GRAPEVINE- its gossip in the Organisation...

It had happened and it will again happen, it has not spared anyone in any industry irrespective of which designation one is in or department they belong to; it has not spared us in our relations with others as well, let it be friendship or anything else, so how can our corporate work environment be untouched.

This ‘touch’ (you may call it a virus or a parasite) is called “Grapevine”. It is actively involved in corporate sector. Like the name goes, these act as creepers.
Grapevine, the very basic definition of this is “something which is learnt unofficially and informally through gossip or rumors”.

These Grapevines are actually part and parcel of any group activity inside or outside the organization.
This type of nebulous phenomenon is common no matter you are a clerk, an executive or even a senior manager. Grapevine grows stronger and stronger day by day and also depends on number of groups formed. These are normally cultivated in areas like dinning hall, pantry, parking lots and wherever people get in groups.

These are more common during the period of appraisals, mergers, collaborations, deployment etc and they move haphazardly breaking the formal line of communication. They are so vague and unclear, they actually tend to take you in a different set of organizational climate altogether.

Many face this, I faced it, and one can’t deny the fact that when you get involved into this, you also become a part of the game. These Grapevines are good for people who are working in groups and teams as this acts as a catalyst for making the team more intimate and stronger. Nevertheless, this is an easiest mode of communicating, it has the capacity of penetrating even the highest security because it crosses all the boundaries and fences and gets directly with people.

To my surprise even those who don’t want to be a part of this communication indirectly become part of it. I have noticed that this type of grapevine is beneficial for the organization in many aspects. 75% of the organization policies and procedures are shared through Grapevine communication. Best example: The first day of your college or office, people telling you this is not accepted, this is the way its appreciated, you have to have good rapport with this person you will get appraised else no, s/he likes it in this manner only!!!!. And who can forget those college and school days during exam times as in this will come and that will come, this is included and that is excluded, so on and on….

This method of communication are actually very informative many a times, its up to us for believing or ignoring it but certainly you cant shrug your shoulders off from it.

NonVerbal- One of the many ways to Communicate- BODY LANGUAGE!!

It’s said that that the way you carry yourself makes or builds confidence in you… is this right??? Yes, so factually true… its your body language which communicates non-verbally about you mental persona.

Here are some inputs on body language that would be of great help to all our members in their day-to-day life, to improve their soft skills personally and professionally.

What you say is important, but, what you do is very very important. It has been researched that your body does not lie. Most commonly used body gestures and their meaning. They would be of help to you.

Arms crossed over chest - Defensiveness or anxiety

Swinging arm - Want to walk away from a situation

Eye blinking - Fast blinking signals stress/anxious

Downward gaze - Feeling defeated

Taking notes - Shows interest or involvement

Hand over mouth - Can mean boredom

Arms behind head and leaning back - Looking for power or control

Unbuttoning coat - Openness

Buttoning coat - Feels trapped and wants to leave

Standing with hands behind back - Confidence

Clearing throat - Nervousness

Rubbing back of neck - Defensiveness

Hands flat on table - Ready to agree

Stroking chin - Evaluating or thinking

Foot tapping - Impatience

Rubbing the eye - Doubt or disbelief

Rubbing hands - Anticipation

Tilted head - Interest

Pulling / tugging ear - Indecision

So next time you are communicating be aware of yours and the others’ body language and understand what it means.

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

Shaping HR for a Win-Win Value Proposition

A little back it was “Personnel”, now, it’s “Human Resources”. But even after the name change, the HR department is still not always seen as contributing to overall business success. Company executives routinely give their HR department’s lower ratings than the human resource people give themselves. 'Transformation into the best' has become a catch in the industry. The best selling Who Moved My Cheese on accepting change, there are a lot of sources which introduce and offer self-help and management techniques to encourage personal and organizational transformation. In terms of HR, transformation is concept of restructuring flow charts, diversity programs, and team-building exercises. In reality, organizations are filled with old cultural norms that are as elastic as rubber, which make new and innovative ideas difficult to embrace.

Transformation is like oil on water, can live comfortably on the surface of an organization resistant to penetrating the fiber and makeup of the culture. Transformation is a major undertaking that comes at a high price. But when it is implemented, the rewards surpass the painstaking effort. Prior to transforming a culture, it is important to understand what 'culture' and 'organization' are. Return on Investment delivered by the HR department focuses largely on the people hired. Even many HR professionals themselves seem focused on their administrative tasks—hiring, payroll and benefits— rather than the business benefits HR can deliver. However, a few trailblazing HR divisions are changing their roles to reshape the face of human resources. These HR groups are re-branding themselves, and creating a stronger emphasis on business acumen and coaching, helping to align employees and executives alike around new business strategies.

The Growing challenges for Human Resources

A lot have been already been written on this which can be referred through our previous write-ups on “IS ATTRITION AND RETENTION BOGGING YOU?” in Business Manager, October 2006 and “TWENTY RETENTION TOOLS FOR CURBING ATTRITION” in Business Manager and NHRD Newsletter May 2007. Here is a brief on factors:

· High level of attrition: While India does have a large talent pool (annually 167,000 engineering students and 1.54 million graduates pass out of the country’s educational institutions), not all are ‘industry-ready’ or equipped with the necessary skill sets to become useful to the companies. This means that while there is plenty of supply at the entry level, there are huge gaps in the middle management and senior management levels. This has resulted in increased levels of poaching and attrition cases. Presently, the average attrition rate faced by manufacturing industry is somewhere around 30-35 percent.

· Mismatch of expectations: Expectations mismatch leads to higher attrition. Moon is shown to candidates during joining. This is partly due to the perceptions created in the general public with respect to the career growth, type of work, compensations offered, competition, etc. Many a times, people are not able to create a work-life balance and often opt out.

· Communication issue: Lack of effective communication is another contentious issue. The absence of regular, two-way communication between employees, their immediate team managers and the senior management is a common complaint and one of the reasons for high attrition rates. A new HR model with specific roles has been developed by us at Sona.

Mapping Training Objectives to Business Results

The training objectives should be linked to performance goals and then to company business results. Managers identify candidates for training. Candidates understand what they need to get out of training, and how they will apply learning back on the job. After training, managers and trainees make sure that trainees drive ROI by achieving meaningful, measurable business outcomes. Having managers focus their employee on what they need to learn and how they’ll use it to reach goals when they return, organization can drive a return on investment. If you expend resources on a learning event, it would be irresponsible not to provide objectives and required outcomes in advance.”

Recruitment and retention are important to today's employers

From the HR professionals with whom we spoke, recruitment and retention are extremely important issues. One statistic, according to The Harvard Business Review, states that reducing employee turnover rates by just 5% lowers operational costs by 10% and improves worker productivity by a significant 65%. Employers are constantly looking at ways to retain their valued employees. Compensation and benefit packages, end-of-year bonuses, workplace conditions, and training and development are all important factors.

Concern about employee satisfaction

In many organizations, employee morale is sagging, and it's no wonder. Recent surveys indicate that only 25 percent of workers feel a strong connection to their employer; many of the rest are simply biding their time, waiting for the job market to improve. That's why smart HR managers are putting new emphasis on raising employee morale and promoting career development. They recognize that employees who feel valued and engaged represent an enormous competitive advantage.

Innovation and productivity

Successful firms are constantly seeking ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness while, at the same time, foster innovation and creative problem solving. Increasingly, HR managers are supporting these initiatives by helping to create a corporate culture that values learning. For example, a company's performance management and rewards system needs to align with corporate strategies and priorities. Also, strategically minded HR managers continuously emphasize the importance of employee development, giving staff members the opportunity to acquire new skills and learn about practices that have worked in other workplaces, such as Six Sigma quality principles, lean practices, global supply chain logistics, data mining, and team-based problem-solving.

Flexibility in Workforce

The rapid pace of mergers and acquisitions, a global economy, and technology will all continue to have a profound impact on the workforce. More and more companies are outsourcing, driving the demand for consultants, project workers, and in general a more flexible and agile workforce. People are telecommuting and working remote, away from a company's physical headquarters. Flexibility among both employers and employees allows organizations to thrive in times of intense competitive, changing markets, customers, products, delivery systems, and services.

HR managers are focused on leadership and succession planning

Experienced HR managers know that the key to attracting and retaining talented employees is the quality of leadership. The old saying that, "People don't leave companies, they leave people" is true. That's why in so many companies, large and small, there's an ongoing commitment to identifying and developing leadership talent among their staff.

Wrapping up

Within this pressured environment of organizations, there is a need for (and opportunity for) the Human Resource function to play a critical role in helping organizations navigates through these transitions. In order to play this role, however, HR has to enjoy a real and perceived value that’s appreciated by managers and workers alike. The role of Human Resources has been evolving for some time. The shift from "personnel" to "human resources," for example, was part of the movement to acknowledge the value of employees as an organizational resource, and was an attempt to remove some of the stigma that was associated with slow, bureaucratic personnel departments. This shift in label was accompanied by a call for HR to become a strategic partner with the leaders of the business - to contribute to significant business decisions, advice on critical transitions, and develop the value of the employees. Interestingly, the trend of companies outsourcing Human Resource functions continues to gain steam. There is talk that by 2008 outsourced HR departments will be common. The mere fact that outsourcing is an option is prompting some people to reassess traditional HR job functions. And, in itself, that’s not a bad thing. After all, being an HR professional is no longer exclusively about handling payroll issues, negotiating contracts and benefits or training supervisors and executives. It's more about sitting next to the chief executive, making recommendations about what functions to outsource, developing long-term recruitment and retention strategies and finding ways to save the company money.

HR professionals today need to understand what the products and services are, who the customers are and who the competitors are. It's essential for the HR professional to get out of the office and be involved in making things happen in the business.

Articulated by: Thumma Suresh Reddy

How HR Works To Get The Job Done

Human Resources is just what it says: resources for humans – within the workplace! Its main objective is to meet the organizational needs of the company it represents and the needs of the people hired by that company. In short, it is the hub of the organization serving as a liaison between all concerned. Depending on the size of the company, the HR Department might be called Personnel with a manageable workforce that can be handled by a personnel manager and a small staff. For larger, more complex organizations with hundreds of departments and divisions, the task is much more demanding, taking on a life of its own.

Some companies have more than one HR Department - Corporate and Union. For example, a food service industry might have a Corporate HR Department that oversees “white collared” employees and an HR Department that oversees the “blue collar” workforce with an emphasis on labor relations. With such diverse needs, the organization will institute these two HR Departments to manage the unique needs of both union and non-union employees. Some of the many core functions of the Human Resources function involves the following:

Organizational Development:

To ensure its success, a company must establish a hierarchal reporting system. Picture an organizational chart with boxes representing each position starting at the top with the first and single-most important being the highest-ranking role. Following the lines, more boxes are branched off to define each department head and their direct reports. As the company expands, so will this chart. The funnel of responsibility is critical to the efficiency of a smoothly operating business entity in which there is a clearly defined understanding of who is responsible for what. This is what HR does for a company. They provide consultation to a company’s management team to identify what the company’s core business and culture is about, and proceeds to plan and map the company’s organizational infrastructure to support those needs.

Employee Recruitment and Selection Process:
There are many steps to recruiting and selecting qualified employees. First, a department head must inform the HR manager of an opening in their department. Then the HR manager must obtain the job description to formulate a Job Description Sheet for publication either internally, publicly, or both. Then HR must field the (many) responses to that job announcement to weed out the qualified from the unqualified applicants. Once that is completed, the interview process must be coordinated. This is a full time job! If one job ad generates 80 responses, there’s a good chance that only 10 applicants are highly qualified for the position. If the department’s hiring manager were to interview the other 70 less-than-qualified applicants, their department would come to a complete standstill because there would be no time for anything else! That’s where HR, a.k.a. Fort Knox, comes in. They prepare the job description, contact the newspaper, run the ad, field the calls, faxes, and emails, compile a list of potential candidates from dozens of in-coming resumes, submit their list of potential candidates to the department’s hiring manager for approval and selection, contact the chosen candidates to set up preliminary interviews, and interview the candidates! Yes, that’s right. Preliminary interviews! Although most interviews are with the hiring manager or their associates, not all applicants get to meet with the department’s hiring manager right away. It is not uncommon for a company to filter out those who fail to impress the HR manager first. For those select few who make it through, the HR manager schedules interviews between the department’s hiring manager and potential candidates, and follows up with the hiring process to establish the new hire with the company. Not unlike the screening process for American Idol, a job seeker needs to perform their best to impress the “judges.”

Employee Training & Development: As a company and the requirements of a position evolve, a company needs to take certain measures to ensure a highly skilled workforce is in place. The Human Resources Department oversees the skills development of company’s workforce, acting as an in-house training center to coordinate training programs either on-site, off-site, or in the field. This might include on-going company training, outside training seminars, or even college, in which case an employee will receive tuition reimbursement upon earning a passing grade.

Employee Compensation Benefits:
This covers salaries, bonuses, vacation pay, sick leave pay, Workers’ Compensation, and insurance policies such as medical, dental, life, and 401k. The Human Resources Department is responsible for developing and administering a benefits compensation system that serves as an incentive to ensure the recruitment and retainment of top talent that will stay on with the company. When an employee is hired, the company’s Benefits Coordinator is required to meet with employees one-on-one or in small group settings to explain their benefits package. This often requires an employee to make an informed decision and to provide their signature for processing purposes

Employee Relations:
With the increased rise in unethical practices and misbehaviors taking place in today’s workplace such as age, gender, race, and religion discrimination and sexual harassment, there needs to be mandatory compliance with governing rules and regulations to ensure fair treatment of employees. In short, employees need to know they have a place to turn when a supervisor abuses his or her authority in anyway. Whether corporate or union, the HR Department will get involved to act as arbitrator and liaison between legal entities, regulatory agencies such as Human Rights, supervisors (who might be falsely accused), and employees to properly address and resolve the issue at hand.

Policy Formulation:
Regardless of the organization’s size, company policies and procedures must be established to ensure order in the workplace. These policies and procedures are put in place to provide each employee with an understanding of what is expected of them. Similarly, these policies and procedural guidelines will assist hiring managers in evaluating their employee’s performance. These policies can be established company-wide or used to define each department’s function. It is Human Resource’s responsibility to collaborate with department managers on the formulation of these policies and regulations to ensure a cohesive organization. A common practice is the development and implementation of an Employee Procedure Manual or Employee Handbook that is either distributed to each employee at the time of hire or a master copy allocated one to a department.

HRIS – Human Resources Information Systems:
To keep track of the vast amount of data, a human resources department must have a good HRIS in place to automate many functions such as planning and tracking costs, monitoring and evaluating productivity levels, and the storing and processing of employee records such as payroll, benefits, and personnel files.

It is very important that you, the job seeker, understand how the HR function works – specifically in the area of candidate recruitment. If you are considering a career in human resources, you can choose to become a Generalist or a Specialist. Some titles include HR Manager, HR Recruiter, HR Administrator, Payroll Coordinator or Assistant, PeopleSoft HR Project Manager, Benefits Administrator or Coordinator, Labor Relations, Training Coordinator, HRIS Specialist and HR Consultant.

Whether a job seeker or a HR professional, research a company well before applying for a position.

Article by: Debasree