Category: Recruitment Consultancy

Being Well Ensures Being Successful: A Workplace Initiative

Maintaining a positive vibe and enthusiastic ambience at workplace is the key for successful business proceedings. Many times it is seen that the physical and mental illness of the staffs affects the growth of the company. The most common cause that damages a firm’s proceedings is non attendance. This is mainly caused by physical weakness, mood disorder, depression or some other illness resulting in drop in performance meter of the employee and degrading of moral at the workplace.

Now, what begs the question is how exactly well being of employee effect the company’s prosperity. It is statistically approved through different office surveys that the employees working under poor conditions and provisions are more susceptible to non attendance and lack of aspiration while in case of well-conditioned employees this disorder is quite low. The former situation likely to deteriorate the turnover of the company while the latter situation will no way degrade the turnover but may also improve the stakes for the firm.

With the business boom happening all over the globe, more and more offices are coming into play meaning more workforce environments are being formed. Under these situations, it is of utmost importance to keep the physical and mental condition of the employees afresh. If the employees are deprived in either of the conditions the drive for accomplishment for the company will slow down. For this very reason, today’s firms are always encouraging their work place employees to keep themselves fit and fine which will ultimately beneficial for creating positive vibe for the firm and in its path of progress. The organizations nowadays are providing their staffs with health check gadgets for their fitness regime, exercise and spa outings, recreational activities and other stuff for the employees’ well being.

employee-wellness

Some of the methods for employee well-being initiative are discussed below

  1. It is important to lookout for employee’s fitness regime

The company can keep track of employees’ fitness through mobile apps and also pass awareness messages and alerts to them during slack.

  1. Keep the employees busy in extracurricular activities

By arranging periodical recreational activities like sports and others in the veil of competition will ignite workplace rivalry and keep them tracked on fitness regime.

  1. 3. Encourage healthy living among the staff

Companies are aware today that the health care costs are increasing day by day and healthy employees will bring in higher efficiency and hence healthy production. It is imperative to take proper care in order to maintain wellness of the employees. The following steps could be taken to encourage good health among the staff:

  • Blood tests can be regularly organised by the companies for the employees.
  • A doctor can be called upon to talk on issues related to health care.
  • Yoga classes/camps can be conducted.

 

  1. It is important to give employees a vitality boost every now and then

The firm needs to do all to keep the moral high in the work place to spread the business further. Occasional remodelling of the work place will light up the employees’ moods and inspire them to work more efficiently; let’s face it everyone wants something new in the daily grind.

  1. The all purpose office will realise dream

The people nowadays are fitness aware but restrict themselves to equipment exercise like gymming, swimming, aerobics, cycling etc. The offices providing these facilities along with recreation centres and nutritional yet good meals as amenities will definitely get cent percent dedication and efforts from their employees, catapulting the firm to the next level.

 

Workforce diversity — Still a long way to go!!

Diversity was never in more limelight than it is today. This is so because lagging behind in incorporating diversity is not considered just the unwillingness to spend money, but it denotes that the management doesn’t want to march to the tune.

Yes, the organization gets the image of “slow-to-change.” There is a direct impact of this on the company image and employee engagement.

In light of this, more and more companies are reviewing their diversity programs and making necessary changes to rebuild and revive the same. Those who have never taken it seriously in the past are also working on it seriously.

Experts say that diversity ROI is difficult to calculate if you look at it from the perspective of tangible benefit. However, there are innumerable intangible benefits in the long run.

All this ultimately helps in building the corporate image and establishing the company as a serious player in the field of workforce diversity.

The definition of diversity has changed

Workforce Diversity

Before we have a dip test of a few leading companies of global stature, let’s understand how diversity today is different from the past?

It is no longer restricted to creating a workspace inclusive of gender, race, and sexual orientation. Rather, it has extended up to including talents with different problem-solving skills as well.

Companies with a future-thinking perspective understand the dangers of ignoring diversity. Hence, they constantly review their retention and hiring practices.

Even the standard operating norms also get changed from time to time to include and accommodate the changing diversity scenario.

Does it mean ‘all is well’ everywhere? Well, looking at a few cases that hit the news headlines recently, it doesn’t seem so. There have been many cases where big companies were found ignoring the basic diversity norms.

Case #1: Google and Facebook

Well, one of the biggest name today is “Google!” According to the annual diversity report published by the company, the tech giant is far behind as far as diversity is concerned.

The company is largely dominated by male employees (white).  Asians contribute almost 30 percent, and African Americans are about two percent.

Facebook also shares the similar trends.   The diversity report published last year revealed that the half of the workforce is white and hardly two percent are African American.

Though both giants officially assured that concrete steps will be taken to increase diversity, the real impact can be seen after looking at the subsequent reports.

Since there will be pressure to release the data publically, we can assume that something better will emerge in the coming years.

The trends have been similar for decades. Hence, it will take some time to change the situation.  It will be possible only if companies put sincere and honest efforts to correct the disparity.

SOME LOCAL FLAVOUR-

Case #2: Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Pepsico India

Indian companies are realizing the importance of workforce diversity more today as compared to the old days. Bajaj Allianz runs all-women branch which focuses on female employees to make them insurance experts. However, there is still a long way to go as far as implementing diversity up to the fullest extent.

Pepsico India has almost one-fourth women employees and even at the higher management levels the company has sufficient representation of Women.

As far as other diversities are concerned, they are not much significant in India. For example, racial diversity doesn’t exist at all and diversity based on the sexual orientation is still a taboo in the Indian society.

Hence, the studies conducted in our country are predominantly focused on the gender diversity. In companies like Pepsico India, the corporate policy looks women with a unique perspective and approach. The HR feels that the significant representation of women helps in healthier, well-balanced teams and better decisions.

Research projects conducted by top-rated organizations such as McKinsey point out that companies that strive for gender diversity are more likely to have better returns than the national industry medians as compared to those who don’t bother about gender diversity at all.

Bajaj Allianz HR feels that gender diversity gives an opportunity to tap the vast talent pool of women. The company calls it a ‘win-win’ situation for all.

It is a fact that companies are looking for a change in their perspective and making sincere and honest efforts as well.

Conclusion

It is needless to say that in spite of so many claims and commitments by corporate houses about maintaining workforce diversity in their respective organizations, still there is a long way to go.

If we see such a pity situation in the biggest companies in the world, it is difficult to imagine the same in small and medium level companies.

With the focus on diversity worldwide, companies are altering their hiring and retention policies accordingly. Experts feel that it is more of an attitude issue than policy.

Even if you make stringent norms about it, the situation will not change unless there is a change in the mindset of the people.

Hopefully, the situation will change eventually, and we will see more dynamic and diverse workforce everywhere.

Forming Personal Opinions- V/S Taking Successful Interviews

Here is a Short Story , which tells us how we form  “Opinions” on or about someone.

SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWS

Just imagine , that you are lost in an unknown territory , and  have been walking for quite some time.

You are thus feeling very Thirsty , but unfortunately , there is no availability of water. You stand to rest under a Tree……

(A) Suddenly, a window of a house on the first floorof an apartment building, opens, and your eyes meet  someone’s .That person immediately guesses , the state you are in, and asks by , gesturing , if you need some water.You NOD in a BIG “YES “, and start walking towards the apartment building.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS PERSON??— THIS IS YOUR FIRST OPINION

(B) The person gestures with a sign of coming down , and closes the window.

It is 15 minutes that you are standing there, but the door to the apartment building doesn’t open.

(C) You are about to move, and finally the door opens. The person is standing there with a jug, and says politely:

“ So sorry for the delay , but looking at your condition , I thought it would do you good ,if I prepared some “Nimbu Paani”/” Lemonade” for you”.

NOW HOW DO YOU FEEL  ABOUT THIS PERSON-?? — THIS IS YOUR THIRD OPINION.

(D) A glass is filled and handed over to you. You take a sip , and realise that it has NO SUGAR ,in it.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS NOW ABOUT THIS PERSON—????—?????????????????????

Given this simple situation of the above STORY, we see how our Opinions keep changing.

This leads us to a very crucial question: “How correct can we be , while giving an Opinion on anybody, more so a STRANGER” In a nut shell, the moral of the story is, if the person’s behaviour falls into the boundary of our “Expectations”, he is “Good” otherwise not. !!!!!

Translating this to the Corporate world :  For any HR Manager , choosing a right person for a job, is a challenge. Going through the sheer number of resume’, shortlisting them according to set criteria, can be overwhelming.  While going through the resumes, we (HR managers) try to predict , which candidate will do well in a given job role, and which won’t .

Even after all this hard work, we are  still left  with “limited Choices” , who fall into our “Expectations” and are thus invited for “Interview”

While taking interviews, we are mostly meeting “Strangers”,and in all likelihood , we will  start forming  Opinions about him or her , the moment they enter the room, by their clothes, behaviour, body language , spoken language etc etc.

Hey——Hold your horses, Mr./Ms. HR — THINK AGAIN-  This isn’t  a personal matter.

YOU are A RESPONSIBLE OFFICER and  recruiting for a company……… You need to Master the Techniques of Taking a  Successful Interview . Isn’t it?

Write to me with your experiences of FINE/GOOD/ BAD Interviews at nisha@uhr.co.in

yoUrs  in HR ……UHR

Prepare Yourself To Deal With Difficult People

You like or not, but difficult people are always there in every work environment. They are omnipresent and ever irritating. They can be your colleague, counterpart, or in the worst situation; your boss!

They tarnish your self-esteem; they damage your self-confidence and sometimes hit your professional courage. Well, are the difficult people so dangerous?

Sometimes yes and sometimes no! You create a ‘larger than life’ image of such people and find their behavior obnoxious. You feel that they are just intolerable people who will not change their mindset ever.

You feel that it is very much difficult to deal with them and it will be a loss of productivity if you spend time in correcting the behavior of difficult people.

Yes, it makes sense up to some extent. Correcting their behavior could be a daunting task but what about correcting ‘your own’ behavior to deal with them?

Understand their ‘type’ first!

Don’t put all types of difficult people in one category. Yes, there are several varieties. Some don’t pay attention to what you are telling and keep on talking in an irritating manner. Some want you to listen what they say and expect that you should follow their order without question.

Some feel that they are ‘Mr. Know-it-all’ and anything under the sun that is not created by them is inferior. Some are jealous of you without any reason, and they do not miss a single chance to humiliate or offend you.

1-1

Some people always want to remain in the limelight and want to take the responsibility of success; it is not the situation when the team fails. They are the bitterest critic in that case.

Some people wait for the chance of stabbing you in the back. They act like your best friend or the most decent boss, but they carry a different feeling internally. Since you know it very well, the situation frustrates you more.

The list is indicative and not comprehensive. You may get hundreds of other varieties of tough people.

Before you decide the strategy to deal with them, first recognize and understand them thoroughly.

Isn’t it a good idea to ignore them instead of thinking the ways of dealing with them?

Yes, it looks quite fancy but the things won’t improve if these people are left unaddressed. Rather, they become worst. Usually, these difficult people are in such roles that you can’t avoid them. Thus, the conflicts simmer underground and erupt on the surface with a blast.

Moreover, when you ignore; it is treated your weakness. They consider you a coward, and they find new ways of irritating you at the workplace. It may result in you losing the objectivity and emotional control which is not good in a professional environment.

Sometimes, ignoring difficult people gets rebounded. You get the blame for not having the skills of handling difficult people.  People start considering ‘you’ a difficult person.

Hence, don’t let others cause devastating consequences to your career growth. Deal difficult people timely and save your job.

Find out productive and practical ways to address the issue

What do you think? Should you use your Martial Arts skills to correct the behavior of a bully coworker? Or should you shout at a difficult coworker in the boardroom who delays your presentation purposely?

No, these are not good solutions either. At least, in a structured work environment; they are not good indeed.

If at all you use them, there are big chances of you getting fired from the company. Hence, cool down and read these productive (and effective) ways.

  • Retrospect the situation. Make sure you are not overacting to it or giving unnecessary importance to the other person. Hope you are not exaggerating the behavior.
  • Compare the behavior. You should talk to other coworkers about it. Do they also carry the same feeling as you do? Or the other person is reacting to ‘your’ behavior? You believe it or not, but in many situations, the problem is in you and not in the other person.
  • Assess the situation objectively. Do not let the emotions come in between. Legitimate emotions such as anger, frustration, humiliation, feeling of being isolated or fear to make the situation complicated.
  • Are you getting disturbed by the behavior of the difficult people about you? Make sure you are not getting carried away what others say or think. In a situation when we become prejudiced by what others think, our opinion also gets colored like that. Hence, think in a cool manner and then decide the further action plan.
  • Open the dialogue if possible. Try to explain your stand and convey your feelings. If the arrogance is disturbing you, then request the other person to be a little docile. If bossing troubles you, then let the other person know that you are getting affected by the behavior. When you open up, the chances of improvement improve. Always keep the tone polite and normal when you deal with difficult people.  Don’t let them judge that their behavior disturbs you.

What if everything else fails?

Yes, as they say, “hope for the best and be prepared for the worst”; there comes a situation when all your efforts fail.

You must decide whether the good in the current job outweighs the bad things or it is the other way round? If the good outweighs, then you should not worry about tough people.

If the bad outweighs, then the best thing is to leave your job. Instead of working with a frustrated mindset, it is better to quit. At the end of the day, you should not compromise happiness and peace of mind. It is more important than anything else.

What is the guarantee that you won’t get tough people in the new company? Well, there is a possibility of it, but at least you will have a new set of people to deal with. You can try the ways and methods described earlier.

Life is nothing but an unending trail of trial and error; isn’t it?

Tips For Attending Video Interview

Gone are the days when you were required to go to the workplace for an interview. Yes, advancement in technology brings the flexibility of giving the interview at a place that is convenient to you. It could be home, cyber café, or a restaurant.

The first change was a telephonic interview, and with the rise of video conference services, there is a revolutionary change. Today, an in-person interview is scheduled by the HR and candidates to appear online.

Telephonic and video interviews are quite similar, and in most of the cases, interviewers can judge the person as effectively as they can do an in-person meeting. Hence, it is a cost-effective and efficient way of selecting suitable candidates and weeding out unfit people.

However, for many people, it is a big challenge to appear in a telephonic or video interview. They miss the in-person charisma.

Do you fall in the same category? Experts say that it is not a big deal. One can attend perfection in it by overcoming potential pitfalls. Here are some workable, simple tips to overcome the anxiety.

skype-interview

Here are some tips that can make you successful in the interview.

Make yourself comfortable with the equipment first

You can’t remain aloof with the equipment and technology in the modern era. When you are completely dependent on it during the interview, the first thing you should learn is how the system works?

Arranging the things well in advance and testing the functionality before the interview are good moves. Keep technical assistance ready if you are not a ‘techie’ person.

Don’t forget the Murphy Law! Always have a backup plan if something disastrous happens. An extra webcam, microphone and computer system should be kept handy if the interview is really crucial for you.

Audio and video calls take some time to set up. Therefore, you should be ready at least 15 minutes prior to the interview.

If at all you can’t continue the interview, inform the HR person about it and see if they can reschedule or reinitiate the call.

Beware of the timing

You need to be as prompt and alert in the telephonic interview as you are in the personal interaction. When the interviewer asks a question, you should not take excessive time in responding. It creates a suspicion in the mind of the interviewer. Therefore, you should be alert and conscious.

Beware of the surroundings

Would you hire a candidate who appears in the video interview in a shabby room with low lighting? Or there are pets roaming around in the background or kids screaming near the microphone?

You would not even like to continue the interview. Hence, wear the shoes of the recruiting manager and fix the background before you connect.

It is always better to have it in a separate room. Make it clean, neat and attractive. There should not be anything that is visually distracting. Keep the phone ringers off in the surrounding area.

Don’t arrange it in a restaurant or coffee shop just because the background is attractive. The place comes out to be too noisy and irritating.

Mind the aesthetics

Illumination and background color matter a lot. Don’t use a room that is too shiny or dull. Avoid casting shadows on the face. The source of light should be placed at an angle that doesn’t cause a glare on the face.

Wear a dress that suits the occasion. It is not an exaggeration, but interviewers have seen candidates appearing in nightgowns or robes.  Do not wear casuals (round neck T-shirt and half pants) in any case.

Put a little bit makeup so that you don’t look oily.

See, the approach has to be formal always eve if the interview is not in person. It is always good to appear professional. Shave when you get ready and get dressed in business clothes.

You should hear each and every line carefully. Avoid repeating your statements. It gives a wrong impression.

Have a mock drill

‘Practice makes a person perfect’; the cliché holds good for telephonic or video interview as well. Rather, it is furthermore important to practice for it as there are several technical aspects also.

Some people feel awkward in front of the camera. They should do a rehearsal before the actual interview. You can practice with a friend, record the session and watch the same later. You get a fair idea about it.

In a telephonic interview, you should convey the cheerfulness and enthusiasm in your voice. Smile while you speak and see the amazing impact.

Speak clearly and softly. Keep the tone medium and beware of the modulations. Let your professionalism get reflected from your voice.

If you practice for the interview well, then it is guaranteed that you will get success. By practicing for the interview, you can get a good grip over the subject.

Don’t ever cheat

Whether it is an audio call or video call, do not use unfair means while you appear in the interview. Don’t read from a prepared script. Don’t seek help from a specialist or friend.

Unfair practices can be judged by HR experts easily. It shatters your image and creates a negative feeling about you. Even if you are the best-fit candidate from other aspects, you will not be considered for the vacancy.

Video and audio interviews are becoming increasingly common nowadays. Statistics says that six out of ten people get selected through this channel. Hence, it is furthermore important to get mastered in it. By taking a few precautions, you can achieve grand success.

Conclusion

In brief, there are six important tips that make your telephonic or video interview successful.

  • Keep the backup plan ready.
  • Practice by taking a dummy video interview with a friend.
  • Prepare well before the session begins.
  • Look professional, behave in a professional manner and talk professionally.
  • Dress in the proper manner.
  • Look at the camera and not at your screen.
  • Pay attention to the interviewer and do not repeat statements.
  • Make the surroundings suitable for the interview.

All The Best!