Five Ways To Break the Bad News

When times are hard for businesses, leaders have to often fire an employee or refuse a bonus. Rica Bhattacharyya finds out how best to handle the unpleasant moment . 

1 Tell them Early 

Sharing bad news at the end of the day may leave co-workers upset, giving room to more questions, says VD Wadhwa, MD & CEO of Timex India. 

2 Prevent Rumours A leader must break the news to the entire group at the same time. “This ensures each employee takes notice of the same words and doesn’t allow the rumor mill to take control,” says Wadhwa. 

3 Take Ownership 

“The worst is when you didn't have anything to do with the decision. You might not be able to share the whole story, but you should be able to explain what caused it,” says Sudhir Dhar, associate director & head – HR,Motilal Oswal Financial Services. 

4 Highlight Positives 

“If a boss has to ask a team member to leave, he or she can talk about the high potential of the person which may not be required for the role,” says Dhar.

5 Avoid Blame It is very important that no employee should be labeled or given any kind of blame. “Sooner or later the bad news is forgotten, but the labeling remains in the mind of the person,” says Dhar.

Five Ways To Crack the CAT Interview

Getting a good score in CAT is just half the battle won, as all premier institutes assign an almost equal weightage to the written ability test and the CAT interview for admitting candidates. Team ET offers tips from faculty members and successful candidates on how one can tackle them.

1 Brush up General Info It is crucial to have a grip on current affairs and general knowledge for the written ability test (WAT). A student at IIM Indore, for instance,was asked to write an essay on whether sex education should be introduced in the school curriculum. 

2 Back up Facts Interview panelists look for the ability to back your arguments rationally, factually and consistently. A candidate from Bihar recalled some figures on crime control rates and medical aid to provethings had improved in the state. “I could substantiate my arguments with facts,” says the candidate, now at IIM Bangalore. 

3 Know your Subject Interviewers may quiz you on basic topics and if you fail to reply, it doesn’t show you in good light, says Manek Daruwala, founder-director, TIME. 

4 Have a Roadmap It’s important to have a plan for your future in place. "I received an interview call from IIM Indore two years ago, but did not fare well as I did not sound serious enough about applying for an MBA,” says the IIM-B student. 

5 Talk about your Work Questions to students often revolve around work experience and behavioral science. “IIM-A faculty believes that if a student has work experience, he can learn better,” says IIM-A admission committee chairperson Prof Arnab Laha.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 15-01-2013)

Five Ways To Enlist Pros who Avoid Teamwork

Being open to collaborations help managers move up the corporate ladder, but at times team members resist the idea. Anumeha Chaturvedi suggests how managers can take corrective action when team members want to fly solo.

1 Find out Why It is important to assess the reasons behind the behaviour of one who avoids working in a team, says Amit K Nandkeolyar, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at ISB. He or she can be given counselling based on the nature of the problem, he says. 

2 Tweak Reward System Managers can tweak the reward strategy at the start of the year by linking a part of the pay to collaboration, says Nandkeolyar . Companies could also have a peer evaluation system in place for team members. 

3 Tie up Goals The individual’s goals can be linked to that of the organisation and managers should explain the merits of working as a team member, says Harshit Bhavsar, MD of HR solutions firm Universal Hunt. 

4 Provide Mentors Initiating greater participation for the go-solo team member through crossfunctional platforms and committees will foster a sense of belonging. “This should not be outsourced to consultants,” says Bhavsar. 

5 Identify Strengths If a team member is good at certain things, but lacks the ability to collaborate, the manager could move him or her to roles that best suit the person in the company based on individual strengths.

(The Economic Times. Mumbai, 22-01-2013)

Five Ways To Manage A Perfectionist Manager

It is crucial for a boss to tactfully handle a perfectionist team lead or a manager so that his traits can be used in a constructive way, without it demoralising the team. Rica Bhattacharyya finds out ways to do so.

1 Detail Task To curb fastidiousness of a perfectionist, a leader could himself do the necessary detailing required for tasks. “Develop a ‘role matrix’ and support it with a structured scorecard,” says Adil Malia, group president — HR, Essar Group. 

2 All-Round Feedback A perfectionist manager will not be able to handle direct criticism and hence a leader could introduce collective feedback. 

3 Personal Intervention A perfectionist manager’s boss can hold meetings with him and his team members. “This would help in reassuring other members,” says Malia. 

4 Be Constructive A boss can encourage perfectionist team members as they bring in an element of quality which an efficiency-oriented team member may lack, says Dhruv K Desai, senior VP and head, HR and leadership academy, Angel Broking. 

5 Identify Buddy A leader can identify someone the fussy team member respects and identifies with, ensuring another channel of communication is maintained, says Desai.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 18-01-2013)

Five Ways To Have a Strong Campus Hiring Programme

It’s placement season once again, and a good campus hiring programme can ensure that the company gets the right talent and adds value to the business. Sreeradha D Basu explains the essentials of a strong campus hiring programme. 

1 Shortlist Well Selection rigour is a must. “While evaluating any campus on the list, we check out their policy: how they screen students, their criteria for admission etc... If the institute doesn’t monitor the input, the output is of poor quality,” says A Sudhakar, senior executive director – HR, Dabur India. 

2 Describe Roles Clearly Companies should share as much details as possible about the opportunities on offer. “Students very often have multiple options and the more clarity they have about the job they are getting into, the more comfortable they feel in applying and accepting offers,” says Sapna Agarwal, head — career development services, IIM Bangalore. 

3 Be Consistent Over time, companies earn a ‘campus reputation’, which is formed through feedback from senior batches or peer feedback, says Agarwal. Most students apply based on this impression and not so much the market feedback, she adds. 

4 Focus on Internship The best way for a company to assess talent and be assessed is to have an internship programme. “Even if our hiring plans are limited, we take on a minimum of 25 interns every year. They serve as our ambassadors on the campuses we visit,” says Dabur’s Sudhakar. 

5 Make Orientation Click A good on-boarding programme should include sharing the company culture, interaction with the senior management and discussing what makes the company tick. “The image the new recruits form at this stage is what they carry with them for long. Also, this is what they pass on to their juniors,” says Agarwal.

Five Ways To Beat the Blues, Post Holidays

Soon after the holiday season ends, the back-to-work blues take over. Shreya Biswas offers some tips on easing into the process.

1 Keep a day for Yourself Plan your holiday in such a way that you dedicate a day to yourself before you join office. “Address your personal commitments. It will help you sink back to your work without feeling the pressure,” says Zacharias Cherian, country HR director – Agilent Technologies. 

2 Share your Stories Connect with your colleagues informally. Share your holiday experiences. “The story-sharing will help you get back your interest in work,” says Shalini Sarin, VP, HR, Schneider Electric. 

3 Take Stock Clearing e-mails needs to be one of the priorities when you return to work. “Take a day just to reply to those and figure out what has been going on while you were away,” says Cherian. 

4 Get Back Slowly Don’t immerse yourself in work the day you join. “Don’t get into meetings right away, instead prepare for them and then call for one,” says Sarin. 

5 Prioritise Address the most important issues first. Meeting one or two of your most valuable customers or taking stock of how much work is done on an important project, for instance. “It will give you a feeling of being in sync with what is happening around you as you get back,” says Cherian.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 04-01-2013)