Making Best of Worst Times ? ( BLOG # 2,000 )

Worldwide spread of CoronaVirus is “ bad times “

CoronaVirus shutting down factories in China is “ worse times “

India depending on China for almost 50 % of its imports of following goods , is “ worst times “ :

Ø  Textile Fabrics

Ø  Refrigerators

Ø  Suitcases

Ø  Antibiotics

Ø  Vitamins

Ø  Insecticides

Ø  Diodes

Ø  Semiconductor Devices

Ø  Auto Parts

Ø  Steel & Aluminium items

Ø  Mobile Phones

[ source :  India starts hunt for alternatives to China to source over 1k items  ]

Our options are :

Ø  Scour for suppliers ( equal in cost / quality ) from all over the world

Ø  Develop domestic suppliers on double quick

As far as the second alternative is concerned, I sent following suggestion to DIPP / ASSOCHAM / FICCI / CII / NASSCOM etc, in Sept 2015  :

[ Source :       Well Begun is Half Done       /           06 May 2016 ]

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*  Role of MakeinIndia web site

    >  On its web site , list 5000 products that we currently import ( with

        annual import bill / sources / ave landed cost etc )

    >  Invite 1000 leading manufacturing companies of India , to make

        online selection of minimum of 5 items each, for preparing DPR

        ( Detailed Project Reports ) .

         Freely visible online database of who selected which items

        will avoid duplication

         

         

*  Role  of  Manufacturing Companies

    >  Prepare and submit to Ministry of Commerce, at least 5 DPR  by

        Dec 2016 . More the merrier ! Earlier the better !

    >  Each report must carry , name of at least one bank which has

        accepted that as a " Bankable Report " , eligible for funding

    >  Train at least 100 fresh engineering graduates in various

         manufacturing related functions under GET ( Graduate Engineer

         Training ) Scheme  , each year

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In that blog / mail , I had also described these :

Ø  Role of Ministry of Commerce

Ø  Role of  Income Tax Department

Ø  Role of Fresh Engineering Graduates

Ø  Role of ASSOCHAM / FICCI / CII etc

Ø  Role of eBiz web site

Ø  Role of State Governments

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Although it is more than 4 YEARS since suggesting this ( for Import Substitution ) , it is still not too late for DIPP / Finance Ministry , to announce that the expenses incurred by the Manufacturing Companies in preparation of DPR ( Detailed Project Reports ) , will be counted as their CSR ( Corporate Social Responsibility ) contribution

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01    March 2020

hcp@RecruitGuru.com

“ Employee Data “ is only a Subset !

Context :

Managing varied data is one of HR’s biggest current challenges 

Extract :

Ø  However, though technology allows for the automation and streamlining of many operational processes and day-to-day tasks, organizations are drowning in data. The sheer amount of data that is being generated is overwhelming corporates and even HR departments.

Ø  Trust is turning out to be an important factor. With employees concerned about the safety and privacy of the information they share with their employers, Khanna says it prevents them from utilizing new technologies like AI.

Ø  The Oracle official states that managing varied data is one of HR’s biggest current challenges. “What makes it even more daunting is that if not acted upon now, technologies will keep on generating more data, adding to HR woes

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Here is how that “ Employee Data “ gets to accumulate in the HR department :

Ø  Job Applicant’s Resume on Job Portals

         First Name  /  Middle Name  /  Last  Name  /  Address  /  Current  Location  /

         Photo ( sometimes optional )  /  Mobile  Number  /  Email  ID  /  Birth Date  /

         Gender  /  Educational  Details ;  Degrees -  Diplomas  -  Colleges  -  Years

         attended  -  Marks  obtained  /  Current  Employer -  Designation  -  Salary  /

         Jobs  held  in past – names of Companies – Periods worked – Salaries drawn –

         Designations held – Reasons for leaving /  Position applying for or interested in

         /  Preferred location  /  Salary expected  /  Current   Industry – Function – Job

         Role  /  Skills acquired  /  Languages spoken – written  /   Area of specialization

         /  Marital  Status  /  Names of  References for checking background / Name of

         Spouse / Number of Children ( with their ages ) etc

Ø    Company Application Form

    Many companies require a selected candidate to fill in this form . This form is very

    exhaustive , requiring to furnish details of dependent FAMILY MEMBERS

Ø  Medical Expense Reimbursements

#  Employee must fill up form to claim reimbursement of expenses incurred for

    domiciliary and hospitalization, attaching doctor’s prescription – fees paid / drug –

    store bills etc. Often , to be submitted separately for each ailment and for each

    family member ( dependent )

Ø  Other Re-imbursements

#  Forms to be filled in for claiming LTA ( details of where you took the family for

     holidays )

          #  Form to be filled in for claiming HRA ( details of residence address / rent paid etc )

          #  Form for Petrol Expense Reimbursement ( local travel )

          #  Form for Expenses for official Outstation Travels ( where-when- how – why etc )

Ø  Forms for Retirement Benefits ( Provident Fund / Superannuation / Gratuity etc )

What makes this a “ Sub-set “  ?

This is not a comprehensive list of EMPLOYEE DATA

What ( if at all ) , a “ Full-set “ ?

These days, many organizations require their HR staff to scour the Online Media ( Facebook – LinkedIn – Instagram – Google – Job Portals – E Commerce sites etc ) and , to the extent possible ( with or without use of automated SPIDER software / Artificial Intelligence ) , compile following types of PERSONAL DATA for their employees :

          #  Who ( name )

          #  Where and when, born / names of parents

          #  Where  grew up / where living currently

          #  Does he live in a rented place or in an owned flat

          #  What Schools / Colleges did he attended ( - and degrees  acquired )

#  What Companies did he work for and salaries he got

#  How does he travel to work ( own vehicle or public transport )

#  Where does he go for his holidays / what books does he read

#  Who is he married to and who are his children ( - and how many )

#  If divorced , how much alimony does he pay and to whom

#  Where has he invested his money ( Banks – Funds – Equity etc )

#  How much has he borrowed from whom and for how long

#  What is his credit ranking  ( including spending history / card wise – wallet

    wise )

#  What are his eating ( food ) preferences and the restaurants he visits

#  What does he do for entertainment ( Music / Movies / Videos )

#  What clothes does he wear and how often does he buy

#  Who are his friends and how often he phone / text them / meet them

#  What ailments does he suffer from and what medicines does he take

#  What minor offences ( traffic ) or crimes has he committed

#  What elections has he contested ( won and lost )

#  Who are his doctors / lawyers / brokers / agents etc

#  What web sites does he visit / how often and for how long

#  What does he search on the Net / What RSS feeds does he subscribe to

#  What TV channels does he watch and listen to which Radio Stations

#  Every photo of his ever taken ( selfie or otherwise )

#  Every phone call that he ever made or received

#  Every Email / Text message that he ever sent or received

#  Every blog / comment that he ever posted on the Web

#  Every face-to-face communication that he engaged in

          [ Source : Privacy does not live here !  ]

My submission to Employees :

What I have described above is already happening in a few organizations and, may be in a limited manner.

Better get reconciled with a FUTURE over which you 

will have no control  !

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29  Feb  2020

hcp@RecruitGuru.com

Performance Rating of Employees

It is never an easy job, when one human being sits in judgement over the “ performance “ of another

And it is outright difficult when a BOSS is the judge and an EMPLOYEE is the performer

In today’s ( 28 Feb 2020) Economic Times, I came across (ET GRAPHICS), following paras :

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FOR COMPANIES WHICH DON’T USE THE BELL CURVE

Continuous feedback , and managers supporting employees in areas of STRENGTHS and improvements are some options. 

But Aon research shows that many firms that have publicly done away with the BELL CURVE, still follow shadow ratings internally to manage performance management

85 % companies trust the BELL CURVE to appraise employees

The curve is getting sharper – difference between top performers and the rest , increasing

But there is still reluctance to put a lot of people in the bottom pile

Difference between those graded “ Meets Expectations ( ME ) “ and top performers, increasing

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Aon’s web site writes :

Do you think your existing performance management practices are delivering the intended results? 

Performance management continues to be a hot topic of discussion among HR fraternity and has started to attract attention of the C-suite.

Aon’s 2016 Workforce Mindset^TM Study suggests that only 46% of employees think that the way companies assess their performance is effective.

At the same time, organizations are also re-evaluating the efficacy of their performance systems (ratings, bell curve, review frequency etc).

Has it become just a ‘check-box’ process or a critical enabler to drive high performance and employee productivity?

The tension between the traditional and newer approaches stems from a long-running dispute about managing people and enabling people. This calls for a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the current performance ecosystem in India Inc.

Aon invites you to participate in Performance Pulse of India Inc – Aon Hewitt Study on Evolving State of Performance Management. 

The study would uncover current prevalent practices of performance management and help in generating future-oriented insights for India Inc.

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Way back on 17 July 1970 , I constructed following matrix – then invited my colleagues in L&T to fill it up , in order to figure out the relative DESIRABILITIES of various combinations of :

Ø  Employee being rated ( for his performance )

Ø  Design of the Performance Evaluation ( PE ) System itself

Ø  Quality of the feedback given to the employee being rated

Sources :

THE THIN LINE - VIEW POINT  /  THE THIN LINE  /  THE THIN LINE - SAMPLE OBJECTIVES 

   

Combination	Desirable from Org.View-point	Un-Desirable from Org. View point	Desirable from Employee View point	Un-Desirable from Employee View point	Overall Index
Good man / Good PE system / Good feedback
Good man / Good PE system / Poor Feedback
Good man / Poor PE system / Poor Feedback
Good man / Poor PE system / Good Feedback
Poor man / Poor PE system / Poor Feedback
Poor man / Poor PE system / Good Feedback
Poor man / Good PE system / Poor Feedback
Poor man / Good PE system / Good feedback

And I wrote during Annual Performance Appraisal 
L&T Powai / March 1971

===========

Forgive me

O Friend ;

You my friend who has 
a thousand faces ,
forgive me
for this impudence ;

to sit upon thy judgement ,
and once again 
this cold winter night ,
lift the pen
and pause  --

to think about
you,

and your " Strengths "
     ( how I wish I knew ! )

and your " Weaknesses "
     ( there is none without one ! )

Last , but not the least,
your " Potential " --

My impertinence
pardon 
dear friend  ;

My claim to omniscience
is hollow ;

But then
I wear a crown of thorns
and walk a razor's edge

I am duty-bound

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28  Feb  2020

hcp@RecuitGuru.com