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INTRODUCTION TO SAPPHIRE : A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME 1 TEAM SAPPHIRE : SENIOR EXECUTIVE MEMBERS 2 FROM THE SECYS DESK 3 SUMMER INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES 4 A METAMORPHOSIS : TRANSFORMATION OF ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS TIME 7 HR DOSE 10 HR TRIVIA 10 FOLLOWING DREAMS VS FALLING FOR PACKAGES 11 HR ROUND THE GLOBE 13 Inside this issue: July Edition SAPPHIRE’s Newsletter on Human Resources 05/07/2012 STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI Xpress HR This first edition, we introduce S APPHI RE and bring to you experiences from recently concluded Summer Internships of the Senior HRM batch along with interesting articles from industry and best monthly article on ‘Following Dreams vs Falling for packages’

Xpress HR - July 2012

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Xpress HR is the monthly HR publication by Sapphire, XLRI. Xpress HR aims to provide its readers with informative articles in HR domain. The regular features include HR Round the Globe, HR Dose, HR Trivia apart from the monthly inter-B school article writing competition. The latest happenings in HR is accompanied with fun filled HR Crosswords. Xpress HR is proving to be a facilitating platform for budding HR professionals to showcase their research acumen.

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Page 1: Xpress HR - July 2012

INTRODUCTION TO SAPPHIRE : A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME 1

TEAM SAPPHIRE : SENIOR EXECUTIVE MEMBERS 2

FROM THE SECY’S DESK 3

SUMMER INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES 4

A METAMORPHOSIS : TRANSFORMATION OF ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS TIME 7

HR DOSE 10

HR TRIVIA 10

FOLLOWING DREAMS VS FALLING FOR PACKAGES 11

HR ROUND THE GLOBE 13

Inside this issue:

July Edition SAPPHIRE’s Newsletter on Human Resources 05/07/2012

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

Xpress HR

This first edition, we introduce SAPPHIRE and bring to you experiences from recently concluded Summer Internships of the Senior HRM batch along with interesting articles from industry and best monthly article on ‘Following Dreams vs Falling for packages’

Page 2: Xpress HR - July 2012

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

INTRODUCTION TO SAPPHIRE: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

The year was 1989. The Berlin Wall was still standing. Rajiv Gandhi lost the elections, sowing the seeds of

the economic liberalization which would begin in a couple of years time. And, a 16 year old boy walked

into a stadium in Karachi, thrown to the mercy of a menacing pack of fast bowlers.

Closer home in XL, there were only 2 committees on campus. MAXI, pioneers of the Marketing Fair from

the late 1970’s and SOCRATES who helped you to book a half hour slot to use one of the 7 computers on

campus, days in advance!

Some things have stayed the same over the years, a lot more have changed. But synonymous with HR in

XLRI since those halcyon days has been SAPPHIRE. SAPPHIRE was founded by Rajiv Burman and was

then known as IRAXI, the IR committee on campus. “IRAXI started to address the gap between the needs

of an IR role and the lack of preparation at XL. Although XL had solid employment law courses, there

were big gaps on negotiating and dealing with unions – both critical as we thought they might be and in my

work life proven true. IRAXI was set up to focus on these gaps and cover them albeit partially through real

life case studies and discussion forums. It attracted a lot of students who liked IR. But IR was seen as the

unattractive side of HR. Dealing with blue collar workforce isn’t as attractive as dealing with service pro-

fessionals. IRAXI wasn’t popular in comparison to MAXI but it raised the profile of IR education”, quips

Burman.

In the 1990’s as the markets opened up (and so did our society), HR became the buzzword in XLRI. And

so IRAXI was renamed around in the early 90s as SAPPHIRE. A gem was born. Towards the later end of

the decade, as the two fields HR and IR moved further apart, SAPHHIRE was split and FIRE@X was born

just as we entered the new millennium in 2000.

SAPPHIRE hosted the 1st HR conference back in 1996. A single day event with 3 speakers dealing with

organizational structure and team dynamics, it was the building block towards bigger ones in the future.

The next year, in 1997, SAPPHIRE in association with External Linkages hosted the first ever HRD con-

ference in India. This has since been followed up by 2 more conferences. In the interim there have been

plenty of workshops, symposiums and corporate interactions which have stood upon the SAPPHIRE plat-

form.

For almost two decades now, SAPPHIRE has been a committee that has been the flag bearer for XLRI’s

prowess as one of the world’s best destinations for human resources. Today SAPPHIRE represents a plat-

form for both academic and corporate discussions, something rare in a business school environment

through various strategic partnerships and knowledge sharing initiatives. While the face (and the name!) of

SAPPHIRE has changed over the years what it stands for hasn’t. SAPPHIRE has been committed towards

not only complementing the classroom learning by sharing the best industry practices through cases and

live projects, but also supplementing student knowledge base through workshops and publications. We en-

deavor to do this in the future as well, and hope that you join us on this glorious journey. Come, be a part

of the legacy!

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STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

Paluck Agrawal

Piyush Chhabra

Vivek Kumar Gupta Secretary, SAPPHIRE

Prathap HM

Krishna Chaitanya

Team sapphire

(Senior executive members)

Ankita Sharma

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STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

From the Secy’s Desk :

Hello All!

As the first monsoon showers lash through the serenity of Jamshedpur city, the hallowed por-

tals of XLRI are bustling with activities for one more time. The new batch of students is on the

campus and is busy exploring the awe and aura that XLRI encapsulates. The seniors, having

completed their summer internship, are busy cherishing every moment that XLRI has to offer.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, team Sapphire at XLRI brings to you “Xpress HR”, its monthly

HR publication. SAPPHIRE’s mission has always been to bridge the knowledge gap between

academia and industry. “Xpress HR” is one more attempt towards the same by providing the

latest happenings in HR. XLRI being the premier destination for HR in the country can boast

of best pedagogy in HR and can claim to produce finest HR managers in the country. A mani-

festation of which should be the quality of publications that its students produce. Through this

publication and the many more to come we wish to provide our students and other HR practi-

tioners a platform to express their thoughts in HR domain. Efforts are on to put our publica-

tions online for the better availability and wider distribution.

In the new academic year the first edition of “Xpress HR” captures some of the summer in-

ternship experiences of the senior batch. Going through the experiences one must gain insights

in working for different companies. This will also help the students at XLRI to make choices

for their places to work at the time of placements. The article writing competition on

“Following Dreams vs Falling For Packages” saw great response and the winning article is

being published in this edition.

The newsletter is filled with a lot of learning for one related to the HR field. I hope it would be

enriching to you and you would enjoy going through it. We are eager to hear from you on this

edition of our newsletter. In case of any query, suggestions, critique please feel free to voice

your opinion at [email protected] or [email protected]. I hope you like this edition

and would want to thank the whole team of SAPPHIRE and especially KC and Paluck for

coming up with this first edition.

Happy Reading!!

Vivek Kumar Gupta

Secretary , SAPPHIRE

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Summer Internship Experiences: Batch of 2011-13

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

Avinash Chopde – Summer Intern with Accenture Management Consulting

“I interned at Accenture Management Consulting, with their Global Talent and

Innovation Network (GTIN) in the Talent and Organization Performance (TOP)

practice. I got an opportunity to work on a live end-to-end international client

project. It was about running a diagnostic study and assessing the 'Health' of the

HR Organization of the client- as a pre-cursor to a wider HR Transformation

engagement. Our approach was to study the client's HR function in terms of-

Strategy, Organization, Processes, People and Technology. The tools we used

for data collection were - data collection templates, customized interviews with

major stakeholders, analysis of client docu-

ments and workshops with the management. Quantitative Analysis was

reinforced with Qualitative data to make a better transformation roadmap

and priority matrix. Overall, it was an amazing experience for me- in

terms of the work and otherwise!”

Saurya Chakraborty - Summer Intern with Standard Chartered

“I worked with the Performance, Rewards and Benefits Team in Stan-

dard Chartered. I had two project objectives: (a) Implement Work from

Home in the Bank and (b) Implement a new flexible working arrange-

ment. The first project objective could not be carried out due to regula-

tory issues, but the groundwork was laid for it and StanC could become

the first bank in India to implement work from home. The second ob-

jective was rolled out, with employees being offered the flexibility to

choose their working hours as well as the number of days they wished

to work, subject to a relevant business case. Over the two months I ac-

climatized myself with the corporate

culture at the organization, learnt how

to work on multiple project teams, and familiarize myself with the nuances

of rewards and benefits. Most importantly, I learnt how to initiate and drive

policy change within the organization, which I hope will hold me in good

stead throughout my career.”

While the batch of 2012-14 would be gearing up for the internships in a couple of months, we bring to

you some of the experiences from the recently concluded internships for the batch of 2011-13. This sec-

tion tries to cover a unique experience from each of consulting, Corporate HR, General Management,

FMCG, IT, Banking and Telecom sectors basis the information shared by the interns.

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Summer Internship Experiences: Batch of 2011-13

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

Ishadarshi Mishra - Summer Intern at Hindustan Unilever Limited

“My project was in the domains of Leadership Development, Succession Plan-

ning, Project Management, and Training & Development. UFLP is a graduate

management program that accelerates graduates from trainees to Work Level 2

employees in a span of 3 years. This program is conducted across South East

Asia Australia region. I was responsible for introducing systems & processes in

the program including IT deployment that would make the program consistent,

seamless & simple to implement. My key learning from the internship experience

is that customer insights are crucial to any pro-

ject s' success and once the solutions have been

developed it is critical to get buy-ins for the

same.”

Arafat Khan – Summer Intern with Airtel

“I worked in the Expatriate Compensation Management of Human Resources

Function. The objective of the project was to revise the key policy elements of the

International Compensation Package and to come up with a one-size-fits-all mo-

bility policy. Additionally I had to propose a structure for a Centre of Excellence

for management of international assignments in

the company. The knowledge I gained out of in-

teraction with Mobility Experts across the world

was immense and the opportunity to participate in

international expat management forums was more

than satisfying.”

Nayana Kumar – Summer Intern with Hay Group

“My summer internship was with Hay Group in Gurgaon. The project I did was

primarily OB research on the topic of Generation Y. The focus of the project was

to understand the wants of Indian Gen Y. It required me to study wants, underlying

motives and effective leadership styles. In addition to this, I conducted in-depth

interview of Gen-X as well as Gen-Y professionals from varied backgrounds, to

identify the dominant wants, motives and drivers for them. The nature of the pro-

ject was majorly autonomous in nature, wherein I

had complete discretion of how I decided the

course of the project, including the form of final

deliverable. In all, it was a great learning experience, which gave me

a peek into the life and working of a typical HR consultant.”

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Summer Internship Experiences: Batch of 2011-13

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

Swati Singh — Summer Intern with PepsiCo

“I worked with PepsiCo's Compensation and Benefits team at Dubai. I undertook

four projects during my internship. Two of them dealt with the development of

standard modules for training of non C&B professionals through C&B&me Uni-

versity. My third project was preparing the pathway for the shift from HRMS to

SAP. One project was regarding the standardization of the process of measure-

ment of Employee Turnover across different BUs to have an organization wide

methodology. My experience with PepsiCo has been great. Being a fresher I did

not know of the nitty-gritty of the corporate world but at PepsiCo the work cul-

ture was so friendly and open

that I never had a problem. It was not just the C&B team

that I worked for. There were 31 students interning at Pep-

siCo and only the two interns from XL got the interna-

tional offers...Cheers to XL :)”

Navjot Singh Gill - Summer Intern with Aditya Birla Group

“My project was under the category Executive Compensation. I worked on drawing

up a list of comparators for ABG businesses and the group as a whole and then ana-

lyze their financial documents of the past 3 years to identify the trends that execu-

tive pay has taken globally. My experience of working with ABG was mixed: while

the project gave me a lot of scope to delve into unex-

plored areas and showed me how compensation links

with organizational strategy; the interaction with

company managers and the subsequent presentation

left me highly dissatisfied.”

Rahul Kalra - Summer Inter with Microsoft

“My project at Microsoft was on (a) ‘Developing C&B scorecard - for consistent

compensation and benefits reporting across all Microsoft geographies, (b) standard-

izing brokerage policy across Microsoft India: to have a standard approach on find-

ing brokerage assistance for MS India employees which varies across BUs right

now and (c) National Pension scheme and superannuation benefits: Finding super-

annuation practice at no additional cost to the company. I learnt how Compensa-

tion Professionals develop compensation ranges. I also understood the need to find

critical data out of loads of data available for com-

pensation. I developed understanding of policy

standardization and hurdles.”

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Page 8: Xpress HR - July 2012

Page 7

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

During the past one century, organizations have transformed

from Standardization driven Machinery to living and breath-

ing organisms

By – Anjan Bhowmick (HR Manager at ITC and a Doctoral Student of IIM A) & Parangat Ranjan (Assistant Manager at ITC,

MBA (HR) from MDI, 2009)

A Metamorphosis

The approach to the organization theory has

changed significantly over the years. There have

been a few incremental and some radical changes to

the overall perception. The business environment

has also become competitive due to the high-supply

-lower-demand trend and this competitiveness is

compelling organizations to adopt newer ways of

meeting the escalating customer expectations. As a

result, organizations have evolved from a

‘standardization driven’ machinery to a ‘living and

breathing organism’. Even through these changes in

the organization theory, the workplace remains the

battleground between the organization’s cost sav-

ings strategy and its efforts to adapt to newer plans

and targets, which serves as a critical enabler of in-

novation and transformation.

The business world has witnessed a marked evolu-

tion in the type and nature of organizations. Right

from 1890, when Fredrick W. Taylor proposed his

scientific selection of individuals, to Porter’s Five

Forces analysis in 1985, experts have coined their

own theories based on varied observations.

1890: Frederick Winslow Taylor:

The science of managing people

The seed of workflow analysis was sown as early as

the 1890s, when Fredrick Winslow Taylor, coined

the theory of scientific management to analyze and

synthesize workflows, with the objective of improv-

ing labor productivity. Taylor believed that deci-

sions based on tradition and rule of thumb should be

replaced by precise procedures, developed after sci-

entific study of an individual at work. In political

and sociological terms, Taylorism can be seen as

the division of labor pushed to its logical extreme,

with a consequent de-skilling of the worker and de-

humanization of the workplace. The strongest reac-

tion against scientific management methods was

from the workers, who found the work boring and

requiring little skill. With increasing influence of

economics, culture and politics in the early 1910s,

organizations saw a shift in their outlook towards

work environment.

1920: Max Weber:

Idealizing bureaucracy

Max Weber, a sociologist and a political economist,

during this period, profoundly influenced social the-

ory and the discipline of sociology itself. Weber

was the first to recognize several diverse aspects of

social authority, which he categorized as charis-

matic, legal and traditional. ‘Charismatic’ was

based on admiration of members of the organization

for heroic qualities or ideas of a person. ‘Rational or

legal’ was based on laws, contracts and rational cal-

culations of costs and gains, and ‘traditional’ re-

ferred to those who adhere to customs and conven-

tions. This concept typically applies to a modern

public administration organization.

Interestingly, post this theory, Weber realized that

bureaucracy has its ill-effects and would breed

nepotism, corruption, political infighting and other

Page 9: Xpress HR - July 2012

FUCNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT

degenerations that can counter the rule of imperson-

ality and create a recruitment and promotion system

not based on meritocracy. With the increasing need

for the management to perform a role beyond super-

vision and control of the workforce in the organiza-

tion, the need to understand these expectations

emerged.

1924: Henri Fayol:

Advent into modern management

Henri Fayol developed an independent theory of

scientific management in the mid 1920s and

claimed that the management of any organization

must perform multi-dimensional functions. He pro-

pounded the five elements of administration,

namely, planning, organization, commandment, co-

ordination and control. Though the theory limited

itself to the set of activities, tasks and duties, it

acted as a stepping stone for organizations to be

looked at as operating systems, with responsibilities

carved out in multiple dimensions.

1950: Russell Lincoln Ackoff:

Purposeful systems

In the 1950s, one of the significant influencers in

the area of evolution of organization came from the

General Systems Theory (GST). Ackoff pro-

pounded that any human created system can be

characterized as a "purposeful system", when its

“members are also purposeful individuals, who in-

tentionally and collectively formulate objectives

and are parts of larger purposeful systems”. His sci-

entific definition of systems holds that a system is a

set of two or more elements that satisfy the follow-

ing conditions: The behavior of each element has an

effect on the behavior of the whole. The behavior of

the elements and their effects on the whole are in-

terdependent; however, subgroups of the elements

are formed. All have an effect on the behavior of

the whole but none has an independent effect on it.

The theory was considered rigid as it prescribed

standard procedures making no room for adapting

to newer and more complex organizational dimen-

sions. Project based organizations had serious reser-

vations to Ackoff’s theory of standardization.

1978: Harold Leavitt:

Measuring Human Behavior

As an extension to the systems theory, Harold

Leavitt in 1978 introduced a framework defining

four interactive variables such as task, technology,

people and structure, in order to approach a mana-

gerial complexity. This framework is most fre-

quently used in the manufacturing organizations.

Numerous models began to appear after Leavitt’s

initial works. Furthermore, others added processes

as one of the parameters apart from the former

three. The theory, thus, was not ‘cast in stone’ and

deemed too generic and adaptable for defining sys-

tems. With the increasing scale and complexity of

the operating environment, there emerged a need for

creating multiple functions and, therefore, harness-

ing diverse expertise within an organization setting.

Thus, from a single system view, the organizations’

paradigm gradually shifted to a sub-system view.

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

Page 8

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1979: Henry Mintzberg: Organization forms

Henry Mintzberg, in his theory of organizations in

1979, defined mechanisms in which organizations

divide their workforce into distinct tasks and then

achieve co-ordination amongst them. With the in-

crease in size and scale of operations, the organiza-

tions divide labor into - core of operators, senior

manager, middle line, and techno-structure and sup-

port staff.

Intensified competition in a number of global indus-

tries and the increasing influence of the external en-

vironment to the adaptation of the organizations

triggered a need to look at these systems from the

prism of sustainability.

1985: Michael E. Porter:

Five forces analysis

Porter’s Five Force Analysis in 1985 made some

significant contribution to the study of the evolution

of organizations. This, along with the contingency

model of organization, emphasizes that market

forces also influence shaping an organization. Por-

ter calls it the ‘five forces’ that affect the company’s

ability to serve its customers and make a profit. A

change in any of the forces normally, requires an

business unit to re-assess the marketplace, given the

overall change in industry information. Porter’s five

forces include - three forces from 'horizontal' com-

petition: threat of substitute products, the threat of

established rivals, and the threat of new entrants;

and two forces from 'vertical' competition: the bar-

gaining power of suppliers and the bargaining

power of customers.

The theory captures the influence of the external

factors, but ignores the role of internal issues such

as communication, tasks, management levels and

decision making. While going through the models

over the last 100 years, it is evident that irrespective

of the organizational model, work processes are be-

coming increasingly collaborative in nature. Flexi-

bility and uncertainty in businesses are posing a

challenge as to what collaborative workplace design

will make sense in the present context. Therefore, it

is required that organizations be perceived as a

whole from five different dimensions - strategy,

structure and processes, which address the systemic

dimensions, and reward systems and people, that

address cultural dimensions.

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

PORTERS FIVE FORCE MODEL

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STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

HR DOSE Human Capital is a well

employed human resource

that is actively engaged in

meaningful, worthwhile

work and delivering some

level of desired productiv-

ity. Human Capital is a

question of factoring

knowledge and application

to physicality.

Human Resource Accounting is an accounting practice that treats people as machines with a monetary

value attached to them as individuals, and not to their labor.

Recruitment:

Do you know how important a good

start is in an interview? - There are

many objective studies that prove

that the hiring decision is made sub-

consciously within the first 4 to 20

seconds of meeting a candidate.

Statistics: HR Managers will have too much

work in the next 3 years – Guess why?

- 55 million additional jobs need to be

created in India by 2015 to maintain

the current ratio of employed people to

total population of 39%.

Leadership:

According to a survey by Development

Dimension International, a worldwide

HR consulting firm, the key executive

personality weakness to have the most

negative impact on leadership success

was – ‘Inability to understand others’.

Psychology :

Viktor Frankl, an Austrian Neurologist

added another hierarchy after self Ac-

tualization to the Maslow’s hierarchy

of needs. He called it Transcendence

Needs –a need to help others achieve

Self Actualization.

Trivia times

Page 10

Human Resource are the set

of individuals who make up

the workforce of an organi-

zation, a business or an

economy. Human Resource

is a question of physicality.

In corporate vision, these

employees are viewed as

assets who create value for

the enterprise.

Page 12: Xpress HR - July 2012

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

Following Dreams

Falling for Packages vs Winning Article : By - Dr. Arnav Singh Tanwar

H12070, Batch of HRM 2012-14

Dreams – (Not the ones that Freud tried his best to interpret) – Are the culmination

of our expressed and repressed desires. Their shapes, outlines, structure can’t be de-

fined and carved in stone – they are in fact a dynamic entity. Still there are some

dreams that originate really early and stay engraved for the rest of our lives. One

such dream is of taking up the profession that we love. There is a lot of hue and cry

in the film and media industry regarding the importance of working at something

which gives you heartfelt satisfaction. But does this rosy picture translate into real-

ity in the real world – Most of us here in India, especially those who don’t come

from very liberal households, would like to disagree.

The harsh reality is that as we grow up physically, the child in us is suppressed

and condemned to be locked away while the ‘mature’ adult is extracted out of

us. With the loss of this childish innocence, we lose our will to fight for what is

close to our hearts and succumb to the needs and norms of this world. We are

forced into the illusion that going after money and other materialistic pleasures

(‘Fat packages’) is the only way to experience true joy. Is it right to castigate

this popular belief in its entirety? Is it right to go after pursuing a failing career

in rock music while you can’t afford to feed or educate your child?

The problem lies in the fact that we are trying to observe this problem in

black or white. The reality lies in the finer shades of gray. What really hap-

pens is that while in the pursuit of this ‘happyness’ (As Will Smith wonder-

fully puts it – There should be a Y in ‘happiness’) we tend to overshoot and

overemphasize on the needs that were meant to be just essential ones. The

priority goes from sustaining oneself to seeking a life of plenty.

Consequently the child in us never gets a chance to express him/herself. On

the contrary we exploit the dynamic nature of our dreams to fool ourselves

into believing that the materialistic pleasures that we now possess (as a result

of the pay packages) are what we have always wanted. That the dream to

‘paint’ or ‘play for a band’ was just a naïve fantasy which had no real place

in this world. This tragedy is further aggravated by the enormous pressure of

society - which believes that we need to be ‘saved’ from ‘ruining’ our lives

in running after mirages.

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The aspiring student is forced to conform to the standards set by the society

for an ideal life. He is forced to comply with them, lest he be tagged a mav-

erick. His free spirit is bound by invisible chains and never realizes how he

gets sucked into this very system which he had thought of revolutionizing.

To give you the other side of this picture – there is also the fact that there is

no joy in serenading your lady with a guitar while she has not been well pro-

vided for. The joy one derives out of seeing his family happy and content is

beyond any that comes from pursuing any dream one might have. To put it more mildly – all satisfaction

from pursuing one’s deepest desires is rendered bitter if one doesn’t have a happy sustenance to enjoy it.

So where does one’s greed end? What is the utopia of all professional problems? How does one find the

middle ground? Till when does one keep running this ‘rat-race’?

The questions are many, the answers few. But all I can say is that there is no age to follow something that’s

close to your heart. The busiest man finds time for everything. We can always strive to strike a balance

between sustaining ourselves and giving shape to our dreams. A balanced approach in life with a dedicated

focus on our dreams can help us achieve most, if not all, that we aspire for. All we need is the belief in our

dreams, the vision to give it a mental shape and the will to pursue it with all our heart.

“You have the sunshine, you have the rain – work on your dreams now, you will never grow up again!”

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

Following Dreams

Falling for Packages vs

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STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT XLRI

HR ROUND THE GLOBE

Express logistics sector bleeding talent: Hay Group

Based on a survey of India's express sector, Hay Group pre-

sented a white paper on India’s express logistics sector,

which was commissioned by the Express Council of India,

and it seeks to understand the pay trends and its implications

on talent management within this sector. Around 30 compa-

nies from the transportation and logistics sector participated

in the survey. The paper reveals that the sector is losing its

talent to the wider transportation and general industry sec-

tors and that much more work needs to be done to attract

and retain talent within the space.

According to the paper the sector has outstripped general industry's employee attrition rates given its low

glamour quotient and the lack of a talent pool in India. It mentions a difference of 7-8% in attrition rates of

express sector and general industry. The attrition is attributed to the threat of mergers and acquisitions,

management leadership styles, and career growth opportunities.

The paper states that the industry has forecasted a salary increase of 15% in 2012, which is higher than the

general industry figures of 12% at managerial level. The paper suggests that the companies within the sec-

tor should stop using remuneration as a weapon to retain talent and should focus on knowing the value of

the work being done in the company.

Chief executive officers of most software companies took a pay

cut last year, involving a steep decline for many, as they tried to lead

by example in the middle of a tough market environment. Human

resources experts believe the pay for top executives of IT and busi-

ness process outsourcing companies is likely to fall further this year

because the gains from the rupee's steep depreciation cannot con-

tinue to compensate for a decline in market conditions.

Software industry grouping Nasscom has projected that growth in fiscal year 2012-13 will slow considera-

bly, to between 11% and 14%, with some suggesting that even this forecast is optimistic.

Amid tough market conditions IT honchos like SD

Shibulal, Vishnu R Dusad, Arvind Thakur, NRN

Murthy take a pay cut

Page 13

Page 15: Xpress HR - July 2012

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