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Friends,

I would like to begin this note by thanking the Almighty for the success of our first edition. I would also like to thank on behalf of The Business Enterprise, every single soul, who has showered it with support, feedback, wishes and prayers.For the next few editions, I would like to brag about all the unique features of our magazine, be it substantially big or insignificantly small.

For this edition, it would be the ‘6 Es’, our six sections. If you have not taken no-tice of them, kindly allow me to introduce them to you now.

Enlighten: For business ‘gyan’ and moreEntertain: Your dose of corporate infotainmentExclusive: Cover story of the monthEnvision: Your corporate occultEvolve: All that’s new and freshEngage: The 100% interactive section

All our content themes begin with the letter ‘E’ and the thought behind this was to add some freshness to the contents page and to enhance the recall of our logo in the reader’s mind.

The theme for this issue is Employee Satisfaction. We have done a national survey to find out what makes an employee happy and productive. We also have dis-cussed important issues that determine an employee’s satisfaction such as role clarity, performance management system and rewards. We hope it helps you find the elusive happy employee. As for the employees, may you find peace in the company of others who are equally frustrated at work (Page 61). Have fun.

Read. Reflect. Respond.

God Speed!

Aamir RahmanManaging Editor

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Team At Pen Point

For feedback and contributions, kindly email us at [email protected]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Inside-Out

ENLIGHTEN

11 India at a glance12 Steering tough talk16 Emotions at work20 Seed of hope23 Crossing the LOC26 Looms of Doom28 Are you ready?32 Do you have a plan?34 Trendsetters36 Happy employee - a myth?

EXCLUSIVE

38 In pursuit of happiness, at work!44 Acting the part46 And the winner is..48 The Ex Factor50 Lessons from Corporate America

ENTERTAIN

52 Just another day at work54 the hoysala heritage57 Mission adventure60 Biz buzz62 Venting virtually

ENVISION

64 Numerology

EVOLVE

66 Lap of luxury69 Show-stopper

70 Yours sincerely

ENGAGE

73 Xchange 74 Crib corner

76 Punching bag78 Your next step

80 60 seconds82 IronE

60

23

80

50

16

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A glimpse of India’s economic indices.

• Incubation • Transformation • ERP Implementation “What you are, to what you want.”www.beeconadvisors.com

India at a Glance

0

5

10

2007 - 08 2008 - 09 2009 -10

GDP Growth Rate

GDP Growth Rate (in %)

02468

1012141618

India Inflation Rate (in %)

India Inflation Rate (in %)

50005200540056005800600062006400

NIFTY

NIFTY

17000

18000

19000

20000

21000

SENSEX

SENSEX

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Jan-

10

Feb-

10

Mar

-10

Apr-1

0

May

-10

Jun-

10

Jul-1

0

Aug-

10

Sep-

10

Oct-1

0

Nov-

10

Dec-

10

Jan-

11

India Interest Rates (in %)

India Interest Rates (in %)

2008 - 09 2009 - 2010GDP (in percentage) 7.4 9.1GDP - India (Value - in USD billion) 1160 1296

Sectors 2009 - 2010 % ContributionAgriculture, Forestry & Fishing 1,004,594 17%Mining and Quarrying 145,532 2%Manufacturing 931,101 16%Manufacturing 92,743 2%Construction 488,345 8%Trade, Hotel, Transport & Communication 1,436,650 24%Financing, Insurance, Real Estate & Bus Service 952,309 16%Community, Social & Personal Services 817,058 14%Total GDP (in INR, Ten Million) 5,868,332

India GDP Annual Growth Rate GDP Growth Rate (in %)2007 - 08 9.22008 - 09 6.72009 -10 7.4

Months India Inflation Rate (in %)Jan-10 16.22Feb-10 14.86Mar-10 14.86Apr-10 13.33

May-10 13.91Jun-10 13.73Jul-10 11.25

Aug-10 9.88Sep-10 9.82Oct-10 9.7

Nov-10 8.33Dec-10 8.43Jan-11 9.47

Indices 31-Jan-11 TrendsSENSEX 18327.76NIFTY 5505.9

Sector Indices 31-Jan-11 TrendsAuto 8,894.58BANKEX 12,064.01Consumer Durables 5,995.67Capital Goods 13,526.03FMCG 3,366.20Health Care 6,236.88IT 6,371.10Metal 16,115.67Oil & Gas 9,481.91Power 2,744.20PSU 8,706.88Realty 2,228.72TECK 3,733.58

Currency 31-Jan-11 TrendsUSD 46.79GBP 74.2005EUR 63.6962JPY 0.5702CNY 7.1078

Commodities Jan 31 2011 TrendsGold 19920Silver 42950Tin 1383Copper 440.95Zinc 107.25Aluminium 114.05Nickel 1244Lead 118.35Cardamom 1346.6Wheat 1357.9Barley 1287.2Maize 1035Turmeric 12756Sugar 2730Sesame Seed 5531Almond 341Jute 3506.5Gasoline 113.7Natural Gas 197.7Crude Oil 4086

Months India Interest Rates (in %)Jan-10 3.25Feb-10 3.25Mar-10 3.38Apr-10 3.63

May-10 3.75Jun-10 3.75Jul-10 4.08

Aug-10 4.5Sep-10 5Oct-10 5

Nov-10 5.25Dec-10 5.25Jan-11 5.5

Sector USD million % to total inflows

Service Sector(financial & non-financial) 2596 21

Computer Software & Hardware 574 8Telecommunications(radio paging, cellular mobile, basictelephone services) 1093 8Housing & Real Estate 999 8

Construction Activities(including roads & highways) 834 7Power 984 5Automobile Industry 533 4Metallurgical Industries 960 3Petroleum & Natural Gas 529 3Chemicals (other than fertilizers) 271 2

FDI from April - November 2010

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11Mar 2011 | The Business Enterprise

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9 to 6

it’s all about skills“Ouch! That was pretty close, he would have killed himself,” said I, as a streak of panic ran through me and I was pushing my left foot hard as though pressing the brake pedal. Ram, who was driving the car, seemed to be least perturbed. Trying to justify my apparent pan-ic, I persisted, “these damned bikers should be shot pointblank.”

“Calm down Bharath, if you have to drive on these roads, you’ve to get used to all these.” He seemed to be making an oblique refer-ence to my driving phobia. He continued, “And you know, the biker, who just squeezed through the gap, would not even have felt the risk you are so disturbed about.”

“Do you mean he is in such a hurry to be blind to the risks he goes through?” I asked, in

a slightly-offended tone.

“No, he is confident of his driving and does not see any risk in the way he does it. His confidence comes from his skills,” I also heard the unsaid part, “and mine from mine.”

Fight or Flight:How did I miss it? This is something I keep talking about in my trainings: Lack of skills lead to poor attitude and vice versa. I am also conscious that it is my lack of driving skills that is at the root of my grumbling about the road traffic or parking space.

I thought I should not miss this moment to talk about a specific behavioral skill I had wanted Ram to develop. I broached the sub-ject cautiously.

ToughTalkFight or flight mode is definitely the easy way out of a tough situation but having a skillful dialogue could help not only to sort issues out, but to strengthen relations as well.

Steering the

“Yes, I agree with you Ram. We are gener-ally averse to doing things, which we do not know or in which we lack skills.”

“For instance?” he asked in a puzzled tone. “I hate driving because I’m no good at it and it shows in my attitude. I blame a lot of things outside me to avoid driving and when I am forced to do it, I get into the primitive ‘fight or flight’ instinct. And now I realise the best way or rather the only way is to get behind the wheel. I mean practice.”

“Yes, of course, that is true with any skill we want to develop” said he on the expected lines. “So, if we look at certain things we tend

to avoid, we could probably trace it back to the lack of skills at their root.”

He seemed to be more mindful of his driv-ing now, obviously not wanting to give a re-

sponse. But he was intently listening. “If you have a YASNOR boss (Yelling At Subordi-nate For No Obvious Reasons), the best way

to tackle is to talk it out rather than sulking about it to your friends.”

“But here you see it is not only your skills that count, but your boss’ skills too. If he is

not able to take the feedback, then you have had it.”

“But, so is the case with driving. When you are sure of your skills, you’re confident of handling those of the other person too. If you know to steer the talk, you don’t have to bother about what the other person lacks.”

I continued, “Avoiding some-thing may temporarily work Ram, since we may pretend to remain unaffected. But it could erupt one day and make us get into a

Whenever you find yourself stuck with another person or situation, it is a sure sign of a

crucial conversation waiting to happen.

12 13The Business Enterprise | Mar 2011 Mar 2011 | The Business Enterprise

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sort of unexpected violent behaviour. I have seen people putting in their papers at the drop of a hat. When you look a little deeper, the ‘drop of a hat’ would have been just a flimsy excuse for the real reasons that have accumu-lated over time.”

If we learn the finer way of handling these tough conversations, be it in personal or in professional relationships, we may not need to operate from the ‘flight or fight’ extremes or ‘silent or violent’ modes, as Karry Patterson et al have termed in their book ‘Crucial Con-versations’.

Why do we get stuck? Whenever you find yourself stuck with anoth-er person or situation, it is a sure sign of a cru-cial conversation waiting to happen. The con-versations turn crucial particularly when there are opposing viewpoints, strong emotions and high stakes. Be it talking to your boss about your annual hike or discussing with your wife about her obsession of buying gold, there are certainly polar-opposite views and high stakes and no doubt, emotions run high when these issues are taken up. Because it is tough to talk these things out, we either tend to avoid them or mess them up when we try to handle.

Though people tend to handle routine busi-ness communication effectively, when it comes to crucial conversations, things bog down, go haywire, yet such conversations have incredible potential. How people conduct themselves

during these times will have a tremendous effect on a relationship, or on a company. Unfortunately, studies show that when the conversation matters the most, people do the worst.

Dialoguing skill:The authors of the book discovered that most people resort to one or the other end of a scale with violence at one end and silence at the other, or what we term as the primitive ‘fight or flight’ mode. Flight in today’s world becomes silence or absence; fight becomes yelling, screaming, pushing and other forms of violence (ref box item). The worst com-municators when faced with a crucial conver-sation run from it or escape mentally. Good communicators either sugarcoat their opin-ions or ramrod them. The best communica-tors, however, resolve the problem through dialogue.

What people need to learn is how to dia-logue when a crucial conversation is immi-nent. Dialogue is defined as the ‘free flow of meaning’. Each person in a crucial conversa-tion comes with a bucket of presumptions, as-sumptions, opinions, and facts. Ideally, each is allowed to dump his/her bucket into a ‘pool of shared meaning’ from which synergy and resolution will emerge. And remember, ‘dia-loguing’ cannot be mastered in a day and has to be learnt by doing like you learnt to maneu-ver your car through traffic-laden roads. The book ‘Crucial Conversations’ can at best, serve as a manual for steering your talk.

Next time, when you are stuck in a situa-tion, probably there is a crucial conversation waiting to happen.

Bharath Gopalan

The writer is a Learning & Development pro-fessional and presently steers the L&D prac-tice at Madras Cements. He holds Master Degrees in Psychology and Human Resource Management.

For Further Reading:Crucial Coversations - Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler –Tata Mcgraw Hill

At the first sign of a conversation going bad, we tend to adopt fight or flight — more commonly, experienced as moving into silence or violence. Silence and violence surface through three respective behaviours for each.

Silence is any action taken to with-hold information from the pool of meaning. It ranges from playing verbal games to avoiding a person entirely. It occurs via masking, avoiding, and/or withdrawing.

• Masking consists of understating or selectively showing our true opinions. Sarcasm, sugarcoating, and couching are some ways we mask our meaning.

• Avoiding involves staying completely away from sensitive subjects. We talk-but without addressing the issues that are uncomfortable or upsetting.

• Withdrawing happens when we pull out of communication altogether. We lose even the possibility of dialogue by steering clear of those who might raise difficult subjects. In some cases we go so far as to withdraw from a team or a project or to transfer others in order to avoid dealing with them.

Violence can be any action taken to compel others toward your point of view. It occurs via controlling, labeling, and/or attacking.

• Controlling is coercing others through how we share our views or drive the conversation itself. It in-cludes cutting others off, overstating our opinions, speaking in absolutes, forcefully changing the subject, or us-ing directive questions to control the conversation.

• Labeling is putting a label on people or ideas so we can dismiss them under a general stereotype or category.

• Attacking is the stage of violence where we’ve given up on convincing others and have adopted a goal of punishing them personally. We resort to abusive tactics such as belittling, name-calling, and threatening.

Repeated patterns of futile be-haviour

14The Business Enterprise | Mar 2011

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Emotionsat work

IQ gets you hired, but EQ gets you

promoted. So say the head honchos and

the HR managers of the corporate king-

dom.

EQ, Emotional Quotient, is a measure of a person’s emotional intelligence. Let us decode this phrase and get a

better understanding of its importance in the professional sphere and how it impacts leader-ship.

Darwin’s work on the importance of emo-tional expression for survival and adaptation is the earliest reference to this concept. As early as the 1900s, researchers were redefining the word intelligence, (which only took into con-sideration cognitive aspects such as memory and problem solving) to recognise and include non-cognitive aspects like emotions.

What is eQ?A person’s awareness of his/her own feelings and emotional triggers, those of others around him/her and the ability to respond appropri-ately to them, based on what the situation and social norm requires rather than what personal emotions dictate. It is about knowing when and how to express emotion in any situation, and equally importantly, about recognising emotional triggers and controlling them.

eQ at WorkDr. Manoj Samal, an independent learning consultant and trainer in London who was earlier a research scientist with the Govt. of India shares his insight on why emotional in-

telligence plays a key role in today’s corporate world,

“During my training and mentoring of peo-ple varying from school children to corporate executives, I have noticed that people who suc-ceed the most are those with a higher EQ than an IQ. Primarily because emotion is no longer the poor cousin of intellect in today’s world where ‘team play’ is a prerequisite for success. To be an effective team player, one has to un-derstand and manage effectively emotions of oneself as well as those of others. Moreover, the root cause of motivation to succeed in any task lies in emotion, not in intellect.”

eQ at work can be perceived from three dimensions:

nature of the job: The service industry holds EQ at work in high esteem. Irrespec-tive of the situation, a certain decorum and emotional stability is mandatory in this job profile. Managing feelings and handling stress are important for success.

Company morale: Consideration of co-workers, avoidance of conflicts through constructive problem solving methods are all morale-building initiatives that lead to stabil-ity. Every company, in any industry or vertical needs these qualities in their employees.


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is the true mark of a leader. It is also re-flective of his or her high EQ.

The true test for a leader is when he has to solve a complex business problem involving multiple stakeholders, right from customers to vendors, and bring out in-tense, divergent, and at times, conflicting perspectives during discussions. Clearly, the outcome is better when the EQ of all the stakeholders is very high. Hence, it becomes all the more important to assess this perspective of EQ during a selection process. R. Satish Chandra, AVP – Operations Support, Microland says, “A true leader will not expect the world to be perfect, he will just find a perfect way to work around the imperfect (corporate) world.”

assessment of eQDifferent models have resulted in the de-velopment of various instruments for the assessment of EQ. While the measures it-self may overlap, all models look into very different constructs.

Bar-On’s EQ-I , has been around for over a decade. An EQ-I conducted in 2000 analyzed the scores of over seventy-seven hundred administrations of the Emotion Quotient Inventory (EQ-I). Results: men and women did not differ on the total EI. Women scored higher on people skills like empathy, interpersonal relationships and social responsibility. Men scored higher on adaptability, assertiveness, stress tolerance and impulse control.

The multi-rater or 360-degree survey instruments are designed to measure emo-tional intelligence at the workplace. They

assess aspects that are considered impor-tant because they provide an insight and a comparative feedback on a person’s relative strengths and weaknesses as against others in the same organisation or within a simi-lar role. Also, the discrepancy between how others perceive a person as against his or her own self-perceptions.

The most obvious and easily recognisa-ble emotional skills are empathy, gracious-ness, compassion – all nonverbal, which by the way account for 90% of our emotional communication. Harvard psychologist Robert Rosenthal developed the PONS test (Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity) to measure people’s ability to read all emo-tional cues.

Today, there are specialist companies that create specific and customised psy-chometric tests for companies. These tests have their foundations in the existing tests discussed above. So specialised is this niche field, that the companies also analyse and assess the results. The findings are then handed back to the company interview panel. These tests have become an integral part of the recruitment process as they provide important and deeper insights about the person and also his or her suit-ability for a specific role.

So next time you find someone annoying you, resist that urge to shout or snap, work towards being a more emotionally aware person. It sure will do the magic for you.

Sheetal Chhabria

interpersonal relationships: Higher the EQ better the interpersonal relationships between employees and also between employers and employees. People with higher EQs are more popular and liked, more likely to be made team leaders since they display sensitivity and effective-ness in handling eclectic people and situ-ations.

Why do you need to develop your eQ?The workplace has become more dynamic, more demanding and certainly more fast-paced. The smallest edge you have over your colleague makes a world of differ-ence. Your cognitive, emotional, and physi-cal resources become increasingly impor-tant.

Have you ever wondered why, if your day starts badly at home (maybe an argument with your spouse), you are in a bad mood at work too? That is your EI at work. Once you make yourself aware of the emotional triggers and response, chances of handling and expressing it more appropriately im-prove. Scientists refer to this ability of stopping to analyze and honestly recognis-ing an emotion (anger, jealousy, embar-rassment) as a ‘metamood’.

Let’s look at a more structured meth-od, as laid out in Emotional Intelligence (1995), a best selling book authored by Daniel Goleman. In this book Goleman describes emotional intelligence as the wide array of competencies and skills that drive leadership performance. Since the publication of this book, emotional intel-ligence has become a prominent buzzword in the corporate world. The book outlines four main constructs upon which EQ is

measured: self-awareness: Awareness of one’s own emotions and the ability to recognise their impact.

self-management: Control over one’s emotions and impulses while adapting to changing circumstances to bring about the desired positive outcome.

social awareness: Ability to sense and understand others’ emotions and ex-pression of the same within social norms.

relationship management: In-spire, influence, and facilitate development even while managing conflict.

Goleman put forth the idea that indi-viduals are born with a general emotional intelligence that in turn determines their potential for learning emotional compe-tencies. EQ can be learnt and developed so that it becomes a tool, a skill set.

Development of these four pillars of emotional intelligence results in a higher EQ at work. A combined higher EQ of an organisation results in better individual performance, team performance and over-all organisational productivity, which in turn benefit the bottom line.

are you a leader?Some roles, especially as you climb higher up the corporate ladder, require a higher EQ. Leadership roles, management level roles and particularly customer-centric roles place a high premium on a strong EQ. Handling difficult situations and dif-ficult people maintaining one’s own equi-librium and controlling volatile situations with the right attitude and the right words


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Krithika Sukumar

DEAs INC

MADD, Making A Difference Differently, offers sustainable solutions for both companies seeking to fulfill corporate responsibility and NGOs wanting to organise themselves.

Started by two alumni of IIT Delhi, one of them currently spearheading the organisation, MADD came about rather as a matter of course. “I have had experience working with several NGOs and was working with Developmental Alternatives before this. That is when I realised there was a need for organised and professional management in the sector. A lot of corporate social projects and non-governmental organisations function with very little structure and do not focus on becoming self-sustainable. We provide strategies to combat that,” explains founder Harpreet Singh.

For over two years now, MADD has been working with both companies and NGOs on sustainable models. “We work on a grassroot level. Sometimes we do field work, visit the sites and make sure everything’s going as planned. At other times, we just chart out the model for the client. It depends on their need,” says Singh, adding that currently about thirty percent of their work is in the corpo-rate social responsibility sector, and that it is the way ahead, as it has better reach and involves more lasting partnerships.

MADD also boasts of a young, bright team and a network of partner or-ganisations that help them attend to the grassroot levels easier. “The idea is to minimise wastage, provide effective management solutions and create a more productive and long-lasting shelf life for these projects that affect the life of many, socially,” says Singh, “when we started, it was quite a bit of a rough road. But now, things are definitely picking up with more people realising the need for organisation even in the social sector.”

To know more about MADD, check out their website at www.madd.co.in.

Here’s a ‘for profit’ organisation that specialises in impact solutions for a better world.

Seedof hope

20The Business Enterprise | Mar 2011

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Cro

ssin

g th

eLO

C ‘Customer is God, and the most impor-tant element in any business’ – From top business gurus to posters on a kiosk shop agree to it. Nevertheless, we often find ourselves sometimes caught in the quag-mire of a killing dilemma – where to draw the line, at what cost and what would be the repercussions if we do so... Our writ-er Ram Kumar Ramaswamy talks to top employees in the BPO sector who give us perspectives, observed pitfalls in the in-dustry that is resulted by over-pleasing the customer, and above all, say it quite clearly where to draw the line.

23Mar 2011 | The Business Enterprise

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Please the customer, come what may! Don’t be rude, never swear or hit back when the customer does, be patient, answer every query, hit the target, and over shoot, if you

must. Be diligent, attend every call, remem-ber your geography, timeline and above eve-rything else, your accent!- These are what any trainee call center employee knows by-heart when he/she completes a week in any call center. The burgeoning BPOs have changed the way customer care worked. A deeper look into the nuances of working as a customer care agent – 24*7.

Talking to us after his shift with a popular Ben-galuru-based BPO at 8AM, Ganesh Raghavendra tells us a lot in a thorough American accent inter-spersed with lengthy yawns, which is understanda-ble as his ‘night’ was slowly drawing the curtains. “I think I have completely changed into an American! Yeah, that’s what it is. The job is well rewarding alright, but sometimes I feel that there are so many things we miss. We have bent too much to custom-ers’ needs and the bent ‘broke’ very long ago, and we haven’t realised it yet”. When asked to list them down, Ganesh feels that the industry has become exploitative and authoritative at the same time. Though it is so, he

feels that not just the industry drivers are respon-sible for them. It is more a problem of people’s ig-norance and unassertive nature. Ganesh says, only in the Indian BPO industry do we see Diwali as a working day and Halloween to be a mass celebra-tion of sorts. The employees are slowly but surely drawn into a make-belief world of Americanism and over-stressed lifestyle that is making deep dents into their lives. “Talk to any crowd, you will find them in a world of their own,” he says.

Anish Vangirappu from Hyderabad gets a little heated up when we link up the words call-centre and exploitation. “Do you think that our industry alone undergoes stress and the others are sitting in the park? Come on! The only difference between us and other sectors is the time difference in our work. That too is changing. Nowadays the indus-try is abuzz with 24 by 7 continuous support for any product and service. That calls for everybody in the loop to work around the clock, not just we, call centre guys” says Anish. He feels that the per-ception outside that call-centre workers are over-stressed and live in an imaginary land of Ameri-canism is unwarranted. “We are all as Indian as everyone else. Remember that, we are respected well wherever we go, we get our

bucks with dignity a n d

Always be firm in your ap-proach and balanced in your

reaction.

Ramkumar Ramaswamy

get to be the changing face of Indian corpo-rate service sector.”

Gurgaon is known for being one of the leading cities of Indian BPO industry. Gunjan Sinha works in a reputed BPO as Manager, Corporate Policy. “Of course, I agree that there were certain accusations regarding poli-cies in the media some years ago. The main difference is that there are two kinds of poli-cies: One is that which is laid by the customer: For example, Dell or HP Computers gives us a certain set of guidelines. Also, the company as such draws out its policy of work hours, number of calls to be taken etc. Sometimes, or more often it happens to be the company policy that stresses the employee more! In short, the cli-ent wanted X, the company makes the workers deliver X+1, and thereby cashing on the excess. Now, I can tell you so confidently that all such anomalies have been sorted out. Most mainline companies only want the employees to deliver what is needed, and nothing more. The smaller companies may, in some cases try too hard to climb the ladder. But once found to be faulty, the com-pany is in risk of losing their license and con-tracts.” explains Gunjan.

Rajesh Srinivasan, a management consultant and motivational speaker has a few points to teach the new entrant into the BPO industry, “When you join the industry, treat the job as an earning avenue, a proving ground for your potential and as a stepping stone in your ca-reer. All these are only possible when your health is just right: physical health, mental health and emotional health are all vital. You get nothing by stressing too much by ignor-ing your body. It is not so alien anymore to work in the nights. One just needs to get some proper sleep, punctual diet - refraining from ill habits such as smoking or excess caffeine to stay awake. Next comes mental health – On

holidays, wake up in the morning and do not sleep excessively. Indulge in your hobbies and travel, learn a new thing or take up cycling or jogging.”

He continues, “Next is emotional health, the one most of us ignore, taking it is as a part of work life. It is not! When a customer shouts back at you, do not do a mirroring act! Do not ever degrade yourself by shouting back, swear-ing aloud or showing your frustration in any

form. Take a twom-inute break. Do only what you are assigned, and noth-ing more. Smile sincerely when you do any job. It may not make the job easy, but it will definitely give you the right attitude for success. You are not anybody’s slave, nobody’s master. But you are every-body’s friend! This is the right attitude to succeed in any industry.”

Kavita Grewal from Bengaluru gives us her share of advice that comes from years of ex-perience, “I think the Western customer is very scrupulous about getting every penny’s worth that he/she gives for any service. This brings in a tendency in them to misbehave, or perhaps behave rudely, trying to intimidate the calling executive into submission. What I learnt to do, and subsequently, the advice that I give my trainees is that:

• Never ever give space for regional or racial abuse.• Never let the customer get personal on any argument.• Never lose your cool and shout back.• Always be firm in your approach and bal-anced in your reaction.

Rajiv Reddy who hails from a small town found the BPO sector exciting and took it up as his career in 2002. Eight years of being in the sector and working across a range of ser-vices and shifts in both Hyderabad and Chen-

nai has taught him immensely. Now a team lead and motivator at his concern, Rajiv feels that there are several misconceptions among insiders in the sector that need to be changed. “First of all, understand the rules of business conversation, learn the tricks for successfully handling customers who talk with several emotions in their mind - Anger, impatience, frustration, puzzlement and so on... Every emotion has to be dealt with in its own pat-tern. Remember that you are not entitled to be at the receiver’s end of several discriminatory and abusive outbursts. Make the person on the other end understand the limits. Be an exam-ple to lead it through.”

Rajiv feels that the attitude shift towards assuming the American accent deliberately would only make it sound funny and this may lead to the caller not taking him/her seriously. Instead, a perfectly neutral accent with moder-ate punctuation is totally acceptable in most cases. Accent and attitude comes only second. Expertise and sincerity comes first. So, that calls for a change in mentality in the profes-sionals who join the sector.

When Kavita is asked what the ways to disarm aggressive callers are, she tells us that there are so many techniques to do that. First, let the customer understand that he/she is listened to. This would mostly halve the an-ger down. Secondly, switch to an assertive and firm tone rather than an authoritative and repelling tone. Thirdly, when you encounter unacceptable talk, make it clear that it is not going to clear the situation, and could only lead to further trouble. Whatever be it, thank the caller before hanging up.

Rajesh Srinivasan puts it across beautifully: “Believe it or not, there is still a servile atti-tude in Indians somewhere in the heart when it comes to services business. This is the rea-son why many youngsters in the BPO industry who come to direct contact with the English speaking world, think of going that extra mile in meeting customer’s expectations. But how do you know that, exceeding expectations brings fortune?! In most cases, it shows in-competence and does nothing. So, know what to do, how to do it and do only that much”

every emotion has to be dealt in its own pattern. remember

that you are not entitled to be at the receiver's end of discriminatory

and abusive talks. make the person on the other end understand

the limits.


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25

The ‘cotton’ city of South India, the hub of Knitwear exports has been in the limelight for the wrong reasons,

lately. Dogged by suicides at the rate of 40 to 50 per month since 2009, Tirupur seems to be in a tizzy. Most analysts have blamed the recurring suicides on the famous recession of 2008. Both USA and Europe - major destina-tions for the garments from Tirupur have seen a dip in imports.

The town of Tirupur which now houses more than a million people, has been grow-ing at a rate of 30% per annum, in fact, it has been termed as the fastest growing urban city in South India. The 2008 recession was

a black swan event, unpredicted and came as a shock to the growing industry. It will be worthwhile to unearth some questions or problems bogging both the industry and the people of Tirupur.

The exports from the region of Tirupur are shown in figure 1. It has been increasing steadily since liberalization but there are years when exports have dipped other than in 2008 when there was a major decrease in exports. Figure 2 traces the suicide rates of Tirupur district for last four years. A look at figure 3 shows growth in exports and portrays how volatile exports have been over the last four years. In some sense, one wonders whether these exporters knew how to handle this un-predictability. The negative growth in 2002 is almost as much as in 2008. How did the ex-porters handle the situation then? What was the situation of the workers then as compared to today when indebtedness and suicides seem more common? Or is it just short term memory, like always sensationalised when the topic is hot, only to get buried when the idea is cold?

Going back to figure 3 what is striking is the volatility in the growth in exports. Surely the exporters must have got used to this and would have taken care of the same. Looking at the exchange between the rupee versus the US dollar, one finds times of appreciation of the rupee and times of depreciation of the ru-pee in the last ten years. Most of the compa-nies do make attempts at hedging and forward cover to minimise risk.The above picture clearly shows that all is not rosy with the 8000 odd manufactures, some

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Exports14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

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0

Looms of DoomIt is said to be the knitwear capital of India but suicide rate continues to soar high in Tirupur district as 565 persons committed suicide in 2010 (calendar year) as against the 491 suicides reported in 2009. Did the recession in Washington change the lives of the workers in Tirupur?

fig 1

small and medium scale, others very large and professional. Recently, as many as 25,000 jobs were cut and many workers had a pay cut of about 20%. Many reasons were attributed to this. The UPA government allowed unlim-ited export of yarn. This steeply increased the price of yarn, an input to these factories. Another reason for cutting down jobs was the rationalisation of the manufacturing process in these industries. Many of these industries started using more skilled labour. This is also probably in response to the going hi-tech due to environmental constraints.

Most of the daily workers/contract work-ers in the factories of Tirupur are migrants. They are brought by agents and know very lit-tle about the town. In their eagerness to work they agree to almost anything initially. This is denied by companies but the problem seems to persist. Additionally, it is well known, rather well-documented and reported that the daily wage earners are working long hours, in poor conditions and often cannot attend to their health. When a health calamity strikes one person the whole family falls into the vi-cious circle of penury and the quagmire of poverty which is carried out for generations,

the only release in sight being suicide! Tiru-pur is not the first, what about the farmers from Andhra Pradesh, who commit suicide year after year or Vidrarbha? The problem is deep-rooted and we do not even seem to be scratching the surface.

The industrial town Tirupur boasts of a lit-eracy of about 76%, much above the state and country average. Can we blame the suicides on the poor wages, bad working conditions or extended working hours? Or can we say they attempted suicide for being packed off from work? Of course no employer has any right to offer anything but dignified labour, but one pertinent question to ask is did the worker know his rights and the choices available? In this lies exploitation by the ‘capitalist’ as we would love to label him. Every attempt at the literacy program has failed to address this is-sue. What is the point in providing 100 ‘man-days’ of work riddled in corruption or food security that is not edible when most people are illiterate to make choices and understand their rights? Here lies the problem that’s not economic but sociological

Lakshmi Kumar

2007 2008 2009 2010

526

555

491

565

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e ra

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1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20082 0092 010

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fig 3

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res)

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Are you seeking media attention? Have you sent out media releases to pro-mote your company, product, service,

or event? Are you attempting to use the media to reach potential customers, shareholders, sponsors, donors, or other stakeholders?

If so, you need to be prepared for inter-views.

Even if you are not actively seeking media attention, you never know when a reporter might call. That’s why every business owner, executive, and spokesperson should be able to answer questions pertaining to positive and negative news.

If you are not prepared for interviews, you may not convey the information you want to express, you may not correct false assump-tions, or you may look as if you are hiding something—even if you are not.

If you are prepared, you will be able to articulately and accurately reply to simple, complex, negative, or confrontational ques-tions. You will be able to tell your story (or the story about your company, organisation, product, or service) in a newsworthy manner. Unless you are managing a crisis, you want to answer the reporter’s questions—at least those

you are authorised and qualified to answer—but you also want to weave your key messages into each answer.

the first principleWhen preparing for an interview with a re-porter, keep the first principle of media inter-views in mind: You cannot control the ques-tions. You can control your answers.

Preparing for interviews enables you to craft interesting and newsworthy messages, along with supporting points and related anecdotes, that you want to convey. Ironically, by con-trolling answers and delivering key messages you can influence the questions that the re-porter asks, and in that way you can influence the direction the story takes. In other words, if you say something interesting, newswor-thy, controversial (if you are so inclined), or unique, the reporter will—in most instanc-es—ask follow-up questions. The hope is that some of what you say will make it into the story.

What's your story?Key messages are the core of your story—what you want to say about your business, organisation, product, service, charity, book, film, play, or whatever you are promoting. Once you have developed your key messages,

Handling media can be like a bouncer; it's tough but you can

hit a six with the right focus!

you find—or make—opportunities to weave them into your answers.

When Preparing for interviewsWhen preparing for interviews, ask yourself (and your colleagues; it helps to brainstorm with others) the following questions:

• What is our 30-second elevator pitch? (You should be able to describe your company, or what you do and why you do it, in 30 sec-onds.)

• Who do we want to speak to through the media?

• What is our primary message about the com-pany, our product(s), or service(s)?

• What main impression do we want to make?

• What attributes do we want to associate with our company, product, or service?

• How do we demonstrate experience, trust, reliability, and other positive attributes?

• Where do we sit within our industry in terms of innovation, market share, geographi-cal reach, and other pertinent factors?

• What is our Unique Selling Proposition or USP? (In other words, what differentiates you from your competition?)

• What would we like to read or hear after the interview?

• If we could write our own headline, what would it say?

Write out the answers to these questions. Keep the answers short and focused—about 30 to 45 seconds per answer. Supplement the answers with a few anecdotes about your products, services, or customers that help demonstrate what you want to say. If possible, get permission to ‘drop the name’ of an estab-lished customer who has derived great benefits by working with you.

Weaving in your answersAnswering the questions listed above will help you prepare for the interview. But once you are prepared, how do you weave in your answers while answering the questions the reporter asks you?

If a journalist were writing an article about my media training services, I would expect the journalist to ask, “When did you start to con-duct media training?” I could give a simple,

honest answer: “In 2000.”

However, why wouldn’t I answer the ques-tion in the following manner: “As a freelance reporter, I found that business owners often felt intimidated by reporters. That made it difficult for them to answer difficult ques-tions, or to tell their good news stories. So in 2000, I started to conduct media interview training to help entrepreneurs and executives prepare for media interviews.”

I answered the question honestly—“in 2000.” Notice, however, that in less than 20 seconds I worked in the following:

• My experience

• A problem

• A solution

• My target audience

These points are an integral part of my key messages. When I am be-ing interviewed, I want to mention that people (entrepreneurs and executives, my target audience) have problems with media interviews, and that I offer a solution—media interview training.

While I do not control the questions, my answer might spark questions that pertain more close-ly to the information I want to express. In other words, through my answer, I gave the reporter fuel for questions such as: “Why do you think business owners are in-timidated by reporters?” or “How do people prepare for inter-views?”

If you are being interviewed be-cause of your knowledge of a cer-tain subject, answer the questions and work in your key messages about your company or organisa-tion.

If you are being interviewed because of your knowledge of a certain subject, answer the questions and work in your key messages about your company or organisa-tion.


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Perhaps you are an IT security equipment manufacturer being interviewed by a journal-ist who writes for a computer reseller publi-cation. The journalist will ask you questions that relate to the interests of the publication’s readers. So he might ask you something like:

“Can you give me some background on your channel program?” (Channel programs are how manufacturers distribute goods to re-sellers or retailers.)

This is something you could wax poeti-cally on for 10 minutes or more. However,

you need to distill the most important points of your channel message into a 30-second answer, like this: “Special-IT’s reseller program targets computer resellers working in the small and medium enter-prise market. In addition to earning excellent mar-gins on our proven secu-rity hardware and training programs, they can earn

20 to 30 points reselling Special-IT’s security audits. We have an in-depth online training program and offer our partners exclusivity in their geographic region.”

If the reporter needs to know more about your channel program, he can follow up on any of the points—your target audience, your hardware products or training services, or your security audits—you made in that one answer.

But what if the reporter only asks you ques-tions about security issues and you sense that he is not going to ask you about your channel program? Then what? Keep the first princi-ple of media interviews in mind: You cannot control the questions. You can control your answers.

Say the reporter asks you something like this: “What type of companies are most at risk because they are not on top of their se-curity game?”

Reply to the question and work in aspects of your key message: “Small and medium en-terprises often lack the in-house IT staff and knowledge to fully secure their networks and

Web servers. That’s why Special-IT’s reseller partner program targets computer resellers working in the small and medium enterprise market. In addition to excellent margins on reselling our education and training programs and our hardware, they can earn 20 to 35 points reselling Special-IT’s security audits, which helps small and medium companies de-termine just how at risk they might be.”

Notice how you answered the question about types of companies and related your security audits message to types of companies most at risk. In other words, your key mes-sage is also related to the question. Notice also how the key message answer includes the name of the company.

A print reporter can and will use your com-pany name in an article, even if you do not mention it. If you are being interviewed for a broadcast media, however, and don’t mention your company (organisation, book, film, play) name, the audience may not hear it. Sure, the reporter might mention it off the top of the interview and might repeat it at the end, but your audience can drift in and out.

Let’s say you are being interviewed on the radio and a reporter asks, “What inspired you to write this book?” I call a question like that a “soft lob”—something you should hit out of the ballpark. Imagine you say something like: “I wrote the book after surviving at sea in a row boat for 90 days, living through three tor-nadoes, and living on nothing but rain drops and seaweed.”

Good answer, but why wouldn’t you say: “I wrote Ninety Days in a Leaky Boat after sur-viving at sea in a row boat for 90 days, living through three tornadoes, and living on noth-ing but rain drops and seaweed.”

exceptions to the ruleThere are, of course, exceptions to every rule. If you do not know the answer to a question, or if you are not authorised to answer a par-ticular question, let the journalist know that you need time to find the answer or to find someone who can address the issue. Then find the answer or find someone who can address the issue!

For instance, if an explosion at your place

Embellish your key messages with anec-

dotes to add a human-interest element to

your message

of business seriously injured someone, report-ers will want to know the name of the injured person and the cause of the explosion.

In response to, “Can you tell us what caused the explosion?” it is perfectly legitimate to say, “The Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating and they will release the results once their in-vestigation is complete.”

You might suspect what caused the explo-sion, but do not speculate. No matter how many times, or how many ways, reporters ask you about the cause of the explosion, simply repeat what you are authorised to say: “The Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating and they will release the results once their investigation is complete.”

the money questionThere may be some questions that pertain to your business that you would prefer not to answer. For instance, the money question. What if you are a privately held company and the journalist asks you about revenue, such as, “What was your company’s revenue last year?”

You could say: “We are a privately-held company and we do not release annual revenue figures.”

If you don’t reveal revenue figures, then you don’t have to reveal them. But you can answer that question in a more positive and construc-tive manner. Here are a couple of potential answers:

• “As a privately-held company we don’t re-lease revenue figures. However, we are profit-able. Revenue has increased by double-digit figures over the last three years.”

• “As a privately-held company we don’t reveal revenue figures. However, we are meeting our projections and are particularly excited about our prospects for next year because there has been increased demand in the [whatever] sec-tor for our services.”

You are not dodging the question. You are saying what you can say in a manner that an-swers the question and shines a positive light on your company.

say it with a storyEmbellish your key messages with anecdotes to add a human-interest element to your mes-

sage. In addition, embellish your key messages with relevant statistics to add credibility to your message.

For instance, if a journalist asks me how im-portant media relations is to business. I would say, “Public relations generates 28% of sales inquiries, second only to advertising (38%), according to a study by Inquiry Handling Ser-vices in California.”

Don t be negative. stay positive!Notice how the two phrases above say the same thing. The first says it in a negative man-ner—“don’t be negative.” The second is posi-tive. Some reporters like to ask negative ques-tions. They often save them for the end of the interview when you are feeling relaxed because you think you have bonded with the reporter who has chuckled at a few of your witticisms.

Don’t reply in a negative manner to negative questions. Stay calm. Reply in a positive man-ner, starting with a positive statement rather than repeating the negative question.

Say, for instance, you are the president of Organic Pets, an organic gourmet pet food manufacturer. After what feels like a positive interview, the reporter asks, “Considering the state of hunger in the world, isn’t pet food—organic or otherwise—a waste, perhaps even a crime?”

Your instinct might be to say: “No, making pet food is not a waste or a crime. It’s perfectly legal and moral. It’s not like cigarette manu-facturing.”

If you say that, you repeat the negative phrasing (“a waste or a crime”), sound defen-sive, and associate your product with one that has negative connotations (“cigarette manu-facturing”). Your job is to be positive about your company and product when replying.

What you want to do is answer in a positive manner, while staying focused on your busi-ness and messages. How about saying some-thing like: “People become very close to their pets. They want them to live healthy lives. Or-ganic Pets produces food that helps dogs and cats live long, healthy lives—at the cost of a regular pet food.”

If your company has donated to a food bank or some other charity, you might want to weave that in: “People become very close to their pets. They want them to live healthy lives. Organic Pets produces food that helps dogs and cats live long, healthy lives. We also try hard to be solid corporate citizens and contribute funds to the local food bank each year. It’s our way of giving back to the com-munity.”

That is a positive answer. It is not defensive or personal and it weaves in your key messages.

Practice, Practice, PracticeAfter you develop your key messages and anec-dotes, practice, practice, practice. If possible, have someone conduct a mock interview and record or videotape your replies. Although it can be disconcerting to see yourself on tape, the best time to feel nervous is while you are rehearsing.

You may still have butterflies before the in-terview, but that’s normal. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to media interviews, I’d rather be prepared and nervous than unpre-pared and nervous!

The writer is a freelance writer, media interview trainer, and author of several business writing books, including How to Write Media Releases to promote your business, organization, or event. Paul conducts media interview training to prepare business owners, executives, authors, and others for print and broadcast interviews. http://www.paullima.com.

Paul Lima


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Do you have a plan?Last month, we had looked at brewing great ideas and transform-ing them to reality. Well, your business plan is one step in that direction.

You know where you stand, you know your destination, your business plan is just your road map. Most busi-

nessmen get into business with a gut feeling, it might work but then proper planning can help you avoid some major obstacles.

A business plan need not necessarily be for the newbie, it should be a work in progress and evolve with your business, incorporating external financial climate as your business grows.

Why do you need one?• A business plan can help you know your own shortcomings – for ‘the devil lies in the detail’. • It can act as a good marketing material to get financial support.• It can help you set targets to measure up to.

the seven steps The different elements that go into making of a good business plan are discussed in brief:

• executive summaryThis is the most important part of the busi-ness plan; it gives an overview of your entire

plan, your company profile and history of other businesses.

It should have the following elements:• Mission statement – it sets a common goal for the employees.• Details of the founders• Number of projected employees and branches to be established• Products and services rendered• Financial crux – current investors and fund-ing needed• Future plans

This summary should be crisp and clear and should be able to capture the essence of your business in a nutshell.

• market analysisThis is again another important facet of your business plan. Market feasibility study has to be done before you begin any business. First, understand who your target audience are and then go about finding the gap in that segment.

For any business, it is important to under-stand the big picture and the local market. For

For customised corporate guidance on business incubation, business transformation and technology computing, contact [email protected]

e.g., if you are into jewellery retail, you need to understand the global scenario of the market and then you need to step into the field and under-stand it locally – the demand drivers in the sector, the purchasing power of your TG, the competi-tion analysis, rental of the commercial land etc.

Financial analysis is another parameter, wherein you need to consider your debts, equities, your breakeven target and one should always plan for a minimum 3-5 month working capital cushion (most people forget to work this out in advance). • Company ProfileWithout being too descriptive, it should give the overall company structure and how all the func-tions fall into your business model. Enlist the needs of your target audience and justify the need for your organisation with that regard.

• Business and organisation man-agementThis part discusses in detail about your core man-agement team and the support functions that are needed. It gives the profiles of the key players and their roles in the organisation. The work force re-quired is also projected.

• marketing & sales Marketing is the way you woo your prospective client and this strategy has to be worked out in detail to break into the market. If you have a direct sales strategy, it too has to be planned to be carried out effectively. These two are the blood-line of your business and hence utmost care has to go into planning these strategies.

• services/ProductsThis part should have detailed description of your products or services, its USPs, R&D details, if any and copyright/patent information of the same.

• Finances and funding:This part should share your historical financial record of previous businesses and/ or your pro-spective financial data. Make sure you impress the readers with the correct information and realistic projections. Remember, one lie and your project will never see the light of the day. The funding part should precisely state the amount of funding needed and models of working out the same.

Strategies

Core functions Support functions

Procurement Storage Retail Marketing HR Finance Administration IT Support

33The Business Enterprise | Mar 2011 Mar 2011 | The Business Enterprise

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Trends In Vogue Pvt. Ltd., a group Company of CavinKare was founded in July 2002, as a professional per-

sonal styling and beauty solutions provider. For an industry that worked on a trial and er-ror method, Trends in Vogue Pvt. Ltd created a revolution by giving its staff state-of-the-art training with hands-on experience through their Trends Academy. In fact, one could say that the company pioneered the concept of ‘Family Salons’ in India with its dedicated brands - LimeLite and Green Trends. With a team of professionals - highly qualified cos-metologists and hair care specialists and with the skill base of the CavinKare R&D team, Trends In Vogue offers a range of cosmetic treatments to their customers.

D Umasankar, Manager, HR & Training, Trends In Vogue Pvt. Ltd. takes pride in say-ing that though they belong to what is known as an unorganised sector, they do follow all statutory norms. He says when it comes to employees they make sure that every small grievance is noted. For e.g. they have medi-cal insurance facilities so that even employees from North East, who find it difficult to avail ESI facilities, can benefit through this.

He now briefs us on the different HR practices they follow to guarantee a happy employee.

Feel at homeWe know that every employee joins the brand with certain expectations. After three months, we have a meeting with them to have an open discussion. Here, they can share their ideas and suggestions that can make the work en-vironment better. We also listen to the griev-ances they have and address the same. If the employees have a problem discussing an issue with their immediate boss, this meeting gives them scope to voice it out directly to the man-agement.

the learning curveBeing in the industry that is dependent on lifestyle, our employees need constant train-ing on the latest trends. Every year, the train-ing needs are identified and the employees are groomed accordingly. Hence, our SSPs (Salon Service Providers) do not have a passive or

monotonous work style. There is always scope for learning and development here!

open environmentOur company believes in having a transpar-ent relationship with the employees, hence anyone can walk up to the HR or even the

top man in the company to discuss his/her ideas or issues. This is a win-win situation – our employees feel empowered and we in turn get new perspectives from the field. We grow together.

satisfy employees, delight cus-tomersEvery month, we have a ‘customer delight’ and ‘Star Salon’ awards to motivate our employees to serve our customers better. We recognize those employees who go beyond satisfying customers and motivate them further. Eventu-ally, we believe that when our employees are happy, our services go beyond the ordinary.

automated performance meas-urement systemWe have an incentive system wherein the em-ployee almost gets an amount equal to his sal-ary component. The best part is all our incen-tive parameters are objective and are recorded online on a daily basis. The internal software called ‘salon trend’ captures the employee’s service or sales and deposits it in his/her account. And we have a performance review every month to measure the progession of performance. As all our parameters are meas-urable – an employee can easily voice out if he finds out any discrepancy. Then, these pa-rameters are consolidated annually for awards, promotions etc. As there is no subjectivity in the records, there is literally no scope for bias.

rewards and coachingWe know that it is important to keep our em-ployees constantly motivated to deliver ‘that’

exceptional service. We recognise star per-formers every month and put up their pictures in the salon. Every employee, at whichever level he works, is awarded directly by the top management, in front of a large audience. This gives a ‘feel good’ factor and makes them feel to be a part of our family.

When the performance level is lesser than expected, we check whether it is because of the reduced footfalls or because of a person’s de-motivation. A senior manager interferes and discusses it as and when the need arises.

other facilitiesWe have lot of other facilities like marriage welfare fund, education loan, salary advance for our employees.

Future plansThis year, we at HR have promised to enable customer retention through enriching service excellence. Of course, our performance too will be measured objectively through the soft-ware.

Trends In Vogue Pvt. Ltd recently received the World HRD Congress award for ‘HR practices

for organisations whose turnover is below 50 crores’. An official report from them, on what makes them leaders, when it comes to

Employee Satisfaction.

Trendsetterstakeaways

• An objective appraisal can make your feedback system transparent and hence stop any employee dis-satisfaction.

• Recognise every employee’s work at the management level to keep your employees motivated. Some-times, awards can motivate better than financial incentives.


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Bi zwise

Being healthy does not mean that one has never been sick. It means that one has healthier days than the days in which

one has been sick. Similarly, a happy employee does not mean one who has never had any problems at work. It means their chances of having a fulfilling work day are higher.

Happiness is an emotion and hence it’s a very personal thing. It is a state of mind. Dif-ferent people will be happy (or otherwise) in different situations. Some of them are induced by the workplace and some by their personal circumstances.

Therefore it is very difficult to generalise it for anyone – be it an employee or an en-trepreneur.

so, how can an employee be happy?• By not working!

• By adapting to the organisation and its peo-ple

• By aligning needs with goalsLet us try to understand them better.

not working!Everyone has a desire to achieve something in the given profession. They want to make a difference in a given way and want to make a living out of that. This is a great approach for a perfectly happy work life. Most people use the word ‘work’ to specify something that one has to do for making a living. But, when you do something you are passionate about, you are not working! You are doing it because it makes you happy.

Unfortunately, on several occasions, the immediate need overpowers passion and the dream is lost. The fulfillment of immediate needs, which is mostly derived due to peer comparison is a great feeling. This mostly re-

Happy Employee -a myth?volves around money, benefits, quality of life, position and power. They look so attractive that most people are forced to believe it to be the goal of their career. People end up choos-ing a job which they are not particularly happy with but one that pays well. Does the story of engineers doing an MBA sound familiar to you?

The by-product of a career becomes the end purpose of the career and the desire is killed. And, in doing so, play is transformed into work. If people do not let these forces of immediate needs drive them, they can surely have a happy career.

P.s.: To make sure that employees really make the difference, it is most important that the goals of the organisation and that of the em-ployee align with each other. Else, it will end up in work, work and more work!

adapting to organisation and peopleIt is common to see that when someone joins an organisation, they shower all praises for the same and its management team. Then gradu-ally he becomes indifferent to the same and takes it for granted. And finally he starts hat-ing it. It is time to look for a new job!

So the question is: Has the person changed? Has the company changed? Neither of them may have changed. It is perception that has changed.

Every organisation and human being looks great at the first instance, simply because eve-ryone wants to present their best self. Howev-er, as the relationship grows, both learn more about each other. When the person is unable to take the new found perception of the or-ganisation in stride, dissatisfaction grows.

no organisation is perfect. no hu-man being is perfect. it is critical to adapt.Similarly, to be happy at work, one needs to see things holistically. When we look at things by stepping in someone else’s shoe, we under-stand things better and are able to adapt to the members of the organisation. Heartaches and frustration can be avoided, and meaningful discussions can be made by doing so.

a l i g n i n g goals with needsgood organisation can manage the hierarchy of needs in the workplace. But how can we manage personal life?

This question is more crucial as the de-marcation between work life and personal life is rapidly fading in most organisations. I do not see this as a problem, because for a happy employee, work and personal life cannot be separated because they pursue work to satisfy their personal goals.

Therefore it is not necessary to demarcate work and personal life. But it is critical that personal goals and needs are well aligned to the work life.

It needs major functional change (and scal-ability) in the human resource management framework of companies. And the employee needs to have clear unbiased focus on personal and professional priorities.

this is easier said than done! So, the happy employee is a possibility. There are happy employees, but less in numbers. Even if companies desire, they cannot scale and customise the human resource framework to make majority of the employees happy. Also, it may not be possible for every em-ployee to follow passion and adapt. Both fac-tors put together make ‘happy employee’ a rare phenomenon, thus raising the question – ‘Is the existence of a happy employee a myth?’

The writer is Founder-CEO, Indus Net Technologies. Every month, he shares with us

simple yet powerful business lessons.Reproduced with permission from the blog

http://www.abhishekrungta.com.

[With inputs from Mukul Gupta, Head of Operations – Indus Net Technologies]

Abhishek Rungta


NLIGHTEN

37

The Business Enterprise did a na-tion-wide employee survey across 10 cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Chen-

nai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkatta, Cochin, Coimbatore and Pune

covering nine major job sectors through email, telephonic and direct interviews. And here’s what India Inc. says about its work life!

“It is fun working for Radio Mirchi! I still remember the day I had joined

work here, two guys came and informed me that I had to go for another HR round

and they were apparently shocked that I hadn’t brought my papers with me. I was made to wait at the reception desk while they had a discussion about my prospec-

In pursuit of Happiness,The Business Enterprise Employee Satisfaction Survey

2011 ventures to find what makes an employee choose a particular

company and better still makes him stay put and

happy.

Up to 25 Yrs42%

26 to 30 Yrs23%

31 to 35 Yrs20%

35 to 45 Yrs15%

Brand

Up to 25 Yrs19%

26 to 30 Yrs33%

31 to 35 Yrs25%

35 to 45 Yrs23%

Salary

Up to 25Yrs15 %

26 to 30 Yrs21%

31 to 35 Yrs31%

35 to 45 Yrs33%

Position

Up to 25 Yrs24%

26 to 30 Yrs23%31 to 35 Yrs

24%

35 to 45 Yrs29%

Work culture

tive career. Few anxious minutes later, another lady (my would-be team mate) invited me to the conference room, it was then, that I realised that I was officially ragged by my colleagues (Those fake HR executives). From day one, it’s been one enjoyable journey. We do not have a formal dress code, the company just expects us to be neatly dressed. The office atmosphere is very open and friendly. There are no doors or dividers for any cabin. Anyone can walk up to the managers for a discussion. And most of all, we have the freedom to take decisions at every level. It is finally nice to work in a place where there is no rigid hierarchy.” – Sethu Raman K, Account Manager – Sales, Ra-dio Mirchi - Coimbatore

“Getting back to work after my maternity break was a huge challenge for me. My company eased out the process by giving me flexible work-ing hours and options to ‘work from home’ when required. If this hadn’t worked out, it would have been a huge setback for my career” – Archana Vi-jay, Private IT firm, Bengaluru

When it comes to work life, the current genera-tion seems to look beyond the stable and secure government jobs. More and more people are opt-ing for companies that are fun and flexible and jobs that just let them be. So, what makes an em-ployee take the first step?

are you the chosen one?Though brand value, designation, compensation and work culture are the main factors that make a person choose a particular company or job over another. Our study shows us an interesting pat-tern – the younger crowd, primarily fresh

ers, seem to have a higher preference for brand value (42%) over other factors. For a person who has minimal experience or no experience, it becomes a value-add to be in a brand that is well-established. Here, they get to learn from the leaders. Similar to how employees preferred government jobs for its stability and perks in the previous generation, youngsters today opt for big brands to give their career a jump start. Once this is done, the mid-career segment seems to choose jobs based on compensation or proposed desig-nation. Towards the end of one’s career, the po-sition offered (33%) and work culture takes priority (29%). While money and power plays a major role in choosing a particular job, it is de-batable whether these factors can guarantee job satisfaction. HR personnel Reshmi Shinde from Bengaluru feels that it is often monotony that kills the joy in the job. Challenges that are tough and obtainable make work interesting and eventu-ally sustain the employee’s interest at work. She adds that companies need to have a transparent feedback and appraisal system to ease out employ-ee’s concerns. The next part of our survey delves deeper into this issue – working out an unbiased appraisal system.

at work!

Telecom1%

Media4%

Construction5%

Consulting6%

Financial Services

6%

Retail12%

Services13%

Manufacturing16%

IT/ITES37%

Industries Covered

Why employees choose a company

39

The Business Enterprise | Mar 2011 Mar 2011 | The Business Enterprise

XCLUSIVE

38

Life after sixThere was a time when working after

six meant overtime and extra bo-nus. But those good old times have

changed and if you pack your bags at six to-day, you might get curious glances. Except for banks and schools, a 9-6 work life is unheard of in the current corporate world. What has brought out this paradigm shift in the way we work?

In fact, 44% of the surveyed employ-ees claim that they lack social life. No won-der that half of them seek a virtual social life at networking sites like Facebook, Orkut etc. Work-life balance is a major concern for India Inc and might eventually lead to a nightmar-ish attrition rate. So, how do we address this issue?

Stating that work-life balance is a major criteria for job satisfication, JX Gregory, Management Consultant, Sagac Pvt Ltd says, “In some companies, bosses have this wrong paradigm that working long hours shows commitment. In our company, we make sure that employees leave at 5. 30 in the evening. We view the time spent in terms of the value added. We do not have the policy of encash-ing privilege leave. If you had worked six days, you definitely need the seventh day off. We all need to take regular breaks from work to do it properly and to lead a normal human life.” He adds, “We emphasize on smart work and not hard work.”

While 82% of employees in Pune claim that they have a social life, only 33% of em-ployees in Coimbatore agree that they have a social life after work. Overall North India seems to have better social life compared to their Southern counterparts.

Giridharan who works for a private BPO firm in Chennai says that his work life has tak-en a toll on his health and happiness. He says,

“I work anywhere between 9-12 hours a day. End of the day, I have time only to come back and sleep. I find it difficult to even talk to my roommates, leave alone visiting my parents in another town.”

Gowri J, HR Manager, Chennai says, “There are few ways by which companies can inculcate a sense of balance between work and life in its employees.

• Have a fixed 8 hours working limit with suf-ficient breaks in between.

• Have meditation, yoga or other relaxation techniques taught in office.

• Corporate outings with families should be encouraged.

• If somebody shows signs of a job burnout, give them a break!

male vs female bossesShakeera S, Managing Consultant, Hyderabad says, “I will always vouch for a male boss. Because I feel that women tend to bring their home to

office.”Our survey found that 15% of em-ployees in South India have a problem reporting to female bosses while only 2% in North India have problem reporting to a female boss. Well, the gender bias in corporate India has al-ready started dipping down, we only wish the percentage lowers further in future.

Our company has this policy of giv-ing the highest grade only to one person (out of around 45 employ-

ees in each team). So even if two people are equally good at work, only one gets the highest rating and hence qualifies for in-centives reserved for that slab. And when it comes to awards, it is distributed in round-robin fashion to please all, so where can we get a just appraisal for our perfor-mance? – SK, Media agency, Bengaluru.

“Our appraisal system is simple, you please the boss, you get the rewards!” – Meena, Relo-cation Firm, Delhi

If we observe the attrition rate of any company, it is normally higher around the appraisal period. As much as recognition can work for employee’s satisfaction, the lack of it could demotivate one into possibly leav-ing the job. While our survey observes that transparency in the appraisal system is mostly good except for in the manufacturing sector

(only 33%agree that there is transparency in manufacturing sector). Yet, 85% of the surveyed employees claim that the appraisal system is dependent on the appraiser. Now, the challenge every company faces is to remove this bias and to make it fool-proof.

Shailendra Tripathi, VP, Strategy and Cor-porate Planning – Bright Autoplast, opines that it is possible to remove this bias to a cer-tain level by bringing in three different feed-back parameters instead of one – one that is totally dependent on measureable deliverables like attendance, sales targets etc, second one that is reported by peers, also known as the 360 degrees feedback and the third from the reporting manager. This way, we reduce the possibility of the appraiser’s bias.

Now, let’s look at some key parameters that can help you maintain a good performance evaluation system which does more than just distribute some incentives:

• First, set goals effectively and communicate them

• Plan an ongoing process that measures per-formance

• Gather feedback from a number of sources – 360degrees, system records etc

• Document every observation

• Train appraisers first

• Link performance management with your training processes

• Automate it - it saves money and resources and gives you an unbiased performance man-agement process Also, do check on our exclusive story on Trends In Vogue Pvt Ltd (page 34) which has an automated performance evaluation system in place!

Performancemanagement system

62%

33%

77%

95%

80%

67%

95%

81%

67%

38%

67%

23%

5%

20%

33%

5%

19%

33%

100% 50% 0% 50% 100% 150%

Construction

Manufacturing

IT/ITES

Consulting

Financial Services

Media

Retail

Services

Telecom

Agree Disagree

Transparency in Appraisal System - By Industry

20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Coimbatore

Ahmedabad

Cochin

Calcutta

Chennai

Hyderabad

Bangalore

Delhi

Mumbai

Pune

Existence of Social Life

83%

2%

15%

No Problem

North India

South India

Reporting to Female Boss

41


XCLUSIVE

40

Now, we take on the million-dollar question. How can we make an employee happy? Give him/her promotion, bonus or perhaps a

paid leave. While, that might work, now let us look at what the employees have to say. The surveyed em-ployees cited that ‘recognition for the word done’ and ‘respect’ followed by knowledge as the top reasons that give one job satisfaction. Financial incentives surpris-ingly dropped down to the third rank in the listing. In our exclusive this issue, we also take a look at how performance of your employees can be recognised and rewarded (page 46 ).

Like a biased appraisal system, its offshoot- rewards system, often seems to be biased. Some companies de-cide to please all and do it the Round-Robin way. Does this in fact satisfy all? “No!” says Shailendra Tripathi, “Awards too should be given totally based on perfor-mance. When the deliverables are clear and can be measured, then there should be no problem in finding the right candidate. After all, an increase in salary can enthuse a person for only a single day but recognition when given on a public forum can boost that person’s image.” Unfortunately, most companies do not recog-nise the need to appreciate an able employee. Now, for the figures:

The National Employee Satisfaction In-dex stands at 6.1.

While Delhi and Bengaluru boast of the highest sat-isfaction indices in the country, Coimbatore employees were the least satisfied of the lot (39%).

25 Factors ranging from basic facilities like clean restooms, PF, insurance, boss-peer relationships to a proper appraisal system were taken into account to work out this satisfaction survey. We found that while most companies scored well on factors like infrastruc-ture, peer relationships, they lost out on process man-agement.

upto 25 Yrs6%

26 to 30 Yrs27%

31 to 35 Yrs35%

35 t0 45 Yrs32%

Lack of recognition

upto 25 Yrs18%

26 to 30 Yrs31%

31 to 35 Yrs26%

35 t0 45 Yrs25%

Low Salary

upto 25 Yrs37%

26 to 30 Yrs20%

31 to 35 Yrs20%

35 t0 45 Yrs23%

Bad Boss

upto 25 Yrs39%

26 to 30 Yrs22%

31 to 35 Yrs19%

35 t0 45 Yrs20%

Work Overload

The ‘not-so’ happy ending

“I have worked in three MNCs and have never had a proper exit interview till date.” – Vidya Para-mel, market analyst, Mumbai.

When a person puts down his papers, many com-panies just let go of him without understanding the reason for his decision properly. Though some situ-ations are unavoidable, an employee mostly quits his job due to grievances that could have been ad-dressed. This is where a proper exit interview would have helped. Even if that particular person does not retain his job, we could get the crux of the issue he faced in the company and help resolve matters for the other employees.

Though cities like Coimbatore, Mumbai and Pune individually cite work overload as a major reason for leaving job, the overall survey indicates insufficient compensation and lack of recognition as top rea-sons for people to leave a job. When you consider the factors age wise, it shows that youngsters tend to leave a job due to work overload and difficult bosses while for the senior employees, it’s mostly lack of recognition that pushes him to the edge. With over 35% of the total employees complaining about a bad relationship with their bosses, role clarity could play a major role in easing out work-relationship tensions. Do read our exclusive on how role clarity could disrupt or aid your team (page 44).

Though you cannot ultimately please them all, we do find that the way your company deals with an ex-employee can determine your brand value in the market. Our exclusive on ‘The ex factor’ (page 48) tells you why and how exactly your ex-employees can break or build your brand. Our corporate world is not perfect, let’s just make it pleasant enough for the journey. Let’s create happy (working) hours!

Happy to work?

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Employee Happiness-Citywise

Ahmedabad

Bangalore

Calcutta

Delhi-NCR

Chennai

Cochin

Coimbatore

Hyderabad

Pune

Mumbai

12

34

recognition & respect

Knowledge and

experience

empowerment

Financial incentives

Top 4 Job Satisfaction Factors

Why employees leave a company

43


XCLUSIVE

42

Shruthi Sankaravadivel

Acting the Part

Do you know of one parameter that can go a long way in keeping an employee happy yet is often

ignored? Role clarity. Without one, an employee feels like a blindfolded person lost in the corpo-

rate jungle.

Why am I here? What is my true purpose? These abstruse ques-tions trigger the most profound

thoughts in the simplest of beings. If however, they arise in your mind every time you enter your office, participate in project meetings or while you sip coffee over breaks, it probably is time you snapped out of self-evaluation mode and sought the higher power – your manager.

What we just described is the most com-mon affliction that workgroups suffer from – the lack of role clarity. Simply put, role clarity is when employees know exactly what is ex-pected of them, the criteria which will be used to evaluate their performance and how they can prioritise their duties. It is a seemingly ob-vious factor that is often grossly overlooked and can throw highly talented teams off track. In a study published by The Academy of Mar-keting Science, research undertaken with 198 brand managers showed that role clarity was found to significantly affect job tension and job satisfaction.

Role clarity is crucial to all activities that require teamwork. It plays a pivotal role in sports psychology and takes on an even more critical avatar as ‘situational awareness’ in the armed forces. Military command demands in-tense training in this discipline since soldiers deviating from their duties under the pressures of hostile conditions could cost lives on the battlefield. Clear role definition is not merely the concern of a single employee and his im-mediate superior. In order for a team to func-tion as a well-oiled machine, every member in a project ought to be aware of his teammate’s goals as well.

Here is a simple team-building exercise that will help you determine if your team has role ambiguity issues. You’ll only need a sheaf of papers and some pencils. Have your team members and managers sit around a circle.

• Supply your team members each with a piece

of paper and a pencil.• Have them write their names on top of the sheet and a detailed, bulleted list of the five most important tasks they think the team ex-pects them to perform. • Fold the paper partly to cover the writing and pass it on to the member on the left.• Now write down the five most im-portant activities that you expect the teammate on the right to perform. Fold the paper once again and pass it to the left.• Repeat this pro-cess until you reach a full circle.• Now have each employee open out his sheet and read aloud his job ex-pectations and what others expect him to perform. • If you happen to hear major discord-ances, you have a role clarity problem on your hands.

Different formu-lae work well with different teams. Larger organisations working with diverse teams need to structure and streamline work processes more closely. Generally, once job criteria and performance measures are defined and objectives are set, allow employees to map out their own paths to reach goals. And be sure to appreciate and reward them generously when targets are achieved.

Mr. Kishore Ku-mar, understands role clarity in all its complexities, having worn several hats as a lawyer, an ex-com-

mando, an IPS officer, a British High Commission adviser and currently the Vice-President of Marketing and Cus-tomer Care at TVH India Private Ltd, a premiere real estate company. He

says, “Defining a role is important but restrictions in the work environment must not be so watertight that they hinder the progress of an employee. Outline responsibilities to match his skill set and set the priorities ‘he’ wants to achieve allowing him room to grow into a future leader of the organisation. Initiative, conviction and boldness are vital for an employee and they can be nurtured only when the team is flexible enough to accommodate them.”

45


XCLUSIVE

44

even before I presented.” In these situations, a re-viewer might discover something that they forgot to take into account while rating the employee – and once the rating is decided, managers are re-luctant to change the rating (changing it would acknowledge the fact that the manager didn’t do his/her part correctly the first time!) time periodAn official appraisal twice a year would be suffi-cient but intermediate feedback should be given at least once a quarter – it can help guide an em-ployee on the right track and give signs of how things would turn up in the official appraisal. It would address the concern of employees having a shock in their appraisal because the intermediate feedback will tell them whether they are on the right track or not. rewardsA good rating in the appraisal might help the em-ployee get a better bonus or higher figure in the variable part of their compensation. But is this enough to keep the employee happy? The appraisal is something confidential and not something that an employee goes around boasting about; and gen-erally colleagues or other teams will not know the ratings – not even if the person was rated as the best. This is where rewards come into the picture. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, recognition is identified as one of the human needs. When someone is announced as the star performer for the month, it gives the person a sense of accom-plishment – the primary joy comes from the recog-nition and not the monetary reward. People from other teams read about their achievement, senior management gets a glimpse of the person and there is a feeling of self-confidence. But rewards can backfire as well in a number of ways. I’ve heard this comment from employees, “They give the award in a round-robin fashion!”. Companies have smaller awards for immediate recognition – but even these awards get delayed in the bureaucracy and the deserving get it late. Managers often complain that they can only reward people in a quarter because of budget constraints. This deflates employees; you can’t deny a deserving person a reward citing the rea-son as “no budget.” Budget allocation for awards need not be made at the organisation level rather it should be done at department level – it might help in better pooling and management of funds.

Employees are hurt when they feel that the wrong person has been rewarded. It generally hap-pens that the management thinks someone is a star performer and rewards them but at the ground level, most employees believe that it is someone else who should have got the award. It creates low employee morale not just in the individual who was denied but even among other employees and juniors since they get into the mindset, “That per-son did so much and was not recognised. What’s the point of me putting in that extra effort?”Using the feedback mechanism in determining awardees as well could help alleviate the problem to some extent. An HR manager once told me, “It is impossible for a performance man-agement system to satisfy every em-ployee.” But the system needs to be tuned regularly so that it can satisfy most of the employees if not all.

And the winner is…

Sometimes an ego boost works better than a fat pay check; a look into how to find your star employee and how to reward him/ her aptly…

Many times after an appraisal you tend to hear employees say, “I don’t know what I did wrong to get such a poor rating.”

Or someone else would say, “If these are the things they wanted, they could have told me earlier.” And some others would dismiss the whole exercise as, “It’s all politics.” So can we ever design a perfect performance evaluation system? The performance evaluation process has three parts – the appraiser (manager), the person being appraised and the system or process itself. Perfor-mance of an employee is generally assessed only during appraisals and this happens in most compa-nies twice a year. A set of parameters are decided upon every year, targets are set and the manager checks whether the targets are met. the systemThe problem with this system is that like in life, many things in work are not objective; many things are subjective (qualitative and not quantitative). How do you measure whether an individual is helping others? How do you measure innovation or creativity? How do you measure mentoring? And the other problem is that though certain things like number of defects are quantifiable, they are not measured many a times. And when measur-able parameters are rated qualitatively, it leaves the employee wondering, “I thought I never had any defects but the manager says I performed my work decently with only a few defects.” It is mandatory that everything measurable should have the meas-urement process in place and everything qualitative needs to be based on the feedback received from colleagues and seniors. the managerI’ve come across many appraisers who rate their employees without even getting feedback from

other seniors who have worked with the employee being appraised. The appraisers need to be trained; else they can unknowingly wreck morale of em-ployees. Some are ignorant while some are knowl-edgeable but lack faith in the system and choose to ignore the feedback process since it is time con-suming. Appraisers, especially the first couple of times they do the process, need to be guided with some hand-holding. There is a saying, “Praise in public; criticise in private” attributed to Vince Lombardi (an Ameri-can football coach who helped his team win 5 league championships). Sometimes even praising in private will suffice if the incident is something minor that can’t be shared in a large forum. It is important to inculcate the habit of praising in managers so that the trend continues. An employee who sees his manager praising will tend to do the same when he/she becomes a manager. You treat others the way you are treated! the employeeThough the manager is supposed to track the per-formance of individuals, the employee also has a key role to play. In a small company, it is easy for the person running the organisation to notice the star performer. But in large organisations it can get buried; after all managers are also human and might miss something. During appraisals, it is the employee’s responsibility to showcase their achieve-ments. This needs to be done by employees when-ever they feel they have done something other than the regular routine – maybe a new tool, an idea to improve a process etc. An organisation has to en-courage employees to highlight their achievements. It also develops the employee’s presentation skills.

The performance evaluation system should let the employee present their case before they are rated upon. I have seen instances where employees complain, “My manager had the rating with him

Sethu Subramanian

47


XCLUSIVE

46

Shruthi Sankaravadivel

The ExWhether it’s a romantic liaison gone awry or

a business relationship that simply could not last, handling exes is an art that eludes

the best of us. While most marriage counselors profess that ‘putting the past behind you’ is the best strategy for ex-lovers, multi-national and startup companies alike are now beginning to realise that handling their ex-employees is a whole different ball game.

History has its fair sampling of lessons that testify to the significance of this issue. Be it the disgruntled WikiLeaks ex-employee who dished the dirt on the whistle-blowing website, or the ex-designers of Google taking their talents to rival search engine Cuil, the pow-er of the ‘exes’ is undeniable.

In the current economic climate, it is even more cru-cial that companies pay attention to their ex-workforce and corporate image. For, an image so carefully crafted by corporate policy, so closely monitored by top PR teams, is ultimately tested by what a majority of its ex-employees have to say about it. They are the most important spokespersons of your brand.

Here’s a checklist of actions that you could be taking to ensure that your ex-employee doesn’t become your worst nightmare:

an amicable farewell:A pleasant parting of ways is crucial to healthy future relationships with your ex-workforce. Have your most experienced HR team handle this delicate scenario for you or bring in a team of top consultants who special-ise in such services.

Here’s what Ajay Na-navati, Managing Di-rector, 3M – India has to say about his ex-employees.

“The Alumni of the 3M School of Management, as we call our ex-employees, are our well-wishers, ambassadors and our potential cus-tomers. We keep in touch through dynamic, informal networks and they have come to be our best spokesper-sons. They’re our champions.”

Factora justified endIf there is an absolute necessity that an em-ployee must be ‘let go’, ensure that it is done professionally, with full legal documentation and with all the benefits he is entitled to being fulfilled.

Flexible corporate policyBe willing to give your ex-employees another chance if they happen to come back to you. Mr.Ajay Nanavati, Managing Director, 3M India, says it has always worked for him, “When employees come back, they’re more stable, since they’ve seen the other side of the coin and appreciate us a whole lot more.”

the social sphereEveryone has an opportunity to make them-selves heard on Facebook and Twitter. If your seemingly quiet ex-employee tweets his grievances about your company to his 5,613 Twitter followers, that will more likely go viral than a presentation painstakingly put together by your best PR team. Keep track of all media and watch what is being said about you and take action to hear out grievances. a professional networkInvest in a webpage for your alumni, giving them access to networking services and help-ing them stay in touch with you. This can be done at no cost through web portals like Ning, which allow you to custom create your

social networks.

A case in point is McKinsey, fondly referred to as ‘The Firm’. It is an ace management con-sulting company with an international pres-ence in 120 countries and boasts of an alumni network that is 23,000 strong. Formal alumni events held annually and a website dedicated to alumni networking and celebrating the cul-ture of McKinsey have been an integral part of its silver reputation.

The bottom line is nothing speaks as highly of your company as an employee who used to work for you and still holds you in high regards. Maintaining such relations is a chal-lenge but it is well worth the effort.

49


XCLUSIVE

48

Career progression: Effective career planning considers both organisation-centered and individual-centered perspectives. I think these two elements are well balanced in the American companies. This is especially evident in Big 4 accounting firms. At Deloitte, vision, mission and value statements set the tone and day to day activities of the organisation. Based on these, goals of the employees at each level are defined. These goals are

organisation-centered.

In addition to these goals, employees are encour-aged to identify personal goals. Obviously, these goals should align with organisation’s goals or at the least, the employee is expected to explain to the leadership how these goals benefit the organisation. The result, employees take complete ownership of his career

and put their best effort to achieve both mandatory and personal goals.

ethical principles: In my experience while providing advisory services to

American companies, I have observed that they strive to conduct business

honourably, ethically, with the utmost professionalism, and in

compliance with ap-plicable laws. The ethical principles govern their daily business activities. Non-compliance

of ethics is consid-ered a serious offense

and may also lead to termination of employ-

ment or services with the client. People believe that as long as one is compliant with

ethics, they are protected by the leadership.

social responsibility:Commitment to give back to the community is another important fac-tor that sets American companies apart from the crowd. It is not just famous philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, but employees of many companies feel socially responsible to contribute to

the community. For example, each year, tens of thousands of Deloitte employees across the country leave the office and head out into the community for a full day of volunteerism designed to help nonprofit organisations. This equates to $ 7 million every year. Further, Micro-soft matches donations made by the employees for a noble cause. These actions instill social responsibility and create a culture of selflessness amongst the employees.

Benefits:Benefits are non-cash compensation provided to the employees in ad-dition to their normal salary. The purpose of benefits is to enhance productivity and demonstrate a sense of ‘We care about you!’ amongst the employees. Google is a classic example. I would be surprised if anyone turns down an offer from Google because Google’s benefits are endless. In addition to medical benefit, Google’s campus hosts multi-tude of amenities such as state-of-the-art gym, pool, beach volleyball court, free food served by the best chefs, free servant maid services for top performers etc. It is no wonder that Google still attracts 777,000 applicants a year. Of course, it is hard to compete with Google on benefits, but below is a generic list of benefits/programs provided by many companies:

• Ergonomics to adapt the workplace to a specific worker

• Flexible working hours to accommodate personal needs

• Telecommuting that enables employees to work from home

• Health and wellness to provide free medical check-ups and vaccines

• Child care programs with day care

ConclusionIt is expected that in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years. I strongly believe that some or all of the common practices presented above will help India Inc. build world class companies with highly mo-tivated work force. Some of the companies may have already imple-mented one or more of the above mentioned points. Let’s strive to create a positive work environment by implementing best practices not only from home but also from across the globe.

Lessons from Corporate America

Seven principles that can change your

workplace from ‘good’ to ‘great’

We all know that it is difficult to adapt to a new place, new culture, and new surroundings. But why do many have the ‘American Dream’? What is enticing in this nation? Is it

the opportunities, work culture, lifestyle, savings or affordability? An-swer is ‘all of above’. I am not saying that America is ‘the’ place to live. Obviously, there are good and bad things everywhere. Wise is the one who learns from the good elements and leaves the bad. This article is an attempt to learn from the work culture of some leading companies in the United State of America.

• Leadership

• Mentoring

• Work environment

• Career progression

• Ethical principles

• Social responsibility

• Fringe benefits

leadership Leaders can no longer lead solely based on positional power. They must be partners with their team. With this approach, leaders in many American companies were able to inspire, motivate, and energise their teams with clear vision and strategies towards a common goal. Investing in leadership development has been a top priority for many successful companies like 3M. Leaders at 3M provide the focus, power, and inspi-ration that have made 3M one of the most innovative enterprises in the world today. 3M recognised the powerful impact leaders have on the company’s ability to continue delivering innovative solutions.

Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, describes his role as simply “picking good people and giving them maximum authority and respon-sibility.” In addition to Wal-Mart’s formal programs, they have a natural process in which leaders help develop each other. It is imperative to in-crease expectations of leaders, to mentor each other around the world, to influence greater collaboration, leading to higher performance and global success. Wal-Mart spends a whopping $ 50 million each year on leadership development. It is true that nurturing great leaders helps to steer to new heights aggressively.

mentoring:A good mentorship program provides a platform to share goals and experiences with sole focus on mentee’s development. Mentoring is simply about striking up a confidential developmental relationship be-

tween two people. Typically, mentoring involves learning from some-one more experienced than you or who has knowledge to share – and whose skills, knowledge and personal insight can be tapped. It helps people develop and progress quickly, do their best work - and fulfill their potential as fast as possible. For example, at Deloitte, any new hire from college can choose anyone from Manager to Senior Partner as his mentor. Although the mentee need to drive the process, mentors at Deloitte do a fabulous job in acting as a sound board and in providing career guidance. People centric focus and level of involvement dur-ing the process makes Deloitte No.1 among Big 4 ac-counting firms.

Work environ-ment: A significant em-phasis is placed on maintaining a collaborative and inclusive work envi-ronment. Further, a flat hierarchy acts as a catalyst to maintain such an envi-ronment. These elements are foundation for building a culture of openness. This culture helped Adobe Systems to make it Top 100 compa-nies to work for in 2009 (ranked # 11). Adobe implemented employee coun-cil to ensure free flow of ideas. An-other beneficiary of implementing collabora- t i v e work culture is Cisco systems (ranked # 6). At Cisco, employees find that they have more say in decision making.

In nutshell, maintaining a collegial work environment is quintessen-tial for organisations and individual progression.

Vamshi Guntha is a Chartered Accountant, CISA, and CIA, with 12 years of experience in audit and advisory services. He is currently working as a Manager in Enterprise Risk Services group of Deloitte & Touche LLP, USA. He can be reached at [email protected].

Vamshi Guntha

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work

Video game testerThis may sound like fun but imagine for eight hours a day, five days a week, you

need to play video games. Then, you get to repeat levels, games and characters, looking for any bugs or errors in the software. Still

game?

Just another day

At

Demolition guyPerhaps, one of the most cursed guys on earth. He/she gets to de-

molish buildings that don’t obey the laws of the land (or play by the rules of the ruling party).

Stray dog catcherThis person is a saviour in disguise; he saves us from the stray dog menace. Though PETA may not exactly appreciate their nature of

work, the rest will.

Golf ball MarshalNow this name sounds fancy, isn’t it? But the job is not. You need to get down on all fours and scour for balls all over the ground and then make them up all pretty to be resold to the golfers who lost them in

the first place.

Gold recovery agentThese guys scour dead bodies for gold fillings in the teeth; they then

melt the gold from them and then re-sell it to jewellers.

Snake milkerHmm, this fellow gets to remove the venom from a snake’s fang. This venom is then collected and stored safely as an antidote for snake bite.

DienerIf you faint at the sight of blood, this one is not for you. You get to deal with dead bodies the entire day. Yes, the person needs to prepare cadavers for the pathologist before autopsies are performed. Just one

advantage, your clients will never complain!

Beer testerDowning a mug of beer may be your cup of tea but as a beer tester you have got to taste and spit new flavours all day long, approving the best and

saving the world from the rest.

Odour judgeThese men judge early morning breath or people infested with strong scents like garlic and then

they rate the subject’s breath on a scale from one to nine. And then to test their product – a mouthwash or chewing gum, they smell the breath again and assign it a new rating.

Come Mondays and we drag ourselves to office; we crib and cry as we go about doing our job. Well, if you thought that taking those printouts and sealing some envelopes were odd, check our list of top weird jobs across the world. It’s going to change the way you work at work...

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H The attention to detail in every corner of the temple was so high

that it took more than a hundred years for the sculptors to complete the structure.

eritageoysalaThe

Nearly a thousand years ago, a bunch of brave men came together to fight their enemies and established

a kingdom in the foothills of Western Ghats. They fought many wars and expanded their kingdom to become one of the prominent rulers in peninsular India. Called the Hoysa-las, they were immortalised not for their brav-ery, but for their devotion to art and a spree of building temples that are now known for their fine carvings in stone.

One such temple is located in the small town of Belur that served as the first capital of the kingdom. As I wandered through the perfected shapes in stone inside the Chenna-keshava Temple in Belur, I was amazed by the architect’s commitment to turn every inch of temple wall into finest work of art. The tall walls of the temple were covered with bass reliefs of every god of Hindu pantheon. The friezes below the reliefs told stories from the mythologies and displayed the power of Hoy-sala kings with great pride. Inside the temple, artists unleashed their imagination on every pillar to create unique patterns and designs on each one of them. Sculpted among these pil-lars was the statue of a danseuse whose ban-gles were chipped to rotate freely around her hands, a carving of Nandi barely larger than a chickpea and a pillar decorated with miniature gods and goddesses probably numbering more than a hundred.

The attention to detail in every corner of the temple was so high that it took more than a hundred years for the sculptors to complete the structure. Well known among all the richly decorated sculptures in Belur are Madanikas - bracket figures installed below the sunshades. The sensuous damsels are depicted in various moods and activities, like Shukabhashini talk-ing to a parrot and Darapana Sundari adoring her own figure looking into a mirror.

The kings who built the temple at Belur and many other places in the surrounding ar-eas started as small chieftains who ruled parts of today’s southern Karnataka. The relative isolation of the terrain from power centers of those days allowed them to flourish and build a kingdom of their own, which eventually grew more powerful than all their neighbours. In their four hundred years of rule they not only worked to expand their boundaries far

and wide, but also spent generously to build more than a thousand temples. Nearly four hundred of them have survived even today.

The region around Belur is dotted with these temples built by the Hoysalas. Not too far from Belur is Halebeedu, which served as the long time capital of the dynasty. The twin temples here are nearly twice as large as the one in Belur and took nearly double the time to construct. Taking a walk along the outer walls of the Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebeedu, I was treated to a deluge of beauty in finely carved stone. Present along the outer wall were the finest engravings of images of gods and of stories from Indian mythology, all in the confines of a four feet high horizontal band.

One such figure that awed me was of Lord Krishna lifting Govardhanagiri to protect Gokula from torrential rains. I saw the eco-system of the hill come alive even in that little space on the wall. The architect had carved out in it, a forest full of trees, a monkey climb-ing a tree, a hunter aiming at a pig and a lion looking out from its cave. Rendered under the shelter of the hill were the subjects of Krishna – cows, his cowherd friends and other villag-ers. All these may not be apparent to a quick passer by, but as the guides explained these nu-ances to tourists, I saw people pausing to take a closer look and gasping with awe. Another similarly detailed section of the wall showed Ravana attempting to lift Kailasa Parvatha, the

expression of his face clearly showing his suffering un-der the weight of the mountain.Walking me along these marvels of art, my temple guide Uma, occasionally slipped in carefully prac-ticed humorous quotes. Pointing at an im-age of a monkey pulling drapes of a lady, she winked and declared it as ‘monkey business’ and watched with delight as a short group of tourists burst out laughing at the remark.

Being the capital of Hoysalas, Halebeedu is strewn with many structures carved in stone. South of Hoysaleshwara temple is the smaller Kedareshwara temple, which shares most of its architectural elements with its neighbour. While the former is buzzing with activity of tour groups and guides, Kedareshwara Temple has a deserted calm, allowing the visitor to ex-

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plore at one’s own pace. On the way to Kedareshwara Temple is Basti-halli, a small hamlet that houses three Jain Temples dating back to the days of King Vishnuvardhana. The highlight of Parshwanatha Basadi, the largest of the three, is a mantapa with an array of thick perfectly cylindrical pillars.

In another corner of Halebeedu are remains of the old city, littered with broken remains of carved rocks. It is an archaeological survey site that hosts the remains of three temples, of which only the pedestals and some friezes have survived. However, the carved mass of rocks littering the area around the temple is an evidence of the glorious days that the kingdom had once witnessed. Today, creepers have grown over the rocks that were once caressed by the hands of the sculptor.

As I wandered around the Hoysala country, it is not just these land-mark temples that caught my attention. Even as I drove from one place to another, I kept observing hero-stones spread along the countryside that had their own stories to tell. In the villages were anonymous tem-ples with just one room but nevertheless filled with carvings of the same finesse as in the bigger temples. Every village in these parts had its own share of stories to tell. Discovered not far from Belur, at the village of Halmidi was the oldest inscription carved in Kannada script. Lo-cated at Angadi—a small village where the seeds of the kingdom were sown—were small temples dedicated to Shiva and Jain Teerthankaras that are perhaps more than a thousand year old.

According to sayings, Angadi is the place where Sala, the founder of Hoysala Kingdom, killed a tiger on instruction from his teacher. When a tiger entered Sudatta Muni’s class, the teacher asked his student Sala to strike the tiger. “Hoy, Sala,” ordered the guru, and Sala faced the tiger and killed it with bare hands. He went on to establish a kingdom later, which was named Hoysala. The image of a boy killing the tiger subsequently became the emblem of Hoysala Dynasty. It can be seen on the towers and entrances of many Hoysala Temples.

After nearly four hundred years of rule, the strength of the Hoysala Dynasty weaned due to their infighting and attacks from the command-ers of Delhi Sultanate. The rich land of Hoysalas was passed on to the hands of Vijayanagar Empire in the middle of fourteenth century. But contribution of Hoysala kings to the heritage of the region has survived even today, more than six hundred years after the end of the empire.

Getting thereBelur is 220km from Bangalore. Regular buses plying between Banga-lore and Chikmanglur stop at Belur. Nearest train station is at Hassan, 38km away. The nearest airport is at Mangalore, though Bangalore In-ternational Airport is better connected with rest of the country. Hale-beedu is a 20-minute drive from Belur.

We reccomendHoysala Village Resorts

Arun Bhat

You step into the office and find someone searching your desk frantically. ‘What’s wrong?’ you wonder, only to find your col-league smiling victoriously at a small scrap of paper he had found. Finally, it dawns on you; it’s the treasure hunt, of course!

Mission Adventure

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The Business Enterprise | Mar 2011

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Today, every other organisation is in-dulging in team-building activities. They have become an integral part

of the HR policies. Be it orientation for new joinees or workshops for the existing employ-ees, people everywhere try to connect with one another and organisations make it a point that they do so with positive attitude. It is very necessary to work as a team especially in the current scenario when any single step taken can construct/destruct your competi-tive edge.

But in many organisations, there is still a gap when it comes to effective team-building. The reason being, lack of understanding the basic motive. For team-building is not about making everyone think in one direction but it’s about discovering the differences and aligning them to achieve one common goal. This heavy weighted statement is not for your board room, the simple meaning is, everyone may not like theme parties!

If you want to inculcate that ‘fun factor’ at work, go ahead and make that call. Compa-nies do have their own concepts in organising such events and they may even be able to han-dle it all alone. But again, there is a chance that a small ingredient gets missed, so it is safer to opt for the Chef ’s special!! Such a special Chef is Greatwhite. It is an organisation which proves to be a guide for numerous activities. It includes rafting, camping, trekking, body surf-ing, expeditions, cliff jumping and what not!!

Fun intended!Often outdoor trips and team building activi-ties end up merely as a trip to the park or a picnic. Greatwhite saves you from becoming a part of the ‘picnic’. Yes, some things are best left to professionals. Also, it gives you the op-portunity to enjoy as much as others do while planning it.

Greatwhite gives you freedom to purely en-joy as all other responsibilities are handled by them. Accomodation, transportation, facili-tators are all a part of the package. Just give yourself some time ( say two nights and three days or two nights and one day, depending upon your schedule) and there, you’ll see ad-venture coming your way.

Adventure without safety factor becomes

void. So Greatwhite ensures that your safety comes first. Their facilitator Col Chan-drashekhar Manda is an adventure enthusiast with over 14 expeditions (aero, aqua and terra) to his credit. In fact, he has trekked most parts of Himalayas and climbed peaks in Kumaon, Garhwal and higher Himalayan Region. With

such an experienced lead, we surely are in safe hands.

Hammering headsHammerheads (no, this is not some adventure sports) is the official brand of Greatwhite which offers team-building activities. Ham-merheads offer customised training solutions (the term is for managers, for the rest, its ‘have fun your way’) which helps an individual to enhance his/her skills and also is beneficial for the whole team. Entire team gets to gel with and thus the lesson of ‘team work’ auto-matically gets inculcated. It may be said that the best way to learn things is the nursery way. You do and you learn and still you don’t feel the burden.

Their corporate team-building activities are interactive, full of adventure and emphasise business applications. They ensure to make your event cheerful, memorable and most im-portantly - result oriented. Having enjoyable time with your teammates helps maintain the positive attitude to work that generates com-mitment and job satisfaction. Hammerheads programmes are flexible enough to address many different issues, but one thing they have in common is that they are all set within a

framework of fun and enjoyment. The high-spirited members remind me of my school days where each day was fun. Remember those inventions that you would have made (either of rules or the game itself !). Adding newness to your daily regime gives you that enthusiasm to go to the same school or say your workplace every day.

Gossiping over coffee tables may have been your favourite pass time but that need not necessarily help in building relations. You can still gossip as its our birth right but true suc-cess depends on far more qualitative relations. This needs to work not only within teams but also on how you have balanced your personal and professional relations. Their team-build-ing activities help you strengthen your rela-tions as a team and also help you resolve the areas of conflicts.

In order to accommodate groups of all shapes, sizes and needs they have developed a large string of activities for fun, motivation, and energising, bonding or serious facilita-tion. This helps them to continuously provide extraordinary experiences and value to their customers. They offer half-day, full-day and multi-day team-building programs across In-dia at the site of your choice – indoor or out-door. Their innovative activities include pass de buck, leader’s den, human amoeba, spider drome etc. These are just the names and you cannot even imagine what fun would lie be-neath. There are more to it like trusting team, raid the terrorist and meet the oracle, balloon-o-mania …….and lot more. The names may not always reveal what is inside- so experience it to believe it!

All of these activities help in increasing the co-ordination between various levels of man-agement (both horizontally and vertically) and yes they give you a refreshing break from your work. So let’s unwrap those shoes as its time to fly high!

Shruti Bhargava

Fun unlimited

Greatwhite

Website: www.greatwhite.in/ www.hammerheads.in

Contact: 0124-4144288/+91-9818656981/ 0124-4144588.

Cost: Flexible for your group size/ pocket size. (By the way for the group size, we can say the more the mer-rier!!).

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There are brands galore around you but how much do you really know about them? Here’s a quick-fire round to tease your brains………….

1. What was CII earlier known as?

2. What does the sportswear brand Nike mean?

3. Taj Television Limited owns which 24-hours channel?

4. Which Nestle product borrowed its name from a Greek athlete?

5. Who said this, “Advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”?

6. What’s unique about Levi’s Red- Wire DLX jeans?

7. Which Hollywood studio did Coca-Cola own?

8. Which is the only Indian company that is among the top 5 manufacturers of leather footwear of the world?

9. Who said, “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.”

10. Which actress was Lux soap’s first brand ambassador?

11. ‘Life is One Incredible Journey’ is the baseline of which brand?

12. Where did Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani work as a gas-station attendant?

13. Which was the first bank to introduce ATMs in India?

14. Which was the first colour TVC in India?

15. Which is the first brand to get branding on trains in India?

16. How many icons are there in the new Unilever logo?

17. Who designed the famous ‘I love NY’ logo?

18. Who was the Director of Award winning ‘Happydent’ ad?

19. Whose slogan is ‘Finger licking good’?

20. Who created the famous ‘Hutch dog’ commercial?

1. Confederation of Indian Industry2. Victory.3. Ten Sports4. Milo 5. Jerry Della Femina 6. It’s the first i-Pod compatible jeans.7. Columbia Pictures

8. Liberty Footwear9. David Ogilvy 10. Leela Chitnis11. Outlook Traveller12. Aden, Yemen13. HSBC14. Bombay Dyeing in 1982

15. Pepsico’s Fritolays, Kurkure Masti exp16. 2517. Milton Glaser18. Ram Madhwani19. KFC 20. Mahesh V. and Rajeev Rao, Senior Crea-tive Directors at Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai.

Answers:

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Venting VirtuallyTwitters @MeetingBoy have become the hottest venting ground for the most frustrated, dejected and downright hilarious employees in cyberspace. It invites the unhappy working class to share their work gripes and the result is real life tweets that will have you giggling with glee. The following are some of our favourites:

My boss loves to say “I believe in transparency.” It means he loves to share management gossip to look like a big shot.

I’d like to get those organisers in Egypt to come to New York and orchestrate the ouster of my boss. Are they for hire?

I need to create a “you’re f@$%& kidding me” folder for my emails.

You know it’s a bad sign when you’re in an 8AM Monday meeting and someone says “Not to throw anyone under the bus...”

I think our company motto is “anything worth doing is worth meeting about 50 times and then half-a$&#%”.

...And I say unto you that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a man-ager to pass into Heaven.

Hey, everybody! My boss is running a special on poorly thought-out, unworkable ideas today. The

discount code is YESSIR.

Hallmark cards I’d like to see: “I’m so sorry your attempt to blame me for everything...”

People in other departments now respect us so lit-tle that they don’t even lie to us anymore.

I could write a book. A book called Patronizing Personal Advice From Idiot Bosses.

If it’s so damn urgent, don’t send 3 more reply-alls to make me look bad. Just f*$&% call me!

I have a dream you won’t follow up every email with a call about the email and then a visit to my desk about the call and email.

Never underestimate the stupidity of a client who thinks he knows everything.

Is he replaceable? Only if there’s a 180-pound rock that can keep his chair in place.


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NumerologyNow, go ahead and read what the future holds for you! If your number is:

OneSomething new is beginning; it’s like spring time for you with new happen-

ings on your career front. Everything you t r y turns into gold, you get more opportunities, and you could also become a stakeholder in new ven-tures and become a winner. Getting contracts, defeat-ing opponents in business, promotions, appraisals – everything will go in your favour.

On personnel front, a baby’s arrival or buying of home or even starting a new relationship or renew-ing marriage vows are all possible now! Guard against over-enthusiasm and unsafe risk taking.

An excellent period if you are CEO, entrepreneur businessman or decision makers. Lucky period for venture funding.

TwOSomething which began last year needs to be stabilised. This is also the time to asses

if you are on the right track, re-check your position and situation. The raise which you might get in this period or promotion which you get during this time could have a minor adjustment issue. You might have to take backseat and lay low on visibility side in office environments. Teamwork and cooperation will get highlighted in all your activities.

Don’t rest on laurels of your previous years but plan ahead in a consistent manner. Avoid being scapegoats for others and don’t let a powerful person take advan-tage as you are likely to be more complacent during these times. Keep your mood swings in check.

Excellent phase for professionals who are into

teaching, training and facilitating activities. It is also a good period for those behind the limelight like or-ganisers, planners and coordinators .

ThreeUnpredictable times with finances, small profit can come in, internal transfers,

horizontal movements are possible within the organisation. The ensuing month will be a strong period for networking and communication. It is the right time to increase knowledge, get into trainings and various social and professional groups. Good time to draft professional contracts and agreements.

Guard against scattering of thoughts and resources, too many activities and too many people might dis-tract you from your focus. You will have to manage and schedule your time with more efforts.

Great time for people in advertising industry, me-dia, telecom and those involved in network marketing.

FOurBest time to grow roots in your business, you will find yourself more focused and

organised than the last year. If you are try-ing for any administrative job or managerial position, you are likely to achieve success. Good time to take responsibilities or do an expansion in your area of interest - be it career, hobby or business. Gains and favours from patrons are more likely.

Guard against written and verbal misunderstand-ings. If you are signing papers, be extra careful with legal documents.

Good time for lawyers, business owners, financiers and venture funders.

The easy way to find how you are going to fare in this new year is by taking the help of Numerology . In order to find predictions for this new year according to Numerology, all you have to do is to add your date of birth+month of birth to current year. For e.g. if your birth date is 25 March - all you need to do is add 25+03+current year. There you have got your numerology number!

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Anjali Sinha

FiveYou might travel more due to your of-ficial work or various trainings. Doing

what you love in terms of hobbies and interests is a strong possibility. An official move or assignments to foreign lands is on cards.

An excellent time to be footloose! The only nega-tive aspect is overdoing things in terms of food, ro-mance and activities - so guard against late nights, too much partying and temporary relationships. Also, take caution against theft while travelling.

Good time for people in travel industry, event or-ganizers and cultural associations.

SixAt last, peaceful office atmosphere is a strong possibility. You find yourself pro-

moting team spirit and advocating win-win situations. Excellent time to collaborate with likeminded people and companies.Your dressing style is sharper and you take care of your official attire too. The right time to start colouring your greys and try-ing out new style and clothing. You are more receptive to suggestions and feedback.

Guard against complacency and lethargy.

Excellent time for people in food industry, theatre actors, artists and interior decorators.

SevenUpgrading your skills and knowledge is what this year brings you. You want to

increase your understanding about world, people and your subjects. Good time to introduce and participate in training programmes or to take up studies. The emphasis is on learning.

You can develop a relationship with people totally different from your own culture and country. You can meet your teacher or become a teacher or guide your-self. An interest in occult and esoteric science is a new development in your life.

Try to remain grounded and stable with all the new developments.

Great time for teachers, mentors, guides, trainers, coaches and students.

eighTAfter an introspective seven years, you now want to assert your new self which

might create problems with your profes-sional status-quos. You may get promoted with ad-ditional responsibilities or an adjustment may be needed to go ahead. Your focused approach will help you in your career. Right time to make long term financial plans. Be extra-careful in your professional communication.

Good time for entrepreneurs, business people, es-pecially those dealing in metals.

nineWhat begins comes to an end and then

begins again, this is the Universal Law. Thus, under this period of nine influences,

you are into introspective mode. You try to unlearn and absorb new patterns and let go of the old. Termi-nations or professional partings are made easier under these influences. Your way and attitudes with refer-ence to your work style is undergoing a major positive change. A crisis may awaken your inner strengths.

Good year for politicians, spiritual leaders and actors.

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The growing population of India – especially the senior citizens group – thanks to the improved medical

facilities and increased life expectancy rate is a known reality. The slow death of joint fami-lies, leaving the elders and youngsters to fend for themselves, is a sad truth. These two facts, combined with the need to live independently after retirement, leave a large number of sen-ior citizens looking to retire in comfort and freedom. Thus, there opens a huge market for developers and builders to look not just for business prospects but also as a means to serve

the retired section of the society.

While a few decades ago, retirement homes were attached with feelings of dread and an atmosphere of poverty, real estate developers have improvised on this concept by designing comfortable and secured retirement commu-nities. “The real estate market had gone down considerably in 2007, leaving developers to shift their focus to niche categories,” said Ramesh Nair, Managing Director, West India, Jones Lang Lasalle Properties. As the retirees provided a defined target in terms of age and

Retirement need not bring nightmares anymore; it’s time for the sumptuous

sixties.

Lap of lux uryrequired amenities, they became one of their foci. Hence grew the concept of luxurious re-tirement properties fondly called as ‘Comfort homes’, ‘Continuing Care Retirement Centre’ or ‘Assisted Living Communities’. An upgrad-ed version of the old-age homes, these initially focused on the elite upper classes; but soon developers started targeting the middle and upper middle classes too.

Ashiana Housing is one among them. Their Bhiwadi project in Rajasthan has 640 apartments spread over 15 acres, and is com-plete with residents. This has been well re-ceived making them confident to start simi-lar projects in Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Lavasa (Pune). Phase I of the Jaipur project is fully constructed and has started accommodating residents in their apartments that vary from 12-26 lakhs depending on the area. The Lava-sa project has started its construction. All of them titled ‘Ashiana Utsav’, they were initiated as a “dream project of the owner, Mr. Om Prakash Gupta to help the senior citizens lead a graceful and independent life in a commu-nity of their own,” according to Nivedita Raj, Executive Sales of the Utsav projects of Ashi-ana Housing. She adds, “Anyone above the age of 18 can buy a flat in this project even if the age limit for a person to stay here is 55 years,” – allowing youngsters to realise a secure and calm life after retirement. Apart from pro-viding the basic necessities, unlike other such projects, they also give the residents the liberty to bring their unmarried daughter, widowed daughter or daughter-in-law to permanently stay with them.

The senior citizen population is around 80 million today and is projected to double within a decade. And today’s working class is eventually going to contribute to the senior citizen population in large numbers by 2050. It is evident that a majority of them will want to shift to more peaceful and serene environ-ments with medical care facilities available 24x7.

A model necessarily influenced by similar colonies abroad, this trend is attracting more and more developers due to its huge profit margin and emerging target group. The real-tors who initially aimed at high profile char-tered accountants, lawyers, developers and bureaucrats are slowly shifting their attention

to retired government officers and professors who also need a relaxed environment to spend their retirement.

As city properties are bagged by offices and residential blocks, they are forced to seek land outside the city for such a facility. This actually proves to be an advantage as they can provide clean, congestion-free and noise-free areas for the retirees. Another added advan-tage is the availability of land in abundance, permitting them to design without being cautious of the congestion of the city. This land can be sumptuously utilised for creating considerable sized lawns for the residents to move about.

Healthcare is a priorityThe only fact to be aware of is the proximity of a multi-specialty hospital to the housing and the availability of the basic medical facili-ties in the premises. And most realtors insist on the same. “Retirees usually don’t persist on good climate or surroundings but insist on the provision of a good medical facility nearby,” said Mr. Nair.

Impact Projects Private Limited, has solved the issue by tying up with Fortis Healthcare and is therefore able to provide basic medical facilities within the premises with the hospital being just 3.5km away. “The firm had always believed that it was necessary to form partner-ships so that they can give a comprehensive set of services to their residents,” stated Jaiveer Singh, their Vice President. They have also tied up with Religare. Most of their units in Amritsar have already been sold and will be ready for occupation in a year; land has been bought in Himachal Pradesh for a similar pro-ject; and they are looking for land in Chandi-garh and the NCR. Targeting the upper mid-dle and middle classes, these 1,2,3 BHKs and penthouse units are all low-rise apartments ranging from 11-35 lakhs. They lease out the property for 20 years after which it reverts back to the company. Apart from the usual facilities, they also provide guest rooms for the visitors of the residents, yoga and meditation classes and indoor and outdoor sport facili-ties. Mr. Singh also opined that “the need for such projects is increasing as the Indian socie-ty has evolved and the seniors want themselves and their children to be independent.” This was evident as many of the retirees themselves

booked the apartments without financial aid from their children.

Thus, it’s apparent that retirement hous-ing is a lifestyle choice and in most cases, not the last option. Not only have the real-tors improved the product but the mentality of the elders seem to have revolutionised too. While the yesteryears saw the abandonment of parents hitting the headlines, today it is the parents’ cautious decision to fend for them-selves that surprise us. Before being plunged into sorrow due to neglect and desertion, they take the initiative and step back themselves.

By investing in luxurious retirement prop-erties, they are becoming self-sufficient once they retire. Gone are those days when elders wanted to spend time with their grandkids and children – taking care of them and play-ing a major role in their day-to-day decisions. They seem to covet the freedom and peace that is usually linked with life after 60. Many feel they are entitled to lead a life holding their heads high after retirement rather than running errands for the family.

Many NRIs want to settle in their home country after retirement and are searching properties that match the lifestyle they are used to in foreign countries. For others with children settled in another part of the coun-try, and in many cases, another part of the world, the move is a sensible one. Though they are offered to go and stay with them, many feel uncomfortable having to adjust to a whole new place or to impose. A retirement hous-ing with the best facilities in their own city couldn’t have come at a better time. Their chil dren are also allowed to free themselves of the guilt of not caring for their parents as these provide better facilities than an old-age home but simultaneously are not a compromise to their lifestyle.

Paranjape schemes started out focusing on such retirees. They were probably the initia-tors for such a concept as the construction of their luxurious apartments in Pune started in 2001. Called ‘Athashri’, they already have six projects to their credit, and are looking to set up more both in and out of the country. The properties are managed by a non-profit organization called ‘Athashri Foundation’ to ensure efficient functioning, including the

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Continuing Care Units that houses the physi-cally challenged. Presently their apartments in Bangalore are available for Rs.2600/sq.ft.

These projects create a whole community of senior citizens which gives them the op-portunity to connect with people their own age. They are able to form groups for various activities which build their social life. Such communities also help them to form an ex-tended family that helps deal with the loss of a life partner and loneliness. This beats an in-dependent house or an apartment in the city with no suitable community life. What’s more, they are provided with comforts that are not found at a normal apartment complex.

Facilities on callFood, on-call doctor, infirmary, laundry, housekeeping are some of the basic facilities available at any old age home. But adding to the list is the availability of a whole apart-ment or villa to themselves, manicured lawns, elders-friendly environment, hi-tech security, intercom facility, clubhouse and other recrea-tional facilities that make this concept more appealing. Another attractive facility offered, and probably the most important one, is the services provided to pay their bills and fetch the basic groceries. What’s more, many such properties allow for trial stay with a fee, which enable the people to choose from the increas-

ing varying options they are presented with. While many such projects have surfaced only in the last few years, there are some which have been around for two decades now. One among them is the Naya Jyoti Model Seniors’ Home in Panaiyur on the outskirts Chennai. This has existed for over fifteen years and houses 42 rooms for anyone above 55 years of age. An organisation that has become famous by word-of-mouth, they house mostly retired artists, teachers, writers and government offi-cials. Many of them have come here as they have NRI children, for medical assistance or because they felt that their houses in the city were not safe enough. Ms. S.Vembu, an 81-year old retired headmistress, came here six months back, following her two sisters. “We feel very comfortable and safe. The food is good, rooms are big and the surroundings with the beach nearby are suitable for walk-ing. We also have a driver who takes us to the city for appointments and errands.” She is also working from the home and is about to add a third book of poems to her credit.

enjoying the twilightThe lack of employment that bothered the retirees led to the decision to employ them within these communities itself. The Senior Citizen Resort, that has recently become the Senior Citizen Centre, has a Secretary, Presi-dent and Treasurer amongst themselves. Lo-

cated on the East Coast Road, near the MGM amusement park in Chennai, the organisation has housed many residents who have retired from respectable positions since 1984. While in the beginning, it lent out the units for a de-posit and monthly charges, the same have been given as owned properties to the residents four years back keeping their deposit as the sell-ing price. Mr. Ramamoorthy, the presiding secretary stated that, “As you grow older, you would like to be independent. When we gave ownership rights, it was to make the residents feel responsible and the property becomes their investment.” Today, however, the single and double cottage units range between five to six lakhs and 10-12 lakhs respectively, and a monthly charge is taken for food, electric-ity and maintenance. Many of the residents accept that they have come here voluntar-ily to lead a tranquil and relaxed retirement. The Centre has recently tied up with Lifeline Hospital to open a 24 hour clinic within the premises that will also serve the locals.

‘Old is gold’ is a very famous saying, and probably best understood by realtors and property developers. While they can expect handsome returns, there is also the inner sat-isfaction of helping seniors to lead a peaceful retirement.

Show-st erAudi unleashes the breathtaking Audi R8 5.2 FSI with high performance V10 engine in India

Audi, the German luxury car manufac-turer, announced the launch of the much awaited all new Audi R8 5.2

FSI for India, thereby strengthening its leader-ship position in the super sports car segment in January 2011. Propelled by a powerful V10 quattro engine and built using the lightweight Audi Space Frame (ASF) design, the new Audi R8 V10 goes from zero to 100 km/h in a mere 3.9 seconds, boasting of a top speed of 316 km/h. The Audi R8 5.2 FSI is priced at INR 1,32,49,000 (ex-showroom Maha-rashtra) , INR 1,35,00,000 (ex showroom Chennai)

The new Audi R8 5.2 FSI is firmly rooted in Audi’s great motorsport tradition. The Audi R8 5.2 FSI will be available with a man-ual six-speed transmission or R tronic which enables the driver to change gears in an instant via rocker switches on the steering wheel. The quattro permanent all wheel drive technology used along with the ‘Launch Contro’ func-tion, which is integrated with both types of transmission, helps maintain absolute stability and driving comfort while catapulting the car forward from a standing start to give owners a premium performance car experience.

Built of aluminum in the Audi Space Frame design, this high performance automobile weighs a mere 210 kgs without compromising on handling, drive quality and safety stand-ards. The exterior of the Audi R8 5.2 FSI is refreshed with newly designed sideblades to increase air intake and maximize performance. A very distinctive design highlight of the R8 V10 is the all-LED headlights as standard equipment.

Completely hand-built with an extensive list of standard equipment, the Audi R8 5.2 FSI is customizable right down to the finest detail, giving performance car enthusiasts an abso-lutely premium experience. Precisely stitched interiors for leather packages add to the luxu-riousness of the segment defining Audi R8 5.2 FSI.

In 2010, Audi sold 3003 units, exceeding targets to achieve record growth of 81%. For 2011, Audi India will continue to expand its product lineup and deliver path breaking and award winning automobiles to customers in India.

Audi India is also focused at strengthening its dealer network across India with the forth-

coming openings of showrooms in Delhi and Ludhiana. Last year, the company inaugurated showrooms in Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Bengaluru.

The Audi model range in India includes Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Audi TT and the super sports car Audi R8. The entire Audi model range is available across the country: in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hy-derabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai West and Pune. Further develop-ments include Surat, Mumbai South, Coim-batore, Indore and Lucknow.

audi aGThe Audi Group sold around 1,092,400 cars of the Audi brand in 2010. The company in 2009 posted revenue of € 29.8 billion and an operating profit of € 1.6 billion. Audi In-dia’s countrywide vehicle sales for 2010 were 3,003 cars (81 percent growth). The produc-tion of the new Audi A1 has been running at the Brussels plant since May 2010. The company is active in more than 100 markets worldwide.

(Courtesy: Audi Chennai & Audi Bengaluru)

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Hear me outPortable speakers that can be coupled with your system, mobiles and players can get your boss satisfied and bring down the tensions. Wireless speakers that are

both portable and with great audio quality are abundant in the market. Gift them and see your boss dancing, if not to

your tunes, at least to your speakers.

Watch outIf your boss is a regular workout enthusiast or someone who likes data very much

in everything he/she does, digital watches are the things to go for. Watches that can monitor the heart rate, calories burnt, stopwatch mode, memory capacity for data, multi function alarms and more can be great gifts. And a vibrant one from

the regular boring quartz watches.

Yours SincerelyIs the birthday of your boss around the corner? Give him/her something to remember you by. Here’s our countdown on the best bets for the busy heads.

Giving gifts in at the workplace is an important trend in current professional scenario and has become a workplace etiquette. When chosen and used properly, the gifts can be more than just something put in a gift wrap. They can create a great working relationship between you and your boss, in a way helping you to advance in your job. So what can you gift your boss? A one way ticket to Iraq or anything that reflects personal vendetta is out of the question, regardless of how you feel about him or her. Gadgets can become one’s favourite and make wonderful gifts. Here’s a list on some options that you can get for your boss.

Smile pleaseDigital photo frames are a great way to show your affection, to share and to keep the memories alive. Digital photo frames make for an ideal gift when

it comes to a much personal choice. While most digital frames display only photos, some may support movie clips or load pictures from internet. Load them up with pictures of your boss with your team, company outings etc.

Coffee DayAn office without coffee is unimaginable. And with coffee makers, you can gift your boss the perfect coffee experience any time of the day. You would also be rewarded for making

sure he/she doesn’t fall asleep during the working hours by gifting the coffee maker.

What: Sony Walkman A-series

Why: Ultra bright 2.8 inch OLED screen, digital noise cancellation, full S-master digital amplifier, 31 hrs music, 9 hrs video playback, multi format support (MP3, AAC, WMA, AVC, MPEG-4, Linear PCM , JPEG, name it, you have it!).

What: Philips PhotoFrame SPH8008/10

Why: Imagen Pro-image enhancement technology, 4:3 aspect ratio, Radi-antColor, built-in battery, automatic slideshows and it’s green!

What: Casio SGW200

Why: 31 time zones, running measure-ment - distance, energy consumption, average pace and number of steps, stopwatch, data storage for workouts and laps.

Our picks

You can make your own choice apart from these as you only can be the one to judge what your boss likes or dislikes. But just remember, it isn’t the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it.

In charge on the move

Car gadget charger - nothing new in here but a resourceful option. Car gadget chargers are available in

every size and shape. Chargers with multi-plug sockets, USB port, wireless and what not. They are a perfect choice

for your boss to charge mobile phones (when he’s not blasting you or anyone else), mp3 players and more.

Some ‘myspace’Data storage devices - Not just 4GB or 8GB USBs. Try the latest sleek, external hard disks that offer more than 1TB storage space. You can load them with movies, songs

and pictures to give it a personal note.

Music mantraMP3 and Media players- Although now the need of mp3 players are scarce, thanks to the mobile phones and their competitive features, one cannot get the complete

satisfaction of hearing music the way it is intended to be. MP3 players have a much longer battery life and are easier to operate. Apple’s iPod nano, iPod classic and

iPod touch, Sony’s walkman series and others offer music and videos to take your mind off the work. Or make your boss take his/her mind off you.

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1 Year 2 Year 3 Year

XchangeThis column is a virtual meeting place for companies or individuals in need of funding and angel investors or venture capitalist firms.

Helion AdvisorsHelion Advisors is a $350 million multi-stage, India-focused venture capital fund, investing in technology-powered businesses and the Indian consumer services space. The sectors that the fund focuses on include outsourcing, internet, mobile, technology products, retail services, education and financial services. The fund invests in innovative technology-powered companies that either target India as a market for their products or services or as a strategic resource base to serve global customers most efficiently.

Helion partners portfolio companies by engaging with the leadership and operational teams in multiple areas such as strategy formulation, organisational development, executive recruitment, finance, merger & acquisitions and so on. The Helion philosophy of ‘active capital’ thus lays strong emphasis on both building excellence in operational areas and mentoring on ‘strategy’; working closely with entrepreneurs as they navigate challenges of building world-class organisations.

anGels WanteD!

Focus

The

Client Code: TBEE0004Project: To launch an innovative Indian eatery

chainInvestment size: Rupees One to Two Crores

Investment deadline: February 28, 2011-----------------------

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Project: To launch a national chain of gynecology and child-care clinics

Investment size: Rupees Seven to Ten CroresInvestment deadline: March 15, 2011

Interested investors or VC firms may contact us at [email protected] with the client code mentioned in the subject line. Entrepreneurs seeking investment can also write in to the same id.

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Hi, I work for the Hotel industry. Within the first few months, I had built a strong rapport with clients and with my senior

managers. Problem came up in the form of my immediate boss – she stopped every communication I had with my senior managers and stopped me from doing any resolution calls with clients. I am left to do all the paperwork for her (which I don’t get credit for). How do I get around this? - NM, Mumbai

Let me first congratulate you on your rapport building skills. For, this one skill will help you achieve what you want. While your rapport with your clients and senior managers are strong it is not the case with your immediate boss. So my invitation would be to work on building and strengthening your rapport with your boss which will eventually help you get what you want. Remember your boss is a human being and she could be feeling insecure or threatened because of your rapport building skills. Most important, keep it simple.

Hi, everybody in my team has this issue with our Team Lead. He gives us certain instructions for the job and once it’s done,

he goes back on his words and asks us to do it in a different fashion, insisting that’s what he asked in the first place. What do we do? -Suraj, Pune

Simple - can everybody in your team request your Team Lead to minute the instruction so then it goes on record. Re-check with him and the team if they have a clear understanding and then execute the job. Doing this leads to having an excellent team and also in saving a lot of time.

My boss is generally a nice guy but he has an annoying habit. After whiling away the entire day, he starts work at 6PM and

expects the rest of us (who have been working from 9 AM) to work with him on the project till midnight. He often asks us to work on

weekends even when it is not required. Is there a way out? - Priya, Bengaluru.

Hi Priya, You boss’s annoying habit is harming the company’s overall employee - employer relationship interests. People who recognise this habit would complain to HR manager and if it does not work out then they would switch jobs which is an assets loss. Your boss being an evening person is fine but not his employees. Please be assertive in expressing what you want. Do remember people who work long hours are less productive than people who stick to time.

Hello Ramesh, I have a problem with the appraisal in my office. We find that everyone gets the same rating, despite putting in

different efforts. What is the point in working hard, when somebody who just signs attendance everyday gets the same rating as you? - Sajini Rajasekar, Chennai

Hi Sajini, when it comes down to appraisal what comes about evident with 90% of the employees in the corporate world is that they either grumble or remain a mute spectator to the ratings given. The best people like you who work hard do is, switch job. But that is not the solution because it could be no different in your next job. Companies have annual budget on which annual increments are worked out and based on this ratings are concluded. So do remember this is negotiation time and yes please ask for what you think is what you deserve. Support your work with evidence and I am sure you will be rewarded.

Q

Q

Q

Q

Ramesh Prasad is Life Coach & NLP Trainer with about 20 years of experience with the corporate world across various industries. You can reach him at [email protected]

CRIBORNER


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Mail your entries (within 30 words) to [email protected] with ‘contest ‘in the subject line on or before March 15, 2011.

We were never really surprised by the overwhelming response to this column. Still, thank you readers for sharing your frustration with us by sending in some really creative nicknames for your bosses. Here is our pick of the lot:

Spam - VV, BengaluruCandy pants - S K, ChennaiHappy Feet - AR, Mumbai

The winner VV takes home a Tony & Guy gift voucher. Congratulations!

* As said, we have refrained from using abusive entries.

Now that you have vented it out on your bosses, this month dish the dirt on your clients. Share with us a funny client episode and win a quirky corporate gift.Sample this: Client: My monitor has problems. CC agent: What is it, ma’am? Client: It’s blank.

CC agent: Did you plug the power switch on? Client: You never told me that!!!CC agent: ???!

Got an idea? Well, share it with us.

Punching

bag

Name this product, give it a tag line and win exciting prizes.

Winning entry for last issue:

Mist - magic in a bottle

- Gowri Jayalakshmi, Chennai

Other interesting entries include:

Action - Bound to happen, Raji, Mumbai

Breeze - The kiss of fresh air, Ramkumar, Hyderabad

Brand-ishIt is a timeless masterpiece!


NGAGE76

Opportunity knocks every monthYour Next stepBanking, accounts, NBFS and Insurance ITES, BPO, KPO, Collection and Recovery

Recruitment Services and Staffing

Marketing Executive Global ConsultantDelhi-NCR, 0-2 Years: Role includes generating new business by identifying potential clients, business development, client visits. Candidate with good communication, presentation and negotiation skills are required.Shine Job Id - 199062

FPC - BrokerESJOBSDelhi-NCR, 0-2 Years: Responsibilities include direct selling of life insurance products through broker channel. Candidate will have to explore customer database of assigned broker and will have to sell Life insurance products.Shine Job Id - 194966

Relationship ManagerA client of axis consultancyBangalore, 1-3 Year: Responsibilities include cross-Selling to exist-ing customers, acquisition of new customers,provide solutions to the customers financial needs and deliver the desired revenue target numbers.Shine Job Id - 171446

Relationship ManagerIndia Infoline LtdKolkata, 0-2 Years: Responsible for generating leads, client acquisi-tion, selling demat/trading account,educating clients on services offered and market scenario, achieving monthly sales target.Shine Job Id - 197857

Associate Financial Services ManagerA Client of TALENT GROWTH INTERNATIONALGoa, 0-1 Years: Candidate required with willingness to work in (insurance/banking/financial services ) sales and ready to take targets.Shine Job Id - 228109

Finance ExecutiveClarity ConsultingDelhi-NCR, 1-4 Years: Candidate will be primarily responsible for risk and control advisory services to external customers.Compliance with BPRS Methodology, work plans and activities.Shine Job Id - 240585

Management Trainee-ProductionTNQ Books and JournalsChennai, 0-1 Year: Candidate should be able to handle live pro-duction of assigned projects immediately after the completion of training under appropriate supervision. Role also includes develop-ing strong inter-personal relationships with everyone in the team.Shine Job Id - 198748

Team Leader / Team ManagerTru-itsolutionsMumbai-Thane, 1-3 Years: Required MBA, graduate or any degree with relevant experience in BPO. Should have good com-munication skills.Shine Job Id - 199705

Healthcare and Pharma

Project ManagerStaffing Leaders IncDelhi-NCR, 1-3 Years: “BE+MBA or MA+MBA or M.Sc + MBA to handle project management or planning and market analysis for vaccine and/or biopharmaceutical products experi-ence in time and budget dependent operation management. Shine Job Id - 223941

Market Research AnalystGenuine Management Services Pvt LtdDelhi-NCR, 0-2 Years: “Reponsibilities include creating writ-ten (primarily PPT) and oral presentations for client delivery, monitoring client deliverables for quality assurance,cross-tabu-lating syndicated research data sets and identifying key insights relevant to pharma or healthcare clients”Shine Job Id - 234707

IT(Software, Dotcom, Infra.Mgmt.& UI Design)

Advertising, MR, Event and PR Management

Associate - Corporate SalesSohum Management Services Mumbai-Thane, 1-4 Years: Required a management graduate with ex-cellent communication and presentation skills. Should be experienced in corporate selling, ad sales, event sales, sponsorships and concept sell-ing. Shine Job Id - 200431

Data AnalystMaFoi Management Consultants LtdBangalore, 0-1 Years: Role includes transaction pro-cessing various oracle applications like installed base, contracts, order administration etc.Shine Job Id - 212466

Direct Marketing ExecutiveTesto Engineering Works Pvt LtdPune, 1-2 Year: Role includes dealing with current cli-ents, market analysis, develop new clients, client calling, giving demo of software to client, marketing of various products of the company, co-ordinating with the software team. All sales related documentation & reporting etc.Shine Job Id - 233313

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54RATING

60 SecondsIt’s your take on food, shopping, movies, books and life!

Wrong at National Market of Bangalore caters to the funky stuff any guy or girl would like to possess to carry off that high level of attitude. Their exhaus-

tive collection of watches, funky show pieces, skull caps, ear studs, rings and scarves are bound to blow your mind. The store also caters to simply, yet elegant bags and purses our ladies would die for.Perfumes of numerous famous brands are also part of the exhaustive list of items at ‘Wrong’ and yes, which are sold out like hot potatoes. So readers, hurry up and grab your picks at Wrong to give yourself a personality makeover. You can never go ‘wrong’ with them!- Lydia, Software firm, Hyderabad.

SHOP

53.5RATING

It is that season of the year when you have all screens wooing you with rom-coms and true to that trend, this Valentine weekend had ‘no strings attached’! Emma (Natalie Portman) and

Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are trying to work out a relationship that is purely physical. The first part is fast paced as they move in and out of bedrooms, hospital dorms and showers. But

eventually cupid decides to strike the ‘friends with benefits’ and they slowly move towards the predictable happy ending. If you are out with a date and do not mind seeing some steam and

some sentiments thrown in, this one is for you. - K Giridhar, Research Analyst, Bengaluru.

SCOOP

53.5RATING

Robusta, one of the most new and happening cafe and Sheesha joints of Chennai at Kilpauk attracts young office-goers. The air conditioned red and black ambience as well as the casual sit out is an added attraction. Young boys and girls are seen having a fantabulous time sipping on their coffee and binging on

the junk but yummy food almost at any time of the day. Like all cafes not everything is hunky-dory. Though we often see customers cribbing about the bad taste of music the Café has, we need to give it to them for the

brilliant service by their staff and all time valet service for four wheelers. One would not think twice to visit Robusta for the second and more times.- Namratha, Scope International, Chennai.

SLURP

54RATING

‘The Science of Kissing’ by Sheril Kirshenbaum is not exactly an eye-opener but yes, it does tell you a couple of things about how kissing had evolved with us and why some second dates never hap-pen, and how the entire time, we smell and seek the ‘Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)’ to figure out a possible mate.It is a very a dry book for such a wet topic. It nevertheless dissects without mercy the seemingly most romantic action of any love affair. Read it to realise the know-how behind kissing but do not try to decode your partner’s genes while doing the act. Seriously, our body knows better (without research)!- Patrick Xavier, Finance firm, Delhi.

Corporate employees can mail us crisp reviews at [email protected] on or before March 20, 2011. For Please mention

your full name, designation and company information for publication.

SCAN

54RATING

The sea beckons me but I have decided to laze instead.- Mohammed Shaharin, Hewlett Packard, Chennai.

SNAP

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Looking at the system – Working, staring at the system – Pretendingto work, smiling at your system –

your GF/BF’s chat message has justpopped in.

You should either be good at the job or good at lying to be

hired.

Arun R

amkum

ar

In life or in business, there is always a touch of irony that plays subtly with everyday events. Here’s to the lighter side of life.

Arun R

amkum

ar

They spend 8 hours a day listening to people telling them how *****their product is – Customer Care department.

““

A person who’s willing to tell the boss what he thinks about him onthe face – an ex-em-ployee.

Marketing – sell-ing something you wouldn’t buy in the first place

““


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