September 29, 2009 at 3:07 pm (Chai Pani, Personal Rants)
Tags: humor, funny, comic, Ghazal
એકવેળા આપને મેં દઈ દીધેલું દિલ, હજુયે યાદ છે
ને પછી ભરતો રહયો’તો હોટેલોનાં બિલ, હજુયે યાદ છે
પ્રિયતમ! હા,તારા ચહેરા પર હતા એ ખિલ હજુયે યાદ છે
મારા પૈસે તેં ઘસી બેફામ ક્લેરેસીલ હજુયે યાદ છે
સાયકલ અથડાવીને સોરી કહ્યાની સ્કીલ હજુયે યાદ છે
ને પછીથી સાંપડેલી સેન્ડલોની હીલ હજુયે યાદ છે
માનતો’તો હું કે પૈંડા બે જ છે સંસારરથનાં હું ને તું
ને પાડોશમાં હતા તારાં ઘણાં સ્પેરવ્હીલ હજુયે યાદ છે
Regards,
Pinal Mehta
P.S :- Thanks to Purvi, for sharing this with me…
September 5, 2009 at 12:04 pm (HR Articles, Personal Rants)
Last nite, I had the pleasure to talk to this very talented Management trainee working in a reputed MNC company. Out of our discussion in midst of it, she expressed that for her, “Her work as HR feels like her Hobby”…and then it all started.
The discussion went on for hours where i was on the other side of plank debating about issues that as an HR How can she not feel stressed and exhausted with her work, How that feeling did not get into her, And in the current economic turmoil (which is almost passes, for those who experienced it), how as an HR she feels so free and excited about the work like there is nothing else so exciting to do. We managed to keep debating about stuff where I kept pulling her off on various challenges that are faced from a perspective of a Potential HR in “Generalist” Or any role .We kept contemplating on issues which involved over demanding responsibilites that an HR has to goes through in the current chaotic organization situation. But at the end, what i learnt that how much i was trying to overshadow her work , her initiatives at work, discouraging her efforts and arguing like a nagging colleague, that this all gonna end after few years. However, How much I tried to divert or bend her thoughts for the same, she never budge down for a moment.
I asked her “How can HR be a Hobby…? I have been in this field for so long enough & “Duh..” i can find a million things that I can say about my hobby. But as we counter defensed our stand, She was firm on her end of the ground, I found her standing tall to her belief, to her views and the passion that she showed about her was like unshakeable.
Late nite, After the conversation end and we decided to carry on laters, I felt that during my early days of career, deep down even I had that fire buring in my the deep corners of my conscious and the utter resilience for the passion where my day-to-day work was revolving around people centric efforts, counseling and things where ever i used to look up for the starting a new exciting day at work.
Did it died down due to constant hurdles, unfamiliar deadlines and unachieveable targets set upon us? Did the false commitments, lies made, people playing corporate politics, changed a part of HR in me? Is India really ready for considering HR as a Business partner in success…!!!
Too many questions, General Answers but the road is ahead and I know its gonna be a suprise. Good or Bad I leave it up on time
But today before ending this, the question I wanna ask to peoples of the HR Fathernity(India), that Did that fire died down, or is it just Hibernating ?
Regards,
Pinal Mehta
July 23, 2009 at 6:56 pm (HR Humor, Office Humor)
Tags: attitude, friends, Jokes, office, priest, smoking, work humor
Jack and Max are walking from religious service. Jack wonders whether it would be all right to smoke while praying.
Max replies, “Why don’t you ask the Priest?”
So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, “Father, may I smoke while I pray ?”
The Priest replies, “No, my son, you may not! That’s utter disrespect to our religion.”
Jack goes back to his friend and tells him what the good Priest told him.
Max says, “I’m not surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try.”
And so Max goes up to the Priest and asks, “Father, may I pray while I smoke ?”
To which the Priest eagerly replies, “By all means, my son. By all means. You can always pray whenever you want to.”
Enjoy…!!! Have a nice day…
July 23, 2009 at 6:53 pm (HR Humor, Office Humor)
Tags: comedy, family, humor, Jokes, mobile, phone, work humor
Family Phone Humor
Dad: People this is unacceptable. You have to limit the use of the phone. I do not use this phone, I use the one at the office.
Mum: Same here, I hardly use this home telephone as I use my work telephone.
Son: Me too, I never use the home phone. I always use my company mobile.
Maid: So – what is the problem? We all use our work telephones !
HeHeHe
Enjoy..!!!
July 13, 2009 at 11:54 am (HR Articles)
Tags: Bad, Boss, Culture, Ethics, Good, Leadership, Managing Team, Team Building, Team Management
Competence. Integrity. The ability to see the big picture. There are undoubtedly many qualities that make a leader great. And a lot of these traits have been identified and documented through years of research on the topic.
But what good is knowledge when you don’t have a way to implement it? After all, CLOs can’t exactly go around handing out a list of 100 desirable traits and telling leaders to get busy. This was a problem that Mike Mears, former chief of human capital for the CIA and current learning consultant and author, struggled with for years.
“I started gathering data on about 8,000 bosses in the [CIA] and in other places over a 16-year period,” he explained. “I would have employees rate them so I could get a handle on what the ‘leadership coefficient’ [was]. I collected about 60 attributes for great leaders and 60 attributes of horrible leaders, but then I kept thinking, ‘This is a completely useless list..’ So I kept thinking about it [and] I found that I could align every one of those leadership attributes just under two things.”
The “two things” were actually just two sides of the same coin: trust. A great leader is trustworthy himself and can trust others.
“So, for example, being trustworthy: Obviously that [involves] integrity, that’s competence. [To] trust others [includes] things like delegating: When you delegate to me, you’re showing you trust [me],” Mears said.
On the flip side, bosses typically are labeled ineffective when they are perceived as autocrats or micromanagers – both of which would imply that they have a hard time trusting others – or when they’re believed to be “buddy bosses” – those who are smiley and talkative but provide little oversight and often don’t challenge employees, ultimately resulting in them being considered untrustworthy.
“Think about the worst boss you ever had and the best boss, jot down those traits under those two categories, add some, and, by golly, you’ve captured 90 percent of what leadership’s all about,” Mears said.
With these qualities boiled down into two main categories, Mears offered a few tips for becoming a better leader:
1. Be aware of yourself and others.
“I guess the first rule is: Do no harm as a boss,” Mears said. “Make sure that you’re not inadvertently inflicting social pain on people. It really does require setting up some feedback systems to make sure [you know] what the troops are really thinking, how [you're] coming across, where [you] should pull back.”
2. Create an inclusive work environment.
“Another part is simply [to] establish safety with people. As long as they don’t feel safe in your presence, you can’t move to the next step and establish trust,” Mears said. “And if you can’t establish trust, you’ll never get to the next step, which is establishing clarity about expectations, rules of the road, how much risk they can take and so forth. All the great things we do in adult education and training apply to leadership: Get the cold class warmed up!”
3. Encourage participation in meetings and presentations.
“Don’t lecture,” Mears said. “Get [employees] to participate so they have insight that they gain about the subject matter.”
[About the Author: Agatha Gilmore is a senior editor for Chief Learning Officer magazine.]
June 23, 2009 at 5:11 pm (Personal Rants)
Tags: Childhood, memories
When Gulli-Danda & Kanche (marbles) were more popular than cricket. When we always had friends to play aais-paais (I Spy), chhepan-chhepai & Kho Kho anytime…
When we desperately waited for ‘Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi’ (Doordarshan serial) When chitrahaar, vikram-baitaal, Dada Daadi Ki Kahaniyaanwere so fulfilling. When there was just one Tv in every five houses and…
When Bisleris were not sold in the trains and we were worrying if papas will get back into the train in time or not when they were getting down at stations to fill up the water bottle…
When we were going to bed by 9.00pm sharp except for the ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi’ day…
When Holis & Diwalis meant mostly hand-made pakwaans and sweets and moms seeking our help while preparing them …
When Maths teachers were not worried of our Mummies and papas while slapping/beating us…
When we were exchanging comics and stamps and Phantom, Champak & Chacha-Chaudaris & Billus were our heroes…
When we were in Nana’s House every summer and loved flying kites and plucking and eating unripe mangoes and leechies…
When one movie every Sunday evening on television was more than asked for and ‘ek do teen chaar’ and ‘Rajani’ inspired us…
When 50 paisa meant at least 10 toffees and dairy milk big bar cost Rs. 7…
When left over pages of the last years notebooks were used for rough work or even fair work…
When ‘Apsara’ and ‘Natraaj’ were encouraged against ‘Reynolds & Cello family’…
When the first rain meant getting drenched and playing in water and mud and making ‘kaagaj ki kishtis’…
When there were no phones to tell friends that we will be at their homes at six in the evening…
When we remembered tens of jokes and were not finding ‘ice-cream & papa’ type jokes foolish enough to stop us from laughing…
When we were not seeing patakhes on Diwalis and gulaalson Holis as air and noise polluting or allergic agents…
The list can be endless…
On the serious note I would like to summarize with…
When we were using our hearts more than our brains, even for scientifically brainy activities like ‘thinking’ and ‘deciding’…
When we were crying and laughing more often, more openly and more sincerely…
When we were enjoying our present more than worrying about our future…
When being emotional was not synonymous to being weak…
When sharing worries and happiness didn’t mean getting vulnerable to the listener…
When blacks and whites were the favorite colors instead of greys…
When journeys also were important and not just the destinations…
When life was a passenger’s sleeper giving enough time and opportunity to enjoy the sceneries from its open and transparent glass windows instead of some super fast’s second ac with itscurtained, closed and dark windows…
I really miss them(From the bottom of my heart).. don’t u?
March 4, 2009 at 9:09 pm (General HR, HR Articles)
Employee turnover is unavoidable. It is a fact of business life as are its associated costs. Or is it? The costs of employee turnover can be staggering, ranging anywhere from 1/2 to 5 times an employee’s annual wages dependant upon his or her position. It is neither possible, nor desirable to completely eliminate turnover from your organization. Some of the costs associated with employee turnover are unavoidable and must be expected to occur in the normal course of business. BUT NOT ALL THE COSTS!!! You can do something about these turnover costs…
Before you can start to combat the costs of employee turnover, you must be aware of what these cost are and what they entail. There of course are some obvious costs that come quickly to mind, but there are also numerous other costs that you may have never considered that can have a serious impact on your bottom line.
Turning over one employee can cost around ½ of a low skilled hourly workers annual wages plus benefits, while losing a member of C-Level upper management can cost 3 to 5 times his or her annual wages and benefits.
Consider this: if your firm has a turnover rate of 25% (about the national average) and employs 40 employees each earning Rs.2,50,000 annually, your costs of turning over 10 of these employees over the course of a year will be at least Rs. 12,50,000! What could you do with an additional Rs. 10,00,000+ in resources?
Severance pay can also be a huge part of employee turnover costs. This is especially true with highly skilled employees and high-level management. These are wages on which you will never see any return on you investment!
The costs of recruitment: Each time an employee is lost the hiring and selection cycle must start again. These costs can be significant: advertising costs to announce your job opening to the masses, cost of recruitment agencies, background checks, reference checks, drug testing, cost of overtime pay, temporary help and much more.
Hiring costs: Once you’ve made a hiring decision, the costs of turnover don’t stop, but rather continue. Sign on bonuses, relocation costs, and any increases in salary level necessary to attract new talent all add up quickly. The time spent by HR managers to orientate and train the new employee can also be costly and unnecessary. These are all tangible costs that could be avoided with a better employee retention.
There are clearly a number of turnover costs that can be easily quantifiable, but these costs often times are just the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous turnover costs that will never appear on any balance sheet or income statement that can have a serious impact on your firm’s bottom line.
First of all consider the affects on productivity that are caused by turnover. It takes on average 8 weeks to recruit and hire a new employee. During this time production can seriously falter. Other employees have to pick up the slack in production, often taking on tasks and responsibilities they are unfamiliar with or untrained in. This can drain team morale and further hurt production. The negative affect on production caused by turnover doesn’t stop when a new employee is hired. There is always a learning curve associated with any job; for some it can be short and insignificant, while for many others it can be a considerable period of time. During this time it takes a new employee to “get up to speed” with the rest of the team, production will never be as good as it could be.
There can also be a significant loss in business due to employee turnover. Many employees enjoy a loyal following of customers with whom they share a real connection. The father of a close friend of mine is a great example. As a parts dealer for an automotive service center he worked with many customer on a regular basis and formed a real bond with these customers. They trusted him and knew they he would do whatever possible to help them. When this individual left that position and went to a competing service center, so did almost all of his loyal customers. Little did the firm know that the customers were loyal to the employee, not the company – and they paid dearly when they were unable to keep him on board.
Another serious cost to companies when they loose employees is the loss of organizational knowledge. Many employees are able to become experts in the field they work in and when they leave, so does that knowledge. These employees are no longer available to share this knowledge and mentor junior members in the company. Once again these costs are near impossible to quantify, but there is sure to be an affect on the bottom line.
The stakes are clearly high when it comes to retaining good employees within your organization. Undoubtedly some industries are more susceptible to experience higher turnover than others. Turnover in the Accommodation and Food Service and Leisure and Hospitality industries average over 50% annually. If you compete in these industries, or any other industry susceptible to high turnover rates, you know and expect that turnover is going to be a challenge, but it doesn’t need to cripple your company’s ability to be successful.
A Harvard University study reports that 80% of employee turnover can be attributed to mistakes made during the hiring process. The implications of this are huge: up to 80% of your turnover can be blamed on hiring mistakes. The problem lies in the employee selection process. Simply put the wrong people are being hired for the wrong jobs.
A Michigan State University indicates that traditional hiring techniques – résumé reviews, interviews, and reference checks only provide a 14%
likelihood of a successful job hire. ONLY 14% !!! Your odds of winning a hand at Blackjack are significantly better at around 40%. If you rely only on traditional hiring practices you are truly gambling with the future success of your organization.
The Michigan State University study does offer hope in regards to these horrendous odds of hiring the right employee. The effective utilization of powerful personality assessments are shown to increase the likelihood of a successful job hire to 75%!!!. The power of these assessments is staggering and provides a powerful insight into the values, behaviors, and attributes the job candidate possesses. This information can than be compared against a Benchmark established for the job position and an informed hiring decision can now be made. The results are incredible.
Now go Maximize Possibility!
March 4, 2009 at 4:44 pm (Etiquettes, General HR)
It had always been said, that views and thoughts differs from people to people, But being a part of the HR Fraternity, there always been view about “What would you do.!!!!”.. Here are some of the most famous scenarios where you are asked what you would do in that situation…. Lets though our Scruples …answer this questions… Please be Fair & Please be Honest…atleast to urself 
Its a small pack of 20 Questions and not to burden you with much thought… will send you in parts of 5 Questions each.. Lets put our thinking hat on for this…..
.
.
1. You’re at a hotel and conference center. You’ve arrived to your meeting early, and have not have a chance to eat breakfast yet. On your way to your meeting room, you walk by another meeting and there’s a table full of food and beverages outside the room. Your meeting has no food. Would you help yourself?
.
.
2. Your manager congratulates you for a brilliant suggestion and hints at a promotion. Your employee gave you the idea. Do you mention this to the manager?
.
.
3. You’ve made a verbal agreement with a vendor. A competitor offers you a deal for 50% less. Do you take it the deal?
.
.
4. A colleague is out of her office. You notice her paycheck stub on her desk. Do you glance at it?
.
.
5. Your manager demands to know what a co-worker is saying behind his/her back. It’s not flattering. Do you tell her?
.
.
Happy Thinking,
Pinal
March 4, 2009 at 4:28 pm (General HR, HR Humor, Jokes, Pictures)
Confused HR - Pinal's Cubicle
Have you ever wondered why HR people ignore your calls? It’s because of people like this:
I overhear my receptionist fielding a phone call about a job. I hear her say to the person on the phone “What can I help you with?….I’m sorry the position has been filled…The position is filled…Yes, we’ve filled that position.” At this point my interest has perked because it’s obvious the person is not listening to her.
The receptionist promptly puts the man on hold and comes over to me. She proceeds to tell me that the man has asked if we can send him his resume back. I tell her no. She returns to the phone and tells him we need to keep the resume on file for a year. He proceeds to ask for a copy of it then.
So I pick up the phone and have the following conversation with him:
Me: Hi, can I help you?
Man: The position is filled?
Me: Which position?
Man: The cleaner.
Me: The maintenance position? Yes, we’ve filled that position.
Man: Was that part-time or full-time?
Me: That was a full-time position.
Man: Do you have any other part-time positions?
Me: No we do not currently. It’s rare that we have part-time positions available.
Man: Okay then. ::Hangs up::
Yep, this is what we deal with.
Cheers,
Pinal
December 2, 2008 at 5:04 pm (Industrial Relations, Labor & Employee Relations, Legal Issues)
Tags: Industrial Disputes, Industrial Relations, Labour Acts, legal, Legal Issues, legal tips
Some workmen were found guilty of misconduct.
The management initiated an enquiry proceeding.
The enquiry was conducted by the management about the alleged guilt of the workmen.
During the course of the enquiry, the workmen sought the assistance of a lawyer to help them in the enquiry proceedings.
But this plea was rejected by the enquiry officer.
The contention of workman was that the Presenting Officer was an experienced Personnel Manager and the workmen were illiterate and therefore they were not in a position to defend the charges leveled against them and so they should have been given the assistance of a lawyer.
The management contended that the Presenting Officer was not a duly trained or experienced person in law and there was also no rules and regulation to the effect that the workmen in such type of enquiry would be entitled to get the assistance of a lawyer.
The Supreme Court held that when the management is not represented by a legally trained person, the workmen have no right to be represented by a lawyer.
Regards,
Pinal Mehta
|
