Partha's Blog

There is an old axiom on planning, which says ‘What gets planned gets done.’ Planning is highly essential to be organized and lay out the process and timelines for achieving the desired goals both individually and at an organization level. If we fail to plan our activities then it is likely that we will be reacting to situations as they arise rather than dealing with priorities in a controlled and systematic manner. Planning however does not imply rigidity; a balance is necessary between scheduled time and unscheduled time so that work can flow smoothly rather than firefighting from one pressing issue to another. Even a few minutes spent on planning the daily calendar ensures that tasks that are important and/or urgent get completed. Planning vs. Reacting Planning is the process of converting the present state of things into a desired future state (goals and objectives). There are many approaches to planning, some are structured and explicit, while others are more organic, unfoldin...

We introduced ERS in our organization over 5 years ago primarily to fill certain niche requirements which could not be closed using the standard recruitment process, i.e. hiring done by the recruitment team using web applications, job portals, advertisements, reference network and executive search firms. The uniqueness about this program is that: a) We do not take referrals only for published (open) positions but also for perennially required niche positions/skills, b) Unlike many other referral programs, which just pays a one-time referral bonus, we also pay the employee a bonus amount when their referred candidate completes six months (1st milestone) and one year (2nd milestone) of service with Four Soft, and c) We generally do not use employee referral for hiring anyone in the post of a Manager or upwards designation. Trends in our ERS Starting from the end of 2004, presently around 20% of our staff has been hired through the ERS. In the near future, we expect this trend to co...

Recently a website has been launched http://ruwiray.in , which aims at converting exciting stories in vernacular languages (primarily telugu) into english. There are a lot of ethnic Indians, residents and non-residents alike, who frequently visit the web to read about their country/state and its culture in English. However, there is a lack of quality writing on the internet to benefit the netizens. Though there are lot of English language newspapers based in the state of Andhra Pradesh, but their material is no match to the analysis and depth of Telugu language articles and short stories. This means there is a big gap between the readership demand and literature supply, which this website seeks to bridge. Even people who are non-Andhraites can easily follow these stories in english and get a good insite on the Telugu language and culture. This website will be sort of an online literary journal with translated content providing insightful analysis about society, politics, and movies...

Generally counteroffers should not be used to respond to the threat of an employee quitting. Organizations that typically resort to counteroffers for employee retention are generally those whose compensation bands are not in order and who have allowed the employee’s salary to fall below his/her market value. But even in such situations, responding with a counteroffer only makes sense if it is part of a general overhaul of the compensation system. Frequent counteroffers as a retention tool are also seen in organizations which do not have a proper replacement (short-term) and succession (long-term) plans in place; they react to an employee leaving by making a counteroffer. When it comes to voluntary resignations, lower-performing employees are more likely to quit than more successful employees. In such instances the organizational performance is likely to improve when such poor performers are the ones leaving, and are replaced by more suitable candidates. However if a good performer ...

Recently I was interviewed by Times Ascent on the trends in the Indian Logistics industry & its related IT application development industry (ERP in SCM) and the impact of it on professionals seeking career opportunities in this domain. Following are the excerpts from that interview: What kind of growth has this industry seen in recent times? Globally, the logistics industry is valued at US$ 3.5 trillion. The Indian Logistics Industry is presently estimated at US$ 90 billion and currently being at its most dynamic juncture, it is expected to reach a market size of over US$125 billion this year. With India’s logistics sector attracting huge global investments, the Indian logistics industry is expected to grow growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8% over the next five years, reaching revenues of approximately US$ 385 billion by 2015. Some of the Key Indicators of Growth in the Indian logistics industry are: 1. Geographical Advantage: India has emerged as ...

Employee engagement refers to creating a work environment that empowers employees to make decisions that affect their jobs. Drivers of employee engagement include quality of work life, work relationships, career opportunities, ability to utilize skills and learn new competencies, direct involvement in contributing to company goals, total rewards, flexibility, and being part of the decision making processes. The advantages of employee engagement are clear – an engaged employee demonstrates commitment to the company and goes the extra mile in terms of time, effort and contribution toward the organization’s success. An effective manager helps in providing the strategic advantage towards increasing organizational productivity through employee engagement. Broadly this involves - 1) offering accelerated coaching and career support, 2) cultivating relationships, and 3) holding employees accountable for results by being clear about their expectations right at the start. Good Managers are clear...

With the economy gradually showing signs of improvement, the competition between organizations for talent are going to be high which makes programs like work-life balance a crucial business response to the changing workplace. Organizations that are interested in maintaining a diverse workforce, retain experienced and knowledgeable employees and attract new talent cannot afford to overlook the work-life balance concerns of today’s workforce. In fact many organizations have already started using work-life initiatives like flexi-timings, extended maternity/paternity leaves, concierge services etc. to recruit and retain employees. Senior Management and HR practitioners can affect recruitment and retention by first understanding the importance of work-life balance programs in today’s workplace and then championing strategies that maximize the effectiveness of work-life balance initiatives. Introducing such flexible work options can help in improving employee morale and retention, reduce uns...