U_N_I_L_E_V_E_R

“A COMPLETE RESEARCH AND STUDY ON ABSENTEEISM

AT HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LTD.”

A PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by:

NIKITA GOYAL

Batch: 2010-2012

Roll No: 104128

To

INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT , NIRMA UNIVERSITY

Institute of Management, Nirma University 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

To achieve success in any stage of life there needs to b e proper guidance, co-operation

and support by many individuals. Many people have contributed towards making this

project a success.

I express my gratitude to the factory manager of Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (Kandla

Factory), Mr. K.C.Katoch who has given me the opportunity to conduct my project at

HUL. To HR manager, MISS.Ritika for enlightening my knowledge regarding HR. To HR

executive, Mr. Karan Mistry, for his guiding me all through the project and sharing rich

knowledge during my project study.

I would like to thank Mr. Rajesh prajapati & Mr. Sailesh Acharya for helping me in

preparing my project.

I would also like to thank all the staff members of HUL (Kandla Factory) for their co-

operation, support and who shared their experiences with me which helped me to achieve

the objective of my project.

For the sub-staff also I would like to owe my gratitude.

I would like to express my gratitude to my mentor Prof. Jayesh Aagjah who is my source

of inspiration and guided me all along the way of my project.

INDEXInstitute of Management, Nirma University 2

1) ORGANIZATION PROFILE

CORPORATE PURPOSE

MISSION & VISION

BRANDS

HISTORY

HUL BUSINESS COMPOISTION

STRENGTHS OF HUL

PRESENT STATURE

MCKINSEY’S SEVEN FRAMEWORK

POTER’S 5 FORCES MODEL

2) KANDLA FACTORY

MILESTONES

ORGANIZATION STRUCTUE

POLICIES UNDERTAKEN AT HUL

TOTAL PROTECTIVE MAINTENANCE

3) PROJECT WORK

ABSENTEEISM

REASON FOR ABSENTEEISM

OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

4) RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

PRIMARY DATA

REASONS OF LEAVE

DATA INTERPREATATION

OBSERVATION

CONCLUSION

SUGGESTIONS

LEARNING

5) BIBLIOGRAPHY


“ O u r a i m i s t o b u i l d a n d s u s t a i n a n e f f i c i e n t w o r k f o r c e a s a m a j o r s o u r c e o f c o m p e t i t i v e s t r e n g t h f o r o u r b u s i n e s s , a n d i n s o d o i n g t o p r o m o t e t h e w e l l b e i n g o f t h o s e w h o w o r k w i t h u s ”

“ W i t h o u t o r d e r , p l a n n i n g , p r e d i c t a b i l i t y , c e n t r a l c o n t r o l , a c c o u n t a n c y , i n s t r u c t i o n s t o t h e u n d e r l i n g s , o b e d i e n c e , d i s c i p l i n e – w i t h o u t t h e s e n o t h i n g f r u i t f u l c a n h a p p e n , b e c a u s e e v e r y t h i n g d i s i n t e g r a t e s . A n d y e t – w i t h o u t t h e m a g n a n i m i t y o f d i s o r d e r , t h e h a p p y a b a n d o n , t h e e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p v e n t u r i n g i n t o t h e u n k n o w n a n d i n c a l c u l a b l e , w i t h o u t t h e r i s k a n d t h e g a m b l e , t h e c r e a t i v e i m a g i n a t i o n r u s h i n g i n w h e r e b u r e a u c r a t i c a n g e l s f e a r t o t r e a d – w i t h o u t t h i s , l i f e i s a m o c k e r y a n d a d i s g r a c e . ”

E.F. Schumacher, as quoted by


Nail Fitzgerald, Chairman, Unilever

Corporate Purpose

Our purpose in Unilever is to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere - to

anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and

competitively with branded products and services, which raise the quality of life.

Our deep roots in local cultures and markets around the world are our unparalleled

inheritance and the foundation for our future growth. We will bring our wealth of

knowledge and international expertise to the service of local consumers - truly multi -

local multinational Our long term success requires a total commitment to exceptional

standards of performance and productivity, to working together effectively and to a

willingness to embrace new ideas and learn continuously.

We believe that to succeed requires the highest standards of corporate behavior towards

our employees, consumers and the societies and world in which we live.

This is Unilever’s road to sustainable, profitable growth for our business and long-term

value creation for our shareholders and employees.


MISSION

Unilever's mission is to add Vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition,

hygiene, and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more

out of life.

VISION


A truly multi – local multinational

Unilever is dedicated to meeting the everyday needs of people everywhere. Around

the world their food and home and personal care brands are chosen by individual

consumers 150 million times a day. Anticipating their needs and aspirations is the

task of our local companies who bring to the service of their consumers the best

international brands and expertise. This is why they describe themselves as a truly

multi – local multinational.

Brands

For more than 60 years Unilever has been providing consumers with quality products and

services. They have a portfolio of global, regional and local brands. Some Such as

Magnum ice cream and Lux soap have become world leaders; others are the top choice for

consumers in specific countries.


International by design, they have deep roots in many countries. By the very nature of our

business we are an integral part of the societies in which we operate. Local companies are

predominately run by local people in tune with their communities and who understand

their needs and values - a truly multi-local multinational.

Consumers also expect from them to fulfil their needs with brands that have low environmental impact. Living up to this expectation challenges them to continuously improve the environmental performance of their process and help their brands to achieve sustainable profitable growth.


In 1931, Unilever set up its first Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing

Company, followed by Lever Brothers India Limited (1933) and United Traders Limited

(1935). These three companies merged to form HUL in November 1956; HUL offered

10% of its equity to the Indian public, being the first among the foreign subsidiaries to do

so. Unilever now holds 52.10% equity in the company. The rest of the shareholding is

distributed among about 360,675 individual shareholders and financial institutions.

From the biggest city to the smallest, most remote village, you will find the brands that

have made us successful. Look in any home and you will find international favourites such

as Dove, Sunsilk and Omo, and Magnum, Lipton and Calve as well as many local brands.

Our aim is for our brands to be the first choice for consumers everywhere.

Quality is a priority and we don't just mean functional quality. In our foods taste, nutrition

and ease of use increase enjoyment The performance, effectiveness and fragrance of our

home and personal care brands make the daily routine of cleansing our bodies and

cleaning our homes a more pleasurable experience.


HUL BUSINESS COMPOSITION

Joint Ventures

Lakme - Lever Color Cosmetics and Skin Care

Kimberly Clark - Lever Feminine Hygiene, Baby Care, Incontinence Products

Lever - Johnson Home Care

Lever - Gist Brocades Dry Yeast

Subsidiary Companies

Hind Lever Chemicals ( 59.63 %)

Yankee Doodle Industries ( 84.5 %)

Industrial Perfumes Ltd. ( 51 %)

Nepal Lever Ltd. ( 80 %)

A l l o t h e r s f u l l y o w n e d


STRENGTHS OF UNILEVER Understanding the needs of customers and consumers. Product innovation. Investment in research and development. Creative and effective marketing. Expertise in manufacturing technology. Sharing of expertise. People. International in a local way. Organisational structure. Short lines of communication. Strong financial position. Investing for growth. Fast growth in emerging markets

Historic presence Local understanding Decentralized management Balanced product portfolio

Strategic Objectives Focus on priority categories and priority regions Long term value creation


PRESENT STATURE-

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods

company, touching the lives of two out of three Indians with over 20 distinct categories in

Home & Personal Care Products and Foods & Beverages. They endow the company with a

scale of combined volumes of about 4 million tonnes and sales of nearly Rs.1371crores.

HUL is also one of the country's largest exporters; it has been recognised as a Golden

Super Star Trading House by the Government of India. HUL's brands - like Lifebuoy, Lux,

Surf Excel, Rin, Wheel, Fair & Lovely, Pond's, Sunsilk, Clinic, Pepsodent, Close-up,

Lakme, Brooke Bond, Kissan, Knorr-Annapurna, Kwality Wall's – are household names

across the country and span many categories - soaps, detergents, personal products, tea,

coffee, branded staples, ice cream and culinary products. They are manufactured over 40

factories across India. The operations involve over 2,000 suppliers and associates. HUL's

distribution network, comprising about 4,000 redistribution stockists, covering 6.3 million

retail outlets reaching the entire urban population, and about 250 million rural consumers

•India’s largest fast moving consumer goods company

•Touches the lives of 2 out of 3 Indians

•Nationwide distribution with 7000 stockiest

•Directly covers entire urban population through 1 million outlets

50,000 villages

•36,300 employees

•1,350 managers

•80 company factories

•45 C & FA’s

•150 outsourcing units


TOP MANAGEMENT -

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE-

Hindustan Unilever Limited is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)

company. It is present in Home & Personal Care and Foods & Beverages categories. HUL

and Group companies have about 15,000 employees, including 1200 managers.

The fundamental principle determining the organisation structure is to infuse speed and

flexibility in decision-making and implementation, with empowered managers across the

company’s nationwide operations.

Board

Management Committee

BOARD

The Board of Directors as repositories of the corporate powers act as a guardian to the

Company as also the protectors of shareholder’s interest.

This Apex body comprises of a Non- Executive Chairman, four whole time Directors and

five independent Non – Executive Directors. The Board of the Company represents the

optimum mix of professionalism, knowledge and experience.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The day-to-day management of affairs of the Company is vested with the Management

Committee which is subjected to the overall superintendence and control of the Board. The

Management Committee is headed by Mr. Nitin Paranjpe and has functional heads as its

members representing various functions of the Company


http://www.hul.co.in/knowus/manage_structure.asp#one

http://www.hul.co.in/knowus/manage_structure.asp#two

MCKINSEY’S SEVEN S FRAMEWORK

Most of us grew up learning about 'the 4Ps' of the marketing mix: product, price, place,

promotion. And this model still works when the focus is on product marketing. However

most developed economies have moved on, with an ever-increasing focus on service

businesses, and therefore service marketing. To better represent the challenges of service

marketing, McKinsey developed a new framework for analyzing and improving

organizational effectiveness, the 7S model:

The 3Ss across the top of the model are described as 'Hard Ss':


STRATEGY:

The direction and scope of the company over the long term

The strategy of HUL has been to introduce new and innovative products at competitive

price in the market which gives value for money. This is the prime reason that the

company emphasizes a lot on research and development. This is why it has been termed as

the most reputed FMCG brand in the country.

STRUCTURE:

The basic organization of the company, its departments, reporting lines, areas of expertise,

and responsibility (and how they inter-relate).

Hindustan Unilever Limited is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)

company. It is present in Home & Personal Care and Foods & Beverages categories. HUL

and Group companies have about 15,000 employees, including 1200 managers.

The fundamental principle determining the organisation structure is to infuse speed and

flexibility in decision-making and implementation, with empowered managers across the

company’s nationwide operations.


BOARD :

The Board of Directors as repositories of the corporate powers act as a guardian to the

Company as also the protectors of shareholder’s interest.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE:

The day-to-day management of affairs of the Company is vested with the Management

Committee which is subjected to the overall superintendence and control of the Board.

SYSTEMS:

Formal and informal procedures that govern everyday activity, covering everything from

management information systems, through to the systems at the point of contact with the

customer (retail systems, call centre systems, online systems, etc).

HUL has one of the best MIS systems in the country to coordinate day to day activities

with its huge distribution network including depots, wholesalers and retailers as well. The

company has come up with the new retailing structure of city stores, family and bazaar

store that are supported by the Adonis software system

The 4Ss across the bottom of the model are less tangible, more cultural in nature, and were

termed 'Soft Ss' by McKinsey:

SKILLS:

The capabilities and competencies that exist within the company. What it does best.

HUL excels in the following –

· The company has maintained an extensive network of distributors that enables it to reach

millions of customers. No other manufacturer in the country has such extensive

distribution channel

· HUL’s factories ensures uninterrupted supply of FMCG for captive consumption

· HUL is distinguished by its global presence and its access to other global brands.


SHARED VALUES:

The values and beliefs of the company

HUL believes in the following values-

· Equality of opportunity

· Conducting operations ethically

· Long term partnership with suppliers/ business associates

· Training for new skills development

· Promotion on merit

· HUL believes in being good corporate citizens

STYLE:

The leadership approach of top management and the company's overall operating

approach.

Career development program in HUL takes in to consideration the following activities-

· Provides training to the employees and reorganized its front end sales force

· It has undertaken intensive training program for its employees and managers to ensure

excellence in customer service· It has empowered its workforce by promoting the best

performers and bringing in new managers with fresh ideas.

STAFF:

The company's people resources and how they are developed, trained, and motivated.


Unilever is committed to diversity in a working environment where there is mutual trust

and respect and where everyone feels responsible for the performance and reputation of

our company.

It will recruit, employ and promote employees on the sole basis of the qualifications and

abilities needed for the work to be performed.

They are committed to safe and healthy working conditions for all employees. They will

not use any form of forced, compulsory or child labour.

They are committed to working with employees to develop and enhance each individual's

skills and capabilities.

They respect the dignity of the individual and the right of employees to freedom of

association.

They will maintain good communications with employees through company based

information and consultation procedures.

PORTER’S 5 FORCES MODEL


The five forces concept is perhaps best explained through example. (sPorter's work is

nothing short of excellent, but it is a heavy read.) Let's briefly examine the household

consumer-products industry by considering rival firms Clorox CLX, Kimberly-Clark

KMB, Colgate-Palmolive CL, and Procter & Gamble PG in terms of Porter's five forces:

BUYER POWER.


Consumer-products companies face weak buyer power because customers are fragmented

and have little influence on price or product. But if we consider the buyers of consumer

products to be retailers rather than individuals, then these firms face very strong buyer

power. Retailers like Wal-Mart WMT and Target TGT are able to negotiate for pricing

with companies like HUL because they purchase and sell so much of HUL's products.

Verdict: Strong buyer power from retailers.

SUPPLIER POWER.

More than likely, consumer-products companies face some amount of supplier power

simply because of the costs they incur when switching suppliers. On the other hand,

suppliers that do a large amount of business with these companies--supplying HUL with

raw materials for its products, for instance--also are somewhat beholden to their

customers, like HUL. Nevertheless, bargaining power for both the firms and their suppliers

is probably limited.

Verdict: Limited supplier power.

THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS.

Given the amount of capital investment needed to enter certain segments in household

consumer products, such as manufacturing deodorants, we suspect the threat of new

entrants is fairly low in the industry. In some segments within the household consumer-

products industry, this may not be the case since a small manufacturer could develop a

superior product, such as a detergent, and compete with HUL. The test is whether the

small manufacturer can get its products on the shelves of the same retailers as its much

larger rivals. Verdict: High threat of new entrants.

THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES.


Within the consumer-products industry, brands succeed in helping to build a competitive

advantage, but even the pricing power of brands can be eroded with substitutes such as

store-branded private-label offerings. In fact, some of these same store-brand private-label

products are manufactured by the large consumer-products firms. The firms believe that if

they can manufacture and package a lower-price alternative themselves, they would rather

accept the marginal revenue from their lower-priced items than risk completely losing the

sale to a private-label competitor.

Verdict: High threat of substitutes.

DEGREE OF RIVALRY.

Consumers in this category enjoy a multitude of choices for everything from cleaning

products to bath washes. While many consumers prefer certain brands, switching costs in

this industry are quite low. It does not cost anything for a consumer to buy one brand of

shampoo instead of another. This, along with a variety of other factors, including the

forces we've already examined, makes the industry quite competitive.

Verdict: High degree of rivalry.


KANDLA FACTORY BACKGROUND

The factory currently manufactures HPC category products; mainly Skin care, Hair

care and Oral care products. In skin care, various creams and lotions are

manufactured. In Oral care, toothpaste is manufactured. In hair care, shampoo and

hair creams are manufactured. The factory used to manufacture, VHT oil, which

now has been transferred to a 3P manufacturer.

In the past, the factory used to produce soaps; the unit had been shut subsequently.

The factory used to produce liquid detergents for Malaysia. Up to Jan’01 rice was

also processed here and now it has been shifted to Delhi.

Factory also produced VBJ/VPJ (Jelly) till April 06 for UAE, operation of which

has now been shifted to HLL-Pondicherry unit.

• Unit Commissioned - April 1982

• Plot Area - 72900 sq m.

• Current Built area - 8700 sq m.

• Green Cover - 40880 sq m

• ETP Capacity - 160TPD

• ETP overflow water used in gardening

• Kandla Port - 9 km from factory

• Mundra Port - 65 km from factory

( P&O Managed Port)


PLANT AND AREA IN SQM

- Oral plant - 3168

- Old skin plant - 864

- New skin plant - 1687

- LD plant - 2562

- Substation - 110

- Pump house – 180

- VPJ melting - 98

SITE LOCATION-

Exports Factory of Hindustan Lever Limited at Kandla is situated in an industrial area

inside the Special Economic Zone, ~6 Km southwest of the Gandhidham town.

Site Name Kandla Factory

Street Plot Nos. 253-257 Sector-IV, Kandla Special Economic Zone

Town/District Gandhidham, District Kutch

Postal Code 370 230

Country India



MILESTONES- KANDLA FACTORY

The main events in the development of the Factory over the years are

summarized in the table below.

YEAR ACTIVITY

1983 Manufacturing operations commenced with Toothpaste, Shampoo, Lipstick and Garments.

1984-85 Herbicides, Perfumes and Mascara operations commenced.

1986-87 Edible Fats (Dalda), Creams (FAL), Timotei Shampoo started.

Herbicide production discontinued.

1988 Lux Shampoo and Powder Compacts manufacturing commenced.

1990-91 Soaps in a 3rd Party Location (outside the Free Trade Zone) commenced. Colored cosmetics

discontinued. Herbicide plant decontaminated and dismantled.

1993 Closure of Edible Fats. Commissioning of Rice processing.

ISO 9002 certification – PP

1994 Closure of garment operation.

1996 Re-sitting of the Soap Packing operations from the 3rd Party to inside the Zone.

ISO 9002 certification – Rice

1997 A year of discontinuity. Production volumes started picking up after being very low in

1996-97.

ISO 9002 certification Soaps

Unilever Silver Safety Trophy

1998 Operation to process Filtered Hair (Coconut) Oil and Aviance range of Products

commenced.

Gujarat Export Award – LIEL & HLL ( 1997-98 )

Unilever Gold Safety Trophy


1999 Shampoo, VHT and Ponds Skin Product range commenced.

Safety (ISRS) Audit was conducted in January.

Gujarat Export Award – LIEL & HLL ( 1998-99 )

2000 Pears Shower Gel/Face Wash, Dove/Sunsilk Hair Cream, Vaseline Petroleum Jelly

operations commenced.

2001/200

2

Rice unit shifted to Delhi. The new Liquid detergent plant commissioned.

2003 Achieved “A” rating in UQCSRM audit conducted by Unilever auditor (Ms. Gyani).

2004 Certified for ISO 9001:2000 standard, Belle project successful mfg. trials taken

Toothpaste plant renovated, comparable to a world class unit

Capacity expansion done for Skin care plant

2005 Achieved TPM Level 1 Award

Plant audited by Unilever Europe SC team

Project Garcey trials initiated, Belle mfg. trails completed.

New toothpaste for Unica and Australia trails taken successfully with 100% FTR

Won Exports Award from KASEZ

2006 Cleared XRS audit with 92% Scoring

Hygiene audit by Unilever, Europe (Alex G)

Project Superbird trials taken in consultation with Germany for supplying to UAE

2007 3 new NORDEN lines (Al tubes, Nitrogen flushing) for project Mythos, PAMPAC CP120

installed inline, Factory gets US FDA & CMOH Approval, New skin plant.

2008 High speed bottling line, High speed jar line procured, New project Vi A Dios Launch.


FACTORY ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE


Policies Undertaken At HUL (Kandla Factory)

I. Safety and health policy :

Hindustan Unilever Ltd. - Kandla Factory recognises people as its most important asset

and is committed to provide a safe and healthy work environment for those working on

and visiting its operations. Management at all levels is held accountable for the

occupational safety and health performance of the factory. At the same time it is the duty

of every employee to work in a safe manner so as not to endanger himself and his

colleagues at the work place and during travel. This is a condition of employment.

HUL, Kandla Factory aims to prevent occupational injuries and ill health through the

following action:

Integrate safety into all company processes. Proactively evaluate risk of

occupational injury/illness and implement actions to mitigate the risk

Design, adapt, operate and maintain technology, plants and other facilities within

the designated safety criteria throughout their working life.

Develop, introduce and maintain safety and health management systems across the

HUL- Kandla factory to meet HUL standards as well as statutory requirements for

safety and health. Verify compliance with these standards through regular auditing.

Set annual improvement objective and targets and review these to ensure that these

are being met at the individual unit and corporate levels.

Inculcate safety as a personal value through behavioural intervention at all levels,

recognition of positive behaviour and continuous correction of unsafe behaviour.

Involve all the employees in the implementation of this policy and provide

appropriate training.


Provide for appropriate dissemination of information on safety and health at work

and travel through suitable communication networks both within the HUL- Kandla

factory and with external bodies.

II. The environment policy:

Ensure safety of its products and operations for the environment by using standards

of environmental safety, which are scientifically sustainable and commonly

acceptable.

Develop, introduce and maintain environmental management systems across the

factory to meet the company standards as well as statutory requirements for

environment. Verify compliance with these standards through regular auditing.

Assess environmental impact of all its activities and set annual improvement

objectives and targets and review these to ensure that these are being met at the

individual unit and corporate levels.

Reduce wastage, conserve energy and explore opportunities for reuse and recycle

Involve all employees in the implementation of this policy and provide appropriate

training. Provide for dissemination of information to employees on environmental

objectives and performance through suitable communication networks.

Encourage suppliers and co-packers to develop and employ environmentally

superior processes and ingredients and co-operate with other members of the

supply chain to improve overall environmental performance.

Work in partnership with external bodies and Government agencies to promote

environmental care, increase understanding of environmental issues and

disseminate good practice.


III . Consumer & Customer safety policy:

Ensure that the products are safe by design.

Design, operate, continuously improve its process/plants, storage and distribution

chain and comply with the statutory and internal Unilever standards.

Establish and maintain standards and procedures for the control and monitoring of

all Critical Control Points in the operations, protecting its products from potential

hazards of presence of foreign bodies, microbiological, chemical contaminants and

allergens.

Operate and maintain a toxicological clearance procedure for all its products,

ingredients, formulations and packaging.

Seek specialist advice and support from the centre to self and provide specialist

advice and support

Ensure that all employees at each level and function are aware of their

responsibilities for Consumer Safety and are appropriately trained and motivated to

fulfil them.

Establish the procedure to identify “suspect or contaminated products & the raw

and packaging materials”, recall it from any point in the manufacturing/distribution

chains, and take appropriate corrective & preventive action.

Provide necessary Product information to its Customers & Consumers, including

safety handling instructions, where required.

The responsibility for dissemination and implementation of this policy lies with the

Business Head.

The Consumer and Customer Safety Policy will be reviewed annually ensuring

continual improvement of the Quality & Consumer Safety Management System.


IV . Quality Policy:

Hindustan Unilever Ltd. – Kandla Factory considers Quality as one

of the principal strategic platforms to Growth and Leadership in the market in which it

operates.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd.- Kandla Factory is committed to respond

creatively and competitively to the changing needs and aspirations of our consumers

through relentless pursuit of technological excellence, innovation, TPM and Quality

Management Systems across its business.

HUL- Kandla recognizes that its employees are primary source of

success in its operations and is committed to training and providing them the necessary

tools and techniques as well as empowering them to ensure broad base compliance of

this policy in the organisation at all levels.

HUL- Kandla is committed to fulfil its legal and statutory

obligations and international standards of product safety and hygiene and will not

knowingly produce and dispatch product that is harmful to consumers or their

belongings. It will institute systems and measures to monitor compliance in order to

meet its responsibilities to consumers.

The unit will maintain an open communication channel with its

consumers and customers and will carefully monitor the feedback to continuously

improve its products and services and set quality standards to fulfil them.

The unit is committed to extend its quality standards to its contract

manufacturers, supplier and service providers and by entering into alliances with them,

to jointly improve the quality of its product and services.

The responsibility for dissemination and implementation of this

policy lies with the Business Head.


The unit will annually review this quality policy for its effectiveness and consistency with

business objectives

Total Protective Maintenance (TPM)

Total Productive Maintenance is a surprisingly effective approach to achieving World

Class levels of manufacturing performance.

It has delivered spectacular results in every major industry and is seen by many

manufacturers as a cornerstone of their improvement strategy.

Here we will describe some of the key features of this approach.

i) What is TPM?

ii) What are the objectives of TPM?

iii) What are the pillars of TPM?

iv) What is the role of Management in TPM?

i) What is TPM?

TPM is a "Corporate Cultural Change Programme", originally developed in Japan by the

Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance. It is an approach to radically changing the culture

and performance of manufacturing operations through the application of structured toolkits

- called "pillars".

It provides comprehensive techniques for changing the behaviour of personnel in order to

improve the design, condition and performance of plant items.


ii) What are the objectives of TPM?

TPM aims to achieve the 4 Zeros:

• Zero Defects

• Zero Breakdowns

• Zero Wastes

Zero Accidents

In short, TPM aims to remove all sources of non-value added.

iii) What are the pillars of TPM?

TPM consists of a number of discrete toolkits, called the "Pillars of TPM"


(Source: www.lossandwaste.co.uk)

1) Kobetsu Kaizan: Focused Improvement:

Kobetsu Kaizen or focused improvement includes all activities that maximize the

overall effectiveness of equipment, processes and plants through uncompromising

elimination of losses and improvement of performance.

It’s a rigorous process of continuous improvement based on the scientific method of

understanding a system, measuring performance, preparing a hypothesis and investigating

hypothesis, developing a solution and verifying the effectiveness of solution and verifying

the effectiveness of the solution. The Focused Improvement process is driven by a Loss &

Waste system based on Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).This pillar provides the

main tools for driving toward Zero Wastes, Zero Breakdowns, Zero Defects and Zero

Accidents

2) JISHU HOZEN: Autonomous Maintenance:


A seven step process to create Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) by changing the

approach to equipment care. Particularly effective at improving the underlying trend of

equipment reliability, or where the availability of good quality maintenance personnel is

limited. Concentration on good equipment conditions, cleanliness and lubrication during

the early steps leads to high level of ownership of plant items amongst operating teams.

This pillar is a necessary requirement for Zero breakdowns, and has an indirect effect in

achieving Zero Waste, Zero Defects and Zero Accidents.

3) Effective Maintenance:

A step-by-step process for improving plant maintenance. Effective plant maintenance

requires a mix of approaches to maintaining plant items - including breakdown, time

based and inspection based maintenance, condition monitoring and corrective

maintenance. The Effective Maintenance pillar redresses this by achieving the

appropriate balance of maintenance approaches to deliver optimum availability at

lowest cost. This pillar is also a necessary requirement for Zero breakdowns, and has

an indirect effect in achieving Zero Waste, Zero Defects and Zero Accidents.

4) Training and Education:


Progress in the other pillars frequently identifies knowledge gaps amongst the

workforce and management. For example, operators often do not understand the

operating principles of their equipment; maintenance personnel may be unfamiliar with

maintenance techniques such as "syringe lubrication" or condition monitoring

approaches. Managers can be unclear of the exact plant performance required, or may

need training in coaching techniques. All of these knowledge gaps must be filled if

significant improvement is to be achieved. This pillar captures these knowledge gaps

as they are identified, develops appropriate solutions for training and education

(usually resourced and conducted in-house), and ensures they are delivered through a

programme of structured development for the entire workforce.

Training Cycle:

(Chart: 9)

Institute of Management, Nirma University

Skill

Gap

Impart

Training

Training

Plan

Skill Inventory

Evaluate Effectiveness

Skill

Requirement

Implementation

36

(Source: HUL, Kandla Factory)

4) Early Management (or "Early Equipment

Management", or "Initial Flow Control"):

Once the first four pillars of TPM have been established, it is usual to find that significant

improvements have been made to existing plant to make them more effective, more

reliable and easier to maintain. The knowledge which has been developed to achieve

these improvements is now directed toward the development, design and implementation

of new plant items before they arrive in the factory. It is akin to a process of

Simultaneous Engineering, but involves mining the deep, practical, knowledge and

understanding of what makes for good production developed during the earlier pillars,

rather than purely theoretical engineering knowledge. In this way, new plant and

equipment should be capable of vertical start-up, where they achieve their planned

performance level immediately, rather than after a period of commissioning and bedding

in.

6) Quality Maintenance :

The Quality Maintenance pillar aims to achieve a production system which is incapable of

producing quality defects. It builds on the work done during the first four pillars, and

brings in additional techniques such as “Poke Yoke”. This pillar is the final step in the

drive toward Zero Defects.

7) TPM in Administration :

As the other pillars deliver a constantly improving performance in the equipment, more

and more of the problems which occur will be as a result of the administration of the

operation. This could be in the planning process, resourcing, documentation or procedures,

etc. This pillar takes the approaches used on the manufacturing processes and applies them

to the administration processes.


8) Safety, Health & the Environment :

This pillar ensures that all the improvements developed by the other pillars do not reduce

the Safety, Health or Environmental performance of the organisation. It also ensures that

the approaches used to achieve manufacturing performance improvement are equally

applied to Safety, Health and Environmental issues.

ABSENTEEISM

Absenteeism; is the failure to report to work

1. it's obviously difficult for an organization to operate smoothly and to attain its

objectives if employees fail to report to their jobs. The workflow is disrupted, and

often-important decisions are delayed. The organizations (like our Unilever) rely

heavily upon assembly line production; absenteeism is considerably more than a

disruption. It can result in:-

• A drastic reduction in quality of output.

• sometimes can bring a complete shutdown of the production facility.

2. Absenteeism has a direct impact on the organization's:-

• Effectiveness


• Efficiency

3. Although most absences have a negative impact on the organization. we can

conceive of situations in which the organization may benefit by an employee's

voluntarily choosing not to come to work e.g. in jobs in which an employee needs

t0 be alert surgeons, pilots). If the employee is ill or is under stress it's better not to

report to work but should take rest.

Even in management jobs where mistake are less spectacular, performance may be

improved when managers absent themselves from work rather than make a poor

decision under stress.

4. Absenteeism is one of the most widespread obstacles to productivity, profitability

and competitiveness. It causes overtime, late deliveries, dissatisfied customers and

a decline in morale among workers who are expected to cover for absent

colleagues.

5. Well the production of the company in a way depends upon the presence of the

workers.

Absenteeism effects adversely in smooth production. Though absenteeism is

related to efforts to reduce absenteeism in a planned manner.

6 It is not unusual for managers to find themselves shutting down lines,

Scaling back services, or scheduling weekend work because they struggle to fill

positions left open by absent employees Employee absences

• Predictable

• Unpredictable

• Scheduled


• Unscheduled

• Controllable

• Uncountable

MAGNITUDE OF ABSENTEEISM

It is observed that the phenomenon of absenteeism does not exist only in Indian industry, it

is a universal fact. The difference is only in terms of magnitude. The rate of absenteeism

varies from 7% to nearly 30%. In some occupations, it has risen to abnormal level of 40%.

The extant of absenteeism may differ from industry to industry, place to place and

occupation to occupation. It may also differ according to the make-up of the work force.

Absenteeism may be extensive in a particular department of an industry or a concern.

Absenteeism in Indian industry is not a new phenomenon. The Royal Commission on

Labour reported, "High absenteeism prevails among industrial Labour mainly due to their

Rural orientation".

Absenteeism means practice of being absent from the duty by the employees. It disturbs

the smooth functioning of the company and effects on production/productivity of the plant. Institute of Management, Nirma University 40

The problem of absenteeism is being given a serious view and a comprehensive study on

absenteeism of the plant was carried out in 1997. From the analysis and study the

following facts revealed that plant absenteeism is being affected by following types of

absenteeism:

• Authorized leaves

• Unauthorized leaves

• Compensatory leave

REASONS FOR ABSENTEEISM

Absenteeism is due to lack of "commitment" on the part of the work

force. The worker in the process of the early stages of industrialization is more prone to

absenteeism, prolonged and sporadic withdrawal from the industrial work, wildcat

stoppages. Naked violence and destruction of machines and property. Absenteeism is due

to the factors that influence worker's commitment.

According to Hone "Absenteeism is related to new values & norms which are developing

among the workforce as a result of technological developments. Work and leisure are now

cherished by worker and these he want to enjoy along with the monetary benefits he gets

for his service. The economic consideration, therefore, decides whether one would like to

be absent from work."

The attitude and practice of the management also contribute to absenteeism. A traditional Institute of Management, Nirma University 41

management treats workers as hirelings, while an enlighten management treats them as

human beings. This difference in behavior leads in the former situation to high

absenteeism & in the latter situation to a close affinity with the organization, the result

being lower absenteeism.

The general causes of absenteeism may be:•

BETTER QUALIFICATION

A worker who is educated has done 10th or 12th or ITI generally remain absent because

they can use their education in some other work also. If they are having some technical

knowledge also then they after being permanent in the company either starts working

somewhere also or they start business of their own. Whereas the workers who are

uneducated are more regular in their work as there is no other way opened for them except

to work here for his earnings.

MAL-ADJUSTMENT WITH FACTORY CONDITIONS

Workers usually with rural background finds himself caught within great factory walls. he

is bewildered by heavy traffic. by jostling by strangers speaking different languages and he

is weary of the misery of slums & of failing for long hours. He is subject, to strict

discipline. He is under constant strain.

Sick & old type remains absent from work by reason of ill health, weak constitution,

chronic disease or old age. The family oriented become chronic absentees because of their

over identification & family affairs. The lack of balance between family involvement &

job responsibility is another cause of their deviant work behavior.


UNSATISFACTORY HOUSING CONDITIONS:-

The workers who come to towns usually find they are not wanted & they swell the number

of unemployed & casual worker. They also experience housing difficulties. Not less than

95% of the houses occupied by industrial workers in India are unsatisfactory for healthful

habitations. Health conditions are naturally bad, leading to high morbidity and consequent

ill health. They, therefore, make frequent visits to their village home to get relief from

such unsanitary and unhealthy surroundings

INDUSTRIAL FATIGUE:- Low wage compel a worker to seek some part time job to earn some side income. But this

often results in constant fatigue, which compels him to remain absent for the next day, and

if fatigue affects his seriously, his absence may continue for quite some time.

ABSENCE OF ADEQUATE'WELFARE FACILITIES:-

Absenteeism is also due to inadequate welfare facilities available to workers for a vast

majority of industrialist in India still look upon welfare work as a barren liability than a

wise investment.

IMPROPER AND UNREALISTIC PERSONEL POLICIES:-

In most case unskilled, untrained, illiterate and inexperienced are recruited who fail to

cope with and adopt themselves to their jobs and to their industrial environment.

Favourism and nepotism are rampant.

We can cover the absence in the following way:-


• Use a shift schedule system that allows employees sufficient scheduled time off.

This allow them to deal with personal needs such all doctor's appointment, meeting

and reduces problems associated with many uncontrollable source of absences.

• Provide incentives to the workforce to use their vacation time when the workload is

low e.g. give employee an extra day of vacation for every week of vacation taken

during your low production season. From a financial perspective, there are many

situation where this the best way to cover vacation.

• Staff your operation above the minimum requirements. When absences occur, the

opening are automatically filled with the extra personnel may be ideal during

seasons when absenteeism is low .

• Use overtime to cover vacancies as they occur. While this is a very good use of

overtime. it works best in an environment that does not experience large fluctuation

in workload from week to week. In these organization overtime is a scare resource

that can be easily absurd resulting in fatigue lower productivity and increased cost.

• Cross training between work area so that personnel from one department can be

used in other departments in their id a crisis. This is a good practice as long as the

cost for cross training is not excessive.

• Use temporary personnel in company that have some position requiring little

training to perform, this can be the least expensive source of absence coverage.

This works best when full time employees cover all full time positions. Some of

the full time employees must have the ability to "Step-up" to the nest job if needed

when an absence occurs, it is covered by a trained person in the next lower position

creating a chain of set-ups until the actual vacancy is at the lowest skill level

position. A temporary employee can then cover the vacancy.


• Reschedule work to be performed when resources are available. This strategy

usually requires the operation to carry additional product inventory demand.

• Smooth out the variability of controllable absence using predetermined limits. This

places some of the burden on the workforce to spread out their absence and is

easier to cover absence with fewer resources


OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objective of the study undertaken by me at Export Division of Unilever

was:

ABSENTEEISM

1. To find the various reasons of erratic absenteeism among employees.

2. To prepare a platform to look over the problems of the employees.

3. To find out ways in order to reduce, if not able to completely remove, the problems

of the employees.

To find out ways in order to reduce, if not able to completely remove, the problems

SCOPE

The scope of the study was limited to the category of the workers only because in

management cadre absenteeism is almost nil as people of this cadre are punctual in

coming to the organization and therefore conducting this study in this cadre would had

been useless. Absenteeism of workman is a matter of concern before shop managers, as

it effects adversely in smooth production. Though, Absenteeism is related to personal

reasons of workman, but it becomes necessary on the part of the management to put

efforts to reduce absenteeism in a planned manner. So I also talked to the supervisors to

know their suggestions for the management.

The study will be conducted at HR Department in UNILEVER LTD., (KANDLA). All the employees working at New Skin plant will be considered under the scope of the survey work


RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

THE SIZE OF THE REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE

The size of the sample is 50.

THE METHOD OF SELECTING THE SAMPLE

Random sampling is the method used

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE:

STAGE 1- Choosing the employees for interview

STAGE II - Calling for interview

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

The data for the survey will be collected from primary as well as secondary data source.

THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF DATA COLLECTION:-

• By administering the questionnaire to manager.

• By interview of manager.

THE SECONDARY SOURCE OF DATA COLLECTION:-

• The policy towards employees.

• Job satisfaction policies.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To meet though the objectives of the project and to know the very basic reasons that lead to

habitual absenteeism the method adopted was structured and undisguised personal interview.

The interview was structured because the main reasons of absenteeism were already sorted

out and along that line only I wished to conduct the interview. It was undisguised so as to

extract the best possible behavior from the respondent. This feature was mainly incorporated

to land some sort of flexibility to the questionnaire. The list of the habitual absentees of the

last 2 quarter was sorted out. The list contained 60 workers. Before going for the interview

process a study was made about rate of absenteeism in Export division of Unilever of past 5


years and the reasons for it were tried to be found out. Out of various reasons 9 basic and

important reasons were selected out on which the interview was based.

Before calling the workers for the interview their past history of absenteeism was studied, the reasons given by them for absence, disciplinary action taken against them.

I personally went to the heads of various departments and requested them to send the

concerned workers. The workers were called in the personnel Department and interviewed.

While talking to the workers care was taken to make them feel comfortable and to create a

friendly environment so that the talk could be a friendly one. When I first contacted the

people they were suspicious but once they were told that I am not from the management and

was doing this study as an independent person they became very open and helpful. They were

also assured of secrecy, which made them very approachable. They were told the purpose of

study that it was for academic purpose and was for the benefit also for if the report is read by

Management they may get a chance to peep into the root cause of absenteeism, may

understand the problems of workers and thereby necessary steps may be taken to improve the

condition. The sample size taken was 50.

After the interview an exhaustive study was done and observations and suggestions thereby

made finally led to the completion of the project.

PRIMARY DATA

Excessive absenteeism means the workers who have more than 25% of leave without pay in a

year i.e. in a year they have taken more than 90 days of leave without pay.

This habitual absence is generally defined in the standing orders. According to standing order

'Habitual means an act of omission or commission which is repeated three times within a

period of 12 months. The word habitual absences do not mean a number of times absence

spread over a reasonable period.

According to the rules of the company an employee can be sanctioned without pay leave only

upto a maximum of 30 days during a calendar year, which also depends on the full discretion

of the management.

• Inspite of the many measures taken lime


• Home inquiries (counseling and monitoring)

• Warnings by the management

The problem has not been really taken care of but it does not mean that the Export division

management has not been able to do anything they have been able to reduce the quantity.

Below is the data given:

In 2005 the problem was with 87 workers. The management decides to curtail the problem

with counseling and monitoring followed by home inquiries and warnings. The management

was able to reduce it to quite an extent.

In 2009 the problem was 74 employees which were further to 60 in 2011. The list of

2011contains only 60 such workers which were the target of study.

TARGET: 60 people

PERSON INTERVIEWED: 50 people

Reasons taken for study -

DOMESTIC PROBLEM

Sickness self/family

Lack of proper transportation Habitual intoxication

Any side business

Seasonal farming

Involvement in social activities

Involvement in politics

Fatigue

Loan

JOB RELATED PROBLEMS

Bad working conditions

Difference with superior


DATA INTERPRETATION-

LEAVES AND ATTENDANCES GENERAL RULES:

1. There are three types of leaves which are given in a calendar year: • Earned Leave (EL) • Casual leave (CL)• Sick Leave (SL) 2. More than one type of leave (SL,CL, EL) cannot be combined in one day. 3. Employees joining during the course of the year can avail CL and SL on pro-rata

basis. EL accrues only in January of the next year to the extent of prorate calculation of number of ELs in the year of joining

4. Application/availment of any leave more than due will result in leave without pay. 5. Leave entitlement, extent of accumulation and Encashment for M2 and above is as

follows:

Type of Leave No in calendar Year

Permissible accumulation

Permissible encashment

Casual Leave (CL)

7 working days Nil Not allowed

SICK LEAVE 7 Calendar days 90 days Not allowed

EARNED LEAVE 30 Calendar days 240 days Minimum 10 days and maximum 60 days, subject to balance of 30 days after encashment

6. Wherever a holiday/ off day fails between two days of leave, which is, calculated on

calendar days basis, the holiday/off days will also he counted as leave. This will

however not apply to CLs as it is calculated on the basis of working days.

7 Sanction of EL at least 15 days before availing it is necessary. CL should Nominally

he pre-sanctioned.

8. Leaves can be combined in the following manner subject to approval by the head of the

Department:


TYPE OF LEAVE CAN BE PREFIXED WITH CAN BE SUFIXED WITH

CL SL ---

SL EL EL & CL I

EL SL SL

CASUAL LEAVE

1. Casual leave is intended for urgent work or unforeseen circumstances.

2 Maximum casual leave that can be availed at a stretch at any time is three

Days.

3. CL is credited to the employee's leave account at the beginning of the year.

SICK LEAVE

1 . A medical certificate issued by a Registered Doctor must support

application of sick leave for more than 2 days.

2. Sick leave is credited to the employee's leave account at the beginning of the year.

EARNED LEAVE

1. ELs can be availed subject to a minimum of three days at a time and can be availed up

to a maximum of three times in a year.

2. EL can be taken for less than three days if SL & CL have exhausted.

3. For any period when you are on leave without pay, leave in not earned, and hence

proportionate deduction in the number of ELs to be credited will be made.

4 Minimum of 10 days EL. has to he availed by an employees every year,

Otherwise the same shall lapse at the end of the year.

5. EL is credited at the beginning of the Following year. Once the accumulated EL is or

is in excess of 30 days, the credit for further EL in a calendar year will be restricted to


20 days (and not for 30 days) in case the 10 days EL is not actually availed in that

calendar year.

OBSERVATIONS

• It was observed that the rate of absenteeism was quite high in case of workmen who

have come from rural areas. They have agricultural land at their native places and

have to go to look after the cultivation, particularly in harvesting season, many of

such workers come from joint families having other members to look after their

agricultural land and other property. Such workman often visit their native places to

attend various types of ceremonies and work of their joint families .

• The second category of the workmen who often remain from duty, is of those persons

who take up industrial employment to uphold their dignity in the society from which

they hail.

•. The third category is of such skilled workmen who can earn more in a day by doing a

job outside the establishment then getting one day wages by attending their duties in

the establishment. These workmen are generally those people who are having a better

qualification and have some technical skills due to which they get the job easily

outside the premises.

• The fourth category involves those workmen who are trade union leaders or social

workers n their time there due to which they remain absent from their duty.

As April is the season of marriages so large no of marriages occur in this month and

employees go on leaves to attend these ceremonies.

• Further the employees still have strong bonds of attachment with their villages and

they avail leaves during harvesting seasons.

• Sickness in the family was the common excuses.

• The rate of absenteeism is the lowest on the payday. It increases

considerably on the days following the wages and bonus, when workers


Out of the workers interviewed, hardly any worker was really worried about being absent just

for fun, in their words.

either feels like having a good time or in some cases return home to their villages to make

purchases for the family.

• The incidence of absenteeism both before and after a holiday, has found to be higher

than that on normal days

• The percentage of absenteeism is generally higher in the night shifts than in the day

shifts.

• Another major reason for absenteeism was the side business, which many of the

workers were having. Though only few accepted this directly but many others

accepted it by pointing indirectly

• Further the employees remained absent because of their habit of intoxication.

Some of the workers agreed of their being involved in bad habit of intoxication. They

drink at night, which causes them to sleep late in morning and thus keeping them

away from work.

• One case was very peculiar in which both father and son were working in Export

division of Unilever and both were habitual absentees main reason being th2t they

both were involved in drinking habit and neither of them was sorry for their attitude .

• Besides that this habit also caused several health problems due to which they had to

take rest and thus have to be absent from their duty. Some workers were really given

proper treatment by the Unilever doctors / management which is a praise worthy

point. The Unilever management needs to be congratulated for this effort, but many

workers had complaint of insufficient medical facilities available and so they prefer

their treatment from an outside doctor due to which they have to take the leaves.


• Yet another reason was bad working conditions like high temperature inside, lack of

proper ventilation etc.

• Availability of compensatory leave facility was rather misused. Workers work day to

night at a stretch for a week or two and they avail the facility of compensatory leave

OBSERVATIONS...CONTD

PERSONNEL FUNCTIONS IN THE COMPANY

Export Division takes pride in people who strive for excellence-people who are not merely

satisfied with what they have but are looking for "more" and better - for betterment of their

products, their organization and themselves. Its endeavor therefore is to provide with an

environment where one can learn and grow.

Export Division has its own objectives and strives to reach there. And for this is required co-

ordination among employees, their healthy spirit, mind, good working environment, sound

industrial relations etc. and here comes the role of Personnel Department which is to hire the

right people for various jobs, equip them to handle the job and keep them motivated.

The key success. it is said, is not just the state of the art of the technology; it is the- state of

the art of the people. The company recognizes that human resources are its most important

assets. While recruitment is done very carefully to ensure that only the best get selected, the

various systems operating within the company be it the compensation and benefit package,

the evaluation systems or the reward systems are all geared to attract the best talent available.

The company attaches utmost importance to human resources development for it realizes that

human resources need to be shaped to respond to business needs and the imperatives of

change. The endeavor is to constantly underline the talent base with two basic objectives;

clarity of purpose and motivation for individual Career growth through self improvement.

Programmes are instituted at all levels to improve productivity and to check individual

potential for growth.

To keep managers in touch with the latest in management techniques, UNILEVER has tied

up with premier management institutes for programmes at all levels. At the worker and staff

levels, the company has also successfully implemented the concept of incentive linked pay


scales, to achieve greater efficiency. Every blue collar worker at UNILEVER is pension able,

a feat not many companies can boast of.

Thus the personnel department is responsible for many functions. Some of these are :-

• Manpower planning, recruitment & induction

• Training & Development of employees

• Union negotiations

• Appraisal, increments & promotions

• Employee health, safety & welfare

• Maintaining personnel needs

• Industrial relations

• Grievance handling

• Employee Benefits & Services

• Worker's education and tours

• Industrial safety

• Fire prevention and fighting

• Suggestion scheme

• Health awareness and guidance

• First aid facilities


CONCLUSION

EMPLOYEES ABSENTEEISM mean employee who is not available for duty is counted as

absent from duty. If he is on sanctioned leave it will be counted as "authorized Absenteeism."

I case he is not available to work without any leave or pre-sanction it would be counted

"Unauthorized Absenteeism."

There are many conclusions:-

• The study of Unilever Ltd. enables us to conclude that overall attitude of the system is

quite promising but still there are certain drawback present in the system in which

need to be corrected in order to make the system more acceptable & beneficial for

ever employees of the organization.

• Responses highlight that the employees are not fully satisfy with facilities provide to

them especially the long procedures followed for sanctions the travel and bank loans.

• There are various issues on which absenteeism levels of employees are very high.

• Company provides health facilities to the employees.

• The various guidelines are properly state and followed in the relation to the accidental prone areas.

• There is due emphasis on cleanliness both in the plant and in township.


SUGGESTIONS

After undergoing the study by taking personal interviews of the workers, few drawbacks did

came up. Few is steps can be taken to do away with the drawbacks, though some of the

drawbacks are the limitations, which are nearly impossible to done away with though they

can be toned down.

Proper orientation of the induction program is very necessary. A case was seen in which a

worker met with an accident inside the factory premises and got his left arm fractured. Acc.

To the rules of the company any accident should be reported within 24 hrs. But the above

person did not know about it and so could not get the desired facilities. He was absent for 2

days thinking that it would be called leave. But because there was no registration it was

counted as absenteeism. Further he could not avail the facilities provided by Export division

of UNILEVER. He then had to go out for treatment causing him again to be absent.

There is an urgent need to review the practice of overstay through which employees earn

compensatory leaves and in turn cause absenteeism which further necessitates overstay of

other employees thus triggering a vicious cycle of overstay and absenteeism.

Counseling has always been the best way to any Solutions. Past study also shows that

counseling is an effective measure. Counseling should be done at least once in two months

Most of the workers' given reasons of sickness; this may be because of unhealthy working

conditions. Therefore management should take measures to provide proper working

conditions,


Proper fringe benefits and financial incentives should be given to regular employees, This can

motivate other workers to be regular if they come to know about the extra benefits, which

they could avail. Another basic reason found out for absenteeism was in sufficient welfare

schemes and housing facilities and frequent visit to hometowns, to improve this following

measures can be taken:

REINCARNATION CENTERS FOR ENTERTAINMENT

Although it is a costly project bearing large expenses but result will be decreased absenteeism

and increased production, Most of the good organizations have their own townships, which is

lacking in UNILEVER.

A reason found out for absenteeism was side business of workers. Why do workers go for it?

It means lack of proper wages, allowances and job security, Measures should be taken to

maintain a sufficient reasonable level of wages

Workers in need should be granted leaves liberally so that they are at work when needed,

Habitual absentees should be made aware of their absenteeism, The more the employees are

kept informed about there absence the greater is the chances of reduction in the rate of

absenteeism. Absentee is to be made aware of his absence to make him feel that he is not

only important but he is greatly needed.

As absenteeism of workman is a matter of concern before shop managers, as it effects

adversely in smooth production. Though, absenteeism is related to personal reasons of

workman. but it becomes necessary on the part of the management to put efforts to reduce

absenteeism in a planned manner.

Thus I also talked to the junior managers in order to assess their perception about worker's

absenteeism. The junior managers gave the following suggestions :-


• In order to control the high rate of absenteeism, the management should do home

visits of the habitual absentee.

• The management should do counseling of family members.

• The management should introduce some social recognition programmes.

• The management should give them awards for being punctual.

Management can motivate them in this way. Also it can inspire other to be punctual.

• The management should not be scared of the Union, and should take disciplinary

action against the absentees. Management's position is very pathetic because of the

dominance of Union.

• Inter personal relations should be improved, because of a worker has good relation

with his boss than only he will! Frankly tell his problems or the reasons for taking

leave, and the management can try to work upon those reasons.

• List if absentees should be displayed on the notice board Management should issue

the show cause notice t~ the absentee.


LEARNINGS

The summer project offers the first exposure to the industry in trems of real time experience.

In a way, it provides a dress rehearsel of actual corporate carrer to begin in a year’s time. It is

an opportunity to identify the key areas of improvement and work upon them. Additionally,

the summer internship experience puts the whole learning process into a new perspective.

APPLICATION OF CONCEPTS

The project offered scope to apply some of the concepts related to job description and job

analysis elaborated in the Human Resources Management course undertaken at IM, NU. This

included preliminary knowledge about the various concepts elaborated at IMNU.

The lesson of culling out important information from superfluous flab was also learnt at IM,

NU. The process of analyzing information to arrive at logical conclusions and basing rational

recommendations on them was all part of the learning process at IMNU. These came in to use

while preparing and analyzing the various data and details of HUL.

NEW KNOWLEDGE, TOOLS, TECHNIQUES AND SKILLS PICKED UP

Although the theoretical framework and knowledge about how to do research study was

imparted at the institute yet the practical use of these frame work was fulfilled at HUL. Here I

had the first hand experience of actually studying and analyzing the responses of the


employees. Having the right man at the right job and doing the right thing at the right time is

of utmost importance for any organisation. Here I could understand various employee issues

like lack of exciting responsibilities which is difficult to express in theory. While working on

the project and receiving inputs from the employees who were interviewed, I could broaden

my interpersonal skills of questioning.

AUGMENTATION OF SOFT SKILLS

Soft skills are of paramount importance in all the aspects of management but more so in the

field of Human Resource Management. It was very nice working with HULas I got to interact

with actual people on field. The opportunity to interact with HR personals and conducting

interviews along with them proved to be great worth as it contributed to development of

ability to think on one’s toes.

However the most significant inference that came out in the entire process is that there exists

a difference of opinion about role of an employee between the employer and employee and

there is a continuous need on part of employers to understand the need and situation of

employees in order to reduce absenteeism. Doing the research helped me in enhancing my

interpersonal skills.

CORPORATE CULTURE

One thing which sounds intangible but proves to be very useful was learning of the corporate

culture. Every organization has its unique culture which it follows. This culture is not

mentioned in the company’s guidelines but it has to be felt and appreciated by being a part of

it. At HUL, the culture was formal when it was work and informal when it was leisure. This

was a great experience and chance to learn how is work done in a factory.


In all, these two months have helped me get an insight to my theoretical learning. It taught

me how could I use my knowledge in the practical world.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Internet:

a. www.trainiganddevelopment.naukrihub.com

b. www.hrvillage.com

c. www.hul.in

d. www.equitymaster.com

e. www.wikiinvest.com

f. www.prdomain.com

g. www.jobstreet.com

h. www.lossandwaste.co.uk



U_N_I_L_E_V_E_R

Documents

local brands

local people

service of local consumers

project study

local companies

vision institute of

local cultures

project report