Work from Home

The last time Kumar, a sales executive working with IBM India, visited his company's registered office in Bangalore was some six months ago to get his broken attendance card replaced. Kumar, 35, is among nearly 50,000 IBM India employees who are working from anywhere, but the office.

"I do not have to show my face to my boss anymore, well at least for a few weeks or months at a stretch," says Kumar, who requested that his first name not be revealed. "I used to miss catching up with other colleagues at office, but now there are hundreds of us on the road for the company," he adds.

For nearly 50,000 employees at IBM India and some 15,000 tech workers at HP's India operations, work-fromhome is no more an HR incentive meant for women going for early maternity leave, or a privilege for few - it's now an integral part of their work life.

While over 40% of IBM staff does not have any space in office, a quarter of HP India employees across the functions of sales, marketing and customer support do not have to mark their attendance or swipe employment cards.

Rising real estate costs and travel time, apart from other complexities of maintaining office space for a growing base of staff, are making a real business case for multinational tech firms like IBM, HP, Cisco and Microsoft.

What was once an option taken by those with personal problems or medical predicaments has now become a norm in some companies with the option of working from home finding more takers than ever before. Employees at IBM even receive Rs 15,000 more a month for this. This is because they save the company walloping infrastructure costs, one of the perils of rapid expansion.

This way the company can also drive home the point that it truly promotes work-life balance. The company says it also increases the productivity of employees. "We know that if we can successfully address the challenges of work-life balance, IBM will certainly gain a competitive edge in the war for talent," a company spokesperson said.

The company, however, denied paying these employees extra. At HP, the number is anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000, and the company, which did not confirm the figure as it does not share its India headcount, says it leads to better employee engagement.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft last year formalised the policy which had been practised in the company for a few years. It reimburses the broadband and telephone costs but does not throw in any extra amount to keep employees at home. Microsoft gives employees a choice of various flexible work options, and they can pick what best suits their needs.

"Not only does this lead to a better work-life balance for existing employees, and a cause for retention, it is also an attractive aspect for potential employees," said Joji Gill, HR director of Microsoft India. The software firm provides three options to work from home which include flexible scheduling, teleworking and part-time basis. Flexible scheduling is when an employee has the option of working from home for a few of his business hours on a recurring basis.

Teleworking lets him choose a schedule of days where he would work only from home. Part-time is when an employee clocks in only a few hours for work. Networking equipment maker Cisco says employee location is increasingly losing meaning in an interconnected world. The company even helps its employees set up home offices. It creates an office with email and intranet-enabled smartphones, provides Cisco Virtual Office equipment, laptops and data cards for employees who do not wish to be within the office walls.

"IP solutions from Cisco and emerging technologies are making location irrelevant, making remote working feasible. Companies can also reduce office space, thereby reducing operational costs associated with real estate and facility management," said Seema Nair, co-lead for India HR operations, Cisco. Companies say it is not just women but even men who take up this option very often.

At IBM, the percentage of employees working from home is 40% while at HP it is 25%. Microsoft's India headcount is not very large when compared to companies like IBM and HP. Domestic firms also offer this option but it is more needbased and not as rampant as their global counterparts. However, to allow employees to work permanently from home requires a company to have precise job description and agenda.

"There can not be any flab in the KRAs and the managers have to craft the jobs carefully where everything is templatised," said Saundarya, founder-member of Flexi Career in Chennai. She said problems creep in when companies look at it as a work-life balance initiative and not as an option that could help in their business goals. While most companies say they trust their employees to do a good job, there are several checks and balances like managers and the employees working closely with a set of deliverables.

Quarterly reviews and a structured performance management approach are put in place. Companies like Cisco also advise remote workers to attend regular meetings with coworkers/internal customers and managers, etc, to ensure there is adequate interaction and the employee is not completely in isolation.

"For employees who opt to work from home over an extended period of time, the manager and the employee work out a clear set of deliverables, and a quarterly review is conducted keeping in mind the business situations," Gill said. Companies say some employees may find it tough to work in isolation.

"Absence of external motivation provided by the work environment can be a disadvantage. Employees used to working in a team might feel isolated and miss the interaction with co-workers," Nair said. Officials at HP point out that this can be a problem where teamwork is involved.

"Where large teams are involved, team management can be a challenge with a work-fromhome option. Ultimately, we don't monitor if employees are actually working. Employees need to be selfdisciplined and accountable for their productivity when they choose this option," said Srikanth Karra, director, human resources, HP India. But for employees like Kumar, it's an incentive worth going for. "I end up working more being away from office, but the freedom to work from anywhere is too good to be missed."

Source ET


Sowmya
Manager

HRI Foundation
303 Motherland Building
3rd Main 3rd Cross
Kamanahalli
BANGALORE 560084

www.hrinindia.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/Raghav_HRGuru
HR Help - Call +91.8105737966

How to hire superstars ?

Of all the important elements you need to run a business, what do you think is the most important? Good marketing is critical... Top-notch sales copy is key... High-quality products and/or services - definitely important... Good ideas - essential. But you can get all of these things - and more - if you have one thing.

I'm talking about good people to help build, run, and grow your business.

The thing is... it's not all that easy to find good people. All the really smart businesspeople I know are constantly looking for superstar employees.

A few years back, I met a gentleman who had a $20,000,000 printing business. Yet he was still working 60 hours a week (or more), and wearing almost all the hats in his company. This was simply because he could not find the right people to help him run it.

Because hiring good people is one of my core competencies, I am often asked how to do it. As I said, it's not easy. But it is extremely doable.

Finding good employees is like dating. It's a numbers game. Unless you're truly lucky, the first person you date doesn't end up being your spouse. Think about all the uncomfortable dates you had to endure... the many times your heart was broken... and the frogs you had to kiss... before finding "the one."

Finding the right employees is no different. You are going to have to kiss a few frogs before finding the superstars who can help your business grow. And if you are not prepared to do that, you will have a staff full of mediocre employees... or continuous turnover. Neither of these things is good for your customers, your one or two good employees, your reputation, or your bottom line.

To make it much easier to get past the frogs to my ideal employees, I make sure I can clearly define three things whenever I'm looking to hire someone:

- The kind of person I want
- The level of the position and, thus, the experience the person needs
- The skill set required to do the job

Knowing the Characteristics of Your Ideal Employee

Regardless of the actual position you're filling or the skill set the employee needs to have, everyone you hire should have three important traits:

1. A strong sense of urgency. A good employee is someone who understands that deadlines are made to be met and that speed is money. They also understand that business is business... and it is serious. You can have a lot of fun at work. But every employee needs to be well aware that your customers invest their time and money with you. That means your primary mission is for your customers to reach their goals, whatever their goals may be.
   
   
2. A great work ethic. You want someone who shows up early and is ready to go, someone who is on time for meetings and appointments. A pattern of showing up late for anything is a sign of not caring.
   
   When I explain this to job candidates, they often ask, "What if I am just not a morning person? Couldn't I come in late and stay later in the evening?" My answer is "Absolutely not." Showing up early indicates eagerness. Staying late indicates disorganization.
   
   
3. Intellect. Your ideal employee is someone with great ideas. Equally important is that the employee is not afraid to express those ideas.
   
   People are often surprised to hear that I require intellect in employees at every level of the company, not just management. Don't forget that every single employee you have is an "ambassador" for you, a direct reflection of you. And at some time or another, they will speak to your customers, your competitors, and your industry associates.

Defining the Position You're Trying to Fill

In addition to knowing the kind of person you're looking for, you need to have a very good understanding of the position - and of the experience necessary to do the job properly.

I break down all positions into three categories: executer, manager, and leader.

1. The executer is an entry-level employee. She is not responsible for strategic planning, but rather the execution of the plan. This is generally someone fresh out of school or with little or no direct experience within your niche.
   
   Some of her core responsibilities may include:
   
   - Setting up marketing campaigns in your system
   - Producing reports
   - Posting website copy
   
   
2. The manager is responsible for managing processes and/or other employees. He usually has five to 10 years of direct experience within your niche. He can think strategically, teach others, and start developing big ideas.
   
   Some of his core responsibilities may include:
   
   - Analyzing reports, trends, and competitors
   - Product development
   - Creating partnerships and affiliate deals
   
   
3. The leader's primary job - 50% or more of it - encompasses meetings with staff, brainstorming, and business planning. A few examples of people in a leadership role would include marketing directors, editorial directors, and IT directors... all the way up to the CEO. The leader is someone with eight or more years of experience within your specific niche. This is someone with a proven track record of success. This is a person who can come into your organization and be up to speed and make a difference immediately.
   
   Some of the leader's core responsibilities may include:
   
   - Creating a departmental or company vision
   - Contract negotiation
   - Hiring staff

Note: "Leader" may be a high-level position - but all of your employees should showcase leadership qualities.

How Much Simpler Can Making Money Get?

Brian Edmondson has created a surprisingly simple method for boosting your income. "It's so simple," he says, "I call it the 'Couch Potato Formula.'"

This is the same formula that pays Brian's bills. The same formula that's behind ETR. The same formula behind Agora, Inc.'s $275 million annual revenues.

Sean Harada says, "I have been trying to build an online business since 2006. Since I started following your formula, I finally did it. Thank you, Brian, for helping me start the path to my Internet career."

Watch over Brian's shoulder as lays out the formula in clear, easy-to-understand terms. Copy exactly what he does. And in just 30 days, you could have a website that throws off $500 a month to $40,627 a week. Get the details right now.

Identifying the Skill Set Required

When people ask me to help them find a good employee, I am amazed when they aren't really sure what they want that person to do. You can't find the right person for a particular job if you don't know what the job requires. For example, if you are hiring a receptionist whose main duties are to answer the phone, schedule your appointments on your Outlook calendar, and type your speeches and companywide e-mails, you would not want someone with a hard-to-understand accent who has never seen a computer.

So before you can initiate your search, you have to write a job description. If you have never done this before, start by writing down everything you think you want your new employee to do. List their responsibilities. And next to each responsibility, write down the necessary skill. Be specific.

Let's use the example of a receptionist:

Once you know the characteristics of your ideal employee and can define the job and the skills that employee needs... you start looking.

How to Find Your Ideal Employee

The first rule of hiring is to be patient. Remember the old saying: "Hire slow and fire fast."

Think about what executive recruiters do. They build their Rolodexes. When they call Person A with a job opportunity and Person A is not interested, they end up with three phone numbers or e-mail addresses of people Person A knows.

So the second rule of hiring is to think about all the people you know, especially when you're looking to fill a middle- or upper-level position. If none of them are right for the job, call them anyway. They may know people who are. Keep collecting names and numbers.

If you are looking for more of an entry-level employee, advertising in a trade publication is good. But do some research first. Read the ads the publication normally prints and make your ad better. Make your position sound rewarding and exciting. If there is room for advancement, mention it.

You can also use Career Builder, Monster, eHire, and other online job search engines. Of course, you'll probably have to sift through hundreds of applications, 99% of them useless. And you may luck out.

But you're not going to find most of your potential superstars this way.

Even better than advertisements... and far better than online job search engines... is networking. I look for possible employees everywhere I go.

When I attend industry events (which I often do), cocktail parties are my favorite networking places. (You get a real feel for the personality and style of the people you meet.) When I speak at industry functions, I tell the audience that I am available to talk about job opportunities. I talk to other parents while attending my kids' soccer games.

You can network ANYWHERE. Wherever there are people, there's an opportunity. Don't be afraid to ask your friends, colleagues, and competitors about people who might be a good fit for your company. You will be glad you did.

Remember, you don't have to be the smartest person in the world to succeed in business. You just need to be smart enough to hire the right people to help you do it.

Ed. Note: MaryEllen Tribby, ETR's former publisher and CEO

Getting the Best of Exit Interviews

When Kate McFarlane recently left her job after five years, she took advantage of her exit interview to vent. "Our HR rep had gotten the impression I was leaving because I was tired of the commute, but there was much more to it," she says. "Over the years my department and the firm itself had deteriorated to a point where I found I could no longer work there. So when he said, with a big smile on his face, 'I hear you're leaving because you found a job close to your house,' well, I took a deep breath and let him have it. I went on for about 20 minutes about what was wrong with the firm, the department, the management, the morale, the lighting, everything."

While McFarlane, like many departing employees, used the exit interview to express years' worth of pent-up frustration, she says, "I ended by saying that I hoped my honesty would help change some of the circumstances and that hopefully the firm could return to the great company it was when I joined five years prior."

A month later McFarlane learned that several managers had been let go, including the HR rep. "I like to think that it had something to do with me," she says.

The information collected in an exit interview can give a company a unique perspective on its performance and employee satisfaction. People who leave may be brutally honest about their experiences without fear of immediate repercussions. In addition, it's likely they have recently been job hunting and interviewing and can offer some useful intelligence on how the company compares with other employers.

HR consultant ArLyne Diamond, who operates Diamond Associates in Santa Clara, Calif., specializes in people and processes in the workplace. She says she is amazed that companies will go through an exit interview without knowing why or how to use the information.

"Basically, the exit interview has three purposes: to learn where the company can improve itself, to make sure employees leave feeling good about their service and, in some cases, [to encourage] the employee to stay under new circumstances," Diamond says.

Discovering why employees leave should be an essential part of a company's strategic planning, but many miss this opportunity.

"Some firms may feel they are small enough or turnover is so low that they know why their staff leaves," says Brooks C. Holtom, an organizational behavior and HR management specialist at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in Washington, D.C., who does employment-retention research. "But it's likely they are making assumptions that will naturally be biased in the company's favor."

Exit interview practices and policies vary widely according to company size and industry, but human resource professionals agree on at least three points:

* The company should have a formal policy regarding exit interviewing.

* Exit interviews should be reserved for voluntary separations, because issues raised by layoffs and terminations for cause will require a special approach.

* Exit interviews should be extended to all departing employees--not just key performers or long-timers.

But opinions and beliefs about exit interviews begin to diverge on questions of whether they should be mandatory, who should conduct them and how formal they need to be.

Voluntary Or Mandatory?

Phil Guilliams, who directs technology staffing and HR for the call center outsourcer Precision Response Corp. in Miami, says, at least for his group: "Exit interviews must be required as a formal part of outprocessing. Without the employee expectations of an obligatory exit interview, many would not participate." He notes, however, that employees who still decline are not penalized.

Diamond agrees that an exit interview should be an accepted expectation of employees. "But legally employers don't have a leg to stand on if an employee refuses," she says.

To encourage more employees to participate in an exit interview, employers should stress the confidentiality of the discussions.

"People are sometimes nervous about saying too much and possibly burning bridges," says Guilliams. "They rely on former managers and team members for references and networking.

"One of the worst experiences I've had in my career arose from an exit interview where I had to report bad behavior by a manager. Almost immediately my comments got back to him, and he openly lost his temper in the office. It chilled the entire workplace."

Guilliams says he informs all departing employees that their comments will be scrubbed of identifying information before being shared with anyone in the office, with some exceptions. "If they report criminal behavior, sexual harassment, incidents of discrimination or other legal issues, I have an obligation to take action," he says. "I encourage them to be as honest as they can, [and I explain] that the point is to learn what we do well and what we can do better to keep our clients and staff happy."

Assuring confidentiality might be more difficult for small employers and those with low turnover because the sources of the intelligence may be obvious.

While there's not much an employer can do to guarantee confidentiality, "Employees should be made to understand how the information they give will be used, and that the company will make every effort to take action in a way that doesn't compromise them," says Guilliams.

Who Should Interview?

When retail clerk Nicole Etolen quit her job at a large office supply store, she says, "They wanted to know if it was because of something they had done wrong. The fact was, I was improperly trained, but I didn't want to get anyone in trouble, so I just said I couldn't handle all the cranky customers."

An experienced interviewer might have explored Nicole's valuable observations about the company's supply chain. "Our customers were generally really irate by the time they get up to the register because what they need was inevitably locked in a back room, and they had to wait an eternity for someone with a key to get it for them," she says. "But once they did find some-one to go back there, the item was out of stock."

Exit interviews by nature could become either too confrontational or too perfunctory, so the interviewer must be extremely experienced and skilled to gently probe for the full truth, Holtom says. "And if an interviewer is not trained in active listening or is not strongly empathetic, they are likely to take offense when the employee starts to vent. This can be a very emotional encounter, and the interviewer needs to be able to manage it skillfully."

The interviewer needn't necessarily be an HR professional. A neutral manager or mentor the employee trusts and who has good interviewing skills could be the right choice.

Outsourcing the exit interview to an independent third party is also a good choice, says Holtom. "The only real disadvantage to employers might be the cost--nothing else makes the 'cons' list," he says. "You have a higher probability of getting a trained interviewer, they can gather systematic data, and employees are more likely to be honest and cooperative."

Formal or Informal?

Exit interviews must have a mechanism to capture the information gleaned. "Just as when you are interviewing a candidate, you're better off having a structured process that allows you to capture information that can be compared," Holtom says.

The degree of structure can range from a casual conversation with note-taking to a standardized list of talking points to a questionnaire or other survey instrument.

Shelly Funderburg, director of hiring solutions for Manpower Inc. in Milwaukee, begins the exit interview process with a survey that explores topics such as benefits and pay, training, orientation, management issues, environment and culture, opportunities for growth, mentoring, and the effective-ness of the firm's open-door policies. "I would never recommend using this instrument alone," she says. "I still like to sit down and get feedback, using the questionnaire to guide the interview."

Guilliams, on the other hand, prefers not to use such survey instruments. "I prefer a casual one-on-one discussion where I or someone else takes notes," he says. "In my experience, questionnaire responses are poor, and I wonder if people are as frank as they could be when leaving a written record."

But Elizabeth Perez, an HR practitioner working inside a large telecommunications conglomerate, would like her organization to rely more on anonymous questioning. "I think if companies truly want honest answers, they should not force face-to-face interviews," she says. "It's been my experience that we will get a more truthful answer by using a mail-in questionnaire sent after the employee has left or [by using a] third party to conduct a telephone survey."

Perez does recommend that HR conduct some sort of final meeting to retrieve company property, go over check lists, etc. "If employees want to share their feelings and suggestions about how to improve the work environment, that would be a good place to do it, but I don't think employees should feel put on the spot."

Sharing the Findings

How companies compile and share the information gleaned through exit interviews is a unique choice.

"This information is so valuable," says Funderburg, "it should be included in the company's annual review, strategic planning, recruiting strategies, training plans, management development program and any tool companies use to evaluate themselves."

She recommends that the information be compiled and analyzed. "It doesn't have to be a sophisticated tool, just something that can be rolled up to senior management on a regular basis," she says.

But how reliable is the intelligence gathered in an exit interview? "These meetings can be highly charged," says Holtom. "Employees are emotionally invested in the decision they have made, and everyone responds to that emotion differently. Each interview is an idiosyncratic experience."

Holtom recently conducted research on the validity of such data. He analyzed a year's worth of exit interview statements from employees of two major organizations--a retail bank and a government agency--then followed up with 125 individuals. He found that three to six months after departure, about 70 percent of interviewees cited the same top reason for leaving as they did at their exit interview. When asked to cite the top three reasons, Holtom found a 90 percent overlap.

"This is fairly clear evidence that leaving a firm is a powerful, memorable experience, and the reasons for it tend to remain intact over a period of time, long after the emotions have faded," he says.

"By definition, the exit interview is a rear-view approach," Holtom says. Companies should not rely too heavily on this data. "What you really want to do is figure out whom you want to stay and figure out what will make them want to." Employee focus groups, annual surveys and other prospective analytical tools can evaluate retention issues much more broadly. "There are a lot of other reasons people stay or go; job satisfaction is only one."

Online Resources

For more information on exit interviews, including sample questionnaires, see the online version of this article at www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/04August.

Bought to you by :

Sowmya

HRI Foundation

303 Motherland Building

3rd Main 3rd Cross

Kamanahalli

BANGALORE 560084

www.hrinindia.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/Raghav_HRGuru

HR Help - Call +91.8105737966

How to talk in a meeting

Speaking up in a meeting can be quite intimidating for some, but there are some simple ways to build your confidence and make sure your voice is heard, says Harvard Business Review.

The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org.

"Speaking up in meetings is easy for some, but for others it can be completely intimidating. If you're in the latter group, build your confidence with a few useful phrases you can use to interject. Here are three to start:

1. 'Have we thought about...' If you have an idea to add but aren't overly confident about it, phrase the suggestion as though you are contributing to the conversation, rather than putting a firm stake in the ground.

2. 'To play devil's advocate...' It can be hard to disagree without sounding like a jerk. Finesse your comments by explaining that you are playing a certain role.

3. 'This may be a dumb question...' You may hesitate to speak up when you don't know what's going on in a meeting. Don't stay lost -- ask for clarification. You may help others who are in the same position."

-Today's management tip was adapted from "How to Interject in a Meeting" by Jodi Glickman.

Bought to you by :

Raghav

Founder

HRI Foundation

303 Motherland Building

3rd Main 3rd Cross

Kamanahalli

BANGALORE 560084

www.hrinindia.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/Raghav_HRGuru

HR Help - Call +91.8105737966