Author: UnitedHR

Life at UHR: The Positive Environment

Life@UHR_The Positive Environment - Copy

Workplaces all over the world are trying to make their employees “comfortable” while on their jobs. With the millennial population entering job market, the attempts to appeal the young generation are increasing even more, with various perks and incentives offered.

At United HR, thinking about our employees is not a recent practice. We asked them all what they have to say about working at UHR. Our employees, young and old alike have expressed their admiration for the work environment we offer.

A common complaint many people have regarding their workplace is the “corporate slavery” they are subjected to.

Our employees have a different story to tell. “It is like a second home” tells one employee.

“There is a really friendly atmosphere”, says another. “The office atmosphere is really good”, we find the reflection in the words of yet another employee.

“UHR is a family member” says another. Echoes to the previous statement are found in the opinions of most employees. “United is like family”, says one employee. “It is a good environment to work.”

“There is freedom and a homely environment” says one employee when asked about the positives about life at United HR.

Talking about the positives, “positivity” itself is something that is again listed as a great quality of the work environment we offer.

Many workplaces are notorious for treating freshers almost like second class citizens.

One employee mentions how she started as a one, and how it felt “overwhelming” at first. But  she goes on to say how she later came to learn a lot while on the job. She terms life at UHR as “amazing.”

It is necessary that the young and the more experienced employees share a good rapport, and that there is a certain exchange in terms of learning.

“The team members are supportive and the seniors have helped in enhancing my skills” says an employee while talking about the interpersonal interactions at UHR.

Another employee lauds the “motivational colleagues” they get to work with.

An articulate employee sums up how the vibes and the interactions at United HR are:

“There is a certain team spirit and working with a group of young, enthusiastic people is fun. There is transparency in the environment, knowledge sharing takes place. Moreover, there is a great team of Team Leaders who have been with UHR for so long. It’s a great support. There are ample opportunities to grow if you wish and try.”

Interactions where people don’t hesitate to speak up, where there is a healthy exchange of ideas, where there is scope for knowledge-enhancing conversations and where your colleagues feel like your family, and the office a second home- these are some of the factors that contribute to the positive vibes at United HR.

Leadership in Little Things

LEADERSHIP EDITED IMAGE

There is the picture of a larger than life figure leading an army.

Sometimes there is an archetypal visual of a booming war cry.

 In a more contemporary imagination, we imagine world political leaders in their suits and blazers, shaking hands and signing treaties.

But being a leader doesn’t necessarily entail any of the above mentioned grandeur!

Leading teams in an office environment is definitely not about leading armies and countries. But there are some qualities which all leaders, in all environments display.

 Leadership is reflected in the minutiae of our lives.

 Leadership is not about force. In fact, what author Daniel Goleman has to say about an essential quality of a leader has nothing to do with bossing people around at all.

Goleman considers ‘Emotional Intelligence’ as the quality which puts a leader apart. Some seemingly simple characteristics of a person with high EI are:

  • Empathy. The ability to put yourself in other’s shoes.
  • Self-awareness and self-regulation. Being aware of one’s emotions and in control of them, especially during crises.
  • An ability to handle interpersonal relationships in a balanced way.

One has to realise that true leadership lies in the gestures and actions. Possessing a quality is one thing, acting over it is what makes a leader.

Let us look at the quality in the context of a workplace

  It is true that some designations, have “leadership” attached to it, for example a manager, director, etc. But a leader as such could be anyone, irrespective of their post. It’s the actions that show leadership qualities.

 Some projects often involve efforts of many people. A leader here is someone who:

  • Sets immediate and ultimate goal: it could be as small as setting up an unofficial deadline for all team-members.
  • Organises the roles of all those involved in the project.
  • Doesn’t simply “assign” responsibilities. Rather, he or she shapes the conversation in such a way that there is an element of choice of the team-members.
  • Appreciates and gives credit to everyone’s contribution.
  • Encourages to communicate ideas, no matter how bizarre one might feel they are.

   He or she listens to what each one has to say and then through dialogue and consultation brings each member to pick the responsibility which perfectly matches their capabilities.

  A good leader is almost always chosen unofficially and without any sort of announcement. There is a sort of unspoken, unanimous agreement working here.

  Meetings are tricky. Sometimes they might turn boring, or employees may feel they are pointless. A leader would be someone who:

  • Makes a suggestion about an agenda if the meeting seems to lack direction.
  • Keeps a tab whether everyone has said what they wanted to say.
  • Takes charge if someone is feeling hesitant in communicating.
  • Keeps a tab on the structure of the meeting: when did it begin, when will it end, what would this meeting cover and what the previous one did.

Leadership involves finding a purpose for everyone, through collaboration.

It is not about exercising power but about empowering your colleagues.

It is not about rivalries and ego-tussles. It is about creating an environment with good participation, dialogue, and flow of ideas. It is about making your colleagues comfortable and at the same time, making sure no one feels hesitant to step out of the comfort zone, including yourself.

Lives of Happy Candidates: Mr. Rashmi Ranjan Swain

Success story_Rashmi Ranjan - Copy

Success is not just about glitz and glamour. Success is also about being level-headed and calm. It is talking about your success with a keen sense of awareness about your environment.

The thing with the perception of many Asian and African countries is it lies in two extremes. Sometimes, only the negative stereotypical things are highlighted, and sometimes, like many travel shows, a very exotic, but nevertheless stereotypical side gets portrayed. It is important that a balanced, real experience gets reported.

Mr. Rashmi Ranjan Swain, who works at African Industries Limited in Nigeria has some wise and happy words to say about the place.

“First and foremost I would like to highlight the kind of phobia we had before arriving at Nigeria. In reality, I can say it’s all our imagination and perception.

“There is no need to fear for anything life threatening here. Of course it’s always advisable to go along with your friends or colleagues. I can say the way foreigners live their lives in India, we can expect to live in a similar way. The city is quite good and developed, with advanced infrastructure.

“You will find people from various nations. There are people mostly from China, India, Philippines, UK. I can say night life also very amazing. ”
He shared a picture of a temple in Nigeria with us. Indeed, it is a multicultural place.

WhatsApp Image 2018-08-27 at 12.01.09 PM

He goes on to talk about his experience at a professional level.

“It’s a very renowned company in Nigeria with diversified business in different sectors. Some of the employees have served here for more than ten to twenty years.”

A long tenure is a great indicator of reliability, and success of the company. And it is a great testimonial to the success of our candidate himself for working in such a company. He further talks about the experience.

“The management is concerned about the employees as well and the payments are made on time. The facilities provided here are according to the commitments they make at the time of selection. ”

With this straightforward testimonial, Mr. Swain gives a very realistic and balanced view about his overall experience in Nigeria. We give kudos to him for taking the leap of faith.

The photos he sent us are great visual testimonials to the balance, diversity of the place, and Mr. Rashmi Ranjan Swain’s success and happiness.

WhatsApp Image 2018-08-27 at 11.39.35 AM

WhatsApp Image 2018-08-27 at 11.40.37 AM

The Haunting No Recruiter Likes

 Ghosting_Article jpeg

Imagine someone agreed to come visit your house. You prepare delicious food for them, change your routine for the day, tell your family members about them, and even they tweak their routines a bit. The guest does not show up. You try to call them up, leave messages but there is no reply of any sort. You get worried, anxious, frustrated and somewhat angry at the same time. This, in a nutshell, is ‘ghosting’ in a domestic terminology.

 Now imagine something like this happening in a professional setting. Whether a recruiter believes in ghosts or not, chances are he or she would definitely encounter the phenomenon of ghosting. A ‘ghost’ is any candidate who commits and then disappears often cutting off all contact abruptly.

 Ghosting could occur at any stage. A candidate may agree to show up for interview but when the day of the interview comes, there is no sign.

 A candidate may show up for the interview, ace it, cheerfully agree to all the conditions, and then doesn’t show up on the day of joining the company. Some candidates even clear the formalities and paperwork. Even health check-ups are cleared wherever there’s a requirement. And still there are chances that the candidate just won’t show up at the job. There have been instances when flight tickets were booked by candidates but even those weren’t used!

 Recruiters all over the world would have stories to tell when they received calls from various companies just ‘ghosted’ by the candidates the recruiters had roped in. Or when they got worried about a candidate’s health and safety.

Companies often have to resort to guesswork when ‘ghosting’ takes place. Calls, messages go unreturned. Sometimes even contact numbers are changed, or phones are switched off. Emails go unanswered. Instead of formally quitting, the candidate just stops showing up at the job.

Trends:

Trends are changing in job applying processes. At one point in time, people often used to covet a particular job. At other times, there was also a trend to scan the ‘Classified’ sections of newspapers and apply for a couple of jobs which interested the candidate. Chances are, not all of them would lead to interview call-ups.

Moreover, at one point, companies used to ‘ghost’ candidates after interviews. Only those who progressed to the next round were communicated about the later processes. But now, things have reversed.

Many people apply at multiple places just for the sake of applying. Each new offer is seen as a potential step up, a better opportunity. The scanning process never stops, it seems.

Ghosting is a phenomenon which most of us engage in various aspects of our lives. Things have to be “understood.” People in general would like to avoid confrontations, awkwardness and conflict, and saying ‘no’ or formally quitting could very well lead to all of that. But what makes ghosting at a professional level a hot button topic is the signing of a contract, which entails a commitment. Ghosting after committing is the issue. When a candidate leaves without a formal notice the recruitment process has to then be started all over again, with the company and the recruiters bearing all the costs.

 ‘No’ Problem:

It’s not wrong to apply at multiple places. Multiple job offers are not a bad thing. And it’s only logical that candidates cannot accept all the job offers they get.

(Emergencies and crises come unannounced, and those are exceptions to the case. )

 How to go about with the need to reply in the negative is a huge task for some, especially those who are more on the socially awkward side.

And chances are, candidates have to put up their best behaviour in all circumstances. How to say ‘no’ then, without appearing rude or unprofessional is the question. And someone has to be told ‘No.’

That precisely is the problem: candidates don’t even say no.

An absence of response has come to be equated with saying ‘No.’ An absence of response has come to be considered a response in itself.

 What is the answer here then? How to go about as not to ‘ghost’ recruiters?

 As basic as it can get: communicate.  Whatever is the scenario, say so. If you are probably going to say no, make it clear. If you need to drop out for some reason midway through the process, talk about it, no matter how awkward the conversation might be.

A moment of awkwardness on an interpersonal level can often save hours of anxiety and frustration on an official level.

Blood Donation Camp at UHR

edited bd - Copy

Do you wish to contribute to the society in any little way you can?

Have you been thinking of donating blood? Has the concept scared you?

Blood donation is something that is considered a noble activity.

But the word ‘blood’ itself scares a lot of people, forget progressing to ‘donation.’

We are organising a Blood-donation camp at United HR. And we would encourage you, and your Team Members, friends and family to come along and donate! Blood-donation is a rare opportunity to contribute to someone else’s well-being. It’s time we put aside the myths and look at the advantages of donating blood.

Moderation of Iron-level in Blood is one of the most important advantages of blood donation. We have been told since school days that vitamins, minerals, proteins, iron, etc., are necessary for a healthy body. But did you know having too much iron in one’s blood could actually increase chances of heart-disease? And too much iron also increases free radical damage in the body, which has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Blood donation, by moderating iron levels gives rise to a whole new set of advantages like:

  • Reduce the chances of a heart-attack by 88%.
  • Lower the risk of severe cardiovascular events like stroke by 33%.
  • Lowers the risk of cancers of liver, lung, colon, stomach and throat. Studies supporting could be found in Journal of National Cancer Institute as well as corroborated by Miller-Keystone Blood Centre.

Blood donation also gives you a chance for:

  • Free Blood Analysis– A blood donor receives a free prior health screening plus mini blood test. The HB level is tested, as well as blood pressure and body check is done. The donor is also screened for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases; and is immediately informed in strict confidentiality if any of these tests show positive results.

One might think blood donation might “take away” something from one’s body. The donor’s body immediately begins to replenish the lost red-blood cells within 48 hours of blood donation. The donation thus:

  • Stimulates the production of new Red-Blood Cells.
  • Helps to burn calories. It helps burn about 650 calories for every pint, i.e 450 ml of blood given.

 Dizziness, nausea, light-headedness, fainting are some extremely short-lived side-effects which some individuals do face. But those are very normal and not everyone faces these. To ensure that the process is safe, blood donation should be done in a professional, hygienic environment where proper medical attention is given. It should be done under the supervision of experts. We at United HR have ensured that all these requirements will be met with in our blood donation camp. Details:

Date: 17th August 2018,

Venue: At the Swastik Society Hall,

Swastik Char-Rasta,

Off C G Road, Near Domino’s/AroDrape, Navarangpura,

Ahmedabad-380009

Timings: 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.