250 HR Best Practices

 

 

 

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Table of contents 1.Improving effectiveness and efficiency of HR Services 2.Leadership and Talent Development 3.Capability Building 4.Employee Engagement 5.Employee Retention

 

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Best Practices in Leadership Development

 

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  Best Practice Organizations. Five organizations that are popularly recognized for their leadership development practices: General Electric, E lectric, Motorola, PepsiCo, Federal Express, Johnson & Johnson & PepsiCo: General Electric:

1.In terms of fostering a positive culture for leadership, there is little denying that GE is in a class of its own. The focus on leadership development is system-wide at GE, and not just at the top. All managers are required to participate in leadership training at each career stage. Different skills and competencies are emphasized at different levels, which translates into level-specific course content. Development is targeted specifically at career transition points to help managers better learn from experiences at their present level while preparing them for expected leadership demands at the new level. 2.Another corporate value that is transmitted to employees by means of leadership development programs is to is to “think small and act small.” As a result, the company will grow. This translates into the maxim that the best way to lead is through managing change. In accordance with this maxim, GE is ridding itself of most of its centralized planning. 3.A take-away principle from the GE approach to leadership development can be stated succinctly as implementation. There is a broad range of best practices to choose from, including those adopted by GE such as 360-degree feedback, coaching, and action learning. However, it is mostly about doing the best practice consistently and with excellence every time. Much of what GE does with regard to leadership development they acknowledge is not new. But aligning the initiatives with their core values and overall strategy pushes people to implement change with a passion. Motorola.

4.A distinctive feature of Motorola’s Motorola’s approach to leadership development is the Motorola University. Originally called the Motorola Training Training and Education Center (MTEC ), it was founded in 1980 with an original investment of $40 million. This investment was made despite financial hardships created by a deep recession that year year.. The original mission of MTEC was to design and deliver training services that support Motorola’s Motorola’s business objectives. Since 1990, Motorola University has diversified its mission by establishing partnerships with institutions around the world. It is now considered to be the strategic learning arm of the corporation, complementing the training that takes place in Motorola’s business groups. 5.Although it is billed primarily as a quality initiative, Six Sigma is inherently about leadership development. In addition to transmitting the cultural values behind Six Sigma, some companies like GE use their own managers to impart the philosophy and techniques of the process to others in the organization. These individuals have achieved “Master Black Belt” or “Black Belt” status through training and successful completion of a number of Six Sigma projects. At present, present, GE has 4,000 fully trained Black Belts and Master Black Belts, and 60,000 Green Belt part-time project leaders who have completed at least one Six Sigma project. Some of the most sought-after candidates for senior leadership jobs are those who have finished Six Sigma assignments. At places like Motorola  and GE, Six Sigma is becoming part p art of the “genetic code” of future leadership.

 

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6.Besides the Six Sigma initiative, Motorola has other important leadership development initiatives. The company spends more than $150 million annually on corporate education and development. At present, Motorola requires a minimum of 40 hours a year on job-relevant training and education for every employee. The leadership curriculum at Motorola varies by level (supervisors, first-time managers, executives), but each leadership development program uses the same general framework with different curricula (Whitmire & Nienstedt, 1991). Much of the program content for lower level managers is based on Hersey and Blanchard’s Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory. 7.At the senior executive level, Motorola  offers the Vice President Institute (VPI) to foster leadership development in new vice presidents. The biggest issue that the VPI addresses is how to sustain growth in a corporation that already grows by more than 15% annually. annually. The overall goals in establishing VPI were to teach about the company’s company’s unique heritage as a second-generation, familyowned business. VPI was also designed to help the vice presidents explore ways to invent new technologies and new businesses (not just new products), with a focus on innovation, globalization, and communications. As such, leadership development is tied directly to a key business imperative. In this particular case, the imperative is one of sustaining growth. 8.Another important aspect of the continued success of Motorola’s leadership development system is the active involvement invo lvement of those at the top of the Motorola hierarchy. hierarchy. The corporation’s chairman, Bob Galvin as well as many of the rest of the senior team members attend development d evelopment programs. Some of the top leaders, including Galvin, serve as instructors and facilitators at executive development programs. Top-level Top-level leaders also serve on the advisory board for Motorola University and on the corporate policy committee that determines the level of funding for development. This type of high-level support is critical to the success of systemic leadership development in any company. PepsiCo 9.PepsiCo. Chairman and CEO Roger Enrico is personally committed to leadership development in

both spirit and action. Even as the top honcho of a $22 billion corporation with over 150,000 employees, Enrico spends more than 100 days a year personally conducting leadership workshops for senior executives. A number of other leadership development programs involve top-level executives as guest speakers (most often on videotape). However, Pepsi’s “Building the Business” program is different in that Enrico is the full-time lead instructor, supported by several other executive teachers. Pepsi’s central program philosophy is simple but bu t powerful: The most important responsibility of a leader is to personally develop other leaders. This is especially important in an organization in which 86 percent of executive vacancies are filled from within. 10.PepsiCo’s efforts began with a challenge from then-CEO Wayne Wayne Calloway to develop the world’ss leading executive development program. The company believes it has succeeded by world’ making Building the Business an effective model for effective senior leadership development. The approach is grounded in the straightforward notion that the most important job of a leader is to make new leaders. These new leaders are prepared to translate corporate strategy into local initiatives, while also creating new leaders. Simultaneously running a business and developing new leaders is an immense task. But the top executives at PepsiCo believe that the risks of not doing so far outweigh the additional demands. Unless they personally invest in developing the next generation of leaders, growth will be limited and corporate survival uncertain.

 

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11.Custom programs may be designed and delivered “in house,” or developed in conjunction with an external partner such as a university or a consulting firm. Programs tend to be favorably received if delivered by local heroes (i.e., those members of the organization who are widely known and admired for their leadership skills). The message is seen as especially relevant if delivered by someone inside the company with a world-class reputation for success, as compared with an external person (often a business school professor). This approach is epitomized at PepsiCo, where Chairman and CEO Roger Enrico spends more than 100 days a year personally conducting workshops for senior executives. PepsiCo’s “Building the Business” program is modeled on Enrico’s personal leadership philosophy. It heavily emphasizes feedback and personal coaching for the nine participants included in each workshop. Federal Express (FedEx)

12.The guiding philosophy at FedEx is that when people are prioritized first, they will provide the highest possible service, and profits will follow (People-Service-Profits, or PSP). Leaders at all levels are expected to nurture a people-first culture at FedEx. Distinctive features of the FedEx approach include comprehensive, system-wide leadership development initiatives that socialize managers to the PSP philosophy, and processes that link selection with development. 13.An integral piece to effective leadership development at FedEx is the Leadership Institute. The Institute was founded in 1984 when several senior-level managers concluded that the organization was effective at preparing people for traditional management functions, but fell short in preparing them for leadership. The mission of the Leadership Institute has evolved to focus on developing leaders throughout FedEx by applying principles of successful leadership. Some of these principles are based on well-known models such as Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory and Greenleaf’s servant leadership model. These two theories are used as foundations in a number of other leadership development programs in other organizations. 14.A somewhat unusual theoretical underpinning is FedEx’s use of the transformational leadership model most recently advanced by Bernard Bass (1985). Transformational leaders are thought to arouse higher-order needs in followers, and motivate performance beyond expectations. The FedEx  version of transformational leadership is based on three specific behavioral dimensions: charisma, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation. These dimensions are combined with six other leadership competencies: courage, dependability, flexibility, integrity, judgment, and respect for others. Together these nine dimensions form the backbone of the Leadership Evaluation and Awareness Process (LEAP). 15.LEAP is a thorough individual evaluation process that links leader selection with development. Before being given the opportunity to apply for managerial positions, a candidate must have demonstrated excellence along all nine of the LEAP competencies. The process begins with a fullday course titled “Is management for me?” This one-day program provides a realistic job preview of the responsibilities of a front-line manager and is usually held on a weekend on the participant’s own time. The message is clear: As a manager you are expected to do extra work without receiving extra pay. FedEx claims that this portion of the LEAP process has resulted in over 60 percent attrition of the course participants (Conger & Benjamin, 1999). Those individuals who continue with the program are more likely to stick with the job as a result of receiving a clear set of expectations of what a management position will be like. Following the one-day introductory course, candidates must complete a written statement demonstrating evidence of successful performance on all nine leadership dimensions. This written statement is termed a “leadership

 

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profile.” 16.CEO Ted Weise Weise spends several hours with every supervisory class discussing the strategic s trategic objectives of FedEx, his own personal leadership philosophy, and the importance of front-line managers to the PSP philosophy. 17.The Leadership Institute curriculum is grounded in action learning with a combination of concrete experiences (e.g., business simulations), reflective observation (e.g., journaling), abstract conceptualization (e.g., classroom lectures), and active experimentation (e.g., application of learned principles to real-world business problems). An important component of system-wide leadership development is integrating the curriculum across organizational levels. 18.The basic FedEx FedEx values,  values, philosophy, and culture are incorporated into the “core management principles” courses, which are required for the members of the first three management levels (Murrell & Walsh, 1993). Management Principles I is I is designed for first-level managers to create an awareness of the behaviors that managers must model to be successful succes sful in leading work groups. The content is divided into four primary areas: Transition, Corporate Expectations, Corporate Culture, and The Big Picture. 19.Management Principles II is aimed at helping senior managers link the dimensions of 19.Management leadership with current business imperatives. Much of the second session is based on experiential activity,, including group discussions and working sessions with officers and directors of the activity company.. The topics covered in this session include Risk Taking, Teamwork, company Teamwork, Diversity, Diversity, Situational Leadership, and the Global Economy. 20.Management Principles III helps managing directors evaluate their leadership approach, 20.Management increase their knowledge of global economics, and discuss business ideas in-depth with members of senior management. This dynamic format allows participants to define a vision for their own business units, and design strategies for communicating this vision to involve others in achieving organizational goals. There are additional “elective” courses open to any member of management, which address topics such as Exploring Teamwork Teamwork (a wilderness-based learning course), Diversity, Diversity, and Participative Leadership. 21.Another interesting aspect of the FedEx FedEx approach  approach to leadership development is the use of management Preceptors (i.e., instructors). Preceptors are carefully chosen from among the ranks of the senior managers and managing directors who are nominated by someone at the vice president (or above) level. There are additional educational and experience requirements for Preceptor eligibility,, including a rating in the top 20 percent of all managers on the Leadership Index of the eligibility annual employee satisfaction survey. survey. A primary primary responsibility of a management Preceptor is to develop, design, and facilitate courses at the Leadership Institute. 22.At Federal Express (FedEx), (FedEx), CEO Ted Weise Weise spends two to three hours with participants in every supervisory leadership course. He discusses discuss es the company’s strategic objectives, his definition of leadership, and how important front-line people are to the success of FedEx and its basic philosophy of People-Service-Profit (PSP).

 

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23.FedEx also uses what they call “Management Preceptors” to teach their courses. These are senior managers and managing directors who are recognized as outstanding leaders and are nominated by a vice president. Preceptors undergo intensive training, primarily in the areas of teaching and facilitation prior to entering the classroom. They serve a term limited to 24-30 months, which provides for a continual rotation of new instructors and introduces fresh viewpoints and ideas into the curriculum. Johnson & Johnson.

24.Johnson & Johnson. Credo - what is this Credo? It is a one-page document written originally by General Robert Wood Johnson in 1943 outlining the corporation’s responsibility to customers, employees, the community, and stockholders. Johnson saw to it that the Credo was internalized by the company, and urged J&J managers to apply it as part of their everyday business philosophy. The Credo was, and still is, seen as visionary in terms of putting customers first and stockholders last, and for promoting the concept of fair return rather than maximum profitability. The Harvard Business School used the Credo as the centerpiece to one of its acclaimed case studies. The focus of the case was on how J&J puts their Credo into action, and the impact of the Credo on leadership development. 25.In 1995, the J&J Executive Committee used an existing internal process called “FrameworkS” to examine the topic of “Leadership, People, and Teamwork.” Despite – or maybe because of – its business success and expected growth, J&J began remaking its leadership development approach. 26.Using data from existing sources (e.g., 360-degree surveys, previous Credo Survey results) as well as new surveys of the executive-level team, the FrameworkS taskforce proposed a set of recommendations regarding the content and process of leadership development across first-, middle-, and executive-level positions. It is no surprise that the Credo played a central role in the revised leadership development process. Indeed, the Credo is an integrating mechanism in developing leadership throughout J&J. 27.A noteworthy aspect of the new development process is the “ Standards of Leadership,” consisting of a set of leadership recommendations set forth by the FrameworkS group for executive- and middle-level managers. The standards were crafted subsequently into a customized 360-degree feedback instrument that has been incorporated into the performance evaluation process. There are three components of the standards-based leadership development process. 28.Personal leadership includes a 360-degree assessment on previously identified core competencies. Credo leadership uses J&J senior executives to facilitate discussions of the values embodied in the Credo and how to incorporate them into daily business activities, as well as into more long-term strategic actions. Organizational leadership uses action learning projects as a catalyst for applying the leadership lessons to a particular business imperative. The entire program runs for approximately four months, including pre-work assignments, the week-long off-site formal program, and 90 days of post-program project work, including a plan for a review/feedback session with the sponsor. 29.J&J is a prime example of how to use a leadership development system to socialize managers in key corporate values and future visions. These characteristics are important components to leadership development in any company. Leaders need to send a consistent message to move organizations forward in a coherent, unified fashion. By timing specific programs at career

 

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transition points, J&J provides a good example of how a development system may work as a catalyst for engaging leaders in a process that prepares them for a significant change in the content and scope of role responsibilities. 30.Leadership-Infosys way - To prepare the leaders of the future, the Infosys Leadership Institute (ILI) aims at leadership development programmes designed across the o organisation rganisation— from the lower to higher levels of management. This initiative seeks to increase and facilitate leadership skills among its employees. This is achieved by combining classroom and actionoriented practical learning. The course not only aims to improve leadership skills, but also to add value to the ‘Infosys Culture’. Cults are based upon hierarchical structures wherein the people at the top are considered better than those at the other levels. The leader’s interests are of prime importance as they transcend the organisational welfare and mission. 31.Siemens has created a standard process for managing the performance and development of all employees. This is referred to as the Performance Management Process. The process creates a direct link between the strategy of the whole organisation and plans for each individual. Every individual is given targets based on their role and responsibility within the organisation. It is through meeting personal targets that the individual is best able to help the organisation to achieve its targets. Creating a high performance culture

32.Siemens’ operations are based on a teamwork culture. This emphasis on the team is set out clearly in a quote from the global Chief Executive Officer of Siemens, Klaus Kleinfeld: ‘Many times in my life I have seen how one individual can make a big difference, particularly when working in a great team. The quality of our people and of our teams is our most valuable resource, particularly in today’s changing world where knowledge flows round the globe with lightning speed and is easily available.’ 33.Siemens wants all of its employees to be truly involved in the business and to feel part of its success. Employees therefore need to know how they fit into the business. With this in mind Siemens establishes clear expectations. Targets for individuals are related to targets for the whole business. Everyone plays their part in achieving great results. Siemens states that ‘our business success depends onteam the performance of all each individual, ourteam teams andtowards the totalshared organisation’. A high performance is one in which members of the work targets and have a sense of shared responsibility for the results the team achieves. These guidelines synthesise existing best practices in leadership development d evelopment design.

34.Like the training schedule of an elite athlete, leadership development needs to be viewed as a process not an event.  Within this lifelong process, intensive periods of time (typically 6-12 months) are devoted to improving specific leadership behaviours. Throughout this period leaders engage in an integrated set of learning experiences such as 360 degree assessment, experiential skill development programs, individual goal setting and development planning, on-the-job learning projects, reflective journaling, mentoring, professional reading and reflective conversations. 35.Leadership development should be needs not wants driven.  Given the difficulty in successfully developing new leadership habits, it is important to focus on those aspects of leadership where behavioural change would have the highest amount of impact. At an individual

 

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level this involves some form of assessment to identify leadership strengths and developmental needs, and then comparing these developmental needs to the leadership behaviours that are most important to achieving results within that leader’ leader ’s context. This process culminates in the setting of 1-3 developmental goals that the individual leader seeks to achieve within a 6 6-12 -12 month period. At a group and organisational level, collective assessment results, coupled with a strategic needs analysis can be used to identify key common needs. 36.A 36. A common common and effective way to kick k ick start the subsequent learning journey is through an experiential learning program or a set of experiential skill development develop ment programs. These programs may provide the time and space for leaders to digest their assessment results, set their development goals and develop their learning plan. They should also include opportunities for participants to be presented with goal relevant, evidence based and practical leadership skill models along with opportunities to practice these new skills s kills within simulated environments. The initial program may engage participants in practising foundational skills that were identified as key areas of need at a collective level. Subsequent skill development programs may cater for sub-groups of participants within their areas of need. 37.Each participant should be engaged in goal specific on-the-job learning projects. These 37.Each projects. These are real workplace projects which require the person to effectively use goal related behaviours for the project to succeed. To be most effective there must be a real risk of the project being a failure, the participant must be the one responsible for the project’s success or failure and it must be clear whether the project has succeeded or failed. Some projects should be pre-planned, and negotiated with the leader’s supervisor. supervisor. Other unexpected opportunities may also present themselves along the way.. We way We suggest starting with 3 months o off small projects that act as a practice field before starting on the more challenging project. 38.Sustained behavioural change 38.Sustained chan ge is far more likely if, throughout the 6-12 month learning  journey, leaders  journey,  leaders engage in reflective learning practices. These include reflective journaling and reflective coaching conversations. Such reflective practices help leaders to draw out lessons from their on-the-job experiences, bring forth lessons from the past when considering options with existing dilemmas and to form new, stable neural circuits that underpin the formation of new leadership habits.

39.Mentoring can also play an important supporting role over a leader’s 6-12 month learning 39.Mentoring  journey.. Rather than seeking out a mentor based on seniority or overall leadership prowess, leaders  journey

should find mentors who are effective within their specific goal area. Once a mentor has been found, leaders should make the time to see them in action on several different occasions. If the mentor has a natural ability in the goal area, it is likely that he or she will not no t be consciously aware of what they do that is effective. Hence the onus is on the learner to observe closely, closely, noting patterns and subtle nuances. 40.Leaders should be held accountable for achieving their goals and making behavioural changes within their workplace. Such accountability helps to motivate and challenge leaders to go the distance. It includes quantitative measures such as the ALDC’s ALDC’s Development Impact 360 degree assessment, along with a qualitative qu alitative learning story synthesised from reflecti reflective ve journal entries. 41.Develop leadership teams at a collective level. This 41.Develop level. This helps to align individual leadership efforts and builds in continuity when any individual leader moves on. Further, building on the point above,

 

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leadership teams can examine how they can use each other’s strengths to offset each others’ weaker areas, further developing the effectiveness of the leadership team as a whole. 42.When planning organisation-wide or centrally sponsored development opportunities, have leaders self-nominate and then carefully select from this group those leaders that show the highest level of aptitude for development, assessing personal factors such as locus of control, achievement drive, openness to experience, conscientiousness and self-monitoring. Such individual factors have a large impact on subsequent developmental success and if interest exceeds the available funds, it is best to invest in those most likely to actually develop as a result of the program. Existing supervisor ratings have been shown to not be an effective way of selecting leaders to participate in a development program. 43.Leadership development at Airbus -- It is about Airbus and its tryst with leadership development. Airbus has a well aligned, systematic and integrated set of processes and methods that have created a winning culture in the organisation. Yet the management firmly believes that the methods and processes have little meaning without effective leadership. It thus initiated the “growing together” strategy to analyse the impact of leadership on business performance. This strategy is integrated with all HR practices at Airbus. Being an integral part of the performance and reward system it helps determine the most effective leadership style. This strategy is a micro level leadership initiative largely confined to the human resources function. At a macro level, Airbus relies heavily on its World Class leaders Programme. 44.According to Michael Crook, CEO Patagonia and Ann Livermore, Vice President, HP, either the financial muscle or the size of an organisation do not bind leadership. HP, for instance, follows a four-component leadership framework. The components central to this are: • • • •

Strategy (deployment of people and resources) Structure and processes (delivering strategy) Metrics and reward (support systems) Values and behaviour required for success.

45.Patagonia’s Crook too has his own version of leadership. According to Crook, leadership is all about maintaining a balance within the “organisational ecosystem”. His philosophy of leadership is inspired by nature and he believes that as nature maintains a balance between life and death, so does a leader. Crook emphasises that to get people in flow, leaders need to integrate individual goals with the overall corporate objectives. In addition, leadership at Patagonia lays great stress on metrics. It’s important to develop valid and reliable metrics and stay focused on them .The number is not important it’s the relevance of the metrics that counts. Thereafter, organisations need to institute methods that connect their people with the metrics. When Crook took over Patagonia’s reigns, his first priority was to get the right mix of skills required to excel in business. He studied the existing skills and talent within the company and determined the missing links. Then, he brought in seven people with completely new and different skills. He formed a team that consisted of both new hires and old timers who had been with Patagonia for almost two decades. This made a good blend of experience and talent that created a positive, performance-driven and strong organisational culture. Crook thus accomplished the most challenging job posed to his leadership abilities.

 

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  Successful global leadership development processes have the following characteristics, regardless of the industry or the specific competencies involved.

46.First, successful programs have top management support from the very beginning and are viewed as a top priority within the company. company. The strategic linkage between competitiveness and global leadership is crystal crystal clear. clear. Global leader development requires significant significant amounts of top management time to identify good candidates, to plan their development and track their progress. The participation of senior managers man agers in the first delivery of a firm’s Global Leadership Program is a crucial signal that they take this activity seriously. seriously. Without the buy-in of senior management, these programs fail. Yet, in a study of 3,000 executives, few firms reward or even measure leaders on their capacity to develop other leaders -- even though the company gives lip service to the importance of developing global leadership talent. 47.Second,, the firm’s global leadership competencies have to be clearly identified and agreed upon. 47.Second Top management should be involved in developing these criteria, while also relying on new research developments on global leadership. Simply adding an international international flavor to a domestic leadership program seldom works. 48.Third,, the global leadership development process should begin early in a candidate’s career 48.Third career.. Beginning early ensures the broad-based, cross-cultural cross-cultural business experience needed to develop a global mind-set. The Management Resource Review process at TRW TRW,, for example, enables the company to identify whether a particular manager has been exposed to both the automotive and aerospace businesses, or how well the manager has handled the cultural differences among the various countries in which TRW TRW operates. In addition, international assignments may be easier when employees’ children are younger and more readily moved and before elderly parents require personal care. Beginning early also also signals to people that they are viewed as hig high-potential, h-potential, perhaps increasing retention retention which is even more challenging in a global labor market. One company retained only one of the 24 Chinese managers who had been sent on an expensive training course just two years before. 49.Instill 49. Instill Corp’s innovative plan for leadership development

At Red City, a B2B technology company for theasfood-service industry, about two andInstill a-halfCorp., years Redwood backwood started a innovative mentorship programme a part of their leadership development plan. The senior executives choose mentors whom they admire in the same subfunctional area from another company. Once the Instill board approves the mentors chosen, they sign an agreement of confidentiality and no-conflict. Mack tilling, CEO of Instill Corp., says, “Mentors help you see things in a way that you might not have thought about. They’ve all been there many times before, often under diverse and challenging circumstances”. The mentors meet their mentee at least once in every quarter and get stock options as remuneration for their commitment. The mentors are usually the top executives from other organisations. Instill Corp., executives have never faced rejection from any of the mentors they approached. The promise of stock options from the company that has no immediate plans to go public, though a significant factor is not why the mentors are signing on.

 

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50. The World Class Leaders programme at Airbus aims to achieve sustainable change through

effective leadership development. Airbus Airbus adopted the following methods to achieve the objectives : •

Business transfers - Providing effective adult learning experiences that cater to the intellectual

and emotional development of employees. •

Individual coaching for attaining professional expertise - Aligning personal development

goals with that of overall organisational development through training and coaching of employees. •

Designing modules - Imparting leadership development training through structured modules

that cater to transformational leadership and strategy formulation techniques. •

Simulated learning sets - Providing employees with an environment that gives them an

insight to real life leadership challenges through exercises that focus on experimental learning. While designing the leadership programme Airbus was clear about its objective. ob jective. The flying machine giant knew that it wanted a programme that would meet its future leadership demands. It therefore, designed a framework that made it easier for future leaders to relate theory with practice.

 

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Best Practices in Improving effectiveness Improving and efficiency of HR Services

 

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BEST RECRUITING PRACTICES 1.Valero’ 1.V alero’s s business-case model

Valero’s alero’s recruiting function, using basic statistical regression model, found that there existed a gap between what the business would need to continue co ntinue operations and the talent they can attract by continuing the existing model. However, However, as the cost of the shortfall was immense, the firm prevailed upon the management to invest heavily in recruiting. As a result of the business case, the management had to double its recruiting cost, not once but twice. In view of the tremendous positive impact, the CEO announced that talent management, and not just HR, was the firm’s firm’s top priority. priority. Apart from other firms, Powerhouse Google also made similar business case with excellent results. 2. MGM Grand’s employment branding What with the CEO’s obsession, as it were, with employment branding, MGM Grand has acquired world-class status. As a result of adopting a comprehensive approach, including quantifying the organizations promotion rates, complimenting publicly and promoting those whose performance was excellent, and publicizing internal contests for chefs and bar tenders so as to extend the visibility of performance irrespective of job titles, the company conveyed the message that it was an equalopportunity employer. Aside from earning awards as ‘best employer’, the company’s Director of Branding, afforded wide publicity to the instances of its excellent management practices. She exhorted the executives to become brand ambassadors by speaking about the same at conferences and universities, and by writing blogs to keep employees informed about the ‘best practices’ in the company. 3. The U.S. Army The U.S. Army stands above the rest when it comes to recruiting by using video games. As many potential recruits are avid gamers, the US Army lures them by providing exciting job preview or simulation and by incorporating “virtual recruiting station” within the game. It is the best and largest organization that employs simulations to both recruits and trainees. 4. Booz Allen’s boomerang recruiting effort

Boomerangs arethe those whoquality quit employment a firm andAllen, later which return is to world it. Boomerang recruitment effort is one of largest sources of in hires. Booz class in employment branding and in rapid internal redeployment of current employees, recruits this type of top talent, “the comeback kids”. It is amazing that Deloitte has produced world-class results, recruiting one-third of all new hires from boomerangs. 5. Starbucks Recruiting managers are perplexed at the relationship between the unemployed and the turnover rates. With the help of convergent analysis Jason Warner of Starbucks sought to establish relationship between the two. It demonstrates that the fewer the unemployed, the less is the competition in job market and hence higher attrition rates. Though the concept is simple it is effective. This concept can be made use of by recruiting organizations in workforce planning.

 

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6. Bank of America America

While consulting firms all over the world are opting for recruitment outsourcing, Bank of America has discontinued the practice after realizing that it can adversely affect the organizational performance. What mattered most was quality rather than efficiency. While great vision was required to measure the effectiveness of outsourcing, it took even greater courage to decide against the practice when it was neither cost-effective nor focused on quality. quality. 7. Dell’s measurement dashboard and superior measure of quality of hire.

Very few organizations use a superior quality-of-hire measure. While Dell is known for employing world-class supply chain analytics, recently it has come to light that it adopts g great reat metrics even in recruiting. This is evident from the large number of new hires who become top performers within 12 to 18 months of hiring them. Great metrics is not about hiring a large number of people cheaply, but it’s about recruiting individuals who become top performers and stay with the organization. 8. JP Morgan and the Athlete’s

Most of the college recruitment programmers not only prefer hiring candidates from top schools with very high grade point averages (GP (GPA), A), but they also discretely avoid athletes little realizing that athletic competitions include discipline and willingness to work hard to succeed. Companies such as J P Morgan Athletes Alliance, which hire athletes rather than people with soaring GPA with school name, are benefited by the formers’ track record record of performing under intense competition. Catholic Healthcare West West and Cisco too successfully adopted similar recruiting approaches. 9. Valero’s Valero’s college recruiting recruitin g Valero’s college recruitment programme, which adopts numerous practices to achieve best results, starts its process a month ahead of its competitors by transporting potential recruits to corporate headquarters during the academic year and identifying top talent without having to visit campuses. Google, which is close second to Valero’s efforts in campus recruitment, distributes pizza (and even cookies) to lure current students during final exams. 10. Cisco Cisco’ss former director of staffing Mi Cisco’ Michael chael McNeal opined that technology no doubt accelerates the recruitment process when there are more candidates available but it can’t remedy flawed recruitment practices. Though the company’s workforce grew from 4,800 to 30,000, it had an attrition rate of less than 7% underscored as an amalgam of good technology and best hiring practices resulted in recruitment its high growth rate. McNeal understanding hiring objectives, adopting appropriate best practices and finally investing in technology. 11. Know what you want! While the retail store, Home Depot, wanted customer-obsessed entrepreneurial leaders, the technology they used was designed to hire problem solvers. Companies should, therefore, first define the profile of the potential recruit: whether the company needs customer service experts or problem-solvers (company fit); whether the potential recruit possesses the right qualities and personality (team fit); or whether he has the required technical and leadership qualifications (role fit). Depending upon their requirement organization should invest in recruitment technology. 12. MGM shows the way-MGM Grand Under the “employee involvement” strategy, the employees of MGM Grand – the leading hotel/casino in the world - were included in focus groups to evaluate the outcome of an earlier study on impediments faced by employees in the work environment, management practices, rewards and

 

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recognition, and career path. The employees could express their views on the roadblocks in the company becoming the best employer in Las Vegas. Most of the issues identified by the survey results and focus groups were solved during the ‘brainstorming’ process itself. The remaining ones needed the involvement of top management as they required longer-term planning and capital investment. The participatory approach proved so effective that MGM Grand decided to make the process an annual event. 13. Reducing lead time for recruitment With a view to reducing lead time, as also optimizing resourcing cost of recruitment, Wipro Infotech has adopted a just-in-time approach. This is achieved by keeping in touch with qualified potential recruits needed for future projects. 14. Let us consider the employee-centric employee-centric policies two…….. Though Continental Airlines adopted people-centric policies, it’s highly centralized and high-fixed-cost business. Though it is in financial crisis, it continued to align itself with employees to get over the problem. Sysco, the other firm which also maintained focus on people but with decentralized set-up and low fixed costs, is, however, a successful organization. Business strategies of most of the successful organizations are employee-centric in the form of wellplanned recruitment and retention programmers for sales staff, entrepreneurial management structure and quality customer service. High levels of customer loyalty and operational excellence can be achieved through enlightened leadership, empowerment of frontline supervisors, recognition of employees performance by way of rewards, inculcating a sense of esprit de corps and improving quality of work life. 15. Start at the top It is vital that the key characteristics of top performers are keenly observed. These traits must be discussed with recruiters and incorporated in job description. Also, look for those qualities in potential recruits during interviews. 16. Look ahead: While hiring for a position, one must ponder over as to what what success will look like for the prospective recruit from a year hence. The other issues that need to be taken into account include (i) the goals to be met the person be considered successful, (ii)will theculturally role the key stakeholders his career at thebycompany, andto(iii) how the potential recruit fit with them andwill theirplay coreinteam. 17. Clarity While vetting resumes, have a clearly defined job description instead of a sketchy one. By narrating the requirements of the position, one will be able to attract targeted candidates. Even while interviewing, be clear and candid about all aspects of the job profile. Lack of clarity about what a job truly requires may result in quick turnover. turnover. 18. Communication In the recruitment process, consistent communication regarding hiring needs, the skill set and the type of person you are looking for are vital, right from the time the recruit will be working with to the recruiter and the candidate. The information-sharing will result in identifying high potential candidate. One must communicate about all aspects of the job and what success will look like to the prospective recruit. This will help him understand the long-term requirements of the job and judge whether it’s the right fit or not.

 

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19. Recruiting is marketing

Recruiting is a sort of employer branding. Advertising for jobs, interviewing the candidates and introducing them to your company help build company’s image. Furthermore, the candidate may turn out to be your customer or business partner in future. Also, as you put in your best efforts, the impact of word of mouth on workforce is tremendous.

RECRUITMENT 22. Focus on skills While searching for recruits for managerial and technical positions, companies should look for sets of skills than nationality of the candidates, especially in view of the shrinking of cost differences between the natives and expatriates. 23. Verify employment history Due diligence in background checks, fraud prevention and intellectual property protection is imperative while recruiting for a senior position. It is also important to verify the hire’s links to competitors and his job-hopping history. 24. Evaluate total work experience Experience at a foreign firm does not mean that a candidate has a thorough knowledge of daily business operations. A potential hire should be evaluated by the quality of his total work experience. 25. Ask candidates about goals While recruiting, assess the extent to which a candidate’s goals align with those of your company. 26. Consider third- and fourth-tier cities Companies can consider recruiting qualified personnel from third- and fourth-tier cities for positions in first-tier cities, though not all the candidates wish to move. 27. Assess your brand reputation Chinese college graduates and younger employees prefer Fortune  500 companies with brand reputation. Also, companies with exciting new fields such as high tech, Internet start-ups and private equity firms attract young employees.

Companies without brand recognition adopt attractive retention and training programmes. Higher salary and more career opportunities elsewhere are cited as reasons for leaving a company. However, recent surveys reveal that a better work environment or career prospects are considered by the Chinese employees while switching jobs. Companies with successful retention programmes focus on expanding training opportunities in-house, tying the same to compensation. While devising career development and training programmes, companies should seek the views of employees as well. SPECIFIC STRATEGIES STRATEGIES FOR RETENTION INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 28. Use global resources Drawing upon the company’s global resources and participation of employees in training seminars in foreign countries promote advancement opportunities. For employers devoid of these opportunities, classes can be held in-house. In China awarding certificates and holding acknowledgement ceremonies are important recognition tools.

 

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29. Offer job rotation One way to “re-recruit” employees is job rotation to keep them interested in their work and expose them to all aspects of company’s company’s operations. 30. Link career and promotion Establish a career development path that is linked to merit-based promotion. 31. Be aware of reluctance to relocate As Chinese employees have close ties to their home towns, they may be unwilling to move to another city within China for long durations. Also, the Chinese residents of first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai may be reluctant to move to smaller and remote locations. For these reasons some companies provide even hardship allowance to Chinese employees who are relocated from major cities to smaller ones. 32. Consider your office space and location Companies in China should be careful while selecting locations for office space, whether for expansion of operations or new facilities. The worsening traffic conditions each year, the length and the difficulty of commuting daily in major cities of the country may not be liked by the employees. Similarly, while locations of office in prestigious buildings or commercial district attract employees, locations away from city centre may not find favour with them. 33. Invest in working conditions Investments made in providing facilities to employees like keeping air-conditioners in good working order or providing showers help in maintaining employee satisfaction. 34. Establish community service programmes In China, building company’s brand and reputation by participating in community service programme help in strengthening employee loyalty towards and pride in the organization. 35. Keep HR communication channels open In the context of the tradition of discouraging employees from speaking up in China, it is vital to establish channels of communication on HR issues between the employer and employee. 36. Use non-compete agreements Non-compete agreements (enforceable in China) and confidentiality agreements, which protect a company’s trade secrets and competitive position, serve as important retention tools. If candidates want to work for a year with the company prior to attending MBA or other degree programme overseas, it may offer to bear the cost of education in exchange for agreeing to work for the company for a certain number of years following graduation (“Golden Handcuffs”). In the event of the breach of the agreement by the employee who joins another company, it is small consolation that it can sue the former employee in China to reimburse the expenses. 37. Plan social gatherings In China social gatherings, sports competition outings, company trips and other similar events deemed important prove useful in retaining local hires.

 

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38. Forced ranking system

Forced ranking system of evaluation advocates rewarding the performance and firing the underperformer. The approach has a staunch supporter in Jack Welch. However, the critics maintain that it works best only when it is tailor-made to the specific requirements of a company. Its potential is tapped by implementing it at the right time for the right company. GE, which benefited from this facet of forced ranking, justified its business case and identified four parameters for employee performance and for business success: energy levels of employees; capability of managers to motivate employees to achieve common goal; winning edge through effective decision-making; and the ability to execute the decisions. 39. Employee surveys

Structured employee surveys, which involve collecting employee feedback, afford management an overview of the issues faced by the organisation, provided there is no time gap between data collection and the analysis. The results of the annual survey made at American Express Financial Advisors raised many eyebrows when the company’s career management initiatives received low scores. Employees felt that this important activity was relegated to background, especially when the company was going through significant changes. Consequently, when efforts were made by the management to focus on career management, the scores improved in the subsequent surveys. BEST PRACTICES IN EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE A APPRAISAL PPRAISAL 40. Larsen & Toubro In its quest of measuring its employees performance and assessing their developmental needs, Larsen & Toubro, an engineering major, developed a competency matrix listing 73 competencies, each with associated knowledge skills and attributes, across various managerial levels. The company appraises employees in relation to listed competencies, identifies the functional, managerial, and behavioural gaps and provides customized reinforcement. As the matrix is linked to both business strategy and training needs, strategic needs dictate the developmental polices, making the process of re-learning re-learning and re-skilling easier easier,, and more focused. 41. National Panasonic The company’s performance assessment is driven by Key Result (KRAs) define business, functional and behavioural goals system set jointly by the employee and hisAreas manager at thethat beginning of each year. KRAs are then used to monitor the employee’s progress. The shortfalls, if any, in the performance are sought to be overcome with help of relevant training inputs. The company emphasizes the process of re-skilling its employees rather than opt for expensive mid-career hires. 42. Hughes Escorts In the competency-based performance-enhancement model adopted at Hughes Escorts, each position is defined in terms of 23 key competencies categorized into four groups: attitude-based, knowledgedriven, skill-centered, and value-based. The competencies are used to measure shortfalls in the performance and relevant training inputs are provided to enhance productivity, as also to make employees aware of their professional standing.

 

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43. Human Resource Management - Best Practices at the FedEx Corporation

As the management focused on providing suitable work environment to employees and reposed faith in them, the employees of FedEx responded by evincing exemplary commitment towards work. This was in evidence when the employees were prepared to sell their personal belongings and use their own credit cards to buy fuel to deliver the packages to the customers at a time when the company was in financial straits during the first couple of years. They continued working with FedEx even when they did not receive salary on time. Since FedEx was a service organization, it believed that success depended on its employees. The company developed and implemented FedEx’s ‘People-Service-Profit’ (PSP) philosophy according which if the company took proper care of its employees, the latter would render efficient service to customers. This, in turn, would benefit the company by generating more profits. 44. Growth Opportunities

– FedEx

The company believed in promoting people from within the organization to the management cadre. As its SFA programme assisted the company’s management in evaluating the performance of managerial cadre employees only, its utility was limited. Hence, FedEx devised another programme, ‘Leadership Evaluation and Awareness Process’ (LEAP), which provided opportunities to non-managerial cadre employees to move up the managerial ladder within the organization. 45. Employees Communication and Performance Appraisal As two-way communication between management and employees was encouraged at FedEx, the employees were free to speak up about managements policies and the major events taking place in the company. Aside from implementing communication programmes like SFA programme, Guaranteed Fair Treatment Procedure (GFTP) and Open Door Policy(ODP), FedEx devised mechanism to redress grievances of employees. Employee retention was also a significant aspect of the company’s company’s HR policy. It believed that in a competitive marketplace, employee loyalty tends to be low and dissatisfied employees can find a new job easily, easily, elsewhere. 46. Reducing Lead time for Recruitment. Minimizing the time taken to advertise vacancies has been an important issue for recruitment. For realizing the benefits of faster recruitment process, managers and recruiters placing vacancy advertisements should ensure high standards of timeliness, accuracy, as also compliance with relevant circulars. CONTINUOUS TRAINING – PUT TO USE 47. Reynolds and Reynolds Company

Reynolds and Reynolds, a leading information company, serves the general business, automotive and healthcare markets. Its expansion created the need to develop employees ability to work in a team environment. Furthermore, to achieve its corporate vision and growth-related goals, if would have to impart training to develop problem-solving approaches of employees, while building core competencies. The company also recognized the need to provide continuous training to achieve high-performance levels. With a view to developing and infusing new corporate culture with latest management and leadership concepts and practices, it outsourced its training function. As a result of providing training on a continuous basis, significant savings in terms of time as a result of improved employee knowledge and skills have been reported by employees. Aside from improving productivity, the new corporate culture attracts employee loyalty.  

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48. Executive involvement

In most of the organizations, performance measurement is continually advocated and promoted by the top executives. It is observed that their commitment was important for a successful performance management systems. 49. Sense of urgency

The impetus to implement a new or enhanced performance measurement and performance management system is generally preceded by a dramatic development , which may put in jeopardy the organization’s survival in the marketplace. The occurrence of the following events may trigger establishment of a performance measurement system within an organization a newfound leadership commitment to performance measurement, the desire of a high-performance organization to maintain its competitive edge, a compulsion to link organizational strategy and objectives with actions, or the outcome of implementing existing quality programmes. 50. Aligning HR Function to business bu siness Apple has made extraordinary efforts to align HR function with its business. The HR function's ststed mission is to contribute to the company's succcess by fostering a world-class working environment that attracts and retains excellent people, motivates their alignment and commitment, and inspire them to excel. Fulfilling this mission requires the HR function to: Take an active role in developing the philosophies and strategies that define the working environment. Be the keeper of the strategy for maintaining employee alignment and commitment; maintain the policies, programmes, and processes that support employee alignment and commitment. Keep management aware of any changes in the alignment and commitment of the critical asset – its people. •

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Best Practices Employee Engagement

 

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1. Recognize Winners - People love to win. It doesn’t doesn’t need to be vast sums of cash, though money

definitely talks. Sometimes, it’s it’s enough to be recognized with a plaque, a newsletter article, or a simple thank-you. Xerox Corp.’s Earth Award program garners participation from scores of employee teams around the

world, each of which submits innovative programs they created to help the environment. There is no prize, just a plaque or trophy. trophy. "The glory is mostly just the recognition of work well done," says Patricia Calkins, Xerox’s Xerox’s manager of environmental market leadership. On the other hand, there’s there’s IBM, whose environmental awards carry a $50,000 cash prize. Its high visibility has helped lure the involvement of those not normally involved with the environment. Says Wayne Wayne Balta, IBM’s director, corporate environmental affairs: "In the eight years we’ we’ve ve been running this program and an d of the several hundred employees who have won this award, only 1 percent or 2 percent p ercent are people with environmental jobs." 2. Have Clear Goals - In their efforts to educate employees about "the environment," env ironment," many companies

lose sight of what they’re trying to accomplish -- specifically, how environmental learnings will further the company’s strategic business goals. Consider your own organization’s current mission: to reduce costs, get closer to the customer, grow market share, expand into new markets, create new business opportunities, and so on. "It is very important to have specific problems in mind" when educating employees, says Rick Renner, environmental communications manager at 3M. 3. Need to connect - Vi Virtual rtual work practices being the order of the day, one of the greatest challenges for global organisations has been engaging a dispersed workforce. Hemant Sharma, Head HR, Sun Microsystemss India, Microsystem Ind ia, focusses  focusses on the significance: “As organisations globalise and become more dependent on technology in a virtual working environment, there is a greater need to connect and engage with employees to provide them with an organisational o rganisational ‘identity.’ ‘identity.’ Especially in Indian culture, this becomes more relevant given the community feeling which organisations provide in our society.” society.” 4. Organisation initiatives - Most organisations have a range of programmes to improve the engagement level of their employees. Vivek Vivek Punekar, Associate Vice-president, Vice-president, HRD, HCL Infosystems,, lists the initiatives made by the organisation, which start right at the selection stage: Infosystems Choosing the right fit and giving a realistic job preview Strong induction and orientation programme Rigorous training development, from technical softenable@HCL skills to leadership programmes. Apartand from this, there are other forumstolike enable@HCL which  whichdevelopment has regular technical/soft-skill updates. HCL also has a certification programme for freshers which empowers young engineers To To keep up the morale of people peop le and drive them towards excellent performance, HCL HCL   has various incentives such as recognition letters, profit sharing schemes, long performance awards, ESOPS, building assets like own home 5. Regular feedback to all people - Communication - Communication forums like the in-house magazine Intouch, innovate@HCL (an e-forum to develop entrepreneurship), and regular surveys and conferences To maintain the quality of work-life work -life and a balance between b etween personal/professional lives, there are recreational activities like festivities@HCL, get-togethers@HCL, sports@HCL, etc An open and transparent culture to empower its people and develop entrepreneurs.

 

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6. The loyalty factor - The key to employee engagement is creating greater motivation for their work

and commitment to their organisation. Sudhalini Madhusudan, Assistant Vice-president, Talent Talent Enhancement Group, OfficeTiger, concedes that it is not possible to retain professionals only by paying high salaries and offering attractive benefits. “We “We need to create enthusiasm for their roles, their work and the organisation, o rganisation, and ensure they are well integrated. Employee engagement today encompasses training, development, work environment, leadership, performance management, work/life balance, communication, compensation, benefits, commitment, fun and social activities. This, asserts Madhusudan, enhances the bonding b onding between employees and commitment to the company. 8. Engaging virtual teams at Sun Microsystems India : The concept of employee engagement starts right from the top with Scott McNealy our CEO and the senior management team. Scott S cott interacts with our employees through WSUN, a forum on Sun’s intranet where he engages in active dialogue once a month on corporate goals and directions, and also solicits their feedback, opinions opinion s and pet peeves. Other senior management members like Jonathan Schwartz, COO, engages with employees on technology directions through his personal blog. Our business unit Heads and Executive Vicepresidents have a target of holding six ‘townhalls’ with employee employeess every year across the globe. At the country level in India, senior management is constantly engaging employees through various forums and interactions to build excitement and passion through various v arious communication channels and events. In fact, we also reach out to the employees’ families by inviting and involving them in some events. The internal website of Sun Su n is updated daily, daily, thus keeping employees abreast of the happenings and developments in their organisation. 9. Shell Uses Employee Engagement and Outreach to Rebuild a Community: Shell launched its "Coming "Coming Home Campaign" Campaign" (CHC), a community relations and employment engagement program whose goal was twofold: to provide immediate assistance for both the hurricaneaffected communities and the employees who work in these areas, and to attract and retain the Shell Shell   workforce in this region. Shell’s three-pronged mission of efficient business recovery: immediate recovery to employee needs; Shell’s community recovery to support the community where employees live, work and operate; and investment in the future to retain and attract workforce and support workforce development. The strategizing focused on two main areas: * Employee Engagement: In those areas in which Shell Shell excels,  excels, the company engaged its personnel for projects that leveraged their knowledge, expertise and capabilities; and * Public-Private Partnerships: For those projects that did not touch Shell Shell's 's core competencies, the company expanded upon existing relationships or developed new private-pact partnerships. To foster community and employee goodwill, the CHC team relied on events, internal communications and earned and paid media. It was important that the program p rogram be seen as a comprehensive community and employee engagement initiative and not as yet another disaster response effort. The team worked with partners to carry out key messages of the program.

 

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What are the Top Top Best Practices of Employee E mployee Engagement? 10. Build a Culture of Success:  Organizational culture consists of values and beliefs that underlie

processes and systems. When organizational values are al aligned igned with individual values, great things happen. Values are assessed during recruitment, recruitment, nurtured during orientation and maximized throughout development. 11. Involve Employees: Give people the opportunity to share their opinion and get out of the way.

When people share their perspective with others, it creates an atmosphere of excitement when there is genuine recognition that the team is driving towards a goal. If employees don’t have buy in and ownership of initiatives, failure will occur. 12. Encourage Innovation: T  To o be the best you cannot be the same as the rest. Being innovative

requires the discipline to systematically systematically capture ideas, ideas, evaluate ideas and put ideas into action. 95% of the ideas might fail but the ones that work will be huge! 13. Drive Results: If you settle for anything less than OUTSTANDING, then you’re wasting your time.

Today’s oday’s competitive market marke t requires a strong focus on accomplishing accomplish ing results. Begin with SMART Objectives, which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and T Time ime Sensitive. Keep you eyes on the prize and strive for excellence. 14. Stretch Comfort Zones: Those who never stretch their comfort zone live in a world of mediocrity. mediocrity.

They are ok with being average. average. Taking on new challenges and demonstrating initiative goes a long long way towards achieving goals. 15. Lead with Passion: I believe that Employee Emp loyee Engagement Initiatives (EEIs) (EEIs) will create Cultures of

Excellence. I am passionate about sharing sharing my perspective with others. People know when they see passion based on words, actions, behaviors, non-verbals and results. 16. Actively Listen: Spend more time listening than talking. Uncover the important stuff stuff and leave the

rest behind. Ask questions to determine needs, wants and problems. When you help someone else, they will be grateful and want to help you. It’ It’ss all about partnerships. Suggestions for more effectively communicating sensitive news to employees: 17. Transparency Transparency is the key k ey to credibility - Companies should tell employees as much as they know,

as soon as they know it. If decisions have not been made or investigations are still underway, underway, at least let employees know when further updates will be given. Transparency does not mean all employees have a role in determining business strategy, strategy, only that the rationale behind that strategy is shared with the wider organizational team. 18. Don’t give power to the grapevine - One of the biggest mistakes companies make is assuming that

if they say nothing or very little little about a looming issue, no one will talk about it. Employees are consumers like the rest of us; they talk and seek out information about things that concern them. Absent credible information from the company, employees will turn to colleagues, friends, family and the media to fill the void.

 

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19. Limit the Wall Street speak -  All communications must be understandable to a person of

reasonable intelligence. When dealing with large numbers, consider drawing comparisons co mparisons to the amount of products or services sold that would equal that total. 20. Give managers and supervisors the resources they need  - Direct reports play a critical role in the

communications landscape, but they need information that helps them speak knowledgably to their teams. Often, a manager-only town hall meeting is a viable alternative to an all-employee meeting. Managers can be provided with "tool kits" to communicate information to staff and time can be set aside afterward for department-level discussions. 21. Use a variety of existing communications channels -  This ensures that information will reach a

broad base of employees quickly and accounts for both an unwired or mobile workforce. This strategy also builds in an element of repetition and consistency to the communication, which will aid comprehension. 22. Ensure internal audiences are informed before (or at least at the same time) as external audiences - Few things damage morale more than when employees learn of major news from external

sources. Not only can this lead to disengaged employees, negative media coverage can result when workers who are ambushed by reporters offer comments along the lines of "They don’t don’t tell us anything; I found out about it in the paper." paper." Issuing press releases after the stock market closes, or coordinating with financial relations staff are ways to provide more time to notify internal audiences. 23. Make customer-contact employees a priority audience - Special attention should be given to

internal audiences that are most likely to get inquiries or comments from customers or the general public, including receptionists, security officers, call center employees, and sales force staff. Make it clear to these audiences what can and cannot be communicated to what external groups. By educating these employees and encouraging them to share some level of information, you combat a feeling of helplessness and engender trust from workers and customers. 24. Retirees are an important audience to keep in mind - Depending on how mature an organization

is, a sizeable (and usually highly vocal) group of retirees may exist who will shape community opinion about a negative crisis or issue. If communications vehicles do not exist to engage retirees alongside active employee audiences, consider developing information specifically aimed at former workers. 25. Anticipate and respond to employee concerns - While communication with external audiences

will likely focus on the financial strength of the company, internal communications must also address more personal and specific issues such as job security, security, benefits adjustments and day-to-day operations. Before communicating, ask yourself, what questions will this raise among employees? Consider publishing a question and answer document along with information from executives. 26. Develop leak scenarios and dark communication tools - Having a plan to communicate sensitive

material to employees will help reduce leaks and rumors; however, some slips may be inevitable. "Dark" communication tools such as memos, Web Web sites or blogs that can be activated at a moment’ momen t’ss notice are effective tools to respond before inaccurate information spreads. Furthermore, employees should know who to turn to for reliable information and who is empowered to speak publicly.

 

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27.There are four alternate ways to create the indicators of employee engagement. •

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First, improve the placement and use of talent in specific jobs (including skills and knowledge

training to further develop those talents) through the use of competency assessments with greater validity of measurement. Second, use accountability and incentive systems that more precisely tell employees what is expected of them - and then reward when that expectation is met. Third, implement performance appraisals that better measure expected results and improvement. Fourth, build teams based on the right mix of talent.

28.Employee engagement in action: Sun Microsystems

Employee engagement becomes that much more critical in such a virtual or global environment. Employee engagement is imperative for an organisation like Sun Su n as they operate in virtual teams across the world: At Sun the virtual nature is partly due to flexible working practises. While flexible working arrangements are a plus for many employees and reduces facility costs for the organisation, that flexibility comes with some downsides like; isolation, loneliness and an increase in personal distractions Isolation, especially when paired with the demands of work in an increasingly competitive environment, can wear down the sense of connection, commitment and excitement about any  job. Thus a critical challenge for managers of virtual teams is how to keep remote employ employees ees engaged. •

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29. At Sun Microsystems, the concept of employee engagement enga gement starts right from the top: Scott McNealy, McNealy, the CEO, interacts with Sun employees through WSUN, a forum on Sun’s intranet. He uses this to sustain an active an ongoing dialogue on the corporate goals and direction. Through this interactive on-line resource he also solicits their feedback and opinions Other senior management members like Jonathan Schwartz, the COO, engages with employees on technology directions through his personal blog Business Unit Heads and Executive Ex ecutive Vicepresidents Vicepresidents have a target of holding six ‘town halls’ with employees every year across the globe At the country level, Senior Management is tasked with constantly engaging employees through •

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various forums, communication media and events to build excitement and passion including some that also reach out to the employees’ families. Keys for Educating and Engaging Employees: DDI’S BELIEFS ABOUT EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

DDI’s approach to building higher levels of engagement is based on a number of fundamental beliefs, DDI’s many of which were formed by our more than three decades of research and experience. 30.Engagement is the primary enabler of successful execution of any business strategy. An engaged workforce is your only true competitive advantage. It is almost impossible to copy and, without it, execution of most corporate initiatives becomes difficult, if not impossible. 31. Engagement is not a short-term initiative. Because initiative. Because engagement is simple in concept but difficult in execution, it is never achieved or finished—only improved. It might take years of steady progress to build high levels of employee engagement, and without the proper care and feeding, these gains can wither and fall away surprisingly quickly.

 

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32. Engagement must be driven from the top . Engagement is a business imperative, not an HR

initiative, though HR should be a key player in driving higher levels of engagement. Support from the top also means senior leaders must be highly engaged themselves. Believe it or not, only one in four It’ss hard to imagine highly senior leaders—and only one in six frontline leaders—is highly engaged. It’ engaged employees without highly engaged leaders. 33. One of the best ways to have highly engaged employees is to hire them!  Certain people have a set of characteristics or attributes that increase their propensity for engagement (for example, ex ample, some employees are more likely to have higher levels of engagement than others, regardless of the jobs they choose or assignments they receive). Companies should pay close attention to these characteristics in their hiring process. 34. Engagement is all about fit. People fit.  People are more likely to be engaged if their jobs and the culture of the organization match both their abilities and skills, and their motivation and values. Most organizations hire or promote only for the ability and skill match, ignoring the motivation and value match. 35. No one impacts the state of engagement e ngagement more than an employee’s immediate leader. While this

might be a slight exaggeration, we believe most people do not leave their jobs; they leave their bosses. Show us a highly engaged team, and there’s a strong likelihood we can show you a leader who is coaching for success, setting clear goals, empowering others, providing open and honest feedback, and making the winners feel valued. 36. Measuring engagement and demonstrating its business impact is crucial, but crucial,  but it’s only a small part of winning the battle. Far too many organizations pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into measuring and remeasuring engagement, leaving little energy or budget for actually improving engagement levels. Keep your engagement measures simple and cost effective. Instead, spend your resources and energy moving the needle in the right direction! 37.Engagement means reaching the heart. Highly engaged employees give that extra effort because inside they care. And, they care because they feel someone is caring for them. A vice president for customer service at Progress Energy, Energy, for example, insists that his managers really get to know the individuals on their teams as people, not just employees. He wants to know k now about their aspirations, interests, and families. The recognition of the “whole person” sends a powerful message to employees that the organization understands and appreciates that they have a life outside work. Employee engagement 38. A matter matter of partnership - Global studies suggest that there are three basic aspects o off employee engagement: The employees and their own unique psychological make up and experience ex perience The employers and their ability to create the conditions that promote employee engagement Interaction between employees at all levels.

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39.To 39.T o engage their employees, organisations need to focus on key areas:

Management, leadership and communication Keep employees informed about what is going on in the business so they have a clear understanding of what it is trying to achieve Give employees regular feedback on their performance: they need to know what is expected of them and how they can improve See that managers are committed to the organisation: o rganisation: this is key to engaging employees Train your line managers to support their people, and address their training needs Consult and involve employees in key decisions affecting their work. • •

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40. Positive working environment

To raise levels of job satisfaction and improve retention rates, create o opportunities pportunities for flexible working. This will also allow employees a degree of choice in terms of how they manage their work-life balance Think carefully about job content– for many people a job that is meaningful is more worthwhile than a high salary Foster a climate where bullying is unacceptable.

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Work can be fun, challenging, stimulating, exciting and rewarding – employees should enjoy being at work, rather than regarding it as a painful necessity necessity.. A positive working environment and sound management practice are key to engaging staff and raising performance for everyone. AN ENGAGING WORK ENVIRONMENT 41. Aligning effort with strategy—Engagement begins with employees’ clear understanding of what they should be doing on the job. Each employee needs a solid job description and a clear set of performance expectations. Even more critical is their understanding that their individual goals are connected directly to the organization’s organization’s goals.

42. Empowerment—Organizations build empowerment by choosing employees who take personal

pleasure in the work they do and by giving employees the ability to make important decisions about their work.to Employees feel empowered a task appears to have a specificorganizations goal or purpose that is of value the individual. Employees when working in health care and nonprofit often point to the rewarding qualities of their work and the alignment between their personal beliefs and the goals of the organization in spite of lower pay or stressful work tasks. 43. Teamwork/Collaborati Teamwork/Collaboration— on— A key

ingredient in developing and maintaining high levels of cooperation and teamwork is a work environment built on trust. Trust means employees have confidence that others’ actions are consistent with their words, that leadership is concerned about their welfare and interests apart from what they can do for the organization, that the skills they have developed are respected and valued, and that each employee uniquely matters in the workplace 44. Growth and development —Most employees want to keep their jobs fresh and interesting by

learning new approaches and building new skills. Organizations can create engagement in their workforce by building a learning culture and creating individual development plans for every employee.  

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Promoting employee growth and development requires focused attention in several areas of the organization. First, organizations need to select employees who have a willingness to learn and can adapt their behaviors to a changing work environment.26 This willingness to grow and learn promotes innovation and creativity in the workforce. Second, leaders need to work with employees to understand strengths and development needs, and provide opportunities to leverage or build skills and knowledge. Most employees want to use their best skills and will feel engaged when organizations recognize and capitalize on their unique strengths, rather than placing emphasis on fixing weaknesses. Third,  organizations also need to provide meaningful development plans and opportunities that include programs such as training, succession management, special projects and assignments, and mentoring. 45. Support and recognition— recognition—Employees who feel they are listened to, supported, and recognized for

their contributions are likely to be more engaged. People like to be recognized for their unique contributions. The following guidelines may be b e followed to ensure that managers are more committed to the timely identification and recognition of employees: 46. Timing: Managers should ensure that employees are provided periodic feedbacks about their

performance without any delay. delay. The more aligned the reward is to the behaviour, the more relevant it is. 47. Selection: Understanding the psyche and need of the employee is important before the employer decides the reward. The golden rule in HR is that ‘A reward is only a reward if the person receiving it considers it such’. 48. Emotional impact: Outline impact: Outline the employee accomplishments being recognised in monetary and nonmonetary terms. It is beneficial if the employer/manager uses quantifiable adjectives to praise p raise the employee instead of using generalised praise such as ‘good job’ or ‘hard work’. For example, a complimentary e-mail sent by the HR team to both the employee involved and the employee’s employee’s boss does wonders to improve employee morale and pride. 49. Employee engagement The changes occurring at levels and workgroups i.e. at the managerial or the executive ex ecutive levels are indicators of the variance. Gallup for instance, uses 12 parameters to measure the success rates of a work group. They are Employee’s awareness of expectations of their work Employee’s The resources employees possess for executing work assigned to them efficiently Autonomy given to employees to work on what they are best at Recognition / praise for work done Employees’ relation relation with superiors Superiors’ encouragement Valuing opinions Mission/purpose of the company Commitment to doing quality work Friends at work

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Regular appraisals Opportunities to learn and grow at work

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These parameters may be linked to employee retention, customer engagement, productivity and profitability.. They aid in identifying the reasons for differences in performance of different profitability workgroups. 50. Toyota Motor Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown, Ky., (Toyota’s largest U.S. plant) consistently has levels

of employee engagement about 10% higher than the U.S. average. The plant’s plant’s success is due to a corporate culture that supports individual creativity as well as teamwork, according to Pete Gritton, vice president of administration. Gritton says management must support employees and be committed to the success of both the individuals and the company itself. In addition, he states that management must cultivate employees’ trust on a daily basis because it can vanish instantaneously through one careless act. Corporate culture is an important component comp onent of employee engagement. A company’s company’s culture is made evident by its leaders’ behavior. behavior. Communication Commun ication styles, internally distributed messages, company celebrations, and how you recognize employees’ efforts all define corporate culture. Make sure the culture at your credit union is one you want. Direct your employee-engagement efforts at managers man agers and nonmanagers alike. If managers aren’t aren’t engaged, it’s it’s unlikely that employees will be responsive to any efforts to engage them. Leaders who make their employees feel cared for, valued, and heard invoke a culture of trust and credibility. credibility. Treating employees as allies and creating a sense of teamwork and emotional commitment increases morale and productivity.. Invite feedback from staff instead of laying down the law. productivity law. And instead of communicating via memos, explain policies and programs in person along with the reasons for why they were developed and implemented. Employees want to be informed about everything that affects affects them, good and bad.

 

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Best Practices Capability Building

 

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1. Aetna Inc.: Generational Diversity

After evaluating the results of training, Aetna Inc. realized longer-tenured employees reacted differently to to some of its new learning approaches than did shorter-tenured employees. So the company conducted a more detailed analysis based on age, identifying five groups (Silent Generation, ages 6277; Baby Boomers, ages 52-61; Late Baby Boomers, ages 43-51; Generation X, ages 31-42; and Generation Y, Y, ages 18-30). Based on o n its own studies, and those of other organizations, the company found each generation has unique cultural and learning preferences based on experiences encountered during formative learning periods. At Aetna, most training designers were revealed to be Baby Boomers (corresponding to 43 percent of Aetna’ss workforce), while most new employees were Generation Xers and Generation Yers Aetna’ Yers (together representing 55 to 80 percent of Aetna’s workforce, depending on the organization). The company decided it needed to develop training more closely aligned to learning styles of Generations X and Y Y.. As a result, more e-learning incorporating games, simulations, and content search and research were added. With Generation X and an d Y learning styles designed into programs, overall learner satisfaction increased by 21 percent; achievement increased by 12 percent; and retention levels, tested three months after training was completed, increased by 9 percent. 2. Choice Hotels: Sales Training Choice Hotels is committed to providing superior sales training to employees, who are taught to go

beyond recording the guest’s guest’s order, to understanding his or her needs. In partnership with Signature Worldwide, Choice Hotels now provides new sales and legendary customer service techniques. To provide coaching on critical sales dialog, Choice redeveloped the monitoring process, and changed the focus to improving interactions between sales rep and customer. customer. Mystery shoppers now call the Reservation Call Center to give reps an opportunity to ask questions and attempt to tailor the Choice product to the customer’ cu stomer’ss needs. These calls are posted online, so the rep and his h is or her supervisor can access them for coaching and feedback. Thanks to these inn innovations, ovations, by fall 2007, C Choice’ hoice’ss Central Reservation System had handled six $10 million days, and two $11 million days of gross revenue. The training improvements resulted in a conversion increase from 36 percent to 43.6 percent in the last four years. This conversion brought an incremental $5.6 million in revenue through Choice’s Choice’s reservations centers in 2007. 3. Commerce Bancorp, Inc.: Certified Consumer Lender (CCL) and Expert Consumer Lender (ECL) Commercee B Commerc Bank ank developed its CCL and ECL regimens to prepare store employees employees—or —or "team

members," as the company calls them—to provide customers with lending expertise and loan approval. CCL consists of six classroom training programs and three online courses, totaling more than 42 hours of training. More than 200 hours of on-the-job training and mentoring by a regional consumer lender follow.. Participants are certified and granted lending authority after having successfully evaluated, follow approved, or declined 25 2 5 consumer loans. Program graduates are recertified annually annually.. ECL includes five advanced training courses, totaling more than 20 hours of training. The program gives lenders a broader perspective of loan processing, plus knowledge of small business lending practices, mentoring, and leadership skills. Graduates record an average $18 million of new loans monthly,, with a return on investment of 605 percent. monthly  

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5. PAETEC: Sales Training

PAETEC VP of Training Dan Reinbold created a sales training program that encompasses all four levels of Kirkpatrick’s Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model. All new sales reps are registered for a one-week, instructor-led training program at PAETEC’s corporate facility. Before attending, students must complete a rigorous prequalification program that includes viewing 36 product computer-based trainings (CBT (CBTs) s) and passing the associated tests with a grade of 80 percent or higher, plus completing a mock proposal using the company’s company’s Oracle-based CRM. The CBT prerequisites replaced another in-person week of training, saving roughly $350,000 per year in travel costs and improving content retention. At the one-week, in-person training, students are graded on their role plays throughout the week. Students must complete a course evaluation, including a section on what specific new techniques, if any,, they learned. Students then go back into the field, and their managers receive a comprehensive any report of their employees’ test and role-play scores. Classes are run every month for 12 to 15 students. For the first eight months of 2007, 95 percent of attendees rated this course as "Exceeded Expectations." 6. QUALCOMM: Online Employee Tradeshow

Seeking to keep global employees connected to San Diego, CA-based QUALCOMM, the Employee Communications team—a group within QUALCOMM's Learning Center—developed an Online Employee Tradeshow that mimics the live technical learning event held at the corporate campus. The Online Employee Tradeshow's launch page includes an interactive map that mirrors the same layout as the live event. Employees can navigate through the various technologies and company divisions represented at the tradeshow, or visit the "Information Booth" for more tips. Each virtual booth links to a Webpage that has the look and feel of the original live booth, and includes information about a particular technology, along with interviews and a video demonstration filmed during the live event. Last year's site was visited more than 11,000 times. The recently launched 2007 site already has been visited nearly 2,000 times. Survey data show employees feel they have a greater understanding of Tradeshow. QUALCOMM's technologies as a result of the Online Employee Tradeshow. QUALCOMM's Outstanding Initiatives: 7. AlliedBarton Security Services: AlliedBarton Leadership Boot Camp Launched in spring 2007, AlliedBarton Leadership Leadership Boot Camp signaled a sshift hift in how the company views and leads employees. It includes three stages. The first, "On-Ramp Preparation," is a six-week six -week process that includes a 360-degree leadership analysis, personal coaching, and a virtual reality leadership video in which participants practice principles and skills. Another two assessments are delivered to understand the employee's level of engagement. The multi-rater feedback establishes a baseline for performance. The second stage, Residential, includes three-and-a-half days in which participants engage with peers to build execution plans. The final phase, "On-the-Job Application," occurs over a 16-week period, and includes on-the-job implementation of execution plans. P Participants articipants meet with direct reports, deliver a plan to engage employees, and complete the multi-rater survey. survey.

 

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Following Boot Camp, account manager turnover was reduced from 32 percent to 21 percent. Financial impact as of July 31, 2007, was more than $2 million in turnover reduction savings. An assessment measuring learning outcomes indicated the improvement in confidence on the learning outcomes ranged between 22 percent and 54 percent. One of the largest improvements was on learning outcomes related to clarity of reducing turnover, turnover, which showed a 46 percent improvement in confidence. 8. ADP: SBS Sales Leadership Academy ADP’s Small Business Services Division has a large, geographically dispersed sales force led by sales

managers and executives in 50 regions across the country co untry.. The sales organization faced uneven distribution of leadership talent across regions; a high "churn rate" of internally promoted managers; inconsistent success in cultural assimilation, sales results, and associate retention among externally hired managers; and a lack of national standards for manager selection and training. The solution to these problems—piloted in 2005 and officially launched in July 2007—was the SBS Sales Leadership Academy, Academy, which offers • Blended learning programs • Rigorous national selection processes • Six-month pre-management development plans • A national leadership talent database •• A dedicated Online toolsstaff for on-demand access to self-development resources, management tools, and best practices. Since the academy's creation, sales manager and executive retention has improved by 26 percent, and the number of management vacancies has decreased by 90 percent. 9. Best Buy: Bu y: Women’s Women’s Leadership Forum (WOLF)

Best Buy's Women's Leadership Forum (WOLF) engages female and male employees, from line-level to executives, empowering them to reinvent the company for the retailer's female customers and employees through their ideas and experiences. WOLF focuses on a simple objective: "If we want to be a great place for women to shop, we have to be a great place for women to work." As such, WOLF is grounded in three pillars: • Commitment—to the business, customers, and to each other. • Networking—employees build a strong, diverse circle of individuals they trust to help them both professionally and personally. • Give back—employees give their time and energy to help and support women and girls in need in their local communities, building valuable leadership skills. This leadership development program has 52 innovative experiments in progress and currently offers more than 100 give-back event opportunities. WOLF partners with organizations that impact the lives of women and girls at the local, national, and international levels, such as the Grameen Foundation, Ann Bancroft Foundation, and Common Hope.

 

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In fiscal year 2007, the WOLF leadership development initiative led to a: • 40 percent increase in female general managers • 100 percent increase in female sales managers • 100 percent increase in females in home theater • 200 percent increase in female district managers • 5.7 percent reduction of female turnover 10. Lockheed Martin Corporation: Safety Award for Team Team Excellence

To support Lockheed Martin's corporate-wide Target Target Zero safety initiative, the Aeronautics business area brought together employees with union and company leadership to create the SAFTE (Safety Award for Team Excellence) program, which helps identify and correct workplace hazards through a combination of training, behavior-based observation, and rewards. Rolled out in late 2006, SAFTE combines two previous programs' best elements. V Volunteers olunteers join a SAFTE team (10 to 30 members, complete with a team leader, coach, and team name) to make observations and identify fixes, eliminating workplace hazards and injuries and receiving points for suggestions and activities. Documented rules, point systems, anonymous observation, and emphasis on proactive actions ensure the focus is on the process, not the person. Points are earned through team meetings, observations, submitting suggestions action reports, reporting close calls,performing and training others on suggested new proceduresand viacorrective team presentations. At the kickoff meeting, teams are trained on the observation process and the program, and team leaders and coaches receive additional leadership training. Halfway through the award period, all teams receive mid-point luncheons, and at the end, the top four teams receive a SAFTE excellence award. To date, 1,245 team members and 100 team leaders and coaches have been trained on this program. Through June 2007, total injuries were down 32 percent yearyear-to-date to-date compared to June 2006. From October 2006 to June 2007, more than 10,000 employees were observed across Aeronautics, and more than 500 suggestions were submitted. 11. UPS: UPS Integrad

Utilizing the knowledge of experts at universities such as Virginia Tech Tech and MIT, MIT, UPS sought to learn how to train its next generation of drivers. Researchers found that all workers, primarily Gen X and Y workers, want hands-on training that relates as directly as possible to their current or an anticipated ticipated job responsibilities. Aided by a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, UPS piloted a driver training program called UPS Integrad that is a mix of computer-based training, simulations, and selfstudy—with nearly 85 percent hands-on learning. Features include: • Lifting and lowering simulator: Cameras monitor body movement mov ement as trainees lift and lower packages to see whether they are moving correctly. correctly. • Slips and falls simulator: Trainees Trainees walk on a track surface treated with varying substances to simulate real-world conditions that would increase the likelihood of a slip and fall (i.e., rain, ice, and oil). • Driver course: Trainees drive a 10-mile prescribed travel path with the delivery information acquisition device (DIAD) capturing the activity of the ride.  

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• Integration station: This includes various tasks from each learning station, and grows more challenging each day day.. • Package handling: In an actual package car in the training facility, facility, trainees must demonstrate package selection and proper on/off vehicle procedures with multiple packages. The UPS Integrad training class was pilot-tested in September with 24 students and five facilitators. After holding additional sessions, the company comp any is tabulating the data. A bigger rollout will result if a significant reduction is seen in first-year first-year driver accidents and injuries. 12. Employee Employee training - Infosys The American Society for Training and Development has rated Indian IT major Infosys T Technologies echnologies Ltd as the world's best in employee training and development. Praising the training practices at Infosys's Global Business Foundation School, the ASTD gave the 'Excellence in Practice Award Award 2003' to Infosys. The Global Business Foundation School is a structured programme to enhance technical and behavioural competencies of fresh engineering graduates. The one-year programme at the school readies freshers for the challenging software career ahead of them. The programme requires participants to integrate technology, methodology methodology,, people and process elements. In addition to technical courses, fresh entrants are exposed to courses on communication skills, interpersonal skills, management development and quality systems to absorb the company's corporate culture. 13. BT Exact The team: team: BT Exact Learning and Development Number in team: team: 12 Number of employees the team is responsible for: 7,000 About the organisation BT organisation BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications, operating in 170 countries. The challenge T challenge Today's oday's demands have caused the role of IT to evolve ex exponentially ponentially and, like many IT organisations, BT Exact was facing a "capability wall". To To address this, BT Exact needed to transform its IT capabilities and develop an organisation responsive to rapid change. The development and implementation of a learning and development strategy, strategy, fully aligned to business goals, was seen as critical to this. What the organisation did Developed a new vision: to become a best practice learning organisation that creates a highly competent and agile workforce aligning focused development with customer success. Introduced the concept of ’Learning Partners’ to Partners’ to grow the skill capability in areas of known demand. Learning Partners initially introduced focused accreditation routes to address immediate skill gaps, and then moved on to more sophisticated learning programmes. Learning Partners encouraged staff to share their knowledge through a number of initiatives outside formal training structures, including the introduction of a Wiki portal, focus groups and self-study groups.

 

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Benefits and achievements

During the last year more than 500 staff have been through up-skill/re-skill programmes, which has helped to win new business in the professional services marketplace. A number of centres of excellence based around common skill sets have been established. Learning initiatives are tied to business demand, rather than individual aspirations.

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The judge says: "One of the very few entries that focused on the bigger picture. Learning Partners

allocated to different areas have focused on the needs of professional communities and used a range of on-the-job learning methods." 14. Nottingham City Transport The team: Nottingham City Transport Transport Number in team: 6 Number of employees the team is responsible for: 14 About the organisation Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is the largest provider of public transport in

the Greater Nottingham area. In 2004, it had provided more than 100 years of service to its customers, and received the national UK Bus Operator of the Year Year award. In 2006, NCT carried almost 50 million passengers. The challenge To  To design and deliver a foundation degree in business management that focused on

work-based learning, and encourage effective cross-functional communications and working relationships by establishing mixed-function groups. What the organisation did

Developed a foundation degree in business and management, man agement, in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University and West Nottinghamshire College of Further Education. Introduced the first structured, coherent management development programme in the history of NCT business. Delivered a programme that achieves an integrated approach to performance and learning, by ensuring the assignments are focused on real-life work issues that participants need to address. •

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Benefits and achievements 

The first foundation degree in business and management to be validated v alidated by Leeds Metropolitan University and to be b e offered by W West est Nottinghamshire College of Further Education. Three NCT directors worked directly with a college faculty member to help develop the HR, marketing and finance modules, and became part of the programme faculty. faculty. The programme was launched in 10 months - half the time normally expected for validation by the awarding university. •

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The judge says: "This accredited management development programme has particular strengths in its

contextualisation into the everyday work of the organisation, with immediate benefits. It includes impressive teamwork both internally and with providers." 15. O2 The team: Sales Academy Number in team: 5 Number of employees the team is responsible for: 600 About the organisation O2 is a leading provider of mobile services to consumers and businesses in the

UK. It is the leader in non-voice services, including text, media messaging, games, music and video, as well as data connections via GPRS, 3G and WLAN.

 

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The challenge Recognising that 02 operates in a rapidly maturing market and selling ever more

complex solutions, the board decided that the capability of the sales force would need to be a key commercial differentiator. differentiator. A new approach was required. What the organisation did

Introduced a new set of behaviours - ’The O2 Way’ - and a four-stage development path, which formed the basis of a £3m investment, creating an 02 sales academy for more than 450 sales staff. Fully integrated the programme into critical HR processes, which focuses on the key organisational objective to drive business success. •

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Benefits and achievements

More than £60m of revenue can be directly tracked by O2 to the adoption and use of The O2 Way. Over the past 18 months, corporate customer satisfaction relating to O2 sales and account management has risen from an indexed score of 67 to 73. O2 sales staff, on a quarterly basis, consistently rank the sales academy initiative as one of the top differentiators they have to maximise their success in the marketplace.

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The judge says: "Sales training is perhaps the easiest area to show a good return on investment, but the thoroughness and effectiveness of this sales academy is impressive. A four-stage development path is integrated with performance management, a wide range of learning methodologies are harnessed, including simulations and online coaching, and there are clear metrics for skills measurement at each

stage." 16. Maybourned Hotel Group The team: Maybourne Hotel Group Number in team: 10 Number of employees the team is responsible for: 815 About the organisation Maybourne Hotel Group is a luxury hotel group that owns and manages The Berkeley, Claridge's and The Connaught. The challenge To implement a customer service training programme designed to communicate and support the development of a new service culture called 'Intuitively Maybourne', which concentrates on 'cherishing' the personality of every customer by providing intuitive, unique customer service. What the organisation did  

HR and an external company called The People Skills Business designed a programme called 'The

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Maybourne Cycle of Service'. The training programme consisted of different activities and exercises to encourage employees from all parts and levels of the company to take responsibility for what they did every day. 800 employees completed the training programme in just four months. All managers attended a workshop called 'Leading the Heart of Maybourne' to give them the tools and techniques to apply what they learned at the training programme. Non-managerial staff attended 'The Heart of Maybourne' workshop. •

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Benefits and achievements

Set the standard of service required across the Maybourne Hotel Group. Identified the challenges employees are facing every day and helped them to think of solutions. Created an opportunity for employees to meet their colleagues from other hotels, to network, and share best practice.

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Helped the group to achieve recognition as one of the 100 Best Workplaces in Europe and one of the top 50 companies to work for by the Great Place to Work Institute. Saw an increase of 1.5% in profit for the group compared with the same quarter in 2006.

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The judge says: "This customer service training programme has strengths in every category category.. It is a

concise, relevant entry statement, with lots of innovation in visualising the messages, tremendous support by the leadership, and effective use of internal trainers. Most impressive of all was the real evidence of success in customer impact." 17. Somerfield The team: People Development Team Team Number in team: 8 Number of employees the team is responsible for: 43,000 About the organisation Somerfield is a high-street supermarket with stores across the UK. The challenge Somerfield’s desire to be the UK’s leading local fresh food and convenience retailer was

undermined by consumer research in September 2005, and identified produce as a priority priority.. The People Development Team’ Team’ss training needs analysis highlighted a gap among store teams in product knowledge and the confidence to talk to customers, along with presentation skills and understanding of acceptable standards. What the organisation did

Designed ’Passion for Produce’ - a one-day workshop to train employees throughout Somerfield’s head office and 900 stores. Used regional managers, responsible for 15-20 stores, and fresh food support employees to deliver the training, which meant the Passion for Produce workshop had h ad a strong impact and learning was embedded in-store. •

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Benefits and achievements

Generated support from relevant board directors. Influenced regional directors and allowed time in their busy diaries to deliver Passion for Produce. More than 2,700 staff attended workshops across the UK between October 2006 and February 2007. Like-for-like Like-for -like produce sales increased by 5% from March 2006 to March 2007. The workshop has set new standards and visibility for training and further engaged regional managers in supporting their people’s people’s development. •

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The judge says: "A very well-presented entry of a one-day o ne-day training course, which was creatively

designed, and enabled line managers to deliver it on-site, emphasising their leadership role. The cost per delegate was £21 and the increase in sales showed a significant return on investment." Typically, in an integrated and innovative model of learnin learning, g, the organization has to: 18. Reinvent the way learning takes place: It is necessary to develop innovative and flexible ways to create and manage the learning process. Employees need learning learning experiences that give them them opportunities to share knowledge and connect their learning to the context contex t of their work. Such strategies can include peer coaching, mentoring and networking. 19. Redefine learning events: Such events must be led by b y people with the right expertise and incorporate activities reflected in the workplace. Employees need an operational definition of what expert knowledge looks like and how it works.

 

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20. Refine the learning process: The learning experience must encompass a range of appropriate best

practices that extend over a significant period of time, as well as an exploration into the near future. Employees need sequences of learning that build one on the other o ther and allow support for on going development over time. 21. Re-establish the value of on-site learning: This approach embeds learning in the workplace and

can be led by respected peers. It also allows for input in the lear learning ning process so learning is planned and owned by the employees themselves. 22. Remember that it is important to promote and visibly support learning in the workplace:

There is little meaningful change in an organisation if learning is not tied directly to the needs of the business. Management vigilance on the return on investment in learning must be actively supported. Such an approach to developing employee knowledge can be captured in the concept of “Spinnovation”, or speed plus innovation. Effective Learning and Development Programs – Best Practices 23. The most effective learning and development programs have following features incorporated: Strategy driven: All training and development programs should align with overall organization •

strategic goals and yield business results. •

ROI: The training program should measured as every other business activity, IItt must show a return on investment either on short be term or long term. Methodologies: Learning & Development methodology can be identified from amongst eLearning, CBTs, CBTs, Class room training, knowledge kn owledge sharing sessions & continuous educational program in reputed institutions based on the type of business the organization is engaged. Ownership: Employees should be encouraged to identify their own needs to create individual learning plans, and to seek learning opportunities. This makes every employee accountable for the training he/she has identified and the responsibility falls on that individual, his boss and the organization. Continuous learning process: The process of learning never ceases, the companies should ensure that learning occurs before, during and after scheduled learning events also. •

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24. Best practice p ractice 2-Talent 2-Talent management mindset

Hiring talent must be a core competency and a part of the strategic business objectives. Hence, the organisation’ss recruiting philosophy should read, ‘We value people, we value your input, we also feel organisation’ that you can help the organisation make further progress in hiring qualified, talented people.’ Such a philosophy would help instil the idea that every employee is a recruiter and motivate him to contribute to the process. A top performer understands the ‘right employee fit’ best. Formalising the process of referrals and offering incentives can further develop the recruiter mindset. Technology can then be brought in to define and support the processes required to successfully recruit and provide easy-to-adopt technological solutions.

 

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25. Best practice 3- Know what you want! Home Depot, a retail store wanted customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial leaders. The Microsoft 

technology they used was designed to find problem solvers. Organisations should clearly define their ‘recruit’ profile. The new recruit should fall into one of the three levels. The company fit: What kind of employees does the organisation need? Customer service experts or problem solvers? The team fit: Does the new employee possess the right qualities and personality? The role fit: Does he have the required technical and leadership qualifications? Having answered these questions the organisation can bring recruiting technology into the picture. •

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26.Sales Training Practices:  Practices:  HR department of an organisation that intends to increase its sales turnover should: • • • •

Provide its sales force a better variable compensation and incentives Focus more on training the sales personnel, particularly poor performers Recruit persons with the talent and aptitude for selling Ensure that all the best performing sales personnel become sales managers thus providing scope for vertical growth

27. Learning TheOrganizational term organizational learning refers to continuous improvement of existing approaches and processes and adaptation to change, leading to new goals and/or approaches. app roaches. Learning needs have to be embedded in the way the organization works. The term embedded means that learning: • • • • •

Is a regular part of the daily work. Is practiced at personal, work unit, and organizational levels Results in solving problems at source Is focused on sharing knowledge throughout the organization Is driven by opportunities to affect significant c hange and do better Sources for learning include employee ideas, research and development (R&D), customer input, best practice sharing and benchmarking.

28. E-learning a solution!  solution!  Cisco launched the Field e-Learning Connection (FeLC) in 1999 for its sales personnel. They aimed to plan, track, develop and measure their skills and knowledge. The Field e-Learning Connection is a single-online point of entry for all employees spread across the globe. The site provides links to thousands of web-based learning aids and job specific learning paths, access to online assessment tools and certification exams ex ams along with employees’ history. history. The FeLC offers a wide range of modes mod es of delivering training. One is the Cisco IP/TV Solution that helps in large-scale, good-quality streaming media communication. With IP/TV, IP/TV, Cisco can conduct a single update training session that can reach 3000 employees simultaneously and globally by relaying it on the company’s intranet. This enables Cisco to deliver a single, clear and consistent expert exp ert message at a very low cost. Live events can be archived as video-on-demand (V (VoD) oD) modules for employees who couldn’t watch the live broadcast. The edited versions of these V VoDs oDs are also available on o n demand to any employee.

 

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29. Train Train and equip the sales force to do what you want them to do.

While it’s a necessary start to create specific expectations for margin growth, that won’t accomplish much by itself. If you you want them to do what you want them to, you need to show them how. Read through the list of sales practices that follow, pick and choose those that you want to pursue. Then create the tools and processes that a salesperson should use to successfully implement them. Then, provide them instruction in how to do them along with opportunities to practice. An effective sales training programme should cover the following areas: 30.Training 30.T raining to uncover true requirements: It is important for sales professionals to realise the true

objective of asking questions- comprehending the actual requirements. Only then will they be able determine and suggest an appropriate solution. Questions that do not help reveal the customer’s concern/ requirements are unnecessary and detrimental to sales process in the long run. Also, it is important for the sales professionals to keep the audience in mind. Questions will have to vary based on audience type. Technical Technical as this sounds right now, it is a matter of commonsense and practice! 31.Training to ask strategic questions: The audience plays a major role in the type of questions 31.Training asked, especially when they belong to the executive cadre. These individuals represent the organisation and are responsible for taking decisions. Asking such individual strategic questions related to the organisation’ organisation’s s goals and objectives will identify to thesell roadblocks that prevent the organisation from reaching them. In that there would be anhelp opportunity a solution. 32. Training to ask the “what” question: Most people get into a buying mode more for curative than preventive reasons. This means that it makes sense to identify the ‘cause’ for their concern or issue. The “what” questions are the best when it comes to exposing ex posing ‘causes’. Questions could range from a simple, “What caused the problem?” to a more strategic “What specific challenges are preventing you from reaching your objectives?” to something as direct as, “What results are you expecting?” The answers to such questions will help sales professionals tailor their solutions. 33. Training Training to use u se the sales pitch later: As one sales expert cautions, “Using the sales pitch as an introduction to their presentation is the surest way to failure!” In a typical sales process, a demonstration or presentation is followed by a Q and A ses session sion where the audience is given the green signal to ask questions. Now, as mentioned earlier, earlier, the minute the customer gets to ask the questions, he gets to control the sales. It is important to train sales professionals to begin their presentations by asking questions to identify requirements. Once this is done, the presentation can then be tweaked to address best customer requirements. This way the chances of offering a tailor-made solution and closing the deal in turn are high. Despite numerous benefits, classroom-training programes are not effective in training sales forces MNCs like Cisco Systems, which launch new products and technologies every six months and hence cannot afford to have classroom sales training. E learning was found to be the best way to train their sales force.

 

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A combination of different modes of training is ideal for training sales forces: 34.Providing training to the chosen trainers. These train-the-trainer sessions serve as dress

rehearsals or practise session for the sales training facilitators by providing experience exp erience in conducting workshop and meetings. Though they do not offer practice sessions for each topic or exercise, they manage to give the trainers an overall picture of the course content and activity flow. flow. At the end of each presentation feedback about the participants is solicited and the logic behind pace, sequence and strategy of the course is explained. 35. Avoid over-promising. Make the environment conducive for success, for instance, limiting the

class-size to 12-18 people ensures better interaction and hence improves the chance of training success. Group discussions and activities get too time-consuming in large groups. If a trainer lacks a requisite quality pair her up with someone who complements her traits. 36. Ensure that the training site matches the programme. Though it might seem very elementary to

have a good training-set-up, it is important to ensure that the site is suitable to the training. It could be designed for instructor-led session or have break-out rooms for group activities. Sometimes, it might require sophisticated equipment for video-conferencing for two-way activities across different locations through wide area network computing. All this equipment needs to be in place before training begins. 37. Don’t buyand what you don’t  Hi-tech gadgets equipment might give training the desired sophisticated attractive look,need. however, if you don’tand need them in your training, it is pointless to buy them. Also, it sometimes shifts the focus from training to mastering the technology, technology, which defeats the purpose of training while increasing training budgets. Asking questions such as ‘to what extent will the technology help the training?’ ‘Are the costs justified?’ ‘Is ‘Is it possible to convince the top management about the viability’, will greatly help in making the decision on whether to opt for new technology or not. 38. Include suitable training for sales managers. Some managers.  Some of the sales managers can be newly promoted star-performers, star-perf ormers, they may not necessarily possess the managerial qualities required to manage and develop a team of sales personnel. To help them in their job, it is important to provide managerial training to them to ensure they extract the best from sales personnel. This includes supplying sales managers with tools necessary for reiterate the daily application of the critical concepts taught in the training curriculum. 39. Provide coaching and mentoring tools to ensure en sure post-training success. Have a coaching programme for managers that trains them on the skills taught in the sales training programme. This can be imparted by providing mentoring tools such as providing Worksheets for making joint calls with sales representatives, tip-sheets for conducting sales meetings. Here are suggestions from the best practices in sales training: 40. Prioritise. The Prioritise. The most critical training needs that call for immediate actions must be addressed first. Effectiveness is guaranteed only when a training programme is based on realistic analysis of performance requirements. For this, a needs assessment comprising job analysis, performance gap analysis and root cause analysis should be conducted.

 

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The analysis should also deal with issues such as who needs to be trained, their existing level of knowledge and skills, the environment in which they will be trained and the performance expectations from them after training. There are other ways to carry out needs assessment analysis too. For instance, the New Technologies Training Training Manager at BMW, Joanne Irish, meets sales personnel to discuss relevant issues like their sales experience exp erience in the past and their current sales methodology. 41. Develop training solutions internally specific to organisational requirements. Using off-the-

shelf training programmes should be avoided as far as possible. Customisation might be cumbersome. The modifications might be as simple as localising or changing emphasis, though they might at times involve employing a professional instructional designer to create sales training courseware from scratch. 42. Plan training details in advance. A project manager should be assigned to a training programme.

The managers responsibility will be to ensure training deadlines are met, the quality is as expected and within the allotted budget. Outside vendors usually have their own project managers. . It is advisable to have the training courseware developed by an instructional designer or a subject matter expert. 43. Match training delivery with content.  The training content must mu st necessarily include three areas:

a) Basic communication skills such as listening and communicating; b) Sales skills such as handling objections and building long-term relationships with customers; and c) The entire sales process. In more complex salesstrategy cycles, the training module must include organisational product knowledge, selling skills, industry awareness, sales support and salesknowledge, management. The mode of delivery such as CBT, classroom training should be selected based on the content. 44. Ensure post-training follow-up. Trainees need continuous support to effectively implement their

learning from the training on the job. The progammes must include a systematic follow-up plan for successful implementation of the training. Checklists of o f points to cover, and well-designed product data-sheets are effective tools that ensure success of the training. 45. Integrate training with the on-the-job selling.  Reinforce to the trainees the link between what is

being taught and how it is related to their everyday work. Clearly demonstrate how the training can be applied in their sales calls. 46. Understand that motivation and real training experience are different from each other. Very

often sales personnel are subjected to motivational and pep talk in the name of sales training, resulting in no new learning. These motivational talks must be delivered along with some technical sales training to ensure the training returns to their jobs with some new knowledge to help them in their work. 47. Link sales training with organisational goals. For sales training to have a good impact it must

contribute directly to the bottom line of the company. T Training raining managers and sales trainers must have a thorough knowledge of the company’s objectives and strategies to ensure that the training programme is in sync with the organisational objectives. 48. Evaluate training effectiveness at multiple levels. Successful levels. Successful training programmes ensure that individual training evaluation is conducted at four levels. a) Reaction to sales training b) Mastery of knowledge and skills c) Transfer of training d) Evaluate ROI on training

 

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49. Get management support. The management must be actively involved in the entire sales training

process, which will ensure that the staff gets adequate support from the management in terms of resources and finance. The trainers and the sales department must make sure that the management knows exactly what the training is about. 50. Create a REBME presentation. p resentation. REBME? That stands for "Reasons to Buy from Me." So many

distributor salespeople look on every sales call as purely a discussion of product and price that they fail to consider the totality of the factors that influence the customer to buy. buy. Now, if there is absolutely no difference between buying it from you and buying it from the other guy, guy, than the customer should go with the lowest price. However, I very rarely have seen there to be absolutely no difference. Your job is to identify all the things that are different when the customer buys it from you. Put those things into a list, turn them into statements of benefit for the customer and memorize the presentation. Then when the customer says, "You’ "You’re re a point or two too high," instead of discounting, share with the customer what he/she gets in exchange for that point or two. If there is some valid economic impact, than you’ve you’ve just added a couple points to your margin by giving the customer a reason to buy it from you.

 

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Best Practices Employee Retention

 

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Employers Key Drives To To Attract And Retain Talent 1.Procter and Gamble India

Early responsibilities in career Flexible and transparent organizational culture Global opportunities through a variety of exposure and diverse experiences Performance Recognition

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2.American Express (India)

Strong global brand Value-based environment Pioneer in many people practices

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3.NTPC

Learning and growth opportunities Competitive rewards Opportunity to grow, grow, learn and implement

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Strong social security and employee welfare performance- oriented culture

4.Johnson & Johnson

Strong values of trust, caring fairness, and respect within the organization Freedom to operate at work Early responsibility in career Training and learning opportunities Vi Visible, sible, transparent and accessible leaders Competitive rewards Innovative HR programs and practices

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5.Glaxo Smith Kline Consumer Healthcare

Performance-driven Rewards Its belief in “Growing our own timber” Comprehensive development and learning programs Flat organization, where performance could lead to very quick progression Challenging work context Competitive rewards Exhaustive induction and orientation program

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6.Tata Steel Organization philosophy and culture Job stability Freedom to work and innovate

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7.Colgate Palmolive India Company brand

Open , transparent, and caring organization Management according to the managing with respect to guiding principles Training ad development programs Structured career planning process Global career opportunities

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8.Wipro

Company’s brand as an employer Early opportunities for growth High degree of autonomy Value compatibility Innovative people program

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9.Indian Oil Corporation

Company brand image Work ethics ethi cs Learning and growth opportunities

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Challenging work assignments Growing organization

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10.TCS

The group brand equity Strong corporate governance and citizenship Commitment to learning and development Best in people practices Challenging assignments Opportunity to work with fortune 500 clients

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Best Practices in Retention and Knowledge Transfer - findings from a study report by CPSC and Canadian Labour and Business Centre (CLBC) 11.Competitive and Fair Compensation is a fundamental starting point in most strategies to attract and retain employees. However, there is general agreement that compensation levels do not single-handedly guarantee employee retention. Common best practices include the use of industry surveys to benchmark and position wage and salary structures to be fair and competitive. (examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Tower; Huronia Precision Plastics Inc; Innotech Precision; IPEX; Westbridge PET Containers). 12.Adequate and Flexible Benefits can demonstrate to employees that a company is supportive and fair, and there is evidence to suggest that benefits are at the top of the list of reasons why employees choose to stay with their employer or to join the company in the first place. Many companies are responding to the increasingly diverse needs of their employees by introducing a greater element of choice in the range of benefits from which their workers can choose. Flexibility in benefits packages can enhance retention, as it creates responsiveness to the specific needs and circumstances of individual employees. ( examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Tower; Innotech Precision; IPEX) IPEX)..

 

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  13.Innovative Compensation Systems and practices can have a positive impact on employee retention by motivating membership-oriented behaviour (commitment). Pay systems may also affect knowledge sharing and transfer if sharing, teamwork, suggestions, etc. are rewarded or recognized. Innovative compensation systems include gain sharing, skill-based pay and various types of bonus plans. ( examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Innotech Pr Precision; ecision; IPEX; W Westbridge estbridge PET Containers). 14.Recognition and Rewards include a diverse range of formal and informal, financial and non-

financial, incentives given to individual individu al employees, groups of employees or to an entire staff. They include such things as employee of the month awards, company-sponsored sports teams and social events, prizes, clothing, and so on. Recognition and rewards can contribute to a workplace culture of respect and appreciation for employees and work well done, and thereby reinforce employee commitment to the firm. (examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Tower; Huronia Precision Precision Plastics Inc; Innotech Precision; IPEX; W Westbridge estbridge PET Containers). 15.Training, 15.T raining, Professional Development, and Career Planning  are effective ways to enhance

employee retention. Training Training constitutes a visible investment that the company makes in the worker, providing him or her with new skills, and greater competencies and confidence. Training often leads to work that is more intrinsically rewarding. Combined with effective effective communication about how an employee’s employee’ s efforts developing skills encourages will lead him or her to more challenging meaningfulto their positions within theatcompany, training workers to make longer term and commitments workplace: it permits them to see a future with the company. company. All of the companies we interviewed were very active in the area of skills training and professional development. Many have put in place effective internal promotion programs that allow even their unskilled and semi-skilled workforce to move towards positions of greater responsibility and remuneration within the company. (examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Tower; Huronia Precision Plastics Inc; Innotech Precision; Interquisa Canada s.e.c; IPEX; Westbridge Westbridge PET Containers). 16.Recruitment & Orientation practices can practices can be of crucial importance to keeping workers over the longer term. Employee retention is enhanced by ensuring a good “fit” between a company’ company’ss workplace culture—its way of doing business and the qualities that it espouses as valuable—and the interests, character,, and motivations of the individuals that exist within it. Recruitment practices that emphasize character not only formal qualifications (job-relevant technical ability) but also more general types of qualifications and dispositions on the part of the recruit can be part of an effective retention strategy. strategy. Our own case-based study revealed that employees emp loyees in some workplaces, particularly the smaller ones, do more than merely work together: they often share similar interests and have a very strong interpersonal rapport, and these in turn help to bind them together as a cohesive whole. Indeed, the quality of interpersonal relations may contribute significantly to retention in its own right. Good initial orientation to the newly-hired employee can not only help to effectively integrate that person into the workplace but can also help to make the new person feel welcome and provide him or her information about how to cope with the demands of the workplace, and any possible problems that may arise. (examples: Baytech; Canadian General T Tower; ower; Innotech Precision; Inter Interquisa quisa Canada s.e.c; IPEX)

 

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17.Healthy Workplace or Wellness Initiatives take on a variety of forms, including those directed at the physical work environment (cleanliness, safety, safety, ergonomics, etc.); health practices (supporting healthy lifestyles, lifestyles, fitness, diet, etc.); and social environment and personal resources (organizational con trol over one’s work, employee assistance programs, etc.). Healthy workplace culture, a sense of control initiatives not only improve the health and well-being of individual employees, but contribute to business performance objectives including employee retention. (examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Tower; Huronia Precision Plastics Inc; Innotech Precision; IPEX). 18.Work-Life Balance programs recognize 18.Work-Life programs recognize that employees have important family and extraprofessional obligations that compete with their workplace commitments. Practices such as dependent care leave, childcare subsidies, eldercare programs, counseling and referral, and flexible working hours allow people to strike a more meaningful and potentially less stressful balance between obligations at the workplace and obligations at home. Firms that operate on the basis of shift work may have employees who find it particularly diff difficult icult to balance family and work obligations. Flexibility and responsiveness on the part of employers can go a long way in helping employees to resolve such conflicts and be more productive at work. Policies that prove to be effective in helping employees to manage work-life balance in a shift work setting include (i) limiting split shifts, (ii) providing advanced notice of shift changes, (iii) permitting employees to trade shifts amongst themselves and, most importantly,, consulting with employees about their work-life balance needs while planning shifts. ( importantly examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Tower; Innotech Precision; IPEX IPEX). ). 19.Job Design & Work Teams can Teams can enhance the intrinsic rewards of the job, making mak ing work more fulfilling, challenging, interesting, and stimulating. Practices such as autonomous auton omous or semi-autonomous work teams, ‘self-scheduling,’ and job rotation can not only improve retention but have also been shown to improve a number of other important indicators such as productivity, accidents and injuries and product quality. quality. (examples: Baytech; Canadian General T Tower; ower; Innotech Precision; IPEX) IPEX).. 20.Employee Participation & Communication. Open, responsive, two-way communications are vital to good employee retention, and should be considered as the basic building blocks of any effective retention practice. Most, if not all, of the retention strategies and practices fundamentally depend on a sound approach to communicating with employees. Without communications, many of these practices would be impossible to implement in any effective way. way. The case studies we conducted revealed considerable efforts to communicate with employees, through a variety of vehicles including employee surveys, regularly scheduled scheduled committee meetings, formal postings an and d newsletters, and personal discussions. Several companies keep their employees regularly up to date on the company’s company’s financial performance, and maintain open-door communication policies. ( examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Tower; Huronia Precision Plastics Inc; Innotech Precision; Interquisa Canada s.e.c; IPEX; Westbridge Westbridge PET Containers). 21.Performance Appraisal practices that practices that provide good feedback to employees emp loyees and give them a view of their longer-                     (examples: Baytech; Canadian General Tower; Tower; Innotech Precision; IPEX). 22.Knowledge Transfer – cross-training, coaching and mentoring, phased in retirement. While

employee retention practices seek to retain workers, knowledge kno wledge transfer practices seek to retain skills, through both formal and informal exercises in information sharing and the building of collective knowledge. Mentoring and coaching, phased-in retirements, and cross-training and job rotation, are types of knowledge transfer that overlap with training. Knowledge transfer also includes the use of  

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technology-based tools—databases, intranets, groupware—aimed to support knowledge sharing among amon g individuals, and to permanently document and keep knowledge kno wledge that is vital to business performance. (examples: Baytech; Canadian General T Tower; ower; Huronia Precision Plast Plastics ics Inc; Innotech Precision; Interquisa Canada s.e.c; IPEX; Westbridge Westbridge PET Containers). A first-ever first-ever AIMA AIMA study reveals the best practices in keeping your human capital. Companies now adopt more than one technique to create an internal environment that will retain their employees. As per the survey, survey, the most popular retention-oriented initiatives include: 23.INCREASING THE ORGANISATION’S LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM. PROFESSIONALISM . Employees leave companies where intra-organisational interactions are unstructured, and decisions, ad-hoc and an d driven more by personal prejudice rather than professional consideration. By adopting systems that introduce an element of objectivity into its internal operations, a company can create a better workplace. 24.MOVING FROM FAMILY TO PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT. In MANAGEMENT. In most family-managed organisations, professional managers leave because they cannot see themselves holding key positions, or functioning with the level of independence that their designations merit. By inducting professionals into senior management positions, a company can lower its attrition-rate. 25.MAKING PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS APPRAISALS OBJECTIVE. Employees OBJECTIVE. Employees like to know how, when, and by whom their performance is going to beremoves measured. appraisal in process that lists objective that and measurable criteria for performance appraisal theAn uncertainty the minds of employees their superiors can rate their performance any which way they please. 26.INVOLVING EMPLOYEES IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. People PROCESS. People like to work in organisations where their opinions count. The higher an employee's involvement in decision-making, the higher the organisation's retention-level. A participative decision-making process is good; total empowerment, better. better. 27.ENSURING A MATCH BETWEEN AUTHORITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Most ACCOUNTABILITY. Most companies fall into the trap of holding an employee accountable for a specific activity without empowering her with the authority to perform it well. Often, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that they vest another employee with the same authority, authority, but do not hold him accountable! 28.MEASURING EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION. Obsessed SATISFACTION. Obsessed with catering to the demands of their external customers, companies ignore their internal customers. Periodic employee satisfaction surveys can highlight the potential flash-points, and enable the company to take corrective action. 29.ACHIEVING A MATCH BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANISATIONAL GOALS. GOALS. Many companies fall into the trap of expecting their employees to subsume their individual objectives before the organisational one. Which forces employees to leave. The best companies achieve a balance between the two. 30.DESIGNING A COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION PACKAGE. Money isn't a motivator, but it is an effective de-motivator. While organisations that pay best-in-industry salaries may find themselves unable to use that fact to motivate their employees, those that do not could find their best employees leaving.

 

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31.INCREASING ORGANISATIONAL TRANSPARENCY. People do not like to work in black-

box like organisations, where information is rationed out on a need-to-know basis. They prefer a transparent organisation that is willing to share every aspect of its functioning with its employees. 32.PROMOTING EMPLOYEES FROM WITHIN. A company that constantly fills vacancies by

hiring from outside is certain to face retention problems. Employees who realise that they are unlikely to be promoted to fill the vacancies will leave the organisation. Growing your own is a sound retention strategy. 33.HELPING EMPLOYEES ACQUIRE NEW SKILLS. As the job-profiles and desired skills-sets

for a particular job change, companies may feel the need to hire employees with new skills, or retrain their existing employees. Companies that choose to do the latter will find it easier to retain their people peo ple since the training signals that the organisation values their contribution, and is willing to invest in upgrading their skills. 34.OFFERING STOCK OPTIONS. ESOPs are a sign that the organisation recognises the role of the

individual in its performance, and is willing to share the benefits with her. 35.FOCUSING ON WELFARE MEASURES. Employees are not just warm bodies; they are

individuals with families and lives of their own outside the workplace. Organisations that recognise this, and help achieve problems thanemployees those that do not. a better balance between life and work are likely to face fewer 36.Across industry-types, increasing the organisation’s organisation’s level of professionalism, instituting an

objective performance appraisal system, and ensuring a match between responsibility and authority are the 3 most-used techniques to improve retention. In addition, infotech companies focus their efforts on 3 more techniques: increasing employee satisfaction, designing competitive compensation-packages, and involving employees in decision-making. 37.Hi-tech companies differ from other industries in one on e other aspect. Most manufacturing,

marketing, and services companies are not able to achieve the desired d esired level of performance along any of the retention techniques they adopted, but infotech and telecom companies exceed the desired level. High potential attrition-rates, and the growing demand for trained infotech professionals is, evidently, a motivation enough for companies operating in this sector to focus on retention management. 38. The best companies focus on professionalisation, appraisal, employee satisfaction, and

participative decision-making. However, their higher-than-average higher-than-average retention levels can be attributed to the way in which they go about these initiatives rather than the choice of initiatives themselves. So, the best companies set themselves stretch targets on each dimension, and then, try and better them. 39.THE Retention Action Plan - In  these competitive times, the specific measures to improve an

organisation’s retention record range from career counselling workshops to team-building exercises. Of course, the exact nature of the initiatives to be used is a function of the industry in which the company operates, and the level of management at which the initiative is targeted. However, However, the ideal practices remain constant across manufacturing, marketing, and services companies: co mpanies: career-counselling and jobenrichment exercises at the junior level; promoting from within and training at the middle level; teambuilding exercises and welfare initiatives at the senior level; and culture-building and empowerment at the top level.  

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40.Infotech and telecom companies are, predictably, different. They use the same techniques techniqu es as

companies operating in other industries ind ustries do. Only, Only, the number of companies using them is far higher. These companies rate team-building efforts, culture-building, career-counselling, and designing bestin-industry compensation-packages important at the junior level; promoting from within, instituting objective appraisal systems, and team- and culture-building cu lture-building at the middle level; designing better compensation-packages, and helping employees grow into leaders at the senior level; and empowering employees, and sharing the organisational vision with them at the top level. 41.Across levels, compensation, and vision-sharing seem to be more critical to the retention plans p lans of

hi-tech companies than to those operating in other industries. Thus, while 77 per cent of infotech and telecom companies believe that sharing the organisation’s vision with their junior-level employees will help them keep their employees, only 16 per cent of the manufacturing companies do. And the corresponding figure for services and marketing companies is 35 and 17 per cent. 42.The best organisations recognise the fact that the retention techniques that will work best for them

depend on the dynamics of the industry of which they are a part, and the level of management at which they wish to focus their efforts. These organisations tier their retention strategies to suit their employees at various levels of the organisation. Often, recognising the individuality of employees is the best retention strategy. 43.Dr.. John Sullivan, head of the Human Resource Management Program 43.Dr P rogram at San Francisco State

University, has written extensively on this subject. He claims that most companies need to reconstruct University, their orientation programmes so that they make more favourable first impressions and "close the sale" on new hires. Some of his suggestions: Involve the families of new employees in orientation programmes. Ask senior managers to participate in orientations to show new recruits that they are important to the organisation. Assign a departmental mentor to assist new recruits during their first month. Give line managers control of the orientation process, to integrate new employees into their work "family" as quickly as possible. 44.Jet Blue’s simple but unique un ique approach has proved p roved to be

an effective manpower retention strategy strategy..

Moving apart from its struggling old-line competitors, the New York-based York-based discount airline has become the top-performing airline. JetBlue focuses on various employee-friendly measures such as profit sharing, constant communication, formal yet friendly work environment, hiring employees with positive attitudes and fostering the entrepreneurial en trepreneurial spirit in every employee. 45.JetBlue is

one of the organisations that people eagerly look forward to work with. The company has had its share of ups and downs in manpower management, especially since a couple of wrong decisions taken in promoting employees with poor p oor leadership knowledge to managerial posts proved temporarily harmful. Yet, JetBlue values its employees highly and empowers emp owers them. It provides them all requisite information ranging from the company’s company’s balance sheet to how fuel prices affect the company’s company’s bottom line. In other words, the company integrates its humane side towards its employees with the business angle.

 

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46.By empowering its employees with the ability to take the right decisions at the right time JetBlue 

trains and provides them the much needed support. Yet, Yet, in areas that need a heuristic approach such as customer care, JetBlue allows its employees’ values and instinctive thinking to take the final call rather than stick to the stipulations laid down in a huge procedural rule book on handling customers. Even if the employee takes a wrong decision, he is not reprimanded for it – rather, he is imparted training and inputs on how to deal better with the situation and avoid such pitfalls in the future. 47.Screening for personal values at the recruitment stage - To ensure that only persons with similar personal values as that of the organisation get selected, JetBlue’s HR department closely assesses the 100,000 plus applications it gets each year before it zeroes on the 2,400-2,500 persons it hires annually. The five personal values that are assessed for include safety, caring, integrity, fun and passion. The candidate is subjected to an interview with not only the recruiter but also a person each from line leadership and the specific functional area. To ensure a customer-friendly orientation, JetBlue recruits people who are by nature pleasant and courteous. Due to a focused recruitment programme, JetBlue managed to keep its employee turnover rate to just 10-12 percent when compared to the industry average of 20-30 percent. The key is that JetBlue employees love their workplace. They feel respected and wanted by both the leadership and the organisation. 48.The critical follow-up - During the induction programme after recruitment, the new employees are provided an overview about the brand JetBlue, and a brief insight on airline economics besides a

presentation on the corporate culture and company values. Skills training focus on both the technical skills and soft skills. CRM is another key focus of training. IT varies from specifics like "cockpit resource management" and "crew resource management" to a more broad-based "company resource management". During CRM training, new recruits are made aware of the company’s formal and informal processes for internal communications. The emphasis of CRM training is on the mechanisms used for communications with systems operations, despatch personnel, how to ensure that the plane arrives and departs on time and how everything an employee does influences. 49.The company also holds monthly meetings on the last Friday of every month . The meeting includes a two-hour open ended talk with the company’s President on the latest about the company and the industry, followed by a Q&A session. The session is attended by about 200 employees from all functions namely mechanics, pilots, and customer service. Those employees who could not attend the session can view it on JetBlue’s intranet. To nurture and develop future leaders, the company focuses

on intensive training programmes that impart value-based, creative and leadership-by-example sessions. On the monetary front, in addition to offering a compensation that is approximately the midpoint or slightly above industry norms, JetBlue provides health coverage, profit-sharing and 401(k)s among others. 50.Best Practices at Marriott International •

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Employee Retention and Welfare InitiativesRetaining employees in the hospitality industry was vital as the cost of recruiting and training new employees was very high. Marriott operated in an industry where every day counted and weekends and holidays generated more business than weekdays. Customer service had to be provided on a 24/7/365 2 4/7/365 basis. The implication was that employees had to go through a hectic work schedule; an average work week lasted more than 50 hours. With the increasing work load due to rising customers in the late-1990s, several key managers at Marriott left. They wanted to devote more time to their personal lives and their jobs

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at Marriott were not helping the cause. Facing this challenge, Marriott launched a new program called Management Flexibility in February 2000 on a pilot basis at three of its hotels.

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Grievance Redressal System - By the mid-1990s, Marriott had a comprehensive complaint

resolution system in place, known as the Guarantee of Fair Treatment (GFT), to ensure that employee grievances were addressed. Under GFT, complaints passed through successive stages in Marriott’s Marriott’s hierarchy, hierarchy, starting with the immediate superior, depending on whether or not the said employee was happy with the redress response given at each stage. However, given the decentralized nature of Marriott’s operations, and with managers handling several tasks, resolution of complaints through GFT did not quite produce the desired results

 

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Bibliography: <http://jarvis.typepad.com/> <http://www.edelman.com/> <http://www.ttgconsultants.com/> <<http://www.expresscomputeronline.com> <http://www.travelweekly.co.uk> <http://retention.naukrihub.com> <<http://www.india-today.com> <http://www.cpsc-ccsp.ca> <http://www.uschina.org> <http://www.reuters.com> <http://www.themanagementor.com> <http://www.au.af.mil> <http://www.leadershipdevelopment.edu.> <http://ezinearticles.com> <http://www.trainingmag.com> <http://inhome.rediff.com> <http://www.personneltoday.com> <http://www.tradingmarkets.com> <http://www.opcuk.com> <http://www.trainingmag.com> http://www.trainingmag.com>

 

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