Delving Deeper..

Harnessing the power of Facebook to reach out to Gen Y - passive candidates

2011-03-26T10:35:00.002+05:30

Came across an intersting application which has potential to harness Social media for Recruitment. I had cross posted an article which discussed this possibility about 2 yrs back.

This application allows companies to increase the scope / use of their existing Employee referral system by allowing employees to post requirements as Status messages on their FB page ! Now that is what I call a Win-Win situation :-)

Check out http://www.facebook.com/SurgeHire for more and maybe take a trial run

Future of Learning

2011-03-15T13:19:00.002+05:30

Came to this page from a friend's blog.. I could relate to Connectivism and Informal learning.
It will be interesting to watch out for developments in this space.

20 Years after Xth Standard !

2010-12-25T21:26:00.002+05:30

Time just flew....cannot believe that it's been 20 yrs since I completed STD X at Marian Junior College (Old name for Marian Sr. Secondary School, Kalathipady, Kottayam).
Excited about meeting my classmates and teachers at the 20th Anniversary Re-Union which is scheduled for tomorrow (26th Dec) at Kottayam, the land of 3 L's (Letters, Latex and Lakes).

Social media was the backbone for Organizing this event, thoughts about which were initiated about 2 yrs ago :-) Facebook page, which was created to link (and search) the batchmates (V-Marians 1979-92) helped us reach out to over 65 batchmates - over 25 have confirmed to attend the first such event organized by any batch from our Alma mater.

Looking forward to the D-day tomorrow.

Learning - What lies ahead?

2010-08-01T23:07:00.002+05:30

Chanced upon a link to a free article on astd's website where the authors take a time m/c trip to track the 'future' of Learning.
You can reach the article http://www.astd.org/TD/Archives/2010/Jul/Free/1007_LookingAheadAt.htm

I really think that Prediction No. 5 - 'Peer-to-Peer' is a thing to watch out for..
My earlier post about the progress of Facebook type applications aimed specifically at Corporates - Vivek Paul's new company is testimony to the pace at which things are progressing in this area.

Kerala - Kochi beckons ?

2010-07-30T23:26:00.003+05:30

Well, it's about time Kochi got it's true of IT mind space.

Here's a link to a post on Manorama online - featuring an interview with my boss.

http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/itcontentView.do?contentId=7558235&programId=6306068&contentType=EDITORIAL&BV_ID=@@@

Best wishes to Kochi :-)

More on Corporate Social networks...

2010-07-30T23:21:00.003+05:30

Interesting update from ET Headlines of today..

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-announcement/Vivek-Paul-turns-entrepreneur-with-KineticGlue/articleshow/6235092.cms

Glad to see the idea catching up in India..
Exciting times ahead I'm sure :-)

De-Mystifying 'Understanding of Business'

2010-05-22T12:42:00.002+05:30

A laudable effort by SHRM India - here's an article by Pradeep Mukerjee on their site .. I thought Pradeep hit the nail on the head with this statement:
Understanding business: why is it important?
It is extremely important for any professional to understand what the business he or she is in is really about. Without such an understanding a professional will have a limitation in appreciating how his or her role contributes to the larger whole. A role may boil down to a set of tasks - done because they need to be done. We all know what that does to an individual’s motivation levels.

Corporate Social networks - The "Next" thing for India?

2010-03-25T10:48:00.002+05:30

Happened to get a link to Workforce's research page where I found an interesting use of Web 2.0 principles for Workplace Process improvements...You can find more details on this link
http://www.workforce.com/archive/feature/27/06/75/index.php

Recruitment via Social networks

2009-12-11T15:27:00.002+05:30

Here's what I found on Workforce.com

A Social Networking Solution for Retail Recruiting’s ChallengesCommentary - By Mike Dwyer

Take it from someone who once had to rely on weekly job fairs in strip malls to fill open positions at a fast-growing chain: There’s a better way to hire, thanks to the unlimited recruiting potential of social media’s holy trinity—Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Read the full article here - http://www.workforce.com/archive/feature/26/81/90/index.php

Facebook Ties up with Nielson

2009-10-01T13:24:00.005+05:30

Industry Leaders to Use Nielsen Products to Help Marketers Better Measure Online Advertising Impact and Realize Greater ROI -
read the article on this link - http://in.nielsen.com/news/20090923.shtml

News of a Green Initiative from my neighbourhood

2009-08-05T15:18:00.003+05:30

This news - http://www.technoparktoday.com/2009/04/carpooling-for-technopark/ took me back to memories of 'Nature Club' days :-) during graduation. I think it's a great initiative and have done my bit to help by signing up and also spreading the news to my contacts.

Kuddos to all minds who bring in fresh & Greener thoughts !

A Practical lesson in HR Policy Making

2009-07-25T14:08:00.003+05:30

An update on linkedin (http://www.linkedin.com/) led me to Sanjeev's blog post. Sanjeev is a Sr. (ex)colleague of mine. You can reach this post
http://thenewschool-sanjeev.blogspot.com/2009/07/flyover-speed-breaker-and-hr.html
Excerpts from his blog:
I relate this to a many HR policies in organizations that are focused on driving compliance but not commitment. Policies that are put in place to stop the 10% of issues from happening but 90% of others getting inconvenienced and demotivated.

I liked his narrative style and the way he connected the speedbreakers and Flyovers to the HR practice of Policy making.. although having been driving in Kerala for some time now, I may have to dispute to the percentages that he's used :-)

I had earlier read this post http://gauteg.blogspot.com/2009/07/business-managers-should-be-hr-business.html on Gautam's blog - and would like to point Sanjeev's case as a real life example of a Business Manager turned HR Leader :-)

First Break all the rules - Audio book

2009-07-25T11:23:00.003+05:30

I'm recovering from a bout of Viral fever which made me miss office yesterday.. boredom made me log on to search for audio books and i was happy to have found this link to Marcus Buckingham's First Break all the rules from Simon and schuster Audio.
I feel audio books have not reached their true potential in our country. Maybe marketing guru's in our country will turn their thoughts in this direction :-)

GS - The Great American Bubble Machine

2009-07-20T12:27:00.002+05:30

Matt Taibi of Rolling stones mag has this to say about Goldman sachs...

Audio book - Now Discover your strengths

2009-07-19T15:35:00.003+05:30

A post from my online pal and Social media Guide - Gautam Ghosh (http://gauteg.blogspot.com/) on career planning for HRM students led me to some research (a.k.a - Google search) yesterday.. among the stuff which came up, I found this one very interesting and relevant to that discussion on XLRI's blog. Follow the link from the title of this post to listen to the audio book - Now discover your strengths..
http://rapidshare.com/files/211098633/NxDxYxSx.zip

I remember reading the physical version of the book some years back.. Highly recommended :-)

Leader or Manager ? who do you want to be?

2009-07-18T11:48:00.002+05:30

Here's some excepts from what John Kotter wrote in his (1990) book - 'What leaders really do':

Management is about coping with complexity and 'good management', according to Kotter - 'brings a degree of order and consistency to key dimensions like the quality and profitability of products'.
Leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change; and major changes are more and more necessary to service and compete effectively in this new environment. More change always demands more leadership.
Being a Mgmt grad, i found the following as explained by Kotter to be, well 'simpler' :-)
Management - manages complexity by

Planning and Budgeting
Organizing and Staffing
controlling and problem solving
Produces predictability, order and consistency

Leadership, on the other hand - leads change by

setting a direction - (Vision being the key word here)
Aligning people
Motivating and inspiring
Produces useful 'dramatic' change

HR Dreams - Paper by Dave Ulrich

2009-07-16T18:16:00.002+05:30

I found this while Google-ing..

Excerpts -
HR professionals at corporate have responsibility for HR philosophies that permeate
the entire organization. They represent the firm to external stakeholders (regulators,
investors, communities) and need to help establish a corporate brand or reputation. They
also help senior executives select HR initiatives that will permeate the entire organization.
They work with Boards to ensure effective governance and with senior executive leaders as
coaches and team facilitators.

Kris Dunn feels Linkedin Profiles may be more accurate than resumes

2009-07-12T11:00:00.003+05:30

Check out this interesting post from HR Capitalist... I tend to agree with most of what is said, although I should confess that I've not done any major linkedin searches for the hiring I've been doing on my present or past jobs... Maybe-2 or 3 yrs down the line, Hiring managers in India will have this step in their checklist :-)

Marcus Buckingham on Employee Engagement

2009-07-08T15:59:00.002+05:30

I found these words in a fast company article -
You can divide any working population into three categories: people who are engaged (loyal and productive), those who are not engaged (just putting in time), and those who are actively disengaged (unhappy and spreading their discontent). The U.S. working population is 26% engaged, 55% not engaged, and 19% actively disengaged.

You can read the article here - http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/49/buckingham.html?page=0%2C0

SHRM India ties up with MTHR

2009-07-06T13:09:00.003+05:30

I got the f0llowing update from SHRM today:

The SHRM India Learning Events continue to evolve with changes and innovations in the global marketplace. Attendees can expect an event filled with the latest trends and best practices connected with the theme and engaging sessions with experts in the field.
We are happy to inform all of you about Pune’s largest HR Event – learn and network in person with 500+ participants from multiple locations, including prominent business, academic, research and HR thought leaders. Do let your friends and colleagues in Pune know so they can avail of this opportunity! SHRM India Knowledge Leadership Events Series across INDIA (with More Than HR Global)
• Mumbai – Date: 30th May 2009 (attended by 500+ delegates)• Hyderabad – Date: 20th June 2009 (attended by 200+ delegates)• Pune – Date: 11th July 2009• Delhi – Date: 25th July 2009• Bengaluru – Date: 1st August 2009• Kolkata – Date: 8th August 2009 We are very proud to be presenting these Events in collaboration with MTHR Global (http://www.mthrglobal.com/) who is our HR Community Partner and a leading knowledge community for over seven years across India.

Do visit http://www.shrmindia.org/, you can also visit http://www.shrm.org/
Theme: Nurturing Geniuses: Leading and Managing in Education & ResearchDay & Timing: Saturday 11th July 09 – 9.30am to 6.30pmVenue: Hotel VITS, (Orchid) Near Balewadi Stadium, Baner, PuneParticipation Fee: No charges / fees but registration is compulsory.
Program Schedule is enclosed below. Block dates and send us your confirmations at the earliest on adminindia@shrm.org, there are limited seats available: With Best wishes,SHRM India Team

Glad to see the tie up with MTHR.. Here's wishing them the very best....

Join the 'Twitterrati' !

2009-07-05T11:53:00.002+05:30

Gosh, twitter is happening.... for those of you who are new to twitter, follow the title link to browse thru articles from experts.. all of us got some catching up to do. Happy twittering...

2009-07-05T10:45:00.000+05:30

Attention - Legal eagles...
During my student days, the only way to catch up with legal i.e labour law stuff (case laws etc) was to rush to our Law college Library on Senapati Bapat Road campus. So, when I heard about this site which gave most of the updates on laws and also allows search, the first feeling was that of jealousy :-)

Here is the link to site - http://judis.nic.in/scwelcome.htm. Yes, it's free .. .I gather that there are some pay sites too with decent subscription rates but those I'll leave for lawyers. I'll recommend this to all HR pros who occassionally would need to check out on 'those laws' ....

2009-07-01T14:58:00.000+05:30

Jack Welch addresses SHRM Conference
I've always admired Jack Welch... was fortunate to get closer to his thoughts and their impacts during my stint with GE Capial- Genpact. So i was glad to know that Jack Welch was taking part in the SHRM conference...here a link to some excerpts from the session which Workforce's Blog captured..

http://workforce.com/wpmu/bizmgmt/2009/06/28/jack_welch_does_shrm/

This let me to do a search on utube and got to see this video bit from the interview he gave..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycm8Ak4dkS0

2009-06-27T17:00:00.000+05:30

Upclose with Malcolm Gladwell

Tipping point made me a Gladwell fan.. and Blink sort of confirmed it.. for starters, here a quick glimpse..
http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/gladwell

2009-06-25T20:35:00.000+05:30

A surprise gift from Yahoo..

I'm a 'Power User' of Yahoo now.. ! Wonder what that means.. will update this post if I see some benefits.. ;-)

2009-06-06T17:53:00.000+05:30

Our Trip to Panchgani... with picutres..

Excited about our return to Panchgani together after 2002, we set off from Pune on 3rd May 09 at about 9.30 am.. destination the Eco camp which was highly recommended as 'the' place to stay. As it turned out, it could'nt have been better.. !

How we got there...
Panchgani is about 100 kms from Pune, Maharashtra, India. Ecocamp is about 15 kms ahead of Mahableshwar town and is about half a km ahead of Panchgani town. you will surely miss the small cemented path that leads to the campsite from the main road ! Watch out for this after you cross Hotel Ravine on the way to Panchgani/Mahableshwar.
We drove down from Pune. A former colleague had helped arranged a local driver cum guide for us. The drive took us about 2.5 hrs. On the way we feasted on fresh figs, locally known as 'Anjir'.

View of Pune Bangalore Highway....
first dekko of 'Ecocamp' run by Megan and Andre

Our son was the first one to check the place out..

View of Krishna Valley from our camp site...
A famous 'point' and the hotel Ravine (top right)

Unni also tried his hand at photography.. and had very willing models around:-)

The camp is situated on the windward side and give s lovely view and lot's of cool breeze blows throughout the day. Yes we could stay inside the tent even between noon and 4 pm. Panchgani was pretty warm and with the toddler around, preferred to move around ony after 4 pm.

The tent itself, which can take 8 adults was pretty spacious even by our lil one's standard and he made best of it.

Evenings were pretty cold but Megan and Andre had made sure that the tent is very comfortable, even with basic facilities. BTw, don't forget to have a plug-n switched on to keep mosquitoes away for the peaceful and sleep.

As the ridge faces Pune side, we could get a fair reception from the FM channels as well which was a bonus, in addition to gsm network which ensured that we remained 'in touch'.

Here is a short clip with which is an attempt i made to capture the 'eco camp effect' ..

2007-11-30T14:04:00.000+05:30

Gallup has brought out a sequel to First Break all the rules..

Find out more on this by following this link

http://gmj.gallup.com/content/25390/Gallup-Publishes-Long-Awaited-Follow-Up-to.अस्प्क्स

2007-10-22T11:13:00.000+05:30

Managing Millennials: Eleven Tips for Managing Millennialsby Susan M. Heathfield[About Human Resources: Vol. 8 No. 111 - ISSN: 1533-3698 September 16, 2007]

The millennials joining your workforce now are employees born between 1980 and 2000, or 1981 and 1999, depending on the author. Unlike the Gen-Xers and the Boomers, the Millennials have developed work characteristics and tendencies from doting parents, structured lives, and contact with diverse people. Millennials are used to working in teams and want to make friends with people at work. Millennials work well with diverse coworkers.Millennials have a "can-do" attitude about tasks at work and look for feedback about how they are doing frequently - even daily. Millennials want a variety of tasks and expect that they will accomplish every one of them. Positive and confident, millennials are ready to take on the world.They seek leadership, and even structure, from their older and managerial coworkers, but expect that you will draw out and respect their ideas. Millennials seek a challenge and do not want to experience boredom. Used to balancing many activities such as teams, friends, and philanthropic activities, millennials want flexibility in scheduling and a life away from work.Millennials need to see where their career is going and they want to know exactly what they need to do to get there. Millennials await their next challenge - there better be a next challenge. Millennials are the most connected generation in history and will network right out of their current workplace if these needs are not met. Computer experts, millennials are connected all over the world by email, instant messages, text messages, and the Internet.

Eleven Tips for Millennial Management

1. Provide structure.Reports have monthly due dates. Jobs have fairly regular hours. Certain activities are scheduled every day. Meetings have agendas and minutes. Goals are clearly stated and progress is assessed. Define assignments and success factors.

2. Provide leadership and guidance.Millennials want to look up to you, learn from you, and receive daily feedback from you. They want "in" on the whole picture and to know the scoop. Plan to spend a lot of time teaching and coaching and be aware of this commitment to millennials when you hire them. They deserve and want your very best investment of time in their success.

3. Encourage the millennial's self-assuredness, "can-do" attitude, and positive personal self-image.Millennials are ready to take on the world. Their parents told them they can do it - they can. Encourage - don't squash them or contain them.

4. Take advantage of the millennial's comfort level with teams. Encourage them to join.They are used to working in groups and teams. In contrast to the lone ranger attitude of earlier generations, millennials actually believe a team can accomplish more and better - they've experienced team success. Not just related to age, watch who joins the volleyball match at the company picnic. Millennials gather in groups and play on teams; you can also mentor, coach, and train your millennials as a team.

5. Listen to the millennial employee.Your millennial employees are used to loving parents who have scheduled their lives around the activities and events of their children. These young adults have ideas and opinions, and don't take kindly to having their thoughts ignored. After all, they had the best listening, most child-centric audience in history.

6. Millennial employees are up for a challenge and change.Boring is bad. They seek ever-changing tasks within their work. What's happening next is their mantra. Don't bore them, ignore them, or trivialize their contribution.

7. Millennial employees are multi-taskers on a scale you've never seen before.Multiple tasks don't phase them. Talk on the phone while doing email and answering multiple instant messages - yes! This is a way of life. In fact, without many different tasks and goals to pursue within the week, the millennials will likely experience boredom.

8. Take advantage of your millennial employee's computer, cell phone, and electronic literacy.Are you a Boomer or even an early Gen-Xer? The electronic capabilities of these employees are amazing. You have a salesman in China? How's the trip going? Old timers call and leave a message in his hotel room. Or, you can have your millennial text message him in his meeting for an immediate response. The world is wide, if not yet deep, for your millennial employees.

9. Capitalize on the millennial's affinity for networking.Not just comfortable with teams and group activities, your millennial employee likes to network around the world electronically. Keep this in mind because they are able to post their resume electronically as well on Web job boards viewed by millions of employers. Sought after employees, they are loyal, but they keep their options open - always.

10. Provide a life-work balanced workplace.Your millennial employees are used to cramming their lives with multiple activities. They may play on sports teams, walk for multiple causes, spend time as fans at company sports leagues, and spend lots of time with family and friends. They work hard, but they are not into the sixty hour work weeks defined by the Baby Boomers. Home, family, spending time with the children and families, are priorities. Don't lose sight of this. Balance and multiple activities are important to these millennial employees. Ignore this to your peril.

11. Provide a fun, employee-centered workplace.Millennials want to enjoy their work. They want to enjoy their workplace. They want to make friends in their workplace. Worry if your millennial employees aren't laughing, going out with workplace friends for lunch, and helping plan the next company event or committee. Help your long-term employees make room for the millennials.

By Internet research counts, 75,000,000 millennials are preparing to join or joining the workforce. These are desirable employees. Make your millennial employees happy in a fun, yet structured setting, and you are building the foundation for the superior workforce you desire. You are developing the workforce of your future. As always, when I characterize a group of employees based on age, or any other characteristic, some employees will fit this description; some employees will fit part of this description; some employees will not fit this description. Yet, I believe that, if you heed these tips, you will steer your organization forward, more times than not, with a positive approach to managing your millennial employees