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HR Era, Issue # 29, Feb 2nd, 2003

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CONTENTS

1. Moderator's Space

2. Humor In The Workplace - The Fun Nun

3. Tomato Soup for the Soul (with Apologies to Zail Singh)

4. New Members :

R. Sagayaraj, Director, Mose HR Consultants, Chennai
Charudatt Bawane, Chennai.

5. Readers' Forum : Praise for CS Sundaram

6. Wisdom of the Soul (My Favorite Quotes) - by Neeraj Narang

7. Organizing Your Email - by Kathy Burns

8. Extraordinary Results through Ordinary People - sent by S Krishnan

A Condensation from the book 'Managing Radical Change' by Sumantra Ghosal, Gita Piramal & Christopher A. Bartlett

9. The Power of Ex-Employees - Article summary by Maneesh Goel

10. HR Training Programs (India)

11. Best HR Jobs (India)

12. Aims of HR Era, How to Contribute Articles, Legal Stuff.

1. Moderator's Space

Here is a very beautiful quote on love, & learning to love.

It is from Mother Teresa. It contains the secret of her attitude which enabled her to serve millions of poor people. Mother Teresa made a difference to lives of people & society around her, has left behind a huge organization (Missionaries of Charity), and has earned a place for herself in pages of history.

Do we have any similar aspirations? If yes, she may be of help!

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

regards

Rajeev B Bhatnagar

rajeev@hrera.com

2. Humor In The Workplace - The Fun Nun

Sister Mary Christelle Macaluso
R.S.M., O.F.N., Ph.D.

"We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn in later life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing, and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization."

This was not quoted from a modern businessman or woman. It is attributed to Petronium Arbiter, 210 BC. If you read between the lines, Petronium had a sense of humor. Present day management consultants concur that a sense of humor is needed in the business world.

Research on Humor:

Research work done by psychologist Alice Isn shows that watching a funny film increased the ability to see relationships more clearly, think more broadly, and solve problems more readily. Another psychologist, Ashton Trice, demonstrated that humor helps the thinking process. Her research subjects could solve word puzzles more readily if a fun activity preceded the test.

Meetings & Humor:

Productive meetings need humor as the first item on the agenda. A few minutes to jostle the funny bone of those present are a worthwhile investment. A clip from a funny video, some wholesome jokes, a humorous funny experience, a playful game can be shared. Try some laughter exercises before the meeting begins. Decorate the meeting room with some funny motivational posters. These additions stimulate creativity with minimal investment.

Negative & Positive Humor:

Humor is a good management tool only if used in a positive way. A negative working environment is created by demeaning or crude humor. Bob Basso in his book Lighten Up Corporate America emphasizes that, if the work environment reflects boredom, lethargy, apathy, and a general lack of creativity, the company is spreading darkness instead of light. He adds, "Where there is joy at work there is the greatest possibility for profit."

Company Practices:

The humor message is spreading. If companies want enthusiastic employees, fun must be part of the work environment. Increasing productivity means maximizing joy and satisfaction. Eastman Kodak has humor rooms for its employees. These rooms have funny videos, games, computers with fun activities, humorous magazines/books, and a toy store. Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Company has a Joy Committee. Its purpose is to improve morale by providing fun activities. Southwest Airlines is known for the use of humor on its flights.

Opportunities:

Opportunities abound in the workplace to use humor positively. For example, a manager heard that a large cockroach created havoc in her department. Its demise came via the foot of an older female employee. The manager designed a citation of bravery plaque for this employee. The following day, having gotten the attention of all present, she presented the plaque to her. Laughter, clapping, and cheers rang out to bring a bright spot in everyone's day.

Create a lighthearted working environment. For example, use a kazoo to call a meeting to order, have a humor bulletin board with cartoons and funny sayings, use funny memos, post baby pictures for a guessing contest, draw names for a secret humor pal to bring joy to the person for a month or so.

Humor & Health:

Laughter promotes wellness. It affects positively the major systems of the body. Dr. Lee Berk of Loma Linda University has shown that stress hormone levels decrease with laughter. In addition, his research shows that immune cells increase. These are the body's defense system against infection. Many people hate their jobs. Humor, used properly, creates a work environment that employees appreciate.

The Book of Proverbs written 3,000 years ago shares this wisdom, "A merry heart acts like good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones" (17:22). Let there be no "dried up bones" in your workplace.

Contributed by The Fun Nun (Sister Mary Christelle Macaluso ; R.S.M., O.F.N., Ph.D.)

The Fun Nun is a full-time professional speaker and member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) who challenges people to live more joyfully, handle stress effectively, and improve their interpersonal skills. For more information about her availability to speak and/or obtaining her books, tapes, smile-on-a-stick contact her at E-mail: funnun@csm.edu , Web Site: www.FUNNUN.com , Phone: 402-399-2474, Address: College of Saint Mary, Omaha, NE 68124-2377 USA.

3. Tomato Soup for the Soul (with Apologies to Zail Singh)

Scene 1:

In a party one of Zail Singh's friends asked him how many chappathis he could eat in an empty stomach. Zail replied "Seven". Then his friend told him "When U eat the first chappathi your stomach is no longer empty.Then how can U eat seven ??".

Zail was impressed by this tricky question. So as soon as he went back home he asked his wife " How many chappathis can you eat in an empty stomach ??". She replied "Five". Then Zail told " Shit!! ! If only you had told seven I had a nice reply for it"

Scene 2:

Zail Singh went to USA for an Open Heart Bypass surgery. After the surgery, Bill Clinton came to meet him. Here is the conversation:

Bill Clinton: Hello! Are you relaxing?
Zail Singh: No, I am Zail Singh.
Bill Clinton: I want to make courtsey call.
Zail Singh: Yes, you can make it from telephone outside, it is free.

From the Net

4. New Members

R. Sagayaraj, Director, Mose HR Consultants, Chennai

Sagayaraj has a PG Diploma in PMIR & LW followed by Master of Labour Management. He has 3.5 years' experience in HR during which he has worked in an organization as well as a recruitment consultant. He is presently in Chennai.

His hobbies include Play keyboard, Singing & acting, Football, Volleyball and Cricket.

Contact: mosehr@vsnl.net

Charudatt Bawane, Chennai.

Message:

Hello ,

This is Charudatt Bawane.

I am joining you all today for being a part of H R Era Group to Learn & Share the experiences in the Ffeld of Human Resources.

I was born and brought up in Chennai & Planning to move to Pune. I would be glad if the Groups intimate me about any openings in HR .

Regards
Charudatt Bawane

Qualifications & Experience:

Charudatt has a Masters in Business Administration in Personnel Management through Madras University. He has been associated with TWO Developing- Software companies for the last TWO years in the field of Human Resources.

Contact: cbawane@rediffmail.com

5. Readers' Forum ( Appreciations & Brickbats )

Please email your replies to the person asking, with a copy to us at Alka@HREra.com for publication. Email new questions to us.

Praise for CS Sundaram from Poonam Chandok

CSS:

The story "Managerial Hare & Tortoise" was brilliant. One of the rare stories which has so many managerial lessons put so succinctly.

You may not have written it yourself but identifying the right things to share (from what we read) is also an art.

regards

Poonam Chandok
poonam@lntecc.com

6. Wisdom of the Soul (My Favorite Quotes) - by Neeraj Narang

1. No one can ruin your day without YOUR permission.

2. Most people will be about as happy, as they decide to be.

3. Others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently.

4. Whatever you are willing to put up with, is exactly what you will have.

5. Success stops when you do.

6. When your ship comes in. ... make sure you are willing to unload it.

7. You will never "have it all together."

8. Life is a journey... not a destination. Enjoy the trip!

9. The biggest lie on the planet: "When I get what I want I will be happy."

10. The best way to escape your problem is to solve it.

11. I've learned that ultimately 'takers' lose and 'givers' win.

12. Life's precious moments don't have value, unless they are shared.

13. If you don't start, it's certain you won't arrive.

14. We often fear the thing we want the most.

15. Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you have to say.
Best friends listen to what you don't say!

Sent by Neeraj Narang, neeraj.narang@tatainfotech.com

Human Resources Department, NEPZ, Tata Infotech Limited, Ph: 95120-2567622-24; 95120-2567626-34; 95120-2562356 Ext: 557.

7. Organizing Your Email - by Kathy Burns

[Excerpt from "Don't Put Into Email Today What You Do Not Want to See On Headline News Tomorrow" - A Guide to Effective and Professional Communication via Email]

Keeping your email organized is imperative, especially in corporate or small business settings. When you use email for business purposes, you are essentially handling customer files. Because of the importance of this for even the smallest of businesses, those files should stay as organized as possible. You wouldn't just lump all of your paper customer files into a corner would you? Most of us wouldn't, so here are some ways to keep the email files (correspondence) organized as well.

If your business email inbox is currently cluttered with hundreds of old items, set aside some time to clear it out. This first clearance may take several hours, so you may want to delegate some weekend or evening time to tackle it.

Filing Methods

Before starting the actual filing of the items, you'll need to brainstorm your organizational structure. If you do not have a solid contact management software program, I strongly suggest investing in one. My preference is GoldMine, and I'll explain why further on in this section. For now, you simply need to decide how you work, and what filing system will work best for you personally. If you need help coming up with filing and organizational ideas, here are a few popular ones:

1. Customer Name Folders

Create email folders that are named the same as your customers. All email to or from a particular customer will be filed to that customer's individual email folder.

2. Project Name Folders

If you work primarily with projects, you can create email folders that match past, existing or future project names. From there, you can file all email related to the project, regardless of who it is to or from, into the corresponding project folder.

3. Month and Year Folders

Create email folders that are named for each month and year. Then file all email sent or received in that month/year into the matching folder.

4. Print File Cabinet Mirror

Create email folders named to match your Print File Cabinet system. Then file email into the email folders in the same way that you file print papers into your hard copy system.

Once you have decided how you want to organize your email, set up the folders and then go through each and every item in your inbox. This is the part that may take hours so make sure you have set aside enough time to fully complete the job.

While you're sorting your messages, you may find several items that have not yet been addressed but need to be. Try to address these before filing them, or make a note on your calendar or to-do list. Alternatively, if your email system has the capability, you can mark them for completion later. Be aware however: If you file the messages away you are not likely to address them later unless you have something scheduled that reminds you to. So, if you can, it is better to address them now and get them out of the way.

If your email program has the ability to link messages to contacts, I strongly suggest using this feature. This is the primary reason I use the GoldMine software. With GoldMine, I can keep a running history for each and every person I come into contact with. All email messages sent or received can be filed into the history right along with the appointments, phone calls, faxes, project notes and any other correspondence I have accumulated.

By utilizing contact management software that files email according to the person whom the email is from or to, you do not have to continuously search through various email folders when trying to find a specific item.

Ongoing Habits

Now, once you have spent the initial time needed to organize your inbox, it is fairly easy to keep it organized from that point forward. It may take a bit of effort to get into the habit in the first week or two, but usually the joy of having it all cleaned out helps to motivate you into keeping it cleaned.

Contributed by Kathy Burns

Ready for the rest? Get the full booklet -- Don't Put Into Email Today What You Do Not Want to See on Headline News Tomorrow -- right now for just $6.95!

Visit Kathy's website and get it now! http://electronicperceptions.com/ebooks/effective_email.shtml

8. Extraordinary Results through Ordinary People - sent by S Krishnan

Greetings!

I have made the enclosed extract from the book 'Managing Radical Change' by Sumantra Ghosal, Gita Piramal & Christopher A. Bartlett for our HR Era members.

With Regards,

S. Krishnan

A number of Indian Companies are caught in an intensifying spiral of competition. Excess capacity and flurry of new entrants have depressed profit margins. To restore profitability and market share, companies restructure, cut costs, reengineer and improve internal operations to reduce inventory and cycle time. These actions lead to temporary respite but soon competitors catch-up leading all of them back to the starting position.

People: The Real Source of Competitive Advantage

Getting competitive advantage lies in stimulating the company’s most valuable resource - it’s people - to be more motivated, creative and entrepreneurial than the employees of it’s competitors. No company of any size can expect to recruit and retain only geniuses. So the key is to get extraordinary results through Ordinary people in Organizations by revitalizing them. But what does ‘revitalizing people’ really mean? Most will interpret this as an attitudinal change. But can you change people’s attitude? Generally adults do not change their fundamental attitudes. They do it occasionally, only as a response to intense personal tragedies. But happenings in professional life do not change people’s attitude.

The same individual with the same attitude and traits, can behave very differently in different contexts. Revitalizing people is not about changing their fundamental behavior. It’s more about changing the context that surrounds people in their workplace.

Typically, internal contexts of Indian companies suffer from 4 characteristics, viz., Constraint, Compliance, Control and Contract.

Constraint

In companies, the Top-level managers, usually, are wise, loaded with information, have good staff, make all the decisions and put forth wonderful strategies. But how does all these boil down to the employee at shop floor? As Constraints. That’s how they feel about the stuff that comes down from the top - constraints on how they can use their own initiative, creativity, thinking, making their own choices and acting on their own steam.

Compliance

Companies have kept in place all kinds of systems-System for HR, Planning, Budgeting, each one by itself justified. But the feeling they create in the shop floor- Compliance. They hang like a black cloud over employees that must be complied with.

Control

Why does a boss exist? or Why does the management infrastructure exist? Humble employees 8 levels below will say - they exist for one and only reason - to Control them. To ensure that they do not do anything wrong.

Contract

And finally, Contract. A term increasingly being used to define relationship between employee and Organization, between employees, etc., Relationships between colleagues and departments and divisions are all seen as contracts.

In a context defined by constraint, compliance, control and contract, employees cannot be expected to take initiative, to learn and bring benefits of that learning, to collaborate , to share and to help each other. For all these to happen, companies should replace these 4 characteristics of internal contexts.

The Four Transformations

Constraint had to be transformed to Stretch. Every individual, in whatever he or she does, tries to do more, rather than less. In this process, each one pushes himself continuously and thereby also pushes everyone around them, pushes the management, pushes the company to do more and better.

The second change is from Compliance to Discipline. Compliance is adhering to something due to external pressure whereas Discipline is internal, ingrained in day-to-day behavior and in all management process. It doesn’t mean that a company cannot have any systems. The issue is not whether a company has system or not, but what the management does with systems. Does it use it to impose compliance or does it use the systems to instill self-discipline into people’s day-to-day behavior?

Third, the context of control has to be replaced by Support. Employee should feel that, his boss, with all his authority and resources, is there to help and guide him to achieve the results. A context of support through personal coaching and mentoring.

Finally, a shift from Contract to Trust. A real feeling of trust should exist which says: ‘You know, we are a part of the same Organization and I trust you. I trust you as a starting condition, and till you prove unworthy and not the other way round.’

Shaping such a behavior context in an Organization requires a fundamental shift in management’s beliefs. Only when they liberate and challenge their people to develop and leverage their knowledge, skills, imagination and courage will they have created a dynamic, self-renewing company.

Sent by S Krishnan, skn@lntecc.com

Larsen & Toubro Limited, - ECC Division, Chennai.

9. The Power of Ex-Employees - Article summary by Maneesh

I have found one interesting article titled " The Power of Ex-Employees:" in a magazine so sharing it with all of the people. This article is about launching alumni program for ex-employees & has given the reference of Mc-Kinsey & Agilent Technologies in this regard.

The ex-employees are important due to following reasons.

1.The former employees can be buyers of products

2.They are a source of referrals, they can also be rehired

3.Former employees are also a great source of ideas & intelligence

4.Ex-employees can act as ambassadors, marketers & lobbyists for the companies

5.Fostering good relations with ex-employees increase the chance that they would hold on the shares of company for a longer period of time.

So the HR Dept. of company should initiate an alumni program which is complicated but with the help of data-processing technologies & the internet, can be launched successfully.

The best programs are built on three aspects:

1.Companies need to be more human with the employees at the time they leave the organizations

2.It is a two-way propositions, if former employee keeps the company updated on their whereabouts & work, then it is advisable that the company also offers some benefits to the former employee such as invitations in events & social gathering

3.Companies need to provide relevant information, which is tailored to the specific needs of the former employees

With regards

Maneesh

Article Summary sent by Maneesh Goel, MBA Student

10. HR Training Programs (India)

Free Service: Training Institutions & Trainers can email their Programs to Alka@HREra.com . We reach them to 1300 + HR professionals for free.

For detailed calendar of major Institutes visit http://hrera.com/trainings.htm

Program on Managerial Compensation at Vadodara,Delhi,Mumbai

I am happy to invite nominations for the above workshops on managerial compensation at

Baroda 14th & 15th March 2003
Delhi 4th & 5th April 2003
Mumbai 25th & 26th April 2003

Participants from 128 companies have attended earlier nineteen programs including Hindustan Lever, Tata Honeywell, Birla Technologies, HCL technologies, Alstom Power etc. Out of these, three programs were conducted as in-house programs for Satyam Computers, Hyderabad. Average participant rating for all programs has been more than 8 out of 10.

Participant profile:

* Senior & middle level HR managers
* Finance professionals connected with compensation
* Senior line managers involved with policy decisions on compensation
* A team from the same organization would be an ideal combination

Objectives:

At the end of the program the participants will be able to apply the compensation management principles with a view to
* Align the compensation philosophy & strategy with organizational strategy & culture
* Rationalize the salaries to make them internally consistent
* Critique the existing performance linked pay system &/or outline a new one including special issues of service functions like HR, Finance etc.
* Redesign the salary structure to reflect the current & future trends in the employment market
In other words the participants will get specific ideas & insights to align people costs with organizational results.

Fees:

Fees: Rs.5,500 per participant for one nomination & Rs.5,000 per participant for two or more nominations. Self-sponsored participants will be offered a special discount.

Enquiry: Shirish Joshi

Tel no-020- 5445087. Mobile : 98900 39322

E-mail:sbjpune@hotmail.com or devyanip@eth.net

HR Certificate Program, Learning Tree University, Costa Mesa, CA (Free Admission)

Dear HR Group:

The New HR Certificate Program is a framework for maximizing the HR Department to ad value to the organization Topics include:

HR Culture
Training and Performance Results
Transfer of Training and Influence
Increase Revenues Through Highly Effective Teams
HR Budgets - How To Work With and Manage
Measuring HR Results
HR's Role in Organizational Goal Attainment
Hiring the Right Person the First Time

The purpose of this program is to steer HR Professionals and departments toward the attainment of organizational goals through optimizing the employee performance, productivity, output, managing costs, and participating in and developing training for goal attainment. It is designed to help HR departments take a more active role in the human resource strategic planning and mplementation process and to transition to being part of the executive team.

This is a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Date: February 6, 2003
Location: Learning Tree University, Costa Mesa, CA
Time: 9:00a-3:30p

We hope to see you all there.

Until then, thank you for taking the time to read this message and for
forwarding the announcement to others who may benefit from this new program.

Sincerely,

Jackie L. Aquino

drjacki@pacbell.net
JLA Management Seminars

11. Best HR Jobs (India)

Free Service: Employers & Consultants can email their job vacancies to Alka@HREra.com . We reach them to 1300+ HR professionals for free

Human Resources Manager, I.T services organization

JobStreet SELECT is created to provide value-added Search & Selection services to our blue chip clients.

JobStreet SELECT is constantly on a mission to source for qualified and talented discerning young professionals. We are looking to fill the position of Human Resources Manager, for one of India's largest niche I.T services organization providing independent Software Reliability Management Services to banking and financial services organizations worldwide.

REQUIREMENTS:

Candidate should be an MBA specialized in Human Resources.
Ideal candidate should have about 8-10 yrs.
Candidate should have excellent communication and networking skills.
Candidate should be willing to work in Chennai.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Overall responsibility for HR Management, Training and Recruitment.
Continuing implementation of existing ESOP plan and design of suitable
hiring plan, Compensation structures and training programs.

HOW TO APPLY: Please email resume to Shashi Kumari <shashik_louis@yahoo.com>

HR Executive

Dear All,
Our company have vacancies for the following

1) HR Executive
- Full spectrum of HR
- 1 - 2 years experience

2) Software Engineer
- 1 -2 years experience
- Knowledge with ASP, Java, Crystal Report, Database management, Unix and SQL

3) Customer Service / Data Entry
- Able to work shift (latest shift is 1pm - 9 pm)

If interested, kindly contact the undersigned at Tel: 6395 9476 / 393 or forward your resume to LSKang@ezyhealth.com

Regards
Lisha

12. Aims of HR Era, How to Contribute Articles, Legal Stuff.

Aims of HR Era:
It aims to enhance CAREER GROWTH of its readers by bringing to them practices & ideas they can apply in their work, opportunities to network with other Professionals, training opportunities, jobs available, and techniques for self-management.

Contribute Articles & Other Contents:
Contributions from readers are wholeheartedly solicited. Contributions are the things that enable sharing of learnings. Lead Article should be about 800 words, others 400 words. Please send details about yourself also as we would like to post them along with the article. Kindly note, no honorarium is paid now! Please email contributions to Alka@HREra.com

Legal Stuff!
All information in HR Era is presented in good faith. However, before using, please consult relevant experts. We do not accept any financial responsibility for accuracy.

Visit our Website at http://hrera.com