May 11 2012

The biggest challenge in vocational sector is mobilizing the students

Amit Bansal is the co-founder and CEO of PurpleLeap, an entry-level talent management company specializing in providing quality ‘ready-to-deploy’ talent to the industry. Amit started his career with Asian Paints, in Sales and Distribution, before joining IT industry with Riverrun, delivering customer solutions on cutting edge technologies. Later, Amit joined Talisma, where he gained expertise in developing and marketing technology products across India, US and Canada as Director, Product Management. In an exclusive interview with India Education Review Amit discusses measures to bridge the skill gap in India and role of private sector in this regard.

Q. A good number of multinational companies are now offering specialized courses as part of the syllabus in many technical institutions, in a bid to step up ready-to-deploy workforce. How do you look at this trend? 

Amit Bansal - The problem of lack of workplace ready professionals is becoming severe by the day. Though the number of engineers passing out of engineering colleges has been increasing every year by a CAGR of over 15 per cent in the last 10 years, the supply of employable talent is not meeting the demand. In a nutshell, putting up more buildings and creating more engineering seats is not helping the cause of ready-to-deploy talent. Hence, there is a need for specialized programs that prepare the students for their first job.

Last year, from a total of 15 lacs engineering seats, more than 5 lacs went vacant. Institutes that fail to produce talent that can be absorbed by the industry will start shutting down.

Institutes that are serious about providing technical education are already taking steps to mitigate this challenge. In the short to medium term, the solution is to invest in such specialized programs in colleges. In the medium to long term, institutes will invest in upgrading the quality of technical education in collaboration with industry oriented initiatives to transform the way technical education is being imparted in colleges.

Q. For long time you have been part of the IT industry, what been the changes the sector has witnessed since you joined? 

Amit Bansal - The IT industry in India has undergone a major transformation over the last couple of decades. In the nineties, the processes were still very nascent. It took lot of time to create replicable processes and practices that could bring predictability in quality and timely delivery. In this period, the industry witnessed lot of innovation through best practices to deliver projects in a hybrid onsite and offshore delivery. The industry also matured to create specialized practices across different verticals and technology areas. However, the main advantage of the Indian IT industry was still the Dollar Rupee arbitrage. One could get the same work done in India at a fraction of the cost of the western world.

In the past few years, the Indian IT industry is witnessing competition from other nations that have the same cost advantage. This is putting enormous pressure on companies to rationalize their cost structures to remain competitive. One of the large components of this cost is the bench and the unproductive time it takes to get the fresher up to speed.  More and more organizations are looking at ways to bring down the average unproductive time from 8-9 months to a reasonable 3-4 months.

The other significant shift is the investment in R&D. The Indian IT industry is increasingly spending more to build competence across technology areas that help them compete with the best in the world.

Q. How you look at the vocational education and skill development sector to bridge the skill gap in India? 

Amit Bansal - The biggest challenge in vocational sector is mobilizing the students. Since most of the vocational programs are meant for bottom of the pyramid, the investment capacity of the student is quite limited. Hence, the business models need to look at a fresh approach rather than the traditional approach of a student coming to a classroom/center for training. The role of government as well as industry is extremely important. While the industry needs to recognize and mandate sector specific certifications, the government needs to create more of sector specific skill-development councils that mobilize the talent and the industry alike. Lot of good initiatives are in place and we will see the efforts bearing results in this decade.

Q. Is PurpleLeap part of IndiaCan or are both serving different sectors? 

Amit Bansal - IndiaCan owns a majority stake in PurpleLeap. From a business stand-point, the two companies are addressing different segments. While IndiaCan is focused more on the vocational training, PurpleLeap works with the graduate and post-graduate colleges to create industry-ready talent.

Q. What have been major achievements of PurpleLeap in past five years? 

Amit Bansal - PurpleLeap is currently the first company in the country that is operating over 250 classrooms and can track the performance of each and every student on a real-time basis. We are now training over 30,000 students in a year. Our student base is growing by a factor of three times every year consistently for the last three years. We are serving the entry level talent requirement for over 100 organizations. Our biggest achievement is that we are able to deliver consistent learning experience to all these students through a mix of technology and processes, given the backing of globally recognized players like Educomp and Pearson.

Q. What role private sector can play in improvement of the vocational education and skill development sector in India? 

Amit Bansal - Private sector needs to recognize the certified talent available in the market. If you look at the current situation, there is very limited “direct-benefit” that a student sees in making the investment in training and certification. The student needs an assurance that if s/he is trained and certified, the industry is going to absorb them. Otherwise, for the student the certificate is just another piece of paper! The current recruitment practices in the industry hardly provide any “visible-benefit” to the candidate. Of course, if the student is well trained, s/he will perform well in the interview and get a job. But, normally students do not have the maturity to see that and are looking at “direct-benefit” that is apparent and assured.

The industry needs to come together and create a commonly acceptable certification framework that they will use to recruit fresh talent. They need to incentivize candidates who get recruited through this certification route. This will ensure that enough students are motivated to invest in such skilling and certification programs and will lead to a healthy supply of certified talent for the industry.

Q. What are your future plans? 

Amit Bansal - We will consolidate our leadership position in conducting skill development programs in engineering and management colleges. We are on our way to reach the 100,000 students mark over the next 12 months.

In addition to the existing programs, we will work closely with our partner colleges to help them adopt technology and best pedagogical practices that help them produce quality talent.

source: www.indiaeducationreview.com

May 9 2012

Performance appraisal – do’s and don’ts

Employee performance appraisals are considered important in order to provide information about the employee’s performance. This information helps the management in taking decisions regarding salary hikes, promotions, confirmations, transfers, and demotions. Apart from this, employee performance appraisals provide feedback information about the level of achievement and behaviour of employees. The appraisal process also helps to assess the performance of the employees, rectify performance deficiencies, and set new standards of work if required.

This exercise plays a crucial role in providing information that helps to counsel employees. The information helps to identify deficiency in employees regarding skill and knowledge, determine training and developmental needs, recommend means for employee growth, and give suggestions for correcting placement. The performance appraisal form becomes a permanent record that has an impact on your career not only in the same organisation, but may also be used as reference if requested by a future employer.

Below is the Q & A session answered by Amit Bansal, CEO of PurpleLeap

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Sreem asked, In the company where am working there is a 2tier appraisal process , initially my the reporting where rating is given and than finally by the reviewer , who is generally a grade higher than my boss. My question is – What is the exact role of a reviewer and can he change the ratings given by my immediate boss ?
Amit Bansal answers, Usually a reviewer may keep a check on the basis on which a particular rating is done. Different managers rate people differently and to ensure there is consistency in the appraisal process a reviewer may suggest changes in the rating. Like I said before some managers rate their employee leniently and other are too harsh. But in an organization there needs to be consistency.

Ame asked, Hi, Last year increment letter came . It is not motivating . My boss is convince with me regarding this. He told that he proposed for 23 % hike but it has been reduced to 14% looking after industry slow down . This year market is not good so next year again increment will hamper ? I do’t want to leave this organisation . What to do ?
Amit Bansal answers, There is very little your boss or the HR can do if there is a slow down in the industry. I think 14% hike is not bad.

shahrukh asked, due to my good work, my company every year increases my responsibility & promotion i.e. designation is increased. however, salary is not increased. this year also, my boss during appraisals, asked me, do I jave any issues if responsibility is increased? how to handle this?
Amit Bansal answers, You can state clearly that you expect increase in your compensation. There is no problem in stating your expectations.

cam asked, hi amit,as you know,the appraisals are done by reporting managers..in my case since last two years my boss gave me good ratings for my work & appraised me for promotions..but it was curtailed/normalised down by his bosses..this year also,thogh my boss has changed,he has also given good rating/promotion recomend,but i m NOT sure about the normalisation proces..there’s some grapevive that ratings are always pre decided by top managements..is it so??
Amit Bansal answers, Not really. Try and understand the normalization process. If there are three managers in an organization who have rated their employees and let’s say they have rated three employees, one in each of their teams as top performers. Now the basis on which they will rate each of their top performers can be different. Like one may be very lenient and another may be too harsh. When the top management is looking at the performance appraisal from an organization perspective they need to normalize the process. Otherwise some teams are promoting mediocrity and some teams are promoting over expectations. Therefore a process with the help of statistical mean identified by past data is used to arrive at this normalization. You can read more about it to understand it’s objective and process.

alokseth asked, I am working with a poor performing subsidiary of a good performing big company. My appraiser is from holding company & is not much aware of my job & performance. Also I have recently joined here. So how should I proceed with self apprisal?
Amit Bansal answers, You must reach your HR to get a clarity on your KRAs so that you can fill your self appraisal appropriately.

akm asked, what if the appraisal sheets are not shown to employee? what if the boss fills his own appraisal form and gets special increment and promotion? what will you say in this condition?
Amit Bansal answers, Your boss’s appraisal is dependent on your performance as well.

pravin asked, hi, is it okay to have PF deductions from your CTC?
Amit Bansal answers, PF is a part of your CTC.

mandeep asked, Hi, i have been working with a UK based firm as contractor for last 3 years, before that i was working on site with them on payroll. In last 5 years i have got no salary increase whatsoever and they are not ready to offer any rise in near future. how should i tackle this?
Amit Bansal answers, If you feel that there is no hope for appraisal, I guess then you must let them know that you would like to move on.

shan asked, Hi I am unhappy with the latest increment?How to show it to the management,polietly but firmly?
Amit Bansal answers, You need data points to substantiate what you feel about your appraisal. I suggest you can take specific points about why you should have been given a better appraisal and call for another meeting with your manager. Most organizations have a provision where you can reach your HR to contest against the appraisal. Check about it with your HR.

Prasanna asked, Sir, I have a question, how to politely convince a manager on an employee’s achievements on a performance appraisal without arguing or disagreeing
Amit Bansal answers, You must always walk in for an appraisal meetings with specific data points. This may include emails, excel sheets etc. This way you will not need to work too hard to convince your manager about your performance.

indra asked, What are the basic area a appraiser should follow in qualitative performance..
Amit Bansal answers, It’s based on your KRA. Reach your manager and HR to understand your Key responsibility areas.

kk asked, Hi Amit, what is a market correction in salary and what all parameters are considered?
Amit Bansal answers, With the market correction way, an organization can streamline and benchmark it’s pay slabs at various bands or levels as per the market in the same industry. This is usually done by any organization along with companies which professionally do compensation surveys and benchmarking. Such corrections or benchmarking can be done with base pay, benefits, incentive structures etc.

nishant asked, hi an experience for 2 years . and since 4 month ago i joined a company so hows i can discussed with appraisal with my boss after completion of probation
Amit Bansal answers, If your company follows a quarterly appraisal cycle you will fall in the appraisal bracket once you finish 6months. So likewise you can calculate 6 months and 1 year after your probation to know in which appraisal cycle you will fall.

Ravindra asked, Dear amit, according to you how many appraisals should happen in a year ?
Amit Bansal answers, There are quarterly appraisals, six monthly appraisals and an annual appraisal. It all depends on the company policy.

Jitin asked, Hi Amit i want to know whats the ideal time to work for an employee in an organization if he is not seeing any growth????
Amit Bansal answers, Maybe three to five years. I always suggest one should continue in an organization till one is finding opportunities to improve their skills and knowledge. Once that becomes stagnated there’s barely anything that can motivate someone to work in an organization.

Prabhat asked, For last 3 years I’m almost idle at office with no responsibility, Result less than average increment for last 2 years.This year also same situation. I’ve repeatedly asked my employees to give me proper job responsibility, they assure me, buy nos result. What should i do? Pl Help
Amit Bansal answers, Prabhat a lot of times at a workplace you may need to create work so that it can be highlighted on your resume and also within the organization you can receive recognition. Find ways to add value and use your own expertise. Look at what is happening in the industry and if there’s anything that can be deployed at your workplace as well. Take initiatives and don’t wait for others to give you work.

Gaurav asked, Hello Amit, How to get noticed when you are the part of back end support team? I mean all the attention captured by sales team so how do people like us get recognize.
Amit Bansal answers, Each team has it’s own impact on the overall business of any organization. First thing is to understand that your function is important too. Highlight your initiatives and ideas which have impacted and improved the business for the organization. Sales cannot work alone without back end support.

mohan asked, Hi , I have been recieving last 3 appraisal as less than < 5 % for last 3 years. let me know what i should do for this year appraisal
Amit Bansal answers, Mohan…like I mentioned earlier the appraisal percentage in any organization is dependent on many different parameters. Please check first why you have been receiving this hike percentage. Only based on that you can find out whether it’s due to your own performance or the organization’s performance.

Navin asked, Amit, What is a good percentage to ask for rise in one’s appraisal? 20% or 15%?
Amit Bansal answers, There are various factors which help in deciding a salary hike. So it can be unique depending upon the company. 20% hike is a very good hike by any company standards. Market growth, industry standard, your function, your company’s performance are some of the parameters on which performance appraisal is dependent. So anything between 5% to 30% can be an annual hike and you must consider the other factors before you ask for a certain percentage of increment.

Sandhya asked, Hi Amit, Do you think annual performance appraisals are necessary?
Amit Bansal answers, Performance appraisal is essential. There is no other way to appraise employees about their performance in the form of a feedback and also compensation and an organization see where they are going in terms of achieving organizational goals.

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Source: www.rediff.com

Chat Date: May 9,2012

May 8 2012

Issues young Indians face today-Part 6

Though we may not necessarily look at it that way, the lack of a strong role model is the greatest issue facing young Indians today.

At a recent book launch, software icon N R Narayana Murthy pointed out that ‘the number of role models our youngsters can look up to is decreasing’.

The corrupt, he said, are slowly but surely becoming the only role models for young Indians.

‘Our youngsters don’t have role models to look up to and therefore and sadly because of corruption, some of the people who are doing exactly the opposite, dishonest, deceit, ‘chalta hai’ and all of that… they are becoming more and more powerful, they are becoming wealthier. Therefore, our youngsters are getting the wrong signals. They think maybe this is the way to succeed. I don’t blame them,’ he said.

Saida Raval agrees, “There is little that children have around them to be inspired by. I can’t see a lot of people having role models. I don’t come across kids who say they want to be like person x. That also makes them a little more lost. Parents are always trying to get their kids disciplined but rarely do they see what comes out of this discipline, what is the result, who they can be! There is no such towering figure in that sense for this generation that can drive them towards single-mindedly achieving something.”

Raval’s point does strike a chord with me. Surely there is Anna Hazare you may say but, I am a little sceptical of calling him the icon of my generation, not so much because of who he is but because of who we are.

In fact, when you think about it, you don’t see too many towering figures in fiction too. For what they were worth, our parents and their parents had their set of heroes. Be it Jay Gatsby or Atticus Finch or even Feluda or Devdas. In films too, you had Anand, ‘Mother India’ and Bhootnath.

It isn’t a surprise then that many of our filmmakers are steadily turning to classics, attempting to remake them and reinterpret them for our generation.

Of these, the one film that stands out is Anurag Kashyap’s Devdas. The intelligent interpretation of the story and indeed the characters sees Kashyap’s Devdas giving up his Paro and choosing to go back to Chandramukhi.

Unlike Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s protagonist who burns the candle from both ends going out all guns blazing, Kashyap’s modern Devdas returns to his little room, back to his little life and a conventionally happy ending.

That in more ways, speaks to me not just about our heroes but also about our generation — that loves to arrive with a bang but almost invariably goes out with a whimper.

Source: www.rediff.com

May 7 2012

Up the Employee Morale

Is employee morale the route to a productive organisation?

High employee morale has been one of the measures of a highly productive organisation. As a human resource professional, in the quest for achieving high employee morale, it is necessary that you are well-tuned into the pulse of the organisation to sense workplace pessimism. Pessimism about the work place usually manifests due to loss of confidence in the management or the product line of the business, or disproportionate work–life balance.

The first signs of negativity should be addressed immediately. Talking with employees will help you understand the exact problems and the degree to which the problems are impacting your workplace. You will want to identify the exact employee groups who are experiencing the negativity, and the nature of the issues that sparked their unhappiness.

So what can be done?

You receive employee complaints, do exit interviews with employees who leave, and know the reputation of your organisation in your industry. You watch the discussions on employee Intranets, manage the appraisal and 360-degree feedback process, and coach managers in appropriate staff treatment. This information will help you learn to identify the symptoms of negativity before its morale-busting consequences damage your workplace. It will also assist you in preventing and curing workplace negativity.

Right to information

Help people feel like members of the in-crowd; each person wants to have the same information as quickly as everyone else. Provide the context for decisions, and communicate effectively and constantly. Treat people as adults with fairness and consistency. Develop and publicise workplace policies and procedures that organise work effectively. Apply them consistently. As an example, each employee has the opportunity to apply for leave. In granting his request, apply the same factors to his application as you would to any other individual’s.

Rewards & Recognition

“Is my contribution valued?” This question is in the minds of the employees all day, irrespective of how much they enjoy the current role. The power of appropriate rewards and recognition is remarkable in the creation of a positive workplace. Suffice to say, reward and recognition is one of the most powerful tools an organisation can use to buoy staff morale.

Train and Grow

People want to feel as if they are part of something bigger than themselves. If they understand the direction, and their part in making the desired outcomes happen, they can effectively contribute more. Allow people the opportunity to grow and develop. Training, perceived opportunities for promotions, lateral moves for development, and cross-training are visible signs of an organisation’s commitment to staff.

Fun and Energizing Environment

Create an environment of fun within the workplace, so that employees are drawn into office . Fun at work, breaks the monotony of everyday routine work. It allows people to connect with each other socially not just on e-mails or faxes. As HR professionals we need to keep busy with activities other than work, so that the employees feel like they are a part of the organisation.

Managers Attitude

An old saying goes – People don’t leave organizations, they leave managers. If a business wants its people to make a lot of money for them, then it must set high standards and give employees something they can get excited about. These employees must be managed by someone who is trustworthy, cares about people as well as the business, and acts with integrity. Managers should not do anything special, but do exactly the same things that would excite and motivate them as individuals. As HR professionals it is necessary to create an open door policy so that managers can be accessible to their team members at all times.

Secure Future

One of the main causes of low employee morale is anxiety about the future, particularly long-term job, income and retirement security. Most of these scenarios are unreal and just anticipated . During these times listen, listen, listen. Often people just need a sounding board. Be visible and available to staff. Proactively schedule group discussion sessions, town meetings, ‘lunches with the manager’, or one-on-ones. Challenge pessimistic thinking and negative beliefs about people, the company, and the work area. Don’t let negative, false statements go unchallenged. If the statements are true, provide the rationale, the corporate thinking, and the events that are responsible for the negative circumstances. Share everything you know about a situation to build trust with the workforce.

Employees spend most of their active hours at work-place; hence it is organisation’s responsibility to maintain a pleasant environment wherein they will enjoy working. Addressing pessimism prevents workplace violence, promotes workplace safety, and creates positive employee morale – after all these are the traits of Workplace Harmony and a Productive Organisation. Thus be happy and spread happiness!

Source: www.itsmyascent.com

May 7 2012

Issues young Indians face today-Part 5

Amit Bansal is a career counsellor and trainer who heads PurpleLeap, an organisation that works with colleges to make students employment-ready. One of the greatest challenges he hopes young today overcome is the unusually high expectations they have from their workplace.

“Many engineers and management graduates have little or no understanding of what kind of work they would be doing in their first job. Everyone wants it to be glamorous; it isn’t. Engineers are disappointed because they have to work on other people’s code and don’t get to write one of their own till almost two to three years in their careers. Fresh off the boat management trainees want to work on pricing, branding, marketing — things that you can get to only after some amount of experience in the field.”

Bansal recollects his first job where during a one-on-one interaction with Bharat Puri the then top boss of Asian Paints asked him what he saw himself doing in the company. Enthusiastically he told him how frustrated he was and exactly what he wanted to do. After letting him finish, Puri simply told him, “This is what I do after years of experience. If you do all of this, what job will I get to do?”

Patience really is the key, Bansal points out, and one that young Indians seem to have lost somewhere along the evolution path in part perhaps because of lack of mentors and mentorship programmes as part of HR activities in corporate houses.

Source: www.rediff.com

May 5 2012

Issues young Indians face today-Part 4

Fitting in often comes at a price. If you have a Nokia, you want a BlackBerry; if you have a BlackBerry, you want an iPhone.

Surely a young adult has more demands than his/her parents can handle but living in an increasingly globalised world where everything is accessible at the click of a mouse and swipe of a card, many are lamenting the rising materialism amongst young Indians.

Sadia Raval points out that folks of my generation and half a generation before mine — children of the ’80s and ’70s — even give in to their children’s demands in part because we never had those opportunities. The other reason, she adds, is guilt.

She says, “Most of us are working parents getting to spend little or no time with our children. Buying things they ask for is seen as a way to compensate our absence in their lives. What we don’t realise is that because we didn’t have certain things, we have certain values. So in a way it is the parents who are to be blamed for compensating their absence with gadgets and games and filling their lives with things they don’t need. We don’t seem to be telling our kids that struggle is part of life.”

Source: www.rediff.com

May 4 2012

Issues young Indians face today- Part 3

If on the one hand parental pressures aren’t bad enough, peer pressures make matters only worse.

“It matters to young people how many friends they have on Facebook or what brand of clothes they wear, what mobile phone they use and who they’re seen with. The funny part is that they may be ok with what they have as long as they don’t know what their friends do too,” Sadia Raval tells me.

A friend and a mother-of-two once told me that her daughter was angry for purchasing a Maruti Swift because it was too downmarket for her. Her daughter is said to have told her that she ‘should’ve considered a Honda CRV’. My friend, a single mother in her early 50s and had the liberty of having a car quite late in life herself, gasped at the thought and quite simply asked her to take the bus since she found being seen in a Swift below her dignity!

Doctoral candidate Antoinette Landor who presented some of her findings at the World Congress for Sexual Health in Glasgow has drawn a connection between teens losing their virginity and peer pressure.

Landor explains that peer pressure often drives young people into their lovers’ beds. “They are more likely to have a higher number of sex partners and a higher number of oral sex partners. They are more likely to not delay sex, and engage in sex without any contraception,” she says.

Although Landor’s study does not include Indian teens, the findings are relevant to the (urban) Indian context too. A former colleague who studied in one of the more posh schools in Mumbai with more than a dozen Bollywood kids as his classmates told me that they ‘went the whole hog’ by the time they graduated out of Class Ten. He laughed heartily as I looked at him with some amount of disbelief (and perhaps a little jealousy) and assured me he wasn’t lying.

What he said was confirmed by India Today‘s most recent survey that revealed at least 24 per cent respondents across the country had lost their virginity while they were still in their teens (the figures were 20 per cent higher in Delhi).

“It is almost like a competition,” my Maruti Swift-driving friend tells me. “If your friend has slept with someone, you want to as well, just to prove a point and just so you can fit in with the group.”

Source: www.rediff.com

May 3 2012

Issues young Indians face today- Part 2

Things get complicated when parents decide to add their two bits worth. A friend and mother-of-two likes to (somewhat incorrectly) call this ‘the 3 Idiots syndrome’. “It’s a typically middle class thing to do — push your kids into B-schools and expect them to earn eight-figure salaries at the end of their education.”

Sadia Raval agrees. Parental pressures aren’t easy to fight off she says and these very pressures drive young children up against the wall. “Very often, taking up a stream (of education) you don’t like results in a great deal of confusion and disillusionment. There are cases when kids manage to get into IITs but sooner rather than later realise their hearts are not into it; they fare poorly in their tests; disillusionment sets in and that leads to demotivation and loss of self esteem. It’s a vicious circle.”

These kinds of parental pressures, Raval says, exist at all levels often starting when the child is still in school.

When I asked Parul Sharma how early these pressures really start, she chuckles, “Pretty early on in life.”

Sharma’s book Bringing up Vasu: That First Year, offers a tongue-in-cheek view of a first-time mother’s attempts to give her son ‘everything that is best for him’. And while the situations described in it seem almost farcical in nature, the protagonist’s attempts to get her son into the best pre-school or make available the best that is there for him in the market does touch a chord.

“There is a certain type of parent that tries to push on its child his/her ambitions and there are others like Mira (her protagonist) whose intentions are well-placed and driven with the sole purpose of getting the best for her child. Does that justify the pressures on the kids? I don’t think so,” she says.

Raval continues, “Parents often push their children into tuitions and extra classes in the hope that they turn out to be superstars.”

The results however are far from desirable.

“There is so much on their plate that many students simply cannot cope with it. I have seen fairly bright students breaking down and giving up,” Raval says adding that the number of children breaking down just before Class 10 and 12 exams has gone up drastically in the last few years.”

Source: www.rediff.com

May 2 2012

Tips to deal with diversity at work

Demographic change, the global marketplace and greater tolerance for differences are increasing the importance of diversity at the workplace. More women, minorities, and people with different ethnic backgrounds and lifestyles are today entering the workforce. Organizations that do not manage diversity effectively will not be able to utilise the full potential of their workers, nor to survive and grow under increasingly complex and competitive business conditions.

Many barriers continue to restrict the opportunities of diverse groups. These barriers may be from the environment such as discrimination or stereotyping, and from individuals, such as poor career planning or inadequate skill preparation. Both external and internal barriers can be equally detrimental to the advancement of diverse groups. External barriers may be more obvious than internal barriers, but minorities need to carefully assess and identify the barriers they set for themselves and work on resolving them.

Organizations could provide employees with skills for operating in a multi-cultural environment, so that employees can understand their own as well as other cultures, values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and strengths and weaknesses. Training and education can fill a company’s needs in areas such as awareness-building, skill building, helping employees understand the need for valuing diversity, educating employees on specific cultural differences, providing the skills necessary for working in diverse work teams, and providing skills and development activities necessary for diverse groups to do their job and have the opportunity for advancement.

Below are the Q&A session answered by Amit Bansal, CEO of PurpleLeap

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James asked, Hi Amit ji, When we have best performance, whom do we need to approach for increments. boss/HR
Amit Bansal answers, Your immediate manager.

john asked, Hi Amit, I am a guy, and my manager is a married man. He had approached me once in an explicit manner, which i refused. after that i have been noticing a very bad behavior from him, he has been discriminating me in hikes, bonuses, promotions and tries to create problems for me. I am under a contract in the company and cant afford to change it. And I am afraid of the embarrassement which i will have to undergo if i complain against his explicit behavior. Please suggest me what to do? I am very depressed.
Amit Bansal answers, I suggest you confide in your company’s HR. It is important that you escalate this.

Ashbel asked, Amit, I have a problem in understanding my colleague. Most of the time he comes across as snobbish and he has few friends in office. I want to get along well with him since we work as a team. What would you suggest I do? I have asked him for a outing post office hours and to share a beer, doesn’t seem to have worked…
Amit Bansal answers, Don’t expect the ice to break in one attempt. Maybe you need to bond with him regularly to understand his personality. However, whatever you do to build rapport with him do not overdo it.

anilmagar asked, Hi Amit, How to deal with a team talking in regional languages most of teh time. Just warning doesnt help. Any popular trick to change people’s for such needs?
Amit Bansal answers, Well the best you can do is ask them to repeat what they said in English. You must constantly ask this until they learn to communicate in a common language.

shruti asked, Hi Amit, is it necessary for colleagues to hang out together after office hours? I have my own set of friends who are different from the ones in office. But my colleagues think I am odd and say snide jokes about me behind my back… What do I do?
Amit Bansal answers, Its not necessary at all to hang out with office colleagues after work.

Revin asked, Hi Amit, I work in a office where all employees are supposed to wear formals on all weekdays. I’ll do that, but why do they have a problem with my hairstyle? Do you think there is some code of business which says people with slightly long hair can’t do serious business?
Amit Bansal answers, Well yes, if your organization has strict guidelines about dressing and grooming then probably long hair are not acceptable. You must check with your HR on this.

Mumtaz asked, Hi Amit, This is Mumtaz here. One of my colleagues is showing undue interest in me. I don’t like it, and I have told him as much. This distraction is not helping me perform well and keeping me on an edge. Do you think I need to inform my superiors? I don’t want the other person to loose his job also.. just to keep off me.
Amit Bansal answers, I think you must inform your superiors about it. I hope the person knows that if it becomes an HR issue he may even lose his job.

deepak asked, hi amit, do you think HR managers discriminate on the basis of language?? i find many of my friends agreeing to that during job interviews. how can one skip that question?
Amit Bansal answers, As far as language is concerned the only reason why HR managers may consider this aspect with respect of your fluency if the job requires you to speak in good english. Otherwise I do not see a reason why the HR managers would discriminate anyone.

mamu asked, Dear Amit, I am from the nroth east adn face discrimination at work. Please tell me how to deal with it.
Amit Bansal answers, I think you must bring it to the notice of your immediate manager. Along with talking face to face also ensure you put this on email along with any instances when such discrimination was done.

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Chat Date: May 2, 2012

Source: www.rediff.com

 

May 2 2012

Issues young Indians face today-Part 1

Prayag Arora sounds groggy on the phone. He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep for a while now. During the weekend he was working on the Twitter feed for his client and managed to double their followers on the microblogging site. On Facebook, he’s involved in getting them more ‘likes’ for each of their updates; more the ‘likes’ more he will get paid.

It isn’t however about the money for Arora. He comes from a fairly affluent family in Mumbai and could have chosen to take it easy this summer before he began the next year in college.

Yet Arora, almost 19, is restless. Last summer he was interning at a newspaper office in the city. This year he is interning at a social media company. And he’s already sure of what he wants to do by the time his college reopens for the academic year in June — he has a few ideas which he’s already run by his current bosses which he hopes to execute in the next few months.

Although she isn’t from the same city as Arora, Shruti Sharma, also 19, is ‘preparing for life’. With six weeks staring at her, Sharma who hails from Nagpur, has enrolled herself in a local grooming class, is learning German and when I last spoke to her, was looking for an internship so ‘I don’t waste my time’.

Arora and Sharma share the restlessness of a generation that seems to be eager to get ahead in life. Even though neither knows exactly what s/he wants to do, both have a vague idea of where they see themselves in the next five years.

While Arora is toying with the idea of ‘doing something’ in the media industry, Sharma hopes to get into the civil services — ‘probably IFS’.

What brings these two seemingly diverse souls under one umbrella is their impatience, an earnest desire to ensure they get some sort of a head start in life.

“It’s hard to find work. And it’s ping off to see how even in today’s times, you need contacts to get a job. If I have four internships on my resume when I apply for my first job, my boss is bound to look at me differently,” Arora tells me, sounding like a man who could with a little more sleep, “There’s just way too much competition and if you’re not ready, you probably will be left behind.”

The pressure to ‘make it’ in life in the face of immense pressures is one of the greatest challenges that young Indians are faced with today, feels psychologist Saida Raval.

While some like Arora and Sharma are fairly clear about what they want to do in life, Raval says that the various career options available for young people today tends to leave them a little, well, lost.

“They often find themselves torn between doing what they want and what will help them make money,” she says.

Source: www.rediff.com