Volume - 6, Issue - 3, July - September 2013 ISSN 2277-2189

Tete-a-tetewith

Chairman, BBMB

Competence Negates

Gender Bias

Implementationof ERP in Delhi TRANSCO

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www.pfcindia.com

Power HR Forum welcomes its new Chief Patron Shri Pradeep Kumar Sinha who has

taken over charge as Power Secretary on July 01, 2013. He succeeds Mr P. Uma

Shanker.

Shri Sinha is a 1977 batch IAS officer of UP cadre. Earlier, he was Secretary in the

Ministry of Shipping. He also served as Special Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum

and Natural Gas.

Power HR Forum looks forward to receive his blessings, guidance and support to

realize the vision of Forum “Serving Indian Power Sector through Excellence in HR”.

Chief Patron, Power HR Forum

Sh. Pradeep Kumar Sinha

Welcome

Welcome

In the current business scenario we need to update our knowledge and skills on a

regular basis. Things are rapidly changing and to keep pace with the time philosophy

of learning, relearning and unlearning demands. We, at Power HR Forum believe on

the theory of Knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied…!

Further, there is always a scope of improvement in whatever activities we are

performing. Improvement is a continuous process. The Japanese word “Kaizen” also

refers to continuous improvement or philosophy of improvement. We, therefore,

solicit your valuable suggestions as to how this Forum can serve you in a better way!

Power HR Forum, apart from promoting diffusion of knowledge in HR, also provides

opportunities by organizing competency development and skill building

development training programs. It also allows and offers openings for showing talent

and latent potential by participating in business simulation games, quizzes and case

writing events.

The quarterly journal ‘Power People’ is another arena where it promotes and

provides platform to sharpen your writing skills and to make the best use of your

knowledge by inviting to contribute article in your specialized area or the area of your

interest for the benefit of esteemed readers. I am glad to see the encouraging

response to the Forum’s quarterly journal.

The current issue of ‘Power People’ is in your hands now which besides the routine

corners - management quiz, management books, cartoons, news of interest for HR

fraternity and book review, also include articles on different topics from HR

professionals, leading experts and employees of member organizations.

Hope the current issue would also receive your continued adoration as in past.

Happy Reading!

R S MinaDirector (Personnel), NHPC &President- Power HR Forum

From the Desk ofPRESIDENT

POWER HR FORUMCHIEF PATRON

Sh. P. K. SinhaSecretary (Power),

Government of India

PATRONS

A. B. AgrawalChairman,

Bhakra Beas Management Board

R. N. SenChairman,

Damodar Valley Corporaion

P. C. PankajChairman & Managing

Director, NEEPCO Ltd.

G. Sai PrasadChairman & Managing

Director, NHPC Ltd.

Dr. Arup Roy ChoudhuryChairman & Managing

Director, NTPC Ltd.

Satnam SinghChairman & Managing Director,

Power Finance Corp. Ltd.

R. N. NayakChairman & Managing

Director, Power Grid Corp.

of India Ltd.

Rajeev SharmaChairman & Managing

Director, Rural

Electrification Corp. Ltd.

R. P. SinghChairman & Managing

Director, SJVN Ltd.

R. S. T. SaiChairman & Managing

Director, THDC India Ltd.

MEMBERS OF GOVERNING BODY

PRESIDENTR. S. MinaDirector (Personnel), NHPC

VICE PRESIDENTS• S. B. Agarkar Director (HR), NPCIL

• U. P. Pani Director (HR), NTPC

• Ravi P. Singh Director (Personnel), POWERGRID

HONORARY SECRETARYVinod Behari Executive Director (HR), REC

HONORARY TREASURERNand Lal SharmaDirector (Personnel), SJVN

MEMBERSBalbir SinghDirector (HRD), BBMB

Ankur GargDirector (HR), Delhi TRANSCO

A. MallikDirector (HRD), DVC

I. P. Barooah Director (Personnel), NEEPCO

M. S. J. SinhaExecutive Director (HR), NHPC

A. C. ChaturvediExecutive Director (PMI), NTPC

Santanu K. RathDirector (HRD), OPTCL

M. K. Goel Director (Commercial), PFC

I. R. KidwaiExecutive Director (HR),POWERGRID

S. K. Biswas Director (Personnel), THDCIL

S. K. SharmaDirector (HR), PTCUL

Sharad KrishnaDirector (HR), UPCL

POWER HR FORUM MEMBERS ORGANISATION

NEEPCO

www.powerhrforum.orgNo part of the journal may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

No responsibility is accepted for any accuracy of information contained in the text, illustrations or advertisements. The opinions expressed in the articles are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

Published by:

Power HR Forum SecretariatAt : Power Management Institute,

Plot 5-14, Sector 16A, NOIDA -201301Telephone : 0120 6496197,

Fax : 0120 2416860 e-mail : powerhrforum@gmail.com,Website : www.powerhrforum.org

During the last decade, large scale changes have necessitated out-of-box thinking. These changes have

taken place in every aspect of power sector, whether it is HR, commercial, external competition,

technological up-gradation or business environment in the country. ‘Power People’ has created a niche for

itself by bringing innovative changes in its lay-out to remain relevant. As the name of the Journal suggests,

it should be people oriented and hence the Forum has been bringing the view points of senior professionals

of power industry, including our Patrons. They provide us with business perspectives and help us understand

its challenges and their solutions for the present day business scenario. These insights have provided new

ideas to the professionals for a better solution and have been liked by our valued readers. Continuing with

the interviews of senior women executive of member organizations from previous issue, we are once again

producing the experiences of other senior women executives who shaped their career in power sector.

These life accounts are important, since they provide value to the others who are treading the same path.

The article on compassionate employment and judgments of our Apex court dealing with labour laws are

informative and would be useful for the practicing HR professionals. Article on the success story of Delhi

TRANSCO in implementing ERP in their organization in the shortest possible time is shared for other

professionals to learn and emulate. Integration of workplace commitment and employee empowerment could

be like bringing heart and soul together in an organization. Article on this aspect of motivation is

enlightening.

There is a perception that the “yes men” always achieve what they want, but the constructive disagreement

can bring efficiency in an organization. The article on this can start a debate on this issue. Survey helps as a

catalyst, in improving the performance of any organization. It is the way questions are framed, helps the

individuals to do some soul searching and improve. ‘Management by asking question’ gives us the broad view

on this subject. Article on empathy is very informative.

Apart from these the regular features, book review and Forum in frames have their place in this issue as

well.

Best Wishes!

Power HR Forum

From Editorial Desk :

02 Tete-a-tetewith Chairman, BBMB

A. B. Agrawal

11 Management by askingQuestions (MBAQ)

04 Interview

Kalpana Kaul

05 Competence Negates Gender Bias

22

26

06

A. Sathyabhama

31

34

38Management Quiz

CONTENTS

42

39

Cartoons

Management Books

Authored by: Stephen R Covey

Constructive Disagreement can bring EfficiencyShivani Zakarde

Vandana Chaturvedi

13 What Drives Me Drives You Too - Aligning Employer - Employee Motivations in MSME's

Sumeet Varghese, SPHR

16 Human Resource &Importance of Empathy

Ashutosh Kr. Anand

Implementation of ERPin Delhi TRANSCO

Prafulla Mallik

Judgements which have shaped our understanding

of Labour Law

Sanjiv Narang

Book Review:Global HR Competencies

News of Interest for HR Fraternity

CompassionateEmployment

P. Sreenivasan

18

36Glimpses of Events in POWER HR FORUM

1. What are some of the most critical business challenges for

organizations in the power sector? How can HR help?

I have always believed that when a power company fails, it is

because the non-technical functions in the company have

failed. This clearly underscores the centrality of HR and other

service functions in our organization.

In many ways, HR is the backbone of an organization. It is

responsible for proper Selection, Deployment, Career

Progression and Welfare of employers. However, there is a

tremendous scope for it to shape up further.

I have worked as an HR Head for over 9 months in NHPC and

have a strong belief about how HR can greatly enhance the

employee experience. One such thing it can cultivate

significantly is the “human touch.” There are all kinds of

policies, rules and regulations to govern employee; but that

should not prevent HR from providing a human touch. For

instance, when someone is sick, it is one thing to throw the

rulebook and another to call on the person and make him/her

feel comfortable. The rulebook will help, no doubt, with Sick

Leaves and Medical Benefits, but it is an altogether different

feeling when a senior person calls on a sick employee.

One of the other challenges HR will have to shoulder even more

is taking care of the external environment. Nowadays, the

external environment affects the internal environment even

more. Also, CSR activities do not amply cover the external

environment. Interestingly, successful Project Managers have

always entertained various external stakeholders. I

particularly remember my experiences in the North East

Region. In one area, we set a tunnel excavation record only

because of the local support we enjoyed. I could ensure this

local support because of the CSR activity we initiated with the

help of the local DC.

Handling external contractors is another hot potato for HR. I

remember walking into one well-known external contractor’s

canteen when visiting their installation. Incidentally during

my visit, I found the quality of food served in the canteen to be

quite poor. I asked the gentleman accompanying me to provide

the same meal to me. The Senior Officer said they had arranged

a special meal separately for me. I was insistent and sat down

to finish a meal that others with me could not. At the end of it

all, I gave them this advice: how can you expect any progress

from a workman who consumes this kind of food? This

experience proved to be a signal for all the contractors. The

quality of the food served in the canteen went up and the

workers began to respect us even more.

HR can also drastically improve the functioning of the

Pe r fo r m a n c e M a n a g e m e n t Sys te m . Pe r fo r m a n c e

Management, as it has been conceived, is highly scientific and

people-oriented. But we are failing with regard to

implementation. For instance, KPAs should be finalized before

the start of the Financial Year. But in how many organizations is

this happening?

02 Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose. - Bill Gates

Sh. Agrawal is 'First Class First' Mechanical Engineering graduate and

an MBA in Finance. He is a very versatile hydropower professional with

multi-disciplinary experience of over 31 years in NHPC Ltd., a most

reputed Central Public Sector Organization of India in the field of

hydropower development having capabilities from concept to

commissioning of the projects and Operation & Maintenance of Power

Stations. Excerpts of interview with Sh. A.B. Agrawal, Chairman,

BBMB.

Tete-a-tetewith Chairman, BBMB

An Interview of Sh. A. B. AgrawalChairman, BBMB

POWER PEOPLE

03Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. - Bill Gates

2. What are some of the unique challenges before BBMB?

At BBBM, it has a unique and complex organizational

structure that poses one of the biggest challenges for HR.

Interestingly, four state governments co-own BBMB while

the Central Government controls it. While employees are

deputed from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal,

the CMD is appointed by the Central Government. Also,

though no resource is provided by the Central

Government, we are answerable to the Central

Government for our performance.

With most of the employees representing a multitude of

State Departments, we have had our challenges in working

together as a team. Some feel we are an organization

where people work for their own interest based on

directives from their respective State Department. When

our employees have strong ties with their parent

department back home, they look for every possible

opportunity to join the State Departments. Interestingly,

even employee Performance Appraisals and Promotions

are handled by the respective State Departments. If we

find an employee to be quite good, we send a

recommendation letter to the State Department with a

request to retain him/her. If an employee feels he/she is not an

employee of BBMB, it can be very difficult working with such a

person. To an extent, we take care of engagement issues by

providing timely incentives. But recognition and incentives

can help drive workforce integration, only to a limited extent.

Since this state of affairs is quite challenging to manage in the

long run, we took some steps to form our own cadre.

Fortunately, the State Governments are aware of our

predicament. They have approved the formation of a BBMB

specific cadre. The arrangement is that the State Governments

will initially take them on their rolls but post them

permanently to BBMB. We will do our quality checks during

induction.

I am implementing an Integrated Management System. A

Social Accountability System will also be put in place soon. All

of this will require wider and greater HR support. We are

sending more people for training these days. I expect our

employees to keep themselves busy in learning new things.

On the operational front, BBMB has no new projects. We are

expected to maintain power plants - some of which are over

Tete-a-tete with Chairman, BBMB

100 years old - by renovating them and managing their

availability, efficiency and effectiveness with the help of an

ageing and depleting manpower. It is imperative therefore, to

deploy the best available manpower to these power plants so

that the design, repair and maintenance of these plants are in

safe hands.

3. Do you have any special advice to offer to HR

professionals?

HR professionals / personnel in an organization should always

be available to people. Suitable recognition and reward is

necessary for continued motivation of employees. Image

building of the organization before stake holders is very

important. I expect them to carry out more Public Relations

work and network with various agencies on the ground. And

over all, change in the mindset is required and senior

management must think out of the box to make all these a

reality.

04 If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure. - Bill Gates

thereafter made a career move to REC as recently as 2012.

Coming back to work place issues, she alludes to the efforts of a woman to a swan. A swan, majestic from outside, has to paddle furiously under water, to give that smooth gliding motion. A woman too has to work that extra bit, managing the many fronts that she is required to handle both at work and at home. At work, she is often called in to play the role of a counsellor, coach, friend, and very often, a sympathetic colleague. The strength of a woman at the workplace is her unique ability to empathise easily, lead employees in an effortless manner, read body language, thereby avoiding the unnecessary frictions while at the same time achieving the desired results.

While she misses her earlier organisations, she enjoys her current stint the most. As she mentions, REC is poised for a major growth trajectory and it is both exciting and challenging to be at REC as on date. REC is one of the oldest PSUs under the Ministry of Power and thus has its own place of pride. Being an old organisation it has its own set of challenges and she loves facing challenges and turning them around and hence the choice to come to REC.

Her message to women members of the work force is very simple. She emphasises to never give up; enjoy all stages of life be it of motherhood, bringing up a family or anything else. At times, it may seem that the problems are insurmountable, but she firmly believes, ‘This too shall pass. She firmly believes that everything comes with a sacrifice and therefore we have to choose carefully about what we really want!

We wish her all success.

Ms Kalpana Kaul, is currently the General Manager of the the Human Resource Division of REC, a Navaratna PSU and one of the founder members of Power HR Forum. She brings a refreshing and candid outlook about the issues of a career women.

According to her the only real challenge that a female/women employee faces, whether in PSU or any other organisation, is in maintaining of a work-life balance. The amount of time one gives to a job and the home determines the happiness and achievement level. Balance is a myth-one can never achieve balance and one aspect has to be sacrificed for the other.

Her other concern is the amount of time one devotes to the family. No matter what the popular media claims about the quality of time, it is also the quantity of time that a family wants from a woman. Then there is the issue of quality, especially when a woman comes home tired and exhausted after a day’s hard work to a house waiting for her attention both in physical and mental terms.

The third, and to our mind, at Forum, the most significant insight, is that at the workplace, a woman needs to forget that she is a woman which in turn implies that she must not settle for any extra favour or any less of a responsibility as compared to her colleagues.

These insights are the lesson she learnt over her long career in diverse industries. She started her career right after her MBA in 1984 from Rajasthan State Industrial Development Corporation as Personnel Officer. Then in 1987 she joined ITDC, the tourism chain of hotels, duty free shops and a strong travel agency, probably one among the few organisations that was attracting women talent at that time. She joined PFC (Power Finance Corporation) in it’s formative years and literally shaped the HR function there. She

Interview

An Interview ofMs. Kalpana Kaul

General Manager (Human Resource)Rural Electrification Corporation Limited

In the 15 member organizations of the Forum, there are Eight Women Executives who are presently

occupying the position of General Manager. In other sectors, number of senior women executives

are quite high. Power People has made an attempt to capture the concerns and achievements of

these high achievers. Through one-to-one and e-mail interviews, Power People has been able to

capture the response of Ms. Kalpana Kaul, REC and Ms. A. Sathyabhama, NESCL in this issue. We shall

bring more responses from other women leader in future issues. Editor

Power People

05It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. - Bill Gates

my parents, understanding Husband and responsible children. My

elder son has completed his engineering in computer science and is

working with TCS. My younger son has just completed his tenth std.

examination.

In my opinion, women employees can bring human touch to the

working environment; contribute greatly in resolving inter-

group/interdepartmental tussles, conflict management, handling

of emotional issues. Women can be better negotiators which can

contribute highly to the business. With 50 % population as women

they can equally contribute to the GDP growth in all spheres. The

question is can we provide more conducive environment for their

working and encourage their aspirations as well? This has to be an

on going process. Let us create gender neutral working

environments in our offices. Let us set examples for our juniors to

follow. Mentoring and training in aspects like networking,

exploring one’s professional potential, open discussions with

colleagues seniors about their higher responsibilities and rewards,

balancing of emotions, learning the tricks of trade, how to think big

etc. will help women employees to grow in their career like their

counterparts and make a mark.

Following are the points by which we can help women employees

well being in organization.1. Giving them an environment to innovate and challenging tasks

to prove their mettle and this will also uplift their morale.2. Board room should have atleast one woman director for

bringing a holistic viewpoint to the table for the organization's

betterment.3. If the women executives do not require positive discrimination

for their induction in the organization then they should not be

treated with negative discrimination while their appointment

to higher positions specially in site jobs not just corporate

offices?4. There should be objective performance appraisal.5. At the beginning of the career itself (during training) women

should be motivated and trained for taking up challenging task

in the organization and creating a work-life balance.

In its last issue “Power People” had promised to its valued readers

that the concerns and achievements of women leaders will be

captured in the future issues as well. Trials and tribulation of another

woman leader Ms. A. Sathyabhama, during her eventful journey in

NTPC are here to provide stimulus to the younger employees- Editor

In the year 1981 I joined this great Maharatna PSU - NTPC as an

Engineer Trainee soon after my Electrical Engineering graduation

and today I have reached the level of General Manager where I feel a

great professional satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

At every level, the capabilities of a female employee are assessed

more thoroughly than a male employee probably due to the

prevailing doubtful thinking about competence of a woman and her

capacity to handle tougher business conditions. So it is much more

difficult for a woman to raise her career than it is for her

counterparts. Definitely things are slowly changing resulting in

more and more women employees occupying responsible

positions. I would not call my career path as a totally difficult one

because I am a Lady. Difficulties on account of gender reason

occurred in the initial phases only due to the mindset of people.

More importantly my work areas are all unconventional ones-

Quality assurance, Inspection, Technical services at site, Field

Engineering services, Business Development for a woman

executive. Once you prove your competence, gender bias does not

come in the way of working and contributing.

In my tenure with QA and Inspection departments I had the

opportunity to explore my full technical potential and contribute to

the company’s benefit; ensuring quality compliance of equipment

to literally all projects of NTPC contributing for units reliability. It

gives me great satisfaction when people recognise me for this.

When I look back and analyse what made this possible, I feel factors

like self-belief that I can do, passion to work which came since it

was my chosen field of interest, encouragement by seniors, the

freedom to work and contribute etc. made this possible. I have the

confidence to handle higher responsibilities whatever is entrusted

to me and I have always felt there is unfinished agenda in my career

still to be accomplished. As regards work life balance I would like to

say, I have achieved this to great extent with continued support of

Competence Negates Gender Bias

An Interview ofA. SathyabhamaGeneral Manager

(BD, Project, P&M, IT, DB) NESCL, Wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Ltd.

Top managers are often thwarted by the complications of managing

conflict. They know that disagreement over an issue is normal and

even indispensable. Realistic people, making assessments under

situations of ambiguity, are likely to have candid differences over

the best course for their company's future. Management teams,

whose members confront one another's thinking, develop an

added absolute perceptive of the choices, create a richer variety of

alternatives, and eventually make the kinds of effectual decisions

essential in today's competitive environments.

However, regrettably, healthy conflict can hastily turn infertile. A

comment meant as a substantive statement can be interpreted as a

personal assault. Anxiety and aggravation over complicated

options can progress into annoyance directed at colleagues. People

frequently become tangled with issues. Because most executives

pride themselves on being wise decision makers, they find it

complex even to admit-let alone manage-this emotional, irrational

dimension of their behaviour. The challenge is to encourage

members of management teams to argue without destroying their

ability to work together.

The tactics mentioned below are more implicit than explicit in the

decision-making of the management team; however, they are used

by companies for controlling interpersonal conflict.

Focus on the Facts

Some managers consider that working with excess data will

increase interpersonal conflict by expanding the range of issues for

debate. However, more information is better-if the data are

objective and up-to-date - as it motivate people to focus on issues,

not personalities.

In the dearth of good quality data, executives waste time in

meaningless argument over opinions. Some resort to self-

exaggeration and ill-formed speculations. People-and not issues-

become the spotlight of disagreement. The result is interpersonal

conflict!

Management teams disturbed by interpersonal conflict rely more

on premonitions and assumptions than on current data. When they

consider facts, they are more likely to look at a past measure, such

as profitability, which is both historical and highly refined. These

teams favour planning based on extrapolation and sensitive

attempts to forecast the future, neither of which capitulates current

or factual results.

There is a direct link between reliance on facts and low levels of

interpersonal conflict. Facts let people move quickly to the vital

issues surrounding a planned choice. Decision makers don't get

over-involved in arguments over what the facts might be. More

important by reliance on current data grounds strategic

discussions in reality. Facts (such as current sales, market share,

R&D expenses, competitors' behaviour, and manufacturing yields)

depersonalize the debate because they are not someone's fantasies,

guesses, or manoeuvre desires. In the absence of facts, individuals'

intentions are likely to become suspect. Building decisions on facts

creates a culture that underlines issues instead of personalities.

Multiply the Alternatives

Some managers believe that they can trim down conflict by

focusing on only one or two alternatives, thus reducing the facets

over which people can differ. But, in fact, teams with low

occurrences of interpersonal conflict do just the reverse. They

consciously develop multiple alternatives, often considering four

or five options at once. To promote debate, managers will even

introduce options they do not support.

There are many motives why considering multiple alternatives

may reduce interpersonal conflict.

One, it diffuses conflict; choices become less black and white, and

individuals get more room to diverge the degree of their support

over a scope of choices. Managers can more effortlessly shift

positions without losing face. Creating options is also a way to bring

managers jointly in a common and innately interesting task. It

Constructive Disagreement can bring Efficiency

Shivani Zakarde

06 If you can't make it good, at least make it look good. - Bill Gates

contemplates their energy on solving problems, and it boosts

the probability of attaining integrative solutions - alternatives

that integrate the views of a large number of decision makers.

In generating multiple alternatives, managers do not stop

at obvious solutions; rather, they continue generating

further-usually more original-options. The process in

itself is creative and fun, setting a positive attitude for

substantive, instead of interpersonal, conflict.

Create Common Goals

A third approach to curtail destructive conflict involves

outlining strategic choices as collaborative, rather than

competitive, exercises. Ingredients of collaboration and

competition co-exist within any management team,

executives share a stake in the company's performance,

yet their personal aspirations may make them challengers

for power. The booming groups steadily outlined their

decisions as collaborations in which it was in everybody's

interest to accomplish the best promising solution for the

collective. They did so by crafting a common objective

around which the team could unite. Such goals do not

entail standardized thinking, but they do require

everyone to share a vision. As Steve Jobs, who is associated

with high-profile Silicon Valley companies-Apple, NeXT, and Pixar -

has advised, "It's okay to spend a lot of time arguing about which

route to take to San Francisco when everyone wants to end up

there, but a lot of time gets wasted in such arguments if one person

wants to go to San Francisco and another secretly wants to go to San

Diego."

Teams shuffled by disagreement lack common goals. Team

members distinguish themselves to be in competition with one

another and, unexpectedly, tend to frame decisions negatively, as

reactions to risks.

Creating common goals build team solidity by stressing the shared

interest of all team members in the conclusion of the debate. When

team members are working in the direction of a common goal, they

are less likely to see themselves as individual winners and losers

and are far more likely to perceive the opinions of others correctly

and to learn from them. When executives lacked common goals,

they tend to be closed-minded and more likely to misapprehend

and blame each other.

Apply Humour

Teams that hold conflict well make precise - and often even

artificial-efforts to alleviate tension and at the same time

encourage a combined force by making their business fun. They

highlight the anticipation of fast-paced competition, not the stress

of competing in viciously sturdy and vague markets.

Wit works as a protection mechanism to defend people from the

stressful and intimidating circumstances that commonly take place

in the course of making strategic decisions. It facilitates people

distance themselves emotionally by putting those situations into a

broader life perspective, often through the use of mockery.

Humour, with its vagueness, can also blunt the warning edge of

negative information. The things can be said in gags that might

otherwise sound offensive. As a result tricky information can be

conversed in a more tactful and less personally threatening way.

Humour can also move decision making into a collaborative rather

than competitive frame through its powerful effect on mood.

People in a positive mood tend to be more optimistic and

POWER PEOPLE

Constructive Disagreement can bring Efficiency

07Don't compare yourself with anyone in this world...if you do so, you are insulting yourself. - Bill Gates

08 Life is not fair; get used to it. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Constructive Disagreement can bring Efficiency

magnanimous and resourceful in seeking solutions. A positive

mood activates a more accurate perception of others'

arguments because people in a good mood tend to lighten up

their defensive barriers and so can listen more effectively.

Balance the Power Structure

Managers who believe that their team's decision-making

process is reasonable are more likely to admit decisions

without offence, even when they do not agree with them. But

when they consider the process is unjust, ill-will easily

cultivates into interpersonal conflict. A fifth tactic for taming

interpersonal conflict is to create a sense of fairness by

balancing power within the management team.

High-handed leaders who administer through highly

consolidated power structures often create high levels of

interpersonal hostility. At the other extreme, weak leaders

also stimulate interpersonal conflict as the power vacuum at

the top encourages managers to jockey for position.

Interpersonal conflict is lowest in balanced power structures,

where the CEO is more powerful than the other members of the top-

management team, but the members do exert ample power,

especially in their own well-defined areas of accountability. In

balanced power structures, all executives participate in strategic

decisions.

Seek Consensus with Qualification

Balancing power is one tactic for building a sense of fairness while

finding a suitable way to resolve conflict over issues is another -

and, perhaps, the more crucial. The teams that managed conflict

effectively all use a similar approach to resolve substantive conflict.

It is a dual-step process called consensus with qualification. It

works like this: executives talk over an issue and try to reach

consensus. If they can, the decision is made. If they can't, the most

relevant senior manager makes the decision, guided by input from

the rest of the group.

People generally correlate consensus with harmony, but

sometimes it’s the opposite: teams that are adamant on resolving

substantive conflict by forcing consensus, tend to display the most

interpersonal conflict. Executives sometimes have the impractical

analysis that consensus is always possible, but such a naive

persistence on consensus can lead to infinite haggling.

In a team that insists on consensus, deadlines can cause executives

to sacrifice fairness and thus weaken the team's support for the

final decision.

How does consensus with qualification create a sense of fairness? A

body of research on procedural justice shows that process fairness,

which involves significant participation and influence by all

concerned, is enormously important to most people.

Individuals are eager to accept conclusions they loathe if they

believe that the method by which those results came about was fair.

Most people want their views to be considered sincerely but are

prepared to accept that those opinions cannot always succeed. That

is specifically what occurs in consensus with qualification.

Apart from fairness, there are many other reasons why consensus

with qualification is an important deterrent to interpersonal

conflict:

• It presumes that conflict is natural and not a sign of

interpersonal dysfunction.

• It gives managers additional influence when the decision

affects their part of the organization in particular, thus

balancing managers' aspirations to be heard with the need to

make a choice.

POWER PEOPLE

Constructive Disagreement can bring Efficiency

09Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. - Bill Gates

paced markets, successful strategic decisions are most likely to be

made by teams that promote active and broad conflict over issues

without sacrificing speed. The key to doing so is to ease

interpersonal conflict.

Building a Fighting Team

Below are the five approaches that help managers to encourage the

kind of substantive debate over issue that leads to better decision

making and generate constructive disagreement within a team:

• Keep a varied team, including diverse ages, genders, functional

backgrounds, and industry experience. If everyone in the

meetings looks identical and sounds identical, then the

chances are higher that they possibly think identical, too.

• Meet together as a team often. Team members that don't know

one another well don't know one another's positions on

issues, harming their capacity to argue effectively. Regular and

repeated communication builds the reciprocated confidence

and acquaintance that team members require while

expressing dissent.

• Push team members to think about the roles beyond their

obvious product, geographic, or functional responsibilities.

Devil's advocates, sky-gazing visionaries, and action-oriented

executives can work together to ensure that all sides of an

issue are considered.

• Apply multiple mind-sets to any issue, try role-playing, putting

yourself in your competitors' shoes, or conducting war games.

Such practices create fresh perceptions and engage team

members, prompting interest in problem solving.

• Actively manage conflict. Don't let the team comply too soon or

too easily. Identify and treat indifference early. Often, what

passes for consensus is really disengagement.

Shivani ZakardeFreelance Content Writer

She can be reached at:szakarde@yahoo.com

• It is an unbiased and democratic process of decision making

that encourages everyone to bring suggestions to the table but

evidently demarcates how the decision will be made.

• Finally, consensus with qualification is fast. Procedures that

entail consensus tend to drag on continuously, annoying

managers with what they see as protracted and futile debate.

It's not shocking that the managers end up blaming their

aggravation on the inadequacy of their colleagues and not on

the poor conflict-resolution process.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is important to note that such conflict over issues is

not only likely but also valuable within top-management teams. It

provides executives with a more inclusive range of information, a

deeper understanding of the issues, and a richer set of possible

solutions.

Without conflict, groups lose their efficiency. Managers often

become withdrawn and only seemingly in agreement. In fact, the

substitute to conflict is usually not agreement but apathy and

disentanglement. Teams unable to cultivate substantive conflict

ultimately achieve, on average, lower performance. In today’s fast-

11As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. - Bill Gates

Recently, my six year old child asked me two vital questions. The

questions were simple- Q1. Where did the GOD originate from? Q2.

What is the end of numbers, i.e. I presumed- the biggest number?

The first to my mind still remains unanswered and a vital link to our

spirituality. The second of course was easier to answer as infinity

gives us a solace in answer, although to an untrained mind, it is

difficult answer to grasp. The end of INFINITY?

This episode sent my mind racing towards many questions. From

the childhood, when our natural curiosity is at it’s peak, we are

discouraged to ask questions, be it parents- who get irritated by

such aimless questions or be it teachers- the ones who believe in

conformity to discipline and any aberration makes the chosen one,

a useless one to the system. So at the end of childhood, we end up

being adaptable and conformist- two great virtues after all. More

often than not, by virtue of our being Indians, having served as

worthy disciplined babus under the British Raj, we are a very

adaptable race.

The similar analogy extends to our workplace too! The moment a

curious rebellious trainee joins an organization, we focus all our

energy in disciplining the person by whatever methods we deploy-

be it training or mentoring. Given our conformist background, after

spending more than five to six years, we take pride in the fact that

the person has now settled into the system. But, are we really doing

the right thing? Are we not stifling creativity? Are we not really

making a person conformist to the cost of drowning a lone voice,

which may tell us a lot about what is wrong in the system? Where do

we go wrong? Why don’t we let persons grow as individuals,

independent in thinking, brave enough to find fault with the system,

perseverant enough to implement the changes and have the

conviction to live up to their choices or decisions?

Even if we agree to all this, is it easy to do this? And even if we find

some ways to start, how do we actually go about doing it? So, let’s go

back to where all of this started. Yes, when we were six years old and

asked life defining questions in so simple a manner that any adult

would marvel at our questioning ability. Let’s become six years old

and start asking questions, relevant- irrelevant, without the fear of

being ridiculed at. I would like to call this - Management by asking

Questions (MBAQ).

So, at what level can I ask these questions? How about questions to

myself; I ask questions about my Life; Questions about the work I

do; Questions about the my company; Questions about my function

or department; Let’s pick up one of these Questions and start

asking Questions.

Let’s see what Questions can we ask that would give me a pointer to

where I am, where I want to be, how do I get where I want to be,

what do I do when I get where I want to be.

So, let us start asking Questions….

• Can we conduct a survey of our employees to show us what are

the most inefficient, in-effective practices that we indulge in

rather than asking them to rate our effectiveness? i.e. conduct

an ineffectiveness survey.

• What is it that we can stop doing today? What is it that we can

stop doing after one month or one year or after five years?

• Do we provide flexibility in jobs (job sharing, work at home or

flexible schedules) or work at home opportunity when it is

needed, especially to our women employees? Or our

employees feel that asking such concessions would label them

as non-performers?

• Does my company feature in the "Best to work for" or

employee’s choice appearances?

• Are we in the top three choices of top performers? When highly

qualified professionals are asked the names of places they

"would like to work someday," does our firm appear in the top

three most often mentioned choice?

• Where do our applications come from? Are our applicants

from the choicest of the institutes in the country? What is the

Management by askingQuestions (MBAQ)

Vandana Chaturvedi

12 Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Management by asking Questions (MBAQ)

ratio of such recruits?• Do we have processes or practices in place to identify

company’s critical position and then focus our energies on

effectively placing these critical positions? Is our people

placement by chance or do we make a concerted effort to place

the right person at the right place at right time?

• Are our company’s HR and people practices cited at least five

times a year by name in the top three (most valuable

publications) that are read by top professionals in their field or

industry?

• Are we creating enough opportunities for women and

minorities (especially at the executive and board level). What

is our diversity ratio?

• Do our employees find it difficult to maintain Work/life

balance? Are our policies tuned towards maintaining this

balance. Are they flexible enough? What about the culture in

the organization. Is the condition- All work no play-makes an

efficient employee overplayed and rewarded?

• Do we care enough for the employee dignity? Do we give an

environment to an individual to have a difference of opinion?

• Are we the pioneer in our industry by being the first to offer

unique benefits to our employees?

• Do our former employees who resigned/ left us wish to return?

• What is the turnover rate of our top performers?

• Do we reward top performers? More importantly do we

differentiate between top performers and non performers

while rewarding them monetarily or otherwise?

• Do Fortune 500 firms or firms that are crucial to our industry

benchmark us at least once a year?

• Does our Company’s CMD has a wide name recognition? The

current CMD has a positive name recognition when

professionals in our industry and are asked in surveys or focus

groups most of the time.

• Are we the leading voice in the industry when it comes to

policy formulation decisions by the Govt or decision making

authorities that would affect our profit/ turnover of

performance?

So on and so forth…..Now, what is the methodology to promote people to ask Questions?

How do we do it in an organization that is already stifling with

creativity? Do we create an e-forum, a suggestion box of a

suggestion e-mail ID promoted by the top bosses for inviting

Questions? Or do we form focused group preferably less

experienced and less conditioned where we just discuss on one

topic and let everyone ask a Questions whether relevant or

irrelevant? Or do we have to limit our discussions to a particular

topic or let employees ask uncomfortable Questions in any area?

How to reward the culture of asking Questions? Can our top

management laud persons whose difficult Questions have lead to

considerable improvement. Can we encourage two more Questions

if asked one?

So let me finish by asking a Question. Was it worth reading this

article and did it add some value to your thoughts or this is just one

of those trash management thoughts whose place is in the

computer trash bin?

Happy Questioning.

Vandana ChaturvediDeputy General Manager (HR)NTPC Limited, Lucknow

She can be reached at:cvandana_hr@rediffmail.com

13If I'd had some set idea of a finish line, don't you think I would have crossed it years ago? - Bill Gates

It is perhaps a bit challenging to figure out what existing or

prospective employees look for when seeking employment with an

MSME. Obviously, there is likely to be wide disparity here not only

with respect to various employment specific factors but also with

regard to the importance accorded to these factors by individuals

who might consider working with an MSME. In an attempt to try

and uncover some typical factors that motivate employees in MSME

setups, this author polled a cross-section of employees at a firm

trading in engineering goods. As part of the exercise, employees

were asked to rate 14 critical motivating factors* (see table below)

in order of priority.

Interestingly enough, with some exceptions the employees picked

up critical job-related factors like Adequate Salary (by far the

number one priority for most), Job Security, Opportunities for

Promotion, Interesting Work and Responsibility and Independence

What Drives Me Drives You Too - Aligning Employer - Employee Motivations in MSME's

Sumeet Varghese, SPHR

MOTIVATING FACTOR S A K P J KR H D B

Job security 1 6 5 3 2 2 1 2 4

Adequate salary 2 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 10

Fringe benefits (perks etc.) 3 13 9 13 3 10 6 14 11

Opportuni�es for promo�on 4 5 2 4 4 9 2 3 6

Comfortable working condi�ons 9 4 8 6 6 5 9 11 2

Interes�ng work 6 11 3 2 5 4 4 7 3

Sound company policies and prac�ces 10 7 10 14 10 6 10 12 9

Respect and recogni�on 5 12 6 7 7 3 7 13 8

Responsibility and independence 7 3 4 5 9 11 8 8 5

Doing something worthwhile 13 14 13 12 12 13 13 4 1

Considerate and sympathe�c supervisor 14 8 11 10 14 14 12 10 12

Technically competent supervisor 8 10 7 8 11 8 14 9 14

Restricted hours of work 11 9 12 9 8 7 11 6 13

Pay according to ability and competence 12 1 14 11 13 12 5 5 7

EMPLOYEES

(*based on an Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Inventory developed by the late Dr. Udai Pareek)

14 Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

What Drives Me Drives You Too - Aligning Employer - Employee Motivations in MSME's

as the top five drivers. However, with regard to the rest of the

drivers, there appears to be a lot of variation in terms of the

priorities indicated by the employees.

Adequate Salary

For a clear majority of employees at this firm, an appropriate

compensation package held more promise than say, equally

important job-related drivers like Restricted Hours of Work or a

Considerate and Sympathetic Supervisor. While the latter would be

a bonus, there was no compromising with the status accorded to

Salary. In some ways, this implies that in order to make the

employment proposition strongly attractive, MSME owners need to

focus on salary first. However this is easier said than done. With no

job specific and industry benchmarks available in the first place,

MSMEs are prone to look for internal salary benchmarks and peg

employee salaries around a particular salary point or level relative

to the benchmark. Interestingly, this internal benchmark can

sometimes be the highest paid employee or some threshold figure

that the owners may not want to cross. Oddly, even when? market

rates for a particular position are available MSMEs may tend to

discount the information by treating it as illogical or irrational. The

sector specific exuberance in salaries notwithstanding, employees

do tend to take salary related information far more seriously than

their MSME employers. Obviously there is no one reason why small

and medium businesses may want to place a cap on the salaries

they can afford. But it is important to understand whether salary

related decisions are made rationally or irrationally. It may not be

far from the truth to claim that the strong cost-mindset or savings

habit that informs the various purchase decisions MSME owners

make on a day-to-day basis plays a large role in influencing the

salary choices that owners offer to their employees. One MSME

owner whom this author met appeared quite upset about the fact

that minimum wage rates in other locations were particularly

competitive. Apparently one of his suppliers had told him that he

offered his casual laborers barely 50 rupees and a plate of rice a day.

Without doubt, getting the employee price right constitutes

perhaps one of the most important business decisions for an

MSME. The only hitch, however, is the data inputs that feed this

decisioning process.

Job Security

Perhaps, the next most important thing that an employee considers

after salary is job security. For both semi-skilled and skilled

workers planning to join a small business, there is usually a strong

desire to learn more about the level of security the job offers.

Whereas for some, this may take the form of understanding the hire

and fire provisions that operate in the organization, for others, it

might be something as basic as understanding the sustainability of

the organization. Obviously, the manner in which employees are

terminated at an MSME communicates a lot about the level of job

security available there. In cases where expulsion is based on the

whims and fancies of the owner, jobs may appear just as arbitrary

as the measures taken to remove employees. As long as removal is

construed as fair and square, MSMEs will have to grapple with

employee disaffection and its unwanted by-product, job

disconnect. Obviously exit interviews in such a scenario will appear

meaningless and empty if there are no proper procedures in place

to expel employees on disciplinary grounds or terminate them on

performance issues. In one particular MSME, the owner made it a

point to follow a multiple warning system before asking employees

to leave. What is more he also allowed the warned employee to

submit his side of the story every time the employee was hauled up.

More importantly, the owner made sure he spoke on the basis of

facts and evidence rather than his personal perception, hearsay

and emotion.

POWER PEOPLE

What Drives Me Drives You Too - Aligning Employer - Employee Motivations in MSME's

15DOS is ugly and interferes with users' experience. - Bill Gates

Oddly to an MSME owner, a potential employee’s focus on job

security may be perceived more as a liability than an opportunity.

This is because an employee who’s more anxious of such issues

tends to come across as someone who’s there just for the job.

Accordingly, his/her interaction with others in the organization

begins to be viewed as characteristic of job-securing behavior.

While this may not be entirely untrue, MSME owners should use

this wanted or unwanted focus on job security to clarify job and

performance related expectations. In one MSME the owner made it

a point to communicate sales related turnover and business profits

every day for one whole quarter to drive home the point that

employees are equal contributors to the business. More

importantly, he also managed to demonstrate the link between

employee performance and business performance. In a sense he

was clearly communicating the fact that job security is ultimately a

function of employee performance by showcasing how employee

contributions were directly impacting business profitability and

sustainability.

Opportunities for Promotion

As businesses grow, employee aspirations are bound to acquire

momentum and direction. For many MSME’s this is a conundrum

that may appear difficult to crack. However, the drive to move up in

the organization is just as basic as the entrepreneur’s desire to scale

up his/her business. Sadly, like many of their larger counterparts,

MSME’s may lack the ability to provide greater visibility on where

an employee is headed during his/her period of employment. This

is somewhat similar to driving in the dark without headlights on.

While MSME’s approach this problem in their unique way, what is

often at times missing is a simple way of communicating who is

where in the organization’s scheme of things. At one MSME the

owners recently discovered that their employees lack not just a

proper role description but also a proper organizational chart

clearly showing who is reporting to whom. Obviously the trigger for

this realization was the fact that almost all employees at the firm

barged in sometime or the other during the course of the day and

ended up distracting them for some or the other matter. To make a

long story short, no matter how chaotic organizations are, a simple

reporting chart visually captures not just who is where but

opportunities for individual growth as well. Obviously, these are

basic attempts to provide some kind of directional clarity to

employees who join and are in no way the equivalent of a

comprehensive career planning system that capture employee

transition opportunities laterally and vertically in an organization

over a period of time.

In the table shared above, a majority of employees listed promotion

opportunities as one of their top 5 priorities. The only exceptions

are KR and B. Interestingly, KR functions as the Receptionist and

Customer Relationship Management executive whereas B heads

the Finance and Accounts team. In many ways, these 2 represent

employees who are technically in the non-promotable zone – is this

why they don’t consider it a top priority? Though KR is the lone

employee looking after reception, she is one of four team members

in the CRM team. While laterally there is no position she can be

promoted into she has opportunities to move up in the CRM team

where she is currently responsible for making calls to customers

based on inputs she receives from the other 3 in the team. Whatever

the reason, perhaps both employees seem to have internalized

their present situation a bit and accordingly place more emphasis

on critical issues like Interesting Work, Respect and Recognition

and Doing Something Worthwhile. Apparently, these choices also

indicate trade-offs employees may be willing to make where

certain critical aspirations appear unrealistic.

Attracting and retaining employees in an MSME environment

particularly by focusing on employee specific motivators is today a

more complex arithmetic operation than interpreting an

organization’s annual report. However there is no gain in stating

the fact that this mathematics needs serious attention and

application. While actually mastery may take time, it may be

worthwhile to consider the fact that critical job related motivators

for an employee correspond fairly well with the critical motivators

that drive the MSME owner as well. For instance, Adequate Salary

for the employee is but Return on Investment for the owner.

Similarly, just as Job Security is the obverse of Business

Sustainability, Opportunities for Promotion on the employee side

are mirrored by the Need for Growth on the business owner’s side.

Once this connection is clear to both owner and employee their

beliefs, attitudes and behaviors around each of these factors can be

streamlined to generate greater passion and profits.

Sumeet VargheseSPHR,Founding Partner

He can be reached at:sumeet@yourhrbuddy.org

The English word was coined in 1909 by the psychologist Edward

B. Titchener. The ability to imagine oneself as another person is a

sophisticated imaginative process. However, the basic capacity to

recognize emotions is probably innate and may be achieved

unconsciously. Yet it can be trained and achieved with various

degrees of intensity or accuracy.

Empathy is a construct that is fundamental to Human Resource

Managers & leadership. Many leadership theories suggest the

ability to have and display empathy as an important part of

leadership. Empathy is one factor in relationships. The nature of

leadership is shifting, placing a greater emphasis on building and

maintaining relationships. Leaders today need to be more person-

focused and be able to work with those not just in the next cubicle,

but also with those in other buildings, or other countries. Leaders

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest

compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Men, money, material, machine and market are considered to be

essential element of business. Of all these elements, the only

element which is living is Men and is also crucial and volatile

because on its efficient management depends the success of other

elements and business.

Humans have emotions, desires, compassion, ambition, want for

recognition, self esteem; they need love, sympathy and empathy.

It’s not only money that drives them but there are several other

factors which matter at the end of day. Many professionals get into

HR because "they like people" but they need to develop

competencies such as "empathy" to do the job well and become a

human manager/engineer in true sense. Empathy is a must for

manager but compulsory attribute for a HR Manager.

A top priority for many organizations is to look beyond traditional

strategies for management development and recruitment to create

a cadre of leaders capable of moving the company forward. With

such high stakes, talent management and HR professionals as well

as senior executives are pursuing multiple strategies for

developing more effective managers and leaders. Managers, too,

may be surprised that so many of their peers are underperforming.

It’s a smart move for individual managers, then, to figure out where

they stand and what skills are needed to improve their chances of

success. One of those skills, perhaps unexpectedly, is empathy.

Empathy is the capacity to recognize ability to experience and

relate to the thoughts & emotions that are being experienced by

another person. One may need to have a certain amount of empathy

before being able to experience accurate sympathy or compassion.

Empathy is more than simple sympathy, which is being able to

understand and support others with compassion or sensitivity.

Human Resource &Importance of Empathy

Ashutosh Kr. Anand

16 Expectations are a form of first-class truth: If people believe it, it's true. - Bill Gates

now need to lead people, collaborate with others, and be able to

manage cross organizational and cultural boundaries and need to

create shared direction, alignment and commitment between

social groups with very different histories, perspectives, values,

and cultures. It stands to reason that empathy would go a long way

toward meeting these people-oriented managerial and leadership

requirements.

Empathy is positively related to job performance. Empathic

emotion plays an important role in creating climate of support and

protection to promote successful job performance. Organizations

can encourage a more empathetic work place and help managers

improve their empathy skills in a number of simple ways:

Discuss Empathy:

Let managers know that empathy matters. Though task-oriented

skills like monitoring, planning, controlling and commanding

performance or “making the numbers” are important ,

understanding, caring, and developing others is just as important, if

not more important, particularly in today’s workforce. Giving time

and attention to others fosters empathy, which in turn, enhances

your performance and improves your perceived effectiveness.

Listening skills:

To understand others and sense what they are feeling, managers

must be good listeners. Skilled listeners let others know that they

are being heard, and they express understanding of concerns and

problems. When a manager is a good listener, people feel respected

and trust can grow. Sometimes emotion expressed nonverbally

may be more telling than the words people speak. Focus on tone of

voice, pace of speech, facial expressions, and gestures.

Encourage genuine perspective-taking:

Managers consistently should put themselves in the other person’s

place. You can never understand someone unless you understand

their point-of-view, climb in that person’s skin or stand and walk in

that person’s shoes.” For managers, this includes taking into

account the personal experience or perspective of their employees.

It also can be applied to solving problems, managing conflicting, or

driving innovation. It becomes rather more important for a human

resource manager to posses this quality.

Cultivate compassion:Managers who care about how someone else feels or considers the

effects that business decisions have on employees, customers and

communities go beyond the standard-issue values statement and

allow time for compassionate reflection and response. Remember

it is all about humans managing humans. The more you care &

overcome biasness and barriers the more valued you become and

create value for the organization.

Difference between Sympathy & Empathy

Sympathy is literally 'feeling with' - compassion for or

commiseration with another person. Empathy, by contrast, is

literally 'feeling into' - the ability to project one's personality into

another person and more fully understand that person.

Conclusion

In recent years, technology has changed the ways in which HR

people think and do their administrative and strategic work.

Machines rule our world now; we humans have put such concepts

as of love, mutual respect, sympathy & empathy on the back front

and have capitalized more on profits. We are growing passive on

feeling pain of others, responding to the agony of fellow humans,

lending helping hand in the time of need. We have started

competing with each other, pushing other to move ahead and

forgetting the very essential factor which differentiates humans

from other creatures on earth that is ability to sense the pain of

others. It’s high time that we start learning these forgotten

concepts and values that are much needed in today’s times. When

we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and

preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world

expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and

so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection - or

compassionate action. Remember intellect is insufficient without

courage, love, friendship, compassion, and empathy.”

POWER PEOPLE

Human Resource & Importance of Empathy

17Capitalism has worked very well. Anyone who wants to move to North Korea is welcome. - Bill Gates

Ashutosh Kr. Anand(Personnel Officer)

He can be reached at:anand.ahutosh7@gmail.com

When somebody loses their breadwinner and also their loved one,

it is the most difficult time for the family as it will end up in shamble.

That is the case with temporary or total loss happen to the

breadwinner also. In both the cases the financial security of the

family is jeopardized. Apart from the psychological support, the

financial support during hospital stay and thereafter is very

significant.

To take care of this exigency social security legislations like, The

Employee State Insurance Act 1948 and The Employee’s

Compensation Act 1923 (earlier known as Workmen’s

Compensation Act) facilitate health benefits/financial

compensation etc., Even the Companies have their own scheme like

Employee Insurance/Employee Personal Accident Insurance,

Hospitalization Benefits and also small Compassionate

employment as a welfare measure. Indeed certain companies are

having Economic Rehabilitation Scheme in place of compassionate

employment.

While considering for compassionate employment, the following

factors have to be considered by the Employer. 1. to whom it will apply (dependents/spouse/adopted….)

2. to apply under which condition of death (during employment/

accidental death…)

3. to which position (workmen / supervisory cadre)

4. to decide about the next kin , who will provide succor to the

family

5. to provide age relaxation , if so how many years

6. to decide about the financial condition of deceased family

7. to allow educational qualification relaxation or not

Department of Public Enterprises had earlier issued guidelines on

compassionate appointment. Later it was revised by Vital

Committee. CPSEs were given autonomy to frame their own

guidelines on compassionate appointment keeping in view of their

operational business requirements (DPE lr. No.2 (63) 07-DPE (GM)

dt 11.03.2008)

In respect of deceased family, the factors like loss of breadwinner &

financial dependency is the main reason of distress. At the same

time if the employment provided is not commensurating with the

qualification of the kin of the deceased, it will not be acceptable

proposition to the individual after initial heat is cooled off.

Questions with regard to compassionate employment like…

Whether eligibility criteria can be relaxed out of humanitarian

ground? or whether Financial position has to be taken into

account? and other questions have also been answered by various

High Courts and apex court. However some of the milestone cases

decided in the apex court are given below:

The Supreme Court has held in its judgement dated February 28,

1995 in the case of the Life Insurance Corporation of India vs. Asha

Ramchandra Ambekar and others [JT 1994 (2) S.C.183] that the

CompassionateEmployment

P. Sreenivasan

18 I believe in innovation and that the way you get innovation is you fund research and you learn the basic facts. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Compassionate Employment

High Courts and Administrative Tribunals can not give direction for

appointment of a person on compassionate grounds but can merely

direct consideration of the claim for such an appointment.

The apex court held that the compassionate appointment cannot

be made on ‘ad-hoc basis’. It also said that the qualification of the

dependent family member is irrelevant. (Umesh Kr Nagpal Vs State

of Haryana SC 525 JT (1994) (3) )

The Supreme Court has ruled in the cases of Himachal Road

Transport Corporation vs. Dinesh Kumar [JT 1996 (5) S.C. 319] on

May 7, 1996 and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited vs. Smt A. Radhika

Thirumalai [JT 1996 (9) S.C. 197] on October 9, 1996 that

appointment on compassionate grounds can be made only if a

vacancy is available for that purpose.

The Supreme Court has held in its judgment in the case of State of

Haryana and others vs. Rani Devi and others [JT 1996(6) S.C. 646]

on July 15, 1996 that if the scheme regarding appointment on

compassionate ground is extended to all sorts of casual, ad-hoc

employees including those who are working as Apprentices, then

such scheme cannot be justified on Constitutional grounds.

In the case of Rajasthan, Petitioner son was ten years old at the time

of death. When petitioner made the application, he being minor,

was not eligible for such employment. There can be no reservation

of a vacancy till such time the minor becomes a major after a

number of years . Application made by petit ioner for

compassionate employment later was rejected. The learned Single

Judge in that case held that if the eldest dependant attains the age of

18 years after an inordinate delay from the death of the employee,

offering appointment to him at such a belated stage would not

serve the purpose of granting immediate financial relief to redeem

the grieved family from financial constraints. (Jaya Bhaduri vs State

Of Rajasthan And Anr. SC 16 October, 2000)

In 2004 it was held in the case of General Manager (D&PB) & Ors. vs.

Kunti Tiwary & Anr., (2004) 7 SCC 271 that the criteria of penury

has to be applied and only in cases where the condition of the family

is "without any means of livelihood" and "living hand to mouth"

that compassionate appointment was required to be granted.

A Bench comprising Justices A R Lakshmanan and Tarun Chatterjee

decided in favour of Union Bank of India, which had rejected the

claim of M T Lathesh for compassionate employment. It agreed

with the 2000 verdict to the extent that "law courts cannot be a

mute spectator where relief is denied to the horrendous sufferings

of a family which has lost its breadwinner". However, it also

defended why compassionate employment should be a rarity than

the rule. To determine the 'necessitous circumstances', the court

said the employer is well within his right to take into account the

net income of the family of the deceased employee to determine

whether the kin were facing penury. Fresh employment with the

bank has reduced considerably and the grant of employment on

compassionate grounds to all the cases shall shut the door for

employment to the ever-growing population of unemployed youth,

more particularly when the industry is being asked to reduce the

number of employees by offering them voluntary retirement

schemes, it said. Setting aside the Kerala High Court Judgement, the

Bench noted that Lathesh's family got a substantial amount as

terminal benefits in addition to a monthly family pension which at

present stood at Rs 5,176. Hence the family was not in a dire

situation for compassionate employment to Lathesh whose father

had died while serving as clerk-cum-cashier (Union Bank Of India

And Ors vs M.T. Latheesh 7 SCC 350 SC 18 August, 2006)

19We've got to put a lot of money into changing behavior. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Compassionate Employment

“The consequences in case of an employee being medically

invalidated on account of serious illness/accident, will be no less, in

fact more than the consequences of death in harness," said a Bench

comprising Justices R V Raveendran and L S Panta upholding a

Andhra government decision to extend compassionate

employment to the kin of officials who were forced to retire on

account of medical invalidation. The Bench explained: "When an

employee dies in harness, his family is thrown into penury and

sudden distress on account of stoppage of income. But, where a

person is permanently incapacitated due to serious illness or

accident, and his services are consequently terminated, the family

is thrown into greater financial hardship, because not only the

income stops, but at the same time there is considerable additional

expenditure by way of medical treatment as also the need for an

attendant to constantly look after him. "When compassionate

appointment of a dependant of a government servant who dies in

harness is accepted to be an exception to the general rule, there is

no reason or justification to hold that an offer of compassionate

appointment to the dependant of a government servant who is

medically invalidated, is not an exception to the general rule," said

the bench. (2006)

In one case, Arvind Kumar Tiwari's father was an ASI in Gujarat

police. After he died in 1999, Tiwari applied for employment on

compassionate grounds for the post of a peon. As he had studied up

to Class 8, his application was rejected but on the ground that his

family was not in any financial distress. However, Tiwari made a

second application to the additional director general of police, who

ordered that the same be considered ignoring the financial

condition of the family. It was again rejected in 2005 when it was

found that the applicant had only passed Class 7 as against the

minimum eligibility criteria of Class X needed for appointment to a

peon's post. But the Gujarat High Court asked the police

department to consider Tiwari's appointment on compassionate

grounds. The state appealed against the order in the SC. The bench

of Justices Dr. B.S. Chauhan and F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla said,

"Compassionate appointment cannot be claimed as a matter of

right. It is simply not another method of recruitment. A claim to be

appointed on such a ground has to be considered in accordance

with the rules, regulations or administrative instructions

governing the subject, taking into consideration the financial

condition of the family of the deceased. "Such a category of

employment itself is an exception to the constitutional provisions

contained in Article 14 (right to equality) and Article 16 (right to

equal opportunity in public employment), which provide that there

can be no discrimination in public employment. "In view of the

legal bar, it is neither desirable, nor permissible in law, for this court

to issue direction to relax the said eligibility criteria and appoint

respondent merely on humanitarian ground," the bench said. (State

of Gujrat & ors Vs Arvind kumar T. Tiwari & Anr SC Sep 14, 2012)

In 2007 the bench of apex court consisting of Dr. A.R. Lakshmanan

& Altamas Kabir ruled that bank has to consider the case of

dependent as per the laid down parameters in the scheme of

compassionate employment. It also said that financial condition is

a factor. ( SBI & ors Vs Aspal Kaur SC 409 of 1st February 2007)

Compassionate appointment is not to be given when there is no

financial hardship. Compassionate appointment, it is well settled, is

not a source of recruitment nor it can be claimed as a matter of

right," a bench comprising Justice Anil Kumar and Justice Mool

Chand Garg said. (2010)

“Appointment on compassionate grounds cannot be claimed as a

matter of right. As a rule, public service appointments should be

made strictly on the basis of open invitation of applications and

merit said the apex court while ruling against the Allahabad HC

order. A bench of Justices Dr. BS Chauhan and Dipak Misra said such

appointments were permissible only in genuine cases as per rules,

else it would violate the Constitution.(Union of India & Anr Vs

Shashank Goswami & Anr SC 23rd May 2012)

In this back drop it is advisable for a company to formulate a policy

on Economic Rehabilitation Scheme allowing the deceased spouse

and dependent kids to avail the financial benefits till the actual

retirement of the deceased by retaining the final settlement due to

the deceased.

P. SreenivasanChief Manager (HR)POWERGRID

He can be reached at:psree@powergridindia.com

20 I have an excellent memory, a most excellent memory. - Bill Gates

organization and the organization should continuously strive to

bring change instead of resisting it.

The Journey So Far

After go-live in November 2010, the project took almost six months

for stabilization in place of three months stabilization period as

was originally envisaged in the scheme. During this period some

incomplete processes of some modules were fully completed. Full

stabilization takes long time. It is observed from companies like

NTPC, Oil India Ltd and others that stabilization in ERP

implementation normally takes three to four years. Other power

companies are also taking long time to get the ERP fully stabilized.

The more the people are involved in it, the faster would be the

stabilization and the larger would be the benefits. The going

requires patience and perseverance.

Recently we have taken the ERP support services for another

contract period to stabilize the system. This is just like the second

phase of stabilization. We should make the best use of it. Each

department should work maximum with the system to make the

Introduction

In the later part of 2009, the idea of ERP was conceived to be started

in DTL. But it was only in the beginning of 2010 that the

implementation process could be stepped up. Unlike some other

Delhi Government organizations, its journey in DTL was smooth,

steady and uninterrupted. As planned, the ERP project went live on

8th November, 2010 with maximum number of eight modules. It

was a transmission specific SAP programme. Many Organizations

choose to implement ERP modules in phases. However in our case,

the Company took a bold step by choosing such large number of

modules for implementation at one go. The modules covered were

in all most all areas of operations of the company including Project,

Maintenance, Materials Management, Finance, Human Resources

and Business Intelligence.

People then were wondering whether such a big project with wide

coverage of activities would at all be successful. But with a

dedicated core team under the measured direction and able

guidance of the management, the project could achieve successful

operation on scheduled time which itself is a landmark

achievement.

Initial Resistance

Initially the project implementation received lukewarm resistance

from some quarters. Largely due to ignorance of its use and benefits

and little due to the general human tendency i.e. resistance to any

change. The people who were resisting were managed by way of

listening to their view points and making their views issue based

rather than a personality based. They were embraced by

management rather than being avoided. They were indulged more

and more in the ERP instead of being separated from it. All the

departments invariably were involved in the process. A series of

Change Management Programmes were conducted. Slowly and

gradually, the resistance disappeared. People realized that ERP

introduces organizational reform, both process reform and system

reform. It is aimed at bringing long-term benefits for the

Implementation of ERPin Delhi TRANSCO

Prafulla Mallik

22 I never took a day off in my twenties. Not one. And I'm still fanatical, but now I'm a little less fanatical. - Bill Gates

most use of the support. We should learn more about the use of the

technology through the support, rather than using the support as

the labour component.

Since technical knowledge is involved, the learning process for

non-technical people is a bit slower. Once the benchmark

knowledge is acquired, the going gets smoother and benefits for the

users stem manifold.

If ERP is the integration of different processes, activities,

departments, locations, then it may be said that we have so far

integrated all the processes, departments, locations and only some

of our activities through ERP well and a lot more is required to be

done on the activities front for making it fully integrated.

One important aspect we did focus in is the system improvement of

the company covering almost all important functional areas. ERP

related vital systems like creation of Fixed Assets Master, Material

Codification, Document Management System, Inter connectivity

with all offices and all substations across Delhi were developed.

Although Delegation of Powers in the company was codified earlier,

it was required to be synchronized and tuned with ERP system.

Many organizations implement different ERP Modules in phases.

Accordingly they develop the related systems only before

implementation. But in our case, the management decided to

implement maximum modules at a time. Therefore, lot many

module related systems were required to be developed. It was a

huge challenging task. However the ERP core team geared up and

put in all out efforts. As a result, all the required systems were

developed in time. Today all the processes with all the related

systems are in place. All that is required is the extensive use and

constant updating of the systems.

Although Maha Transco very closely followed DTL in ERP

implementation, it was DTL only as the first transmission company

in the country which implemented a very comprehensive ERP

package successfully.

The ERP project of the Company received special recognition from

SAP amongst the PSUs for the most promising industry solution

implementation award in 2012.

Benefits of ERP

Now the use of ERP and its popularity is gradually spreading out. In

the very first few months of its implementation, some major

company procedural errors that existed in legacy system and had

significant financial impact were noticed and rectified also. The

most important benefit of ERP is that accounts of the company will

be updated. Audit will be done in time. Regulatory and Legal

compliance management system would improve. Accounts

finalization in time will not only meet with the statutory

compliance, it will also attract the bankers and financiers to make

investment in the company.

Plant maintenance module of ERP will help maintain the

transmission system very systematically. Maintenance plan helps

to create preventive maintenance schedule and that can be

monitored online. Centralized Procurement System is a very highly

researched and developed system that has been introduced.

Appropriate determination of Economic Order Quantity and ABC

analysis through system has been designed. The module when fully

operational, will immensely contribute to value addition.

Availability of desired information through Business Intelligence

module to top management in time will facilitate well informed

decision making.

Myths and Realities

Everyone should endeavor to run the system rather than thinking

that those in charge of ERP should help run it. As in fact the persons

in charge of it cannot help technically to run the ERP without the

services of the core team members of the concerned departments.

ERP belongs to the company as a whole and all the departments

have the responsibility towards its success. ERP section consists of

the people selected from all the departments and is working as a

facilitator only. Responsibility to run the respective departments is

of the people working in it. Initially, members selected from

different departments were put together as a core team. The

objective was to give them comprehensive training from a

centralized location. After the training was over, half of the core

POWER PEOPLE

Implementation of ERP in Delhi TRANSCO

23We are not even close to finishing the basic dream of what the PC can be. - Bill Gates

24 People everywhere love Windows. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Implementation of ERP in Delhi TRANSCO

team members were sent back to the respective departments to run

the ERP of their departments. After the ERP gets fully stabilized,

may be all the core team members will be required to work in their

respective departments. By the time everybody would be ERP

literate, ERP department would ultimately be a very small one,

comprising people to make administration, co-ordination work

and to provide IT services in general only.

ERP Perspectives

ERP will bring organizational transformation. It not only helps

people work faster, it also helps people work well. It enhances

corporate image and improves corporate culture. It is a tool for

value addition.

ERP is a technology which brings discipline to the organization.

Because, in ERP we bring and establish a set of procedures or

principles for the company. And everybody in the organization will

be asked to work as per the established procedures. No one

however talented, be allowed to do things his or her own way.

Everyone will work as per company’s rules.

Broad elements of Corporate Governance like transparency,

statutory compliances, and disclosures are facilitated in the

organization by ERP. System operated activity ensures

transparency. Real time operations update transactions, make

accounts on-line and facilitate timely capturing of data and

information which enable statutory compliances and disclosures.

The more you are involved in ERP, the more you learn

and the more you contribute. Originally when we

started, the benefits we visualized from ERP were a

very few. But in due course of time after seeing the full

processes of implementation and interacting with

several people in different organizations in the same

area, today we observe that this is a rare technology

which is indispensable to every organization, small or

large, private or public sector. It is for a progressive and

forward looking company like what a note pad or

laptop is today for every educated person. The

applications and operations of ERP are vast.

ERP is not a luxury now; it is a necessity for attaining

sustainable competitiveness and growth. For success

in business three things are required- class, strategy

and ethics. ERP as a tool helps achieve these three well.

Conclusion

We are in an era of profound change. Business structure, strategies

and technologies are changing very fast. For bringing competitive

strength, we need to transform our business continuously and use

the latest technology.

DTL as a corporate entity has brought in remarkable structural as

well as organizational transformation over the years. Number of

system improvement exercises has been undertaken. It has been

constantly using for a long the state of the art technology in its

business system. Implementation of ERP as a soft technology has

well begun. The journey so far is continuous and encouraging.

Some recognition and milestones have been achieved in this

regard. More vigorous, collective and team efforts need to be made

for achieving better results.

Prafulla MallikGeneral Manager(CS, HR, Legal)

He can be reached at:pk_mallik@rediffmail.com

enterPRIZEBusiness Simulation Game

Managing business is a complex activity and requires effective

decision making. The present event tests understanding and

ability of team members to take difficult decision in a timely

manner in a specific domain i.e. Managing HR Resources.

Effectiveness of various decision shall be evaluated in four areas:

1. Employee Productivity

2. Employee Cost

3. Job Satisfaction

4. Employee Retention.

For all the team decision, the key is cause - effect of all decisions

made, in areas of recruitment, compensation, capability

building, welfare scheme etc.

Power HR Forum Members Organisation

NEEPCO

EligibilityAny Power Utility can send two teams comprising

4 persons (of any discipline) in each team.

Nomination ProcessPlease contact your HR Department for details of the

selection process.

Participation Fee` 25,000/- per team.

Awards` 50,000 for the Winning team

` 40,000 for the Runner up team

` 10,000 for the Best Leader (Individual Award)

` 10,000 for the Best Learner (Individual Award)

Date & Venue

September 09-10, 2013at Power Management Institute, NTPC

Plot 5-14, Sector 16A, NOIDA.

Ms. Shailja Shrivastava Mob: 09654185205

Power HR Forum Secretariat,

Power Management Institute, NTPC

5-14, Sector 16A, NOIDA, 201301

Email: powerhrforum@gmail.com

www.powerhrforum.org

CONTACT DETAILS:

Details are available at www.powerhrforum.org

industrial dispute in relation to the said order of dismissal from

service culminating in a reference being made by the Government

of Karnataka to Labour Court, Gulbarga for resolution of the said

dispute. A preliminary issue was raised before the Labour Court

and by a judgment and order dated 30.04.1996, it was found that

the disciplinary proceedings held as against the Respondent was

not fair and legal. The parties thereafter adduced their respective

evidence before the Labour Court.

Legal Issues:• Whether the respondent should be dismissed from service?• Whether the payment of back wages should be denied from the

date of dismisssal to the date of re-instatement?

Held

Labour Court1. The respondent committed a misconduct by remaining absent

from 27.11.90 to 02.12.1993.2. Dismissal is unreasonable punishment. In a normal course the

reasonable punishment would be to disallow the back wages

and continuity of service from the date of dismissal to till the

date of reinstatement. But in this case the claimant has been

granted interim relief. If the back wages and continuity of

service are disallowed from the date of dismissal to the date of

reinstatement the punishment would be somewhat

unreasonable one. I am of the opinion that it is a fit case to

disallow the back wages and continuity of service from the

date of dismissal, i.e., 6-8-94 till the date of granting the

interim relief, i.e., 29.1.95 as a lesser punishment."

High Court"When a worker has remained unauthorisedly absent for such a

long duration in the normal circumstances, Labour Court was not

justified in interfering with the order of punishment imposed by

the management but in the facts of the case, the workman was

awarded some interim relief in the year 1995 and by an interim

order of this court in the year 1999 he has been reinstated and has

been working.

Labour law is a continuously evolving phenomenon. Our

understanding gets shaped with every judgement of the Supreme

court. So, it is important to keep abreast of the benchmark

judgements as well as the latest judgements in order to sharpen our

perspective of labour law and its application to everyday decision

making at the workplace in HR issues.

The decisions of the Supreme Court are the Law of the land as per

Art. 141 of the Constitution of India. So if we do not know the law of

the land in reference to HR, it hampers our ability to take correct

decisions in alignment with the law of the land.

The scope of labour law is too large and the number of cases are

many. Hence, it is important to choose only those judgements

which are considered to be landmarks.

We shall examine the landmark judgements in the following areas:• Unauthorized absence is serious misconduct thereby

attracting dismissal.

• Showing own workmen as workmen of contractor is a

subterfuge.

• Application of Principles of Natural Justice to Domestic

inquiry.

Unauthorized Absence is serious misconduct:Case: North Eastern Karnataka R.T. ... vs Ashappa on 12 May,

2006

Facts of the Case

The Respondent was working as a conductor. He remained

unauthorisedly absent from 27.11.1990 to 02.12.1993. His leave

records were seen and it was found that he had repeatedly

remained unauthorisedly absent. On the aforementioned charges,

a departmental proceeding was initiated against him. He was found

guilty of commission of the said misconduct and was directed to be

dismissed from service by an order dated 6.08.1994. He raised an

Judgements which have shaped our understanding of Labour Law

Sanjiv Narang

26 Rich countries can afford to overpay for things. - Bill Gates

Taking these factors into consideration and having regard to the

long absence of the workman, it is a fit case that he should be denied

the payment of backwages from the date of dismissal till the date of

reinstatement."

Supreme Court1. The learned counsel appearing on behalf of the Appellant

would submit that the Labour Court as also the High Court

committed a serious error in arriving at a finding that

absenting oneself from duty for such a long time can be treated

to be a minor misconduct and remaining absent from duty for

129 days should not have been treated leniently and as such,

the impugned judgment cannot be sustained. He also pointed

out that the finding of the Labour Court in paragraph 19 of its

award was that the absence was from 27.11.1990 to

2.12.1993, a period of three years and five days.

The charges against the Respondent were proved. Even the

Labour Court, before whom the parties adduced evidences,

found that the Respondent was absent for over three years.

The Labour Court, however, proceeded on the basis that over-

staying on leave or absence from duty partook to the nature of

a minor offence.

2. Remaining absent for a long time, in our opinion, cannot be

said to be a minor misconduct. The Appellant runs a fleet of

buses. It is a statutory organization. It has to provide public

utility services. For running the buses, the service of the

conductor is imperative. No employer running a fleet of buses

can allow an employee to remain absent for a long time. The

Respondent had been given opportunities to resume his

duties. Despite such notices, he remained absent. He was

found not only to have remained absent for a period of more

than three years, his leave records were seen and it was found

that he remained unauthorisedly absent on several occasions.

In this view of the matter, it cannot be said that the misconduct

committed by the Respondent herein has to be treated lightly.

3. "It is now well-settled that principles of law that the High Court

or the Tribunal in exercise of its power of judicial review would

not normally interfere with the quantum of punishment.

Doctrine of proportionality can be invoked only under certain

situations. It is now well-settled that the High Court shall be

very slow in interfering with the quantum of punishment,

unless it is found to be shocking to one's conscience.”

4. Hombe Gowda Educational Trust and Another v. State of Karnataka and Others [(2006) 1 SCC

430], this Bench opined:

" The jurisdiction of the labour court and the High Court to interfere

with the quantum of punishment could be exercised only when,

inter alia, it is found to be grossly disproportionate.

Assaulting a superior at a workplace amounts to an act of gross

indiscipline. The Respondent is a teacher. Even under grave

provocation a teacher is not expected to abuse the head of the

institution in a filthy language and assault him with a chappal.

Punishment of dismissal from services, therefore, cannot be said to

be wholly disproportionate so as shock one's conscience.

A person, when dismissed from services, is put to a great hardship

but that would not mean that a grave misconduct should go

unpunished. Although the doctrine of proportionality may be

applicable in such matters, but a punishment of dismissal from

service for such a misconduct cannot be said to be unheard of.

Maintenance of discipline of an institution is equally important.

5. In State of Rajasthan and Another v. Mohd. Ayub Naz

[(2006) 1 SCC 589], this Court held: "For the foregoing reasons,

we are of the opinion that a government servant who has

willfully been absent for a period of about 3 years and which

fact is not disputed even by the learned Single Judge of the High

Court, has no right to receive the monetary/retrial benefits

POWER PEOPLE

Judgements which have shaped our understanding of Labour Law

27It's really kind of cool to have solar panels on your roof. - Bill Gates

28 Microsoft is not about greed. It's about innovation and fairness. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Judgements which have shaped our understanding of Labour Law

during the period in question. The High Court has given all

retrial benefits which shall mean that a lump sum money of

lakhs of rupees shall have to be given to the respondent. In our

opinion, considering the totality of the circumstances, and the

admission made by the respondent himself that he was

willfully absent for 3 years, the punishment of removal

imposed on him is absolutely correct and not disproportionate

as alleged by the respondent”

6. For the above mentioned reasons the judgements of the

Labour court and the High Court are set aside. The order of

dismissal awarded in the departmental proceeding is

upheld.

Showing own employees as employees of the contractor is a

subterfuge

Leading Case:Bhilwara Dugdh Utpadak Sahakari ... vs Vinod

Kumar Sharma Dead By Lrs & ... on 1 September, 2011

Held:This Appeal has been filed against the impugned judgments dated

23.08.2004 and dated 21.09.2004 passed by the High Court of

Judicature at Rajasthan. This Appeal reveals the unfortunate state

of affairs prevailing in the field of labour relations in our country.

In order to avoid their liability under various labour statutes

employers are very often resorting to subterfuge by trying to show

that their employees are, in fact, the employees of a contractor. It is

high time that this subterfuge must come to an end. Labour statutes

were meant to protect the employees/workmen because it was

realised that the employers and the employees are not on an equal

bargaining position. Hence, protection of employees was required

so that they may not be exploited.

However, this new technique of subterfuge has been

adopted by some employers in recent

years in order to deny the rights of the

workmen under various labour

statutes by showing that the concerned

workmen are not their employees but

are the employees/workmen

of a contractor, or that they are

merely daily wage or short

term or casual employees

when in fact they are doing the

work of regular employees.

This Court cannot countenance such practices any more.

Globalization/liberalization in the name of growth cannot be at the

human cost of exploitation of workers. The facts of the case are

given in the judgment of the High Court dated 23.08.2004 and we

are not repeating the same here. It has been clearly stated therein

that subterfuge was resorted to by the appellant to show that the

workmen concerned were only workmen of a contractor. The

Labour Court has held that the workmen were the employees of the

appellant and not employees of the contractor. Cogent reasons have

been given by the Labour Court to come to this finding. The Labour

Court has held that, in fact, the concerned workmen were working

under the orders of the officers of the appellant, and were being

paid Rs. 70/- per day, while the workmen/employees of the

contractor were paid Rs. 56/- per day.

Application of principles of Natural Justice to Domestic inquiryS.B.I. vs Hemant Kumar on 6 April, 2011

Facts:The respondent worked in the appellant-bank as Cashier-cum-

Clerk. In January, 1994 it was discovered that the respondent had

been indulging in misappropriation of money by making fictitious

entries and manipulations in the bank's ledgers. On his

malfeasance coming to light, the respondent not only admitted his

guilt in writing vide memo dated March 3, 1994 but also deposited

the amount of Rs. 14,000/- to make good the amount earlier

defalcated by him. He was given a chargesheet detailing his various

acts of omission and commission to which he did not give any reply.

Nevertheless, before the Enquiry Officer in course of the

preliminary enquiry he expressed the intent to defend himself in

the enquiry. The enquiry was first fixed on November 15, 1994 but

on that date the respondent did not appear without giving any

intimation to the Enquiry Officer. Due to his non-appearance the

enquiry was adjourned to November 28, 1994. On that

date, once again, he did not come to participate in the

enquiry proceedings but sent a request for

adjournment on the ground that his mother-

in-law was seriously ill at Agra. The enquiry

was once again adjourned and it was fixed

for December 14, 1994. He was intimated

about the next date fixed in the

enquiry through registered

post as well as hand delivery

letters dated November 15,

1994 and November 28, 1994

respectively.

POWER PEOPLE

Judgements which have shaped our understanding of Labour Law

29Energy innovation is not a nationalistic game. - Bill Gates

On December 14, 1994 the respondent was once again absent and

there was no intimation from him. In those circumstances and

having regard to the fact that the witness intended to be examined

by the management in support of the charge had come in

connection with that enquiry from Delhi to Dehradun for the third

time, the Enquiry Officer decided to proceed with the enquiry and

examine him ex parte. PW.1 happened to be the Branch Manager

where the respondent was posted at the material time and where

the misappropriation was committed by him.

After recording his evidence, the Enquiry Officer closed the enquiry

and submitted his report holding the respondent guilty of all the

charges.

A copy of the enquiry report was sent to the respondent along

with a letter telling him that it was tentatively decided to

dismiss him from service and asking him to show cause and to

appear for a personal hearing. The respondent gave his reply

to the enquiry report and after hearing him in person, the

disciplinary authority passed the order of his dismissal from

service.

Against the order passed by the disciplinary authority, the

respondent preferred an appeal. His appeal was, however,

dismissed and then the respondent raised an industrial dispute

which was referred for adjudication before the Central Government

Industrial Tribunal-cum-Labour Court.

Held:Industrial Tribunal:

The Industrial Tribunal found and held that the domestic enquiry

held against the respondent suffered from violation of the principles

of natural justice. The Tribunal, accordingly, set aside the order of

dismissal and directed for the respondent's reinstatement with full

back-wages.The Tribunal has assigned two reasons for holding that the

departmental enquiry held in the case was in violation of the

principles of natural justice. First, it held that the respondent had

sent an application through post for adjournment of the enquiry on

December 14, 1994 on the ground that he had sustained injuries

and even though this application had not reached the Enquiry

Officer it was his duty to find out from the bank whether or not such

a letter was received and secondly, even after examining PW.1 ex

parte the Enquiry Officer should have given another opportunity to

the respondent to lead evidence in rebuttal.

Supreme Court

1. We are of the view that both the reasons assigned by the

Tribunal for condemning the departmental enquiry as

defective are completely untenable. The principles of natural

justice cannot be stretched to a point where they would render

the in-house proceedings unworkable. Admittedly, the

respondent had not appeared for the enquiry on two earlier

dates. On the third date too he was absent and there was no

intimation from him before the Enquiry Officer, yet the

Tribunal insists that it was the duty of the Enquiry Officer to

find out from the concerned department of the bank whether

any intimation or application was received from the

respondent.

2. The Tribunal's observation that it was only the third date of

hearing and hence, it could not be said that the respondent had

adopted dilatory tactics can only be described as unfortunate.

We completely reject the notion that three barren dates in an

in-house proceeding do not amount to delay. Let the in-house

proceedings at least be conducted expeditiously and without

in any undue loss of time.

3. The second reason assigned by the Tribunal that the Enquiry

Officer should have allowed the respondent the opportunity to

lead evidence in rebuttal is also without substance in the

overall facts of the case. The respondent had already tendered

two admissions of guilt in writing and one orally before PW.1

and there was hardly anything that could be said on his behalf

to repel the charges.

4. We are, therefore, satisfied that the Tribunal's findings are

wholly unreasonable and perverse and fit to be set aside. The

High Court, unfortunately, did not consider the matter as it

should have, in light of the discussions made above. The High

Court's order is equally unsustainable. We, accordingly, set

aside the order passed by the High Court and the award made

by the Tribunal.

Takeaways in the form of key learning points for the HR

practitioner:

All the judgements of the Supreme court quoted above indicate the

law of the land as well as the bent of mind of the Supreme Court in

the areas of unauthorized absence as a major misconduct, utilizing

contractor workmen as a subterfuge for own workmen and limits

30 I'm going to save my public voice largely for the issues where I have some depth. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Judgements which have shaped our understanding of Labour Law

of the use of principles of natural justice in domestic inquiry.

This learning needs to be assimilated by practicing leaders and HR

professionals for decision making in accordance with the law of the

land in related HR areas.

The key learning points for application are as follows:1. Misconduct: There are rampant cases of misconduct in

organizations. Most of the time, the only time tested solution

which is adpted by most leaders leaders and HR professionals

in this context is to ignore the misconduct or to sideline the

individual.

I distinctly remember a case in which the branch manger of a

bank asked a clerk in the bank to do a particular task and the

clerk responded in a loud and rude tone clearly audible to

customers in the bank by saying,”I don't have the time”.

There is no need to silently suffer the humiliation meted out to

leaders by personnel who feel that they cannot be touched

because their jobs are secure.

The way out of this has been clearly indicated by the Supreme

Court in North Eastern Karnataka R.T. ... vs Ashappa as well as

Hombe Gowda Educational Trust and Another v. State of

Karnataka and Others [(2006) 1 SCC 430].

The organization is delivering a valuable product or service

and any conduct of the employee which hampers this process

can be categorized as misconduct. For serious misconduct,

dismissal after conducting an inquiry is a viable option.

The labour court shall normally not interfere with the

Quantum of punishment unless the punishment is grossly

disproportionate to the misconduct. In case of major

misconduct, dismissal is valid.

So, there is no need for leaders to put with employees who

regularly engage themselves in major misconduct with

impunity. This story of, ”better ignore the misconduct” is

repeated in organization after organization due to either

ignornace or the absence of courage of the leader.

2. Subterfuge of contractor workmen: In order to reduce the

headache of the implementation of labour laws, organizations

have been using a strategy of converting their own workmen

into workmen of the contractor. This is a subterfuge to get out

of the domain of labour laws and has been recognized as such

by the Supreme Court.

Therefore, outsourcing in the core function of the organization

is likely to attract the allegation of utilizing contractor

workmen as a subterfuge for own workmen.

3. Role of Principles of natural justice in Domestic inquiry:

The principles of natural justice have a key role to play in the

domestic inquiry which is conducted in organizations.

However, the principles of natural justice can only be applied

reasonably. Due process needs to be used so that the

PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL JUSTICE can be applied and utilized.

However if the respondent does not use the process then he

cannot take the plea of absence of the principles of natural

justice. Ex. If Audi Alterem partem i.e. opportunity of being

heard was duly provided to the respondent but he failed to use

the opportunity then the inquiry will not be vitiated. If after

giving due opportunity the respondent fails to utilize the

deployed process; the plea that the domestic enquiry is

vitiated because of the absence of the principles of natural

justice will not be entertained by the courts of law.

Sanjiv NarangCorporate Trainer andManagement Consultant

He can be reached at:sanjiv@innovativetraining4u.com

By: Dave Ulrich, Wayne Brockbank, Jon Younger, Mike UlrichPublished by: TATA McGraw-HillPrice: ` 595/-ISBN: 9781259064531

31We are in the throes of a transition where every publication has to think of their digital strategy. - Bill Gates

Casting a Wide Net

HR professionals in MNCs must sensitize the workforce to the need

to adapt to local conditions.

Truly global firms have gone through a four-step process: national

to international to multinational to global. National firms create

products and services exclusively for in-country markets. When

firms become international, they export their goods to other

countries by developing a global supply chain, manufacturing

globally, and opening sales offices or distributorships in other

countries. International firms seek efficiency as they drive costs

down through standardization so they can compete globally on the

basis of price. Firms become multinational when they tailor their

goods for different markets and build a presence in each local

market. Multinational firms seek effectiveness as they customize

service to local conditions. Truly global firms share knowledge,

capital, customers, and practices around the world. Global firms

seek collaborations with networks that take advantage of synergies

across borders.

In the future, companies will probably continue to move along this

continuum. Small-and medium-size enterprises, often in Africa and

Latin America, will evolve from national to international markets as

family businesses grow.

In particular, many local markets in the Middle East, Latin America,

Africa, and Asia Are being grouped into regional entities.

Multinational organizations will shift to becoming global networks.

Even state-owned enterprises like those in China and India are

likely to attend more to global practices as they learn from others in

similar economic conditions.

The future global orientation has a number of implications. First, a

global mindset involves more than any specific management or HR

practice. Global thinking obviously occurs when someone moves to

another country. But it also becomes mandatory for anyone in a

local market who has global customers, who relies on a global

supply chain, or who face nondomestic competition. Second, global

innovation occurs anywhere. We frequently hear people in

traditionally global companies say that their most innovative work

is being done in emerging markets that allow more flexibility and

face greater demand for change. Their challenge is to use emerging-

market innovation to enlighten mature markets. Third, in a flatter,

more global world, work can be done anywhere with relatively

similar quality but at much lower costs. Labor markets will be

increasingly global since hiring for key positions can be done

anywhere - and in many cases the work can be transferred

anywhere.

The globalization of labor markets makes it difficult to justify hiring

and locating work on the basis of mature market compensations. As

work become more global in nature, so will pay rates. Since work

can be done anywhere, a new global compensation equilibrium will

raise the standard of living in emerging markets and may

potentially lower the standard of living in developed economies. It

will cause labor strife in mature markets when pay is reduced

because it is impossible to justify being paid much more for

essentially the same work. Finally, globalization will require more

complex models of cause and effect. Political change in Europe,

social reforms in the Middle East, education investments in

Australia, and consumer demand in China all affect markets and

organizations around the world.

Book Review:Global HR Competencies

32 We are in the throes of a transition where every publication has to think of their digital strategy. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Book Review: Global HR Competencies

To respond to these global realities, HR professionals need to

become global thinkers. They need to make their organizations

more global in mind-set, processes, and standards. At the same

time, they need to help their people and organizations recognize

and adapt to local conditions. They should help develop the

responsiveness of their companies to global happenings.

Demographically Diverse

Employee demographics have traditionally focused on race,

gender, and lifestyle. With the globalization trends, the makeup of

the workforce will shift dramatically. We often use some simple

exercises in workshops to demonstrate some of these emerging

demographic changes:• How many of your fathers or mothers worked for one

company? Generally a majority.

• How many of you will work for only one company? Generally

20 to 40 percent. How many of your children will work for only

company? None. (In three years, with tens of thousands of

seminar participants, we have never had any-one say yes, any-

where in the world.) Next generation employees will

inevitable have mobile careers.

• How many of your closest friends were born outside your

home country? How many of your children’s closest friends

were born outside your home country? We live in a globally

diverse world.

• How many of your have e-mailed or tweeted someone from

another country in the past 24 hours? Work is global.

• Who were your company’s three largest competitors 10 years

ago? Who are the big three today? Who will they be in 10

years? Industries now compete across boundaries.

• How many of you know when Christmas is this year? Most

people in Western countries will know; fewer in Eastern

countries. How many know when Hanukkah is? Fewer. How

many know when Ramadan is? Almost none out side Islamic

countries. We live in an increasingly complex world of ethnic

backgrounds and interests.

• At what age did your father or mother retire? At what age do

you plan to retire? It is almost always older. What about your

children? Older still.

While workforce demographic issues vary by region (for example,

parts of the world will soon face gender equity issues and some will

not), the faces of the workforce will clearly change as the world

becomes more of a global village. HR professional need to be more

sensitive to global demographics. They need to respect people with

difference experiences, but they also need to unite those

differences into shared organization agendas.

POWER PEOPLE

Book Review: Global HR Competencies

33I know there's a farmer out there somewhere who never wants a PC and that's fine with me. - Bill Gates

What are the future requirements of HR in the rapidly

changing competitive landscape?

We anticipate that by 2017, around 20 to 30 per cent of the 140

behavioural questions will be different. Some of the future

competencies for HR professionals might include the following: (To

what extent does your HR professional…):

Context and stakeholder changes• Help your organization become a more global organization

• Build global thinking throughout your organization

• Transfer innovative ideas or practices from one part of the

world to another

• Recognise the implications of external changes on business

processes

• Create a truly global workforce

• Use technology to collect and share information that gives your

organization a competitive advantage

HR granularity

• Tailor HR practices to employee needs• Offer local solutions to challengesTalent

• Invest in life time learning for employees

• Focus on retaining top talent

• Help employee find meaning in work and flexibility about

where and how they work

Organisation capabilities

• Create an Organisation that is flexible, collaborative, socially

responsible, can turn complexity into simplicity and has

integrity

Leadership

• Help leaders coach and communicate with their employees

• Encourage leadership sustainability

• Build leadership

Author Dave Ulrich tells Ankita Rai that HR managers in MNCs

should use technology to give organization a competitive

advantage.

Which HR competencies are more important now, given that

labour force has become demographically diverse and

technologically connected?

Our statistics show that being a credible activist helps an HR

professional to be seen as effective, and most professionals do

reasonably well at this domain. However, HR managers need to

improve on following fronts to drive success in business: they need

to become a capability builder, should be a proponent of technology

and should try to evolve an innovator and integrator. These facts are

consistent in all regions around the world.

What are the most important HR issues in countries like China

and India?

Most of the people who work in India and China recognize the

challenge of finding and retaining great talent. We, however, found

that HR professionals also have to define and create organizational

capabilities (or culture) in these countries. For example, in China,

HR Professionals are more adept and focused on the administrative

processes of HR than the business or strategic issues.

Dave Ulrich is a professor at the Ross School of Business, Dave Ulrich is a professor at the Ross School of Business,

University of Michigan, a partner at The RBL Group, University of Michigan, a partner at The RBL Group,

and executive director of The RBL and executive director of The RBL

Dave Ulrich is a professor at the Ross School of Business,

University of Michigan, a partner at The RBL Group,

and executive director of The RBL

“ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE IS IMPORTANT”

34 I read a lot of obscure books and it is nice to open a book. - Bill Gates

New Delhi, 17 April: Transfer and withdrawal of funds would be

made simpler and faster from July 1, as the Employees Provident

Fund Organization (EPFO) has set in motion a system to

streamline the process. While transfer of funds of subscribers

from one organization to another now takes months and not the

30 days it is supposed to, the new target the EPFO is trying to set

for itself is 15 days.

EPFO transformation from July 1

[Source: Business Standard, April 18, 2013]

NEWS OF INTEREST FORHR FRATERNITY

According to research by Columbia University’s Aylet Fishbach

and Stacy Finkelstein, negative feedback improved efficiency,

more so in people who had been at their jobs a long time.

Give Your Employees Negative Feedback

[Source: The Economic Times, April 19, 2013]

State-owned energy major ONGC on Thursday became the

country’s most valued company with a market capitalization of

over Rs.2.86 lakh crore, surpassing Tata Groups software services

company TCS.

ONGC Most-Valued Company

[Source: The Economic Times, April 19, 2013]

Find acceptance rates for MBA programmes at Stanford

University (7%) and Harvard University (13%) terrifying Heres a

bit of perspective: Not even 1 percent of applicants were admitted

to India’s top business school last year. The Indian Institute of

Management in Ahmedabad(IIM-A) offered spots to only 0.25%

of applicants for the 2012-14 academic years. Entry is based

heavily on their performance in Common Admission Test (CAT.)

IIM-A is Toughest B-School to get into in the World

[Source: The Economic Times, April 23, 2013]

In an unusual demonstration of attachment and gratitude,

employees are inking their bodies with logos of the companies

they work for.

Employees Get Their Body Language Right

[Source: The Economic Times, May 10, 2013]

New Delhi: The government is planning to set a minimum fixed

tenure of three years for CMDs and directors of state-run

companies in a bid to provide continuity and shore up decision

making and investment decisions.

Top PSU bosses may get fixed terms

[Source: The Times of India, May 12, 2013]

The Government is working on norms for utilization of surplus

funds with cash-rich public sector units (PSUs), estimated at

around Rs.2.8 lakh crore, with a view to boost investment and

promote growth.

Govt working on norms on investment of surplus funds

[Source: htbusiness: May 27, 2013]

New Delhi: You may end up saving more in the months ahead with

the Employees Provident Fund Organisation getting ready to re-

notify a new definition of compensation that will include all your

allowances, amid intense lobbying against the move by industry

bodies.

PF set to cover all pay, not just basic

[Source: The Times of India, May 28, 2013]

POWER PEOPLE

NEWS OF INTEREST FOR HR FRATERNITY

35If your culture doesn't like geeks, you are in real trouble. - Bill Gates

BBMB has won the 3rd Annual “Greentech HR Excellence Gold

Award 2013” under corporate category for outstanding

achievements in “Innovation in Retention Strategies”.

BBMB wins greentech HR award 2013

[Source: HRD update, May 2013]

Now, you will now have to deduct tax when you make the payment

to the seller if the cost of the immovable property exceeds Rs.50

lakh. The Central Board of Direct Taxes has notified the new

provision of tax deducted at source, or TDS, on immovable

property.

Now, Pay TDS on Property Over 50 Lakh

[Source: The Economic Times, June 03, 2013]

Amount of gratuity can be adjusted towards outstanding loan if

agreement of loan so provides. Adjustment of amount of gratuity

against outstanding loan amount is not barred by the provisions

of section 4(6) of the payment of Gratuity Act, 1972.

Gratuity can be adjusted towards loan if agreement so

provides [Allahabad High Court]

[Source: Labour Law Reporter: June 2013]

New Delhi: Employees of state-run enterprises will be allowed to

subscribe to shares in their companies at a discount following an

offer for sale, or OFS, the government said on Thursday.

PSU employees to get shares at discount

[Source: Mint, June 21, 2013]

Transfer order issued by the employer cannot be interfered by the

court unless it is mala fide or contrary to statutory rules or

regulations since the courts have very limited scope in this

respect.

Transfer of employee is prerogative of employer

[Source: Labour Law Reporter: June 2013 Mad HC]

NTPC is ranked first amongst the PSUs, in the large organizations

category (over 10000 employees) and it is also ranked first in

energy, oil and gas industry sector amongst India's Best

Companies to Work For - 2013 by The Great Place to Work

Institute. The company has been positioned sixth great place to

work for the country.

NTPC - amongst India’s Best Companies to Work For - 2013

[Source: The Times of India, June 25, 2013]

Increased salary and employee benefits take precedence over job

security, according to a Randstad surve. The survey, conducted by

staffing and HR services provider Ranstad, polled 7,000

employees and 150 large employers across India. According to

the survey, in 2013, 47 per cent of the employees preferred better

salary compensation and benefits such as flexible work hours,

and put performance-linked bonuses over job security, which was

top priority for 64 per cent of the respondents in 2012.

Salary not job security is the priority: survey

[Source: HRD update, May 2013]

An MBA is no longer a cherished degree for only professionals

from the private sector. An increasing number of employees from

state-owned undertakings are enrolling for the degree to hone

their managerial acumen, gain global exposure and fast track

their career, which would have taken much longer in the public

sector. In fact for most, It is a passport to move out of public sector

undertakings (PSUs) to private corporations or consulting firms.

PSU Execs Queue up For MBAs

[Source: The Economic Times, May 31, 2013]

New Delhi, 20 June: For the two years ended June 30, 2012,

unemployment rose across genders. In aggregate terms, it rose

0.2 percentage points during the period. Unemployment for

women was higher than that for men, according to data released

in the 68th round of the National Sample Survey.

Unemployment rises across genders

[Source: Business Standard, June 21, 2013]

36 Me and my dad are the biggest promoters of an estate tax in the US. It's not a popular position. - Bill Gates

Glimpses of Events inPOWER HR FORUM

15th GBM & 8th AGM at NHPC, Khairi held on 8-9 June, 2013

Programme on Disciplinary Proceedings in NHPC (29 April, 2013)

POWER PEOPLE

Glimpses of Events in POWER HR FORUM

37The general idea of the rich helping the poor, I think, is important. - Bill Gates

Sh. Satnam Singh, CMD-PFC, and Patron-Forum Releasing Journal during Review Meet in PFC held on 23 April, 2013

CMOs Meet in PMI, NOIDA held on 29 May, 2013

Management QUIZ9. Which of the following Acts is related to training in some ways? • The Factories Act, 1948 • The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 • The Apprenticeship Act, 1961 • None of the above

10. A probation period for new joinees is mandatory as per which

Act? • COBR Act • FML Act • The Industrial Disputes Act • None of the above

11. Increase in which Allowance suggests that groceries and other

consumables, have become costlier?: • special allowance • house rent allowance • dearness allowance • technical allowance

12. Name at least 4 of the 10 ways in which vacancies can be

created in an organization: - transfer, promotion, death, termination (performance,

behaviour, abscondment & disability), resignation and

retirement

13. Emotional Quotient is based on a theory propounded by: • Galileo • Oscar Wilde • Daniel Goleman • Thomas L. Friedman

14. What is the rate at which Gratuity (as per statutes) is paid in

India, per year of service, after completion of certain specified

period of service?: • (12X30X House Rent Allowance)/ 100 • (15/26)XBasic Salary • Equal to employer contribution to Provident Fund • (Dearness Allowance/ Basic)X100

15. Which one is a Quality Standard only dedicated to HR systems/

processes?: • COPC • ISO • BS • PCMM

1. Eric Berne exactly knew what games people play. In the

process he developed a concept known as______ • Critical Analysis • Concurrent Analysis • Performance Analysis • Transactional Analysis

2. Dave Ulrich forced HR professionals worlwide to think

differently about performance management. What did he

create? • Work-life Balance • Automated Scorecard • HR Scorecard • HR Automation

3. Which one is the largest payroll outsourcing company in the

world? • Employease • Payroll • Paychex • Payregister

4. This report talked of the globally outsourced HR Services

business for the first time. Which one was this? • Gartner HR Report 1978 • E&Y HR Outsourcing Report 1984 • NASSCOM-McKinsey ITES Report 1999 • Forester HRO Report 2010

5. This test is not about one PF but about 16 of them. What are we

talking about? • A Pychometric Test • A Motor Skill Test • Provident Fund • An HR Software

6. The classical training game "Moonlanding Experience" is

related to • Leadership Skills • Negotiation Skills • Team-Working • None of the above

7. This model is the mother of all Job Evaluation models. Which

one is this? • Hewitt's model • Mercer's model • BCG model • Hay's model

8. Which one is the largest jobsite in the world? • Naukri • Timesjobs • Monster • Careerbuilder

1. Transactional Analysis 2. HR Scorecard3. Paychex 4. NASSCOM-McKinsey ITES Report 19995. A Pychometric Test 6. Team-Working7. Hay's model 8. Monster9. The Apprenticeship Act, 196110. None of the above 11. dearness allowance12. Performance, Behaviour, Abscondment & Disability13. Daniel Goleman 14. (15/26)XBasic Salary 15. PCMM

Answer:

39We should all grow our own food and do our own waste processing, we really should. - Bill Gates

Management Booksby: Stephen R Covey

Title Cover Author Publisher Price in ` Why you should read this

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Running Press Book Publishers

341 The book is full of advice on taking control of your life, teamwork, self-renewal, mutual benefit, and other paths to private and public victory.

Stephen R Covey

The 8th Habit from effectiveness to greatness

475 How to go from what the author calls a 'want to' person to a 'can do' person and how doing so can completely transform people and organisations.

Stephen R Covey Simon and Schuster

Principle Centered Leadership

Simon and Schuster

475 The key to dealing with the challenges that face us today is the recognition of a principle-centered core within both ourselves and our organizations. It is a long term, inside – out approach to develop people and organization.

Stephen R Covey

The 3rd Alternative Stephen R Covey Simon andSchuster

499 This book presents a new and practical, but incredibly effective and eye-opening, way to reachre solution through using the 'Third Alternative’.

First Things First Stephen R Covey Simon and Schuster

475 It asserts the importance of prioritizing and the realization of “first things” that need to be taken care of first. Instead of focusing on the ‘time’ or ‘things’ to do’, it focuses on ‘outcomes’ and relationships.

40 The world has been very careful to pick very few diseases for eradication, because it is very tough. - Bill Gates

POWER PEOPLE

Management Books by: Stephen R Covey

Title Cover Author Publisher Price in ` Why you should read this

Living the 7 Habits Simon and Schuster

475 Real people living their lives? Living the 7 Habits presents more than 70 little stories of people as they meet challenges and practice the 7 habits. A must for those who strive to live the 7 Habits.

Stephen R Covey

Portable 7 Habits CHOICE – choosing the Proactive life you want to live

125 This book shares the 1 Habit: Be Proactive, this book will help you turn proactively into a habit for life, whether you are a beginner or a veteran.

Stephen R Covey Magna Publisher

Portable 7 Habits PURPOSE – Focusing on What Matter Most

Magna Publisher

125 This book shares the 3 Habit: Put First Things First, and teach us How to rise to new levels of self discovery and to define what need to happen today in order to realize the vision of the future.

Stephen R Covey

Portable 7 Habits ABUNDANCE – Fulfilling your Potential

Stephen R Covey Magna Publisher

125 This book shares the 4 Habit: Think Win - Win and teach us how to resolve conflicts and create happier relationship in life.

Portable 7 Habits VISION – Defining your Destiny in Life

Stephen R Covey Magna Publisher

125 This book shares the 2 Habit: Begin with the End in Mind, and defines the purpose of doing any activity and importance of choosing outcome over activity.

POWER PEOPLE

Management Books by: Stephen R Covey

41I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it. - Bill Gates

Title Cover Author Publisher Price in ` Why you should read this

Portable 7 Habits TRUST – Sharing Idea, Insights and understanding

Magna Publisher

125 This book shares the 5 Habit: Seek First to Understand, and Then to be Understood, and helps to build listing skills and thus communication.

Stephen R Covey

Portable 7 Habits SYNERGY – Connecting to the Power of Cooperation

125 This book shares the 6 Habit: Synergize, Connecting to the Power of Cooperation will help you to understand the power of working together to achieve more.

Stephen R Covey MagnaPublisher

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

Simon and Schuster

295 It shows why and how to have family meetings, importance of keeping premises, balancing needs of self and family and moving from dependence from independence. It is a individual guide to the welfare of family.

Stephen R Covey

The 7 Habits Journal Stephen R Covey FiresideBooks

490 This book increases self-awareness, provides an opportunity to ask yourself meaningful questions, and helps you keep track of your progress toward your goals.

Portable 7 Habits RENEWAL- Nourishing Mind, Body Heart and Soul

Stephen R Covey MagnaPublisher

125 This book shares the 7 Habit: Sharpen the Saw, this book gives the motivation one need to renew self on a regular bases for life.

The Wisdom and Teachings of Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R Covey Simon and Schuster

499 It covers the author’s most impactful topics: time management, success, leadership-including principle-centered leadership- all of the 7 Habits, love, and family.

42 Climate change is a terrible problem, and it absolutely needs to be solved. It deserves to be a huge priority. - Bill Gates

Cartoons

43I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act. - Bill Gates

Cartoons

44 Digital reading will completely take over. It's lightweight and it's fantastic for sharing. Over time it will take over. - Bill Gates

Cartoons

Give Your Ability and Experience a Chance to Reach Out

BackgroundPower People is a leading management journal published by Power HR Forum with the objective to share the unique and embedded knowledge of management professionals in every walk of life to improve the competitive position of both professionals and organizations.

The journal publishes:• Practical articles that describe effective practices of leading companies;• Reports on new theories that have the potential to advance strategy

development and implementation;• Interviews with corporate leaders about their view point in new

developments and on issues/tools related to better corporate performance;

• Case studies in dealing with any HR problem in any organization;• Review of leading literatures/best sellers;• Management quiz, humor; and• New developments / happenings that are a source of concern or learning.

The Journal shall be published four times a year.

Author RequirementsThe editor requires articles to be submitted initially via e-mail to powerhrforum@gmail.com. You can also submit your articles to: Power HR Forum Secretariat, At: Power Management Institute, NTPC, 5- 14, Sector 16-A, NOIDA 201301

While submitting the article please ensure the following:• Please categorize your article under one of these classifications: Research

Paper, View Point, Concept Paper, Case Study, Literature Review, Survey Reports.

• Your articles should be between 1000 and 3000 words for concept papers, research papers, view points, case studies, and survey reports and between 350-1000 words in case of Literature Review.

• All authors should mention their e-mail address and contact details including telephone number plus a professional biography of 30-40 words.

• Authors should submit an abstract structured into six sub-headings: Purpose, Methodology, Approach findings, Research limitations/ implications if applicable, Practical implications, if applicable and the originality and value of the paper. Maximum words for this section shall be 250.

• In addition, please provide up to six key words that capture the principal topics of the paper.

• The article's sub-heads should be short. Only the first word should be capitalized.

• Please present each figure and table on a separate sheet of paper, gathering them together at the end of the article. Distinguish between figures (diagrams) and tables (statistical material) and number them in separate sequences, i.e., ̀ Figure 8' and ̀ Table 8'. Please use short and crisp titles and headings in tables and figures. The units used should be stated and the source should be stated at the foot of the table. Notes relating to the table should be placed after the source. Give reference of each figure or table in the text itself (e.g., `as shown in Figure 2'), as well as indicate the margin where the figure or table should go (`Fig. 2 near here'). Ensure that all words, place names, etc. in the tables and figures are spelt in exactly the same way as they are in the text. Lay out parallel tables in similar ways using similar wording. Ensure that the units of measurement are stated and check any totals or averages.

• Exhibits should convey important information that is not duplicated in the text of the article. They should be in black and white with minimum shading and numbered consecutively with succinct captions. The exhibits should be provided electronically and their proper place in the text should be indicated, i.e Exhibit 1 goes here. Artwork should be either copied or pasted from the original software into a blank Microsoft Word document or saved and imported into a blank Microsoft Word document. Artwork may be submitted in the following standard image formats: .psd, .pdf, and

.ai. If it is not possible to supply graphics in the formats listed above, authors should ensure that figures supplied as .tif, .gif, .jpeg, .bmp or in any other format can be converted to above mentioned format and should be of at least 300 dpi and at least 10cm wide. Further, it is crucial that all text in the artworks corresponds to the text of the article in spelling and style.

• Please obtain permission to reproduce any figures or photographs that are not your own copyright. Similarly, permission may be required for quotations beyond the limits of ̀ fair dealing'.

• References embedded in the text or in the anthropological style for example `(Moon 1994)' or `(Moon 1994: 45)' (Note: page numbers in the text are necessary only if the cited portion is a direct quote). Citations should be first alphabetical and then chronological, for example `(Moon 1994; Sandee 1995, 1997; Zander 1993)'. More than one reference of the same date for one author should be cited as ̀ (Moon 1994a, 1994b)'.

• Book reviews must contain the name of the author and title/sub-title of the book reviewed, place of publication and publisher, date of publication, number of pages and price. Please follow the style: Stephen R. Covey, Principle-Centred Leadership: London: Simon and Schuster Ltd., 1992, 326 pp., $29.95. The text of the reviews should also be typed in double space. Books reviewers must also provide their affiliation and designation and complete mailing address.

• Endnotes should be used where necessary and must be identified in the text by consecutive numbers, and listed at the end of the article.

• Article for the Journal should be original contributions and should not be under consideration for any other publication at the same time.

• Authors submitting articles for publication warrant that the work is not an infringement of any existing copyright and will indemnify the publisher against any breach of such warranty.

The Reviewing ProcessThe editors of Power People have extensive experience in the field of management. The submitted articles will be reviewed by a team of top level industry practitioners/senior academicians at prestigious business schools and other authorities. The final decision whether and when to publish is at the discretion by the editor.

Copyright PolicyPrior to publication authors may provide the Managing Editor of Power People written permission to copyright their article. The author provides this permission to Power People by signing the Journal Article Record form available in www.powerhrforum.org. This enables the publisher of Power People to distribute the author's published research via a number of means to a wide range of readers to take advantage of new technologies as they rise, to distribute and store the author's work and to protect the authors from copyright and moral rights violation.

Power People does not restrict the author's right to reuse or distribute their own work. Authors who assign their copyright to Power People retain unlimited free reproduction rights for their own work. Authors do not give up their rights to use, republish or reproduce their work for course notes in another journal or as a book chapter, or electronically include in their own/institutional website subject to acknowledging first publication details. Authors who publish their article with Power People are not required to seek its permission with regard to subsequent use of their own work.

Final Publication of the ArticleOnce an article is accepted, a final version of the manuscript will be prepared for publication. The Managing Editor will supervise the editing process in coordination with the author. In order to be published each article must be accompanied by a completed and signed Journal Article Record Form available online at www.powerhrforum.org or on request from the editor. The final manuscript prepared by the editor and shared with the author will be considered to be the definitive version of an article. Before final publication the author, if desires, will have an opportunity to review it to ensure that it is complete, grammatically correct and without spelling or typographical errors. For a detailed guideline in this regard please visit.

www.powerhrforum.org

Your article in “Power People” shall now reach an audience covering all employees in Indian Power Sector, leading PSUs in other sectors, students and faculties in reputed business schools.