We come across employees and organizations which pride themselves for making Managers / Leaders out of campus recruits. The organizations identify talent directly from college and groom them to become Managers / Leaders, over a period of time.
There is a lot of debate on the effectiveness of these so called "Home-grown Tigers". Some believe that these are the pillars to the organizations and that they would be the most effective leaders to lead the organization. I have some different thoughts, let us look at some of these:
1. Employees who are groomed from within, grow with the culture, learnings and under the watchful eyes of the senior management. They will speak and breathe the same vision that the senior management has for the company.
My thought: Though being bred thru the ranks within the same company is good for employees, the same cannot be said of the same for the employees at the managerial / leadership levels. They would be groomed to think, speak and do exactly the same things the senior management / organization wants them to. This minimizes the chances of bringing in fresh perspectives / new ideas.
2. Employee loyalty and longivity of tenure.
My thought: In this age of competitive environment, more prominence to be given for productivity and long term profitability rather than just longivity of tenure. If the employees are kept challenged and motivated by proper employee engagement initiatives, loyalty and longivity issues can be addressed.
3. Proximity and comfort feel with the management.
My thought: The senior management being comfortable with the employee or vice versa, would not lead to effective interventions for pulling up for want of initiatives or new ideas into the business. Employees would have a false sense of security or authority by virtue of having spent more time in the organization.
4. Adaptability to change.
My thought: Employees who have spent maximum number of years within the organization are the ones who would also be the most resistant to any change. The comfort feel and the "i-know-how-it-works-here" attitude blocks the openess towards any change. The resistance to change can also lead to unionism and groupism within the organization. These employees could also interfere with or block the germination of new initiatives / ideas from within the teams or organization.
5. People say "there goes a wise man, who has travelled far and wide". In this context which means that the person has multiple exposure and has gained knowledge in different organizations. He understands different cultures, varied people behaviours, different business scenarios, etc.
It is very important for some fresh blood to flow in the veins of the organization, as it induces new energy, fresh perspective, new ideas and new faces to lead the change. The change for the better..
Will keep adding to this post.. please share your thoughts too. These are strictly my thoughts and influence or reference to any person...
Monday, June 14, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Notice Periods and No Poach - HR and their practises
Do the HR understand the meaning of the terms "Notice Period" and "No Poach" and its significance?
Case of the Notice Period:
A recruiter who is working in an agency receives an offer from a corporate company. The recruiter is very happy to have got an opportunity to work in a corporate company. The role offered is of a post man... sorry a recruiter. Now comes the best part - the HR of the corporate company, releases the offer letter with a clause saying that the recruiter needs to join their company within 2 days. The recruiter is excited and visibly flying in the air.
He is a top performer in this recruitment agency and would be a definite loss to the agency. He puts in his resignation letter and requests to be relieved the next day!!!! The agency manager clearly refuses to relieve the recruiter and asks him to serve the notice period and be with the organization until a replacement is found and the knowledge transfer happens satisfactorily. A lot of discussions and negotiations later, the recruiter calls the HR of the new company to extend his Date of Joining, as he is not getting relieved. Now the climax, the HR says, his offer would be valid only if he joins them in the next 2 days and would be withdrawn if he doesn't. The poor recruiter is clueless and in a state of shock, as the offer and the new company is great, but the HR is not ready to oblige.
My questions:
1. How come the HR, who are supposed to be experienced, matured and understand the company policies, ask a candidate to join them in 2 days, forgetting that they need to serve the notice period at their current employer?
2. Are the corporates so big and do not care about HR ethics, that they treat agencies like dirt and do not give a damn to their business and pain they go thru?
3. Is this kind of ethics being taught to the HR team from their seniors, who are so called big wigs in the industry and give crap and BS in all the forums and HR discussions?
4. If their employees want to be relieved in 2 days time, would they agree? Don't they understand this common sense that a notice period of an employee is to be served is important to all organizations.
5. If the recruiter absconds from his current employer and joins the new company, without a formal relieving process, does it not mean that the candidate is on dual employment and is not lawful. Does the new company take responsibility for enticing the candidate to take this extreme step?
6. Is this pressure tactics justified on a candidate and the direct impact of this kind of a tactic on the agency?
Case of No poach:
An agency has signed a formal agreement with a company and allocates a good recruiter to service its requirements. The recruiter works very hard and closes on most of the requirements which are shared with the agency and builds a good rapport with the company. Now the big question gets asked from the recruitment manager - "you know our requirements very well and have done a good job of closing most of them. Will you join us?".
My questions:
1. A "No Poach" clause in the agreement is applicable only to the company and not to the agency?
2. A penalty / legal suite is mentioned in the agreement, if an agency poaches an employee of the company during the tenure of the agreement and 1 / 2 years post the expiry of the agreement. Can we impose the same from an agency perspective?
These HR policies are only crap and is one sided to benefit the company and not the agencies. Any views and thoughts???
Case of the Notice Period:
A recruiter who is working in an agency receives an offer from a corporate company. The recruiter is very happy to have got an opportunity to work in a corporate company. The role offered is of a post man... sorry a recruiter. Now comes the best part - the HR of the corporate company, releases the offer letter with a clause saying that the recruiter needs to join their company within 2 days. The recruiter is excited and visibly flying in the air.
He is a top performer in this recruitment agency and would be a definite loss to the agency. He puts in his resignation letter and requests to be relieved the next day!!!! The agency manager clearly refuses to relieve the recruiter and asks him to serve the notice period and be with the organization until a replacement is found and the knowledge transfer happens satisfactorily. A lot of discussions and negotiations later, the recruiter calls the HR of the new company to extend his Date of Joining, as he is not getting relieved. Now the climax, the HR says, his offer would be valid only if he joins them in the next 2 days and would be withdrawn if he doesn't. The poor recruiter is clueless and in a state of shock, as the offer and the new company is great, but the HR is not ready to oblige.
My questions:
1. How come the HR, who are supposed to be experienced, matured and understand the company policies, ask a candidate to join them in 2 days, forgetting that they need to serve the notice period at their current employer?
2. Are the corporates so big and do not care about HR ethics, that they treat agencies like dirt and do not give a damn to their business and pain they go thru?
3. Is this kind of ethics being taught to the HR team from their seniors, who are so called big wigs in the industry and give crap and BS in all the forums and HR discussions?
4. If their employees want to be relieved in 2 days time, would they agree? Don't they understand this common sense that a notice period of an employee is to be served is important to all organizations.
5. If the recruiter absconds from his current employer and joins the new company, without a formal relieving process, does it not mean that the candidate is on dual employment and is not lawful. Does the new company take responsibility for enticing the candidate to take this extreme step?
6. Is this pressure tactics justified on a candidate and the direct impact of this kind of a tactic on the agency?
Case of No poach:
An agency has signed a formal agreement with a company and allocates a good recruiter to service its requirements. The recruiter works very hard and closes on most of the requirements which are shared with the agency and builds a good rapport with the company. Now the big question gets asked from the recruitment manager - "you know our requirements very well and have done a good job of closing most of them. Will you join us?".
My questions:
1. A "No Poach" clause in the agreement is applicable only to the company and not to the agency?
2. A penalty / legal suite is mentioned in the agreement, if an agency poaches an employee of the company during the tenure of the agreement and 1 / 2 years post the expiry of the agreement. Can we impose the same from an agency perspective?
These HR policies are only crap and is one sided to benefit the company and not the agencies. Any views and thoughts???
Sunday, February 14, 2010
HOW BIG IS YOUR FRYING PAN?
Are you setting your sights too low?
I heard of a woman who fished all morning and never caught anything. But a man in the next boat was reeling in a fish every time she glanced over. Then, to make matters worse, he kept the small ones and threw the large ones back into the water!
She couldn't stand it any longer. She called over to him, "How come you're throwing the big ones back?"
He answered by holding up a little frying pan, which can hold only the little ones….
We may think that is silly but, in our minds, don't we all hold up frying pans? Every time we throw away a big idea, a magnificent dream or an exciting possibility, are we measuring it against a small frying pan?
We talk about making more money or becoming more successful, but I believe that this concept works in other, and sometimes more important areas, as well. We can love more than we ever dreamed possible! We can be happier and live more fully than we ever thought we could! What we can do or become is limited more by the size of the frying pan in our minds than by actual circumstances.
Author Brian Tracy reminds us that "you are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are." Think big. Dream big. Pray big... and look for big results. It all begins with changing the size of your thinking.
What would happen if you threw away the frying pan you have been using to measure the size of your dreams, and replaced it with a larger one? What would happen if you decided that it may really be possible to have a better relationship with the one you love, or that you actually can be happier and more fulfilled than you are now? What would happen if you decided never to settle for anything less than what you truly want? What if, from now on, you threw the little fish back and kept the big ones?
And what if you decided to begin today?
- Steve Goodier
I heard of a woman who fished all morning and never caught anything. But a man in the next boat was reeling in a fish every time she glanced over. Then, to make matters worse, he kept the small ones and threw the large ones back into the water!
She couldn't stand it any longer. She called over to him, "How come you're throwing the big ones back?"
He answered by holding up a little frying pan, which can hold only the little ones….
We may think that is silly but, in our minds, don't we all hold up frying pans? Every time we throw away a big idea, a magnificent dream or an exciting possibility, are we measuring it against a small frying pan?
We talk about making more money or becoming more successful, but I believe that this concept works in other, and sometimes more important areas, as well. We can love more than we ever dreamed possible! We can be happier and live more fully than we ever thought we could! What we can do or become is limited more by the size of the frying pan in our minds than by actual circumstances.
Author Brian Tracy reminds us that "you are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are." Think big. Dream big. Pray big... and look for big results. It all begins with changing the size of your thinking.
What would happen if you threw away the frying pan you have been using to measure the size of your dreams, and replaced it with a larger one? What would happen if you decided that it may really be possible to have a better relationship with the one you love, or that you actually can be happier and more fulfilled than you are now? What would happen if you decided never to settle for anything less than what you truly want? What if, from now on, you threw the little fish back and kept the big ones?
And what if you decided to begin today?
- Steve Goodier
Taaza Buzz....
I was reading about a company in Bangalore and came to know that the company HR sends out a mail to all the employees and consultants, once in a week. The mail labeled as “Did you know”, this mails talks about the facts from company’s history, its businesses and even about the accolades and rankings the company has achieved. The HR Manager of the company says that this mail is appreciated by one and all and all the employees eagerly wait for this mail.
This mail is also acting as an internal branding mechanism.
Why don’t we look at something like this? Any suggestions from your end?
This mail is also acting as an internal branding mechanism.
Why don’t we look at something like this? Any suggestions from your end?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Employer branding
Employer branding
We all hear, read and see advertisements from companies in media (all types) which are conceived and delivererd by the marketing teams. But I wonder, how many recruitment organizations (I prefer to call it an organization instead of department) within the companies, understand and support the marketing department in its marketing initiatives. In the war for talent, which again is an area that all marketing depts need to focus on directly, during their promotional efforts, recruiting organizations though realizing do not act upon sustaining or building upon it.
I will not go about detailing what they have to do but will share some ways of doing things in the right manner which I have come across some of the shortfalls,
Most important thing - please understand that all candidates are human beings and everyone of them have feelings / emotions / traits like us.
1. Some recruiters are not aware of the strong points / selling points (USP) of their own companies and the project / team that they are hiring for. The business / hiring managers, would be benefitted by sparing sometime with recruiters in detailing and selling their work / project / technology / team, etc to the recruiters, who would be able to do the same with all candidates.
2. Recruiters should not differentiate with candidates to sell their companies / positions, they should do it with all the candidates whoever have applied. This would help in spreading the good word of mouth.
3. The hiring manager would be greatly benefited by sharing a detailed job description with the recruiters and explaining to them the mandatory and desired skills clearly. A candidate is not a Java / C++ with Unix with 3 years of experience. If possible communicate about the soft side / non-technical requirement
from the candidate.
4. Please be punctual for the interviews. It does not show good on the organization's part where a HR / panel is late for the discussions. Understand that time is valuable for a candidate too.
5. Basic courtesy of enquiring and offering water / coffee or tea for the candidates who come to your office for interviews. How do you expect to see loyalty from a person for a long term, to whom we do not extend even the basic courtesy / comfortness in the initial stages?
6. The front office / reception people need to be trained to handle candidates who walk-in for interviews and their queries in a pleasing manner and not treat candidates like someone who has come to rob your organization. The same applies to the security guards at the gates, candidates are not there to bomb your facility....
7. When you have a walk-in event, do not treat candidates like a herd of sheep. They are there because you wanted them to come there for an interview. You want to them to spread a good word about your way of handling the walk-in event and not run away from that. I know of an organization which carries a very bad reputation for handling events and they have understood the seriousness of this after they got hit badly..
8. Do not abuse candidates, in case they do not get your instructions the first time. Do not snub them in front of other candidates or laugh at them.
9. While waiting for the interview to happen, make the time worth it for the candidates. Educate the candidates about your organization, the work you do, the opportunities available, etc. You might have actually sold 50% before the candidate meets the panel for discussions.
10. Remember that the first impression might not always be the last impression, but it does leave a deep impression.
11. The interviewer / panel need to be educated / trained about the etiquettes of taking an interview. I have come across many who interview to reject, but it would be wise and fruitful, if you interview to select. Do not snub / belittle the candidate if they do not convey the required / correct answer, help them understand with the correct answer.
12. Candidates would be greatful, if you clearly and immediately convey the outcome of the result instead of the ususal "Will get back to you" phrase. It does a lot of good to do this right after the interview decision is taken.
13. Share some material / document which a candidate can carry back with them after they finish the interview, which would help in spreading the awareness / information amongst his friends / colleagues.
14. Thank the candidate for his time and efforts in attending the interview. Do send out a mail if possible to inform him of his outcome of his interview and if possible, please let it be a personal mail and not an automated one.
Some of the points which I have come across during my tenure, which I feel would help a little bit in increasing the ratio of the offer to joinee ratio and also spread the good word of mouth amongst the candidate community. Please feel free to share your thoughts and inputs.....
We all hear, read and see advertisements from companies in media (all types) which are conceived and delivererd by the marketing teams. But I wonder, how many recruitment organizations (I prefer to call it an organization instead of department) within the companies, understand and support the marketing department in its marketing initiatives. In the war for talent, which again is an area that all marketing depts need to focus on directly, during their promotional efforts, recruiting organizations though realizing do not act upon sustaining or building upon it.
I will not go about detailing what they have to do but will share some ways of doing things in the right manner which I have come across some of the shortfalls,
Most important thing - please understand that all candidates are human beings and everyone of them have feelings / emotions / traits like us.
1. Some recruiters are not aware of the strong points / selling points (USP) of their own companies and the project / team that they are hiring for. The business / hiring managers, would be benefitted by sparing sometime with recruiters in detailing and selling their work / project / technology / team, etc to the recruiters, who would be able to do the same with all candidates.
2. Recruiters should not differentiate with candidates to sell their companies / positions, they should do it with all the candidates whoever have applied. This would help in spreading the good word of mouth.
3. The hiring manager would be greatly benefited by sharing a detailed job description with the recruiters and explaining to them the mandatory and desired skills clearly. A candidate is not a Java / C++ with Unix with 3 years of experience. If possible communicate about the soft side / non-technical requirement
from the candidate.
4. Please be punctual for the interviews. It does not show good on the organization's part where a HR / panel is late for the discussions. Understand that time is valuable for a candidate too.
5. Basic courtesy of enquiring and offering water / coffee or tea for the candidates who come to your office for interviews. How do you expect to see loyalty from a person for a long term, to whom we do not extend even the basic courtesy / comfortness in the initial stages?
6. The front office / reception people need to be trained to handle candidates who walk-in for interviews and their queries in a pleasing manner and not treat candidates like someone who has come to rob your organization. The same applies to the security guards at the gates, candidates are not there to bomb your facility....
7. When you have a walk-in event, do not treat candidates like a herd of sheep. They are there because you wanted them to come there for an interview. You want to them to spread a good word about your way of handling the walk-in event and not run away from that. I know of an organization which carries a very bad reputation for handling events and they have understood the seriousness of this after they got hit badly..
8. Do not abuse candidates, in case they do not get your instructions the first time. Do not snub them in front of other candidates or laugh at them.
9. While waiting for the interview to happen, make the time worth it for the candidates. Educate the candidates about your organization, the work you do, the opportunities available, etc. You might have actually sold 50% before the candidate meets the panel for discussions.
10. Remember that the first impression might not always be the last impression, but it does leave a deep impression.
11. The interviewer / panel need to be educated / trained about the etiquettes of taking an interview. I have come across many who interview to reject, but it would be wise and fruitful, if you interview to select. Do not snub / belittle the candidate if they do not convey the required / correct answer, help them understand with the correct answer.
12. Candidates would be greatful, if you clearly and immediately convey the outcome of the result instead of the ususal "Will get back to you" phrase. It does a lot of good to do this right after the interview decision is taken.
13. Share some material / document which a candidate can carry back with them after they finish the interview, which would help in spreading the awareness / information amongst his friends / colleagues.
14. Thank the candidate for his time and efforts in attending the interview. Do send out a mail if possible to inform him of his outcome of his interview and if possible, please let it be a personal mail and not an automated one.
Some of the points which I have come across during my tenure, which I feel would help a little bit in increasing the ratio of the offer to joinee ratio and also spread the good word of mouth amongst the candidate community. Please feel free to share your thoughts and inputs.....
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Exact Opposites?????
The BUTs of life.....
Birds of same feather flock together BUT Opposites attract.
Try, Try till you succeed BUT Don't flog a dead horse.
Pen is mightier than the sword BUT Actions speak louder than words.
Don't speak too soon BUT Speak now or forever hold your peace.
All for one & one for all BUT Every man for himself.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder BUT Out of sight, out of mind.
Better alone than in bad company BUT There's safety in numbers.
Ask & you shall receive BUT Ask no questions, hear no lies.
Curiosity killed the cat BUT You can't always get what you want.
Don't sweat the small stuff BUT Every little bit helps.
Everybody needs love BUT Love hurts.
Two can play at that game BUT Two wrongs don't make a right.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts BUT Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Cleanliness is next to godliness BUT All that glitters is not gold.
Clothes make the man BUT Don't judge a book by its cover.
Beauty is only skin deep BUT Handsome is as handsome does.
Leave well enough alone BUT You can't win if you don't play.
Look before you leap BUT He who hesitates is lost.
Variety is the spice of life BUT Don’t change horses in mid stream.
Good things come in small packages BUT The Bigger, the better.
Ignorance is Bliss BUT Knowledge is Power.
Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom BUT Faith will move mountains.
Don't cross the bridge until you reach it BUT Forewarned is forearmed.
If you lie down with dogs, you'll wake up with fleas BUT If you can't beat 'em, join 'em
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush BUT A man's reach should exceed his grasp.
Courtesy: Samir, TeamLease
Birds of same feather flock together BUT Opposites attract.
Try, Try till you succeed BUT Don't flog a dead horse.
Pen is mightier than the sword BUT Actions speak louder than words.
Don't speak too soon BUT Speak now or forever hold your peace.
All for one & one for all BUT Every man for himself.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder BUT Out of sight, out of mind.
Better alone than in bad company BUT There's safety in numbers.
Ask & you shall receive BUT Ask no questions, hear no lies.
Curiosity killed the cat BUT You can't always get what you want.
Don't sweat the small stuff BUT Every little bit helps.
Everybody needs love BUT Love hurts.
Two can play at that game BUT Two wrongs don't make a right.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts BUT Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Cleanliness is next to godliness BUT All that glitters is not gold.
Clothes make the man BUT Don't judge a book by its cover.
Beauty is only skin deep BUT Handsome is as handsome does.
Leave well enough alone BUT You can't win if you don't play.
Look before you leap BUT He who hesitates is lost.
Variety is the spice of life BUT Don’t change horses in mid stream.
Good things come in small packages BUT The Bigger, the better.
Ignorance is Bliss BUT Knowledge is Power.
Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom BUT Faith will move mountains.
Don't cross the bridge until you reach it BUT Forewarned is forearmed.
If you lie down with dogs, you'll wake up with fleas BUT If you can't beat 'em, join 'em
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush BUT A man's reach should exceed his grasp.
Courtesy: Samir, TeamLease
Spreading positiveness
I am back to scribbling on my blog again after a long lull....A mail which I received made me think and share my thoughts again on my blog. Well here goes....
A mail was sent by a Director of a recruitment firm on an ex-employee, accusing him of "Cyber Crime" and "Identity theft" from a company where he was employed prior to this firm. The mail also accussed him of multiple process voilations, lack of ethics, dishonesty and lack of integrity. This mail was sent to multiple receivers, who were kept confidential and a very strong "beware" subject line and the recruiter's name. Well, what ever could have been the background, I would not dwell deep into it, but what caught my attention was that how this Director took efforts to communicate to so many people about this recruiter's misdeeds (?).
I started thinking... I understand that people need to be aware of misdeeds of some, to safe guard and protect themselves from these culprits. People need to be informed and kept aware.
But look at it the other way round, how many of us would take efforts to inform people at large, send out a generic mail about the good deeds a person has done?
The recognition of good / great work mostly gets restricted to a certain team / office / department / company and seldom gets communicated to a group / fraternity / forum, unless specifically requested. Why is it that people want to "advertise" only the mistakes / bad deeds done by people and not openly praise the good work done. I feel the need to keep people aware about the perils of getting affected with bad deeds / harm, is more important than knowing about the good work done.
But having said this, I feel it is important to recognize and advertise about one's good work, which would boost the morale and confidence of the individual. This would also ensure that the person would get recognized in the industry and his / her chances of career progression would be easier. The individual would be recognized in the gatherings / forums and spoken about. Along with getting the individual the sought after recognition it would also bring the person in the eyes of the competition, which would make these people targets for head hunting.
Well there are always 2 faces to any actions and I will start looking at only the positive side .... Can I do something like this for my team member? Who should be the target audience? Is it really worth the efforts that I am going to take? All this and more would be food for thought in the coming days... until then
A mail was sent by a Director of a recruitment firm on an ex-employee, accusing him of "Cyber Crime" and "Identity theft" from a company where he was employed prior to this firm. The mail also accussed him of multiple process voilations, lack of ethics, dishonesty and lack of integrity. This mail was sent to multiple receivers, who were kept confidential and a very strong "beware" subject line and the recruiter's name. Well, what ever could have been the background, I would not dwell deep into it, but what caught my attention was that how this Director took efforts to communicate to so many people about this recruiter's misdeeds (?).
I started thinking... I understand that people need to be aware of misdeeds of some, to safe guard and protect themselves from these culprits. People need to be informed and kept aware.
But look at it the other way round, how many of us would take efforts to inform people at large, send out a generic mail about the good deeds a person has done?
The recognition of good / great work mostly gets restricted to a certain team / office / department / company and seldom gets communicated to a group / fraternity / forum, unless specifically requested. Why is it that people want to "advertise" only the mistakes / bad deeds done by people and not openly praise the good work done. I feel the need to keep people aware about the perils of getting affected with bad deeds / harm, is more important than knowing about the good work done.
But having said this, I feel it is important to recognize and advertise about one's good work, which would boost the morale and confidence of the individual. This would also ensure that the person would get recognized in the industry and his / her chances of career progression would be easier. The individual would be recognized in the gatherings / forums and spoken about. Along with getting the individual the sought after recognition it would also bring the person in the eyes of the competition, which would make these people targets for head hunting.
Well there are always 2 faces to any actions and I will start looking at only the positive side .... Can I do something like this for my team member? Who should be the target audience? Is it really worth the efforts that I am going to take? All this and more would be food for thought in the coming days... until then
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