Cross-training: Today’s answer to getting the most out of your workforce       

As companies try to stay lean and mean, many are turning to formal cross-training programs to make sure they’re getting the most out of their staffs. Here are some ideas on how to get started.

Some workers are going to be gung ho about learning a new set of skills and making themselves more valuable to your company.
Sadly, not all of them are going to see it that way. Some will drag their feet and complain about taking on extra work, while others might confuse the quest for staff flexibility with a red flag about layoffs.
The steps taken to prepare for cross-training go a long way toward making sure your plan’s a success.
Here are some strategies employers can use to start laying the groundwork for a successful cross-training program:

Ease into it

When it comes to cross-training employees, the best bet is to take it one step at a time.
Jumping into a mass training initiative can cause a lot of unforeseen snags — not the least of which is a confused and intimidated group of workers.
A better strategy is to move into the program gradually, increasing the number of employees involved as the workforce gets more comfortable with the new procedures.

Put it in a new light    

ANAMIKA SINGH  

PGDM3SEM  

20/11/2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sensex erases early gains from RBI liquidity steps, up 89 pts

PTI  Mumbai, October 08, 2013

First Published: 09:57 IST(8/10/2013) | Last Updated: 17:17 IST(8/10/2013
The benchmark Sensex partially erased initial gains from the RBI's surprise reduction of a bank lending rate and climbed 89 points on Tuesday to end at the highest level in more than two weeks.

Brokers said sentiment initially turned buoyant after the Reserve Bank of India yesterday cut the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate, at which it lends emergency funds to banks, by 50 basis points to 9 per cent ahead of the festive season with the aim of improving liquidity and boosting economic activities.
The index regained the 20,000 level but failed to hold on to the gains. Realty, capital goods and FMCG sector stocks gained, while metal and IT stocks declined.
ITC and ICICI Bank boosted the Sensex, while TCS and HDFC dragged it lower. The major gainers on the index included Tata Power and Bharti Airtel.
The 30-share Sensex resumed above the 20K-level and touched an intra-day high of 20,150.27, before succumbing to profit-booking to settle at 19,983.61, a rise of 88.51 points or 0.44 per cent.
This is the highest closing level for the index since September 20, when it ended at 20,263.71.
"While the markets had a flying start on back of MSF cut by RBI, the gains got trimmed during the day. The market movement has actually turned sideways ahead of result season," said Milan Bavishi, Head Research at Inventure Growth and Securities.
The 50-share CNX Nifty on the National Stock Exchange rose 22.25 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 5,928.40. The SX40 index on the MCX Stock Exchange gained 48.17 points to end at 11,904.62.
The RBI had taken steps in mid July, including raising the MSF rate to 10.25 per cent, to tighten liquidity in an attempt to curb volatility in the rupee-dollar exchange rate.
nitesh kumar
pgdm 1st

Managers hold key to engagement: Six steps to help them succeed       

The good news: American workers are two-and-a-half times more likely to be actively engaged in their jobs than their counterparts around the globe. The not-so-good part: only three of 10 U.S. workers are feeling the love.  
Those numbers are straight out of Gallup’s recent State of the Global Workplace: Employee Engagement Insights for Business Leaders Worldwide: 30% of American workers feel they’re engaged in their jobs. That number is only 13% worldwide.
What’s worse, actively disengaged workers — those folks who actually can submarine an organization — outnumber engaged ones by a ratio of nearly 2-1 on a worldwide scale. Here, too, the U.S. does better. But we’re still looking at almost one in five (18%) employees who admit they’re just not into their companies.
And then there are the 52% of American employees who say while they’re not actively disengaged, they’re not engaged, either.  \
Some other tidbits from the Gallup report:
East Asia has the lowest proportion of engaged employees in the world, at 6%, which is less than half of the global mean of 13%. The regional finding is driven predominantly by results from China, where 6% of employees are engaged in their jobs — one of the lowest figures worldwide.
In Australia and New Zealand, 24% of employees are engaged, while 60% are not engaged and 16% are actively disengaged. The resulting ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees — 1.5-to-1 — is one of the highest among all global regions and similar to results from the U.S. and Canada (1.6-to-1).
Gallup found the highest levels of active disengagement in the world in the Middle     


ANAMIKA SINGH  
PGDM 3SEM  
12/10/2013

BANGALORE: In November 2005, former IPS officer DK Panda became well-known throughout India as the cop with a cross-dressing problem. Panda, then inspector-general of police, Lucknow, claimed he saw himself as Krishna's consort, Radha, and started dressing to reflect this belief. He went to work dressed in saris, vermilion in his hair and make-up, in clear breach of the police dress code and service rules. Panda, who famously labeled himself the 'Doosri Radha', was hauled up by the director-general of police, and subsequently quit the service to continue his chosen way of life.

While nothing quite as dramatic has taken place in Karnataka, the recent flip-flop by the state government on imposing dress codes on its employees by the department of personnel and administrative reforms has put the spotlight on whether and how dress codes impact productivity. Surprisingly, in these more liberal times, there is no unanimous denouncement of dress codes.

"The ayatollahs of formal dressing and the ayatollahs of informality are both wrong," says Manish Sabharwal, chairman, TeamLease Services. "How you dress must depend on what industry you are in, what role you serve, your position in the hierarchy of the organization... one size does not fit all," says Sabharwal. He points out that even in Silicon Valley, where the desire to not be seen as one of the 'suits' (a pejorative term for lawyers, HR managers and the like) led to an extreme informality of dress, there has been a pulling back in recent years. More people there are now adopting a middle-ground by teaming well-tailored jackets with T-shirts and blazers without ties. Personally, Sabharwal admits that dressing up in a sharp suit makes him feel more "decisive and confident."

"I don't believe there is a link between dress codes and productivity, but I do believe there is a direct correlation between employees' comfort and their productivity," says Mukund Mohan, director, Microsoft Ventures India. "Having a standard dress code is counter-productive, whether the rules bend towards the formal or the informal. It's a tricky thing - someone could feel most 'comfortable' and positive in a suit," says Mohan, a Silicon Valley-returnee, who feels most comfortable in T-shirts teamed with casual trousers, and has been dressing that way since the late '90s. It has never come in the way of his productivity or of people's perception of him as an efficient manager, he says.

A July 2012 study by researchers at Northwestern University in the US introduced the term "enclothed cognition" to describe the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer's psychological processes. The study found that dressing in a certain way, such as in a doctor's lab coat, improved subjects' performance on parameters related to certain skills. Sangeeth Varghese, founder and chairman of LeadCap Trust, one of the world's largest youth leadership organizations, believes in "broad advisories" when it comes to workplace attire. Varghese, who has recently written to the Karnataka department of personnel and administrative reforms in support of the decision, quotes several studies that indicate smart and slightly formal attire improve productivity.

Certain businesses are very clear about where they stand on dress codes. "Some companies have rules and regulations and dress codes. Here, the only dress code is 'wear something'," writes Vivaik Bharadwaj, policy & quality operations director, Google India, on the company's website.

Quote hanger

* Imposing uniforms on government employees in no way improves the quality of service. Instead of imposing dress codes, it is necessary to change their attitude towards the public with whom they interact regularly. The employees should make the public feel confident that their grievances are being attended to. For this, the employees should look and appear neat and smart, but that's about it.

I M Vittala Murthy | former bureaucrat

* When you're in a responsible position and are addressing stakeholders, such as in a government job, it's important to project efficiency in order to be taken seriously. I wrote to the secretary of the department, Shalini Rajneesh, because I believe in the Sakaala campaign, which aims to improve delivery of government service, and I think a smart dress code is a part of that delivery.

Sangeeth Varghese | founder, LeadCap Trust

* While I do not support dress codes for college students because I feel that's the time for them to figure out their tastes and preferences without restrictions, I do believe that at the workplace, dress codes or at least a certain imposed uniformity works. It can enhance workplace unity and a certain similarity of dressing often does away with petty and negative comparisons. It can also, under certain circumstances, save time and make life easier for employe

raj kishore sharma 

pgdm 1st sem

 

XpertHR, the UK's leading online HR resource, has relaunched with a new-look site, incorporating numerous customer-led improvements.

XpertHR, the UK's leading online HR resource, has relaunched with a new-look site, incorporating numerous customer-led improvements.                         

The website, which provides employment law advice, good practice and benchmarking information for HR professionals, has undergone an extensive redesign to enable customers to access its up-to-date HR information more easily.
XpertHR subscribers have been involved in the redesign throughout and have helped carry out extensive testing of a beta version of the site in recent months.
David Shepherd, content and platform director at XpertHR, said: "We are very grateful to our customers for giving us so much help in creating an HR resource that exactly meets their needs.
"Their input at every stage has helped us completely re-imagine XpertHR to meet today's challenges and make the most of the latest technology, while remaining true to the values of accuracy, authority, ease of use and comprehensiveness they have always associated with XpertHR."
The addition of "Tasks" means that subscribers can now access all the XpertHR guidance and model documents they need to accomplish hundreds of HR tasks, which customers have helped to define. Whether they need to "respond to an employee's formal notification of her pregnancy", "conduct an annual pay review" or "extend an employee's probationary period", all the guidance is now accessible in one place.
Areas that existing users are familiar with - including the employment law manual, "how to" and policies and documents - can now be found under "Tools" in the new XpertHR site. New tools have been added, including "audio and video", "case studies" and "survey analysis".
XpertHR has also expanded and improved its topics system. After selecting a top-level topic, such as "pay and benefits", you can drill down through lower-level topics, such as "pay levels and awards" then "national minimum wage", viewing all the latest resources for each topic and subtopic.
The new-look site also includes an enhanced search function, which allows users to filter results and access what they are looking for quickly.   
ANAMIKA SINGH   
PGDM 3 ESEM   
7/10/2013

Office relocations double in first half of 2013: Study:

NEW DELHI: Several businesses, both Indian and foreign, are using the slowdown in the office real estate market to relocate their offices to locations where all their businesses can come under one roof and that too at lower rentals.

According to a Cushman & Wakefield study, office relocations and consolidation of space have more than doubled in the first half of 2013 against last year and companies have managed to reduce their rents substantially. 

"Many companies are opting for relocation and consolidation of office spaces which brings in economies of scale and better efficiency. They could also reduce their rentals by 25-50%," says Sanjay Dutt, executive managing director of South Asia at real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Real estate firm SARE, for instance, recently leased a new office building in Gurgaon where it now has 26,000 sq ft of usable area compared with 15,000 sq ft that it was using in two different offices that were about 20 kilometres apart - one in Delhi's Nehru Place area, and the other in Gurgaon.
 

 "We have been able to reduce our per sq ft rental cost by around 50% and now it takes care of our growth for the next 3-4 years," says Vineet Relia, chief operating officer at SARE. They have also got better work spaces as it is a new building unlike the Nehru Place building, which is old. Relia says since leasing is generally slow at the moment, good spaces were available at comparatively lower rentals.

Earlier this week, multinational HR firm Aon Hewitt signed up a large lease deal with Unitech for 800,000 sq ft of space at its Infospace Tikri SEZ in Gurgaon where it will consolidate four of its offices in Gurgaon into this one by early next year, bringing in substantial cost savings.

According to Cushman & Wakefield data, Inmobi leased 111,000 sq ft of office space in Bangalore's ORR moving from Domlur. In Mumbai, Johnson & Johnson took up 150,000 sq ft in Andheri East moving from more expensive Worli. In the NCR, Oriflame took up 40,000 sq ft, moving from Connaught Place to Jasola.

"Market rentals are low today but are on their way up," says Vivek Dahiya, chief executive officer of GenReal Property Advisers, a property consulting firm, pointing out that this is a good time for companies to consolidate their office space. "Companies today are willing to go a little farther away to achieve cost benefits," he says.

The office market in India has matured considerably over the past 15 years since the boom began. In these years, though, geographical dynamics have changed quite a bit. In many areas like the NCR and in Mumbai, city centres have moved over the years.

In the NCR, Connaught Place is no longer the prime central business district that it was a decade back with action shifting to other locations like Gurgaon and Noida. 

Companies look to hire experienced talent:

Cutting back on hiring entry- and junior-level staff, Indian companies are increasingly looking to hire experienced professionals who would hit the ground running from day one, says a report by a recruitment firm shared exclusively with TOI. Overall, it found an improvement in business sentiment, predicting that net business outlook will improve by 3% in the next six months.

The half-yearly report forecasting hiring trends from October 2013 to March 2014 said engineering as a function remains in demand, especially for the talent coming from tier II and tier III cities like Allahabad, Bareilly, Ludhiana, Ranchi and Warangal. Businesses which are sensitive to the political-economic fallout of the impending general elections are the ones that are most likely to go slow on hiring. The bright spots on the jobs chart are the consumer goods, retail, pharma and healthcare sectors, which are expected to register increased hiring over the next six months.

 "The FMCG industry is not witnessing any slowdown in hiring. Despite the tough macro-economic conditions, we are among the few sectors that have been reporting good growth quarter-on-quarter. So, hiring continues at our organization. As we expand our rural footprint, we are constantly adding numbers in the rural markets," said HR V Krishnan, executive VP at Dabur. The maker of Vatika hair oil and Real juices added around 1,000 employees for its rural expansion over the past one year.

Gauri Kesarwani.

PGDM 1st-sem

27th-sep-2013.

Does workplace dress code improve productivity?

BANGALORE: In November 2005, former IPS officer DK Panda became well-known throughout India as the cop with a cross-dressing problem. Panda, then inspector-general of police, Lucknow, claimed he saw himself as Krishna's consort, Radha, and started dressing to reflect this belief. He went to work dressed in saris, vermilion in his hair and make-up, in clear breach of the police dress code and service rules. Panda, who famously labeled himself the 'Doosri Radha', was hauled up by the director-general of police, and subsequently quit the service to continue his chosen way of life.

While nothing quite as dramatic has taken place in Karnataka, the recent flip-flop by the state government on imposing dress codes on its employees by the department of personnel and administrative reforms has put the spotlight on whether and how dress codes impact productivity. Surprisingly, in these more liberal times, there is no unanimous denouncement of dress codes.

"The ayatollahs of formal dressing and the ayatollahs of informality are both wrong," says Manish Sabharwal, chairman, TeamLease Services. "How you dress must depend on what industry you are in, what role you serve, your position in the hierarchy of the organization... one size does not fit all," says Sabharwal. He points out that even in Silicon Valley, where the desire to not be seen as one of the 'suits' (a pejorative term for lawyers, HR managers and the like) led to an extreme informality of dress, there has been a pulling back in recent years. More people there are now adopting a middle-ground by teaming well-tailored jackets with T-shirts and blazers without ties. Personally, Sabharwal admits that dressing up in a sharp suit makes him feel more "decisive and confident."

"I don't believe there is a link between dress codes and productivity, but I do believe there is a direct correlation between employees' comfort and their productivity," says Mukund Mohan, director, Microsoft Ventures India. "Having a standard dress code is counter-productive, whether the rules bend towards the formal or the informal. It's a tricky thing - someone could feel most 'comfortable' and positive in a suit," says Mohan, a Silicon Valley-returnee, who feels most comfortable in T-shirts teamed with casual trousers, and has been dressing that way since the late '90s. It has never come in the way of his productivity or of people's perception of him as an efficient manager, he says.

A July 2012 study by researchers at Northwestern University in the US introduced the term "enclothed cognition" to describe the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer's psychological processes. The study found that dressing in a certain way, such as in a doctor's lab coat, improved subjects' performance on parameters related to certain skills. Sangeeth Varghese, founder and chairman of LeadCap Trust, one of the world's largest youth leadership organizations, believes in "broad advisories" when it comes to workplace attire. Varghese, who has recently written to the Karnataka department of personnel and administrative reforms in support of the decision, quotes several studies that indicate smart and slightly formal attire improve productivity.

Certain businesses are very clear about where they stand on dress codes. "Some companies have rules and regulations and dress codes. Here, the only dress code is 'wear something'," writes Vivaik Bharadwaj, policy & quality operations director, Google India, on the company's website.

Quote hanger

* Imposing uniforms on government employees in no way improves the quality of service. Instead of imposing dress codes, it is necessary to change their attitude towards the public with whom they interact regularly. The employees should make the public feel confident that their grievances are being attended to. For this, the employees should look and appear neat and smart, but that's about it.

I M Vittala Murthy | former bureaucrat

* When you're in a responsible position and are addressing stakeholders, such as in a government job, it's important to project efficiency in order to be taken seriously. I wrote to the secretary of the department, Shalini Rajneesh, because I believe in the Sakaala campaign, which aims to improve delivery of government service, and I think a smart dress code is a part of that delivery.

Sangeeth Varghese | founder, LeadCap Trust

* While I do not support dress codes for college students because I feel that's the time for them to figure out their tastes and preferences without restrictions, I do believe that at the workplace, dress codes or at least a certain imposed uniformity works. It can enhance workplace unity and a certain similarity of dressing often does away with petty and negative comparisons. It can also, under certain circumstances, save time and make life easier for employe

neelupgdm3rd

HR Operations Leader

•  
•  

  HR Operations Leader

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
• Blend of strategic and hands on operations
• Great company who truly value their employees
• Highly collaborative team

A fantastic opportunity has arisen with my valued client for a HR Operations Leader. This exciting position oversees the whole of the HR Operations, managing a dedicated team, ensuring that the full spectrum of HR Operations is met.   This role will oversee the payroll, benefits, HRIS, tax and compliance for the business, supporting the APAC region. The role is a blend of hands on operations and strategic partnering with the business.

• Partnering closely with the business to understand priorities and create sensible solutions
• Ensuring seamless execution of employee payroll and benefits administration
• Focusing on end to end employee life cycle
• Leading a dedicated operations team
• Expatriate management
• Driving the relationship management both with internal stakeholders and external vendors
• Creation of best practice HR policy and process
• Documentation design
• Program development and implementation
• Look at continuous HR operation improvements for the business
• Roll out global HR projects and upgrades

Candidates must have

• Held a senior HR Operations role for at least two years, leading a team
• Have a solid understanding of payroll, benefits and tax administration  
• Worked in a multinational organisation with a solid background in expatriate management
• Impeccable communication skills, both written and oral
• Excellent presentation skills and confidence
• A degree

Founded in 1996, Frazer Jones is one of the world's most distinctive Human Resources recruitment brands, with offices in London, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney and Melbourne. We recruit across the entire HR spectrum including generalist HR, Learning, Development, Talent, OD, Recruitment, Employee/Industrial Relations, HR Systems, Change and Reward. We work with some of the most recognized brands across the world and operate truly as a boutique HR specialist recruitment firm. For further information and to see our entire up to date vacancies please visit www.frazerjones.com

               HR Operations Leader

Legal opinion: Should overtime be included when calculating holiday pay?

How should businesses be calculating holiday pay? Isn't it a simple matter of paying basic salary? A recent tribunal decision, which held that holiday pay must include payment for overtime (compulsory or voluntary) as well as salary, suggests not. Alex Mizzi of HowardKennedyFsi, pictured above, examines the implications.
Of all the employment law issues businesses have to wrestle with, one might think that holiday pay would be a relatively straightforward matter. However, over the past few years this area has become increasingly complex, particularly the interaction between holiday and sick pay. The recent employment tribunal decision in Neal v Freightliner Ltd creates further headaches - and, potentially, a steep bill - for employers.
In this case, the tribunal held that EU law requires that a worker's holiday pay should be calculated not only on the basis of their salary, but should also include any element of remuneration "intrinsically linked" to the tasks required under the worker's contract, including overtime – even where overtime was neither guaranteed nor compulsory. The idea is that holiday pay should represent what the worker would have received had they been at work – so if they regularly carry out overtime or receive unsocial hours premiums, those additional payments need to be factored in.
This could have major implications for employers in industries where paid overtime is the norm – such as retail and leisure. Not only does this potentially increase the costs of holiday pay considerably, it also exposes employers to the risk of claims for unlawful deductions from wages.
Many businesses are now reviewing their holiday pay arrangements. One high-profile example is John Lewis, which is currently paying out a total of £40 million to staff in back-dated payments - although it is not confirmed whether or not this was prompted by Neal.

What should employers do now?

Before employers panic, it is worth noting that the Neal decision is being appealed by the employer and may ultimately go to the Supreme Court. The most prudent cause of action at this stage is probably to await the final outcome before implementing any major changes to the business's holiday pay structure. It is possible that the courts may restrict the scope of the decision or give more detailed guidance as to how holiday pay should be calculated.
However, given that the decision is consistent with an earlier Supreme Court decision (British Airways plc v Williams) involving pilots' holiday pay - which is governed by aviation-specific legislation very similar to the Working Time Regulations - it seems likely that the substance of the decision will be upheld.
As a result, businesses may want to focus their immediate attention on:

• preparing for the possibility of claims by employees;
• assessing their likely liability if claims are brought; and
• putting themselves in a position to implement changes if they need to.

Preparing for claims and assessing liability

It seems fairly likely that the case - and the publicity over the John Lewis payments - will prompt claims. Businesses can hope that the introduction of fees in the employment tribunal will discourage individual claimants, particularly where small sums are in issue. However, the fees per person are lower for multi-party claims, which may lead employees to band together to bring claims. We also expect that trade unions will encourage members to bring claims.
Defending such claims is likely to be complex and time-consuming - particularly where the claims go back several years. It also involves significant cost, both in lost management time and legal fees, which generally cannot be recovered where claims are brought in the employment tribunal. Businesses would be well advised to invest time now in piecing together the information needed to calculate their potential liability. Businesses should start by looking at their payroll, overtime and holiday records and determining how accurate these are - particularly historical records. Putting this information together now may mean that businesses can calculate what may be owed to each worker who would be able to make a claim.
Businesses should also bear in mind that the decision affects holiday pay for only the four weeks' annual leave guaranteed under EU law. The additional 1.6 weeks granted in UK law need not include any overtime and can be calculated simply on basic salary.
While employers should tread carefully and seek specialist advice on the issue, one piece of good news is that the liability is not open-ended. In most cases, tribunal claims must be brought within three months of the most recent underpayment. This means that, in practice, only current workers and recent leavers would be able to make a claim. However, the bad news for employers is that workers who are in time to bring claims will be able to backdate their claims to 1998, or the start of their employment, if this is later.

Preparing for the future

While the Neal case is appealed, businesses should spend some time preparing themselves for the practical implications of changing their holiday pay arrangements, if they are ultimately advised to do so. For example, they should:

• investigate whether or not existing payroll systems could cope with the more complex calculations that may be required and assess what changes could be necessary;
• consider whether it may be simpler - and not significantly more costly - to calculate all holiday pay at the enhanced rate, rather than just the four weeks' leave that the Neal decision affects; and
• consider what, if any, overtime arrangements should be offered to new joiners.

The key advice for employers at this stage is not to take hasty decisions, but to invest some time in planning and preparation, keep a close eye on the Neal case and, if they receive a claim for holiday pay, be aware of the ramifications.
Alex Mizzi is an associate at HowardKennedyFsi

BISHWA SRIVASTAVA
PGDM 2ND SEM
IIMT COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT 

Human resource requirement in food processing

Radheshyam Jadhav, TNN | Sep 17, 2013, 10.38PM IST

Human resource requirement in food processing

PUNE: As per a a study conducted by the National Skill Development Corporation on human resource and skill requirement in the food processing sector, the annual human resource requirement in food processing industry is estimated at about 5.3 lakh persons including about one lakh persons in the organized sector.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries is implementing a scheme for Human Resource Development (HRD) in the food processing sector. The HRD scheme focuses on developing technologists, managers, entrepreneurs and manpower for quality management in food processing. The scheme provides assistance for creation of infrastructure facilities in academic institutions and for setting up of food processing and training centres (FPTC)                                            

 rajat singh

 pgdm  3rd sem

Volume recruitment: Six sifting technique pros and cons

As employers face the virtual equivalent of a bulging postbag for every vacancy advertised, resourcing professionals need to use a toolbox of techniques early on to allow them to sort the wheat from the chaff.
Online screening tools enable employers to reduce the size of the candidate pool for a vacancy by applying criteria for the role at an early stage of the application process. Typically, the recruiting organisation uses an online screening process as part of an applicant tracking system that receives online applications, screens out unsuitable applicants, compiles a shortlist and tracks candidates' progress through the recruitment and selection process.
The following table considers the advantages and disadvantages of using specific options for online sifting. To avoid some of the cons, it is often advised to use more than one of the following techniques.

Pros and cons of options for online sifting
Option	Pros	Cons	Example
CV or application form matching.	Allows quick screening of CVs or application forms against key words.	The candidate may try to predict the key words and write his or her CV or application form to meet these, rather than submit an application that reflects his or her actual skills and experience. Using key words could mean missing out on good candidates who have used different words that still reflect relevant skills and experience.	For candidates applying for an entry-level administrative role via an online job board, key words could include "Microsoft Office" and "time management".
Online questionnaire based on basic qualifying criteria for the role.	Allows rapid sifting based on whether or not the candidate meets the basic qualifying criteria.	If the form has not been developed properly, the process may screen out suitable candidates.	A form for an accountancy position could include a question about whether or not the candidate has an accountancy qualification.
Self-test questionnaires and games.	Can be used to help potential candidates to decide whether or not it is worth their time applying for the vacancy.	Effectiveness depends on the self-awareness and honesty of the candidates. The test could act as a barrier if some potentially suitable candidates feel that the test is unfair or too time consuming and decide not to apply.	The employer could ask potential applicants for a role in a warehouse about scenarios such as working indoors without daylight or their willingness to follow strict rules and procedures.
Online personality questionnaires.	Provides a hypothesis about the candidate that can be explored at interview.	Personality questionnaires depend on the self-awareness and honesty of the candidate. Therefore, questionnaires should not be used to sift people out in the early stages of selection.	The employer could ask candidates applying for a customer service role to complete a personality questionnaire to assess whether or not they enjoy people-facing roles.
Online ability tests - for example, a verbal reasoning exercise.	Can be used to screen out applicants at an early screening or shortlisting stage by setting a minimum score to achieve based on the scores achieved by benchmark groups.	Concerns about fraud - for example, another individual completing the test on behalf of the candidate. One way to help overcome the problem is for the employer to administer a short retest in person at the next selection stage.	The employer could ask candidates applying for a trainee IT programmer role to complete a test designed to assess logical thinking.
Work-sample and skills-based tests.	Can be designed to allow applicants to sample aspects of a role and give them an insight into the tasks that they could encounter in the role. Can provide evidence of a candidate's ability to perform a real-life task.	It may take time to develop a test that is realistic, and it can be difficult to design one that can be marked online automatically. The employer may require the candidate to do a short retest in person at the next selection stage to ensure there has been no fraud (for example, someone else may have performed the test on the candidate's behalf if the test is administered remotely).	The employer could ask candidates for a marketing role to complete a copywriting test that is marked via the use of key words and phrases.

The content in this table is based on an XpertHR good practice on shortlisting job candidates by Alison Clayton-Smith, which also looks at the importance of developing shortlisting criteria and who should decide them, and precautions to avoid bias and discrimination.

lokash pgdm 3rd

Speech of the Union Finance Minister at the Internationalconference on ‘Governance and Development: Views From G20 Countries’ Organised by Icrier
Following is the text of the speech of the Union Finance Minister at ICRIER event entitled ‘Governance and Development: Views from G20 Countries’ here today.

Chairperson Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to join you at this international conference on ‘Governance and Development: Views from G20 Countries.’ I understand that the conference has been organized around 6 broad thematic issues - global governance, food security, energy sustainability, long-term investment finance, trade and protectionism, and growth and employment. In each of these areas, the world is facing several challenges and these are the subject of ongoing discussions in the G20. I congratulate ICRIER and its partners for organizing this conference and bringing together eminent academicians and policymakers from G20 countries, to discuss and deliberate on these critical issues.

As you are aware, it was the 2008 global financial crisis that brought the G20 into the centre of global economic governance. G20 owes pre-eminence to its quick, effective and coordinated response to the financial crisis resulting in the designation of the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation among its members. In fact the G20 Leaders’ process is one of the most significant developments in the history of global economic cooperation as it has led to a significant geopolitical shift regarding global economic governance. It has a different balance of power where both advanced and emerging countries come together as equal partners allowing for a more inclusive deliberation and more effective response to today’s complex global challenges and opportunities.

Given its track record, G20 is now moving from a temporary crisis bailout mechanism towards a permanent organisation of global economic governance. Considering the range of complex issues confronting the world economy, and the persistent weak recovery, it is important for all countries that G20 continues to be successful. However, there are inherent challenges facing the G20 going forward. I would like to highlight a few of them today and I would expect policymakers attending this conference to deliberate further during this conference on some of these issues.

Firstly, the agenda setting of G20 has had an advanced country perspective so far. This is highlighted by the emphasis given on financial regulation and on transparency whether it be in taxation or in the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI). As the crisis originated in the advanced countries, it is natural that higher capital requirements and asset quality have been stressed in the Basel norms for banking sector. Emerging markets have accepted these norms in a spirit of multilateralism. However in the context of a weak global recovery, we should be careful that the procyclical bias should not be a stumbling block in developing countries. Since growth in emerging markets is crucial to the strength of the global economy, it is critical that G20 find ways to develop strong links of coordination and cooperation and take up issues of importance to emerging economies as otherwise, G20 may evolve as a loose forum instead of a powerful steering wheel of global governance.

Secondly, there is a big challenge relating to mission creep. Many experts have expressed concern that the G20 agenda has been expanding too widely, covering far too many unrelated issues. The outreach process of subsequent Chairs of the G20 is partly to blame as this widening of agenda is encouraged mostly by outside players including civil societies, academics and international agencies who hope that high level discussion and endorsement by leaders will advance their various causes. I am not saying that the outreach programme is a bad idea; I am simply saying that interaction with various players should not result in the G20 losing its focus. I do believe that to be able to play a meaningful role in the global governance, the G20 agenda should be sharper, and focused only on those issues on which it can make a distinctive contribution particularly on economic and financial issues, as premier forum for international economic cooperation.

Thirdly, reforms of international financial institutions of global governance have been among the top priorities of G20. Indeed the G20 has initiated a considerable governance reforms in the pillars of global governance namely IMF, World Bank, and Financial Stability Board (FSB), as well as in many of the Standard Setting bodies (SSBs). However, progress thus far has been extremely limited and far from satisfactory, and some members have not been able to adhere to the commitment on certain reforms by Leaders. Most advanced countries have now clearly indicated their unwillingness to move ahead on IFI governance and capital reforms. This has hampered credibility of the G20, and makes it difficult to, progress on other issues as well.

India and other emerging economies have repeatedly underscored the critical role that investment, particularly in infrastructure could play in sustaining the global recovery and rebalancing. The G20 Leaders had mandated the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors at their Los Cabos Summit in 2012 “to consider ways in which the G20 can foster investment in infrastructure and ensure the availability of sufficient funding for infrastructure projects, including Multilateral Development Banks’ (MDBs) financing and technical support”. The mandate had been taken up during this year, but by broadening the subject to cover financing for all kinds of investment, it resulted in the situation that one year later, in the 2013 Summit, they could only just endorse the work plan of the Study Group. This is surely an opportunity loss, and we hope that the matter would be taken up more meaningfully during the next Presidency of the G20.

In this regard, one issue that deserves priority is recycling global savings for infrastructure investment. Enhancing infrastructure investment in emerging economies and developing countries, would have positive implications for rebalancing global demand. At the same time, high savings would find productive use into areas where there is a need for real investment that results in tangible growth and development. The G20 is well placed to coordinate various stakeholders including governments, especially the ones that have large surpluses, the private sector, and multilateral development banks, for investment in developing economies. I hope the conference can suggest innovative ways to recycle global savings and develop viable strategies that overcome the presumed hurdle of ‘lack of enabling environment’ for infrastructure investment in emerging and developing countries.

Finally it is important to ensure that the decisions taken in G20 meetings are carried forward expeditiously. Leaders at St Petersburg committed to remain mindful of the risks and unintended negative side effects of extended periods of monetary easing while carefully calibrating and communicating clearly, future changes to monetary policy settings and to cooperate to manage their spillovers on other countries. Similarly in the backdrop of the upcoming WTO Ministerial in Bali in December 2013, G20 Leaders have called on all the WTO members to show the necessary flexibility so as to achieve a successful outcome in Bali. I believe that such language of consensus and cooperation is very important for the interests of both the developed as well as the developing countries.

I see an important signal emerging from the St. Petersburg Leaders Declaration with regard to the manner in which development issues are being addressed in G20 forum and that is the clear recognition that the dimensions of development challenges vary from country to country and therefore any policy that is being recommended in an international forum has to be tailored to national circumstances. It is also welcoming to note that the G20 Leaders have taken a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges of unemployment and underemployment faced by advanced as well as developing countries. While emphasis has been placed on creation of more jobs, the G20 also focuses on generating quality jobs by addressing issues of skills portability, youth employment, labour flexibility and improvement of the labour market infrastructure. Under the upcoming Presidency of G20 under Australia, we must make use of the opportunity provided by the St. Petersburg Leaders Declaration to ensure that we study the complex issue of labour mobility as the free movement of capital with restraints on movement of the necessary skills does hamper productivity.

I am hopeful that the deliberations during this conference will provide an opportunity to discuss the possible approaches to dealing with global challenges at the current conjuncture in a spirit of cooperation. I would like to thank you for your kind attention and wish you all a very productive discussion. I look forward to the outcome of your deliberations which I hope can be a useful input to the incoming G20 Chair in 2014.

By: Sumeet .L. Barla pgdm 3rd sem

Right and Wrong Ways to Terminate Managers should think at least six months in advance before terminating a worker, say experts, who too often watch supervisors make mistakes during firings that can lead to unnecessary ill will, a tarnished reputation or expensive lawsuits. 

neelu pgdm3rd

Volume recruitment: Six sifting technique pros and cons

As employers face the virtual equivalent of a bulging postbag for every vacancy advertised, resourcing professionals need to use a toolbox of techniques early on to allow them to sort the wheat from the chaff.
Online screening tools enable employers to reduce the size of the candidate pool for a vacancy by applying criteria for the role at an early stage of the application process. Typically, the recruiting organisation uses an online screening process as part of an applicant tracking system that receives online applications, screens out unsuitable applicants, compiles a shortlist and tracks candidates' progress through the recruitment and selection process.
The following table considers the advantages and disadvantages of using specific options for online sifting. To avoid some of the cons, it is often advised to use more than one of the following techniques.

Pros and cons of options for online sifting
Option	Pros	Cons	Example
CV or application form matching.	Allows quick screening of CVs or application forms against key words.	The candidate may try to predict the key words and write his or her CV or application form to meet these, rather than submit an application that reflects his or her actual skills and experience. Using key words could mean missing out on good candidates who have used different words that still reflect relevant skills and experience.	For candidates applying for an entry-level administrative role via an online job board, key words could include "Microsoft Office" and "time management".
Online questionnaire based on basic qualifying criteria for the role.	Allows rapid sifting based on whether or not the candidate meets the basic qualifying criteria.	If the form has not been developed properly, the process may screen out suitable candidates.	A form for an accountancy position could include a question about whether or not the candidate has an accountancy qualification.
Self-test questionnaires and games.	Can be used to help potential candidates to decide whether or not it is worth their time applying for the vacancy.	Effectiveness depends on the self-awareness and honesty of the candidates. The test could act as a barrier if some potentially suitable candidates feel that the test is unfair or too time consuming and decide not to apply.	The employer could ask potential applicants for a role in a warehouse about scenarios such as working indoors without daylight or their willingness to follow strict rules and procedures.
Online personality questionnaires.	Provides a hypothesis about the candidate that can be explored at interview.	Personality questionnaires depend on the self-awareness and honesty of the candidate. Therefore, questionnaires should not be used to sift people out in the early stages of selection.	The employer could ask candidates applying for a customer service role to complete a personality questionnaire to assess whether or not they enjoy people-facing roles.
Online ability tests - for example, a verbal reasoning exercise.	Can be used to screen out applicants at an early screening or shortlisting stage by setting a minimum score to achieve based on the scores achieved by benchmark groups.	Concerns about fraud - for example, another individual completing the test on behalf of the candidate. One way to help overcome the problem is for the employer to administer a short retest in person at the next selection stage.	The employer could ask candidates applying for a trainee IT programmer role to complete a test designed to assess logical thinking.
Work-sample and skills-based tests.	Can be designed to allow applicants to sample aspects of a role and give them an insight into the tasks that they could encounter in the role. Can provide evidence of a candidate's ability to perform a real-life task.	It may take time to develop a test that is realistic, and it can be difficult to design one that can be marked online automatically. The employer may require the candidate to do a short retest in person at the next selection stage to ensure there has been no fraud (for example, someone else may have performed the test on the candidate's behalf if the test is administered remotely).	The employer could ask candidates for a marketing role to complete a copywriting test that is marked via the use of key words and phrases.

The content in this table is based on an XpertHR good practice on shortlisting job candidates by Alison Clayton-Smith, which also looks at the importance of developing shortlisting criteria and who should decide them, and precautions to avoid bias and discrimination.
BISHWA SRIVASTAVA
PGDM 3RD SEM
IIMT COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT

Muzaffarnagar riots : Death toll climbs to 31, PM speaks to UP CM

September 8, 2013
Muzaffarnagar : The death toll in the violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas has mounted to 31.
"The death toll in the violence in Muzaffarnagar and other areas has climbed to 31," principal secretary, home, R M Srivastava told PTI.
District magistrate Kashal Raj Sharma said one person was stabbed to death by some miscreants in Meerapur town of Muzaffarnagar district on Monday.
"One person was stabbed to death and one other injured when some miscreants attacked them," Sharma said, adding that at least six people have been taken into police custody for interrogation in this connection.
Meanwhile, violence spread in neighbouring district of Shamli where 40-year-old Imam of a mosque, Maulana Umar Din, was shot dead when he was on his way to Pumali village from Butrada under Babri police station, Shamli District Magistrate PK Singh said.
Security has been tightened in the area, he said.
PM speaks to UP CM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday spoke to UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on violence in Muzaffarnagar.
Manmohan Singh condemned the violence in Uttar Pradesh and expressed grief and shock at the loss of innocent lives.
The PM assured the UP chief minister that the Centre will extend all required assistance to the state government in tackling the situation.
Mulayam meets Akhilesh
With the situation still tense in Muzaffarnagar, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday held a meeting with Akhilesh Yadav and senior officers to take stock of the situation.
Yadav sought to know from the officers why the situation could not be controlled yet and the measures taken for maintaining law and order in Muzaffarnagar.
The meeting holds significance after governor BL Joshi's report to the Centre in which he gave details of the incident and also lapses on part of the government.
"Mulayam is serious about what happened in Muzaffarnagar ... the incident is condemnable. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is himself monitoring the situation till 2am in the night," SP spokesman and Cabinet minister Rajendra Chowdhury told reporters after the meeting.
Asked whether officers are not paying heed to the chief minister, Chowdhury said, "No officer has the courage to defy orders of the CM."
Claiming that opposition was working in an undemocratic way, Chowdhury alleged they were involved in inciting and fuelling passions and added that demand for imposition of President's rule by BJP, Congress and BSP was "unjustified".
"We stopped 84 kosi yatra and thwarted attempt to communalize atmosphere of the state ... In Muzaffarnagar incident also, action will be taken against those who had taken law into their hands," Chowdhury said.
Chief secretary Javed Usmani, DGP Devraj Nagar and principal secretary, home, RM Srivastava also attended the meeting.
Mulayam had on Sunday held a meeting in which he had pulled up senior officials for their failure in taking timely action to check the violence.
When asked why permission for panchyat (called by a particular community on Saturday) was given when the situation was tense there, Chowdhury said this would be looked into.
"We will look into as to how panchayat was held there ... The entire incident will be probed," he said.
 VIKASH CHANDRA MISHRA
 PGDM