Unconscious biases are learned beliefs, often based on mistaken information, that exist in the subconscious. They can permeate every aspect of an organisation, from hiring and promotion to collaboration and leadership decision-making, all without us even realising it. With organisations striving to imbibe inclusivity into their core, understanding these hidden biases and coming up with strategies to mitigate their impact becomes crucial to fostering a truly equitable workplace. Multiple facets of unconscious bias and their impact on workplace dynamics In organisations, unconscious bias manifests as a silent, invisible force of automatic, immediate judgments and assessments that we make about people…
Author: Guest Writer
The impact of an organisation’s culture is far reaching; it influences everyone from junior employees to senior executives. This influence can be either positive or toxic, depending on the nature of the culture. How is a company’s culture cultivated over time? It all begins at the top, with the board, executive committees, or founders, especially in startups. The process starts with envisioning the company’s values and objectives, much of which is driven by the leadership team. For instance, if the leadership aims to foster a collaborative environment, one of the top values would likely be a ’consultative approach’ or an…
CXO hiring calls for significant investment. The visible cost components such as executive search fees, flying in candidates/panel members or psychometric testing are the lesser ones. Larger costs remain invisible—the cascading effect of higher compensation of the new leaders; interruption to business because of departure of team members; and inability to shift focus to business due to volatile internal team dynamics. While these costs are difficult to estimate, they are not small. It is estimated that visible costs are just 15—20 per cent, leading to a conservative investment of Rs 4 to 10 crores per search. Even after investing so…
Despite so much talk about progress and equity, in 2024, women still face barriers in leadership roles. They make up nearly half of the workforce, and yet, they remain underrepresented in leadership. Why is it hard to accept that women bring unique perspectives crucial for innovation and success? Isn’t it a known fact that diverse leadership teams better serve diverse customers, boosting loyalty and profits? Why aren’t employers doing enough to develop the women in their workforce? To empower women, workplaces must offer equal opportunities, mentorship and inclusive cultures. Businesses must commit to diversity and inclusion at all levels for…
In the ever-evolving landscape of the contemporary workplace, a profound metamorphosis is underway, challenging the conventional emphasis on employee engagement. This paradigm shift posits that employee involvement should not be considered merely as an alternative but as an indispensable strategic imperative. In this discourse, we delve into the compelling rationale behind the call for organisations to redirect their attention from measuring engagement to strategically prioritising active employee involvement. In the traditional model, where engagement often implies a unilateral interaction, a significant departure emerges with involvement. It propels employees from passive recipients of corporate initiatives to active contributors, empowering individuals to…
Tata Steel, part of the Tata Group, is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It is one of the world’s leading steel producers and ranks among the top global steel companies with a notable presence in Europe as well as Asia. With manufacturing operations in 26 countries, including India, Netherlands and the UK, the company employs over 80,000 people worldwide. In the past two to three years, especially during and after the pandemic, the company’s methods of hiring have undergone a considerable transformation. Prior to the pandemic, most recruitment processes and touchpoints were predominantly managed offline, which was…
We, at Cadila, have been consistently following the principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) much before the term gained popularity. As an organisation with a history going back over 70 years, Cadila has had significant gender diversity across levels and functions. In an industry, where gender diversity is not very prevalent across organisations, Cadila has relentlessly strived to focus on ensuring that equal opportunity is provided to women and men in ensuring that everyone is able to perform their jobs in a meaningful manner, which fulfils their professional aspirations besides creating a thriving workplace. Diversity, in itself, is never…
It is not always that shows one enjoys onscreen remind one of situations at the workplace. After all, it isn’t easy to draw parallels with real-life work scenarios and onscreen stories. However, here is one show that can be food for thought, not just for HR leaders, but all leaders in the organisational hierarchy. The haunting and eerily relatable Apple TV series, Silo, has garnered acclaim for its taut storyline and outstanding performances. Beneath the gripping plot is a distinctive composition that is both literal and metaphorical in its expression. In a literal sense, the Silo refers to a massive underground structure…
If you’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the buzz surrounding generative AI, you’re not alone. Let us face it, our industry is evolving, and so are the tools and strategies we use to find the best talent out there. We’ve all had that sinking feeling, wondering if our hard-earned skills are becoming obsolete in the face of these intelligent machines. Are we going to be replaced by algorithms that can analyse candidates faster than we ever could? Let us not get ahead of ourselves. Remember, we’re the experts here, and we have the human touch that machines can’t replicate.…
Last month, a project missed its deadline in a high-performing company known for its cutting-edge expertise. The team overlooked a basic step, so elementary that it wasn’t even listed in the project plan — it was just common sense. The oversight was costly, not just in terms of time but in terms of the client’s trust. This incident isn’t unique. In an era where we pride ourselves on the accessibility of information and education, the lapse of common sense is not just surprising; it’s a paradox of our time. With nearly a decade of experience and a few years in…
Balancing perception and reality: A thoughtful approach to candidate image in CV In the realm of recruitment, the fusion of perception and reality casts a compelling narrative. As the gateway to professional opportunities, a candidate’s CV is a canvas that often paints a picture of their potential. However, with 85 per cent of employers believing that candidates exaggerate skills on their resumes, it becomes critical to accurately identify the authentic job-seekers who have portrayed themselves honestly. The challenge lies in finding the equilibrium between evaluating the CV ‘as per ‘face value’ and ‘reading between lines’. Nowhere is this balance more…
Tata AIA Life is a joint venture between Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd and AIA Group. The venture merges Tata’s leadership in India with AIA’s status as the largest independent Pan-Asian life insurance group. The latter has a presence across 18 markets in the Asia Pacific region. As the largest non-bank-owned life insurer in India and a rapidly growing entity in the industry, Tata AIA Life offers a diverse range of competitive and customisable investment and insurance plans. Its offerings include protection plans, wealth plans, savings plans, group plans, and micro insurance plans. With a presence across 18 markets in the…
Quest Global is in the business of engineering, to build a brighter future. What makes it different is not what it does but why it does it. The engineering solutions company believes engineering has the unique ability to solve the hardest problems of today that stand in the way of tomorrow. For 25 years, the firm has strived to be the most trusted partner for the world’s toughest engineering problems. As a global organisation headquartered in Singapore, Quest Global is spread across 17 countries, with 56 global delivery centres, driven by 17,000+ extraordinary employees who make the impossible possible every…
Ask any CEO, CHRO or business leader what their biggest challenge in recruitment is, and you will get the same answer, “No show on the date of joining”. Talent war Today’s organisations are failing not because of their product or strategy, but because of their hiring. They are all hungry for talented professionals to bring innovation and deliver world-class experience for their customers. There was a time when people started their career with an organisation and stayed with the same organisation till retirement. It was common to see people serving the same organisation for three to four decades. With businesses…
Last week I watched the much hyped movie, Oppenheimer. Tightly framed into three hours, the screenplay was excellent, the music was mesmerising, the performance was outstanding, the punch lines were beautiful, and of course, Nolan’s direction was extraordinary! Take a bow Nolan and team. Sheer brilliance! While watching the movie, I gathered some lessons that can be applied to the corporate world. 1. Potential is identified by geniuses:In the beginning of the film, there is a scene where Oppenheimer (let’s call him Oppi) is shown struggling with some practical experiments but is clearly inclined towards theory. He attends Neil Bohr’s…
Recruiting is similar to farming and talent acquisition or TA professionals are the skilled farmers who know how to plant, nurture and harvest the right crops. Just the way skilled farmers understand the soil, climate and market demand to grow and harvest the right crops, TA professionals understand the company’s culture, goals and requirements to identify, attract and retain the right talent. Without skilled farmers, crops would fail to grow and harvest. Similarly, without TA professionals, organisations would struggle to build a skilled and motivated workforce, leading to a significant loss of productivity and revenue. Unearthing hidden gems: The invaluable…
Is their a relationship between a pay hike and the happiness index? The common notion is that there is. People feel that happiness is a mental state that comes from satisfaction of material and physical needs. Most people leave a company and join a new organisation due to compensation gains, or rather, quick gains. Those looking for quick double gains, leave the organisation right after the annual increase and negotiate further with the new employers. As a human resource (HR) leader and having interviewed hundreds of middle- and senior-level job aspirants, I have found that people are more interested in…
The IPL recently drew to an exciting close amidst a rain-hit finale. However, in this cauldron of cricketing talent and tales, were there lessons beyond the pitch for the audiences? Did we learn something from the careers which were kindled, and those which were close to flickering out? Did the countless boundaries that soared over the ropes, present some alternate out-of-the box perspectives as well? For the discerning, the IPL offered many CPL, that is, career planning lessons. In every stroke, in every ball bowled and every catch taken, there was a larger narrative at work. Hopefully, as the dust…
Employee engagement is not a new concept. In fact, it has been there all the time, but the emphasis has increased, and organisations are now more focused on creating a workplace with higher levels of engagement. However, the big question is how workplaces and leaders are facilitating a working employee-engagement system that is robust, flexible and scalable. Before answering that question, we should understand why employee engagement has become so important in the workplace. What are the factors influencing engagement in an organisation? The importance of employee engagement in the present corporate scenario Organisations have always strived for revenue generation,…
Have you ever waited for a delayed flight without knowing how much time would pass before you were invited to board? Or have you ever waited for a medical report, without a clue of the results? Anxiety takes over the mind in such situations, and all one does is pace up and down the hallway. Something similar happens in recruitment when one goes out to find hundreds of candidates for one’s company, unaware about the number of positions one can close within a certain period of time. Not knowing the outcome can be very stressful, and the uncertainty causes anxiety.…
Before Covid, the idea of work-from-home was a fantasy to many. With the onset of the pandemic, multiple businesses were forced to close their office set ups and operate remotely. This definitely accelerated the concept of work-from-home, beyond its discrete existence amongst the tech companies earlier. But a complete work-from-anywhere avatar was something, which almost no firm had executed on. However, with Covid having receded and people immunised, it has obviously taken a strong hold, with many enterprises allowing their employees to choose their workspace – whether they want to work in the office, remotely, or in a hybrid work…
Joining & attrition scenario these days Organisations are hiring vigorously these days as they’ve realised that they need good talent to scale business, reduce the time taken to complete projects and grow the company. However, at the same time, they are not able to convince candidates to accept the offer or retain them for long. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the recruiting landscape. Companies have figured out how to create systems and workflows such that people can work from home and companies can recruit from anywhere. You would think that with a wide geography to recruit from and a lot…
Despite an increasing number of women adhering closer and longer than ever to the route of career success — higher education, industry-selection, technical qualification and upskilling — the process of closing the gender gap remains tedious. Even the expected expressways to the top corporate echelons such as B-School Education don’t seem to provide the same traction and pace to female professionals as their male counterparts. A recent research study published in the journal Organisation Science, earlier this year, suggests that undervaluing high-achieving women is one likely culprit. The authors surveyed former and current hiring managers and recruiters to evaluate a…
What determines the success or failure of a startup? Is it raising seed capital or is it getting the minimum viable product (MVP) right? Or is it getting the product-market fit (PMF) or the path-to-profitability right? It is all of these and something more. A factor that is more important than others — hiring of the right people for the team. A 2013 research paper published in the Journal of Management noted that 60 per cent of new ventures fail due to problems with the team. People are the lifeblood of every organisation, but it is especially true for startups…
A company’s attrition rate is the rate at which people leave. It is calculated by dividing the number of people who have left the company, by the average number of employees over a period of time. Early attrition is the percentage of people who leave within a specific period of time. Let’s say, 100 people joined your company in the past 90 days but 20 of them quit in the same 90-day period. Here’s how you will calculate the early attrition rate — Early Attrition Rate = (No. of employees that left / Total of employees) x 100 Early Annual…
Last week, my cousin who works with a large IT company called to share that he is joining a new firm. He’d received a 75 per cent hike, and with 10 years of total experience in technology (coding), the new offer was well above Rs 45 lakhs. A truly attractive package that even many MBAs or even those in mid-senior management fail to earn. On asking him why he had started looking for a new job in the first place, he narrated the circumstances that had pushed him to it. Apparently, many of his peers had quit because of which…