Monday, November 26, 2012

HR plays a significant role in turnaround situations by creating and deploying people strategies.

As a first step, we conducted several group sessions to gauge the pulse of employees. The exercise provided valuable insights. These were used to create focused communication to address the insecurities and issues faced by them. Over 20 sessions were conducted by a team of managers to communicate “what’s happening and why”, “what can be the possible outcome” and “the available opportunities in the new environment”.

To ensure the message was right and consistent, briefings were conducted in partnership with the HR team. Performance appraisals were conducted in a fair and transparent manner. It ended with promotions and enhanced responsibilities to deserving individuals. Rather than cutting costs on training, we invested in development programmes in the areas of skill enhancement, change and leadership management. The assurance of job security provided stability to the environment. All this was further supported by conceiving an atmosphere of energy and positive change – billboards of success stories were introduced. ‘Wall of Fame’ and ‘Appreciation Wall’ were launched by employees.

Moreover, employee referral schemes were revised to attract best in class talent. All of the above were conceptualised and closely monitored by us but driven by business. The results were transformational – annual attrition levels dropped to below 2 per cent, as compared to the industry standard of 30 per cent. We retained most of our employees by ensuring that issues were addressed. Trust in leadership increased, while individual goals were aligned to organisational objectives. The fundamental learning is that leadership and business sponsorship are two sides of the same coin in driving people excellence. Read more...