Author: Liji Narayan | HRKatha

Enclothed cognition is about the impact of clothing upon mental processes — in the way we think, feel, and function in the areas of attention, confidence and abstract thinking. Based on an experiment in 2012, the term was coined by Hajo Adam and Adam D Galinsky. Going by this logic, now that we are all in our pyjamas and loose tees while we tele-work from the comforts of our home, does this imply that the approach towards work is also getting more casual and eventually affecting productivity? For many, being appropriately dressed for work has come to mean casual below…

The pandemic and the eventual lockdown put a stop to the conventional way of functioning for the 2000 plus members of Cadila Pharma’s salesforce. These field sales officers were completely off the field with no or little interaction with the customers or healthcare professionals. That did not put a stop to the business though. What this Ahmedabad-based pharma major did was to turn around quickly and use the lockdown as an opportunity to upskill its salesforce on digital training. The Company strengthened the digital marketing efforts right down to the last sales team member. “We are seeing a huge shift…

Think of today’s remote working employees. They rise from their beds in the morning and walk up to their ‘workplace’. They plonk themselves on a chair, to stare at the computer screen for the next eight to nine hours, sometimes even more. Even the thought is monotonous. Some may not even have a proper dedicated desk, because many Millennials live in paying guest accommodations or sparsely furnished flats, which they share with others. They have never felt the need to invest in furniture because they are used to spending a major part of their day at the office. In fact,…

All of us have doodled at some point or other in our lives. In classrooms, during college lectures, while travelling and even during official meetings. More often than not, teachers, lecturers and trainers admonish those who doodle, for being distracted and inattentive. However, if studies are to be believed, doodling and so-called mindless scribbling should not be discouraged. Why? Because it actually proves that the doodler’s mind is active. Various studies have shown that this so-called idle scribbling or doodling actually plays a significant part in helping a person concentrate and focus. So, next time you see somebody scribbling during…

Many employers feel that their employees do not really understand the benefits that are offered to them. It is hard to believe, but the truth is that people don’t really give much thought to the benefits unless and until they themselves land in a situation where these benefits become crucial. For instance, till a spouse meets with an accident and is being wheeled into the operation theatre, the employee may not really have read through the medical benefits or insurance cover she / he is eligible for. A couple of years ago, the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans had…

Employees surely do work hard. After all, they do give priority to their job for at least seven to eight hours every day. Therefore, their achievements at work, no matter how small, need to be noticed, appreciated and even celebrated. And there is no need to wait till the end of a project, or till the successful accomplishment of a tough deadline or the end of the financial year or even the annual performance review to recognise the efforts or celebrate the smaller milestones of employees. However, it is often seen that managers, team leaders and senior executives often get…

Kharbanda, who used to work for Andaz Delhi, will now be heading all HR-related operations, such as recruitment, talent development policies, administration, compliance and management ,at Marriott, Pune. Namit Kharbanda has been appointed director of human resources, JW Marriott, Pune.  In his new role, Kharbanda will be responsible for devising innovative HR programmes and ensuring effective communication across hierarchies within the organisation. A postgraduate in human resource management and marketing from Symbiosis University, Pune, Kharbanda was earlier working as director-HR at Andaz Delhi, the luxury and lifestyle outlet of the Hyatt brand. His responsibilities at Marriott will include…

Organisations need to focus on ensuring that their women do not quit. Looks like women are quitting their jobs at a faster rate than men. Whatever happened to women being more stable workers than men? Are women employees growing increasingly unhappy?  Why are companies finding it difficult to retain women staff despite investing so much time and money on them? Recent surveys seem to indicate that the number of unsatisfied women professionals is growing in leaps and bounds. In order to keep them engaged, it is important to find out what is important to them and what is not. …

The importance of hiring candidates who fit into the organisation’s culture is a topic that has been discussed by HR professionals for ages. Organisations believe that hiring candidates who are perfect cultural fits for the organisation can contribute to the productivity and success of the business. Therefore, HR is instructed to look for candidates whose psychological profile and skills are an ideal match for the organisation’s culture, so that they remain motivated and productive. Even leaders prefer to nurture teams where the team members are compatible with each other and can work together as a unified whole. However, it is…

Many an employee has complained about boring meetings at the workplace. In fact, meetings are rarely looked forward to, especially if they happen very often. If the team leader is verbose, and in the habit of rambling on and on, it can even push employees to call in sick, simply to avoid meetings. Conducting a meeting successfully requires some skill. And how does one know whether one is good at running meetings? Just look around and observe your team members. Do they all attend the meetings? Do they look forward to the meetings? If the answer is ‘No’, it is…

We have time and again discussed factors that affect employee engagement and productivity. But who would have thought pollution will also one day feature as one of the growing concerns, when it comes to ensuring employee engagement? The other day, a headline in a daily caught my attention, ‘To escape Delhi’s toxic air, executives seek to relocate’. The article quoted the head of a recruitment agency who had received a deluge of requests from his clients, for job placements that would take them away from Delhi. Why? Because they were done breathing the city’s polluted air. We know that fine…

Organisations that have fewer women in their workforces are actually missing out. On what? On many positive outcomes, including higher job satisfaction, enhanced level of dedication, and even lesser burnout. Wondering how that is possible? Here’s how: More talent: Women form a significant portion of the population. In India, about 66 per cent of the population between the ages of 15 and 64, comprises women. By not employing more women, companies are actually depriving themselves of the talent and abilities of more than half the population. That is losing out on a lot of untapped potential. Potential that could have…

Every year, the International Day for People with Disability is observed the world over, on the third day of December. According to the United Nations, this year’s theme is the empowerment of persons with disabilities (PWD) for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which pledges to ‘leave no one behind’. Unfortunately, it is not easy to ensure that PWD are not ‘left behind’, especially in a country like India, where ramps at shopping malls to ensure easy accessibility for wheel chair-borne people have only become common recently. However hard we try, in…

Pick up the newspaper and there is bound to be at least one story about some organisation downsizing or slashing jobs in order to cut costs. Simply reading such news day in and day out makes professionals anxious, worried and restless. During such fluid times, when the economy is going through a disturbing slump, it is the duty of the leaders and HR personnel in organisations to take the necessary steps to put employees’ layoff anxiety at ease. Research shows that most professionals, at least 47 per cent, are not prepared to handle a layoff. Women are the most unprepared…

Studies have shown that most employees leave jobs because they are not happy with their bosses or with the leadership of the company. Employees yearn to work under successful leaders, so that they can learn from them and get inspired. While we all know that great leaders possess a magnetic personality, are charming, knowledgeable, charismatic and confident, there is one important trait that is often overlooked—humility. The success of leaders is measured by how well or to what extent they are able to bring out the best in those under them. But then, most leaders forget to do this because…

Engaged employees are highly productive, are able to maintain great relations with the customers, and remain loyal to the organisation. Studies suggest that engaged workers are 21 per cent more productive. Studies also suggest that employee engagement is a direct result of a high-performance culture. So, what exactly is organisational culture? The way the staff of a company feels about their jobs is reflective of the company’s culture. If the culture of the organisation is strong, employees will also be better aware of what is expected of them and what the organisation’s goals are. It is the culture that forms…

What is employee voice? It is the employees’ means of communicating their opinions and views to their employers. It is the means by which employees can make an impact on matters that concern them at the workplace. Employee voice is not beneficial to the employees alone. Employers stand to gain too by way of the innovative mentality of the workforce and better productivity. If there is employee voice throughout the organisation, views are not just reinforced but also challenged. The culture of the organisation becomes one where its employees are not considered the problem, but the sources of ideas and…

We have all had mentors at some point in life — people whom we admired or looked up to for their success, accomplishments, expertise and intelligence. Mentors impact their mentees in a strong way. Teachers have been known to mentor students through school in a way that has led them to taste success not just in school but even later on in their professional lives. Such mentees not only owe it all to their mentors, but also speak about them to others with a great deal of respect and gratitude. Studies have shown that employees who have been well mentored…

While discussing employee well-being, the importance of learning to disconnect and detach from work once the work day is over is a topic that has been done to death. Little thought is given to the fact that when employees return to their workplaces they need to be able to reconnect and reattach to their work too. Without being able to do so, it will be impossible to find the energy to get through the day or feel absorbed. It is true that when employees shut down their computers or pack their laptops and wind up for the day, they wish…

Visibility is important in every sphere. Brands need to be visible to do well in the market. Actors need to be visible in order to retain their space in their fans’ hearts. Why go far, given the maddening pace of life today, both at home and at work, each one of us needs to be visible lest we be forgotten by our friends and neighbours! Visibility is important to everyone, even to employees because building one’s personal brand has also become essential in the corporate world. Gone are the days when people were happy doing routine 9 to 5 jobs.…

While employee engagement seems to be the favourite topic of discussion in the HR space today, there is no single mantra to ensure that each member of the workforce is successfully and totally engaged. But since organisations are all putting in effort to keep up their commitment towards employee engagement, they need to identify the hurdles that can foil their attempts, and do everything possible to clear them. The answers to the following questions can help organisations identify the hurdles, if any. Does everyone know what employee engagement really is? When are employees said to be engaged? Some would say…

All employers dream of the ideal workforce—employees committed to the organisational goals; personnel who work to improve their company’s products; staff that gets excited about the successes and achievements of the business; teams that uphold the culture of the workplace and add value to the workplace culture. Simply put, employers desire employees who are engaged, loyal and committed. And employees will be so only if their employers invest in them. If you ask the millennials, they will tell you that they prefer working for organisations that offer them opportunities to develop professionally, to update their skills, and to take courses…

It was a regular chat on WhatsApp, like any other day, but my friend at the other end sounded unusually low. On asking what was bothering him, he said, “I can’t figure out ‘who am I’ and ‘why am I’”. I responded in a lighthearted manner with a question, ‘At 43, isn’t it a bit too late to seek answers to these questions?’ His reply to that had me flummoxed. “Suddenly I am unable to figure out why I am doing what I am doing. And that too for most of my waking hours!” He was right. Many of us…

Who said only the new entrants are worried about creating a good impression on the first day at work? Their employers are equally focussed on putting their best foot forward and starting off on a good note. After all, it is the strength of their relationship with the new hires that will determine the productivity and engagement levels of the workforce. While it is true that organisations invest a lot on their new recruits, it is important for them to keep in mind that a significant number of new entrants quit within six months of joining. If better opportunities come…

As an employer, you deal with all kinds of employees— some slow, others energetic, some smart, and yet others dim witted. However, you will also come across a rare few who are always erupting with new ideas. These are the members of the staff who will question the status quo, be eager to try new things, will ask relevant questions, and come up with suggestions, solutions and out-of-the-box ideas. They stand out because of their abilities and extraordinary personalities. They refuse to just sit back and do what is normal and will not fear being the only one with a…

We all know that leaders have the ability to make or break an organisation. We also know that leaders need to possess certain qualities to succeed in their role other than simply being go-getters. The usual desirable qualities on the list are: decisiveness, dynamism, orientation to change, and the ability to influence, among other qualities that seem to reflect a readiness to act or take action at all times. Being nice was never expected of leaders, because this quality is known to actually hinder leadership. Leaders have been known to be the reason behind employees remaining loyal or quitting the…