Temping : Indian Perspective

In India there are 40 crore organised class workers, upto 3.5 - 5% of them are on temping. These employees somestimes even earn better than their permanent worker counterparts. Sometimes upto 20 % premium in salary. But the disadvantage is that they don't get perks like pension, paid vacation et al. But these temp workers get flexible working hours. Most of these people are in their 40's looking for flexible working hours, as they may be house wives or people with stagnating careers.

In the last 3-4 years the average salary of these people have almost doubled from the previously 5-8,000 Rs to 11-16,000 currently.

So, what do you think of temping.

The Importance of Delegation

Are you a person who thinks that I am the best person. I can do a task best. If I do it myself then I can expect that the task gets completed properly. That a wrong thinking. If you are a manager learn to delegate. A team is always better than a one man army. Learn to delegate the task to your subordinates. That way you free your self up for more important tasks. You are a manager and are expected to do strategic thinking and get the big picture right for the company. If you do all the small things like attending all telephones et al then you are doing nothing but micromanaging and burning your-self out.

If you want your subordinates to do the task well, there are two thing which you can do. Let s take a look at what these things are. Communicate well with your subordinate. Make sure you made him understand exactly what you want to achieve through them. This can be achieved by regularly communicating with your subordinates so that you know what is their wavelength. Also give them theie space. Yes , space is something which even a close relationship like spouse demands. Give space, set goals and make them accountable. I bet you will see result. Use the least force or co-ercion which can have a negative impact.

CSR or GSR

Recently I was reading the editorial of 4P's which said that Corporate Social REsponsibility is sheer non-sense and that its actually Govt. Shirking REsponsibility (GSR ). They feel that a corporation earns profit and pays tax.Thats all about it. Social welfare is the work of Govt. which its trying to impose on the corporations. They seem to have a point. Is the government only for the sole purpose of propagating hatred among communities and corruption in the country. If they delegate their core tasks then what is the purpose of their enjoying the office? Govt. can not impose CSR on corporates. It is totally voluntary and an opportunity to earn profit and contribute to the society in a positive manner.

Lateral Movements

The role of Board doesn't end at placing people in the right slots. Especially the top management ones. The performance of the businesses under the leadership has to be tracked constantly. There are some leaders who are more charismatic than others. Some are turn-around champions. Such leaders have to be moved into slots which require more apt handling of the situation. Where business is stable a normal calibre leader would do. Some leaders who have the track record of delivering in difficult conditions should be placed in top slots of such companies which are faced with declining fortunes. Hense there is a need for constant lateral movements in the Group Companies. Also there are some leaders who want challenging jobs, they perform at all cylinders firing only in challenging circumstances. To retain such top managers also need lateral movements. Have you hired one lately?

Advertising and Creativity

I was recently reading the latest issues of 4P's in which they were discussing the role of ceativity in Advertisements. My take is customer is no fool. See compare the situation with the Indian election scenario. People inthe 70's and 80's gave majority vote to congress or BJP and mandated them to form a government. Since they learnt that all and sundry are corrupt and there is no other choice but to choose between them, they voted in a pttern that for more than a decade now is the norm rather than an exception. The existence of coalition governments. Want power, enjoy sharing? Similarly consumers know all the time that Advertisers are lying and fooling them. The catch is that they allow them to do that. And why? Because they need to buy one product or other, even if it is from the stable of liars who are trying to emotionally manipulate them. Doesn't a husband and wife keep manipulating each other? But there is an iota of love which keeps them together.

Corporate Blogs : New Marketing Techniques

Corporate blogs are being used for Marketing, PR and CRM. A corporate blog can be used to publish the products of a company, for the users to comment on. Prior to launching and post launching of the product, feedback can be collected from users regarding the product. People can post their experiences on the net and suggest improvements or shortcomings of the product. So in short corporate blog can be used for showcasing the products to the consumers.

PR or public relations and Customer Relationship Management CRM functions can also be effectively be carried out by the corporate blog, you may ask how? Feedback of consumers and customer complaints and greivance section can be created. This will be giving credibility to the general public that the company is transparent in its dealings. Also PR can be maintained by posting relevant details about various CSR and other programmes being carried out by the companies. Company can post its mission and vision for the benefit of the public.

Some companies allow their employees to freely blog while some consider it as a sensitive matter as to what information is leaked by the employees to the consumer.

But Rajeev recommends a corporate blog.

Recruitment by Performance

Indians want everything assured. Assured returns from MF, assured returns from relationships. But without proper inputs, entropy soon takes up the healyh. Infosys now has no assured placements for campus recruits. They have to clear Merit tests which were reduced in Number from six to two attempts or else you have to quit the company. This emphasis on performance is creating a lot of flutter among the recruited people. In one sample 200 out of 600 failed in the first atempt creating a lot of anxiety in recruits. A sure shot attempt by Infosys to promote meritocracy and unshackle inertia among youth.
Rajeev recommends the process to other corporates, sure it will add to productivity and an increase in bottomline in the long run.

Innovative Marketing

Sunsilk from the stable of HLL faced stiff competition from Garnier. It reverted back with style . They launched an online website sunsilkgangofgirls.com. They have two lakh members and crossed 150 hits recently. They offer tips to girls on beautification and enjoying the girlly life better. They suggest makeover of the girl online if a photo is posted. It i slike a all girls online community. They enjoy a clear first mover advantage in Innovative Marketing, by creating a Buzz around the product. Full marks for comprehensive marketing.

Of Sexual Harassment

It happens everywhere, in all the offices and at all the times. This all pervasive, ubiquitous phenomenon. The girls in offices have to behave as surrogate wives of their supervisors to continue to solicit employment. This is not direct harassment, but it is tacit. If you don't co-operate then there are other ways of causing mental harassment to females. So most consent to some form sexual advances of males. Guys world is changing for the better. In my own experince of a small software firm where all collegues were male ( probably homosexuals ), I was troubled and fired in two months when I didn't concede to their advances ( I am a Male). Same goes with girl-to-girl relationship and all other permutations and combinations.
Be wise, if working, be the boss.

Critical Appraisal

Performance Appraisals are pertinent to org. performance. Employees should be continuously made aware of what is expected of them and provided the requisite future direction. The employee should take the feed back as a learning experience and hone his strengths while oovercoming his/her weaknesses. To avoid the unpleasant consequences of PA, it should be done in an informal atmosphere in a friendly manner as a positive affirmative action by th esupervisor or the immediate manager. In organisation of any size this could be done in an ongoing fashion instead of being quarterly or annual ritual, a stitch in time saves nine and a lot of ill will.