Five Ways To Deal With Rotation In Job Roles

Job rotations reflect the aspirations of an executive and the confidence the company has in him. To climb up the ladder, two or more job role changes are necessary for entry into the top brass club, say HR experts. However, a job transition is not always smooth and there are a few cardinal rules. Devina Sengupta explains five ways to deal with a job rotation.

1 Chalk it out Like Succession Planning 

Job rotations are given to high performers and the company should explain to the executive the career progression they have in mind, says P Thiruvengadam, senior director, Human Capital Advisory of Deloitte India. The stint in the new role should be a minimum of one year and both roles should not overlap. 

2 Linear Growth will Get Nowhere 

The executive should understand that the role of the top brass is possible if the resume shows at least 2-3 job rotations. “We start our career as specialists, but to become a leader we need to have a multidisciplinary approach. This comes only through job rotations,” says Adil Malia, group president, HR, Essar Group. Malia says he too had job rotations. 

3 Do not Look Back 

Just after a job rotation, the departments may be linked. It’s important for the executive not to interfere in the working of his previous team. Both roles should have clarity and it’s up to the mentor to prevent the candidate from doing so, adds Malia. 

4 Assign a Mentor 

The executive getting readied for a job rotation should be assigned a mentor. Regular discussions, feedback and clarifications should take place. His progression should get monitored and the amount of exposure the executive must have should also be pre-decided. 

5 Prepare Staffer Before the Rotation 

Before a new role is given, the firm should do a personality and capability fitment test so that they know the candidate is apt for the new role. “Some 80-90% of job rotations are successful and 90% go back to their original post after the rotation is complete,” adds the senior director from Deloitte.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 29-04-2014)

Five Ways To Deal With A Job You Are Not Keen On

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 22-04-2014)

Five Ways To Deal With A Bad Hire

It is costly, time consuming, and a manager’s worst nightmare. Hiring a bad employee can cost a company dearly. But assessing the reasons on time and taking remedial steps to rectify performance could help salvage the situation for managers, says Anumeha Chaturvedi. 1 Set a Deadline  Defining someone as a bad hire almost a year after recruiting him does not really cut it, feels T Muralidharan, founder and chairman of recruiting and HR services firm TMI. “Typically a period of 90-120 days is enough to recognise one and will also help put remedial steps into action before the next year,” he says. 2 Assess the Reasons  The reasons why a manager would not approve of an employee can be multiple and varied. “The most crucial aspect of dealing with a bad hire is the manager’s assessment of the problem. It is only after assessing the reasons can a manager decide on whether the employee should stay the course or should be terminated,” says Tarun Katyal, chief human resources officer at MTS India. 3 Gather Solid Evidence  The veracity of reasons can only be highlighted once managers back up their reservations and concerns by facts and figures. Documenting evidence against employees can also put their own doubts to rest. Allegations of grave nature like sexual harassment require solid evidence and proof before initiating action, says Muralidharan. 4 Engage and Provide Feedback  At MTS, a new hire performed spectacularly well in the first two months, only to flounder later. Post frank discussions, the manager realised the sudden downward spiral stemmed from the employee’s mother’s illness. Engaging with employees and providing constant feedback will help rein in rude shocks. 5 Facilitate Counselling  According to a survey, 41% of the companies surveyed stated that a bad hire in the last year has cost them at least $ 25,000. Factors like inability to deliver results or slow learning can be addressed through counselling. (The Economic Times, Mumbai, 04-04-2014)

Five Ways To Tap Your Listening Skills

An old Argnetine proverb puts it quite simply. “He who speaks, sows; he who listens, reaps.” In a world rich with social platforms to express oneself, good listeners are a rare species. But at the workplace, using your listening skills can get you far. Shreya Roy speaks to experts, to find out five ways to best leverage your listening skills.

1 Resolving Conflicts 
Good listeners tend to be better equipped to resolve conflicts. “Leaders are more approachable if they offer to lend their ears to team members during a crisis at work which results in a better constructive method to solve the issue,” says Minhaj Zia, managing director, Polycom India & SAARC.


2 Defying Distance and Barriers 
In today’s world, we are constantly collaborating with people from various countries, who belong to wildly diverse cultures, and we rarely even get to personally interact with them. Using your listening skills to the maximum becomes a necessity, and not just a good trait to have, in order to achieve such collaboration smoothly.


3 Listen to Connect the Dots 
The ability to draw commonalities between multiple conversations improves dramatically if a person is a good listener. As a leader, this can help in improving fact-based judgement. “Asking for clarification will allow you to probe for additional facts. Using this effectively shows your ability to connect,” says Mark Driscoll, Human Capital leader, PwC India.


4 Driving Innovation 
When you allow someone to talk for 20 minutes, and just listen, they tend to come up with their own solutions. “One can come up with interesting new ways of working and infuse new life into projects by spelling out the objective and then letting the team come up with suitable action plans rather than prescribing a traditional approach,” says Zia. 

5 Establishing a Rapport 
A distraction-free conversation portrays to your speaker that you care about his view points, and are not just obsessed mentally with what you will say next. Even in a meeting with multiple people, you can build a better rapport with colleagues, by actively listening to speakers, and responding non-verbally.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 08-04-2014)

Five Ways To Hone Your Influencing Skills

Influencing others is not just a useful, but an extremely important attribute to have. Interestingly, influence has been the subject of considerable research, the most notable of it by Dr Robert Cialdini, Regents’ Professor of Psychology and Marketing, Arizona State University, who’s spent 30 years not just studying, but narrowing down his findings to six key principles, published in his 1984 book ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’. They include: reciprocity, commitment (and consistency), social proof, liking, authority and scarcity. Sreeradha D Basu speaks to experts to decode the science behind influencing others better 

1 Improve your Interpersonal Skills 
People are more likely to say ‘yes’ to you if they like you. So, it’s worth making the effort to work on your interpersonal skills, says Swapnil Kamat, founder, CEO and chief trainer at executive education and training firm, Work Better. “People like dealing with positive people, so it’s important to project both a positive body language as well as positive facial expressions. Also, people like dealing with others who are like them,” suggests Kamath.


2 Go out, do Something for People 
Not only does it make you a better person, but it’s likely that people will reciprocate. “Most people have this innate instinct to return favours. So, if you have done a favour for them in the past, it’s human nature to try and equalise that,” says Kamath.

3 Come Across as a Figure of Authority 
People who come across as a figure of authority tend to influence others in a big way. It could involve anything from power dressing to associating with a figure of authority or becoming an expert at what you are doing. 

4 Talk About Previous Examples 
As a society, we get influenced by what everyone else is doing. “People are comfortable going ahead with something when others have done it in the past,” says Kamath. Ad agencies use precisely this mindset to drive home their message. 

5 Build Better Trust and Connect 
It’s important to motivate and praise the employee so that he feels positive about the work that he has been assigned to, says Udit Mittal, MD, Unison International. “One should give their employees flexibility in schedules and take genuine interest in their work-life balance. Such small gestures definitely make a lot of difference. Giving due credit for past successes also helps,” he says.

Five Ways To Multitask At Workplace

Multi-tasking is not everyone’s forte. Yet at workplaces we are left with no other choice but to juggle between multiple activities. Experts say it is important to set realistic goals to multitask. Rica Bhattacharyya talks to experts for a few tips: 

1 Be Efficient in Juggling 

SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timebound) goals can help in multi-tasking. “A SMART plan helps you to remain focused and to be efficient in juggling. It allows you to evaluate when and how much attention is needed to complete a task and whether two tasks are compatible,” says Ruchi Sinha, assistant professor of business, organisational behavior at ISB. 

2 Know Your Priorities 

Knowing the priorities, while multitasking, and scheduling the tasks helps in minimising errors and being more productive. “Even when you are multitasking you must know which tasks need more of your attention and which ones can be achieved with partial or limited attention. You must combine a filler task with a larger more complex task,” says Sinha. 

3 Don’t Procrastinate 

As a manager’s demands of multitasking increase, he/she must be mindful of procrastination. “If you have an agenda, plan early and address it as soon as possible,” says Sudhir Dhar, senior VP & head, HR, Motilal Oswal Financial Services. Agrees Sinha: “Finish those short phone calls when you are walking between meetings. Ask a colleague to join you for a cup of coffee and make it into a work meeting.” 

4 Define Your Limits 

Multitasking has its advantages, but don’t take on too much or set yourself unrealistic targets. “Don’t say yes when you want to say no,” says Dhar. “It’s all very well to impress your bosses but don’t end up becoming a victim of a burnout,” he adds. 

5 Practice Makes Perfect 

“Some days you will feel you did good and on other days you might feel that your multitasking attempts were a disaster. You need to continue practicing till the juggling becomes natural and your skills of planning and utilising time become internal to you,” says Sinha. Make it a routine to plan for every day and to consciously practice the art of multitasking.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 15-04-2014)

Five Ways To Deal With Office Politics

Things may be hotting up this election season, but politicking, or the act of engaging in partisan political discussions or activities is not the sole preserve of politicians. In the sphere of work life, one could be faced with colleagues who thrive on plotting and scheming to downplay one against the other. Transparency, collaboration and a calm demeanour are key traits that could help one come out unscathed, finds Anumeha Chaturvedi.

1 Be Transparent 
Establishing transparent and direct communication channels through verbal and written commnunication consistently could help keep politickers at bay. “If you work this way, people around you will understand and even possibly respect you for it. It also helps in building trust at the workplace,” says Vipul Singh, VP and head of HR at ADP India. This is particularly important for larger teams as different people hold different perceptions owing to various circumstances. Transparency can be achieved by being genuine in all your interactions. “Not succumbing to judging people based on hearsay will only help one being perceived as more open and genuine,” says Singh. 


2 Understand People 
Make attempts to understand the office culture of the firm, the practices, and people around you. Strong and lasting relationships can be built by knowing more about direct reports, team members, their backgrounds and aspirations. “It will also help in dealing with different sets of people, progressing on projects, winning friends, and avoiding misunderstandings,” says Singh. 


3 Collaborate IT professional Ashish Jain tried the collaborative approach to win trust of colleagues around. Collaborating on projects with a diverse set of people has helped him gain a deeper understanding of how people operate. “Over the years, with different partnerships I have also learnt to keep my ears open and my mouth shut. While colleagues will often have something to rant or crib about, it is advisable to keep your view points to the bare minimum to avoid discussions being blown out of proportion,” he says. 

4 Never be Hostile 
Never try to react to a situation when you’re emotional or angry as you will regret it later. It is necessary to maintain your composure at all times, even with troublemakers,” says Singh. Interacting in a professional and courteous manner could help alleviate signs of discomfort and harshness among colleagues. 


5 Seek Feedback 
While being embroiled in office politics can be hard to avoid, professionals are bound to hit the breaking point when instances start affecting their personal lives. “While other things could be compromised upon, peace of mind is non-negotiable. It might help to discuss the state of affairs with a trustworthy senior at work to seek timely redressals,” says Jain.

(The Economic Times  Mumbai 18-04-2014)