HR NEWS & VIEWS

MAY | 2019

HIRING METRICS

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

CULTURE DEVELOPMENT – A STUDY

HR INTERNATIONAL

COMPANY UPDATES

EXPERIMENT

to innovate

EXPERIMENT

to INNOVATE

how critical is it for the company leadership to

encourage experimentation…

In today’s competitive

market either it is services or

product, the only thing that

drives customers are how

different is it compared to

the earlier version / model…

So to maintain the

competitive edge it’s not a

choice but the only option is

to “INNOVATE”.

KEY TO INNOVATION

It needs to be understood that innovation does not

happen daily, however it is an output of a determined,

sincere and regular persistent effort to think out of

box. In order to make this happen it is important that

people do experiment with various things to bring

about an innovation.

Relentless experiments will lead to an innovation.

An organization which understands this and fosters a

culture to let people experiment freely without

constraints, inhibitions will be able to drive innovations.

EXPERIMENT & FAILURES

EXPERIMENTING CULTURE

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

WHAT TO AVOID

INEFFECTIVE LEADERS

10

❑ Lacks a vision to build new structures around innovation

❑ INNOVATION is more of a lip service than a true ambition

❑ Critical of workforce on trying newer things and always

finds ways to discourage them

❑ Never able to come out of status quo culture

❑ Are more self-benefit driven and often misses the larger

goals

❑ Are not worthy their Leadership Value proposition

11

SOME KEY INNOVATIONS

PEOPLE REMEMBER THE INNOVATION DONE BY GREAT

INNOVATORS/SCIENTISTS AND OTHERS, HOWEVER NOBODY KNOWS THE

NUMBER OF TIMES THE PERSON MIGHT HAVE FAILED TO CREATE THAT SINGLE

INNOVATION.

FAILURE IS A PILLAR TO INNOVATION… IF U CANNOT HANDLE FAILURES U CAN

NEVER INNOVATE…

TIME TO PREPARE

THAN REPAIR

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HIRING METRICSPrakash Panda,

SVP & HEAD

HR

INDIA POWER

LEADERSHIP

DEVELOPMENT Yatendra Kumar,

HEAD HR PAN

INDIA & SEA

ESSEL GROUP

BUILDING

an

ORGANIZATION CULTURE

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EUROPE HR

Paul Strange

HR Consultant

WORKER REPRESENTATION ONCOMPANY BOARDS

I have read that there was a 1970s reportthat recommended that the boards ofIndian companies include workerrepresentatives. I know this was notimplemented. In Europe, workerdirectors are found in many countries.Sometimes it is a voluntary arrangement,such as in the Swiss postal service.Sometimes they are prescribed by lawand found in all companies, such as inSweden where companies over 25employees must have one thirdrepresentation on boards. Sometimes, itis the law but only in state-ownedcompanies, such as Ireland and the Czech

HRINTERNATIONAL

Republic. In some countries workerdirectors are appointed by labourunions, and in others they areelected directly by the employees.There is no single or dominantmodel of worker representation tobe easily imported from onecountry to another.

It may be interesting to know thatthe reasons behind thismanagement practice were partlyan alternative to having an industryor company owned by the state. Inthe post-Second World War era,when industries in many countrieswere taken into state ownership tobuild their strength again, some

sectors and companies agreed to have worker directors to avoid this. It wasonly one condition of many that unions negotiated at the time.

In Germany, there were many predictions that worker directors would fail.One US economist predicted that “the new German law would turn out to beeither irrelevant, as weak and divided worker representation allowedshareholders to continue to exercise complete control over the affairs of thefirm, or transform the German economy into a ‘Soviet-type system’characterized by underinvestment, stalling growth and heavy governmentinterference.”

It is true that German corporate governance is quite different from theAmerican variety, with German companies placing more weight on workerconcerns like job security and less on short-term shareholder valuemaximization. But both US and Germany economies have grown significantlysince the mid 20th century, so criticism of a central feature of topmanagement seems misplaced or irrelevant. In Europe

Germany is often seen as the role-model for worker directors. Its impressiverow of good employment numbers is often explained by a consensus-basedstyle of labour relations and workers’ participation as a feature of companymanagement.

So, in Europe, the use of worker directors is positive or benign, at least.Where there is opposition from employers, it is through the imposition ofemployment laws for all or some employee groups and not the process itself.

GREECE: WHO WANTS TO BE A TAX COLLECTOR?

The Greek tax authorities on Tuesday announced plans to conduct more than200,000 inspections this year across the entire spectrum of financial activity.Its objective is the collection of 7 billion Euros in 2019 from confiscations,auctions and overdue arrears settlements, up from 6 billion Euros collectedlast year.

Greece has come a long way from its pre-crisis reputation as a tax evadersparadise, but it this culture has affected the recruitment of tax collectors inthe country.

The Greek tax authorities need a threshold of 12,000 tax collectors to reach itstargets which are aligned to government debt conditions. The biggestproblem is successful candidates rejecting offers. It seems that the payexpected by new candidates is higher than current rates, perhaps due to thestigma attached to the role.

DENMARK: RECRUITMENT COMPANIES TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR EQUALITY

Seven recruitment firms in Denmark have announced a new code or standardwhich they believe will have a positive impact on the issue of genderinequality at board level. The dialogue with the recruitment industry is part ofthe government's follow-up on the evaluation of legislation on target figuresand policies for gender distribution in boards and management.

According to Ministry of Equality, just under 15 percent of directors and 19percent of board members at Danish companies are women. More than halfof all companies in Denmark do not have one single woman on their board.

The voluntary code consists of eight principles that the search and recruitmentcompanies undertake to follow. Among other things, the companies must aimto present at least 33 per cent female candidates to their clients in anyrecruitment search. The companies also undertake to raise awareness amongtheir employees about the unconscious bias or prejudices that can influencewhich candidates are selected. At the same time, the companies undertake toreport their results to the ministry so that the effect of the code is followed.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR HR SOFTWARE?

More and more businesses find themselves at a crossroads where legacy HRsystems are becoming increasingly obsolete, but the choice and range of newtools available is confusing. It has been estimated that, in 2018, there were8,000 start-ups globally in recruitment technology alone, so it’s not surprisingHR professionals are cautious about where to invest. When investing in HRtechnology, there are two main considerations: how much it will cost versushowmuch it will save.

These new vendors are offering bespoke products and this marks a significantchange. The new solutions cover all areas of HR – from AI-powered voiceassistants to applications which claim to detect mood which may improveperformance. Some buyers might be looking for a product purely to automatelegacy paper processes or replace home grown systems. It is no longer all aboutbig systems rollout. Companies are looking for smaller tools that solve specificproblems and are the domain of HR rather than IT.” Big systems roll-outs are riskyas companies try to customise the solution to the needs (some say problems)rather than change the core processes and then fit the big system to the newmodel. A major German retailer cancelled an estimated €500 million, seven yearSAP roll-out in 2018. It is widely thought they took too long trying to customise thesystem.

More than ever, users’ expectations of technology are high. With increasinglysophisticated technology at home, having to log into multiple, unintuitive systemsin the office can be a drag on engagement.

So what is next? I hear that there are HR tools which can screen as many as abillion CVs a day! New tools that will come to market in the next few years includea learning solution that will auto-curate content for the learner. It will be able todeliver a personalised learning plan based on the previous learning experiences.As legislation and compliance requirements increase, new tools will use dataanalysis to ensure that pay is aligned to policy and laws – for example in payequity. In the HR shared service centres, expect to see chatbots and other AI toolswhich support staff in typical self-service tasks such as booking vacation, andanswering simple enquiries.

UPDATES

Cognizant planning more layoffs, mid-level employees in India may be worst hit: Report

IT services major Cognizant may soon cut more jobs as the company's financial details showed amismatch between the number of people hired and its revenue growth in the past two quarters.The US-based company's growth in this calendar year has been the lowest in its history. In 2017,it had given voluntary severance packages to 400 senior employees to manage a part of its costs.However, sources said this time the number of people being let go will be higher and the processwill be across the levels. "While last time, the job cuts were limited to senior-level staffers, thistime, even non-billable mid-level executives such as managers and even staffers in the consultingvertical with low utilization levels are likely to be affected," a source said. Another person awaresaid these layoffs will mostly be focused in India, which is the largest offshore delivery locationfor Cognizant. The company has over 70 percent of its 281,000 employees (2018) in India. As partof our realignment programme, management is currently evaluating various strategies, includingadditional employee separation programmes. The timing, nature and magnitude of theseinitiatives are not finalized yet," Cognizant said in a statement. Source : Livemint.com

Myntra loses another senior executive to Google

Following the series of several resignations at Myntra, Mr. Sharath Bulusu, Senior Vice-Presidentat the firm has also stepped down from his role, as per the latest report. Mr. Bulusu is a formerGoogle executive who as per the speculation is joining back the company as ProductManagement Director. He had joined Myntra in 2016 and was a core part of Myntra's productteam, especially after its CPO Mr. Ambarish Kenghe left last year. Mr. Bulusu has previously alsoworked as Chief Product Officer at London-based HouseTrip. He is now following the footsteps ofhis former colleague Mr. Kenghe and joining Google. In the past few months, Myntra haswitnessed many exits, including its former CEO Mr. Ananth Narayanan. A lot has been happeningat the firm. After Flipkart co-founder Mr. Binny Bansal's exit in November last year, Myntra-Jabong came under Flipkart group CEO Mr. Kalyan Krishnamurthy. The current scenario is thatMr. Amar Nagaram, who is now heading Myntra-Jabong, reports to Flipkart group's fashion head

Mr. Rishi Vasudev. The leadership at the firm has been quite unstable amidst these structuralchanges. However, the firm continues to try striking a balance and ensuring work flows smoothlyamidst the chaos. Currently, Walmart's International CEO and president, Ms. Judith McKenna ison an India visit taking a stock of Flipkart group companies which includes Myntra as well. Source: Compiled by Naukri.com

Mr. Eric Schmidt leaves Google board, after 18 years

Google-parent Alphabet said Mr. Eric Schmidt, who was chief of the internet giant for a decade,will leave the board in June. Mr. Schmidt, who turned 64 this month, stepped down as chairmanof the Alphabet board at the start of last year, remaining a member but shifting to a role as atechnical advisor. He will not seek re-election to the board when his term expires in June, but willcontinue to advise on technical matters, according to Alphabet. "Eric has made an extraordinarycontribution to Google and Alphabet as CEO, chairman, and board member," board chairman Mr.John Hennessy said in a statement. "We are extremely grateful for his guidance and leadershipover many years." Mr. Schmidt was on the board for more than 18 years, joining in March 2001.He was chief executive of Google from the middle of that same year until March 2011. Googlefounders Mr. Larry Page and Mr. Sergey Brin recruited the proven businessman and skilledsoftware engineer as chief executive in 2001, bringing a mature hand to the helm of the thenthree-year-old internet search company. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Page and Mr. Brin were considered apower triumvirate in control of Google. Mr. Page replaced Mr. Schmidt as chief executive adecade later. Source : Livemint.com

OYO appoints new HR Director

Unicorn start-up OYO rooms have roped in Mr. Siddharth Tyagi as their new Director. He will beleading the Talent Acquisition for International markets. Before joining the hospitality chain, hewas working with Publicis Sapient as Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition; he worked with thecompany for five years. In his new innings with OYO, he will be responsible for talent acquisitionin the entire Middle East and Europe. He will report to Mr. Ashish Banga, Head HR, OYOInternational. Mr. Tyagi is a senior industry HR leader, and he has worked with companies suchas GlobalLogic, Evalueserve, Keane, and others. OYO is expanding its footprint around the worldand especially in South Asia. The company is operating in more than 500 cities across India,China, Malaysia, Nepal, the UK, UAE and, recently, Indonesia. It can be recalled that earlier thisyear the company has hired ex Indigo chief Mr. Aditya Ghosh as their new India CEO andappointed Mr. Sam Shih as their China COO. Source : Naukri.com

Another H-1B fee hike to hit Indian techies

Engineers hoping for an onsite in the US are set to receive another jolt as the Trumpadministration could soon increase the H-1B visa fee further, pushing IT companies to hirelocally in the US. US Labour Secretary Mr. Alexander Acosta told US lawmakers that an increasein H-1B visa application fee will raise funding for the expansion of an apprentice programme,which trains American youths in technology-related activities. While the exact details of the visa-fee hike were not disclosed, Mr. Acosta, who was testifying before a Congressional committeeon annual budget for the Department of Labour for fiscal 2020, argued that foreigners hurtAmerican workers by competing for jobs and driving down wages. Indian IT companies so farhave been the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa, but increased visa fee in the last few yearsalong with higher scrutiny under the Trump administration has already resulted in a rapiddecline in applications from India. According to estimates, nearly 25 per cent H-1B visaapplications were rejected last year, forcing companies to cut down on the applications. Source: Thehindubusinessline.com

German firm Siemens plans to cut 10,000 jobs in a major overhaul

German industrial equipment maker Siemens says it will cut some 10,000 jobs in a majorrestructuring that will involve spinning off its oil, gas and power generation business andcreating new areas of growth. The company said it would spin off its division that makes powerturbines to increase its entrepreneurial freedom while embarking on a sweeping cost-cuttingeffort at its remaining operations. The gas and power division has been under pressure due to abroader trend toward renewable energy such as sun and wind power. Competitors in the powerbusiness such as Boston-headquartered General Electric and Japan's Mitsubishi have struggledas well. Siemens said in the announcement that it would keep a significant stake of less than 50per cent in the spun-off company and would bundle in a majority stake in its renewable energiescompany. That would create what Siemens CEO Mr. Joe Kaeser called "a powerful pure play inthe energy and electricity sector" that could offer products across the entire scope of the energymarket from a single source. Source : Businesstoday.in

Another senior executive at Infosys resigns

Mr. Suryaprakash Kareenahalli, Senior Vice-President who was heading India delivery forInfosys, has quit to take up a role with the New York-based Institute of Personal Leadership,which focuses on professional training and coaching. While working at Infosys, Mr. Kareenahalliwas responsible for a portfolio worth nearly $1.6 billion at Infosys, including retail, CPG andlogistics, legacy modernization and the India software services delivery verticals. This is the sixthtop-level exit since CEO Mr. Salil Parekh took over in January 2018. Mr. Rajesh Krishnamurthy,

President and Head of Europe; Mr. Nitesh Banga, who headed manufacturing; Mr. Ken Toombs,head of consulting, and Chief Financial Officer Mr. MD Ranganath resigned last year. In January,Mr. Sudip Singh, the Global Head of Energy, Utilities and Resources at Infosys, also calls it quits.Mr. Kareenahalli joined Infosys in 2007 and has over 29 years of professional experience. Priorto Infosys, he served at Wipro in Subvertical Business Management. Source : Peoplematters.in

Visa names Google executive as Head of Marketing for India and South Asia

Global leader in digital payments technology, Visa, has announced the appointment of Ms.Sujatha V Kumar as Head of Marketing for India and South Asia. She will be driving overallmarketing strategy and execution including consumer, retail and digital marketing initiatives forIndia and the emerging markets of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Maldives. Visa GroupCountry Manager, India & South Asia, Mr. TR Ramachandran stated, Our people are the mostimportant asset for us at Visa. As we work towards transforming and strengthening India’sdigital payment ecosystem, Sujatha joins us with a diverse range of experience from thecontinuously evolving digital space. We are excited to welcome her to the Visa family and withher expertise, aim to build a robust brand leadership in the space we operate in. Based inMumbai, Mr. Kumar will join Visa India and South Asia Leadership Team. Prior to this, she wasworking with Google as Head Brand & Reputation, Marketing, and Strategy. She brings to Visaover 20 years of experience and extensive knowledge of consumer insights, brand development,go-to-market approaches, category management, retail strategy, and promotions. A graduate inpsychology, she holds an MBA in marketing and started her career at Procter & Gamble. Overthe years, she has worked across companies such as Gillette, Nokia, The Royal Bank of Scotlandand Coca-Cola. Source : Peoplematters.in

Government to list skilled jobseekers, connect them with employers

The skill development and entrepreneurship ministry is setting up a national skills registry tomatch trained job seekers and apprentices with employers. The move comes against thebackground of a heightened debate over the lack of jobs in the country. The registry will initiallycapture data of nearly 20 million trained people and will build in a system to match them witharound 20,000 companies and organisations, the ministry said. The national database, which isbeing developed by technology firm IBM, will not only contain records of people trained by 22ministries and departments of the Union government but will also integrate all state skillsmissions. The idea came from the cabinet secretary. During one of our review meetings, thecabinet secretary suggested that a national registry on skills be established. The way we have anational database for passports and pan cards, we shall have a national registry for skills. IBM isdeveloping the registry for us," said Mr. Rajesh Agrawal, a joint secretary in the ministry who isoverseeing the project. Source : Livemint.com

Udemy ropes in Mr. Venu Venugopal as Chief Technology Officer

Udemy, the global marketplace for learning and teaching online, announced the appointment ofveteran technology leader Mr. Venu Venugopal as the company’s Chief Technology Officer(CTO). Udemy is aggressively scaling operations to further support the millions of students andinstructors on the platform, as well as its corporate and government customers around theworld. Mr. Venugopal will lead the engineering, data science and IT efforts to bolster the globalgrowth of the company and help anyone looking to learn new skills or improve existing ones tofind the right teacher. We are thrilled that Venu has joined the Udemy team, Mr. Gregg Coccari,CEO of Udemy. As we remain committed to helping students, companies, and governmentseverywhere gain the skills they need to compete in today’s economy, we look forward toworking with Venu to scale our business, continue to innovate on our platform, and deliver aneven better experience to the millions who teach and learn on Udemy. Mr. Venugopal joinsUdemy from Expedia, where he was Vice President of Engineering for HomeAway, the world’sleading online marketplace for vacation homes. Source : Businesstoday.in

L&T Infotech to hire 3,800 freshers as it sees order-book swelling this year

Engineering major L&T software arm LTI will be hiring around 3,800 freshers this fiscal as itexpects the business to grow at a faster clip, a top official has said. The company is working at avery high utilisation level now and wants to hire more to get down the level, chief executive Mr.Sanjay Jalona said. We will be hiring 3,700-3,800 freshers this fiscal year as against the 3,000freshers we hired in FY19, he said. Additionally, it will also hire laterally as well as per projectrequirements on a just-in-time basis, he said. Asked whether the necessary talent is available oncall, especially given the fact that a lot many companies are depending on the just-in time hiringmodel, Mr. Jalona said talent is the biggest issue which keeps him awake and the concerns haveonly aggravated lately. In FY19, the industry added 1.7 lakh new jobs, according to industrylobby Nasscom. However, industry executives keep expressing concerns over the quality of themanpower available and doubt their skillsets are enough for a dynamically changing industry. Inthe year to March 2019, Mr. Jalona said LTI has hired over 4,000 people on a net basis, of which656 were in the fourth quarter alone. The utilisation rates including trainees had stood at over82 percent, and the company decided to ramp up hiring, even at the cost of compromising themargin, Mr. Jalona said. The high utilisation is very unhealthy for a company of its size which isgrowing, he added. Source : Financialexpress.com

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