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28 November to 4 December, 2011

Leadership
How Taj Hotel's HR found 26/11 heroes
Shrenik Avlani via Hindustan Times
The Taj Group of hotels’ recruitment system, longer training, emphasis on customer-centric behaviour and respect for elders while hiring and encouraging its staff to improvise rather than do things by book are the main reasons why the workers of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai acted the way they did and saved the lives of about 1,500 guests who were in the hotel on 26/11 when terrorists attacked the hotel. This is the case made out by Prof Rohit Deshpande and Anjali Raina in an article titled ‘The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj’ which will appear in the December issue of the prestigious journal, Harvard Business Review.Read the full story here.

What the CEO (Should) Want from the HR Senior Executive
Doug Wilwerding via Human Resources IQ
Recently I was interviewed about what I considered the primary criteria for a senior executive of HR. Here are my summarized answers:As a CEO, what are the three most important expectations you have of your HR organization? First, the senior HR executive must be a business executive first and foremost. This means that the HR executive owns growing, driving market share, competitive advantage, and driving disproportionate profit just as much as the CEO, COO, CFO, etc. HR must be at its core strategically relevant to the financial success of the business. Click here to read the full post on Human Resources IQ.

You're Probably a Micromanager
Ron Ashkenas via Harvard Business Review
My recent post on why people micromanage triggered over 100 comments, stories, and suggestions — many of them relating experiences on the receiving end of micromanagement. What was striking was that only two readers actually admitted to being micromanagers themselves. One said:"I have been micromanaged and guess what? When I rose through the ranks I did the same. It's difficult to admit to yourself. I believe it's a part of the learning process."
The other reader noted:"I am one of those control freaks you are talking about. I know I am doing it, but sometimes being like that has made me aware of some nasty situations before they turned into disasters. I can imagine that I am a complete nightmare to work for."
This disparity reinforces the curious paradox that I mentioned in the earlier post: While many people complain about being micromanaged, very few think of themselves as micromanagers. But if nobody is a micromanager, then who is doing all the micromanaging? Read the full post here on Harvard Business Review.

Recruitment
U.K. Spy Agency Recruits via Social Media
Erik Sass via MediaPost
Just because you’re in the spy business doesn’t mean you can’t use some good exposure every now and then, especially if you’re looking to recruit top talent in highly competitive areas like computer science and programming. That’s the thinking behind a new online challenge from Britain’s Government Communications, Headquarters (GCHQ) -- home to Her Majesty’s Government Signal Intelligence, the U.K.’s main eavesdropping agency, the equivalent of the U.S. NSA -- inviting all comers to crack an alphanumeric code online, which leads them in turn to a recruitment center. Click here to read the entire article on MediaPost.

Best Job Tweeters That Job Seekers Can Follow
via SiliconIndia
In this fast and competitive world, there is a tough competition in all the fields of profession. For this reason many of the job seekers are finding different ways to find a good job they are looking into alternatives for their career suggestions. Before, people use to take advice regarding their careers with their friends, teachers and other people who were well versed in any particular field. But the trend has taken a new turn now. There are many social networking sites like twitter, facebook which have started to guide people on their jobs. They help people by giving career advices that are very helpful for job hunters. Click here to read the full article on SiliconIndia.

Recruiting Costs for New Employees
via Human Resources Journal
A study conducted by Bersin & Associates, a human resources advisory firm, shows that companies are seeing a significant advantage when it comes to recruiting costs for new employees. For a company that has more than 10,000 employees across the globe it will pay roughly $1,900 per new hire. This is compared to midsized companies that would pay $3,600 and small companies that would have to pay $3,660.Small and medium-sized companies have to rely on outsourcing hiring because they tend to have fewer dedicated recruited employees. Outsourcing can be a very expensive venture per the thoughts of Josh Bersin, the chief executive and president of Bersin & Associates. Larger companies hire more employers than small and midsized companies relative to a recruitment staff, which helps to bring the costs down to an affordable level. Read the full article here.

At the Work Place
What Can HR Do to Succeed in an Awful Working Environment?
Ian Welsh via Toolbox for HR
It really is a question we have to address as it will probably affect all of us at some point in our career. We can be in a great job, working with a great team and suddenly it changes. We can leave our job in an awful environment - accept a compromise position to get out - and later discover that if we had stayed our problems would have been largely resolved, e.g. big changes in management. So, we may as well face our challenges and see what we can do to improve the situation – for HR and everyone. Read the full post here on Toolbox for HR.

Social Media an Important Tool in Communication with Employees
via Human Resources Journal
Social media is an ever-expanding base for communication. Its role in the average person’s everyday life is continually growing. But its presence in the workplace is equally significant, and more and more employers are utilizing the benefits of social networking.Global professional services company, Towers Watson, has released the results of its 2011 Change and Communication ROI Study. Sixty-four percent of the companies who responded to the study state that they are more familiar with the social media landscape than the previous year, and 69 percent are intending to enhance their application of social media tools in the subsequent 12 months. Interestingly, a mere 28 percent consider such tools cost effective, while 15 percent have measurement tools in place. Of those who deem social media cost effective, 63 percent are investing in social networking and 58 percent in leadership journals or blogs. Click here to read the full article.

New Job with New Baby
Rachel Emma Silverman via Wall St. Journal's The Juggle
Recently an acquaintance spoke to me about a work-family dilemma. The conversation was yet another reminder that when it comes to career and family, there really are no easy choices—or right answers. My friend recently had her first child and was on maternity leave from a management job that offered her a lot of schedule flexibility. While on leave, though, she got a job offer from another company. The work at the new job sounded more exciting to her, but she was worried that the hours would be a lot more grueling, not only because of what the job entailed but also because of the steep learning curve at a new job with new responsibilities. Read the full post here on Wall St. Journal's The Juggle.

HR Trends
Employers May Be Asking You for Your Facebook Password
via Human Resources Journal
During the application process, employers ask for copious bits of information: your name, your address, your phone number, even your social security number. But how willing are potential employees to provide their login information to a social media site such as Facebook?Earlier this year, there was a case of a man in Maryland who was asked for his Facebook username and password. Robert Collins had worked as a corrections supply officer at the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for nearly three years before taking a voluntary personal leave. Several months later, he was hoping to return to work. As his position had been filled, Collins searched for another position in the same field of work. In order to earn a position available at a Maryland correctional facility, he would have to go through recertification, which is a standard policy. Read the full article on Human Resources Journal here.

Happy to Be a Cube Rat
Sarah E. Needleman via Wall St. Journal's The Juggle
Some cubicle dwellers envy their home-based colleagues. Not me. When the weather is treacherous or I have a doctor’s appointment, I usually work from home, and I’m grateful that my boss lets me. But while this means I can avoid the hassle of an hour-long commute and perhaps wear pajamas most of the day, the home office has its downsides.
For one, my “home office” is a cluttered and rarely cleaned second bedroom where we keep the cats’ litter box. Instead of the springy, ergonomically correct chair I have at work, I’m stuck with a decorative wooden chair that can’t be adjusted and has a broken arm. Printers and ink? Not so fast. At home, I fight a jammed machine and struggle to read the faint copy. I’d call the IT help desk, if only I had one. Read the full post here on The Juggle.

FDI In Retail: More Jobs Opportunities For Rural Youth
via SiliconIndia
In future, the foreign retailers may have to reserve at least half of their jobs in superstores for the youth in the rural parts India and source more than the authorized 30 percent from micro and small industries, as the government tries to recover the big ticket, reports Shruti Choudhury and Amiti Sen from The Economic Times.
An official told that the government is likely to have a relook on the proposal that seeks to reserve at least 50 percent of the jobs in the superstores to the people who have migrated from the villages to the cities in search of job. This proposal was earlier been looked after by the committee of secretaries but later it was dumped. Read the full article here on SiliconIndia.

HR EVENTS
Webinar: Building A Strong Corporate Culture
Subject Matter Expert: Sumeet Kapur, Founder and CEO
In this webinar serial entrepreneur, founder and CEO of EmployWise™ will be discussing that what is necessary for building a corporate culture that works. Key takeaways of the discussion will be on:

• How empowering environment for people at work Is created
• How to understand your current corporate culture
• What cultural elements support the success of an organization
• How to have living values that helps you build a strong people organization

Venue: Your Computer
Date: Thursday, 8 December, 2011
Time: 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM IST
To register click here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/831052262
Webinar: Leveraging HR Technology to Meet Challenges of 2012
Presenters: Jaskaran Khurana and Yu Yu Din
In this webinar we will be exploring the challenges facing HR professionals in 2012, and discussing how HR technology can help them overcome them. We will also be giving out pointers on how automation can help manage mundane HR processes and tasks so organizations can manage their growing talent pool. Key Learnings:

• Understand challenges that will be faced by HR pros in 2012
• Learn the latest HR technology tools to help them manage their employee data
• Learn about HR automation that will help managers and HR pros alike to keep employees satisfied
• Learn how to streamline HR processes by leveraging technology

Venue: Your Computer
Date: Thursday, December 15, 2011
Time: 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM IST
To register click here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/217459550

Webinar: How Every Employee Can Be A Customer Success Agent Subject Matter Expert: Gunjan Garg
In this webinar, we will be discussing that how each and every employee in an organization contributes in satisfying the customers and hence creating customer success.The key takeaways from this webinar will be on:

• Building cross functioning teams
• Lighting the entrepreneurial spirit
• Spreading enthusiasm
• Using social media to listen to your customers

Venue: Your Computer
Date: Thursday, December 22, 2011
Time: 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM IST
To register click here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/896931510