Have u heard of ‘EFCS’ philosophy?

Since time immemorial, we follow the tradition of “customer is king”, “customer first”, “customer is always right” etc, but as things are drastically changing in this contemporary business world, new philosophies of management are evolving to survive & excel.  I was amazed when I heard first about the concept of ‘employees first, customers second’ which has become a universal phenomenon & set a benchmark for good people management practices. ‘EFCS’ is notified as the “world’s most modern idea” by fortune magazine. The architect behind bringing employees as priority for the organizational excellence is  Mr Vineet Nayar, vice-chairman & joint MD of HCL technologies Ltd.

Since employees are the face of the organization, if they are delighted in turn the customers is delighted generating tangible & intangible assets.  Transformation doesn’t happen in a day or two; the responsibility for change is not only for management but for the entire human resource in the organization.  Management is equally accountable for the employees who create value.  This generation is of employee empowerment, two way dialogue mechanism, system transparency, common goals & interest & understanding the needs & wants of employees. Turning the organizational pyramid upside down will not only boost fresh talent, creativity, profitability, growth, retention, customer satisfaction but in the long run aid in recession proofing & change management.

I am a people person who believes if the employees grow the organization grows, after all everybody needs a secured & happy work-life balance. Only mutual trust & benefit can make dreams come true.

Hope this piece of information was refreshing & we all aim to work with an organization practising ‘EFCS’ philosophy.

If you want some more in-depth knowledge about EFCS, you can visit the link below:

http://www.slideshare.net/hcl/employee-first-customer-second

WHAT AN EMPLOYEE WANTS...

A variety of opinion comes when we talk about hiring & retaining employees.  Presently, I am working in a real estate company where stability is minimal & professionalism is on its way to perfection. While analyzing an employee's career wants & needs, I have come across some very interesting facts which I would like to share with all. 

What an employee wants?

1.“I want... A job that gives me the chance to be creative

2.“I want... A career and not just a job”

3.  “I want... The opportunity  to enhance my career”

4.  “I want... A company that makes me feel an important part of the team”

5.  “I want... A company that invests in people”

6.  “I want... A job that gives me the chance to be creative”

7.  “I want... A career and not just a job”

8.  “I want... To work for a company that recognizes my achievements”

9.  “I want... A job that gives me the right work-life balance”

10.        “I want... A Company that really listens to its people

Useful guidelines to hire the best candidates

Reliability of candidate’s resume is not 100% many a times the recruiter has to validate the credentials & statements tactfully.

Here are some tips you can use to ensure hiring the best candidate:

1.      Verify details: Cross check the dates, work history details etc. as given in the resume. Make sure you have a verification process in place and can double-check the facts given.

2.      Scrutinize:  Too much of job hopping, no sound reason for leaving an employer or even long periods of self employment. Anything and everything that raises the slightest doubt and does not have a proper explanation should be investigated further.

3.      Hiring Checklist:  The checklist for hiring an employee keeps your recruiting efforts on track and communicates progress to interested employees and the hiring manager.

4.      Pre-screening: You can determine whether their salary expectation is matching with your job. A skilled telephone interviewer will also obtain evidence about whether the candidate may fit within the organization.

5.      Background check & references: Effective background checks are one of the most important steps when hiring an employee. You need to verify that all the presented, sterling credentials, skills, and experience are actually possessed by your candidate.

6.      Social Networking Sites: Use social networking sites to get more information on candidate profiles. The information on public domains will help you verify the details submitted by the candidates in their resumes. The candidate's behaviour on social networking sites will also give an added insight into the person's nature, attitude and possible work ethic. (This is method is indeed proven one.)

7.      Skill Tests:  Make sure you take relevant skill test & just do not go by the resume statements.

8.      Intuition: Last but not the least, trust your intuition. Your intuition and sixth sense can judge about how right the candidates are than any physical verification process. If your sixth sense tells you something is not right, do not ignore it, but follow up on it.

A small initiative: Christmas celebration plan in the office

I took a small step to make a fun environment in the office & break the monotony.

Though it’s a sales organization employees rarely have time to spend in the office but somehow I managed to engage all. Christmas Celebration started with daily events till the Christmas Eve. 

The entire office is decorated & lighted up, similar to the heart of our personnel. 

Program listed below:

Day 1-Picking Santa & Child, all the employee names are written in small chits & one who picks the name becomes the Santa for the person whose name is written in the paper.

Day 2-Surprise Gift for the Child from the Santa

Day 3- Thank you note to the Child & anybody one feels like. Purpose to gather maximum thank you notes for the most liked employee.

Day 4- Surprise Token of Thanks from the company to all employees. HR has to arrange.

Day 5- Revealing the secret Santa & Celebration with Cake cutting. One of the employee dresses up like Santa & distributes sweets to all.

 It is very important for Employees to miss their organization remembering Happy & good memories.

TAKING THE BIG LEAP IN ONES CAREER

How can one take the successful leap in career? Stepping the next step in job ladder isn’t      that easy. An opportunist should always have a mentor. Follower can become a leader in time if he not only goes behind his boss but learns his strategic footsteps. I would like to share few key points:

1)      Scrutinize & understand your mentor.

2)      Decision making-let it be small decisions gradually you will discover the ability to make bigger decisions in career.

3)      Taking responsibilities-don’t be scared to experiment with your skills. Learn from others mistake & you shouldn’t feel defeated before fighting the battle.

I have observed employees with similar qualification, experience, work, skills & projects bringing different results. What makes someone rise in organization while others stuck to the same position for years? My experience says, let it be any situation OBSERVE-LISTEN CAREFULLY-ANALYSE-THEN REACT. Never take any step in hurry or with half knowledge, give sometime to your brain to exercise & remove the rust from time to time.

Important qualities to become a leader/boss/manager

1)      Empathize employee & treat others as you want yourself to be treated.

2)      Understand your team strengths & weaknesses before assigning task.

3)      Take time to train effectively & let your sub-ordinates absorb the material.

4)      Authority & responsibility goes hand in hand in higher hierarchy

5)      Lead by your examples & follow what you say.

6)      There is never an end to learning; we can learn both from lower & higher levels in the organization.

7)      Always remember no degree can swap maturity & experience so act accordingly.

Last but certainly not the least always remember, the phrase...

“A MAN LEARNS THAT HIS FATHER WAS RIGHT, WHEN HIS SON TELLS HIM THAT HE IS WRONG.”

Effective Interview Strategy for Interviewers

    Today, I will discuss on Structured interview pattern, which is planned in nature & formal in conduct. There are two type of interview i.e., Structured & unstructured interview. Since, I have worked in non-IT sector, so this session is mostly helpful for interviewing experienced employees in similar domain. I have implemented an interview strategy wherein initials rounds of interview is general & work related with HR & Managers, once the candidate is shortlisted, then we conduct a detailed discussion round with full preparation of what the organization wants & what are the goals of the candidate. 
Some common questions to be asked specially for senoir level management positions are listed below:

1.     How do you think we can achieve our organizational mission & goals.

2.     What responsibilities will be there at the level you have applied for.

3.     Strategic planning for projects/targets.

4.     Situational questions based on real time scenerio of the organization. 

5.     To what extend you have handled pressure in your last organization.

6.     What is passionating  about this industry & your job.

7.     What commitments you have towards your career & employer.  

      I have also prepared a checklist which has helped me in rating candidates on various parameters important for the position & relevant to the organization. Planning is very important for every professional in all the spheres of work, lack of proper planning leads to wastage of precious time. 

     Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.

By Carl Sandburg

            

There Is More Than One Way Of Expressing The Truth

    Once Emperor Akbar dreamt that he had lost all his teeth except one & the following morning he summoned all the astrologers of his territory to interpret the dream. The result was stated that all the Emperor’s relatives will die before him. Akbar was very upset with the interpretation and sends away all the astrologers without any reward. When Birbal, the Royal adviser of the Emperor, heard about the dream he replied that this dream actually meant that Akbar would live a longer and more fulfilled life than any of his relatives. Akbar was pleased with his explanation & rewarded him generously.

     Management moral:  There is more than one way of expressing the truth. Sometimes the worst shortcomings can be discussed without stepping on the corns or touching a raw nerve. If it is necessary to resort to a bitter pill in the course of your duty as a manager, there is always the option of using a sugar coating to soften the harshness & it can turn out to be worthwhile.

     It is a matter of seeing a glass as half full or half empty. The fact is the same, only individual perceptions vary.

Source: Solve your problems-The Birbal way

This lesson is not only for corporate life but also applies to our day-to-day chores. 

Regards

Ms Birbal ;)