IIM Shillong HR Magazine

Issue 9 | JAN - FEB 2013

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Editorial
Dear Readers,
We are really happy to bring to you this issue of TogetHR with all the exciting features.

Faculty Advisors
Prof. Rohit Dwivedi
Prof. Sonia Nongmaithem

Senior Team usHR

Ankita Shah
KNK Srividya
Noopur Borwankar
P Padmini
Sourojit Ghose

Junior Team usHR

Apoorvaa P
Lokesh Malviya
Romita Choudhury
Savitha B
Tanya Beniwal

The intriguing labor laws have been extensively discussed and the issues relating
to it are elaborated in the Cover story of this issue, Labour Law Reform- Need of
the hour. The recent Maruti Manesar issue is highlighted and the developments
are handled, to bring to light the laws which supposedly act as impediments.
The Indian politics factor is brought to the fore along with the reasons for nonimplementation of laws.
In the Concoction section, we bring to you articles covering a variety of spheres in
HR. The Article of the issue, Employer Branding- its relevance in todays times
talks about the importance of the view of an employee about his employer and the
factors that are affecting it. After all, an organization is only as good as its people!
Diversity in an organization is very critical, for it brings in a new environment
replete with variety and enthusiasm. Diversity Policy for a country of diversities
provides an insight into this. A look at Career Mapping- an HR tool to retain Gen-Y
workforce gives an insight into having a place for clarity in the career prospects
of this generation to harness their true potential. The significance of change in an
organization is dealt with in The Inevitable Disruption, where The only thing that
doesnt change is change itself is continuously reiterated. The article, Strategic
Shift grants a sneak peek into the evolution of human capital, its inception and
pertinence.
The Conflux presents to HR aficionados the interview with Mr. Ranjan Kumar
Mishra, the Head HR and Admin of SBI Life Mumbai, wherein interesting questions
find a place with thought provoking answers.
Team building games giving an entirely new perspective to the minds of
people, driving the thought of HR deep into their thoughts was conceived and
implemented with vigor this time. The event was named as, The Winner Takes It
All- Version 2.0. Find out everything about it in- Campus Buzz section.
To trigger your grey cells, we bring to you a contest that is all about connecting
the pictures to come up with something - Contest with the best. Earn Rs.500 by
getting it right!
Team usHR has been continuously garnering your support and we warmly extend
our gratitude for the same. Do write in to us with your feedback @ hrclub.iims@
gmail.com.
Happy Reading!!!

Team usHR

Contents

JAN - FEB 2013

Coverstory
11

Labour Law Reform- Need of the hour

Sourojit Ghose | IIM S
Just what are the concerns or the demands of todays
labor industry? Archaic and antediluvian laws obstruct
the labor welfare and their improvement and development. What do they mean in the Indian context? This
article aims to find out!

Conflux
04

Excerpts of Interview
Mr. Ranjan Kumar Mishra,
Head-HR and Admin, SBI Life, Mumbai

Concoction
06

Diversity Policy for a Country of Diversities

Bhavi Patel | IRM, Anand

08

Career Mapping
Sreerekha S | SCMS, Cochin

14

The Inevitable Disruption

Advaita Das | XIM, Bhubaneswar

16

Employer Branding
Dr. Arnav Singh Tanwar | XLRI, Jamshedpur

19

Strategic Shift
Arashdeep Singh Taneja| MDI Gurgaon

Connoisseur Speaks
22

Ask the Expert

Contest With The Best

24

Puzzle in the Pics

Campus Buzz
21

The Winner Takes It All- Version 2.0

Disclaimer: The views presented are the opinion/work of the individual author and The HR Club of IIM Shillong bears no responsibility whatsoever.

Co n f l u x

Head - HR and Admin

SBI Life

corner
Please tell us about your experiences before
joining SBI Life.
I joined the State Bank of India as a Probationary
Officer in 1985. I mainly handled operations
and never really thought of changing my
domain. But SBI offers a lot of opportunities
and I got a chance to switch to SBI Life in 2011.
How was the transition from Operations to
Human Resources?

CORPORATE

Mr. Ranjan Kumar Mishra

the HR practices are well established and codified,

all you need to do is execute them properly and
take it forward. But SBI Life was a new player in the
insurance market and everything had to be done
from beginning to end. The challenges here were
altogether new.
Entrepreneurial spirit is primarily one of the
factors that your organization is looking in
prospective
candidates.
What is the
reason
for
placing this as a
very important
criterion?

They may sound

similar but these two
organizations
are
drastically different
in every aspect. On
one hand where
SBI is a Government
In every business enterprise every person
Body, SBI Life operates as a private sector player.
acts as a small business unit. If a person has an
The workforce at SBI averages 40-45 years in
entrepreneurial outlook he is spirited, motivated and
terms of age whereas on the other hand SBI Life
has new ideas and thoughts. They need very little
has a much younger and vibrant workforce. The
pushing from the administration and therefore
cultural practices too are very different in both the
we look for entrepreneurial attributes in our
organizations. I have always believed that Human
prospective employees.
Resource management is
the responsibility of not
In every business enterprise every These people know how
only the HR managers and
person acts as a small business unit. to build an organization
I practised the same as a
If a person has an entrepreneurial and how to structure
line manager at SBI, where
outlook he is spirited, motivated their workplace practices
which is very crucial for
I had worked with a no. of
and has new ideas and thoughts
a young organization
people reporting directly
like ours. The problem of
to me. But as the HR head
attrition is always there but for whatever time
at SBI Life my responsibilities were now not only
these people stay with an organization they are
motivating and connecting people but also
an asset and they keep the organizational culture
helping them in achieving their goals. At SBI all
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

Co n f l u x

very healthy. Over-all it is a win-win situation for

both the employee and the organization.
One of the core values of SBI Life Insurance is
Innovation. Can you talk us through how SBI
Life Insurance has differentiated itself from its
competitors by innovating?

the best of both public and private sector

benefits. Till date we have never closed down
any branches or laid off any employee which has
motivated our employees and built trust in them.

Like I mentioned SBI Life has a very young workforce and this drives us towards innovation.
We provide our employees a lot of freedom
and they are free to suggest any new idea. We
have an initiative called AIM that stands for All
Ideas Matter and a panel is made to evaluate
and reward good suggestions. Every quarter
Being a HR in a financial institution is a different
scenario. Human Resources department
is assumed to be the only cost incurring
department and especially in finance based
company such as yours, how is HR department
treated?
we reward the best three ideas which again
promotes more innovation in the employees
and keeps us ahead of our competitors.
SBI Life Insurance has been awarded with NDTV
Profit Business Leadership Award in 2011 and
2010. This communicates the effectiveness of
your top leadership and the equally motivated
employees. What has the top management
been doing to motivate its employees?
We build trust. Trust is the key word at our
organization. We aspire to be the most trusted
life insurance company for both customers
and the employees. We believe in maintaining
a high degree of transparency. The policies
are made very clear and are all uploaded
on a portal. The Top management gives full
freedom to everyone to ask questions. The selfservice portal swayam helps in comforting the
employees and also helps them get along with
colleagues from different cultures. We provide
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

HR is no longer a support function; it is in fact

becoming an important strategic partner. At SBI
Life at every stage of the decision making, HR is
involved. We always try to find out what the best
business strategy is for the company and how it
should be implemented. HR heads these days
are going forward to become successful CEOs
and it is no different in the case of a financial
organization like ours.

HR is no longer a support function;

it is in fact becoming an important
strategic partner

Co n co c t i o n

Di

ver

sity

India is a country of diversities, and we Indians

proudly claim the fundas of Unity in Diversity.
The inconceivably diverse population of India
makes it often difficult for individuals to perceive
the differences in its entirety. Despite this,
we see no significant diversity initiatives and
lag way behind the developed nations in this
regard. Some people attribute this gap to the
long period of subjugation by the colonials. No
matter what the cause, organizations today need
to focus on the diversity initiatives they need to
be taking. Fortunately, many organizations in
India today, are realizing the need for diversity
initiatives for philanthropic and business reasons.
However, India still has a long way to go and
requires a lot more aggressive diversity policies
to reduce the inequalities that currently exist in
the society and also to weed out the prejudices
people have in their minds. Such initiatives make
the other countries see India in a lot brighter
and more progressive light, and give them an
initiative and encouragement to partner with

policy for a country

of diversities
us. The organizations today need to wake up
and realize the significance of spreading the
recruitment net wider and further to attract
and capture the best candidates who have the
required skills and knowledge and are very best
suited for the job in hand, irrespective of their
personal background. A heterogeneous workforce
encourages and supports divergent thinking
leading to better innovations, something which
is highly essential in todays times to create and
maintain a competitive advantage and survive.
In order to ensure the maintenance and buildup of such diversity in the workforce, the
organizations need to have a Diversity Policy. This
policy spells out the behavioural expectations
from the employees and also enforces a discipline
in practicing the listed values. The sounder
and stronger the policy, the better it is. In the
absence of such a policy, it becomes difficult to
control individual behaviour and thinking, and
with time, it could derail the entire diversity
strategy and initiative of the organization.
It should be a part of the mission of an
organization to recruit and nurture talent across
as diverse a group of candidates as possible
in order to achieve business success. The
organizations in this regard should build a people
management strategy to ensure that there is
a fair and equal treatment meted out to all the
people in the organization irrespective of their
social parameters like ethnicity, education, social
status, socio-economic class, caste, language,
nationality, gender, age, religion or even physical
and mental disabilities. The organizations
and the employees both need to understand
and accept that each employee is unique

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

Co n co c t i o n

and brings with him a unique set of skills and

capabilities. The organization should endeavour
to build on this skill set for the mutual benefit
of the organization as well as the employees.

The main purpose of the Diversity policy
is to design and implement practices that
would provide an inclusive and fair working
environment for the nurturing and development
of all employees such that it gives a competitive
advantage to the organization and promote
the development of all the employees. Such a
policy should ensure that there is an impartial
decision making and adequate monitoring on
the front. the policy should also emphasize on

and promotion of all employees at all levels in

the organization impartially. Above all, such
efforts would help the organization obtain and
retain the best talent in the market and also be
able to better serve its customers and clients.

The responsibility to create such a system
and policy rests principally with the HR of
the organization. It also needs to introduce
a special grievance addressal mechanism to
address concerns of employees over biases
and partialities. The HR and the supervisor
representatives ideally form the task force
to monitor the practices in the organization,
provided they themselves are unbiased and clear.

the implementation of a behaviour and practice

code that would provide for treatment of all
employees with respect and dignity. With such
a policy, the organization should also take up
activities that foster introduction of diversity
into the key human resource functions and
processes. Above all, the policy should list a clear
penalization and reprisal process for wrongdoers. With the growing regional sentiments,
and associated problems like the one faced by
Biharis in Mumbai due to the whole Marathi
manoos movement, and like the ones faced
by the people from North-East in Bengaluru,
makes such a policy a growing need of the time.

The organization needs to be clear in stating its
belief in creating and sustaining an environment
that is supportive, inclusive and fair to all its
employees because they are employees of
that organization, leaving aside all their other
personal details. The organization should
strongly emphasize and practice the inclusion

As part of the diversity management, the

organization should take up special education
and training programs for underrepresented
communities that are reviewed and improved
constantly. That creates a more levelled ground for
employees to compete. A diversity training should
be devised, mandatory for all employees, which
could be a part of the employees orientation
and training period, in order to facilitate the
understanding of the organization philosophy
and develop a much required tolerance.

Being a part of a diverse country like India,
organizations and employees need to respect and
accept the diversity of the employees. Stereotyping
of people and not recognising that the other person
is also a respectable and dignified human being
having his or her own importance in the organization
is harmful and hazardous for the organization.
For the overall good of the organization,
the Diversity Policy is the need of the hour.

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

Bhavi Patel, IRMA

Co n co c t i o n

CAREER MAPPING
An HR Tool to Retain Gen- Y
Workforce
Whatever be the career objective, the ultimate
aspiration is for a smooth career ladder!
Can your organisation clearly point out a
candidates role five years down the line? If yes,
the company is all set to be a dream destination
for the talent worker. In fact talent is readily
available in the labour market, but if you want
to harness it- provide them with clarity in their
career prospects.

CAREER MAPPING: QUANTIFYING THE

CAREER PROSPECTS
When organisations design career roles for
individuals, focus should be on the individual
aspirations. This exactly is tried out in career
mapping. Career mapping is the process of

management, performance management and

long range manpower planning. At the same time,
the employee gets the guidance as to what level
of competencies should be acquired for getting
qualified for particular roles in the hierarchy.
Why to spend on career of the worker- Is
retention such an inevitable term?
The growing demand for knowledgeable and
skilled workforce poses the threat for the employers
worldwide, increasing the need to retain the
worker at every stage of their career. If we want
to harness the skill available in the market, the
focus should be on the career promises because
the psychological contract between workforce
and organisation has changed overtime. The
focus now is on continuous learning and career
enhancement, as highlighted in table 1.1.
From
Emphasis on job
security and loyalty to
company
Focus on promotions

planning career paths of available employees,

where individual aspiration is intelligently aligned
with organisational growth plan. Basically you are
preparing the employee for future prospective
roles where they fit in.
The career road map thus created can help the
organisation in various HR verticals like career
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

Finite job roles

Meet job requirements
Training provided

To
Emphasis on employability and loyalty to
own career and skills
Focus on lateral career
development
Multiple duties
Add value
Opportunity for selfmanagement learning

Table 1.1: the ways in which the psychological

contract is changing (lamb, 2007)
8

Co n co c t i o n

CAREER MAPPING PROCESS

Lets begin the process making sure that proper
communication channels are available to
communicate the process & its benefits to the
employee. Anticipate for certain level of resistance
which will be there towards any new initiative.
Step 1: The process begins with collecting the
personal strengths & weakness of employees
and the data regarding their desired roles. This
may include the listing out of the following factor
of individual employees:

Strengths & weakness: The employees

can be asked to list out their strengths &
weaknesses. This section can also include
a rating scale where in the employer can ask
the employee to rate themselves across certain
specific strengths upon which they want to rate
the employee. Let them substantiate the list of
strengths with the examples of performance in
the current & previous role in the organisation.
Employee working style: It is also relevant to
find out their suitability in performing a role.
The employee can be asked about:
the level of challenge they desire in the role
the kind of projects they want to undergo
the working hours & the kind of reporting they prefer
The learning style can be collected to list out the
learning programs which the employee should
undergo to be qualified for a particular role.
Record it, as it is added information to your skill
inventory too!
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

Step 2: After this, the employer should do a

job mapping where in the existing roles in the
organisation is placed into different points in the
career ladder. List out the characteristics & the
specification of each role
Step 3: The employee aspirations and strengths
should be matched with relevant roles in the
organisation. Also make sure that you have
the data regarding how much percentage of
employees are employed in particular jobs. This
is to know the requirement of labour (degree
of opportunity from employee point of view)
in particular roles. Specific guidelines should
be provided for the employees regarding the
competencies that are to be acquired to qualify
themselves for the post.
Step 4: After preparing the career map for the
employees, frequent follow ups should be done
to enhance the credibility of the system and to
improve the employee loyalty. Feedbacks can be
given to employees regarding their improvement
toward the goal. Steps should be taken to take
the employee through the career ladder once the
employee has successfully attained the required
skill sets.
This process will create a loyal work force and will
improve employee morale.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A PRODUCTIVE
CAREER MAPPING SYSTEM
Clarity in the learning guidelines provided:
the learning objectives given to the
employees should be specific. For example:
guidelines for an employee working as a technical
assistant for getting qualified to be considered
for senior technician role can be as followsshould attain certificate on SAP proficiency,
firsthand experience in conducting technical
training sessions and gain 6 exceeds expectation
in the performance appraisal.

Co n co c t i o n

Providing deadlines for attaining the

objectives: along with providing learning
objectives, time deadline should be specified for
attaining them. For example: undergo technical
course in C++ within 1 year time span.
Proper follow ups & learning sessions: once
the career map is created, it is the
responsibility of the HR and the management to
do proper follow ups to the objectives given to
the employees. This can be done by :
Designing certain training sessions in order to
supplement the objectives
Providing feedbacks to employees on frequent basis
Giving mentoring sessions & allowing employees
to work with experienced employee in the
prospective role
The employee role enhancement should be
carried out without failure as and when the
employee attains the specified objectives within
the time span given.
Adding lattices other than career ladders in
the process

It was the financial advisory firm- Deloitte

which coined the term career lattices with
career mapping- wherein the advancement of
employee role is not only curtailed to vertical
dimensions. The employee is guided through
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

multiple disciplines and career directions. Earlier

it had been always termed with career ladder. This
change helps organisations to balance between
fluctuating demands in various overheads & is an
exposure to the employee towards learning.
That is why the organisations around are
nurturing cross- fertilisers the workforce
which has got repository knowledge in different
functional areas. Career mapping, being given
the dimension of career lattices, is a lot of credit
being added to your organisation when it comes
to employee preference for organisations!

ORGANISATIONAL BENEFITS: Attract,

Develop & Retain
More is the focus company gives in to design the
career path of the employee; you can anticipate
an increased work force loyalty & decreased
attrition rates. It can also improve the employee
productivity by reducing the skill gaps and
helps the organisation in workforce planning.
The outcome of the reports can be used for
formulating training sessions & in designing
learning programmes.

In a way, here organisation attracts talents, develop

them as per their career aspirations, reward them
with enhancement & thus retain them!
Sreerekha S, SCMS Cochin

10

Cove r Sto r y

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Cove r Sto r y

It is said that archaic labour laws often stand in

the way of providing optimum labour welfare
and enabling their upliftment and development.
Recently, even PM Manmohan Singh had
suggested that there was need to periodically
assess the labour regulations to ensure that
they did not impact employment and industrial
expansion and also help in labour welfare.
Internationally, there has been a consensus
amongst most stakeholders-government, trade
unions, employers and the general public
that there is a greater need now more than
ever to have labour regulations in place which
address the current needs as well as to deal
with the problems facing the economies of the
world. Early this month, the French unions and
employers formally reached an agreement to start
with the reformation of the labour regulations, an
act which was approved by the French President
as well.
In India, however, even though labour law
reforms was in the policy agenda of most Central
governments, not much headway was made in
this regard due to lack of consensus between all
interested stakeholders and also out of fear of
protests from trade unions. Most of the labour
legislations of this country are several decades
old, such as the Industrial Disputes Act, which was
formulated in 1947, the Factories Act which came
into existence in 1948, the Trade Union Act which
came into being in 1926. Policy makers need to
realize that the labour legislations dating back
to pre-independence or just after independence
period do not reflect the concerns of todays
labour or the demands of todays industry.
It is suggested that one of the main reasons
for the violence and the ghastly incident in the
Maruti plant in Manesar is the archaic labour laws
which do not allow flexible hiring. The completely
inflexible nature of labour laws in India where
companies cannot adjust employment to

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

seasonal demand since it is almost impossible

to lay off workers legally at short notice forces
companies to use contract labour. This means
they have no control over the workers they are
hiring which is an essential condition for shop
floor harmony. Maruti was forced to hire contract
or temporary workers not because it was cheaper
but to maintain flexibility and to make sure they
could maintain only optimum workforce levels.
A key feature of the post-1991 liberalized era is
that companies have to adjust labour usage to
demand. Consider how fast car demand is falling
due to the economic downturn. This calls for
quickly adjusting production and labour usage for
lower levels of demand. But current labour law does
not allow this freedom to manufacturing companies.
Ante-diluvian labour laws have played a huge
role in making contract employment the norm
in sectors like construction and security services.
In most important places such as factories and
huge complexes, building security is given out
to contractors who then supply security staff at a
huge discount. Most security personnel are thus
paid a pittance, and end up working 12 hours a
day which is against labour laws in order to
earn enough to make ends meet. Thus, even in
the core area of security where companies
and commercial buildings cannot afford to have
people with doubtful loyalties contract labour is
being used. This is a potential time-bomb, for it is
only a matter of time before a section of contract
staff could get influenced by radical ideologies.
At some point, instead of securing an installation,
they could end up jeopardizing its security.
A potential flash point for conflict is also brewing
in the fight for quality jobs. Between 1991 and
2012, Indias real GDP grew 445 percent, nearly
four and a half times its original size. But organized
sector grew by just 7.4 percent. Thus there is an
increasing and alarming demand for quality jobs
now more than ever. A recent World Bank report
on India said labour laws were hindering business
12

Cove r Sto r y

investing in labour intensive countries, from

investing in India. Such stringent provisions are
present in most labour legislations, which have
to be met by companies compulsorily.

growth in the country. Eminent economists like

Kaushik Basu have time and again re-iterated the
point that the Indian government needs to amend
labour laws to provide flexibility to companies
in dealing with changes in demand pattern, a
move that will also boost employment,
especially in the organized sector.
One of the most important sources of
problem is a special chapter (Chapter
V-B), which was introduced in the
Industrial Disputes Act in 1976, which
made compulsory prior approval of the
appropriate government necessary in
the case of layoffs, retrenchment and
closure in industrial establishments
employing more than 300 workers,
a figure which was again lowered in
1984 to 100 and increased the number
of days of notice to 90 days. A report
of the Task Force of the Planning
Commission in 2001 stated that the
above mentioned clause was actually
deterring foreign investors keen on
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

There have been some encouraging signs in

the past few weeks. Media reported labour
ministry is in the process of preparing a cabinet
note for a Bill to amend the Minimum Wages
Act, which proposes to link wages of factory
workers to inflation and enhance penalties
for erring companies, a move which will be
welcomed by all. There are also reports of
government intention to amend the Mines Act
and Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing
Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain
Establishments) Act to do away with the
cumbersome procedures of maintaining
numerous registers and submitting multiple
returns, which not just increases cost but also
increases legal hassles for small firms. Thus,
steps are being taken in regard to reforms.
However the process has to be faster and more
pro-active steps are required.

13

Co n co c t i o n

The Inevitable Disruption

Life is like an experiment, the more experiments

we perform-the more better it is. Life is like a long
road that meanders its way and the destination
is unknown and shrouded with uncertainty-it is
up to how we tackle the situation we face over
and over again and reciprocate. Life may be cruel
or we may be forced to surrender against the
inexorable march of destiny but nevertheless it
is an experience which renders courage to face
the similar situation in future and to keeps us
immune to retaliate-such is the essence of life.
But we must keep ourselves open and available
to all the lessons the life teaches us. Same goes
with industries-they must be sensitive and open
to innovations and believe in change. Change
is like a wind which doesnt believe in any
sympathy-it simply blows and imparts ruthless
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

pillage without caring for anyone. So industries

must adjust their sails accordingly-they must adapt
themselves to stand tall and strong in the merciless
wind of change.
Let us understand what this inevitable disruption
is. The maximum life expectancy of eagle is
roughly 70 years, but to reach this age they must,
by instinct, make a very painful decision. With age
the claws of eagle becomes tender and makes it
very hard to catch preys. Also its beak becomes
bent with time and so it is left with only two
options-either succumb to destiny and relinquish
life or endure a gruesome journey of 150 days
within which it eventually knocks its beak and
claws against the rock until it breaks and plucks
its old feathers. After this the eagle awaits silently
14

Co n co c t i o n

for its beak and claws to grow and new feathers

to emerge and thus waiting for five months. It is
like a rebirth-a new life it gets for itself fighting
against the fate and nature just like in mythology
phoenix rises from its own ashes. The pain it
experiences throughout the process is colossal
and ghastly but this process keeps it alive for
another 30 years. In this process many eagles die,
but some have to survive, this is nothing but an
inevitable disruption where they know this is going
to happen but still many eagles could not survive.

In todays dynamic economy, changes are very

obvious in organisation. It happens steadily and at
a good pace. Since change has become an integral
part of the organisation, so any type of resistance
can cripple an organization. This resistance is
nothing, but an inevitable response to any such
change. Individuals, most of the times resist the
changes just to defend their status, or one can
say when they feel their security or status are
threatened. According to Folger & Skarlicki, they
said that organizational change can generate
skepticism and resistance in employees, making
it sometimes difficult or impossible to implement
organizational improvements. Just like eagle
dont resist and try to change with the situation
and thus improve its life, our organisation can
also see many improvements if we start to take
initiatives rather than resisting them.
If management does not understand, accept and
make an effort to work with resistance, it can
undermine even the most well-intentioned and
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

well-conceived change efforts. Coetsee states

any managements ability to achieve maximum
benefits from change depends in part of how
effectively they create and maintain a climate that
minimizes resistant behaviour and encourages
acceptance and support.

Employee resistance to the change is always

an issue of great concern for the management
of the organisation thriving for the competitive
advantage. The organisation very well know
that the process of change is ubiquitous and
the employee intend to resist, has contributed
to the failure of many efforts and plan of top
level management, to bring about any change,
which could be very critical to get a competitive
advantage. Most of the times, the organisations
expend in plenty to adjust their employees to a
new way of achieving their desired goals.
Being a youthful employee, now its the
responsibility of the young generation to be open
up for all ideas and changes. Its not like, one should
accept every change but at least one should check
its applicability and come with their ideas. This
will take the competition at a higher level and
there will be no doubt that the effectiveness of the
companys performance will increase.
The things are never right or wrong. It is our
perception that makes the conditions sometimes
better and sometimes worse.

Advaita Das, XIMB

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Co n co c t i o n

Its relevance in todays times

As I sat on my desk browsing on my laptop, I came
across the Best places to work (2013) survey by
Glassdoor and it made me wonder about the all
the hullabaloo about employee perceptions for
a company. Although we may sit and debate the
inflated investments by the companies into the
various branding activities, we simply cannot
deny that Employer branding is a phenomenon
that is here to stay.
Wikipedia defines Employer Branding as sum of
a companys efforts to communicate to existing
and prospective staff what makes it a desirable
place to work
Even with the economic crises enveloping
the global economies and massive job cuts
happening round the globe, companies continue
to take employer branding seriously. This only
underscores the fact that acquiring good talent
remains one of the primary needs of a company,
even if its struggling to survive, and good
employer branding is one of the most effective
ways to do that.
If we were to look at the numerous surveys
about what prospective employees look for in
their employers, the list of expectations would
be endless. To name a few Job Satisfaction,

Respect at work, a good working environment,

health and other benefits, retirement benefits etc.
There are numerous studies and surveys to show
that pure monetary benefits are now just one of
the many criterion employees use to evaluate
organizations as future employers. Something as
simple as offering free Red Bulls and unlimited
snacks goes a long way to portray Facebook as a
favorable place to work a place where you are
taken care off.
We all know the
success stories of
Tata as an employer
in India. Talk to
some of their senior
employees
who
have been there for
decades and you
would know that
their reputation of a concerned employer has
stood them in good stead in retaining the best of
their talent. The fact that Tata is perceived as an
organization that is concerned about the welfare
of its employees helps them draw some of the
best talent in the country without doling out fat
pay checks like other conglomerates. Thus we
may see that the list of examples demonstrating
the benefits of proper branding in getting the
right talent to the organization is endless.
It is for this very reason that we see so many
reputed firms taking so many pains when they visit
college campuses for recruitment. They organize
competitions, sponsor events, offer scholarships,

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

16

Co n co c t i o n

even provide meals and gift hampers to create a

good buzz about them. We may argue about the
economic benefits of these activities but for that
we need to take into consideration the amount
of money the companies save by retaining good
workforce.
One good employee recruited or retained can
usually make up for most of these branding
expenses by the considerable savings on training
expenses, severance benefits etc. The emerging
tools of HR measurement can help us quantify the
tremendous benefits offered by these activities.
We should not forget here that this also works to
help create a long lasting image as an employer
- the benefits of which, like any good marketing
campaign, go beyond the immediate effects.
The various top employer surveys and their
loyal readership are a testimony to the fact
that organizations ranging from startups to big
conglomerates need to increasingly focus on this
aspect of their HR practices. It is no longer a matter
of choice for these organizations but a necessity
in todays times where they are competing to get
the best talent to get a valuable edge over their
competitors.

here we are trying to sell something which is not

totally tangible or quantifiable. We are trying to
sell an experience something which will make
a prospective employee look up and take notice.
The first step here is to identify the target talent
pool and identify their work preferences. It is vital
for the organizations to study the needs of the
Gen Y and then work on matching the same to
what they have to offer. The inability to identify
the same will only lead to an inflated expense
budget with little contribution to the organization
In short an exercise in futility.
The next step is to identify the core values and
work practices of the company and match
them with the expectations of the prospective
employees. The organization has to decide on
the economically viable benefits and other

The question that arises now is that how should

the companies go about the process of branding?
Well, branding an employer works on almost the
same lines as branding any product except that
integral components of the job that match the
expectations of the employees. The firms cant
afford to make unrealistic promises to employers
as they may backfire in the future and do more
harm than good.
Once these aspects of the job have been
identified, then they have to work on finding
creative and effective ways to communicate the
same to the prospective workforce. This forms
one of the most vital components of the entire
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

17

Co n co c t i o n

process the brilliance of ideas, after all, lies in

their execution. Here the organizations may find
numerous channels to reach out to their target
audience. The important thing is to identify the
channel that will help them
communicate most effectively
to their target audience.
Thus by following the simple
strategies
of
marketing
with a dedicated effort in
this domain, the employers
can look forward to being
perceived as a recruiter of
choice. The benefits of these
branding exercises dont stop
at getting the best talent
rather they also help in getting
the right talent. The proper
communication of the work
culture of organizations through these activities
helps them draw the right talent and helps lower
long term attrition rates.

A word of caution here for the organizations is

that they have to ensure that they communicate
the best possible image of what actually exists so
as to ensure that the workforce comes in looking
for exactly the same thing
that the company is offering.
Any miscommunication in this
regard may lead to unfulfilled
expectations
and
create
problems in the long run.
It is with this note that I
would like to conclude while
reiterating the fact that
employer branding is a vital
component of modern day HR
practices. It is a strategic tool
for successful firms that are
looking to sustain themselves
as worthy competitors, with
the best talent. After all an organization is only as
good as its people!
Dr. Arnav Singh Tanwar, XLRI

Call for Articles & Participation

Team usHR invites articles from B-Schools all across India. We are looking for
original articles related to field of Human Resources. References should be
cited wherever necessary. The best article will be featured as the Article of
the Issue and would be awarded cash prize of INR 1000
From this issue onwards, some of the good unpublished articles will be put
up in our blog: www.iims-ushr.in
Contest Winner of every issue gets a prize money worth INR 500 along with
a certificate of appreciation
For other updates, check our Facebook page usHR-HR Club of IIM Shillong. The issue details can be checked on our blog www.iims-ushr.in

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

18

Co n co c t i o n

STRATEGIC
HR has taken a new shape today. The Hiring and
Firing people are no more just doing that, they are
now the part of board room where all important
decisions are taken and where HR today has a
say. Out of all the strategic contributors, it has
become the one which will enable the future
plan of action to be smoothly implemented and
realized. HR over a period of time has earned for
itself this important position.

SHIFT

According to a PWC report, retail industry face 2530% attrition rate. Not only talent retention but all
other HR functions like training and development,
performance measurement, etc becomes more
and more important as the organisation grows
and the impact of each smaller component is
enhanced which directly or indirectly becomes
linked with the strategy the organization follows
or wants to implement. Thus HR comes into the
bigger picture.
Organizations today need to maintain a Fit
between all their activities and functions so
that the company as a whole runs smoothly and
gleefully. This Fit cannot be generalized for all
companies in an industry as it varies depending
on the culture, the size, the vision and all other
factors which are important for any organization.

Jack Welch in his famous book Winning said:

To manage people well, companies should
Elevate HR to a position of power and primacy
in the organization, and make sure HR people
have the special qualities to help managers build
leaders and careers. This importance to HR is
given because it manages the most important
asset of any organization i.e. the people working
in it. The more you invest in your employees be it
hiring the best talent or honing the skills of already
exiting talent by training or the retention of this
talent pool, the more returns you can expect from
them in the future. From a long term perspective
this investment is in fact a cost cutting measure.
Talent management and retention is a critical
function. Almost every organization is facing the
attrition problem especially in the IT industry. A
lot of time and money is spent because of this.
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

Human capital is an important component

which strengthens that Fit. Strategically, the
human capital focuses on Manpower Planning
which emphasis on putting right number of
people, right kind of people at the right place,
right time, doing the right things for which they
are suited for the achievement of goals of the
19

Co n co c t i o n

organization. By this managers get efficiency

and effectiveness out of the work done by the
employees. For this Human capital is trying to
make a broader understanding of the companys
goals and then align their own functions into it
side by side doing the traditional corporate HR
job. For achieving this they consistently engage
with the line leaders and top management to
have an understanding of the business and
where the company as a whole is heading to. In
a Mckinsey research, key HR practises were found
that reliably improve results. These emphasized
on setting a clear, inspiring vision of the goals

Novel ideas

The innovation should never stop. Moving with

the trend makes sense but doing something
better then that gives competitive edge e.g.
companies today are taking advantage of social
media like facebook for hiring and engagement
purposes. This is not only a cost-cutting measure
but also enhances and fastens the reach to
masses. Being technology oriented is the need
of the hour. However the innovation should not
be limited to one such function but should be
inculcated in the culture itself.

Understanding the Line

needed, then developing a culture of positive

trust and openness and finally helping each
person see clearly what their own role is in
achieving these goals. Keeping these factors in
balance as you move forward is indispensable.
Thats captured in their insistence that these only
work if they work together. When one or two are
allowed to dominate and arent balanced with
the others, things break down because the Fit
needs every component to be there and in the
balanced proportions.
The future of Human Capital thus looks very bright
and its importance is only going to increase, but
it should also keep itself agile and continuously
keep checking the organizations movement and
keep itself aligned accordingly. Few key points
which helped HR in making this shift and which
will in future also do so are:
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

To be a strategic partner, Human Capital needs

to understand the line function first. It should
engage and interact with line managers and
leaders. In B-schools the future managers are
nurtured not only with HR related subjects but
with diversified subjects like marketing, finance,
strategy, etc. This involvement with other areas
should not be limited to B-schools only. Getting
out of your Human Resource cocoon and
spreading wings across the whole organization
will give a broader understanding and will make
the shift happen without any objection.

Clear vision

Doing the work expected with integrity and

giving reliable results is the prime objective for
Human Capital but planning for future and having
a clear vision for itself in the companys vision is
what the focus should be. This would help in the
development of a strategic mind-set.
So the process of evolution of human capital
has started and it surely has a bright future.
Organizations today should hold on to the fact
that machines, procedures, structures, tools, etc
can be made or copied but its the human capital
which brings the difference.
Arashdeep Singh Taneja, MDI

20

Ca m p u s B u zz

TAKES IT ALL

V 2.0

eliminated three teams and the final round had five

teams battling to find out the winner. The last round
tested the communication skills of the teams. Each
team was sub divided and participants enacted the
roles of people with no physical challenges, blind
persons and also as deaf and dumb. The objective
of the game was to test the message conveying
skills and the guiding skills of the team members.

A competition is a true test to a persons caliber.

Every fighter hidden within oneself springs to
action when the time to prove their mettle arrives.
But if the same competition can be fun filled as well
then its double bonanza for the participant. These
were the same thoughts that were resonating
within our minds when we sat down to plan for an
intra-college event for the month.
Taking forward the legacy of our seniors, on 5th
February 2013 IIM Shillong witnessed one of the
most fun filled yet a HR based event The

Winner takes it all Version 2.0!

The concept behind the event is to highlight the

fact that the concepts of Human Resources namely
Team Effort, Collaboration, Collective, Efficient
Resource Management etc. which each and every
person has learnt in classes, can also be experienced
in real time through simple games.

The team Laoshan Ninjas completed the

final round in less than a minute shocking the other
teams and were declared the winners. They won
themselves a cash prize of Rs 1000 for having played
all the rounds in fair and sportive manner. On the
whole, it was an evening when every team put to
application all the HR concepts that they had learnt
and that was the true success for our usHR team.

There were eight teams who kicked off

the first round. The first round required the
teams to stand in a single newspaper sheet.
As time progressed, the rules were made
tough and the participants were made to
stand with just one leg and as a team. The
teams which stood for the maximum time
won the round. Following it, we had the
second round Caterpillar game. The legs
of each team member was tied with their
adjacent team mates legs and the whole
team had to walk a good distance in the
least time without falling down. After this we
TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

21

Co n co c t i o n Speaks
Connoisseur

I am a 40 year old female employee in
Q
an advertising firm and have been working
with the company since 2000. Recently a
young lady in her 20s joined our firm. The HR
manager of our firm is a 40 year old man who
recently went through a divorce due to an
extra-marital affair. He is known for his flirty
talks with the female employees within the
company. The problem is that the manager
has an eye for her and seems to be luring her
with promotions. She doesnt understand
the motive behind the managers offer. I have
tried to convey to her indirectly about him
but in vain. I cant talk to her directly as I am
afraid it may prove fatal to my job. Help me
on how I should alert her as she is genuinely
a nice person.

I am working in a Consulting Company
since last year. Since the start of my work
in this organization, I have faced issues like
incompatibility and hostility, due to which
I am unable to focus on my work at hand.
There is the problem of group formation,
that is people belonging to a specific region
or language seem to stick together ignoring
the rest of us. So, some people are hesitant
to contact their peers in this regard. I have
attempted to go with the tide and not say
anything for the past few months. But, I think
that this issue will hamper everybody in our
firm, if it continues. So, what would be the
best approach in this problem?

We think that you should basically waste
A
no more time in conveying to her indirectly
about the HR manager. As you have already
mentioned, you have tried in every means
possible to convey to her in implicit means and
her ignorance ought not to be a reason for her
to suffer in any respect. Thus, attempt to take
her aside and let her know clearly that the
circumstances are not very congenial. Since she
is unable to comprehend the intention behind
the managers actions, it is better to be totally
transparent with her in this situation. But, do
not risk your job because of this and take care of
this as delicately as possible. It may be better to
settle the talk over lunch or coffee, as this may
be the best way to handle this sensitive issue
at this point in time. We firmly believe that this
problem can be resolved without placing your
job in jeopardy.

We understand that it is very difficult to
A
work in such a scenario where group formation

is prevalent. These group formations will only

hamper the growth of the company in the long
run. It is understandable that anyone will feel
uncomfortable to work in an office environment
where there is no scope for transparency
and openness. We would advise you to take
the brave foot and talk it out with your peers
regarding the issue and also explain to them
clearly how much interested you are in working
with them as a team. Also ensure to take part
in all conversations and lunch meetings even
without invitation. This will automatically make
others realize their mistake and will definitely
change their attitude towards you. If the
problem persists, as a last resort a group of you who feel the same can approach the HR or head with
the issue and make a suggestion that projects to be handled should be of diverse people in a team to
reduce group politics. Hope this solves your issue.

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

22

Co n co c t i o n Speaks
Connoisseur

I am working in a multi-national
company for the past one year. The company
demands working hours which are inflexible
to most of my co-workers. Of course this
is what the job requires and we are only
doing what is asked of us, that is for the
development of the company and which
obviously results in our growth as well. But, of
late I have been experiencing constant stress
and pressure from all quarters possible both
in my work place and in my family. I have
been facing failure in maintaining my worklife balance, which is having repercussions
on every job that I undertake. In addition
to that, my team leader is proving to be a
difficult person to work under, considering
the fact that he is allocating more and more
work than I can handle and sometimes I am
pushed to doubt that he has turned sadistic
towards me in particular. This has resulted
in duress, resentment and I am unable to
focus on anything at all these days. I would
be coerced to consider quitting my job
and moving into a new one if this situation
continues in a similar manner, draining my
energy and enthusiasm completely.

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

We believe the stigma of having been
A
hurt in a very negative manner has kept you
secluded from interaction happening with
your manager. And any issue that is nagging
your mind must be absolved of uncertainty and
fear, so we recommend that you talk about the
incident to your manager as soon as possible.
Find a suitable time to sit with him and discuss
the same. Make the person understand that
you felt uneasy when he spoke to you at that
time and insist that this is not the way you want
to be talked to. Be calm, but be firm in telling
him that such behavior from him (mention that
you felt sexually harassed or at least harassed)
would never be tolerated in future.

23

Co nte s t

Contest With the Best

Use all your THINKING HATS and connect the pictures... It does not end there...
Read along for more details...

Identify the person by connecting the three pics

How is the person related to the first pic?

Last date for sending the answers for Contest: March 10th, 2013
Email ID: hrclub.iims@gmail.com
Subject of the email: TogetHRContest9_CollegeName_Name of Person

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

24

Co nte s t

Announcement of Results
The prize for Article of the Issue has been awarded to Dr. Arnav Singh Tanwar
from Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur for his Article Employer
Branding Its relevance in todays times. He is awarded a cash prize of INR
1000 and Certificate of Appreciation
All other authors whose articles are published in this issue shall also receive
Certificate of Appreciation
The prize for Contest with the Best of NOV-DEC 2012 Issue has been awarded to Swati Jain from Fore School of Management New Delhi. She is awarded
with a cash prize of INR 500 and a Certificate of Appreciation
Last Contest Answers: 06/1999, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Revival Plan (NRP), Blue Citizenship/ Green Programme

Instructions for Submission

Article should not have been published anywhere earlier
The Article should have a single author
Kindly email your article with the file name and the subject as <Title of Article> _<Institute Name>_<Authors name/Groups name> by March 10th,
2013 to hrclub.iims@gmail.com
Article must be sent in Microsoft Word Document (doc/docx), Font: Times
New Roman, Font Size: 12, Line spacing: 1.5. The size of the article should be
between 700-1000 words
The cover page of the article should only contain the Title of the Article, the
Authors Name and the Institutes Name
Results of this issue contest and selected artilces shall be announced in the
next issue of TogetHR

TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

25

Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management Shillong

Mayurbhanj Complex, Nongthymmai
Shillong - 793014
email: hrclub.iims@gmail.com
Mobile: +91 8730002445
c Team usHR, IIM Shillong

Published by usHR, HR Club of IIM Shillong

www.iims-ushr.in