Human Resource Devlopment Vs. Human Resource Management (HRD VS. HRM)

HOW “HRD” DIFFERS FROM “HRM” ?
Some people distinguish a difference between HRM (a major management activity) and HRD (a profession) . These people might include HRM & HRD, explaining that HRD includes the broader range of activities to develop personnel inside of the organizations including e.g. Career Development, Training, Organizational Development (OD), etc.

There is a long standing argument about where HR-related functions should be organized into large organizations e.g. “Should HR be in the OD department or the other way around ? “

The HRM function includes a variety of activities, and key among them is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also include managing your approach to employee benefits, compensation, employee records, and personnel policies. Usually small businesses ( for profit or non-profit) have to carry out these activities themselves because they can not afford part or full time help. However, they should always ensure that employes have … and are aware of personnel policies which conform to current regulations. These policies are often in the form of employee manuals, which all employees have.
The HRM (Function) and HRD (Profession) have undergone tremendous change over the past 20-30 years. Many years ago, large organizations looked to the “Personnel Department”, mostly manage the paperwork around hiring and paying people. More recently, organizations consider the “ HR Deptt.” As playing a major role in staffing, training, and helping to manage people so that people and the organization are performing at maximum capability in a highly fulfilling manner.

In recent years there has been a sudden spurt in the no. of organizations deciding to appoint HRD managers. However, many people are not clear as to what is the difference between personnel & HRD functions.As a result we find instances of personnel managers being redesignated HRD Manages or Human Resource Managers. Basically , HR consist of the value of productive capacity of a firm’s human organization. HRD efforts aim at providing conditions in which the employees can improve their skill, knowledge, energy and talent,which in turn may lead to improved productivity. Basically, the main areas which have to be managed by HRD people are:

• Managing succession politics,
• Managing appraisal politics,
• Managing the reward system,
• Distribution of power across groups,
• Balancing power across groups,
• Influencing the key people.

It will be primary responsibility of the HRD people to develop the right kind of values and norms to be followed by an organization.

“ HRM is that part of management concerned with people at work and with their relationship within an enterprise . Its aim is to bring together and develop into effective organization the men and women who make up an enterprise and having regard for the well being of an individual and of working groups, to enable them to make their best contribution to its success.”

BASIC OVERVIEWS OF “HRM” (Human Resource Management)

(1) Getting the Best Employees.
a) Staffing – Workforce Planning.
b) Staffing – Specifying Jobs & Roles.
c) Staffing – Recruiting.
d) Staffing – Outsourcing (having services and functions performed by non-employees)
e) Staffing – Screening Applicants.
f) Staffing – Selecting (Hiring) New Employees.

(2) Employee’s due Benefits & Compensation.
(3) Training Employees .
a) Career Development.
b) Employee Orientation.
c) Leadership development.
d) Management Development.
e) Personal Development.
f) Supervisional Development.
g) Training & Development.

(4) Ensuring Compliance to Regulations .
a) Personnel Policies & Records.
b) Employee Laws, Topics & Issues.
c) Ethics – Practical Toolkit.
d) To comply all Statutory Requirements under Labour Laws.

(5) Ensuring Safe Work Environments.
a) Diversity Management.
b) Dealing with Drugs at the Work Place.
c) Employee Assistance Programs
d) Ergonomics : Safe facilities at the Work Place.
e) Dealing with HIV/AIDS at the Work Place.
f) Personal Wellness.
g) Preventing Violence at the Work Place.
h) Ensuring Safety at the Work Place.
i) Supporting Spirituality at the Work Place.

(6) Sustaining High-Performing Employees .
a) Employee Performance Management.
b) Group Performance Management.
c) Interpersonal Skills.
d) Personal Productivity.
e) Retaining Employees.

(7) General Resources
a) Additional information for Non-Profits.
b) Capterra’s listing of HR Software.
c) Implementation of ERP Package.

In India, some of the major factors which are responsible for the slow progress of HRM are: unfavourable attitude of employee unions towards the personnel man, predominance of litigation in labour disputes, lack of professional training facilities, insecurity of job & lack of job satisfaction.

Lastly, it is concluded that, HR Cell in any organization plays a vital role to maintain a due vibration between the employer & employees. Also HR personnel is/are the eye & ear of the organization .

Performance Evaluation Form/Questionnaire

Here is form/questionnaire for performance evaluation of employees.

Download Full Questionnaire

Questions on HRM

1. What psychological methodology does NLP stand for?
Ans- Neuro-Linguistic Programming

2. David McLelland's motivational theory identified three principal motivational needs which he said each of us possesses to varying degrees, and which characterise our motivational behaviour; what are these three motivational needs?
Ans- Achievement (n-ach), the need to achieve things; Authority/Power (n-pow), the need to have impact, influence and authority; and Affiliation (n-affil), the need for relationships, interaction and acceptance among other people (or words to similar effect as these definitions)

3. Which organisation produces the UK's ABC1C2 (etc) Social Grade Classifications Statistics?
Ans- NRS Ltd (National Readership Survey)

4. What does the selling acronym AIDA stand for?
Ans- Attention, Interest, Desire, Action

5. Who developed the 'Equity Theory' of job motivation in the 1960's?
Ans- J Stacey Adams

6. What does the financial abbreviation P&L stand for?
Ans- Profit and Loss (Profit and Loss Account)

7. Who developed the ten stages of corporate life cycle, starting with Courtship and Infancy and ending in Bureaucracy and Death?
Ans- Dr Ichak Adizes

8. The Ansoff matrix correlates what two aspects of business development from the 'new' and 'existing' perspectives?
Ans- Products and Markets

9. In selling and communications, what do 'open questions' generally achieve?
Ans- Open questions gather information, improve understanding, and build rapport by encouraging the other person to talk and explain things, including how they feel about things.

10. Albert Mehrabian researched and published a now widely referenced set of statistics for the effectiveness of spoken communications; what three types of communication did he identify and what percentages for each did he attach to each type in terms of the percentage of meaning (or understanding) that each communication type conveyed from person to person in his study?
Ans- Mehrabian's research stated that: 7% of meaning conveyed is in the words that are spoken; 38% of meaning conveyed is in the way that the words are said (paralinguistic); and 55% of meaning conveyed is in facial expression.

11. In business accounts and financial reporting, expenses which change according to scale of performance or usage or demand are known as what?
Ans- Variable Costs

12. What is the name of Ingham and Luft's model and theory which deals with hidden and open areas of knowledge about a person?
Ans- The Johari Window

13. The '360 degree' appraisal method collects feedback from whom, about whom?
Ans- '360 Degree' feedback appraisal collects the views from people who work with the appraisee, about the appraisee, including subordinates, peers, upline managers; effectively anyone who comes into contact with the appraisee and who is happy to provide constructive feedback about the appraisee's strengths and areas for improvement.

14. What are the four levels of learning evaluation defined in Donald Kirkpatrick's model?
Ans- 1. Enjoyment; 2. Transfer of learning; 3. Application of learning; 4. Effect of application (or words to the same effect as these four definitions)

15. What is the correct ascending order of these human needs according to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Esteem, Safety, Belongingness and Love, Self-Actualisation, Biological and Physiological?
Ans- Biological and Physiological Needs (basic life needs - shelter, food, drink, sleep, etc); Safety Needs (security, protection, law, etc); Belongingness and Love Needs (family, affection, relationships, etc); Esteem Needs (achievement, status, responsibility, reputation, etc); Self-Actualisation (personal growth, self-fulfilment, etc)

16. What part of our brains typically handles process-type functions, according to brain theorists such as Katherine Benziger?
Ans- Left Basal (left rear)

17. What does the accounting acronym FIFO mean?
Ans- First In First Out (a convention for writing down the balance sheet value of assets of the same type - oldest are written-off first)

18. One of the most effective and efficient forms of marketing is abbreviated to the initials WOM; what is it?
Ans- Word Of Mouth

19. Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains divides learning development into three main aspects: Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor; what might these three aspects of personal development more commonly be called?
Ans- Knowledge, Attitude, Skills

20. Who wrote the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People?
Ans- Dr Stephen Covey

21. The 'Big Five' personality dimensions, by which modern day psychologists believe every person's personality and behaviour tendencies can be measured are commonly abbreviated to the OCEAN acronym; what does OCEAN stand for?
Ans- Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion/introversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

22. What are the four metaphorical terms used to describe products/services in Boston Matrix model according to market share and market maturity?
Ans- Dog, Cash Cow, Problem Child and Star (or Rising Star)

23. The financial ratio which divides a company's 'liquid assets' by 'current liabilities' is known by what popular term?
Ans- Acid Test (or 'Quick Ratio')

24. What three important things should be confirmed and understood before conducting a brainstorming ideas session?
Ans- The purpose or aim of the exercise; a time limit; the fact that all ideas are welcome and to be respected (ie., sometimes the craziest-sounding ideas are the best ones).

25. What does the SWOT stand for in SWOT analysis?
Ans- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

26. What are the 'Four Functional Types' within Carl Jung's theory?
Ans- Thinking, Feeling, Sensation, Intuition

27. With what was the Kyoto Summit concerned?
Ans- Global climate change (in other words, greenhouse gas emissions)

28. What are the four sequential stages of the 'conscious competence' learning model?
Ans- 1. Unconscious Incompetence, 2. Conscious Incompetence, 3. Conscious Competence, 4. Unconscious Competence

29. What is the '1st Law of Cybernetics' (aka the 'Law of Requisite Variety')?
Ans- "The unit within the system with the most behavioural responses available to it controls the system." (or words to that effect)

30.What are the four main 'Temperament' types called within David Keirsey's Temperaments personality theory?
Ans- Artisan, Idealist, Guardian, Rational/Rationalist

31. According to the Tannenbaum and Schmidt theory relating to delegation and team development, what must be reduced in order for the team's area of freedom (and growth) to increase?
Ans- The manager's use of authority

32. What does the financial term ROI stand for?
Ans- Return On Investment

33. Whose experiential learning theory comprises the learning styles named: Concrete Experience (feeling); Abstract Conceptualization (thinking); Active Experimentation (doing); and Reflective Observation (watching)?
Ans- David Kolb

34. Daniel Goleman was responsible for popularising and defining what management and behavioural concept in his eponymously titled (ie., the title is also the subject) 1995 book?
Ans- Emotional Intelligence

35. What is psychometrics?
Ans- The science of measuring (or testing) personality type (or mental abilities)

36. What is the management technique that is commonly abbreviated to MBWA? Ans- Management By Walking About (or Wandering Around) - the term is generally attributed to Tom Peters (In Search Of Excellence, 1982) although it was probably part of a new management ideology first pioneered by a few bright American companies as far back as the 1940's

37. Large size hand-writing generally indicates what characteristics in the personality of the writer?
Ans- Extraverted or out-going nature

38. Since October 2004, UK employers must follow a minimum process of three-stages for handling disputes with employees, including disciplinary and grievance matters; what are the basic minimum three stages required?
Ans- 1. Write a letter to the employee explaining the issue; 2. Have a meeting with the employee to discuss the issue; 3. Hold or offer an appeal meeting with the employee if required.

39. Douglas McGregor defined two main styles of management; what did he call them and how are each of the two styles typified?
Ans- X-Theory (or Theory-X) which is authoritarian, autocratic and repressive; and Y-Theory (or Theory-Y) which is participative, delegating, and developmental (or words to similar effect as these two descriptions)

40. Bruce Tuckman's theory about team development uses what four sequential rhyming words to describe the four stages of a group's progression?
Ans- Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing

41. What are Howard Gardner's seven (original) Multiple Intelligences?
Ans- Linguistic (words and language), Logical-Mathematical (logic and numbers), Musical (music, sound, rhythm), Bodily-Kinesthetic (body movement control), Spatial-Visual (images and space), Interpersonal (other people's feelings), Intrapersonal (self-awareness)

42. According to Herzberg's motivational theory, which of these are 'hygiene needs' (or 'maintenance factors') and which are true 'motivators': work conditions, salary, achievement, advancement, work itself, responsibility, company car, status, recognition, and personal growth?
Ans- Of the examples listed, hygiene needs are: work conditions, salary, company car, status. True motivators in the list are achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement, and personal growth.

43. What does VAK stand for in the learning styles theory?
Ans- Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic/Kinaesthetic (three different learning styles or methods - seeing, listening, doing)

44. What does the business acronym IPO stand for?
Ans- Initial Public Offering, meaning the initial sale of privately owned equity (stock or shares) in a company via the issue of shares to the public and other investing institutions

45. What does the PEST stand for in PEST analysis?
Ans- Political, Economical, Social, Technological

46. What do 'open questions' typically begin with?
Ans- Open questions typically begin with Who, What, How, When, Where, and Why, (or for particularly capable or intelligent respondents, 'Tell me about...')

47. What visionary management thinker wrote The Age Of Unreason and The Empty Raincoat?
Ans- Charles Handy

48. What are the names of the (nine) Belbin 'team roles'?
Ans- Coordinator (was called 'Chairman'), Shaper, Plant, Monitor-Evaluator, Implementer (was called 'Company Worker'), Resource Investigator, Team Worker, Completer-Finisher, Specialist

49. In marketing, what are the The Four P's?
Ans- Product, Price, Promotion, Place.

50. A lot of the traditional 20th century sales theory and training was influenced by the 1937 book 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'; who wrote it?
Ans- Dale Carnegie.

Questionnaire on Reward Program in Manufacturing/Service Industry

Name of the Company:

Type of Business:
=> Manufacturing
=>Services

Location:
Designation:
Department:
Number of Employees:
Various other locations:
Number of years in business:

1. What kind of Reward policy is implemented in your organization?
a. Formal
b. Informal


2. Is the reward scheme for every financial year budgeted in your company?
=> Yes
=> No

3. If yes, what percentage of revenue is earmarked for the reward in the financial year?

4. Is the Reward system in your organization
a) Monetary
b) Non monetary
c) Both

5. What are the various Non monetary rewards practiced in your organization?

6. Is the reward system practiced in the organization properly communicated to all the employees in the organization?
=> Yes
=> No

If yes, How?


7. How often are the employees rewarded?
a) Monthly
b) Quarterly
c) Half yearly
d) Yearly
e) Occasionally based on extra ordinary accomplishments.

8. What are the behaviours that you are trying to encourage in your employees?

9. Are all the employees eligible for the Reward as per your company policy?
Yes
No

10. If No, which level of employees are eligible?

11. The criteria considered for rewarding the employees:

12. In your organization employees are considered for Reward and Recognition mostly for
a) Innovative and Creative Ideas
b) Increased productivity/results/outcome
c) Customer Satisfaction
d) All of the above
e) Others

13. How is an employee selected for a reward? Is it through
a) Group vote
b) Decision from top officials
c) Decision from a single manager
d) None of the Above

14. How is the company benefited from the rewards and recognition?
a) Improved performance
b) Reduced absenteeism
c) Others

15. How old is the current Reward Policy?

16. How frequently do you bring changes in the Reward system practiced in the organization?
a) For every 2-3 years
b) For every one year
c) For every six months
d) None of the above

17. Are the employee suggestions considered while reviewing the Reward program?
=> Yes
=> No

18. How do you treat Non-Performers in your organizations?
a) Training to develop their skills
b) Any counseling been done
c) Any other measures

19. If there is no improvement in the Employee’s performance would you
a) Review job of the employee
b) Transfer of Department
c) Demotion
d) Pay/Salary Cut
e) Termination

20. What are the various short comings in your company’s Reward & Recognition Scheme?

21. What are the measures taken to overcome or correct the same?

TIE THE BUNDLE, MULTIPLY THE STRENGTH

we are a part of so many teams in our lives, professional and personal
Team:
it is a collection of individuals who are bound / associated together
• Have to achieve a common goal
• Who are committed to task
• Who share and contribute in achievement
• Are interdependent
• Interact with each other
• Are building block of organization

Effective team:
Have core values, clear performance objective and the right mix of skill and creativity

Characteristics of effective team:
• The forces released by mutual aid process, aligned in a direction
• Members care for each other
• Members are open and truthful to each other
• Members have trust on each other
• Decision are made by consensus
• There is strong team commitment
• Member listen to ideas and feeling
• Feelings are expressed freely
• Share the responsibilities
• Everyone contribute in achieving goals
• Members have empathy for one another
• Members use “WE”: rather “I”
• Bonding formula be “11” rather “1+1” formula
• Successful deals with conflict

The strength of team is, each member ----
The strength of each member is, the team

Benefits of team work
• None of us is as smart as all of us
• A persons identity, self esteem and social competencies are shaped by the team to which he/she belongs to
• It develops supportive and cooperative approach in organization
• Reduces dysfunctional competition in organization
• Prevents misperception and misunderstanding
• Develops spirit for greater accomplishment
• Increase inter and intra group cooperation
• Increase productivity and synergy than an individual
• Generates new ideas, innovative and creative action
• Reduces possibilities of mistakes
• Shares the responsibilities and reduces the stress on an individual
• More effective decisions and solutions of problems
• The quality of life in terms of friendship, love, excitement, fulfillment and achievement is good.

Leaving Employee Questionnaire

The questionnaire here shows basis reasons of why any employee will leave organisation. If there are any multiple reasons, rate them in scale of A to D as given below:

A: - Less Significant Factor
B: - Significant Factor
C: - One of Key Factors
D: - Key Factor

Higher Education (A) (B) (C) (D)
Career Advancement (A) (B) (C) (D)
Undefined Career Path (A) (B) (C) (D)
Better Salary in Next Organisation (A) (B) (C) (D)
Inadequate Compensation (A) (B) (C) (D)
Monotony (A) (B) (C) (D)
Work- Life Balance Issues (A) (B) (C) (D)
Skewed Timings (A) (B) (C) (D)
Uneven Distribution of Work (A) (B) (C) (D)
Peaks and Troughs in Work Loads (A) (B) (C) (D)
Flexible Timings Available in Next Organisation (A) (B) (C) (D)
Unique Work Pattern (A) (B) (C) (D)
Changing Management Strategies (A) (B) (C) (D)
Autocratic Management (A) (B) (C) (D)
Lack of Motivation (A) (B) (C) (D)
Inadequate Training (A) (B) (C) (D)
Stress from Superiors (A) (B) (C) (D)
Loss of Trust in Senior Leaders (A) (B) (C) (D)
Uneasy Relationship with Peers or Managers (A) (B) (C) (D)
Overload due to Manpower Shortage (A) (B) (C) (D)
Power & Politics (A) (B) (C) (D)
No Human Touch (A) (B) (C) (D)
Lack of Grievance Solving (A) (B) (C) (D)
Lack of Satisfaction from Work (A) (B) (C) (D)
Lack of Team Work (A) (B) (C) (D)
Lack of Communication (A) (B) (C) (D)
No Recognition and Devaluation (A) (B) (C) (D)
Location Preference (A) (B) (C) (D)
Personal Reasons (A) (B) (C) (D)
Other factors ( Specify) (A) (B) (C) (D)

Talent Management in Manufacturing Sector Questionnaire

1. What were the reasons for you to leave your previous organization?
=> Inadequate Compensation
=> Dearth of Job Challenges and opportunity
=> Lack of Career Development
=> Lack of Rewards and Recognition
=> Lack of Work life balance
=> Lack of Training and Development opportunities
=> Lack of Job Autonomy and Decision making authority
=> Poor Supervisory Relationship

2. As you think to the future, which of the following best describes your careers plans at this time?
=> Seek employment in a sector other than manufacturing.
=> Seek employment in another organization in the manufacturing sector itself.
=> Seek employment in another organization irrespective of the industry sector.
=> No plans to leave employment in the foreseeable future
=> Other plans, please specify

3. How often do you review your career plans?
* Every quarter
* Half Yearly
* Annually

4. What at were the factors that influenced you most while considering your current employment?
=> Compensation
=> Benefits
=> A Challenging Role
=> Learning opportunities
=> Brand Image
=> Leadership Style
=> Easier to commute to workplace

5. What turnover rate do you think is acceptable in the manufacturing sector?
a) 5 – 10 %
b) 11 – 15 %

6. What would be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing your next employment? Please prioritize.
=> The Brand Image of the company
=> The Job profile (Job Challenges)
=> The prospects of Career Development
=> The Compensation and Benefits offered
=> Others( Please Specify)

7. What is the most challenging aspect in retaining employees in the manufacturing sector?
=> Convincing employees to pursue careers in manufacturing sector
=> Manufacturing has a negative image in the eyes of many younger workers
=> It is no longer seen as the only source of stable, high-rewarding career opportunity.

8. In managing employee turnover, which of these questions should employers be most concerned about? Please prioritize.
a) Who is leaving?
B) How many are leaving?
C) Why are they leaving?

9. Which of the following consequences of employee turnover are organizations most concerned about?
1. Loss of productivity
2. Degradation in service quality
3. Loss of expertise
4. Loss of business opportunities
5. Administrative problems
6. High financial costs through recruitment
7. Image of the organization
8. Disruption of social and communication networks

10. Which of these are the most profound effects of Employee turnover on individuals?
=> Loss of employee benefits
=> Stress associated with the transition and change
=> Financial Difficulties
=> Loss of social network
=> Relocation costs
=> Wasted efforts and uncompleted projects
=> Career problems

Download Full Questionnaire

Questionnaire on Social Security Measures of Workmen/Employees

K2DJGMZA6GTF
PERSONAL DATA
1. NAME
2. AGE
3. MARITAL STATUS---married/unmarried /separated

4-WORK EXPERINCE--------- years

5. OCCUPATION--- skilled worker/semi skilled worker/un skilled worker


6-EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION----------------

7. MONTHLY INCOME-------Rs-------------/.

8- FAMILY SIZE- 1-3 member / 4-6 member / 7 and above

9-FAMILY TYPE- nuclear family / joined family

SOCIAL SECURITY MEASURES

1-Do you think the labor legislation objective effectively secure the workers?
To great extent
To some extent
To littlie extent
Not at all
Undecided

2-To what extend are you satisfied with your leave plans?
To great extent
To some extent
To littlie extent
Not at all
Undecided

3-whether the company provides productive material to avoid employment injury?
To great extent
To some extent
To littlie extent
Not at all
Undecided

Download Full Questionnaire

Retention Management

WHY RETENTION?

Key employee retention is critical to the long term health and success of your business. Managers readily agree that retaining your best employees ensures customer satisfaction, product sales, satisfied co-workers and reporting staff, effective succession planning and deeply imbedded organizational knowledge and learning employee retention matters. Organizational issues such as training time and investment; lost knowledge; mourning, insecure co-workers and a costly candidate search aside, failing to retain a key employee is costly. Various estimates suggest that losing a middle manager costs an organization up to 100 percent of his salary. The loss of a senior executive is even more costly.

Employee retention is one of the primary measures of the health of the organization. Losing critical staff members means other people in the departments are looking as well. Exit interviews with departing employees provide valuable information that can used to retain remaining staff.

WHY PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR JOB
With retention being such a high priority, why are people leaving organizations? Some literature suggests that people leave their jobs for a wide variety of reasons, including:
1. Unmet expectations
2. Inappropriate fit for the role
3. Lack of fit with company culture
4. Lack of sufficient opportunities for growth and advancement
5. Inadequate recognition and appreciation
6. Problems with a manager or supervisor
7. Dissatisfaction with compensation
8. Stress
9. Lack of work/life balance
10. Lack of confidence in the company and/or leadership

MANAGING EMPLOYEE RETENTION:
The task of managing employees can be understood as a three stage process:
1. Identify the cost of employee turnover
2. Understand why employees leave
3. Implement retention strategies

Identify the cost of employee turnover:
The organizations should start with identifying the employee turnover rates within a particular time period and benchmark it with the competitor organizations. This will help in assessing the whether the retention rates are healthy in the company. Secondly, the cost of employee turnover can be calculated. According to a survey, on an average, attrition costs companies 18 months’ salary for each manager or professional who leaves, and 6 months’ pay for each hourly employee who leaves. This amounts to major organizational and financial stress, considering that one out of every three employees plans to leave his or her job in the next two years.

Understanding Why Employees Leave:
Why employees leave often puzzles top management. Exit interviews are an ideal way of recording and analyzing the factors that have led employees to leave the organization. They allow an organization to understand the reasons for leaving and underlying issues. However employees never provide appropriate response to the asked questions. So an impartial person should be appointed with whom the employees feel comfortable in expressing their opinions.

Implement retention strategies:
Once the causes of attrition are found, a strategy is to be implemented so as to reduce employee turnover. The most effective strategy is to adopt a holistic approach to dealing with attrition. An effective retention strategy will seek to ensure:
• Attraction and recruitment strategies enable selection of the ‘right’ candidate for each role/organization
• New employees’ initial experiences of the organization are positive
• Appropriate development opportunities are available to employees, and that they are kept aware of their likely career path with the organization
• The organization’s reward strategy reflects the employee drivers.

ROLE OF MANAGER IN EMPLOYEE RETENTION
When asked about why employees leave, low salary comes out to be a common excuse. However, research has shown that people join companies, but leave because of what their managers’ do or don’t do. It is seen that managers who respect and value employees’ competency, pay attention to their aspirations, assure challenging work, value the quality of work life and provided chances for learning have loyal and engaged employees. Therefore, managers and team leaders play an active and vital role in employee retention.


Managers and team leaders can reduce the attrition levels considerably by creating a motivating team culture and improving the relationships with team members. This can be done in a following way:

1. Creating a Motivating Environment:
Team leaders who create motivating environments are likely to keep their team members together for a longer period of time. Motivation does not necessarily have to come through fun events such as parties, celebrations, team outings etc. They can also come through serious events e.g. arranging a talk by the VP of Quality on career opportunities in the field of quality. Employees who look forward to these events and are likely to remain more engaged.

2. Standing up for the Team:
Team leaders are closest to their team members. While they need to ensure smooth functioning of their teams by implementing management decisions, they also need to educate their managers about the realities on the ground. When agents see the team leader standing up for them, they will have one more reason to stay in the team.

3. Providing coaching:
Everyone wants to be successful in his or her current job. However, not everyone knows how. Therefore, one of the key responsibilities will be providing coaching that is intended to improve the performance of employees. Managers often tend to escape this role by just coaching their employees. However, coaching is followed by monitoring performance and providing feedback on the same.

4. Delegation:
Many team leaders and managers feel that they are the only people who can do a particular task or job. Therefore, they do not delegate their jobs as much as they should. Delegation is a great way to develop competencies.

5. Extra Responsibility:
Giving extra responsibility to employees is another way to get them engaged with the company. However, just giving the extra responsibility does not help. The manager must spend good time teaching the employees of how to manage responsibilities given to them so that they don’t feel over burdened.

6. Focus on future career:
Employees are always concerned about their future career. A manager should focus on showing employees his career ladder. If an employee sees that his current job offers a path towards their future career aspirations, then they are likely to stay longer in the company. Therefore, managers should play the role of career counselors as well.

RETENTION STRATEGIES:
1. Selection:
Retention starts up front, in the selection and hiring of the right employees. This requires not only an assessment of basic job skills, but also an examination of the "softer" issues of motivation, values, and being able to fit into the organization—factors that have a powerful impact on an employee's success and tenure with a company.

2. Leadership:
To a great extent, an employee's experience at a company is shaped by his or her boss. Employees rely on supervisors for everything from communication to promotions and rewards. Not surprisingly, a number of studies show that ineffective supervisors—that is, "bad bosses"—are the largest single factor driving employee turnover. Companies need to select the right people for supervisory positions, and then offer them development opportunities to make sure they continue to enhance their leadership and communication skills.

3. Professional growth:
Today's employees know that a successful career depends on constant learning and on picking up skills and experience that will make them more employable in the open market. That means that access to ongoing training and development is important to them, and a strong incentive to stay with a company. This is a fundamental paradox of employee retention: By preparing people to leave, a company can actually encourage them to stay.

4. Meaningful work and ownership:
People need to know they are making a difference and being effective in their jobs. Expectations and responsibilities need to be clearly defined, so that employees can understand their roles, and see how their jobs are linked to the organization's overall success. Employees must also be involved in determining how work is done, so that they have a sense of ownership and an opportunity to contribute to improvements in the company's performance.

5. Recognition and rewards:
In addition to salary and similar compensation, people appreciate and respond to alternative forms of acknowledgement, such as dinners, awards, comp time, and so forth. To be effective, such recognition should be clearly tied to achievement, and encourage the desired behaviour in individuals or teams.

6. Culture and environment:
It may seem obvious that employees will tend to stay with an organization that makes them feel comfortable—where stress is minimized and they feel valued and respected. However, too many companies still operate with a culture based on control and fear, rather than one that provides well-defined direction and values, and emphasizes care for customers and employees alike.

Questionnaire on 360 Degree Performance Appraisal

Q-1. Is in your opinion 360 performance appraisal is good ?
(A) Yes
(B) No

Q-2. What does 360 degree performance appraisal actually measure ?
(A) Leadership Quality
(B) Training Needs
(C) Performance

Q-3. What can 360 degree feedback be used for ?
(A) Self Development.
(B) Team Building.
(C) Organization Development.
(D) Motivation.

Q-4. What types of information are produced through this method ?
1. Hidden Strength.
2. Weakness.
3. Weakness.

Q-5. Do you believe that this method help to find training need ?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-6. Do you achieved organization or departmental goal through this method ?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-7. Do you satisfy with present appraisal system ?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-8. Do you find your competencies through this method ?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-9. Do you know about your weakness or strength through this method ?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-10. Do you get motivation by this method ?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-11. Please give rank the following needs which derived from system ?
1. Training needs
2. Motivation
3. Counseling
4. Stress Management
5. Developments
6. Coaching
7. Leadership quality

Q-12. Which content is important for this method ?

1. Data
2. Contents of Form
3. Evolution of Form
4. Appraised Method

Q-13. Do you get the knowledge about your performance and behavior through this method?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-14. Do you find the leadership quality among your subordinates through this method?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-15. Are you feel that this appraisal method used for playing politics?
1. Yes
2. No

Q-16. In your 360 degree performance appraisal method, which most required from the following terms ?
1. Roles
2. Leadership
3. Performance
4. Training
5. Qualities
6. Inter Personnel Relations

Q-17. What according to you the present approval method is lacking or less beneficial ?


Respondent’s Profile
Name of Respondents :
Designation :

Psychological impact on employess due to different culture, habits etc. Questionnaire

psychological impact of Indian expatriates due to different culture, habits, new work environment, their adjustment and subsequent repatriation

PERSONAL DATA:
NAME:
AGE:
SEX:
MARITAL STATUS:
DESIGNATION:
NAME OF THE COMPANY:

1. Name of the country to which you were sent for the assignment?

2. Duration of the assignment

3. Were you given pre-departure training by your company before leaving?
a. Yes
b. No

4. If yes, specify the type of training you got from your company before the departure?
a. Language
b. Technical training
c. Psychological preparation
d. All the above
e. None

5. What was the duration of the training course?

6. To what extent you got benefitted out of the pre-departure training?
a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Fair

7. What aspects\ areas of the training helped you in a better way?

8. How well the training helped you in the psychological preparation and adjustment in the new country?
a. To a great extent
b. Only in some specific areas
c. Moderately

9. Was the new culture suitable for you?
a. Yes
b.No

10. Was the culture of the host country similar to that of your country?
a. Yes, in many ways
b.In some aspects
c.Not at all

11. If yes, specify some of the aspects that were similar in both the country’s culture?

12. Did you face any imbalance\difficulty in accepting the new culture?
a. Yes
b.No

13. If yes, how long it took for you to adjust to the new culture?

14. Are you well aware of the country’s customs and practices?
a. Yes
b. No

15. Have you participated in the festivals and functions of the host country?
a. Yes
b.No

16. How was your adjustment or adaptation in a multi\cross cultured work environment?
a. Excellent
b.Good
c. Fair
d. Moderate

17. How was your relationship with the colleagues\peer groups in the foreign country?
a. Excellent
b.Good
c. Fair
d. Moderate

18. Did you find any colleagues of your home country?
a. Yes
b.No

19. Was the work environment or work culture different from that of your company in the home (your) country?
a. Yes
b.No

20. Did you find any difficulty or challenges with respect to the nature of the job in that country?
a. Yes
b. No

21. Did you face any stressful situation due to the different cultured environment?
a. Yes
b. No

22. If yes, what was the stressful situation that you faced?


23. What measures did you follow to come out of the stress?
a. Spent time in entertainment
b. Prayer\meditation
c. Communicated with your family members
d.reading books
e. None of the above

24. How well your peer groups\colleagues helped you in coming out of the stress?
a. Excellent
b.Good
c. Fair
d.Moderate

25. Did you find difficulty in convincing your family members for the overseas assignment?
a. Yes
b. No

26. Did any of your family members accompany you?
a. Yes
b. No

27. If yes, how was their adjustment in the new country?
a. Very Good
b. Good
c. Fair
d. Poor

28. In what ways your family members helped you in the psychological preparation for the overseas assignment?

29. Did you find any difficulty in adapting to the food habits of the country?
a. Yes
b. No

30. Did you find any difficulty in adjusting to the climatic conditions of the country?
a. Yes
b. No

31. Was there any difference between home country and host country in terms of the dress code in work place?
a. Yes
b. No

32. How was the communication between yourself and the new colleagues (superiors) of a different culture?
a. to a fairly great extent
b. Very good
c. Good
d. Moderate

33. Did you find language as a barrier in the communication process with your colleagues?
a. Yes
b. No

34. Did u find it difficult while communicating with other people of the host country?
a. Yes
b. No

35. Did you receive any type of rewards as a motivation factor?
a. Yes
b. No

36. After returning back to your country did you observe any changes with respect to your organization or the nature of your job?
a. Yes
b. No

37. The work culture of the same organization in two various countries are quite similar and have only few differences which are not remarkable.
a. I strongly agree
b. Partially agree
c. Agree
d. Disagree

38. Do you like to go to the same country if you get a second chance?
a. Yes
b. No

39. Give some suggestions by which expatriates can adapt themselves to the new work environment and culture?

Psychometric Questionnaire for HR Managers

Psychometric Questionnaire for HR Managers

Name (optional) :
Designation :
Company :

1) Are you aware of the use of psychometric tools / tests for various HR functions, by HR personnel all over the world?
• Aware
• Not aware

2) Is your Organization using any psychometric test for any HR function?
• Yes
• No

3) If no, do you plan to use any psychometric tool / test in future?
• Yes
• No
• Cant say

Why are you not using any psychometric tool now?


4) If yes, which tool/s is/are being used by your organization?


5) For which HR function is your organization using these psychometric tests?
• Recruitment and selection,
• Training and development
• Counseling,
• Feedbacks,
• Appraisals,
• Behavior analysis,
• Competency mapping
• For building career paths of employees
• Talent Development

6) Is your organization satisfied with the result generated by using these tools/tests?
• Yes
• No
• Can’t say

7) Do you plan to use any other psychometric tool/test in near future?
• Yes
• No
• Can’t say

If yes, what are the tools?

8) At what level do you usually use these psychometric tests (managerial, supervisory etc.)
• Lower
• Top and middle
• All

9) How do you ensure reliability and validity in your tests?


10) Is your organization aware of the various ethical issues involved in the use of psychometric testing?
• Yes
• No

11) Do you have qualified professionals for administering and generating results from these tools or you have outsourced the process?
• In-house
• Outsource

12) Any suggestions

Questionnaire on Work Life Balance

Questionnaire on Work Life Balance
1) Age:-
2) Gender: - Male/ Female
3) Designation:-
4) Nature of Org: - IT/ITES

5) How many days in a week do you normally work?
a) Less than 5 days
b) 5 days
c) 6 days
d) 7 days

6) How many hours in a day do you normally work?
a) 7-8 hours
b) 8-9 hours
c) 9-10 hours
d) 10-12 hours
e) More than 12 hours

7) How many hours a day do you spend traveling to work?
a) Less than half an hour
b) Nearly one hour
c) Nearly two hours
d) More than two hours

8) Do you work in shifts?
a) General shift/day shift
b) Night shift
c)Alternative

9) I) Are you married?
a) Yes
b)No

II) If yes, is your partner employed?
a) Yes
b) No

10) I) Do you have children?
a) Yes, no. of children____________.
b)No

II) Being an employed man/woman who is helping you to take care of your children?
a) Spouse
b) In-laws
c) Parents
d) Servants
e) Crèche/day care centers

III) How many hours in a day do you spend with your child/children?
a) Less than 2 hours
b) 2-3 hours
c) 3-4 hours
d) 4-5 hours
e) More than 5 hours

IV) Do you regularly meet your child/children teachers to know how your child is progressing?
a) Once in a week
b) Once in two weeks
c) Once in month
d) Once in 6 months
e) Once in a year.

11) I) Do you take care of?
a) Older people
b) Dependent adults
c) Adults with disabilities
d) Children with disabilities
e) none

II) If yes, how many hours do you spend with them?
a) Less than 2 hours
b) 2-3 hours
c) 3-4 hours
d) 4-5 hours
e) More than 5 hours

12) Do you generally feel you are able to balance your work life?
a) Yes
b) No

13) How often do you think or worry about work (when you are not actually at work or traveling to work)?
a) Never think about work
b) Rarely
c) Sometimes
d) Often
e) Always

14) How do you feel about the amount of time you spend at work?
a) Very unhappy
b) Unhappy
c) Indifferent
d) Happy
e) Very happy

15) Do you ever miss out any quality time with your family or your friends because of pressure of work?
a) Never
b) Rarely
c) Sometimes
d) Often
e) Always

16) Do you ever feel tired or depressed because of work?
a) Never
b) Rarely
c) Sometimes
d) Often
e) Always

17) How do you manage stress arising from your work?
a) Yoga
b) Meditation
c) Entertainment
d) Dance
e) Music
f) Others, specify_________.

18) I) Does your company have a separate policy for work-life balance?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not aware

II) If, yes what are the provisions under the policy?
a) Flexible starting time
b) Flexible ending time
c) Flexible hours in general
d) Holidays/ paid time-off
e) Job sharing
f) Career break/sabbaticals
g) Others, specify________.

19) Do you personally feel any of the following will help you to balance your work life?
a) Flexible starting hours
b) Flexible finishing time
c) Flexible hours, in general
d) holidays/paid time offs
e) Job sharing
f) Career break/sabbaticals
g) time-off for family engagements/events
h) Others, specify_________

20) Do any of the following hinder you in balancing your work and family commitments?
a) Long working hours
b) Compulsory overtime
c) Shift work
d) meetings/training after office hours
e) Others, specify_________________

21) Do any of the following help you balance your work and family commitments?
a) Working from home
b) Technology like cell phones/laptops
c) Being able to bring Children to work on occasions
d) Support from colleagues at work
e) Support from family members
f) Others, specify___________.

22) Do any of the following hinder you in balancing your work and family commitments?
a) Technology such as laptops/cell phones
b) Frequently traveling away from home
c) Negative attitude of peers and colleagues at work place
d) Negative attitude of supervisors
e) Negative attitude of family members
c) Others, specify___________

23) Does your organization provide you with following additional work provisions?
a) Telephone for personal use
b) Counseling services for employees
c) Health programs
d) Parenting or family support programs
e) Exercise facilities
f) Relocation facilities and choices
g) Transportation
h) Others, specify______________.

24) Does your organization encourage the involvement of your family members in work- achievement reward functions?
a) Yes, specify the name of such program__________
b) No

25) Does your organization have social functions at times suitable for families?
a) Yes, specify the name of such programs____________
b) No.

26) Does your organization provide you with yearly Master health check up?
a) Yes
b) No

27) Do you suffer from any stress-related disease?
a) hypertension
b) obesity
c) diabetes
d) frequent headaches
e) none
f) Others, specify______.

28) I) Do you take special initiatives to manage your diet?
a) Yes
b) No

II) What is your preference for food?

a) Carrying home made food
b) Dieting on vegetables and fruits
c) Choosing less calorific food
d) Choosing organic food
e) Food from the organizations cafeteria
f) Spicy/Junk food
g) Others, specify__________.

III) How often will you have refreshment drinks/snacks in a day?]
a) None
b) Once
c) Twice
d) Thrice
e) More than three times

29) I) Do you spend time for working out?
a) Yes
b) No

II) If yes, how many hours?
a) less than half an hour
b)half an hour
c) half an hour to one hour
d) more than 1 hour

III) Where do you usually prefer to do your workouts?
a) In your organizations health centers
b) Residence
c) Nearby Gym
d)Walking
e) Others, specify_____________.

30) Do you feel work life balance policy in the organization should be customized to individual needs?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Indifferent
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree

31) Do you think that if employees have good work-life balance the organization will be more effective and successful?
a) Yes
b) No
If so how?
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Thank You for your time.



Name:

Mobile No:

Name of your Organization:

Items for JOINING KIT for employees

Items for JOINING KIT

1) The company's vision & mission statement
2) List of special welfare policies
3) Employee events planned for the quarter
4) Visiting cards - if applicable
5) Office layout to cafeteria & restrooms and other important areas.
6) The Policy manual.
7) Their Job profile
8) Their Annual Action Plan -to be submitted back after a month –LPG
9) Personal Information form
10) HR manual containing some general policies regarding leave, reimbursement rules.
11) A Directory or Sheet containing imp. telephone nos. & ext. nos.
12) Declaration as well as nomination forms for PF & ESI.
13) Blank Visiting Cards for the time being till personal cards are received.
14) Organizational Structure
15) HR Policies
16) Salary (PF, ESIC, Mediclaim Details) & reimbursement details,
17) Company’s Do's and Dont's.
18) Wishing to have a pleasurable tenure with the Company.
19) Pen Stand with calculators, scale, staplers and other useful documents..(Not manditory)

Effective employee retention strategies, key to reduce attrition in BPO firms

Intelligent employers always realise the importance of retaining the best talent. Retaining talent has never been so important in the Indian scenario; however, things have changed in recent years. In prominent Indian metros at least, there is no dearth of opportunities for the best in the business, or even for the second or the third best. Retention of key employees and treating attrition troubles has never been so important to companies.

In an intensely competitive environment, where HR managers are poaching from each other, organisations can either hold on to their employees tight or lose them to competition. For gone are the days, when employees would stick to an employer for years for want of a better choice. Now, opportunities abound.

It is a fact that, retention of key employees is critical to the long-term health and success of any organisation. The performance of employees is often linked directly to quality work, customer satisfaction, increased product sales and even to the image of a company. Whereas the same is often indirectly linked to, satisfied colleagues and reporting staff, effective succession planning and deeply embedded organisational knowledge and learning.

Employee retention matters, as, organisational issues such as training time and investment, costly candidate search etc., are involved. Hence, failing to retain a key employee is a costly proposition for any organisation. Various estimates suggest that losing a middle manager in most organisations, translates to a loss of up to five times his salary. This might be worse for BPO companies where fresh talent is intensively trained and inducted and then further groomed to the successive stages. In this scenario, the loss of a middle manager can often prove dear.

Why people leave
In an industry like BPO, the work can often be monotonous and opportunities for career growth minimal. So when opportunities beckon, the high rate of attrition is not surprising. However, there are some common reasons that especially cause people to leave. Surveys have listed night shifts, money, inability to handle various types of stress, monotonous work; company policies, lack of career growth, problems with those in senior positions etc., as some of the most common reasons listed by BPO employees, as reasons for quitting jobs.

Finding the cause
Have a survey among employees to find the reasons for attrition. If possible, have exit interviews to know the reasons for resignations. If a key employee resigns, it should be taken up on a priority basis and the senior management should meet the employee to discuss his reasons for leaving and evaluate whether his issues bear merit and whether they can be resolved. Steps can be taken to avoid similar reasons from occurring in the case of others, in similar positions.

What can be done?
Though, it is impossible to scrap problems totally, there are certain ways by which BPO managements can tackle attrition. Since the BPO environment is unique, these companies need to develop innovative ways to tackle them. Human Resources department of a BPO must address these issues, and along with the management need to evolve strategies to retain employees at all levels.

At the time of Recruitment
• Select the right people through competency screening.
• Use psychometric tests to get people who can work at night and handle the monotony.
• Offer an attractive, competitive, benefits package.
• Make clear of performance enhanced incentives and other benefits. Keep these promises, later.
• BPOs can set up offices in smaller towns, or recruit from there, where opportunities are few.

At the office
• An employees work must be communicated to him clearly and thoroughly. The details of the job, its importance, the way it should be done, maximum time that can be allotted to complete it etc., must be made clear. If there are changes to any of these, let the employee know at the earliest.

• Give the employees necessary tools, time and training. The employee must have the tools, time and training necessary to do their job well - or they will move to an employer who provides them.

• Have a person to talk to each employee at regular intervals. Listen and solve employee complaints and problems, as much as possible. Fairness and impartial treatment by seniors is important. Help employees manage stress, both at work and if possible, off work too. Give them special concessions, when in need. Treat the employees well & provide dignity of job.

• The quality of the supervision an employee receives is critical to employee retention. Frequent employee complaints arise on this issue.

• Provide the employees a stress free work environment. People want to enjoy their work. Make work and work place cheerful and fun-filled as possible.

• Make sure that employees know that their work is important for the organisation. Feeling valued by their employer is key to high employee motivation and morale. Recognize their strengths and help them to improve those they lack.

• Employees must feel rewarded, recognised and appreciated. Giving periodical raise in salary or position helps to retain staff.

• Offer excellent career growth prospects. Encourage & groom employees to take up higher positions/openings. If they dont get opportunity for growth within the organisation, they will look elsewhere for it.

• Work-life balance initiatives are important. Innovative and practical employee policies pertaining to flexible working hours and schemes, granting compassionate and urgency leave, providing healthcare for self, family and dependants, etc. are important for most people. Work-life balance policies would have a positive impact on retaining skilled employees, as well as on attracting high-calibre recruits.

• Implement competency models, which are well integrated, with HR processes like selection & recruitments, training, performance appraisal and potential appraisal.

Night shifts
1. Have doctors to advise them about health problems and the ways and means to deal with them. Provide dietary advice: - Dos and donts. Help them to maintain their health.

2. Organise programmes where people from other professions, who have night shifts talk to BPO employees about their experiences. Other organisations like Army, Railways, Hospitals and various government services etc., also have night shifts.

3. Organise training, counselling and development programmes for employees. Tell them that their work is important. Encourage the best performers to share their experiences with others and guide others. The emphasis is to create the desire to learn, enjoy and be passionate about the work they do.

4. If needed, provide special lights in the office/workplace to ensure that their bodies get sufficient vitamin D.

5. One distinct disadvantage of night shifts is the sense of disorientation with friends and family members. Concentrate on this problem and develop innovative solutions and ways to deal with it. Additional holidays for work on national holidays and festivals, holidays for family functions etc., can go a long way.

Conclusion
As they say, happiness can be contagious. So make sure the work place is a happy one, which every employee would love to spend time. Human resources department along with senior management must take steps to make sure of this.

Effective human resource management must be practiced at both strategic and day-to-day levels. HR management practices must reflect company policy as to how it will manage and relate to its employees. The HR strategy should evolve from a transactional support role to partnering in the organisations business strategy. HR must take steps to be aware of employee problems and try to solve them, creatively.

Questionnaire on Employee Engagement Survey

Here is a questionnaire on Employee Engagement Survey.

Download Full Questionnaire

Questionnaire on Recruitment Process Outsourcing

QUESTIONNAIRE

Name –
Company’s name –
Designation –
Date-

Note – Please tick the appropriate option.

1. What source you adopt to source candidates?
a. Employee referral
b. Campus recruitment
c. Advertising
d. Recruitment agencies
e. Job portals
f. Other, pls specify –

2. How many stages are involved in selecting the candidate?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. More

3. Do you use any of the following tests during the process of recruitment?
a. Written
b. Aptitude
c. Group Discussion
d. Personal Interview
e. Psychometric test
f. Other, pls specify –

4. How do you track the source of candidate?
a. Manual
b. Software
c.Online
d.Windows. Xls

5. Apart from the HR Manager, who all from the other departments are required to get involved in interviewing process?
a. Sales
b. Administration
c. HR Executives
d. Other, pls specify –

6. What is the average time spent by sales dept. during recruitment (each candidate)?
a. 10mins.
b. 10 to 20mins.
c. 20 to 30mins.
d. More

7. What is the average time spent by HR dept. during recruitment (each candidate)?
a. 10mins.
b. 10 to 20mins.
c. 20 to 30mins.
d. More

8. What is the average time spent by Admin dept. during recruitment (each candidate)?
a. 10mins.
b. 10 to 20mins.
c. 20 to 30mins.
d. More

9. Do you follow different recruitment process for different grades of employees?
a. No
b. Yes

10. What is the back out percentage of candidates after being offered?
a.1-5
b.5-10
c.10-15
d. 15-20

11. What percentage of candidates leave within the period of less than1- 3 month?
a.1-5
b.5-10
c.10-15
d. 15-20

12. What percentage of candidates leave within the period of less than3- 6 month?
a.1-5
b.5-10
c.10-15
d. 15-20

13. What percentage of candidates leave within the period of less than 6-12 month?
a.1-5
b.5-10
c.10-15
d. 15-20

14. Does the company reimburse the traveling cost incurred by the candidate for appearing in the interview?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Depends, how –

15. What is the average cost of traveling that the company incurs on interviewers, if the interview is in other city?

16. Do you take any technological support for the process of recruiting?
a. Telephone
b. Video conferencing
c. Online support
d. Other, pls specify –

17. Are you aware of the concept of “Video Resume”?
a. No
b. Yes, then do you use it – Yes/No

18. If the recruitment type is “Employee Referral” then what special privilege has to be paid to the one who has referred?

19. In how much time does the whole process generates results?
(Time taken in the whole process i.e. from tests, personal interviews to final list of selected candidates)

20. Do you do the “Employment Eligibility Verification”? Yes/No
If yes, then, what method you take up to perform it?
a. Internally
b. Through agencies

21. What kind of verifications you do?
a. Educational qualifications
b. Legal background check
c. Professional background check d. Reference check
e. Family background check

22. How much do you spend in reference check of 1 candidate?

23. What is the average amount spent on each recruitment of an entry-level candidate from recruitment to T&A?

24. How much do you spend on T&D and Induction per employee?

Generic -
25. How many recruitments you did in the last fiscal year?

26. Out of 100% recruitment that you did in the last fiscal year, please determine which source generated what % of candidates?
Through –
a. Advertising - ………%
b. Employee reference - ……….%
c. Recruitment agency - ……….%
d. Job portals - ………%
e. Others - ……….%

27. What is the total number of personnel in your HR department?

28. Do you have a legal advisor for HR department? Yes/No
If yes, then is it ..
a. Internal
b. External

29. Do you have any system to calculate cost per recruitment?
a. No
b. Yes, pls specify –

30. How much % do you pay to the consultant?

31. Which is the biggest challenge that you face in the whole process of recruitment?

32. What source has provided you with highest performers?
(Both quantity wise and quality wise)

33. What is the retention rate for those employees hired from employee referrals Vs agencies?

34. Have you outsourced any of the recruitment activities? – Yes/No
If yes, then pls specify which one?

35. Are you aware of the concept of RPO – Recruitment Process Outsourcing?
a. No
b. Yes, through what source –

36. Have you ever thought of any way to reduce the time to hire and not have impacted the quality of the hire?
a. Yes
b. No

37. Can you please provide us with the hierarchical manpower structure that you follow for recruitment process?

Advantages of Competency Mapping

For the company
The advantages of competency mapping for the companies or organizations are as follows:
• Establishes expectations for performance excellence
• Improved job satisfaction and better employee retention
• Increase in the effectiveness of training and professional development programs because of their link to success criteria.
• Provides a common understanding of scope and requirements of a specific role
• Provides a common, organization wide standard for career levels that enable employees to move across business boundaries.
• Help companies “raise the bar” of performance expectations
• Help teams and individuals align their behaviors with key organizational strategies

For Managers
The competency mapping provides following advantages to the managers:
• Identify performance criteria to improve the accuracy and ease of the selection process
• Easier communication of performance expectations
• Provide a clear foundation for dialogue to occur between the managers and employees and performance, development and career-oriented issues

For employees
The employees in an organization get the following advantages by competency mapping:
• Identify the behavioral standards of performance excellence
•Provide a more specific and objective assessment of their strengths and the tools required to enhance their skills
• Enhances clarity on career related issues
• Helps each understand how to achieve expectations

Performance Management System

Performance has two dimensions:
• Achieving business results
• Developing individual competencies

These days performance appraisal is seen by managers and employees as a bureaucratic “paperwork” exercises that they do not take seriously because it has little impact on employee development.

Competency based performance management would:
• Focus on “HOW” of performance and not on “WHAT” of performance i.e. not on results but how the results are achieved
• Link to development of the individual and not just rewards

Competency based PMS shift the emphasis of appraisal from organization results to employee behaviors and competencies demonstrated and hence help identify development gaps.

Career and succession planning

It involves assessing employees’ readiness or potential to take on new challenges. Determining a person job fit can be based on matching the competency profile of an individual to the set of competencies required for excellence within a profession. Individuals would know the
competencies required for a particular position and therefore would have an opportunity to decide if they have the potential to pursue that position or not by recognizing and rewarding effort. Competency pay is the best way to do so.

Various elements are considered for arriving at compensation increase. Enhancement in competencies has to be one of them. There is a need for competency based compensation system
• To reward for results and competencies developed
• To motivate employees to maintain and enhance their skills and competencies regularly
By rewarding employees who develop relevant competencies the organization can benefit by improving its own capability to face the future

Six Sigma in HR

Although HR is not a big department in most organizations, HR processes have a major impact on the employee's efforts for delivering services or product.

HR people handle the responsibility of retaining the employees while balancing the financial needs of the company.

Compensation and benefit areas taken care of by the HR department include payroll administration, time and attendance management, leave policy, stock options and so on. Six Sigma Projects such as reducing time for the paycheck deposition process, faster performance review systems and eligibility study for ESOPs can be considered for the betterment of these activities of the HR.

There could be a need for Six Sigma projects like improving multiple payroll systems for remote locations and reducing errors in employee information database.

HR personnel have to take care of areas like employee absenteeism, dispute resolution, health and safety issues, union negotiations, interpersonal communication and discrimination and harassment issues. Six Sigma projects can be undertaken to address the discrimination and harassment by way of monitoring and compliance audit, systems for improved communication among employees and executives

Six Sigma projects can aim at overall organizational development with regards to improvements in the career and succession planning, leadership, change management, workplace planning and organization, performance improvement and communication programs.

Staffing, Training and Retention - One basic responsibility of the HR department is staffing, background checks, selection and training and retention of employees. They have to design and schedule training and development programs for new employees, as well as existing ones.

They also have to handle employee contracts for permanent and temporary employees and manage the process of relocation and outsourcing of employees. They have to manage the retrenchment issues and exit interviews. There can be projects like creating self-learning and evaluation modules for the employees.

Projects to improve the hit rate for job postings followed by quick responses to the applicants, reduction in unnecessary security checks and so on can be undertaken by the HR department as Six Sigma projects.
Six Sigma has been around for over a decade and as such it has been deployed at lots of companies around the world. More than 75% of the fortune 500 companies have deployed Six Sigma in one form or another. Some companies have chosen not to call it Six Sigma due to copyright or other issues. They have a similar approach but may call it by a different name (such as STRIVE, MEDIC, etc).
Some of the more famous companies who are using Six Sigma are:
- General Electric
- Motorola
- Caterpillar
- Microsoft
- Home Depot
- Philips
- Allied Signal
- Xerox
- Chevron
- Dell
- WIPRO
Also, some of the major players in India using Six Sigma are:
Banking: Bank of America, American Express, HDFC, HSBC
Call Centers: ICICI OneSource, Accenture, Satyam BPO, IBM Daksh
Hospitality: ITC Hotels, GRT Hotels
Hospitals: Apollo Hospitals
Retail: Reliance Retail
Telecom: Bharti Cellular, Vodafone, Siemens
Software: Wipro, Satyam, Accenture, Infosys
Six Sigma can be applied in all industries/companies as work always takes place in processes and the following hold true for every company (in any industry).

Everything that anyone does is a part of a process. A process is efficient or inefficient depending on the output to input ratio. (this ratio could be productivity measure, cost measure, time measure or any other useful metric)

Very few processes are defect free and most have unacceptable level of defects or delays (as per industry standards, company's own philosophy towards defects or based on customer expectations). Here, for many processes there is an internal customer (instead of or in addition to an external customer).
Meeting customer (internal, external or both) expectations with reasonable cost is a key success criterion.

Variation in process inputs or improper controls result in reduced efficiency or dissatisfied customers, which increases costs and breeds further inefficiency.
Six Sigma requires that you define success criteria for key processes, eliminate defects (or reduce their severity or occurrences), and measure outcomes for exceeding industry standards or creating new benchmarks, thereby leading to competitive advantage in terms of cost or value for customers.
Many people thinkSix Sigma works for repetitive processes and has no application for projectsituations. Project situations are common in companies and functions that carryout construction, commissioning and installations, software development, plantand machinery development and manufacture, research & development etc.

Although these sectors have significant differences in challenges that theyface, the common element is that they carry out projects and each project is uniquein itself.
To understand theapplications of Six Sigma in companies that carry out projects, let us takeexample of construction industry (as most people have some familiarity withthis sector)

In construction industry, Six Sigmausage can be understood with following points:

1. Recurring problems exist at each stage of construction. When I say recurring, it means recurring for the company (may be-not for individual projects)

2. If you study a construction project, it comprises of large number of individual processes ranging from soil testing to land scaping to structural designs to foundations, superstructure, interiors and exteriors. There are a whole lot of purchase and logistic processes as well.

3. A good number of these processes are common to all projects. If processes were robust many of the individual problems would not occur at the first place. The remaining can be reduced.

4. The idea in Six Sigma is about making the processes robust ( so that the results are right the first time, every time)

5. Not all processes are equally important. Processes that matter are those that relate closely to pain areas (forcustomers/ management). These processes need improvement.

6. In each project, individual project managers,site engineers face a whole lot of problems that they solve. These problems doget solved in the project (after they have caused a delay or cost in thespecific project). Normally there is no mechanism to aggregate learning fromthe experiences of these managers and use it for process improvement. Alsocompanies do not have structured mechanism to use tried and tested techniquesto eliminate or reduce such issues in future projects.

7. To be able to study and improve managementsystems one needs a structured approach that should include
a. Identifying individual problem areas(or focus areas) and prioritizing them.
b. Next, we need techniques to identifythe root cause of the problem.
c. Once we identify the root cause, we need to generatesolution alternatives, compare them and select the best.
d. We then need to implement the bestsolution and see how it works.
e. If successful, we wish toinstitutionalize the solution.

8. SixSigma provides tried and tested techniques for steps A to E in a team basedapproach which converts each problem area into an individual "improvementproject".

9. When processes improve, there is a reductionin problems and defects.

10. Primary defects in construction industry(and most of the project driven industries) are DELAY, REWORK and COST OVERRUNSand Six Sigma can be used to reduce any of these defects.

This is not all.In addition to usage in improvements in existing processes (as explainedabove), Six Sigma is also used to design new processes (or redesign existing processes that contribute to project success (with better predictability thatever before).

Management Games

Minefield
Have group discuss things that are detrimental to functioning as a group. For each characteristic/action, throw an object into the playing space, the "minefield." Have group choose partners. One partner is blindfolded at one end of field. The non-blindfolded partners stand at the opposite end of the field and try to talk their partners through the minefield without running into any of the obstacles.

Stick
Everyone in group touches stick at same time. Break stick in half and repeat. Continue until stick is very small. (it's easier to start with a simple goal and work up to a harder one...)

Group Juggle
Establish pattern of tosses including everyone in a circle. Add additional objects periodically.
(A variation contributed by: Nancy J Rimassa) This is a good way to help a group of strangers remember at least one person's name forever.
1. Have the group stand in a circle, fairly close together.
2. Toss a ball across the circle, calling out the player's name to whom you toss it to. That player tosses to a different player and so on until everyone has caught the ball and thrown it on once. It should be back in your hands at this point.
3. Repeat the sequence a couple of times. Add a second bell and then a third. Add as many balls as you want.
Variations? Make a wide circle out of doors.
Use toilet paper instead of balls.
Use various size balls.
The game ends when no one will play anymore.

Wind in the Willows (NP)
A variation on trust falls involving the entire group. Group stands in a circle with one person in the middle. Person in middle falls in any direction, trusting spotters to catch him/her and stand him/her back up.

Blind Walk
Divide group into pairs with one member of each pair blindfolded. Seeing partner leads blind partner on a walk. The walk should be challenging, including such obstacles as climbing over tables, crawling under chairs, walking up or down stairs, climbing over railings, etc

Similarity Charades
Divide into smaller groups. Each group discusses their similarities and acts out for other group to guess.

Group Jump-Rope (NP)
Given long piece of rope, group tries to jump rope simultaneously (again, easier to start with simple task - one or two people - and work up to larger goal gradually)

Blind Shapes
Group is blindfolded or with eyes closed. Have group form themselves into a square or a triangle, etc. Can use a rope with everyone holding on. (communication, leadership)

Questionnaire on Job Motivation

Following is a list of questions designed to help identify an applicant’s motivation to do the type of work the position requires. The intent is not to see if they had good motivation/satisfaction in their previous jobs, but to see if the types of things they enjoy doing will be available in this position. For example, if a person said he enjoyed his last job because he liked to work outside and with people doing different things all of the time, a desk job in accounting would probably not provide high satisfaction.

1. What do you like best (least) about your job as a _______________________ ?

2. What were/are your reasons for leaving _________________________________?

3. Give me some examples of experience in your job at ________________that were satisfying? Dissatisfying? Why?

4. What gave you the greatest feeling of achievement in your job at ______________? Why?

5. Give me an example of when you worked the hardest and felt the greatest sense of achievement.

6. All jobs have their frustrations and problems. Describe specific job conditions, tasks, or assignments that have been dissatisfying to you. Why?

7. Give me some examples of past working experience that you have found personally satisfying.

8. What are some recent responsibilities you have taken on? Why did you assume these responsibilities?

9. Tell me about the most boring job or task you have had. Why was it boring? What did you do about it? How did you handle the boredom?

10. Tell me about a time when the duties and responsibilities available in a specific position overlapped with duties and responsibilities that brought you personal satisfaction.

11. Why do you want to be a _____________________________ (title of position)?

12. Why did you choose this (career, type of work)?

13. What job values are important to you?

Questionnaire on Leadership

Following is a list of questions designed to gather information relating to an individual’s utilization of appropriate interpersonal styles and methods in guiding individuals or a group toward task accomplishment.

1. Tell me about a time you had to take a firm stand with a co-worker. What was the situation? What was difficult about the co-worker? What was the firm stand you had to take?

2. Describe how you instruct someone to do something new. What were you training them to do? Walk me through how you did it.

3. Tell me about a time you had to win approval from your co-workers for a new idea or plan of action.

4. Tell me about a new idea or way of doing something that you came up with which was agreed to by the boss. What did you do to get it to the right person? What did you do to get the boss to agree? Be specific.

5. Describe any supervisory or leadership training, schooling, or work experience you have had and its relevance to this position.

6. Give a specific example of something you have done that demonstrates you are a team player.

7. What leadership skills and experience do you have that would qualify you as an effective leader? Be specific.

8. What are your long-and-short term plans for your department? Are they in writing?

Questionnaire on Communication Skills

Following is a list of sample questions designed to gather information relating to an individual’s communication skills. This section also includes observations to be made during the interview.

Interviewer’s Observations
A. Consider if the applicant is able to express himself/herself effectively and in a well-organized manner.

B. Observe whether the applicant has good eye contact.

C. Consider whether the applicant’s grammar, sentence structure, etc. are appropriate to the requirements of the position.


These questions should be customized to fit your position. Normally, only two or
three questions would be used:

1. We’ve all had occasions when we misinterpreted something that someone told us (like a due date, complicated instructions, etc.) Give me a specific example of when this happened to you. What was the situation? Why was there a misinterpretation? What was the outcome?

2. What kind of reports/proposals have you written? Can you give me some examples?

3. Give an example of when you told someone to do something, and they did it wrong. What was the outcome?

4. What reports that you are currently preparing (or recently prepared) are the most challenging and why?

5. What kinds of presentations have you made? Can you give me some examples? How many presentations do you make a year?

6. Give me an example from your past working experience where you had to rely on information given to you verbally to get the job done.

7. What different approaches do you use in talking with different people? How do you know you are getting your point across?

8. What is the worst communication problem you have experienced? How did you handle it?

Questionnaire on Teamwork

Following is a list of questions designed to gather information relating to a person’s ability to work and get along with others.

1. We’ve all had to work with someone who is very difficult to get along with. Give me an example of when this happened to you. Why was that person difficult? How did you handle that person?

2. When dealing with individuals or groups, how do you determine when you are pushing too hard? How do you determine when you should back off? Give an example.

3. From time to time, all of us are confronted by someone who wastes our time at work. Tell me about some situations like that. What did you do?

4. How do you go about developing rapport (relationships) with individuals at work?

5. Give me some examples of when one of your ideas was opposed in a discussion. How did you react?

6. Describe a situation when you found yourself dealing with someone very sensitive. What happened?

7. Describe some situations when you wished you had acted differently with someone at work.

8. Tell me, specifically, what you have done to show you are a team player at ______________.

9. We all have ways of showing consideration for others. What are some things you’ve done to show concern or consideration for a co-worker?

10. When did you last lose your temper at work? Describe the reasons. What was the outcome?

11. How do you keep your employees informed with what is going on in the organization?

12. What methods do you use to keep informed with what is going on in your area?

Questionnaire on Work Standards

Following is a list of questions designed to gather information relating to an individual’s personal standard of performance.

1. What are your standards of success in your job? What have you done to meet these standards?

2. Bosses sometimes are not satisfied with the way we do certain things or complete certain projects. Can you give me some examples of when this happened to you?

3. What do you consider the most important contribution your department has made to this organization? What was your role?

4. What factors, other than pay, do you consider most important in evaluating yourself or your success?

5. Everyone has to bend or break the rules sometime. Can you give me some examples of when you had to do this?

6. When judging the performance of others, what factors or characteristics are most important to you?

7. Describe the time you worked the hardest and felt the greatest sense of achievement.

8. Tell me about a time when you weren’t very pleased with your work performance. Why were you upset with your performance? What did you do to turn around your performance?

9. We’ve all had to work with people who are very difficult to get along with. Give me an example of when this happened to you. Why was the person difficult? How did you handle the person? What was the result?

10. When have you declined a work-related decision? Why?

Questionnaire on Technical or Position Specific

Following is a list of questions designed to gather information relating to an individual’s past work experience, duties, and working conditions which are similar to those of the position for which the individual is being considered.

1. What training have you received in ____________________?

2. Describe how the process can best be performed. Have you discovered any shortcuts? How do they work?

3. Describe your experience with the following tools and equipment. (Interviewer, list job related tool).

4. Walk me through the procedures you would follow to_______________.

5. What equipment have you been trained to operate? When/where did you receive that training?

6. What equipment did you operate in your job at ___________________?

7. Describe your experience performing the following tasks. (Interviewer, list job related tasks).

8. What job experiences have you had that would help you in this position?

9. How do you follow the prescribed standards of safety when performing (task) _________________?

10. Have you ever identified potential malfunctions of equipment? How did you discover the potential malfunction? What did you do to correct the problem?

11. Being a ________________________ certainly requires a lot of technical knowledge. How did you go about getting it? How long did it take you?

12. Do you consider your technical abilities basic, intermediate, or advanced?

13. On a scale of one to ten, ten being you are a perfect technical match or this position, where would you rank yourself?

14. What would you add to or subtract from your technical background to make you more qualified for this position?