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Summer Internship Experiences Human Resources and Personnel Management. Entries up to 15th July

2013 will be considered for Summer Saga 60 Days as an intern contest.

sampada July 14, 2013 at 11:55 pm

Tough times dont last long tough people do!

As I sit to pen down my summer internship experience a myriad of memories comprising the high and low

points flash across my mind. As a fresher I had no preconceived notions about the corporate world and

hence I eagerly waited for April 8th with umpteen enthusiasm and energy to embark on my role as a

summer trainee at one of the best multinational companies in India. With high hopes and guidelines from

seniors, as is the case with most summer trainees, I entered the highly secured and hallowed corridors of

the company where I was going to spend my next 60 days.

After a brief interview and discussion with HR, I was allocated a cubicle and provided ID card cum gate

pass which would be imperative to access all places in the campus.Exuberant as an employees first day at

work I sat figuring out my work plan for the project allocated to me. I was to work on enhancing the

performance management system present at the engineering division of my company. I started by

conducting a secondary research on the subject as it had yet not been dealt in my academic courses at GIM

(1st year).After going through a lot of HR literature, self-help books and company documents I formulated

my action plan with the assistance of HR business partner.

My initial few proposals went for a toss when the HR blatantly disapproved them or asked me to refine my

ideas and come out with a feasible work plan. But with time I realized that reworking on my ideas brought

out the best in me and also apprised me of the urgency and sensitivity involved when it came to the

appraisal of employees.

The most challenging aspect of the job was to garner information from the employees. Though I had a

structured questionnaire at hand it didnt elicit honest responses from the employees at first go .Interviews

with an individual would go on for 30 to 45 minutes and still employees wont come up with issues they

were facing with the performance management system , appraisal cycle and training needs fulfillment. The

reason to which was apprehension that it would somehow affect their pending PLI. It was after a couple of

days of gelling and bonding with them over lunch and snacks did I began to know and understand the

current state of affairs across various departments. There were quite a few touchy moments where

employees would come and emphasize that nothing could change Ye sab karne ka kya fayda haiyahan to

politics hi chalta hai.Convincing them that I would carve out an effective action plan out of their

responses and present it before the top management as a champion of their interests was the most

challenging task.

I was also involved in conducting the birthday events ,talk forums with top management ,team building

activities, mothers day celebration and world environment day .All these activities gave me the

opportunity to make some really good friends at work and further helped me with my project. It provided

me contacts and brought me into network of high profile people ensuring great learning and widening the

scope of information sources indispensable to my project.I was also appreciated by the business head for

my organisation and management skills.

With all required data at my disposition and immense help from the HR department I began the analysis

of data collected from 105 respondents representing a healthy proportion of employees from each of the

departments.I also communicated with employees who had previous enriching experience in other EPC

giants. This along with my own external contacts aided me in the bench marking process. I then designed

an effective action plan to do away with the process and behavioral gaps in the performance management

system.

For every point I put in my report I felt responsible and hopeful of bringing a change in the system and a

sense of onus to bring justice to the employees who had been so frank and forthcoming in their interviews

so that I can represent them.

During my final presentation I was asked about my greatest learning from the project. And as if the answer

I had known the whole time.

It is not possible to please all employees through performance appraisal and that should not be even

aimed at. But what is essential is to give appropriate due to each one and to make the process as unbiased

as possible. The human aspect which is the core of human resource management should be present at all

times. If people are apprehensive to come up and approach the HR department for their issues, then the

entire purpose of such an assembly is questionable.

The panel was quite happy with my work and even invested me with additional work to be done from

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home. The HR department took all of us out for lunch and we had a gala time. As I traveled back to my

place of stay I pondered over the last two months at the Maximum City .The phenomenal change they had

brought to my thought process and the exponential learning in the domain of my interest. It has set a bar

for every other project I undertake from this moment. I was taking away with me an unparalleled wealth of

knowledge and intricacies of execution. And is that not the purpose of a summer internship program?

Goa Institute of Management

Class of 2014

TeamInsideiim July 15, 2013 at 9:05 pm

The experience was posted by us on behalf of Saswati Subhasmita

Numbers by the marine!!!

It was a clear and sunny morning in the Capital on Tuesday, 2nd of April 2013 with the minimum

temperature setting a notch below average. However the Met Office had forecasted a partly cloudy day

ahead. Today, when I sat to pen down my experience from the beginning I wonder how well the Met Office

captured my anxiety. It was only a few of us who were yet to get their project titles and that was the day

when the long wait was over; it was Learning Effectiveness for me.

4th of the same month I was in Thane, for us although it was Mumbai but for many Mumbaikars its not at

all Mumbai and they say Ohhhh Thane!! Keeping aside the Tom and Jerry game that one has to play to

find a place to stay in so called Mumbai, I would prefer moving to the day of Induction. Although it was

not my first corporate exposure but MBA made me realize I am still a student and reached before time.

Into the room and was delighted to see my name on one of the tables with few others evenly positioned in-

front of their chairs. That very moment made me realize that networking is an essential part of

professional interaction; probably which I understood better during my 2nd tenure of corporate exposure.

It was an HRstrategytointeractandmakefriends,tomakeyoucomfortablewitheveryone.

Till the time the day was over it was data overload although each one of us did remember overall gamut of

functions of the organization and especially the division where one is going to be seated the next day.

Induction, it solved its purpose where we understood what the expectations that we need to cater to are.

Corporate Learning & Development division deals with gamut of learning functions. Be it creating internal

trainers or outsourcing little training to experts. This is the division which is always held responsible for

enhancing the skill set of any employee within an organization.

1st day of 2nd job, or can say internship. It was nostalgic as it reminded me of my 1st joining few years

back. I took a seat in the lobby and after a few minutes saw someone coming towards me. I was escorted to

my department where I was introduced to my colleagues. I was given a brief overview of the project and

what was I expected to do. In a few minutes my desktop was set and in the next few hours my inbox was

loaded with mails. Mails were from my senior colleague about companys documents. My initial weeks

were kept for in depth understanding of the function and the reason for devising such a project. Moreover,

being into Learning & Development department, it was necessary to understand the annual trainings and

how they are aligned to corporate strategy.

After some odd days meeting was being scheduled with my project guide, the agenda- better clarity on my

understanding and, the vital part was to devise measurable deliverables. Although companies do prefer to

hear figures, being a financial company, my organisation had additional emphasis about having find

numbers and figures, even in an HR project.

We mutually decided:1. Understanding various training models that are being followed by organization and

come out with the best model, context to the organization

2. Benchmarking of L&D practices across financial and non-financial organisations

3. Competency based training need analysis

4. Evaluating a mission critical programme (Level 3 of Kirkpatricks model of evaluationfor a mission critical program)

Lastonehasaltogetheradifferentstorysokepttobedisclosedsubsequently

I started with benchmarking first as it would have covered the first two deliverables. It was not that easy as

I was expecting it would be. As anyone would have encountered I too faced the same problem and it was

data and the best part of it was extracting it from outer world for an internal usage which not at all fancy

the former. In no time my connections in LinkedIn were increased for obvious reasons but were of little

help. Then I started exploring my co-interns and fellow students. Networking yes it helped me; meetings

started getting scheduled although over phone. In next couple of days I was ready with the data of 7

companies which was a decent enough number. I started a virtual implementation of the models to help

the organisation adopt a particular framework.

At the same time I started multi-tasking on subsequent two deliverables. For both I had to collaborate with

the internal stakeholders wherein data again doesnt fancy them. On one hand I was interacting with

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corporate HR- one who was responsible for managing annual performance system as it was decided we

would be doing need assessment on the basis of the annual appraisal data. One can always validate the

same from other sources like one on one employee interviews.

On the other hand together with my project guide identified a program to be evaluated. It was basically a

program devised for frontline guys and the organisation spends in huge amount to hone their behavioural

as well technical skills.

During this I was able to relate myself to the theory that we used to go through in class. Two key terms

strucked my mind one was Outsourcing and the other was Utilizationofinternalresources. On

one hand where the organisation has outsourced external trainers for behavioural training at the same

time few employees were certified as internal trainers who used to train the trainees technically. One

moreHR strategy best utilization of resources, at the same time costwaswithin limits.

After few days I got the annual appraisal data. On the other hand of the 500 members or population a

sample of 100 was chosen. Two control groups were made, one the learners and their

supervisors/managers to validate the result. As we know 3rd level of Kirkpatricks model deals with

Impact/Behaviour i.e. whether the learners deployed the learning on the job. This is generally conducted

after few months of the training in order to ensure that the learners got sufficient time to implement the

same. Questionnaire was devised and interviews were on. Interviews were although pertaining to learning

it was definitely a mix of everything starting salary, promotion, learning and development and many times

about colleagues. For me it was drastic shift from an employee to an employee who is an HR. Onemore

picturebecameclearer,anHRpeopletrustthem,hatesthem,fearthembutattheendof

everything comes to them. One of the interviews did add colour to my black and white

schedule/routine of interviews when a lady on the opposite denied agreeing that am an HR who had called

for official purpose. The conversation was on for close to an hour. On one hand I was representing an

organisation and on the other hand I was made to listen to numerous lectures- anethicaldilemma.

Then I felt yes the mostignoredpartisofvitalimportanceandthatisdocumentationwhich

shouldnotremainunattendedandupdatedthedatabaseafter getting the correct number. Finally

these data were also collated and an analysis with present loop holes and recommendations was carried

on.

One and a half week was left and was all set to fine tune my work. One fine evening got a call from my

Project guide who intended to see me the very next morning and quite before the stereotypic timing of any

organisation. Thought it would be my review of work till date. But the morning came with a surprise.

Meeting was on and first question from my project guide, how good are you at excel. I answered as a

diplomat pretty descent Sir. Next dialect, I want you to design an annual training calendar for the

organisation which can be used for this financial year. I know its not easy but wants that in next 5 days. I

was awe stricken. And that was my final deliverable.1. Creating an annual training calendar for the current financial year

In no time the master data was in my inbox which after several efforts was compressed to 5GB. I opened

the file which took beautifully some odd minutes to answer to my command.

The constraints laid wereFinalizing the location for training

Batch size of training

Who all are in a batch

Whether the training programs are in line with their self and peer appraisal or not

Who all can be nominated for external training and so on with all the data attachedbusiness unit, sub-function, role, grade, reporting manager, etc

The whole night I kept staring at the data and couldnt sleep even for a moment. I was nervous, had no clue

how to do this in such less time as I was also working on my final report that had to be submitted to HR

before my final presentation. It was kept aside and I thanked myself for a late minute decision that I took

in college before internship- AdvancedExcelClasses. Bit of manual entry in the master sheet as per

the appraisal data and pivot function was exploited. Day after I managed to show him an outline. To my

surprise he approved that. Was on with my work again and submitted him the data and the annual training

calendar on the required day. As a reward I got a Fountain Pen and realized the training calendar was of

dire need as the firm was going through an audit process wherein my work was included. That was my best

reward during the internship.Iagainrealizedtodaysprofessiondemandsreadiness.

Report was submitted and me being queued up for first presentation. Started with my corporate

presentation and was fired with questions. For the entire 45 minutes it was questions and my work. Owe

the HR who stopped the panelist due to time constraints. End of my presentation and everyone stood up to

shook their hands. I collected my experience certificate and giggled, thought I made justice to my

project.

The presentations followed with lunch with co-interns probably the last lunch, which was always a stress

buster during the 2 months. Conversations starting from corporate indulgence to customer satisfaction to

employee interview and many more. Time eloped and I was set to leave Thane (Our Mumbai) and the very

moment made me nostalgic once again. I boarded and thought todays world is challenging and demands

preparedness every moment, a mixture of everything technical as well as knowledge beyond a text book.

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Anonymous

- Saswati Subhasmita

SIBM Pune

Class of 2014

abhroJuly 15, 2013 at 10:36 pm

Great read..!

kshama July 8, 2013 at 12:09 am

Apprentice Enticed

The sun seemed to shine brighter today. I was up early, routinely followed my exercise regime and was

ready to take on the world. I felt a little more enlightened a mote stronger than the previous day. I was

ready to meet another set of technical stalwarts and question them about their life, work performances and

educational background. All this was directed towards one objective: to find out what traits or factors help

an individual become successful in an organization. Now, success being a very relative and subjective term,

I broke my head on how to define it. What parameters should be considered? So being a software solution

company it all boils down to measurable parameters like ratings, promotions, salary etc. the philosophical

gyaan about happiness, self-satisfaction were brushed under the rug. Of course pragmatism had to be

maintained, nonetheless. So I got a list of twenty people and started another round of interviews. However

there is a small glitch. I also had to meet managers who are NOT on the Chosen List.

After a twenty minute interaction about the well performing subordinate, Am I your first Bakra? said the

manager. Umbrage in my head, that my future choice of career was deprecated by someone. That left me

asking a question what employees would do without the support of the HR system. What would happen to

organizational structure? As a tenebrous mood faded, I sat down to reflect on my thoughts. Why did it

make me feel uncomfortable? Simply because I felt the role was critical, a role that would have an impact

and influence people. My most crucial learning, as opposed to the purpose of the internship was not that

Human Resource Management was where my future lay (of course that too) but that everyone Agrees to

Disagree.

With no corporate experience to back me up, I handled two projects in the HR department; one was based

on the High Potential program and the other, as mentioned earlier, was to identify the kind of people who

would become successful in the company. Both the projects were a gateway to meet the senior most and

highly competent game changers of the company, a one-off opportunity for an intern. An intriguing data

collection process followed. I interviewed more than 150 people and had the most challenging and testing

times to break barriers and get people to answer my questions. As days passed and I got better at

interviewing, I felt like a gambler deep in his trade. Before every interview I would have my game strategy

set and the most exciting part is that this strategy changed for every individual. I could not approach two

employees the same way.

The next stage was data analytics. Yes, an additional learning was the fancy corporate jargon. I proudly

generated copious amounts of data and then the need to shred it into useful and presentable decks

(PowerPoint Presentations) dawned on me, another weak point I managed to fine tune. Over the course of

the internship I picked up skills of corporate communication, relevance in the field of work and

importance of being an assertive HR manager.

As a round up, the two month stint at one of the biggest information technology companies in the world,

gave me an immeasurable opportunity to network and gain the camaraderie of some of the brilliant minds

in the business.

July 16, 2013 at 8:43 pm

THETIMEOFMYLIFE

Whenever I think about my summer internship experience, I instantly start humming the song Time of

My Life by Black Eyed Peas. Looking back, I would say they were the two most challenging, enjoyable,

satisfying, enriching months ever! Of course, the icing on the cake was when, after my final presentation,

the panel recognized my work and said that I had done justice to an extremely challenging project.

3

2

I did my summer internship with one of Indias most respected business groups. My company is among

Indias leading real estate companies.

My project title was Contract Labour Engagement Study. Being in the real estate sector, the company

depends on various contractors for deployment of the workforce required to execute its projects. The

engagement level of these workmen has a direct impact on their productivity and, hence, the companys

fortunes. It has been conducting this survey for the past 3 years; the reasoning being that, happy workmen

will build beautiful homes, which more people will want to buy and this, in turn, will help the company

successfully achieve its vision and goals.

The main objectives of this study were:

i. To understand and quantify the major engagement factors among the contractual workforce

ii. To find out the EHS policies implemented at each site and, thus, to identify a list of best practices in

EHS that may be implemented universally across all sites

iii. To measure effectiveness of various contractors

iv. To correlate the contractor effectiveness scores with the respective worker engagement scores

v. Based on the results of the survey, to highlight the positive aspects and identify areas requiring

improvement for all sites and to recommend a future action plan

vi. To find out the demographics of the contractual workforce

vii. To determine diversity in the workforce, in conformance with the companys affirmative action

objectives

First, began the planning and scheduling phase. The project began with a review of last years

questionnaire. This year, a few changes and additions were made. Next, the travel schedule for onsite visits

was fixed up in consultation with the Project Guide and onsite Project Heads.

Then, the actual execution of the project began. On every site, I held opening meetings with the respective

onsite Project Head and EHS coordinator to apprise them of the purpose and methodology of the study. I

administered the contractor effectiveness form (consisting of 12 questions) with the respective onsite

Project Head. I conducted an onsite observation visit with the EHS coordinator to understand the EHS

practices implemented on the site. At all times, I made sure to build a good rapport with all Project Heads,

EHS coordinators, supervisors and engineers as their support was vital to the success of this study. Then, I

set out to survey the workers. Before asking any questions to them, I made sure to make them feel at ease

and to gain their trust. In order to ensure that the workmen answered all questions without any fear

whatsoever, I administered the survey with every worker in the absence of supervisors/ contractors in the

near vicinity. To ensure that a workers opinion was not influenced by those of his colleagues, no other

workers were present either. I went to the actual work places of workers, rather than asking the EHS

coordinator to assemble workers in one place (as had been done last year) so as to observe and ask

questions to them in their natural settings. In order to maintain the integrity of the study, I covered

workers of all important work trades in the study. After completing the survey, I held closing meetings

with the Project Head and EHS coordinator to apprise them of the findings. In all, the study was covered

across 6 cities and 14 residential project sites over a period of 23 days. 605 workers, representing 9.5% of

the entire contractual workforce (minimum target given was 8%) and 66% more than the number of

workers covered in last years study, were covered this year.

The third phase of the project was data analysis and giving recommendations on the basis of the findings.

Most of the data in the study was qualitative in nature as literacy levels of most of the workers to whom the

questionnaire was administered were low as a result of which they were not in a position to provide

quantitative information. After structuring, converting and tabulating the data, quantitative data was

derived. Consequently, engagement scores were assigned and ratings given to different contractors at

various sites. Charts and graphs were prepared to present the data so as to facilitate quick reference and

understanding. Individual site-wise reports, highlighting both the positive areas and areas needing

improvement, were prepared and site-wise future action plans were suggested. An overall report,

highlighting common observations, suggesting a common future action plan and identifying a set of best

EHS practices, was prepared as well.

The main challenges I faced in this project were:

i. To convince workers to trust me and speak their mind This was easily my biggest challenge in

executing my project.

ii. To help workers identify their own problems Many times, when I introduced myself to the workers,

they immediately said that they did not face any problems. However, as I started asking questions and

probed them, they would say things like, You know, sir, I cannot sleep at night as it is uncomfortably hot

in the rooms or Last month, I bought medicines from the market for treatment of a work-related injury

for which I have not received reimbursement.

iii. To identify insincere respondents and exclude their feedback rather than going by what the

workers told me at face value, I probed them further till I was satisfied with their answers. If, by looking at

the body language and behavior of a respondent, I felt that he was not giving answers sincerely, I would

disregard his feedback.

iv. To incorporate continuous learnings while conducting the study

v. To obtain a balanced and objective review of sites While several EHS initiatives have been taken at

all sites, I had to observe and enquire for myself the efficacy of these initiatives.

vi. To adapt quickly to unexpected situations such as other onsite audits taking place simultaneously,

long travel distances resulting in lesser actual time to complete the surveys, non-availability of safety

shoes, harsh weather conditions, huge worksites etc.

vii. To cope with extreme weather At many sites, temperatures hovered in the range of 45 50 degree

Celsius.

My most memorable moment was, of course, when my work was validated by the panel after my final

presentation. This was a challenging project, having direct relevance to the company and one that provided

me immense learning. Also, I got to travel extensively during the project, which I really enjoy doing. The

company gave me truly fantastic facilities including chauffeur-driven cars and free stay in duplex

guesthouses and 5-star hotels. I had never, in my wildest of dreams, even imagined that there would be

persons waiting to pick me up at the airports!

My greatest learnings were:

i. Understanding the mindset of labourers I would speak with a different tone, at a different pace,

stand at a certain distance from the worker depending on whether the worker was young or aged, male or

female

ii. Understanding of the contractual labour system in India

iii. Understanding of the real estate sector in India

iv. Importance of HR operations in supporting business

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v. Working understanding of Employee Engagement

VipinXavier July 15, 2013 at 11:36 pm

Excellent..Worth Reading.!

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