July 2011

Issue 1

NEXUS - HR NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the first newsletter designed by Nexus 2010-2012. Nexus, as the name indicates is a student initiative to all to provide means of This communication HR enthusiasts.

newsletter has been created to promote a sense of knowledge sharing. Nexus provides a platform where ideas, resources and projects covered under the Human Resource umbrella are shared. Our feature stories include latest happenings, new processes and out of the box ideas in the HR arena.

TEAM NEXUS
SNEHA RATHORE PRIYA RAI NATASHA BATRA DEVANJALI RISHI B.SRAVANTHI AAKANKSHA ABDOLA

Created by: Mandakini Bhati

With business picking up, now is the time for HR leaders to increase employee innovation in their organizations by leveraging performance-management, assessment and compensation strategies. While initiatives will vary by company and industry, HR needs to take responsibility for fostering a culture of innovation.

INNOVATION IN HR

At the recent Human Resource Executive Forum in New York a panel discussion was conducted. The panel shared insights on ways they've approached the challenge of leveraging human capital to drive innovation within their organizations.

Susan R. Meisinger | Human Resource Executive Online

Strategies were as diverse as the companies, from using test stores to try new food products and continually innovate around processes, to creating a venture capital fund within the company to allow investment in new lines of business or allowing employees to submit ideas to peers for instant collaboration and communication.

Dont use screening tools designed to bring in creative and innovative candidates; half -- 53 percent -- don't tie performance-management systems to driving innovation; and half -- 53 percent -- don't have any formalized suggestion system in place If driving innovation and growth was easy, everyone would be doing it well. The reality is that two-thirds of the companies on Fast Company's 2009 list of the 50 most innovative companies didn't make it onto the 2010 edition. Focus on what changes might be necessary to your performancemanagement system to help shift the culture from one of riskavoidance during a recession to one that encourages risk taking. Use assessment tools to help identify candidates that will be more innovative for roles that demand innovation. Ensure compensation systems reward employees who, despite being exhausted from weathering the economic storm, are fully engaged in driving innovation within the organization. In short, don't be someone who just says that HR plays a significant role in fostering innovation.

The panellists were not typical of how the profession is driving innovation and growth. In fact, the results suggest that HR executives may not even be leveraging their HR expertise to really help. . But it's hard t for those HR managers who do innovate to know how theyre actually doing it, since a large majority also reported that the performance evaluation for HR leaders wasn't based, in any way, on the ability to foster innovation.

And although there are tools available to professionals to help foster innovation, most don't use them: more than twothirds -- 71 percent --

Actually do it.

Thick clouds, birds chirping, mild wind, chill in the air and we get a pleasant call in the background of a ringing hand bell Good Morning Sir, the tea is ready sir! I grab my cell phone (which obviously has no range) to see the time. It is 5:30am at this picturesque outbound academy.

GOING BEYOND BOUNDARIES

Great things start with great questions.

Vishwanath Joshi
It all started when I was having an intellectually stimulating discussion a few months back with the head of HR of this Holland based IT Product Company. What can we do to bring more energy in the company? he asked. How do we get brilliant technologists and architects to work together towards the organizational goals? and What can we do to help our best performers to realize their own leadership potential? he continued.

Visiting faculty SIMS, Trainer, HR Consultant (Author)

After three years as an advisor to this organization on various strategic and HR issues, these questions, and many around these issues, was a new challenge I was beginning to see. The Context and Challenges The organization had undergone a restructuring recently. Some successes in the market place, new people coming in, increased focus of the parent company on the Indian unit was resulting into clarity in its big picture goals. Its priorities and value systems were being redefined.

Like all growing organizations, it was also grappling with a set of challenges creating a performance focus, building internal collaboration, improving communication at all levels, enabling high performers to go that extra mile and getting the techies to be change ready were just a few major ones.

A series of internal brainstorming sessions occupied the calendar spaces of the senior members. These also highlighted the need to refocus on the organizational culture and the talent management part of the organization. It became very clear very soon that this organization required an innovative, self-directed and highly engaging process to tackle these issues. Each one worth the mention was doing his and her best in their respective role but we need a program which could help us all think and learn together.

The Solution An outbound program was a good choice. Moving beyond conventional classroom learning and noting down off the shelf solutions was a big change.

Getting a good external faculty and facility was the first task. We finally decided to go with a professional organization based about 50 kms away from Pune. Good ambience and a team of trained and passionate facilitators was their strength. In a series of meetings, we could explain to them our objectives for a 2 day outbound program, which they understood and acknowledged through a formal but flexible design.

Different people require different ways of leadership and guidance, one size does not fit all. So much like managing a team trying to accomplish a difficult goal in a complex environment.

The program was designed keeping in mind some very specific objectives: Provide opportunities to understand and learn group dynamics within the chosen group. Back to school Increase a sense of collaboration and positive confrontation Significance of big picture thinking Enabling individuals to realize and transcend their potential and limitations Not without its challenges We agreed that these objectives must flow top down. Hence a group of managers, team leaders and senior project members were invited to be a part of what I believe was an intervention. (Not picnics mind you!) It wasnt easy for my friend in HR to put this group of people together for this adventure. There were doubts, resistance and some last moment back offs. He had to do a lot of internal selling, combining messages of fun and learning in a series of internal mailers and one to one communication. The schedule was compelling in many ways. For those who are used to a car to carpet life and work styles, getting up early, trekking in rains, yoga and physical exercises proved to be a great self-realization. Most said Now I know how important it is to exercise other parts of the body than only your brain and your fingers.(Most were techies remember!)

The waterfall rappelling (you climb down a rocky surface with water gushing down) had many lessons in store. Some of those expressed by the participants included comments like; So tough and scary but great fun and satisfaction when you accomplish it, just like some of our projects!

Listen to the instructions carefully, ask if you dont understand because you just cant assume when you are all by yourself. So learn to ask and follow well, otherwise execution fails.

Another interesting activity was pitching a tent in a team of blindfolded individuals. Only the leader, who is trained in the task can see, but cant do it himself / herself. Significance of communication of the big picture, clarity in goals, coordination within the team, and need for hands-off leadership style while working with a group of highly innovative and capable individuals were some take away from the activity.

There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet

One of the activities involved building a raft (which would sail of course!) in a team. It involved a customer situation. The significance of a strategic plan, the need to organize and assess resources, the capacity to execute flawlessly and sharing the joy of accomplishment were the themes discussed after the activity.

So what is all this about? In a business environment filled with cut throat competition and dynamic changes, the need for the capacity of an organization to work as a unit cannot be over emphasized. Silos working, dominant individual agendas, poor team working and ineffective leadership are some of the many reasons for organizational failures.

Even successful organizations, wanting to grow further will have to invest in developing these competencies in its workforce. Helping people realize their potential and enabling them to expand their often self-imposed boundaries can go a long way in creating high performance organizations.

Adopting innovative learning methods like outbound can help in bringing about organization wide changes and engaging people in taking greater ownership for their own as well as common goals. So if you are an organization trying to accomplish super ordinate goals and with ordinary people with extraordinary potential, outbound is a talisman you must try.

Once jobs have been evaluated and all the points have been summed up, the next step is placing of all evaluated jobs according to points in terms of money. This is the point when rated jobs are translated into monetary values. To conduct wage survey the existing rates are taken for comparison.

WAGES IN INDIA
V S Rama Rao (Writer)

The main purposes of wage survey, is to find out the fair for various jobs in order to establish the entire wage structure. Selection of key jobs whose duties are clearly defined, not unstable and mostly representing all level of jobs worth is the very first step in building a wage survey. For the wage survey two types of samples are needed. First sample of key jobs and second a sample of firms in the labour market. Jobs require different personnel, in terms of skill, ability etc. and thus it varies from local to regional level. Selection of a sample of firms should be from those firms which operate under similar market conditions.

Ritika Raghuvanshi SIMS - HR Core 2010 - 12 (Contribution)

In construction of wage structure similar jobs are grouped and treated as a job class. All the jobs, which come under that job class, are paid the same wage. In the point system, suppose 120 points to 150 points make a job class. In such case, all the jobs which fetch total between 120 and 150 would carry the same monetary compensation. The purpose of grouping of jobs is to facilitate wage administration.

The job content and available data are carefully analysed and averaged out, and in this way the rupee values of jobs are prepared and plotted on the chart. By plotting key jobs against their existing wages, we get a wage trend line lies close to all the jobs plotted on the graph. The wage trend line should be drawn in such a way that it covers most of the points. Those which lie below the line should be paid more to come on the line of best fit. But simultaneously the authority and responsibility should also be increased in line with the wage increase. And as all those which are above the best fit line cannot be paid lower than the existing wage rates and all such rates should be freezed.

All wages should be paid within limits which are given by the standard set through a wage structure.

Factors affecting the designing of the wage structure are: A cardinal principle of wage and salary administration is that wage rate shall not be cut, as a result of installation of job evaluation. Adjustments in the total rate structure should also be similar to the percentage increment in order to maintain equitable relationship. Labour market condition: if supply of labour is higher than demand the wage would be relatively low. That is, if standard of living is high it calls for higher wage. Wage structures of other firms in the same industry directly affect the companys wage structure. Sometimes, even though the competitors pay relatively higher wage, due to weak collective bargaining power of the trade union, management may settle wage at a relatively low rate.

Improved method of ranking system is known as factor comparison system where job factors are compared rather than the whole jobs. It consists of the following steps: Selection of job characteristics. Selection of key jobs. Determination of correct rates of key jobs. Ranking of key jobs under each job factor. Allocation of correct rate to each key job. Evaluation of all other jobs. Designing, adjusting and operating the wage structure.

In calculating the minimum wage, the standard wage, the standard working class family should be taken to comprise three consumption units for one earner, the earnings of women, children and adolescents being disregarded. Minimum food requirements should be calculated on the basis of asset intake of calories for average adult of moderate activity.

From the employees point of view wages determines his standard of living. Wage policy. Therefore is an important issue and recognizing its importance the Constitution of India guaranteed equal pay for equal work for both men and women. All workers living with a wage and conditions of work which ensure a decent standard of life.

Clothing requirements should be estimated on the basis of per capital consumption of 18 yards per annum which would give the average workers family of four a total of 72 yards. In respect of housing the rent corresponding to the minimum area provided for under Government Industrial housing scheme should be taken into consideration in fixing the minimum age. Fuel, lighting and other miscellaneous items of expenditure should constitute 20 per cent of the total minimum wage.

Minimum wage: Minimum age is that wage which must invariably be paid whether the company, big or small makes profits or not it is the bare minimum that a worker can expect to get for services rendered by him.

How it all began?? Ever since I joined SIMS in June 2009, one thing which alarmed me was the amount of food wasted in the mess. Without the slightest feeling of guilt, students would drop their plates in the tray and expect the mess bhaiya clear the leftovers from their plates!! With nobody to monitor their actions, the damage had escaped most peoples notice. I would often wonder whether these students would have the same callous attitude when they were at home? Or was wasting a habit developed after joining SIMS?

THE NEW SIMS WAY OF LIFE

Archana Bopaiya Alumni 2009-2011

It was Mr. Binoy George (visiting faculty), who brought out the issue during a lecture and thats when I decided that it was high time we acted!! On discussing the case with the caterers and the students to understand the issue better, it was observed that the taste of the mess food was not the actual cause. The caterers explained that with the buffet system, students are in total control of how much food they serve themselves. Upon probing, students complained of long queues at peak hours because of which they had a tendency to take larger helpings, unsure of whether they would have time for another.

Data from the mess on the quantity of food wasted [in Kg] during each meal in the day was collected for a week [19th 25th February, 2011]. The average wastage amounted to 70 Kg/day. This frightening number made us swing into action, at once! We visited each class and presented a video stating how many people die of starvation every day. All statistics were supported with powerful visuals of children dying of hunger in different parts of our country. Interacting with students gave us their honest opinion on what they believed were measures to tackle the issue. Student involvement and support played a key role in strengthening the cause. Kotter suggests that for change to be successful, 75% of the community needs to buy into the change.

But at the heart of the matter was the attitude of students which needed a change! I would like to explain how we successfully implemented this drive in a span of 8 days, by drawing parallels with Kotters eight steps. STEP 1: Create a Sense of Urgency This is the first and most critical step towards initiating a change in any environment. It is all about helping others see the need for change and the importance of acting immediately.

STEP 2: Form a powerful Guiding Coalition To lead change, you need to bring together a coalition or team of influential people.

STEP 3: Create a Vision A clear vision can help everyone understand why you're asking them to do something and hence the directives theyre given make more sense. Our vision was simple. We wanted to awaken the conscience of students so that they could change their attitude. By creating a strategy to execute the vision, we wished to clarify how the future will be different from the past, and how one can make the future a reality.

Obstacle 1: Some students posed a question at us, What benefit will I get out of wasting less?

Obstacle 2: Another common complaint was, Improve the quality of the food!

STEP 4: Communicating the Vision We designed ELEVEN POSTERS [some animated while others were bold and heart trenching] to restate the message we were trying to communicate and serve as a constant reminder of the vision behind the drive. Displayed all around the mess, the posters were fairly large [3 feet*2 feet] and supported on wooden frames.

Once we addressed students concerns, both batches were sent an email thanking them for their co-operation in incorporating the new system of emptying their plates themselves and congratulating them for making this drive such a grand success. STEP 6: Create Short-Term Wins Nothing motivates more than success! Within a short time frame, we had results to show to the students. We let the numbers do the talking! STEP 7: Build on the Change

STEP 5: Empowering others to act on the Vision [Removing Obstacles] This stage involved the following Identify people who are resisting the change, and help them see what's needed. Take action to quickly remove barriers. Recognize and reward people for making the change happen.

We monitored the wastage for over a month to ensure that the change was sustained over a period of time. And the numbers were in our favour! They swiftly fell to reassure us that this change was a permanent one. STEP 8: CREATE A New CULTURE To make any change stick, it should become part of the culture and must show in your day-to-day work.

Across 1. A written summary of the minimum qualifications required of workers to do a particular job. 8. in a flexible plan, the period when all employees are expected to be at their job stations. 10. An experienced employee who supervises, coaches and guides lower-level employees by introducing them to the right people and generally being their organizational sponsor. 12. An arrangement whereby two part-time employees share one full-time job. 13. Work schedule that gives employees some freedom to choose when to work, as long as they work the required number of hours. 14. The use of equipment that duplicates job conditions and tasks so that trainees can learn skills before attempting them on the job.

HR CROSSWORD

3 4

5 7

6 8 9

10 11

12

Down 2. Training programs in which employees attend classes via the Internet. 3. The process of gathering information and deciding who should be hired, under legal guidelines, for the best interests of the individual and the organization. 4. Employment activities designed to right pass wrongs by increasing opportunities for minorities and women. 5. Training program in which the employee immediately begins his or her task and learns by doing, or watches others for a while and then imitates them, all right at the workplace. 6. The process of establishing and maintaining contacts with key managers in ones own organization and other organizations and using those contacts to weave strong relationships that serve as informal development systems. 7. Training that occurs away from the workplace and consists of internal or external programs to develop any of a variety of skills or to foster personal development. 8. Workers who do not have the expectation of regular, full-time employment. 9. The set of activities used to obtain a sufficient number of the right people at the right time, its purpose is to select those who best meet the needs of the organization.

11. A study of what is done by employees who hold various job titles.

MOVIE REVIEW

The Pursuit
Based on true events, The Pursuit of Happyness (the incorrect spelling is explained in the film) follows the story of Chris Gardner as he struggles to achieve the American dream.

Of Happyness

The rousing, true-life story of a single dad who went from living on the streets to owning his own brokerage firm is brought to the big screen by superstar Will Smith, appearing for the first time opposite his real-life son Jaden Smith. Set in early-'80s San Francisco, the film charts the hard times and eventual comeback of Chris Gardner, a suddenly single salesman. Chris has everything going against him.His wife has left him and he's raising his 5-year-old son alone, without any real income. He desperately tries to make ends meet but inevitably he begins to feel the financial pressures of life and hits rock bottom. In an attempt to change the course of his and his sons life, he signs up for an unpaid internship at a high profile stock brokerage firm, while trying to make enough money to support his child.

He struggles to work his way from an unpaid intern at Dean Witter to something more substantial, even as life continues to offer him setbacks. Sleeping in bathrooms,

homeless shelters, and shabby hotels when he's not got the money to afford a room, Chris never gives up on the idea that he can land a job and provide his son with a better life.
Themovieteachestenacityand determination in the face of adversity. It brings into focus what should most of us fight for when we believe that we have lost everything. A highly motivational and

inspiring movie best represented by this line which Chris states to his son, "Don't
ever let anyone say you can't do something, they are just trying to discourage you from something they could not do.

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FUN AT HR

COLOSSEUM is the Annual HR Seminar

At Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies conducted by the SIMS HR Club The People Tree.
The seminar serves as a Platform for intellectual meetings between corporate Dignitaries and student managers where in current issues that are pertinent to HR and have an impact on the organization, are discussed. It acts as an Industry-Institute interface. It provides a forum where corporates, economists and consultants come together to discuss the existence of HRM in organizations and its importance. It amalgamates the ideas of experienced industry professionals and students to provide a broader perspective towards HRM.

COLOSSEUM 2011
COMING SOON

Answers to the crossword:

Across: Down: Job specifications Core time Mentor Job-sharing Flexitime plan Job Simulation 2. Online training 3. Selection 4. Affirmative action 5. On the job training 6. Networking 7. Off the job training 8. Contingent workers 9. Recruitment 11. Job analysis

1.
8. 10. 12. 13. 14.