Posted on: 31-03-06 22:45:21
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1473019,curpg-1.cms
Now, BPOs offer IIM degree to retain talent
SHAGUN POPLI
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, APRIL 01, 2006 12:00:47 AM]
PUNE: It’s not all about money, honey! Not anymore. For software engineers and information technology (IT) professionals salary is gradually slipping to No 2 in the wish list, as a definitive career growth and personal development are moving up the priority list.
HR managers and industry watchers inform that salaries in the IT space are beginning to stabilise and have ceased to become the primary reason for high attrition rates.
To ensure that employees add further value to their present skill sets, IT companies are lining up opportunities for employees to acquire educational qualifications, while working with the company.
Patni Computer Systems, with an employee base of 12,000, has tied up with the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani to conduct an MS programme in software engineering for its employees.
Patni also has a tie up with IIM Kozhikode for an executive MBA course for its senior employees (people with 8-10 years work experience).
Cognizant Technology Solutions, with over 25,000 employees globally, also has tie-ups with BITS Pilani and the British Open University (for a 2-year MBA programme) and IIM Bangalore (for a customised 2-week residential programme on management).
“While going through the exit interviews of employees leaving Cognizant, it was found that a small percentage of people left us for pursuing higher education. This propelled Cognizant to provide its employees an opportunity to pursue higher education while working for Cognizant,” says Bhaskar Das, vice-president, HR, Cognizant.
According to Andy Ranaweera, senior VP, Tech Mahindra, the company recently hired consultants to delve into the causes for the attrition rate, which was touching 20per cent.
After salary corrections, where employees got an average 22per cent hike, the company has now managed to bring the attrition rate down to 12per cent.
Nevertheless, the HR team at Tech Mahindra believes that to retain employees, higher education is the key.
Apart from the BITS tie-up, Tech Mahindra also has collaborations with IIM Ahmedabad and ISB Hyderabad for part time MBA programmes.
In addition, University College of London delivers a masters programme in telecommunication through the internet for their employees.
Apart from higher education degrees, IT companies are also focusing on maintaining a conducive work environment to retain talent.
“It is very important to engage the employees’ families in many events. We focus on maintaining a work-life balance,” says Milind Jadhav, senior VP and head, HR, Patni. Companies are working towards breaking the rigid hierarchy and allowing juniors to mentor their bosses in certain competencies.
Events like the annual day are used encourage bonding among the employees and instill loyalty towards the company. Fun Fridays, sports and cultural events organised by employees themselves help to break the monotony and create a more congenial work culture.
With attrition rate in the IT industry between 18-22per cent, IT companies are increasingly projecting a clear career path within the company for employees, the day they come on board. Mr Jadhav says, “Patni has the LEAP (Leadership Excellence At Patni) programme, in which the competency model is divided into technical and behavioural aspects.
The performance management system is based on this competency model. This helps employees to decide future career paths.”
With the demand for talent outstripping supply, the IT industry will have to ceaselessly devise newer ways to hold on to the existing employees and simultaneously entice new people to join.
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If this is the way the Indian Companies are going to act, 
God Save Canada !
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Speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times....
"When we were young kids growing up in America, we were told to eat our
vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the
starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my
children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India
who would make you starve, if you don't.'"
Quote:
Originally posted by shankaracharya
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1473019,curpg-1.cms
Now, BPOs offer IIM degree to retain talent
SHAGUN POPLI
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, APRIL 01, 2006 12:00:47 AM]
PUNE: It’s not all about money, honey! Not anymore. For software engineers and information technology (IT) professionals salary is gradually slipping to No 2 in the wish list, as a definitive career growth and personal development are moving up the priority list.
HR managers and industry watchers inform that salaries in the IT space are beginning to stabilise and have ceased to become the primary reason for high attrition rates.
To ensure that employees add further value to their present skill sets, IT companies are lining up opportunities for employees to acquire educational qualifications, while working with the company.
Patni Computer Systems, with an employee base of 12,000, has tied up with the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani to conduct an MS programme in software engineering for its employees.
Patni also has a tie up with IIM Kozhikode for an executive MBA course for its senior employees (people with 8-10 years work experience).
Cognizant Technology Solutions, with over 25,000 employees globally, also has tie-ups with BITS Pilani and the British Open University (for a 2-year MBA programme) and IIM Bangalore (for a customised 2-week residential programme on management).
“While going through the exit interviews of employees leaving Cognizant, it was found that a small percentage of people left us for pursuing higher education. This propelled Cognizant to provide its employees an opportunity to pursue higher education while working for Cognizant,” says Bhaskar Das, vice-president, HR, Cognizant.
According to Andy Ranaweera, senior VP, Tech Mahindra, the company recently hired consultants to delve into the causes for the attrition rate, which was touching 20per cent.
After salary corrections, where employees got an average 22per cent hike, the company has now managed to bring the attrition rate down to 12per cent.
Nevertheless, the HR team at Tech Mahindra believes that to retain employees, higher education is the key.
Apart from the BITS tie-up, Tech Mahindra also has collaborations with IIM Ahmedabad and ISB Hyderabad for part time MBA programmes.
In addition, University College of London delivers a masters programme in telecommunication through the internet for their employees.
Apart from higher education degrees, IT companies are also focusing on maintaining a conducive work environment to retain talent.
“It is very important to engage the employees’ families in many events. We focus on maintaining a work-life balance,” says Milind Jadhav, senior VP and head, HR, Patni. Companies are working towards breaking the rigid hierarchy and allowing juniors to mentor their bosses in certain competencies.
Events like the annual day are used encourage bonding among the employees and instill loyalty towards the company. Fun Fridays, sports and cultural events organised by employees themselves help to break the monotony and create a more congenial work culture.
With attrition rate in the IT industry between 18-22per cent, IT companies are increasingly projecting a clear career path within the company for employees, the day they come on board. Mr Jadhav says, “Patni has the LEAP (Leadership Excellence At Patni) programme, in which the competency model is divided into technical and behavioural aspects.
The performance management system is based on this competency model. This helps employees to decide future career paths.”
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If this is the way the Indian Companies are going to act,
These courses are tied to the employer. The moment you leave an employer, you cannot continue the course. The work load in India is usually 10-14 hours a day and sometimes includes working over weekends. Oficially though it is a 5 day a week, 8 hour per day job.
The infrasturcture is pathetic. I heard several employees (and so are other public) who died on thier way to work/from work to home due to pot holes / animals / no traffic rules being followed.
I and many of my friends have observed that many managers in India are not ethical when it comes to keeping their promises. Many times work is extracted from employees by promising them a long term assignment abroad which later becomes either a short term assignment or may not even happen.
Overtime is never paid like in western countries because people willingly work 10-14 hours inorder to be the guy who gets a assignment abroad among all the members of the team.
The grass is always green on the other side.
DISCLAIMER:
These statements are made based on my own individual experience and based on experience of my friends. As with any country - there are both pros and cons. I feel are still many advantages to work in India Vs. working in Canada which may vary from person to person depending on the situation. Please do not change your decision to work in India/go back to India based on my comments. Also, I will not be responsible if somone immigrates to Canada and doesn't find a job here based on my comments.
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Under cover mosque
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=2668560761490749816&ei=ZdwxSc74L4ig-AGZ4YHiDQ&q=undercover+mosque&hl=en" target="_blank">http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=2668560761490749816&ei=ZdwxSc74L4ig-AGZ4YHiDQ&q=undercover+mosque&hl=en
Exactly, the courses are tied with employers, that is the basic idea : to retain employees.
Most leading IT companies tend to work ethically in this regard, they tend to keep their promises, as news travels fast.
People dying because of potholes is rare, otherwise population problem of India would have been solved by now.
But generally people are very happy, as they can see that they are getting much much more than the average person on the street.
However you are perfectly right about colour of the grass. The problem lies in the specific wavelength of green colour, it needs a little distance to excite rods and cones in retina.
