring new ideas to meetings, roll

up their sleeves and help with projects big and small, even if it is beyond their job

description.”

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW


Q Organisations are working towards gender neutral communication viz. hi friends, hi colleagues, workforce as against manpower and so on. Also, the pervasive use of pronouns in email signatures by senders who indicate the way in which they want to be identified, and, is also an indication by the company that it is inclusive. Do you believe this is a move in the right direction to ensure a gender-inclusive workplace? What are the other things that organisations can do to endorse gender diversity?

A I advocate this move. All company policies should be framed by imbibing the DNA of diversity and inclusion. Gender stereotyping is a major issue that I have dealt with and it is important to educate our managers on what Unconscious Bias means and how detrimental it is to the progress of an organisation. This can be done by role-playing scenarios and asking participant managers to comment on what went wrong and how can it be rectified. We had leveraged theatre groups multiple times to educate managers and employees about inclusivity.

Making people more aware, sensitised, and open-minded, will help an organisation to move ahead by leaps and bounds towards a more inclusive and diverse workforce. Considering gender-neutral applicants

“Managers must have meaningful

conversations with their employees and openly

discuss their challenges, be willing to flex old ways of working, and

embrace newer ways.”

for every position, providing similar opportunities without any bias is the only way forward to intentionally change the mix.

Q Sexual harassment at work, long working hours, lack of physical and psychological support from their families, cognitive bias etc. are some of the many reasons for women to remain disengaged with their employers and also for quitting their jobs. What are the measures that can be undertaken by companies to ensure women remain committed to their jobs?

A Every organisation must strive to make the workplace a safe space, and this is only possible when there is zero-tolerance for any form of harassment and non-compliance. Having an open-door policy with confidentiality and zero retaliation is an important step to ensuring a safe workspace. It is essential to provide flexibility to all employees and ensure that they are given the freedom to complete their jobs without micro-management or prejudice.

Providing Employee Assistance Programmes with qualified counsellors to support all employees despite their gender roles is very critical for their emotional and mental wellbeing.

Employee resource groups also play an important role in becoming a support system. This gives each of them access to a network of colleagues to whom they can reach out for advice or guidance at any point in time. For example, HP’s maternity support group gives young mothers or ‘mothers to be’ a channel to ask for advice or solicit support that has been pivotal in easing their journey of motherhood. Finally, organisations must focus on investing in the development of women which will help strengthen their commitment to building loyalty to the organisation.

wage policy to encourage greater participation in the workforce?

A It is important for organisations to create an enabling culture for women hires. Policies like Flex Work which allow women to work part-time are essential, especially for those juggling multiple roles and responsibilities on the work and home front.

I strongly believe that a pay parity check must be done every six months and corrective measures should be taken if there are any pay gaps, solely based on gender disparity. These parity checks must be done for both, new hires and internal promotions in an organization.

Q A 2021 survey by Pearson which was conducted on Gen Z women has revealed that 36% of Gen Z believe that workplace Gender Equality will see a marked improvement in the days to come as against 25% of millennials and 29% of boomers. What are your views on the same and how should organisations educate the younger workforce to embrace gender equality?

A Inclusivity is not an initiative but a state of mind. To propagate it in action, it is essential to appropriately sensitise the younger workforce. Organisations must talk about equal opportunities in their campus to corporate programmes. They should also stress their gender equality and inclusion policies which foster a culturally healthy workplace environment. Additionally, 50% of positions should be earmarked for diverse hiring, across both campus and intern hires.

Being intentional at every step, embodying the essence of inclusivity in day-to-day operations will be a great start to mould the mindset of the younger workforce towards embracing gender equality.

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW


Transforming A Crisis Into An OpportunityThe Great Resignation, a term coined around May last year over the talent exodus in the US amid the pandemic, which later became a global phenomenon, had organisations in a quagmire. Reeling from the massive fallout of the pandemic, organisations were forced to also make up for the talent lost. With digital transformation high on the agenda, companies across the globe began to look at Predictive Analytics as a viable alternative to understanding employee sentiment.

In conversation with Human Capital, Puneet Khurana, HR Head, Policybazaar.com & Paisabazaar.com, elucidates the changes brought forth by The Great Resignation and how Predictive Analytics can prepare organisations to overcome talent attrition.

BY S.AJAY KUMAR

inputs for advanced techniques like statistical modelling and machine learning. These methodologies provide predictive measures such as flight risk, which quantifies the likelihood of an employee leaving the organisation within a specific time frame.

Predictive Analytics also uncovers hidden links between key factors that contribute to employee turnover. Pay, promotion, performance reviews, time spent at work, commute distance, and relationship with a manager are the most common predictor variables studied. External data, such as labour market indicators and the current economic scenario, are also used by organisations as causative variables when developing hypotheses and building retention models. The findings of the modelling are used by HR teams and managers to better design timely interventions to help retain employees.

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

Q The Great Resignation has come about as one of the biggest fallouts for organisations across the globe in the wake of the pandemic. How do you believe companies can make use of Predictive Analytics to avoid mass attritions?

A The “Great Resignation,” an unprecedented nationwide trend of employees leaving jobs for greener pastures, has employers on their tails and is changing the way they approach talent retention. From increased Paid Time Off (PTO) and worker flexibility to higher average wages in a variety of professions, there has been a renewed emphasis on employee well-being and maintaining a positive culture. This has led to an emphasis on the need for Predictive Analysis.

Predictive Analytics studies employee performance by taking descriptive analytics evidence and using it as


A Figuring Out the business needs: It is critical to select and monitor HR metrics that are relevant to your company’s goals. If you are new to HR analytics, start with the more basic business questions, such as measuring absence and sickness leave, performance issues, and training costs. From there, you can select a suitable time frame to measure the data, such as quarterly, half-yearly, or annually, to obtain a sufficient amount of information to identify any emerging patterns or trends.

Identify the data needs & Source: Organisations store data at various locations, whether they are paper-based or a mix of different online platforms, which can make analysis difficult. To ensure that your analysis runs smoothly, you must first identify which data is required and then collect all the data from various sources so that they can be merged in a single location for better analysis. You will be able to extract

the information more quickly and accurately this way.

Connecting Business Objective & HR analytics: To get the best return on investment from the analysed data, HR must use it as evidence that there is a link between the patterns or trends highlighted and issues in business operations in order to improve processes in line with business objectives. Then, to determine whether the data analysed produced accurate results, the analysis must be performed on a regular basis and the data must be translated into an easily understandable format that can be presented and understood by anyone in the business if necessary.

Q Given the increased preference for HR in the boardrooms as a strategic partner to the business, do you believe that organisations will rely more on Predictive Analytics in the days to come? What areas of HR shall see a

“The “Great Resignation,” an unprecedented

nationwide trend of employees leaving jobs for greener pastures,

has employers on their tails and is changing

the way they approach talent retention.”

Q Anthony DiRomualdo from The Hackett Group has said, “The big challenge in 2021 is putting in place the digital infrastructure, the digital service delivery model for HR so that it can be done in a sustainable way at scale.” How do you believe that organisations can work around the obstacles and ensure optimum use of Predictive Analytics in their HR operations?

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW


greater infusion of Analytical tools in the near future?

A Predictive HR analytics can assist leaders in making informed decisions that foster an enthusiastic and high-performing workforce. HR analytics used effectively and ethically can help businesses identify, hire, engage, and retain quality employees who fit the company culture and are eager to contribute to its growth. The areas of HR that will see a greater infusion of Analytical tools in the near future are:

zz Recruitment & Hiring

zz On-boarding

zz Workforce Planning & Management

zz Predicting Attrition Risk

zz Employee Exits

Q Employee Wellness was one of the most prominent issues that organisations needed to address during the pandemic. How do you believe Predictive Analytics can be made use of by the HR departments for the holistic wellness of employees?

A Large organisations frequently lack knowledge about the existing workforce required to leverage their skills. Predictive modelling can reveal which employees are closely aligned to new roles and any knowledge or skill gaps that need to be addressed for a good fit with access to data about individual employees’ preferences, skills, and aptitudes. Survey items designed for skill and aptitude assessment can be used to collect this type of information. Other survey data can be used to identify employees who want to advance in their careers, either up or out of the company. Recruiting these employees for a new role allows them to advance in their careers without leaving the company.

It is also crucial to understand the organisation’s informal network of information and influence brokers. This information is difficult to find

using hierarchical statistics, but HR may identify informal leaders using techniques like Organisational Network Analysis (ONA) and survey items that ask employees who they go to for expertise and who they consider to be good performers. This data can be used to predict which employees will be effective change advocates and opinion leaders, as well as who should be kept on board during downsizing or transferred to a new function if their current position is abolished.

Q Increased use of Predictive Analytics is seen to eliminate HR Processes in organisations. What according to you are the pros and cons for organisations doing away with manual HR processes?

A As previously stated, human capital is one of the most significant company assets, and companies invest thousands of dollars towards training, nurturing, and enriching each employee’s skills. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), HR teams can predict employee performance, fatigue, flight risk, and overall engagement, allowing for more productive and strategic conversations to support the employee experience, retention, and performance.

With the right platforms, it is simple to incorporate AI into workflows to create smarter, more personalised schedules. This enables employees, particularly those in frontline/hourly positions, to take more control of their work/life balance by enabling self-service reporting. Using AI to handle these important but repetitive administrative tasks, such as reporting, relieves managers of their burden, allowing them to spend more time working with customers and training teams.

Q It has been found that making use of training data sets in order to develop algorithms for various processes in HR brought Cognitive Bias into the system. How must

organisations bring in Predictive Analytics to overcome Cognitive Bias?

A 1. Develop organisation-wide definitions of fairnessThere will almost certainly never be a single metric or universal definition of fairness that applies in all cases — in fact, the Google Developers Glossary lists more than 45 definitions for “fairness.” Begin by identifying the most important aspects of fairness in your organisation. Then, based on metrics and standards, develop several compatible definitions that work in various use cases and circumstances.

For example, if inclusion is a top priority in your organisation, you can begin by defining what inclusion means and looks like. Then, plan how you will measure inclusion — or lack thereof — so you can track and evaluate progress. This could be a good time to enlist the assistance of your analytics colleagues in terms of measurement techniques and data interpretation.

2. Promote fairness with a strong business case.Explain why fairness is critical to your business’s success. Present your ideas in business terms and gain the

“Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), HR

teams can predict employee performance, fatigue, flight risk, and

overall engagement, allowing for more

productive and strategic conversations to

support the employee experience, retention,

and performance.”

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW


support of trusted stakeholders who are known for making data-driven business decisions. Draw a clear line, for example, between fairness and diversity.

3. Embrace technology while accepting its limits.Technology can be an effective tool for detecting and correcting bias in human processes. It may never be able to ensure that all data-informed decisions are fair and that all bias is addressed, but do not let that stop you from taking advantage of it. Every day, new technology emerges that promotes fairness in data-driven HR decision-making. So, stay up to date on new product developments and create a portfolio of software, tools, and procedures aimed at increasing fairness.

4. Conduct fairness audits.Fairness audits are objective, systematic examinations of a company’s people data policies, practises, and procedures. The objectives of audits differ. One goal could be to look for potential issues that could lead to legal action against an organisation. Another possibility is to look for ways to improve fairness-related practices.

A fairness audit could be performed using software tools, with the assistance of an external expert, or even through an internal review. What matters most is that they are completed on a regular basis by someone who understands your organisation’s definition of fairness and that any issues or opportunities are taken advantage of.

5. Find the underlying cause of your problem.When you find a problem, look for the underlying assumptions or processes that need to be modified. Biases are frequently unconscious, and unfairness is usually the result of more than one decision. This makes determining the underlying cause of a problem difficult.

6. Make diverse, cross-group collaboration a mustA diverse group will be more capable of identifying and resolving issues of unjust bias in systems. To reduce the likelihood of unintended biases creeping in unnoticed, include individuals with a diverse range of thought and experience at each stage of the process.

Solicit feedback from across the organisation by bringing together experts from various departments such as HR, data, technology, and legal to identify and promote new

or improved people-related data systems. Collaborate with vendors or in-house data experts to develop and improve operational practices and ethical standards that make the use of people-related data systems more equitable.

7. Keep the H in HR.There is not — and should not be — a substitute for human judgement in HR decision-making in many cases. Human participation is required for fairness in recruiting, employee evaluation, and other HR decision-making.

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW


Women In Today’s WorkforceOrganisations benefit more when they diagnose the culture and understand how the informal network and way of working is interfering in the progress we want to see around diversity.

BY LEENA SAHIJWANI

women. It is the will of the individual, the support by the organisation, consistent leadership actions with diversity as a key fulcrum of growth in the organisation and the culture of acceptance by its employees that has made this possible. Why is this so hard to attain in many of the other organisations and what are the key ingredients of success?

A Long Road to Success Shifting paradigms of the culture around diversity is a long journey and may be compared to preparing for an Olympic event that takes many years of hard and consistent work. The results of these preparations show a small but continuous improvement in performance and may not be visible over a short period of time. It involves:

zz Physical workout: Working on each and every muscle to gain strength and overall fitness. Organisation hardware i.e. tweaking every practice, process, policy and ritual to attain the desired results

zz Balanced nutrient intake: Organisation software by ensuring every employee has the ability to reflect in their own space how they are embracing diverse thoughts, experiences, skills and

The last couple of years has seen a disproportionate impact on the female workforce. While

the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated this phenomenon, higher attrition amongst women employees across countries is not a new trend. Most organisations have created many strategies and interventions to manage the ‘broken rung’. So, what are we missing as we create these approaches?

From my perspective, organisations create interventions that address the symptoms and not the root cause. Our organisations are microcosms of society and reflect the values, beliefs, experiences, and personal truths of every employee. Unless we grow some of these perspectives at a fundamental level by creating an alternate point of view to open the minds of our employees, we will be unable to make a paradigm shift that enables a culture thriving in diversity.

A few days ago, I had the fortune of interacting with the first woman miner of the country. Her belief in her aspirations, the ability to diminish naysayer noises and perseverance to break through in a male-dominated industry was remarkable. I admire the organisation providing this platform for her to shine and facilitating her growth by providing newer challenges in domains that were a ‘no go’ for

“Our organisations are microcosms of

the society and reflect the values, beliefs, experiences, and

personal truths of every employee.”

THE CHANGE CULTURE


individuals through their day-to-day interactions and decisions

zz Increasing self-confidence: Providing inputs to women’s talent to make them believe in themselves and their abilities and continuously enhancing it

zz Sharp coaching inputs: Leaders and managers walking the talk every day vs. reviewing progress intermittently

zz Visualising your goals: Clarity on where you would want to be and charting the path to success over a period

zz Measuring progress by keeping a record: Understanding how you are doing vs. milestones created and understanding what needs improvement- physical workout, nutrient intake, self-confidence, or the coaching inputs?

When an athlete is preparing for success, he/she is also supported by the larger ecosystem around him/

her. In organisation parlance, this involves working with distributor networks, supplier systems, employee families and communities. This change programme delivers sub-optimal results when it is driven as an initiative or is seen as an over and above activity while running the business. Outcomes are better when it is weaved into the operating rhythm, practices, and rituals of the organisation. Involving every employee in the organisation to drive small incremental changes in their own sphere of influence is key to making this sustainable.

Pitfalls of Current ApproachesWe have come across great practices in organisations leading to healthy results in this space. Yet, this phenomenon is difficult to replicate in others. Why? Here are some common pitfalls that I have come across

through my experience that led to the dilution of many of our efforts:

zz Leadership sponsorship: Sponsorship alone does not work. I have seen organisations flourish when leaders make this part of the DNA by communicating often around the need for diversity, challenging the status quo of the organisation and consistently shattering beliefs by breaking stereotypes. I recall one such instance where the MD of the organisation I was working with me asked me, “When I look at colleges, I see most top students are women in our field. Where are they in my organisation?”. What was good for business is how the organisation functioned, embracing diverse leadership styles and leveraging the strengths of each other. No focused interventions were required in this context.

zz Creating councils to achieve desired outcomes: While this approach may have worked

THE CHANGE CULTURE


watering the plant and may not be sufficient by themselves.

zz Following the fad: Many organisations have taken pathbreaking steps to introduce new measures with an aim to attract and retain more women talent and these have been applauded by the industry. Such practices work for certain audiences and in a certain context. Adopting them ‘as-is” in your organisation with no due diligence around the needs of your talent, the supporting systems required to make them work in your organisation may result in dissonance instead of celebration. One needs to be mindful while following the fad.

zz Policy and Practices Diagnostics: Auditing your policies and practices to mitigate biases that creep into any system is a must. Organisations benefit more when they diagnose the culture and understand how the informal network and way of working is interfering in the progress we want to see around diversity. Many tools have emerged to help you uncover these subtle nuances; Organisation Network Analysis (ONA) is one such tool that is emerging in this space.

A comprehensive strategy and a roadmap addressing the universe of your organisation is paramount to making women successful in your organisation. Success breeds success!

historically, we need to move beyond it. In today’s agile world with technology enabling cross-dialogue across our organisations, a more inclusive approach involving different strata of the organisation will yield better results.

zz Training organisation around diversity: The issues around diversity need to be experienced and imbibed, leaving space for individuals to internalise it without making them feel defensive while attending theoretical and intellectual sessions. Each one of us at some point has felt excluded in some setting or the other. Can we remind people of that feeling to make them understand how we may be making others in the organisation feel through our actions and behaviours?

In couple of organisations where I have worked, a theatre-based approach has yielded great results enabling open dialogue which helped address the elephant in the room. Carpet-bombing of these programmes ensure the message is sunk deep and wide in the organisation is highly effective. The methodology and key messages need to evolve every year, lifting the understanding of the need for diversity and what it takes to make it succeed. This will help us re-shape the beliefs, values, and personal truths of each employee, enabling newer experiences.

zz Excess emphasis on policies and practices to drive change: When you sow a seed, you need to prepare the right ecosystem for the seed to flourish like a plant. This involves working on the soil nutrients, watering the plant, providing adequate exposure to sunshine and pesticide treatment etc. For the women workforce to flourish, the ecosystem of the organisation needs to be right. Policies and practices are akin to

About the Author

Leena Sahijwani is a dynamic Human Resources leader with 25 years of experience across various industries and HR sub-functions having worked in various organisations like GE, Tata Group, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Aon, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Accenture. She is experienced in leading organisations through growth, business integrations and cultural transformations. A progressive thinker, Leena is keen to solve tough business challenges and build teams to create organizational impact.

“In today’s agile world with technology

enabling cross-dialogue across

our organisations, a more inclusive

approach involving different strata of the organisation will yield

better results.”

THE CHANGE CULTURE


INDUSTRY BYTES

ORAI Robotics Becomes India’s First-Ever Company To Gift NFTs To All Employees

CoinSwitch Completes Maiden ESOP Buyback

funding from Coinbase Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) to become India’s most valued Crypto Unicorn at a valuation of $1.9 billion. Other investors include Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital, Paradigm.

“The Equity Buyback program is a small effort to acknowledge our employees’ contribution to the phenomenal growth of CoinSwitch. Over 15 million users trust CoinSwitch in their investment journey, making us the largest Crypto app. We meet and exceed our targets in India because of the amazing team and shall continue to launch similar liquidity events as part of our commitment to creating wealth for all,” said Ashish Singhal, Co-founder and CEO, CoinSwitch.

CoinSwitch has completed its first-ever ESOP buyback worth $2.5 million (INR 19 crore approx.) within 20 months of operation in India.

In less than two years, the Crypto unicorn has grown from 20 to 500 employees as it expands its wealth-tech offering and builds one of India’s first Web3 teams.

In September 2021, CoinSwitch raised $260 million in Series C

ORAI Robotics has gifted Non-

Fungible Tokens (NFT) as rewards to

its entire workforce.

The NFTs were validated and

transferred to the employees through

a digital wallet, the creation of which

for every employee was facilitated by

ORAI.

With this, ORAI Robotics has become

the first-ever company in India to

reward corporate NFTs to employees.

As a part of this initiative, the

company recently minted and

launched its 1st-generation NFT

collection for employees named ‘ORAI

Upbeat’ -- which reflects the values

of the company and its commitment

towards AI and robotics technologies.

The ORAI Upbeat Collection consists

of 500 unique NFT collectibles that

are specifically minted for employees

and key stakeholders; each of these

collectibles represents optimistic,

cheerful, and happy robots that

are designed to create encouraging

engagement in the up-and-coming

world of metaverse.

Mindspace Business Parks REIT has partnered with eVidyaloka, a not-for-profit organization, encouraging employees to invest time in designing education modules and assessment papers, virtually, for children based in rural India.

This collaboration is an extension of the ‘Time off for Volunteering’

policy that the entity already has in place, which encourages employees to engage in community service.

The partnership enables passionate employee volunteers to develop educational content, study material and assessment papers, which will be utilized by teachers to host lectures to students, remotely. The volunteer only needs a computer, the right intent and investment of time, to enrich the lives of those in need of quality education.

Employees also have the freedom to choose any other community service covering education, animal welfare or any other initiative close to their heart.

Mindspace Encourages Employees To Action ‘Time Off For Volunteering Policy’


A Clairvoyant LeaderIn conversation with Human Capital, Ajoy Clement Salve, Sr. Vice President, Enabling

Solutions, Xpressbees Logistics Solutions, shares the learnings that he accrued from his frontline staff

during the pandemic and the journey ahead for him as also his company.

BY S.AJAY KUMAR

PERSONA

Q How do you look back at the professional journey traversed thus far? Could you share some enlightening moments experienced at various points in your professional journey?

A Joining Xpressbees was initially a strategic and professional decision. Setting the HR function for an

upcoming logistics brand offered the right challenge.

As I started out, I went about visiting our farthest branches and large, voluminous hubs. I interacted with the delivery staff that waded through floodwaters or extreme weather conditions to deliver their share of shipments. I interacted with the staff

that chose to work round-the-clock to meet the demands during festivals. Closer still, during COVID-19 lockdowns, I met the staff that worked day in and out, went far beyond their KRAs to ensure that the logistics engine at the company does not stop.

The field staff ensured that the essentials reached their destinations. The office staff ensured that

operations continued uninterrupted whilst upholding the best safety norms. All these are examples of very challenging situations. They demand your time away from home and family, and that you put your own safety aside. Yet, the staff did it all.

And no, they did not do it for the money. It was something greater than that. To some, it was their sense of belongingness to the organisation, to some, it was their sense of duty towards the country, and to the others, just the need to be there with their peers during difficult times. This has been enlightening. The strong sense of ownership and the need to bend backwards to ensure


commitments are upheld, and to be there. This realisation hit me hard and repeatedly.

Over a period of time, my calculated and strategic decision of joining XpressBees became a highly personal and emotional one.

Q How do you fathom the two experiences - setting up HR from the scratch in an organisation to managing well-established HR frameworks?

A Both of them come with their share of learnings, of course. I will start with managing well-established HR frameworks because that is what I did in my previous stints. I headed the HR function for an organisation that had the human

talent, processes, and systems down to perfection. Leading a function with the established framework and with copious resources leaves you with a very strong understanding of the ‘HOW’. How should you design a process, how should you execute it, how can you leverage the best, most cutting-edge tools out there to meet your business goals. It leaves you with a greater appreciation of the fact that strong processes are people agnostic. That, amongst others, is the reason why you as an HR leader is able to replicate established frameworks across remote locations. They give you an up-close view of how an ideal HR system should function.

Setting up an HR function from scratch pushes you to take a step back. You have to start with the

‘why’. Why you need a certain system or a process, and why you need it to be exactly in the format your business demands. You are not merely sitting at the drawing board figuring out the most comprehensive solution, you are also getting into the weeds to know why a great HR process is not working and why something else is yielding great results.

Exposure to both is helpful in enabling you to build a strong, well-rounded understanding of this field of work. I am fortunate I have been privy to both sides of the world. It has helped me bring the best of both worlds to build a strong, agile HR function that a fast-growing organisation like Xpressbees needs.

zz Favourite Quote: Life does not end with death…. It ends when you fail to live up to life…

zz Leadership style: A mix of all - When my team is challenged I lead from the front, but when my team leads then I reinforce and follow…

zz Current Professional Goal: Build organisations with good HR values.

zz Favourite Book: Gandhi: An Autobiography: The Story of my Experiments with Truth

zz Favourite Movie/Web Series: Million dollar baby…

zz Favourite Music Artist: Whitney Houston

zz Life is… Face it and Finish it. Don’t back off.

zz Family is… A tree with branches growing all over the place but deeply rooted in the values that you have been brought up with.

zz I strongly believe in… Living life rather than leading a life.

zz The most important thing I do when I have a day off … Pamper myself – Family time

zz I deal with setbacks by… Facing it and Finishing it…

zz 3 Things I never leave home without… Self-respect, confidence and determination.

Rapid Fire

PERSONA

Q What caused you to steer your career towards HR?

A Nothing in particular, but when I was admitted into MIRPM and as I got involved with professional bodies while in college it started to dawn that this is the perfect space to be in. I was a part of the NIPM Nagpur Chapter & Vidharbha Industries Association and set up the Student body for NIPM along with the Nagpur Chapter, helped organise their monthly activities and seminars and went to different Management colleges to enrol students into the Student wing of NIPM. I had also rubbed shoulders with some Seasoned Industry leaders in the field of HR. That is where I honed my Human Relations skills.

Q How do you like to spend your free time?

A Family, friends and Learning.

Q Please share some of your experiences of travelling to different places. What have you gained from these experiences?

A I have stayed and worked in different parts of the country and the globe. In the process, I have learned from various cultures, from how they think and act, and what works in their favour. I have learned the value of clear, assertive communication from my experience in North India. From the South, I picked up simplicity. I learnt that you can hustle without losing your mind from Mumbai! And Pune has instilled some of its calmness in me.

Q Who would you credit in your life as a great influence in shaping the man that you are today?

A Life is the greatest influence in shaping who you are as an individual. In my journey, I have learnt a lot from everyone with whom I have interacted with and continue to do so. My philosophy of life is that people come into your life with the purpose of adding value and most add value in terms of their good behaviour, ethics, and learning. They make your day by being who they are. Then there are others who genuinely teach you things and teach you how to make the most of this gift of life! Both kinds play their part in making you a complete person.

Up-Close and Personal


An additional challenge, though not sector-specific, at the top of the list is that it is a very competitive landscape. For the blue-collared employee base in particular, every time you design a new compensation or reward scheme that you may think is highly attractive, your competitor ups it a notch. A blue-collared employee is often drawn to the instant gratification offered by an incremental financial increase. Without paying heed to factors like growth, environment, stability, etc. it may mean a lot more to your white-collared employees.

Q What are some of the values and ideologies with regard to which you think leaders should definitely walk the talk to win stakeholder confidence?

A At the top of my list is good working habits. Sticking to timelines, walking in prepared for meetings, reviewing emails and documents before sending - very basic stuff. In fact, it is so basic that we do not teach leaders about it because we presume they know about it. And of course, they do know about them. But, there is a huge knowing-doing gap here. Leaders know about them,

Q Having been associated with the Logistics Sector, what is your understanding of the business, and how big a role does HR play in this sector? Were there any sector-specific challenges and opportunities you encountered?

A As soon as I entered the industry, I realised that a Logistics organisation can thrive if it has two levers working in its favour - people and technology.

When it comes to people, there are several factors that are unique to logistics. For example, you need your people in every nook and corner. We are presently servicing 20,000+ pin codes in India. That means we have our people in all these locations. Managing a thinly spread out workforce such as this which is vastly diverse and is often deployed on a contractual basis is a different kind of beast. From how to source local talent to how they should be incentivised, everything changes from one region to another, and from one month to another.

Some gaps that HR Organisations need to bridge

zz They need to stop thinking of themselves as a support function. That paradigm shift needs to happen from within the HR function. HR leaders need to drive greater cost consciousness, alignment to business goals and awareness of P&L amongst the personnel. Until that happens, even the brightest HR initiatives will truly fail to partner with business units to meet goals.

zz Placing a stronger focus on measuring impact. Just about every business unit and support function like sales, R&D, technology is measured against tangible, numerical deliverables. Some functions with HR such as Engagement, Training, etc. tend to bypass that. And yes, I agree it is tough to quantify these elements. But now, with the growing body of work that HR Analytics offers, it is certainly more achievable.

Common errors companies commit while designing engagement practices

zz Create a lop-sided engagement function that focuses on feel-good events like festivals or special days but loses sight of the more complex processes involved in evaluating-creating-improving organisational culture

zz Treat engagement events as silos that stand independent of other organisational mandates - for example weaving engagement initiatives with your corporate CSR, or with existing skill-building and mentoring initiatives

HR Perspectives

zz If your conscience does not hurt you, nothing can…

zz Leadership is not a title – it is the difference you make to other people’s lives…

zz What shapes you cannot break you…

zz Be there when needed… not necessarily when invited.

zz Cowards run away. Those who stay back and fight are the ones who rise in life.

zz Make your personal values so strong that your children think seventy times seven before doing anything wrong…

Learning Points

PERSONA

Q What’s the one thing you’re deeply proud of but would never put on your resume?

A Integrity – I want people to experience it.

Q What’s the one dream that you’ve tucked away for the moment?

A None – I live dreams on the way.

Q Is there something that people consistently ask for your advice on? What is it?

A How to deal with people in sticky circumstances.

Q When was the last time you astonished yourself?

A Everyday. Because life is unpredictable.

Q What do you value most: free time, recognition, or money?

A Free time.

Q Are you living your life purpose or still searching?

A Purpose in life is always evolving. In different phases of life, your purpose evolves.

Buzzer Round


they think they follow them too. But

in reality, they do not and definitely

not consistently enough.

The second ideology is truly getting

your hands dirty with every single

project. I see a lot of “helicopter-

style” management. Leaders delegate

responsibilities - which they must

- but they forget that they are still

accountable for deliverables. As long

as you are accountable, you have got

to know how-what-where things are

happening. I am not talking about

micro-management. I am talking

about remaining interested and

suitably engaged so that you can

mentor and guide at the right time.

You can prevent a crisis instead of

fighting it.

Q As a part of Xpress Bees, what will be your focus for 2022? What are the organisational goals that have been set by you?

Our aim is to be the single largest end-to-end Logistics Service provider in the country. Our major thrust area for 2022 is expansion - both Nationally & Internationally. This will of course require us to onboard the best of people, technology, and automation.

But onboarding the best resources is the simpler part of the journey. The real differentiator is that in an organisation’s ability to truly and optimally leverage these resources. To that effect, our efforts are two-pronged. One is in the direction of

Name: Ajoy Clement Salve

Age: 51 Years

Title: Sr. Vice President – Enabling Functions (HR-Admin-Procurement)

Organisation: Xpressbees Logistics Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Experience: Born and brought up in HR.

Years in HR: 26 years

Education: Masters in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.

IN BRIEF

zz Recognised as “HR TECH LEADER AWARD” by the World HRD Congress in Feb’16.zz Recognised as “50 Most Talented Global HR Leaders in Asia” by the World HRD

Congress in Feb’14. zz Recognized as “30 Most Talented Global HR Leaders in Asia” by the World HRD

Congress in Feb’13.zz Awarded the “HR Leadership Award 2012” in appreciation for contribution to HR

at the India Human Capital Summit.

Awards and Accolades

building robust yet agile systems and processes. The second is in building a culture that encourages our people - internal and external stakeholders - to work with a single-minded focus towards established goals. Our value system that upholds “DELIVERING EXCELLENCE to CUSTOMERS with PASSION to INNOVATE and CONTINUOUSLY LEARN; whilst building a COMMUNITY that RESPECTS all”. On-ground promulgation of the value system in letter and spirit is, therefore, one

large HR focus for the year.

PERSONA


Upscaling PerformanceOrganisations with workforces that are committed and having an emotional connection to their work can be assured of higher productivity, reduced customer churn and a stronger brand recall among internal and external stakeholders.

BY INDRANI CHATTERJEE

Mary Kay Ash, the leading American entrepreneur, has rightly stated, “People are

definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.” Unlike assets like equipment, plants and machinery which are tangible and physical, employees are intangible and dynamic assets. Organisations having workforces that are committed and feel an emotional connection to their work can be assured of higher productivity, reduced customer churn and a stronger brand recall among internal and external stakeholders.

For any organisation to achieve sustained growth and success, it is imperative to align the individual goals of employees with greater corporate and strategic objectives of the enterprise. This can be done by deploying a robust Performance Management process. A well-defined and efficiently executed Corporate Performance Management (CPM) process lays down the foundation for fostering a culture of conversation within an organisation. To put it succinctly, it encourages a healthy dialogue between employees and the management, ensuring them to be on the same wavelength. When implemented in the right spirit, Performance Management helps eliminate stress and toxicity from workplaces where the fear of reprisals does not stop employees from asking tough questions to their superiors.

Employees and employers will be in an improved situation to sit together to identify crises in the early stages and jointly nip them in the bud by deploying course correction measures. Performance Management has to play a pivotal role in Human Resource Management (HRM) by providing the requisite tools and resources to constantly evaluate and monitor employee behaviour. Through sustained feedback and constant reviews, managements effectively communicate to workforces that which is required of them to complete their work efficiently. It helps workforces to gain actionable insights into areas of inefficiencies, plug those gaps and deliver constructive outcomes. CPM aids in creating agile workplace environments and empowering employees to maximise their work productivity.

Modern-day management is realising that yearly review feedbacks in the form of performance appraisals are fast becoming outdated. The increasing participation of young employees, especially comprising the millennial generation and Gen-Z, is forcing organisations to re-evaluate the viability of conventional performance-based management approaches. This new generation of the workforce consists mostly of aspirational employees who abhor status quo situations, seek meaningful relations with their superiors and subordinates and have a constant passion for innovation and learning.

EXPERT TALK


Rather than having yearly annual or semi-annual assessments of their work which could seem retrospective, rigid and out-of-context, new-gen employees seek feedback on their work performances on a real-time and continuous basis. As compared to performance appraisal, Performance Management is a prospective process that implements a holistic approach to evaluating employee performance. While setting workplace targets and objectives, the process of Performance Management creates a participative environment for employees and managers. They are encouraged to jointly assess the performance of employees, examine whether they are progressing or regressing, and accordingly, devise training and learning programmes to help them reskill and seek new improvement avenues in their areas of work.

In a nutshell, the main aim of Performance Management is to help improve organizational performance by helping individual employees and teams better their

About the Author

Indrani Chatterjee is Group Chief People Officer, Allcargo Logistics. Indrani has 22+ years of experience in Human Resources, and has worked with large global companies in various leadership roles during her career. She was the Chapter Vice President of NHRD Kolkata, Chairperson of the Woman networking cell, NHRD, advisor to POSH committee for various Organisations and currently the State President for the WICCI, coaching council. Indrani is a TEDx speaker, and a Marshall Goldsmith Certified Executive Coach.

productivity. It is pivotal to helping employees unlock their untapped potential and enhancing their value as assets and valuable resources for the organisation. By helping to nurture a collaborative culture in the organisation, CPM will help leverage the collective efficiencies and expertise of employees, promote sharing of best work practices among remote workforces and impart a global outlook and distinct competitive edge to Indian companies.

EXPERT TALK


Shetopia: A Reality Or A Distant DreamIt is important for women to uplift women in the workplace and organisations to take the lead in making the workplace a woman-friendly place to be.

BY MEENAKSHREE NANDA

“If only the day had more than 24 hours” is the thought that crosses the mind of every

working woman, who also has the added responsibility to manage household duties, childcare, and her own me-time. The pandemic continues to take a toll on everyone, especially women, in the workforce.

Demanding work schedules coupled with other necessary involvement at home is leading to a higher burnout rate that is greater among women than men. An article by McKinsey says that one in three women have considered downscaling their career and are settling for a lower position with fewer responsibilities or time demands or leaving the workforce entirely this year.

High Attrition Among WomenAdditionally, four in ten women have considered leaving their company or switching jobs to accommodate the work-life balance. High attrition amongst women employees in recent months suggests that many of them are following through with their decision and taking up gig work, remote work, part-time work or even dropping out from their corporate careers and taking a sabbatical, which is not looking good for the perfect scenario of female representation as a talent mix in organisations.

zz Are organisations doing enough to ensure they support and nurture their female talent?

zz Are we able to co-create a sustainable ecosystem where women can lean on other women/men to have their back?

zz Are we as women asking for enough credit for the multi-dimensional hard work we are doing?

“Shetopia” – An Attainable Goal?Well, the answer to all of the above is not a resounding yes. Hence, I feel “Shetopia” or the perfect utopia for women is a distant reality and we need to join forces to get there.

Certain aspects which are important for organisations to help attract and retain their women power are as follows:–

1. Build a culture that supports the needs of women talent and helps them grow – be it in smaller ways to provide flexi-working opportunities, to share each other’s personal stories on internal platforms, to provide recognition for the unsaid work done and going the extra mile and providing that feeling of comfort along with the opportunity for every female employee to be the best version of herself.

“An article by McKinsey says that one

in three women have considered downscaling their career and settling

for a lower position with less responsibility

or time demands or leaving the workforce

entirely this year.”



2. Plan a very strong career journey embedded with individual development plans and opportunities to learn new skills, work on diverse profiles, explore in-depth the roles they have not been doing conventionally due to the restrictions laid down as a result of the pandemic.

3. Organisations need to put in place a very strong retention plan by way of supporting various life stages and challenges that a woman would face, leading to the very thought of exiting from the organisation or taking a break. It is important to even provide internal peer groups for the “small talk”, helped by experts to take care of mental wellness, guidance and “real talk” by mentors.

4. Provide avenues for female employees to not just be at their professional best but also explore the other side of a woman’s personality by nurturing special abilities, traits, hobbies etc., which contributes to their mental wellbeing and growth and allows them time off to explore the same.

5. Engaging Senior Leaders to highlight the importance of having more women talent as part of the overall D&I Agenda of the organisation as leadership buy-in will help create that pull factor from all the cross-sections till the last mile.

6. Create internal brand ambassadors who will be able to share their experience of working in the specific organisation, and in turn, help attract more women talent who will not just go by the swanky posts on social media but connect to the real stories and know the truth.

Ways to Create “Shetopia”Some aspects which we women need to focus on in order to co-create “Shetopia” would be:–

1. Let us acknowledge who we are and take pride in what we do even if there are days where we do not look the best, give screen-time to our kids because we cannot be there in person, have disagreements with our spouse, make a bad coffee or tea and forget that we are perceived to be superhumans, and in the end, accept that we are humans too and it takes a lot to juggle work, family, me-time etc. the way we do. We need to give ourselves a pat on the back and continue to surge forward to achieve personal goals.

2. Find ways to build our support system in a way that we are able to drive through the professional and personal journey without feeling guilty at any stage as it is important for us to help each other grow in this aspect.

“It is important to even provide internal

peer groups for the “small talk”, helped by

experts to take care of mental wellness,

guidance and “real talk” by mentors.”

I strongly feel it is the “She for She” that is the need of the hour more than the “He for She”.

3. Take those coveted breaks to help reduce the burn-out, be able to disconnect and reconnect back, not give up on hobbies/other interests that provide that break from the pressures of work and life and help one unwind.

4. Not be judgemental or critical of self or other women as whatever we are in and whoever we are is our choice. Instead, we must look for ways to uplift each other and help each other grow personally and professionally.

It is heartening to see the steps taken by organisations and individuals towards making women become an integral part of the talent pool and contribute towards a more productive, diverse, and engaged workplace. However, some unconscious biases need attention so that they are minimised to ensure a seamless transition into the perfect “Shetopia” which will then be a reality in its true sense. More power to every woman reading this!

About the AuthorMeenakshree Nanda is a diversified HR professional with 11 years of rich experience in various verticals of HR. She is currently working as a Senior HRBP at DP World. She holds a dual Masters in Human Resources & Labour Law and is a Certified Facilitator, Instructional Designer, Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, and HR Analytics Professional.



Taking It To The Next LevelThe bell curve model has been universally disliked, but, having a precise alternative to the same becomes a grey area, as it is subjective to companies falling within a particular sector and practising a certain functionality.

BY RAHUL PINJARKAR

for competition among employees to hold the highest spot and even motivates the low rankers to work towards the betterment. On the other hand, it creates a feeling of incompetence and demotivation depending on how it is perceived by the individual. However, good or bad, ranking is something we cannot let go of since this is something that we have been conditioned to include as part of our existence. Recently, one has been pondering over the news of how companies are parting with the performance bell curve. One believes that the bell curve is unidimensional and a forced Performance Measurement model makes the process inequitable for everyone.

But in reality, bell curves are not forced. They do tend to happen naturally when done appropriately. For instance, if one student scores 99% and another scores the lowest at 60% in a class of 50 students, the remaining students fall between these two extremities. In other words, somebody comes at the top and somebody comes at the bottom and the business is no different. We need these distributions to maintain high standards which are required for the business, as these differentiators aid in differentiating rewards. So, even though we may not exactly like the

For years, organisations have been talking about reinventing Performance Management, but

the newer ways of working since the pandemic, the rise of hybrid work models in particular, and, the desire for employees to be seen as people not just workers, makes this a critical moment to rethink the purpose and value of the Performance Management programme.

Even before the unprecedented challenges of 2020, heads of organisations in both public and private sectors sensed a gap between the perceived potential and the actual performance of their employees. And hence, companies are redefining their ineffective and demotivating Performance Management systems. It used to be once a year HR compliance programme designed to weed out the low performers and present a justifiable reason to give one person a certain raise and somebody else another raise. Today, such an idea of Performance Management is archaic; it hurts employee engagement, morale, productivity, and ultimately, business growth.

Making Room for CompetitionGiven that ranking is ingrained into our belief system, it makes way

“Given that ranking is ingrained into our

belief system, it makes way for competition among employees to hold the highest spot and even motivates the low rankers to work towards the

betterment.”



An Alternative ApproachA lot of organisations also incorporate other performance measurement techniques like the Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS), Balanced Scorecard and the most widely used 360-degree approach. These models certainly look wonderful on paper, and, these are not impossible to execute, but they certainly form a herculean task to follow consistency. A PMS model needs to be employed by entirely understanding the business process orientation. A particular model may work well in a knowledge-driven company, but, may fail in a sales-driven company or vice-versa. Getting rid of the bell curve is not the solution, but getting rid of the bureaucratic annual review process and the behaviour related to them is crucial, and ultimately, companies can focus on gaining a higher level of performance from the staff.

Apart from these alternatives, I often wonder why is a regular ‘conversation’ or ‘feedback’ portrayed as a replacement to the bell curve? Bell curve or no bell curve – was not providing regular feedback an

advisory prescribed to managers for years now? And, are our line managers prepared to chart out clear goals and objectives for their people? If managers are unable to clearly define and measure goal achievement, we may land into chaotic situations for compensation distribution. The unprecedented times of COVID-19 and the national pandemic have drastically created havoc in the way we function with millions losing their jobs/working on half-pay.

In such a crisis, it is imperative for the senior managers to train and coach their line managers to not merely view their employees as data points on a smooth curve, but, treat them as unique individuals with diverse strengths and weaknesses which may be beneficial to the business in a certain way. There exists a meagre level of clarity for a manager to evaluate and understand what works better for the organisation. A monthly one-on-one review or a half yearly/annual review? The matter of concern here should be that irrespective of the model employed, the reviews must be more about the person - the aspirations,

implications of such ranking, in the foreseeable future there is no respite from the necessity to rank employees in the workplace, but, the purpose of ranking is the KING. If that goes wrong, the entire Performance Management system will crumble, irrespective of the model employed.

The bell curve model has been universally disliked, but, having a precise alternative to the same becomes a grey area, as it is subjective to companies falling within a particular sector and practising a certain functionality. A few organisations practice the 9-box model to categorise employees into 9 buckets based on their potential and their performance. It incorporates a two-dimensional approach that allows the organisation to understand the performance-potential grid that an employee occupies, which constitutes the basis of necessary individual development or organisational changes. But, it poses its challenges of developing confusion and resentment among employees if the assessing managers are incompetent or if two managers assess employees differently on their performance and potential.



managers are unable to draw a clear demarcation between conversing and providing feedback. This leads to a growing need for companies to inspire and motivate performance, which makes it critical to innovate in coaching. Without great and frequent coaching, it is difficult to set goals flexibly, and often, to help employees stretch their jobs, or to give people greater responsibility and autonomy while demanding more expertise and judgment from them.

The Future of PMSThe future of the Performance Management system is based on three C’s- Communication, Collaboration & Coaching. I believe that these are the pillars for any PMS model to survive. In the hybrid world, communicating with empathy, with a focus on listening, will be critical. PM appraisal protocols are undergoing much-needed review and redesign. Currently, employee development and appraisals are transitioning to a regime of continuous, real-time feedback and coaching processes that are combined with periodic manager-employee interactions. The approach to Performance Management needs to change in alignment with the change in the way of working. A fair differentiation is necessary because without differentiating rewards, top-performing employees would not feel appropriately rewarded, which will lead to demotivation and they would leave. For instance, Tata Trent follows a normal distribution curve and also offer flexibility to our HODs.

Ranking of the employees is an imperative evil, but, instead of force-fitting the employees into a curve, it is important to make the process collaborative and continuous. In the near future, performance ratings will reflect more context and empathy. Implementing regular check-ins and developing a one-on-one platform incorporated in any PMS model will help in identifying the developmental

“Ranking of the employees is an

imperative evil, but, instead of force-fitting the employees into a curve, it is important to make the process

collaborative and continuous.”

needs of employees, instead of relying on year-end dialogue exchanges which loses relevance by the time the process starts. It is equally important to integrate both personal and professional goals of an employee in the review. Because, at the end of the day, we are discussing the enhancement in performance and not a container-tight PMS model. Changing times have led to an upgradation in the evaluation, but with the correct intent and purpose, any model would work wonderfully for employee development.

So, distribution curve or no distribution curve, and, even if it is difficult for organisations to let go of the ranking method completely, incorporating a more continuous and collaborative approach in managing employee performance can transform hard cold rankings to milestone indicators on an employee development journey.

About the AuthorRahul Pinjarkar is Chief Human Resource Officer & Ethics Counsellor for Trent Hypermarket. He has over 22 years of professional experience covering all aspects of HR functions across Pharmaceutical, Consumer Durables, Financial Services and Manufacturing industry. He has worked with Novartis, Philips, Saint-Gobain and Tata Group. Rahul has a Masters in Human Labour Studies from Mumbai University and is also a certified HRD Auditor and MBTI Accreditor.

the concerns, the progress, the learning, even frustrations, and not just about the performance/behaviours at work! This is taking Performance Management to the next level, and, we, as HR professionals must delve deep into this aspect.

Today, we operate in the VUCA world where everything changes within hours. In such times, the pandemic has disrupted the way employees are assessed and poses a question on the relevance of a lot of standard practices. How can organisations re-envision their Performance Management process to suit the evolving changes in the organisational environment? I believe that irrespective of the model employed, continuous communication has played a key role during the pandemic. The world is faster, leaner, and more agile than ever, and this trend has helped the teams figure out loopholes quickly, and, fix them on a real-time basis with the assistance of technology and IT teams. There is a need to shift from continuous evaluation to continuous communication and the engagement levels will automatically soar high.

We take the concept of coaching managers on a lighter level as compared to the other aspects because they are expected to manage everything and everyone. However, taking responsibility to evaluate someone else’s performance can prove to be a tough task. More often,



Mr. Rajasekhar Chowdary (Rajasekhar), General Manager, Personnel &

Administration, Healthy Grow Consumer Care Corporation (HGCCC), is fidgety in his chamber, yet streaks of optimism are seen in his gait. He was waiting for the newly recruited Employee Relations Manager (ERM), Mr. K V Anantha Kumar (Ananth) to apprise him about the Industrial Relations climate at HGCCC. Rajasekhar’s mind is full of questions. “Can Ananth bear the labour pressure? Can he manage the prevalent industrial strife? Can he manage the Unions?”, and so on.

On paper, Mr. Ananth is a Post Graduate in Law with specialisation in Indian Labour Law with five years of relevant experience. The management has recruited him to resolve the Union-Management conflict. Mr. Rajasekhar respected Management’s choice, but felt that Ananth is a raw-hand and it would be an ordeal for him to handle the industrial disputes of the company with such an emphasising and engulfing global presence.

HGCCC is an UK based consumer care company and its core competence is in food and health drinks. It is the largest player in this segment and its products are in vogue for almost hundred years in India. The company has three manufacturing plants in India viz.,’ Ameya’, ‘Ajeya’, and ‘Adviteeya’ in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh respectively. It has a total workforce of 3200 people in India. HGCCC has strong marketing and distribution in India and over 600 distributors and 4500 sub-distributors and a direct coverage that reaches 3,00,000 retail outlets. Its flagship product is the health drink, Liplicks, which is a highly respected brand for nearly 100 years. It also has other energy food drinks like Vital, GroActiv, Maltina, etc. and in addition, it markets and distributes prominent household names in Anatacids, Painbalms, Biscuits, Nutribars, Toothpastes, Noodles, etc.

In 2008, the Chief Managing Director, India Sub-continent, Mr. Amanaganti Srikant set an aggressive growth agenda for the company called ENVISION 2012, wherein it aimed at doubling the company’s turnover by the end of 2011. In order to achieve the targets of ENVISION, HGCCC needs to have a Compounded Annual Growth Rate of 19.5%. This is the single point agenda for all the manufacturing sites and functions of the Indian sub-continent (including Srilanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mauritius, and the Maldives) wherein new strategies that emphasised speed were adopted for execution on a high-priority basis.

The clock struck 10:00 A.M., Rajasekhar adjusted himself and looked at the door, and concurrently, heard a mild knock on the door. Even before Rajasekhar could utter something, the door opened and Ananth entered with a broad grin on his face. He walked up to Rajasekhar, and said, “Good Morning Sir, I am the newly recruited ERM. I was asked by the CEO to meet you and learn about the disputes prevailing here.” Rajasekhar gave a fleeting look at Ananth and found that he has a flashy smile and radiant eyes exuding confidence. He adjusted his voice and smiled and said, “Welcome to the Ameya plant of HGCCC, Ananth! It is a pleasure to have you here. In fact, we all bank upon you to help resolve the present grievances. I hope you are aware of the company’s history vis-a-vis the CMD’s ENVISION, wherein speedy growth is paramount”.

Ananth nodded his head approvingly, and said, “Yes Sir, I do! Please apprise me about the present organisation structure, composition of labour and problems thereof.” Rajasekhar began.

The Ameya Plant in Andhra Pradesh is located near the Industrial Estate and regular production at this site began in 1973. This plant is ISO 4001 and OHSAS 18001 certified. It began its operations with a single line manufacturing, and today, the annual capacity of this plant is 21 kilotons with seven lines in operation. The production has increased 27 times in 2010.

The plant has a functional organisation structure which includes Manufacturing, Engineering, Procurement, WSM & Operational

EnvisionBY DR PRAGEETHA G RAJU

CASE STUDY


Excellence, Quality Assurance, Finance, Environment Health & Safety, and Personnel & Admin.

Around 48% of the workmen at the site are permanent workmen, whose average age is 45 years, 38% temporary workmen (badli workers) with an average age of 38 years and the rest are contract workmen with an average age of about 23 years. A Majority of the workmen have more than 20 years of service at this plant. The Permanent Workmen can be classified into 5 different grades starting from G 4, moving up to G3, G2, G1, and then, Special Grade (G9) employees.

Customarily, this site is known for its complex Industrial Relations (IR) conditions, and it is constantly on the rise. In 1993, there was a prolonged strike by the workmen. Until 2009, there were two registered Unions, namely ‘Krushi Sabha” and ‘Krushi Congress’ here, and

the representatives of both the Unions are permanent workmen. Krushi Sabha has existed since the inception of the plant, but, Krushi Congress is 18 years old and both of them have contrasting ideologies. While Krushi Sabha aimed at protecting the aspirations of the working class without ignoring the national interests, Krushi Congress totally carried socialist ideologies. Considering the divergent viewpoints, it is important that a recognised union be present to enter into a 12(3) agreement as per the Industrial Disputes Act, and thus, Krushi Sabha was given recognition.

In order to make up for manpower shortage on a daily basis resulting from absenteeism, leaves, offs, badli workmen are taken and deployed in unskilled positions. All though they were not permanent, most of the badli workmen have put in over 20 years of service. The badli workmen feel that they are being neglected.

The badli workmen under the Union flag of ‘badli krushi’ (of badlis), who formed about 38% of the manpower requirement of the site, have begun to voice their need for voting rights in the forthcoming elections. Their ideologies match with the Union Krushi Sabha as some of them have been the former members for the same.

In order to support ENVISION, it becomes very important to ensure stable IR conditions in the years to come for the smooth operation of new technologies and dynamic changes while remaining competitive. In a manufacturing setup, the buy-in of the workmen is indispensable for the flourishing implementation of any programme (technological, changes in manpower deployment, changes in established practice, etc). In a setup that is 38 years old, where most of the employees have more than 20 years of service, this becomes a confirming feature. But,

CASE STUDY


the company’s growth plans require cost-effectiveness with respect to the right size of manpower, productivity improvement, wherein agreeing to implementation of new projects that reduce total batch time, creating a performance culture that includes clear accountability, ownership, operational excellence on the shop floor, ensuring business continuity and future expansion, not compromising on quality health and safety at any step of the process and reducing absenteeism to ensure availability of manpower.

“The IR climate has become the prime concern for the smooth functioning of the site”, Rajasekhar paused, and saw Ananth seriously taking notes. He continued, “The three year Long Term Wage Settlement (LTWS) was last signed in 2007 between Union Krushi Sabha and HGCCC and has come to an end in December 2009. Perfectly, the next settlement should have been signed in January 2010 with the recognised union. But due to a various turn of events in the IR climate of the site, this has not been achievable.” Ananth asked, “What happened, Sir?” Rajasekhar once again continued and started providing the happening of events in chronological order.

The Recognition Status of Krushi Sabha expires in November 2007. But in January 2008, Krushi Sabha requested the labour department for majority verification. Thus, in June 2008, the Labour department announced a secret ballot for the identification of the newly recognised union in September 2008. This is when both the Unions were allowed to contest elections and Badli Krushi Union was rejected. Elections were due before December 2009, since there was the possibility of completion of LTWS in time. In June 2008, the Badli Krushi Union moved the High Court against the

order by the Labour department of not involving them in the recognition process, and thereby, an uncertainty had built up with respect to the recognition of the Union. In September 2008, the High Court passed an interim order, in favour of the Badli Krushi Union directing the Labour Department to give voting rights to Badli workmen, and thus, the Labour department postponed the secret ballot elections.

In October 2008, Union Krushi Sabha filed a stay vacate petition to vacate the interim order and openly voiced its dissent against Badli Krushi Union’s interest. In March 2009, new technology to reduce batch time was ready for use and also discussions took place with Krushi Sabha considering that they are the recognised union as elections have not happened. But in April 2009, non co-operation from other union members resulted in the discontinuance of the new technology after 4 days of operation. Conditions were unstable and new technology was not put to use. This sent negative signals to the corporate indicating unstable conditions. The Unions had agreed for its adoption since the project was started in 2008. Starting more new projects would be unthinkable with the stalemate over LTWS. At this time, representatives of all the Unions were called upon to discuss the gravity of the situation. At the same time, Badli Krushi Union filed a contempt of court for the non-implementation of the interim order and were awaiting the final order from High Court. In December 2009, the Labour department issued an order clarifying that pending the High Court Order on voting rights to the Badli workers, the Management may commence negotiations with Krushi Sabha Union, since it is the recognised Union and LTWS could commence in January 2010.

In the same month, all the Unions

including Badli Krushi Union

individually sought the completion

of the 2006 settlement. And the

individual charter of demands were

also submitted. Krushi Congress

demands were not recognised as they

do not form a majority, and hence,

shall not be called for negotiations,

which led to the continuation of the

stalemate. In January 2010, Badli

Krushi filed a writ against the above

order, and the stalemate continued.

In February 2010, the High court

passed an interim order directing the

management to permit Badli Krushi

Union in negotiations. In March

2010, Krushi Congress also filed a

writ in the High Court for similar

relief to participate in negotiations.

This weakened the IR situation and

the employees were confused as to

what lay ahead. In April 2010, Badli

Krushi Union submitted its members

list to the Management, and in May

2010, Krushi Sabha claimed filing a

vacate petition to vacate the interim

order and counter affidavit against

the Krushi Congress order.

Rajasekhar paused again, and said,

“Now we should be able to initiate

all 2010 planned projects in time in

stabilised IR environment and the

need of the hour is to sign LTWS

2010 by July 15th 2010.”

The meeting ended and Ananth shook

hands with Rajasekhar and took leave

to study the case.

About the Author

Dr Prageetha G Raju is an independent researcher. She has previously worked as Associate Professor-Business Management at the Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad. She can be reached on [email protected].

CASE STUDY


Analysis By Ravi Mishra

The management of Healthy Grow Consumer Care Corporation (HGCCC) has decided to double

its turnover by the end of 2011 and all the functions must necessarily contribute for it. Ananth Kumar and the Employee Relations function must establish smooth relations with the Union to ensure zero man-days loss and acceptance of new projects and implementation of automation and technological changes planned by the company. They must ensure that there is no disruption on the part of the labour union and avert roadblocks to achieve the business targets set by the Chief Managing Director.

Rajasekhar is sceptical of Ananth Kumar’s abilities which is the conventional assessment by managers along the lines of the Blue Ocean Strategy. However, he needs to analyse the situation with optimism and support Ananth Kumar with positive vibes. Such positive interventions will help deal with situations in a professional way by addressing the Union’s expectations practically and influence the management to value the stake of the Unions by approving genuine demands.

As a part of Appreciative Enquiry, a manager needs to capitalise on the positives in the system. The average age of 45% of workmen is around 45 years, and also, the majority Union i.e. Krushi Sabha understands the national interest along with their own interest. This will help pursue the agenda of the growth plan decided by the company. There has been no major strike in the company after 1993, which reflects the maturity of the workmen and the union. This resonates with the fact that the era of industrial strikes by the labour union, in general, has faded at large over a period of time as witnessed from the period between 1970 to late 1980. The Union is sensible and willing to listen which goes

in favour of the sustainability of the organisation.

This is a great opportunity for Ananth to understand the heart and minds of people sans any bias and help drive a win-win situation. The task is easy once credibility is established and genuine concerns are addressed and solutions are provided through logical means. One has observed that as managers we have our own biases and our behaviours are based on a historical mindset. With the changing times and technological advancements, things that have been successful in the past are necessarily not a valid option, and hence, need to be thoroughly evaluated. Long Term Wage Settlement (LTWS) is passing through the shadow of the Recession, and may help Ananth to pursue the Union by relating to the difficulties of organisations to sustain and survive by leading with examples.

The other aspect of our conservative approach is that we are apprehensive about the smaller details that may not impact the company. It makes sense to establish the credibility of the organisation as one that is concerned about some people at the bottom of the pyramid. As ERMs, we need to play a larger role and need to educate the Union and workmen on how we can align in the interests of all.

The warmth and confidence that Ananth made visible during the meeting with Rajasekhar show that he will be able to handle the IR issues in HGCCC successfully. The latter must have also seen some significant qualities in him during the interaction/interview. Integration of experience and exposure with an outside-in perspective will add value for the organisation at large to pursue the growth trajectory by doubling the capacity by way of contributing through smooth relations with unions and zero loss of man-days.

About the Author

Ravi Mishra is Senior Vice President HR for Advanced Materials Business, Aditya Birla Group. He is associated with the Group since 2005, and has worked in different businesses i.e. Chemicals (Grasim), Cement (UltraTech), and Carbon Black (Birla Carbon). Prior to joining the Aditya Birla Group, Ravi was associated with diversified organisations such as, Nicholas Piramal Group, Mardia Group of Industries, and Nova Petrochemicals Ltd.

CASE STUDY


This is a classic example of expectations misalignment between the employees and the

organisation. While the organisation has decided its aspirational goals, the people, however, do not seem to be fully aligned to it. On the other hand, the people, especially the contractual workforce (badli) feel their aspirations and needs are not looked upon, in terms of having equal voting rights. Evidently, the underlying issue has cropped up when the organisation has planned vast growth and changes in the business.

From a superficial understanding of the scenario, one may feel that the issue has begun to burn only recently, however, it will be instrumental for the organisation, the IR and the HR teams to understand the chain of thoughts and events which started this strife, first in the heads of the badli workers and then on the ground. There could be multiple causes; lack of inclusion, feeling that the role of permanent and contractual manpower is the same, however, differing benefits, lack of mutual trust, lack of empowerment in decision-making and ineffective percolation of the larger vision has ultimately led to uncertainty.

Below are some interventions that would help HGCCC to solve the strife effectively:

Empathise and Understand: In such a scenario, the key step is to listen to people who are aggrieved and understand them by stepping into their shoes. Not only does this help the organisation to gather an understanding, but also helps employees to realise how the organisation cares for them. This can be done through forums, one-on-one connects, anonymous sessions, etc.

Collective Design Thinking: Once the sentiments of the people are captured from empathising and understanding, the next step could be holding a Large-Scale Interactive Process (LSIP) to help people to visualise their personal vision and marry the organisation’s vision. This can lead to building passion and enthusiasm for ‘Envision’ in light of addressing their concerns mutually. This activity can act as a strong method of aligning and re-instating the vision by listening to people’s voice via the lenses of communication, transparency and care.

Communication & Transparency: The aforementioned activities will cater to their highest potential only if their philosophies and objectives are communicated frequently, and, if transparency is maintained throughout the employee lifecycle.

Appreciative Enquiry: It is a process through which the organisation can gauge its strengths and understand what has worked out in the past. These positive nuances can be leveraged again to resolve current challenges. There had been a strife in 1993 that the organisation can study to decide its approach and also pick up positive connotations to resolve the current challenge. Further, during the inception of the Ameya plant, there was only one line of production, and the fact that the number of lines grew to seven, reflects the innate talent within the organisation, and can help develop positive sentiment in people.

Re-structurisation: HGCCC presently has a functional structure. Going forward, the organisation aims to reduce batch time and increase productivity. Switching to the matrix structure where people can be assigned new lines and batches basis the hours of availability would enable the organization to streamline the production process.

Revisiting Benefits & Policies: While HGCCC plans to double its turnover in a span of three years, revisiting policies and benefits can bring around high impact solutions to tackle the current strife. As the badli workers have been with the organisation for around 20 years, giving voting rights to certain higher grades and tenured people can be one of the stepping stones to resolution.

Upskilling & Re-skilling: As HGCCC plans to use cutting edge technology and upscale its process, it will be essential for the organisation to invest in re-skilling and upskilling its people. Demo sessions, learning workshops and dry runs can be effective in transferring the learnings.

The mentioned practices shall ensure that badli workers develop a feeling that their voices are heard and are passionate about their work by understanding how they are contributing to the larger vision. It also ensures that their needs are being addressed by the organisation in the best possible way.

Analysis By Rohit Hasteer

About the Author

Rohit Hasteer is the Group CHRO for Housing.com, Prop Tiger.com and Makaan.com. He has an experience of more than 20 years in the domain on Compensation Benefits, Talent Acquisition and Talent Management, Training & Development. He has worked with companies like CITIBANK, Make My Trip, Aviva Life Insurance and UT WorldWide. He takes keen interest in building Organisation culture and People Development. He is an MBA from IMT, Ghaziabad.

CASE STUDY


The enactment of the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 (“Act”)

in November 2021 which came into force on January 15, 2022, came as no surprise given the political compulsions of the present government. The Act was enacted to provide for and reserve 75% of a category of employment for local candidates in the State of Haryana. The Act is under challenge on various grounds, including the ground that the said reservation/restriction is ultra vires the Constitution of India.

The Act makes it mandatory for employers in the State of Haryana to employ 75% of local candidates with respect to posts where the gross monthly salary or wages of such employees is less than `30,000 a month. The term employer includes companies, trusts, societies, partnership firms or any individual or employer who employs ten or more persons in any factory, trade, company, or activity.

The aforesaid restriction appears to be in conflict with the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution

of India. Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution provides that all citizens shall have the right to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business, whereas Article 15 provides that the state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.

In the broader sense, the Act may also be contrary to Article 14 of the Constitution of India which states that “The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.” In an attempt to reserve certain posts for certain persons in the State of Haryana, the Act denies equality before law to persons who are not domiciles of Haryana. While Article 15 refers to ‘place of birth’ and not ‘domicile’, in our view, the ambit of such protection from discrimination is wide enough to cover discrimination on the grounds of ‘domicile’, unless the state is able to provide justification for such restrictions on employment of persons from outside the state.

On the practical side, on the face of it, the Act is regressive in nature. Employers in the State of Haryana will be deprived of the talent available outside the State of Haryana, or the right to offer employment to persons of their choice. Unless struck down by the courts, the Act may drive several employers to shift their operations from Haryana to other states, including Uttar Pradesh (NOIDA).

Persons living in neighbouring states which share borders with Haryana may lose out on employment opportunities only because they are not living in Haryana. For example, people living in Delhi may not be able to avail of employment opportunities in Gurgaon/Faridabad, even though it may be convenient for them to work in the said cities. This directly infringes their fundamental right to carry on any occupation (or employment in this case) under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India.

The Present StatusIn the above background, it is no surprise that the vires of the Act would be challenged before the Court. The Faridabad Industries Association had filed a writ petition being Writ Petition No.24967 of 2021 before the Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Act. It was contended by the Petitioner therein that the Act violates Articles 14, 15 & 19 of the Constitution of India.

The said writ petition came up for hearing before the Hon’ble Punjab & Haryana High Court on December 10, 2021, and the Court

Regressive ReservationBY K V SINGH AND NACHIKETA GOYAL

LAW AT WORK


issued notice of the petition and the accompanying interim applications to the State Government. On February 3, 2022, the High Court stayed the implementation of the Act.

Aggrieved by the interim order of the High Court, the State Government had challenged the said interim order by way of a Special Leave Petition 1917 of 2022 before the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The said Special Leave Petition came up for hearing on February 17, 2022, and the Hon’ble Supreme Court set aside the interim order passed by the High Court on the ground that the High Court had not given sufficient reasons for staying the implementation of the Act. The Supreme Court did not go into the merits of the matter and directed the High Court to decide the writ petition before it within 4 weeks. The Supreme Court had directed the parties to appear before the High Court on February 22, 2022, for fixing the schedule of hearing. In the meanwhile, the Supreme Court had also directed the State Government not to take coercive steps against the employers. During the hearing on February 22, 2022, the High Court had directed the Union of India to file its reply in the matter. The said

petition is pending adjudication before the Hon’ble Punjab & Haryana High Court.

A Trend not Unique to HaryanaIn similar vein, the states of Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand have also implemented legislations in relation to the employment of local candidates in their respective states. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had observed that the legislation in relation to the employment of local candidates may be unconstitutional. Jharkhand government formally notified the law mandating 75% jobs in the private sector for local candidates very recently on January 3, 2022. To our knowledge, no petition has been filed against these legislations as of now. The Karnataka government is also in the process of drafting a legislation that will mandate 75% reservations for locals in various sectors, including private industries.

Industrialists and industry groups have voiced dissatisfaction with the Act, fearing that it will reduce private enterprises’ competitiveness by arbitrarily managing their internal operations. Apart from raising the compliance burden on employers,

industrialists believe it would have an influence on the ease of doing business in the State.

These laws ex-facie appear to be ultra vires and should be junked as such restrictive provisions will have a deleterious impact on ease of doing business and result in restricting the ability of the citizens to seek opportunities outside the state of their domicile.

About the Author

Krishna Vijay Singh is a Senior Partner at Kochhar & Co., one of the leading and largest law firms in India with offices at New Delhi, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Singapore, Tokyo and Atlanta (USA). The firm represents some of the largest multinational corporations from North America, Europe, Japan and India (many of which are Fortune 500 companies) in diverse areas of corporate and commercial laws.

Nachiketa Goyal is a Principal Associate at Kochhar & Co. He has about 8 years of experience in diverse areas of law. His practice areas include labour and employment, general corporate commercial, commercial litigation and arbitration and legal advisory work.

LAW AT WORK


Q &AQ & AQ I joined the services of my

employer company in the year 2018 and was performing the duties of a labourer/table work on a daily wage basis. However, my services were terminated orally on 03.03.2020 without following any procedure under Sec. 25F of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and in gross violation of principles of natural justice. Aggrieved, I preferred a complaint for illegal termination to the Labour Court which dismissed my application on the ground that I had not completed 240 days of continuous service in twelve months preceding the date of termination, and hence, I was not entitled to any relief. Let me know if I have any remedy in law.

A You appear to be well versed with the legal provisions, including section 25(F) of the Industrial Disputes Act. In the present case, you have to prove that you completed 240 days of service in a year prior to termination of your service entitling you for protection under Section 25(F) of the Industrial Disputes Act. Documents concerning daily attendance, muster-rolls with respect to the employment, and the wages paid to you over the relevant period may assist you in establishing that you were a permanent employee covered by section 25(F). Besides, other evidence including deposition and cross examination of witnesses may also be relevant.

The decision rendered by Gujarat High Court in Chandubhai Punjabhai Talpada vs. Deputy Executive Engineer, (C/SCA/7059/2008) on March 13, 2022, wherein the High Court affirmed the order of the Labour Court’s determination that the Petitioner-workman was not entitled to reinstatement on the ground that there was a discrepancy in

his deposition and the documents produced by him, may assist you in ascertaining the merits of your case and whether you should challenge the order of the labour court. The High Court’s conclusion was based on the evidence, and it noted that “No other evidence was produced by the petitioner to show that in the preceding year, he had worked with the respondent for a period of 240 days… the petitioner has produced the pay-receipts of intermittent period and the same cannot be relied upon to conclude that the petitioner had worked continuously for the said period.” Accordingly, averring that there was no violation of section 25(F) of the Act, the Bench dismissed the Special Civil Application.

Q We are a travel company operating buses to various tourist destinations. During a trip, one of our drivers operating the bus collapsed after feeling a rush of pain. Thankfully, the bus was stopped before he collapsed. He was taken to the nearest hospital and was declared dead. The cause of death was heart attack. The wife of the deceased driver has filed a claim petition before the concerned Commissioner for Employees Compensation for compensation under Sec. 3 of the Employee’s Compensation Act. The wife has alleged that her husband had odd working hours and was not rested properly. Is the claim maintainable?

A In the matter of Divisional Controller, NEKRTC v. Smt. Laxmi, [Misc. First Appeal No.200122/2018(WC) decided on June 25, 2020], the Single Bench of the Karnataka High Court, while relying on a decision of the Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court in the matter of National Insurance Company Limited v. Smt. Balawwa, [1993 (2) Karnataka Law Journal 406

LAW AT WORK


(DB)], held that, if a person suffers a heart attack caused due to the stress and strain of the job and dies, it necessarily means that, there has been an injury to the heart and that event, being a mishap not expected or designed, is an accident, and that if a workman suffers heart attack out of and in the course of his employment, then the same amounts to employment injury and the employer is liable to pay compensation under Section 3 (Employer’s liability for compensation) read with Section 4 (Amount of compensation) of the Employee’s Compensation Act.

Therefore, the wife of the deceased employee must be compensated under Sec 3 r/w Sec. 4 of the Employer’s Compensation Act, 1923.

Q I joined XYZ College on March 6, 2002, as a Laboratory Attendant. On January 7, 2008, upon tendering resignation, I was relieved from the services of the College. I was only given General Provident Fund as terminal benefit. It is my grievance that gratuity with interest was denied to me. The request for gratuity was refused. I am being told that I am not entitled to gratuity since I had tendered my resignation. Please advice.

A Section 4 of the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 states that,

“(1) Gratuity shall be payable to an employee on the termination of his employment after he has rendered continuous service for not less than five years,-

(a) on his superannuating, or

(b) on his retirement or resignation, or

(c) on his death or disablement due to accident or disease:

Provided that the completion of continuous service of five years shall not be necessary where the termination of the employment of any employee is due to death or disablement:

Provided further that in the case of death of the employee, gratuity payable to him shall be paid to his nominee or, if no nomination has been made, to his heirs, and where any such nominees or heirs is a minor, the share of such minor, shall be deposited with the controlling authority who shall invest the same for the benefit of such minor in such bank or other financial institution, as may be prescribed, until such minor attains majority.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this section, disablement means such disablement as incapacitates an employee for the work which he was capable of performing before the accident or disease resulting in such disablement.”

In the matter of B. S. Rawat v. Shyam Lal College, [W.P.(C) 3147/2020, C.M. No. 20958/2020, decided on September 14, 2020, the Delhi High Court while relying on certain precedents including the judgment passed by the Co-ordinate Bench of the Delhi High Court in the matter of University of Delhi v. Ram Prakash, [2015 SCC Online Del 8634], held that, in light Section 14 of Payment of Gratuity Act, there could be no dispute that, irrespective of a contrary provision provided in any other enactment or regulation, an employee would be entitled to gratuity even if he had resigned, in terms of Sec. 4 of Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. Sec 14 of the Payment of Gratuity Act states that, “The provisions of this Act or any rule made thereunder shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any enactment other than this Act or in any instrument or contract having effect by virtue of any enactment other than this Act”.

Therefore, you are entitled to payment of gratuity in terms of Sec 4 r/w Sec. 14 of the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972.

LAW AT WORK


“The biggest challenge for business leaders is to keep their business

sustainable in this competitive scenario

as well to retain their employees.”

Redefining StrategiesUpskilling strategies help organisations to fill the skill gap, improve productivity, and also ensure talent retention and attraction. Thus, this is a win-win situation for employees and employers.

BY PRAVEEN RATNA

talent. It can also improve employee engagement and satisfaction levels.

Assessment of UpskillingIt gives you a fair understanding of their abilities, strengths and weaknesses. It gives a fair chance to the company as also the employees to compete with the prevailing trends and perform better. So, it becomes imperative to assess the training requirements prior to deciding the upskilling strategies that the companies should adopt. These can be assessed by:–

zz Determining the need of the business

zz Assessing the current level of employee skills

zz Analysing the skill gap (what are current is skills and what is required)

zz Planning of training calendar

zz Identifying the learning methodology

The first four steps will help us in terms of requirements, while the last and the most crucial part of this process will give us the direction to move on. There are various methods of upskilling and reskilling like

zz Online courses

zz Video Tutorials

zz Peer discussion

zz Instructor training sessions

zz Job Rotation

zz Reverse coaching

cost of replacing an employee is approximately 25% - 30% of their annual salary, and upskilling implies significant cost savings for the company. The cost involved in hiring new talent is a great deal more than what is required for reskilling and upskilling the employees.

The other advantage is that employees get upskilled as per the latest trend while working (as time is the major concern for working professionals). These new skills can come handy in their day-to-day operations and get hands-on on the new skills. This is because the new skill is hardly useful unless it has been practically implemented. It can help improve employees’ performance leading to appreciable appraisals.

On the other hand, companies can save their time and money (if they bring new employees of the same skill set), reduce attrition, and, showcase this for branding and attracting new

The world is changing rapidly and more so post-pandemic. The biggest challenge for

business leaders is to keep their business sustainable in this competitive scenario as well to retain their employees. That organisations keep an eye on the employees and the skillset required in the changing times is the need of the hour.

The objective of upskilling should be to enable their employees with updated skills to enable the company’s growth. Upskilling strategies help organisations to fill the skill gap, improve productivity, and also ensure talent retention and attraction. Thus, this is a win-win situation for employees and employers.

Why is Upskilling is Required?Providing pathways to new skills and growth within the company can improve employee productivity and improve its bottom line. The

UPSKILLING


in one of the departments. This department was headed by a young individual and he was hiring younger professionals, and hence, employees were leaving fearing retrenchment since these young employees were a lot smarter than them. I suggested that he opt for reverse coaching wherein the vintage employees shared their experience and knowledge and the new employees shared their skills leading to a balance among them. This helped him to bring down the attrition.

Thus, the challenge would be to attract employees for training and keep them engaged. The training programme can be designed solo or in by a combination of 2 or more methods.

Create a feel of interest: It is not necessary to conduct the training session in one slot for all the employees. We can identify the employees who are really interested in upskilling their knowledge and skills. This will ensure that the less interested employees will come forward for the training in the next phase. “Word of mouth rule applies here”.

Make training readily available: Different individuals have their own learning habits. While some prefer to read in the morning, some in the evening and some even prefer to read while commuting. Remember, this is not traditional learning, so we have to provide them with some comfort and enable online learning.

Bite-size learning: Remote working has damaged work-life balance to a certain extent. Infrastructural challenges such as proper connectivity, bandwidth issue, power issues, and the work environment at home lead to loss of concentration after a certain point in time. Hence, we must design the programme in short bytes of 2–3 hours since anything beyond this may distract the concentration. A break of

10–15 minutes is needed during the session.

Real-World Examples and case studies: Adding the flavour of real-time examples and case studies will make the training sessions more interactive. Real-world examples are things where employees can relate themselves with the situation and this will help them to deal with a problem in a better way. This works on the methodology of “Situation is the best teacher”.

Rewarding employees basis efforts: Providing employees with incentives for completing training and development to reinforce its importance. Positive recognition leads to a happier and more productive workforce.

Add the flavour of games: Adopting remote training sessions is not feasible and sometimes it is very difficult to cater entire workforce due to internal and external circumstances. Here, Gamification can be a good choice because it can create interest and engagement in the employees. It has already become an innovative technique of learning in the last few years. Adding the flavour of levels, reward points and rewards can make it interesting.

“Gartner report of 2020, estimated that the number of skills required for a single job is increasing by 10% every year and 33% skills needed three years back are no longer relevant.” Some companies have already sensed it and have taken the necessary steps to upskill their employees.

“Interactive training methods are always

useful and result-oriented, and more so, peer group and reverse coaching.

Through these methods there are fair chances of employees getting

comfortable with each other and help to

create organisational harmony.”

About the AuthorPraveen Ratna is an SHRM and HRCI certified HR professional with over 20 years of experience in the BFSI and NBFC industries. His expertise is in Analytics, Performance Management and Reward & Recognition. He has extensive experience in transforming processes through technology. Praveen is also a speaker, having appeared on platforms such as HR SUCCESS TALK, Protouch, and business schools like Amity Business School.

So, these methods can be used singularly or in combination for upskilling and reskilling our employees basis the need, and, it is essential that one skill is tackled at a time. In my view, interactive training methods are always useful and result-oriented, and more so, peer group and reverse coaching. Through these methods, there are fair chances of employees getting comfortable with each other and help to create organisational harmony.

Here, I would like to share a personal experience. During a discussion with the hiring manager, he shared that he was very worried about the attrition

UPSKILLING


Worried About Engagement Scores?A healthy fluctuation in employee engagement scores is good and indicates actions happening within the organisation. Sometimes, a drop in engagement scores could be good too and not something to fret about…

BY GHANASHYAM HEGDEKATTE AND SHIVIN TIKOO

An email pops up reminding you to fill out the Annual Engagement Survey. Just

before it is past the deadline, you make a last-minute dash to fill in your responses. Post survey, the HR team scrambles with data, charts, analytics to find “patterns” for leadership presentations. Often, the presentations are highly focused on “micro-fluctuations” in scores, particularly fretting about fall in scores. Any fall in the score is microscopically over-analysed and interpreted with symptoms on fairness, culture, and communication.

Omnipresent Engagement SurveyIt is almost a ritual in progressive organisations to measure Employee Engagement through an annual

“Though employee engagement measures “discretionary efforts”

by employees, it is important to

understand engagement as a construct.”

survey. The outcome of the survey helps organisations to understand employees’ perspectives, various organisation level offerings to focus on and figure out teams/managers who have been able to manage high engagement.

We, however, argue that HR teams need to look at the macro picture and not draw immediate inferences from score changes. Further, treating engagement scores as directional, and not conclusive evidence of the current state of your organisation.

Engagement as ConstructThough employee engagement measures “discretionary efforts” by employees, it is important to understand engagement as a construct. As a construct, engagement is classified into three categories - Affective, Behavioural and Cognitive.

1. Behavioural engagement focuses on participation and involvement in work and support activities. It can be extended to following company guidelines and reduced absenteeism.

2. Affective or emotional engagement extends to the extent of positive and negative reactions to co-workers, including the sense of belonging and connectedness

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT


3. Cognitive engagement includes investment in learning, willingness to put effort to solve challenging problems.

Most surveys focus on measuring behavioural and emotional engagement. Even if surveys are comprehensively designed, we do not analyse the scores keeping the above construct in mind for the right interpretation.

Engagement and PersonalityIn one of the Harvard publications titled ‘Is Employee Engagement Just a Reflection of Personality?’, some interesting aspects regarding employee engagement and its linkage to personality types are highlighted. A meta-analysis conducted with data collected from 114 independent surveys covering about 45,000 employees across countries indicated to the authors that 50% variation

in engagement can be attributed to employees’ personality types. Employees with 4 personality traits in particular: Positive Affect, Proactivity, Conscientiousness and Extroversion seem to show higher engagement at work. This, in a way, explains what we, sometimes, observe at work – some employees who complain about their job content not being great still give their best at work, and, some employees who seem to have high job content seem dissatisfied and deliver average outcomes.

Another way of looking at the outcome of the meta-analysis mentioned above is that 50% variability in employee engagement is still dependent on contextual factors which are organisation related and the environment in which the employees work. Most of the employee engagement surveys capture the perception of employees, and, how they experience these contextual

“Any change to be internalised takes a

long period of time and constant reinforcement.

Expecting scores to increase over a short

span of time may not be a correct expectation.”

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT


About the Authors

Ghanashyam Hegdekatte is Lead HR -Mahindra Personal Vehicle (Sales & Marketing) Vertical + Commercial Vehicle Businesses. He comes with 11 years of expertise in the areas of HR Business Partnering, Organization Design and Development, Talent Management, Capability Building, Job Evaluation across Sales, Customer Care, Marketing, Product Development and Operations functions.

Shivin Tikoo is heading Organization Development at Mahindra and pursuing Ph.D. in Organization Behaviour from XLRI. His areas of interest include HR strategy, EVP and change management. Shivin is based out of Mumbai and can be reached at [email protected].

factors. But, capturing personality types and adding them with contextual factors to read employee engagement scores is a super complex process. Hence, it is our argument that the Employee Engagement score should only be directional and not a conclusion.

Our ViewpointDrawing an analogy, we do not usually get a perfect blood report in terms of our blood cell count, platelets etc. It fluctuates depending on body types and various other body parameters. Extreme high or a low count indicates problems for sure. However, until the blood report readings are within the acceptable minimum and maximum range – doctors do not fret much about it.

An organisation strives for high employee engagement scores and expects to increase it every year, even on a high base score. No change in engagement score (on a high base score already) indicates status

quo. Businesses constantly need to improve/change processes and models to bring in growth and survive the competition. This means changing the set ways of doing things by disturbing the status quo would lead to internal resistance due to change. In this case, we would expect a drop in engagement score.

In another scenario, during massive change management, we will expect the scores to fall during the initial part of the change exercise. Moreover, any change to be internalised takes a long period of time and constant reinforcement. Expecting scores to increase over a short span of time may not be a correct expectation.

Like readings of blood report parameters, until the employee engagement scores are fluctuating within a range, we do not see any need to worry too much about.

The HR teams/Leadership teams need to consider both macro (directional, overall sentiment) and micro (specific areas of increase/decrease in score) to arrive at inferences. A healthy fluctuation in employee engagement scores is good and indicates actions happening within the organisation. Sometimes, a drop in engagement scores could be good too and not something to fret about, if the intentions are right.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT


Appointments

DealShare Appoints Santana Ramakrishnan As CHRO

DealShare has appointed Santana Ramakrishnan as its Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Before joining DealShare, Santana Ramakrishnan worked as Head of Human Resources at Udaan. Previously, she has worked at Goldman Sachs, AXA, Genpact, and GE Capital. Santana will join the company’s senior management team and report to Vineet Rao, the company’s founder, and CEO. Santana Ramakrishnan is an alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur.

Yahoo Appoints Alicin Reidy-Williamson As Chief Diversity & Culture Officer

Yahoo has appointed Alicin Reidy-Williamson as its Chief Diversity & Culture Officer, where she will lead Yahoo’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts globally. For over 25 years, Reidy-Williamson has led Culture, Purpose and DEI for top companies. She previously served as Chief Inclusion Officer at Endeavor, leading inclusion strategies globally across multiple businesses.

Jet Freight Appoints People Strategist Ashish Nagpurkar As CHRO

Jet Freight has appointed Ashish Nagpurkar as its Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO). Nagpurkar brings over 24 years of comprehensive experience in business and people management. Out of this, he has 14 years of experience in Core HR spanning across, HR Strategy, performance management, HR operations, HR ERP system implementation, organizational change management, talent management, succession planning, learning & development, employee engagement, and 10 years in business domain.

ImpactGuru Appoints Amit Rana As SVP For Talent Acquisition

ImpactGuru.com has appointed Amit Rana as their new Senior Vice President for Talent Acquisition. Rana joins ImpactGuru.com from Fino Payments Bank where he served as Deputy Vice President for more than 5 years and headed the talent acquisition for the corporate office. He has also been associated with brands like Housing.com, Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance, AEGON Life Insurance, and Manpower Services.

DocuSign Appoints Iesha Berry As Chief Diversity & Engagement Officer

DocuSign has appointed Iesha Berry as its first Chief Diversity & Engagement Officer. Berry comes with over 20 years’ experience in driving diversity, inclusion, and belonging within large global companies, with her DE&I career spanning Pfizer, Bank of America, Prudential, and Microsoft.


For more information, please contact: 7535077222 | [email protected]

Duration of course6 weeks core module+6 weeks internship

TIME: 4 PM - 6 PM

Date: Session will beginfrom 6th May 2022 (EveryWednesday & Thursday)

Personal Leadership Excellence (Puja Talesara Bhandari, Personal Leadership Coach) » Communicate to connect : leading Crucial conversation & Assertiveness » Strengthen your Self confidence, Discover your limiting and empowering beliefs and strengths and areas of development

Decision Intelligence» Learn the art of making decisions, understanding the patterns

Wellness Excellence» Nutrition and Yoga, Grooming tips

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INTEGRATING TO WORKPLACE

Looking for back to work after careerbreak or sabbatical leave ?

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REBOOT THE POWERIN YOU: WOMEN SERIES

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Date of printing: 28th Mar, 2022