Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Indian companies need competent HR professionals

Any wonder what the acronym HR means in India --"Human Resource," "Human Recruitment," "Human Relations" or what an employee recently coined "Humiliation Resource."

Any discussion on organizations is perhaps incomplete without pondering on its HR practices and HR health. Inspite a booming economy Indian companies have always grappled with HR issues that never seem to end. For many the high attrition rates are a direct indicator of any organizations HR health. After all its the HR Deptt. that is responsible for the fundamental "organizational culture." And the system appears to be worsening by the day.

For experts high attrition rate symbolizes a heathy economy. Enormous opportunities, they say, are driving the youth to seek fatter salary packages. Companies, on the other hand, see attrition as the organization's inability to match the industry-standard salary packages. In essence both these perspectives are flawed at the very core.

The current issues of employee-retention is a fabulous creation of shabby HR practices -- a creation of ill-bred and half-baked HR professionals, most of whom owe their knowledge to C-grade run-of-the-mill institutes strewn across India. For most HR activity relates only to "Recruitments".

Rising attrition rates is a direct reflection of the HR incompetency. HR Departments, for one, are now endowed with the skills, competency and knowledge to map individual needs and organizational goals -- a prerequisite while recruiting resources. Today very few Indian HR professionals appreciate the immense potential of on-demand training and e-learning. For them these are jargons that typically signify nothing. No wonder that HR Departments in Indian companies (barring a few well-structured companies) has now come to be seen as a very low-end and low-dignity assignment in the management spectrum.

MAP YOUR ORGANIZATION'S HR HEALTH ...
To clearly understand how the HR is setting back your organization try answering the following questions:

1. Has your HR Department ever asked you to submit your training needs?

2. Did you ever meet a matured HR professional in your current company who has offered you matured and sensible personal advice?

3. Can your HR department put a box soliciting annonymous letters about the issues that concern employees?

4. How many HR professionals within your organization are employee-friendly?

5. Do you think that the HR department in your organization are spies of the senior management and cannot be trusted with personal information.

6. How many HR professionals in Indian companies have a good understanding of the company's line of business?


7. Can you approach your HR Deptt. in case any conflicting situation with your immediate superior?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

good writeup...forces us to sit and think.

Anonymous said...

Ya..I have myself experienced that the HR departments in Indian companies is simply the most hated in the company...thanks for capturing such a issue in this.

Anonymous said...

Quite a logical article. Surely makes me think...

Unknown said...

Ya very true. Every company should take HR issue as a serious one and should improvise it.

Anonymous said...

HR never was and will not be your silver bullet. Attrition in India today has more to do with the current job market climate than the competencies of your HR team.

Unknown said...

thank you for nice story

Unknown said...

thank you for nice post

Anonymous said...

Interesting article...I think HR in India is still living in the era when HR was all about hiring and firing and disciplinary actions...it hasn't grown further where the employees or internal clients are treated at par with external ones...though we have been part of activities you mentioned in your questionnaire or the article but it was more like a haley's comet or the result of HR head's soaring enthusiasm after attending a seminar or conference...I think its time HR people all across country to wake up from their long mental hibernation and finally start thinking beyond people(i.e hiring n firing) to issues that bother them.

Arun_Babbar said...

we need to answer a basic questions - do we really need HR department at all ? what are they doing ? just presentations. Two big challange they have not been able to resolve are : how to retain talent in any organisation and how to develop leaders for tomorrow.........they need to think and then ACT !

Anonymous said...

Good write up....but the 1 question which I feel any company should answer is " Where is todays HR people's limits lies?" One needs to decide whether HR is just a consultancy area or should be made a part of Top managers where they can also voice their issues.

Bobby said...

Hi,
Yes i agree that HR issue should be taken seriously in India.Have had many unfruitful experiences here in India.
well nice case study and good informative post,Fantastically thought provoking information.
Thanks for sharing
Keep doing the good work.

Rockyveiw said...

thanks for your post...

i agree with your view that in HR practices is considered to be as an additional activities in organizations, also in PSU.

HR practices must be taken as an important practice so that the most important asset of an organization can be managed efficiently and hence effectiveness of organization can be improve.

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