Author: Liji Narayan | HRKatha

‘A desk connected to a digital exercise bike can help burn calories’, said the headline. Before long, another headline caught my eye, ‘Get work done and workout at the same time with this $400 stationary bike’. A third one said, ‘This bicycle desk is healthier than a sitting desk and less of a drag than a standing one’. Yet another one screamed, ‘Cycling can help India save Rs 1.8 trillion: TERI’. That is an alarmingly huge figure, I thought to myself. Before I could recover from the shock, there it was once again, ‘Trivandrum gets its own Bicycle Mayor.’ “What…

With all the buzz around employee engagement these days, and the role of quality employee experiences in promoting the same, the corporate world is looking into every little aspect of ergonomics as well. The objective is to ensure that employees stay healthy and happy. Because happy employees are more engaged. Ergonomics along with workspaces designed with ample thought go a long way in ensuring the well-being of the employees, and hence, high productivity. Corporate houses across the globe are relying on technological innovation to enhance employee and client experience. It is observed that organisations that follow and sustain proper ergonomic…

If you look for the definition of ‘listening’ on Google, you will get many versions— ‘give one’s attention to a sound’; ‘take notice of and act on what someone says’; ‘respond to advice or a request’; ‘make an effort to hear something’; ‘be alert and ready to hear something’. In the corporate world, the act of listening, especially on the part of the employers should be a blend of all the actions suggested in the above definitions. A good listener is one who takes in what he hears as input, acts on it and then also gets back with output,…

Engagement at work is highest among employees in India than in other countries reveals a survey. ADP Research Institute’s recent global survey revealed that between 2015 and 2018, India reflected a five per cent increase (the maximum in the world) in the number of employees who were fully engaged. In its study, ADP covered 19,346 full-time as well as part-time employees across 19 countries. The lowest scorer was China, whose employee engagement reflected a fall of 13 per cent, bringing it to a low of six per cent. While the survey shows that multinational companies report better employee-engagement rates in…

It is common knowledge that there is a lot of strength in teamwork. However, what organisations do not realise is that working in teams actually increases engagement levels. A recent study by the ADP Research Institute (ADPRI) reveals that teams and trust in the leaders of teams have a very positive influence on employee engagement. The survey covered a random sample of about a 1000 full-time employees in each country and studied about 19,346 responses. The findings were rather interesting. Employees who are part of a team are more engaged than those who work on their own. In fact, members…

As per Universum’s annual survey of more than 24000 students from across Indian universities, Google is the most attractive workplace. And surprisingly, work-life balance seems to have become the most important criterion while seeking jobs! In an attempt to examine the aspirations of India’s youth—engineering, IT, commerce, business, and MBA students— the study also tried to identify the ‘Top 100 Ideal Employers’, based on the responses of the students. Not surprisingly, Google continues to rank no. 1. As per the study, MBA students in India prefer to work for management & consulting, investment banking, and FMCG industries. However, 40 per…

Risposo in Italy, inemuri in Japan or simply siesta in Spain and other countries— call it what you may, but research has shown that a short nap after the midday meal or lunch can do wonders for the body. In India, the practice of sleeping for a little while during the day has been in existence for centuries. Even the Greek traveller Megasthenes, who visited India over two millennia ago, made a note in his writings of how Indians enjoyed a nap after lunch. In China, lunch is given a lot of importance and so is the nap that follows.…

The noun ‘blues’ refers to a ‘sad’ feeling, and has nothing to do with the colour blue. This feeling may arise from laziness or lack of interest. Employees often experience something commonly referred to as the ‘Monday morning blues’. All professionals may have experienced it at some point, right at the start of a work week. Employees may suffer from the blues, mainly because their workplace has stopped pleasing them. It is a known fact that when work ceases to be interesting and the workplace stops being attractive, employees tend to feel tired faster, start slipping into depression, and lose…

It is true that the objective of employee engagement is to ensure that the employees experience an improved sense of well-being at the workplace. But it is also a fact that employees should feel as connected to their nation as they do to their workplace. What better way than to make the employees aware, that without voting, they are without any voice. It is essential for each employee to understand that voting is the most important thing an ideal citizen can do to lend support to a democratic form of government. Employers need to realise that while one person’s vote…

Employees are a very demanding lot these days with minds of their own. Not surprisingly, it is becoming a challenge for employers to think of ways to keep them engaged. With studies proving that it is more economical to retain employees than to recruit, train and onboard them, it makes more sense for employers to hold on to their quality talent with all their might. But this is easier said than done. After all, the workforce of today looks for contentment beyond just a good salary package. Here are some ways in which organisations can ensure their employees stay on…

Last month, my friend and neighbour approached me, brandishing a new badminton racket. She showed it off excitedly revealing that she had paid more than Rs 2000 for the same. What made her go for such an expensive racket I asked when we were managing perfectly well with our local rackets that cost one fourth of the sum. Apparently, her colleagues at work had advised her to invest in a good racket. In the few weeks that the staff at her office had taken to playing badminton in the parking lot every day, she had realised that she was quite…

The good old diary has been the source of many stories. Films have been based on the experiences noted down in the diaries and journals of people. While writing a diary was a hobby that most people indulged in not so long ago in the past, there are very few today who have the time to pick up their pen to scribble a note in their diary or journal. In this hectic and chaotic world, writing a journal can actually be very cathartic and therapeutic, especially for employees who have very challenging work schedules. In fact, it will be a…

When I remember my grandmother today the only image that comes to mind is of her standing inside the kitchen cooking some meal or the other for the family throughout the day. She usually held a huge wooden ladle and rarely ever left the ancestral home. In stark contrast, I her grand-daughter am in front of the laptop most of the time. And her teenaged great-grand-daughter, a voracious reader and a dancer, shows no interest in cooking whatsoever. And the best part is, we both get away with it. We women sure have come a long way. Not only are…

Women are great at multitasking they say. Accepted. Isn’t that why they excel as homemakers as well as successful professionals? They have a better capacity to withstand pain. Quite true. Isn’t that why they manage to survive childbirth? Thank god for maternity leave. After all, childbirth is like a second life for the mother. But guess what, some women endure pain similar to that of childbirth almost every month. Yes. It is true. For some women, ‘that time of the month’ is a nightmare that leaves them totally incapacitated and doubled up in pain. Yet, they soldier on through it…

With India being the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world, and jobseekers getting drawn to start-ups like moths to a bulb, it is time to find out what makes these new workplaces so attractive to young employees. Start-ups in the country are known for their flexibility, open culture, liberal policies and practices. Not surprisingly, they attract the new generation that values freedom and abhors rigidity. But what exactly makes these start-ups such great places to work in other than the fact that their founders are young? Offer a range of advanced and millennial-friendly HR solutions to your young and…

We have all heard of people going green with envy, red with anger and white in shock. In fact, most emotions are colour coded. However, these are not mere expressions to be taken lightly. Colours do actually impact people’s moods! So if you have too many employees feeling blue at work, it is time to resort to some colour therapy at the workplace. The workstations of the employees can have yellow as the dominating colour or a mix of orange and yellow. Yellow makes people feel energetic and is associated with happiness. It is the colour of optimism and hope.…

Have you come across job seekers applying for positions in organisations specifically because they offer good food? There is no dearth of swanky offices in our country today, but there are only a rare few that are known to pamper their workforce through their gastronomic offerings. Offices of Google, TCS, Flipkart and Facebook in India are counted among these. In fact, people joke about putting on weight on joining Google. In today’s busy urban lives, it is a struggle for people to beat the traffic and reach office on time. Most professionals barely manage to gobble a sandwich or gulp…

Are you an employer who is suddenly finding his employee exhibiting sluggishness? Is your employee becoming very irregular? Is one of your staff members looking lost at work? Has she/he been unable to meet deadlines for some time? May be it is not just a bad day that your employee is struggling with. Chances are that she/he is clinically depressed. A couple of years back, a young trainee at Infosys had committed suicide as he considered himself incapable of matching up to the high standards of work expected of him and feared that he may not clear the performance assessment…

It is not difficult to identify the engaged workers. They look visibly happy at the workplace, are willing to put in extra effort and are passionate about their work. However, the employees who are not engaged, are not that easy to identify. Their lack of motivation and passion is not very visible externally. They simply go about doing the work assigned to them mechanically. They care little for performance, excellence, quality and team spirit. If a major part of the workforce comprises such people, the organisation can bid farewell to success and productivity! Time for managers to rise to the…

Holidays are always welcomed by employees as a break to rest, relax and rejuvenate. But it is not easy to snap out of the holiday stupor. After all, the mind and body have disconnected from work, office, meetings, targets, e-mails and the works. To rev the brain and heart and make them focus on work may be easier said than done. Bring back the zeal of your employees and take engagement to new heights after a vacation with Vantage Circle’s Employee Engagement Solutions. Nurture a culture of mutual appreciation, offer exiting employee perks and encourage a healthy lifestyle of your most…

The HR personnel in any organisation work hard to put the right talent in place. They also help arrange for the new entrants to be inducted, trained and settled in. Yet, with the number of job hoppers going up, it is common to find workers quitting an organisation in less than two years. Although the work of sorting resumes, shortlisting the eligible candidates and scheduling interviews has all been taken over by AI, reducing the burden on HR, the quitting of an employee is always bad news. After all, time and effort do go into interviews, induction programmes, training sessions,…

After spending almost fourteen glorious years with the Tata Group, Gajendra Chandel, CHRO, Tata Motors has put in his papers. According to an internal mail circulated amongst the staff, Chandel, who has been with Tata Motors as member corporate executive committee and chief human resources officer since April, 2014, is now planning to pursue his own entrepreneurial venture. He has confirmed to HR Katha that he now wishes to help nurture start-ups. “We all have two lives. The second one starts when we realise we only have one. Venturing on my own now, I am looking forward to work with…

Change, innovation, technology, progress, advancement, and cultural shift are just some of the terms that are thrown around in the corporate world today. With changes taking place every day and every minute, organisations can never be prepared enough for the future, when it comes to the systems they use. How can they ensure that their systems will be able to survive in the future? What should organisations do to ensure that their systems are ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead? Will it be enough to combine applications, data and infrastructure? No. It is important to also put…

Gone are the days when organisations boasted of having friendly policies in place to help working mothers straddle their personal and professional commitments. The corporate world today realises that the male employees, especially the fathers also need help to play good husbands and fathers. The annual survey that results in the Working Mother 100 Best Companies list decided to focus on working fathers this year. In doing so, it came to light that certain progressive organisations have recognised and accepted the fact that fathers also nurture the desire to be actively involved in the upbringing of their children, and that…

Digital transformation is not easy to achieve. Besides technological hurdles, there are many barriers that obstruct its path, the biggest one pertaining to organisational culture. It is much simpler to upgrade an existing technology or even introduce the latest technology. However, creating an environment and culture that is conducive to digital transformation is a different ball game altogether. According to a study by Singapore Management University in partnership with Tata Communications, DBS and KPMG, 87 per cent of the respondents admitted that culture created bigger hurdles in digital transformation than technology. “A closer look at organisations that have undergone or…

Organisations in India are taking the health and wellness of their workforce very seriously. As per a recent study by Willis Towers Watson, the global advisory, broking and solutions company, organisations have now realised that their employees’ health and physical and mental well-being is as important as their financial well-being. 66 per cent of organisations have already taken, or are seriously considering mental health strategy for their staff in the next three years. Presently, only eight per cent of employers offer programmes to support chronic behavioural health problems, but 59 per cent are planning to offer them sometime soon. 63…