Media Release
Udupi, Sep 22: T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), one of the leading B-schools in India hosted Disha, the national level human resource conclave where nine HR heads from top companies addressed the students of TAPMI on how to manage human resources beyond recession.
Prof Vijaya, faculty, TAPMI said, “In the growing global economy, there is a need to move from good to great. The economic downturn has made companies rethink its strategies. The quantity and quality of employees has grown. It is with these potent thoughts that the theme of Disha this year is selected as "Human Resource Management – Beyond Recession".
GVRK Raju, the regional head – HR (South) from Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd said” We at Coca Cola took recession as an opportunity rather than a threat. Coke used this opportunity to manage and acquire talent and control cost. We managed to do this by recruiting talent available due to the slump in job market due to recession and by re-negotiating wage terms with the unions in bottling plants.”
Human Resource Management is perhaps one of the most affected portals of business and is facing a new set of challenges. From recruitments to layoffs, compensation structures, employee benefits, organizational communication to training and performance evaluation, all areas have their own share of concerns which need to be addressed.
Mukund Menon, vice-president, Human Resource, Mahindra Satyam said” Pre-recession companies used to talk of speed, making investments but recession has made them think on different lines. Language changed during recession. Now they think of innovation and cost which includes cost of operation and people cost. Recession taught the companies to “optimize” people cost. It has pushed firms to be innovative and faster so that they are still able to keep their heads above. Innovation has become a part of culture.”
Prof Ramakrishna Chadaga, Faculty, TAPMI said “Disha is an opportunity for students to understand industry perception. The panel discussion and paper presentation are the tools to understand the external environment.
Hari AP, National Talent Engagement head at Aircel said,” Currently Aircel is having 22 telecom circles and now planning to launch 23rd circle in Gujarat. The new expansion poses new challenges. Post recession, the rules of game have changed and Talent search is on for new skills and competence. Aircel is focusing only on next three years plan, because technology changes very fast and we do not know what type of market conditions will be prevalent tomorrow.”
Girinarayanan, the director, HR of Lineage Power (India) said “Innovation for an organization to survive in today’s context of rapid technological development and changing customer demand. He also said that India is emerging as an innovation hub being one among countries with highest number of patents. Organisational culture is a major factor in contributing to speed and frequency of innovation.” He added “Responsibilities of HR managers in building a culture of innovation which includes: Leveraging the talent, facilitating innovation, creating a system to receive ideas and identifying the idea generators in the respective organizations.”
Subbarao, a consultant said “One should adapt to the culture of the organization. Having worked in various fields, he mentioned that the job of HR personnel remains the same across various divisions. Performance evaluation done in a firm and the attrition challenge faced by all the companies across the world, no matter how big the brands .”
Pramod Fernandes, director-HR at Logica said, “Attrition is detrimental for companies but some companies do prefer a moderate attrition rate ranging from 20 - 40%. Due to rapid expansion the companies hire people who may be overqualified for their allocated jobs. This expectation misfit creates job dissatisfaction and is a major cause of attrition. Attrition is just the tip of the iceberg and the underlying reason may be much more deep seated within the functioning of the organization. Breaking of psychological contract, perceived inequity and unfairness, lack of learning and growth and manager quality. “
Asit Mohapatra, HR head, Raymonds ltd, Ajaybir Bakshi, HR head, Prudential, Subbarao, former senior Director, Intelligroup, Mannatham Perumal, HR head, Wadhwan Holdings were also present.
Divya Sainath, student convenor, Disha said “We have students from all over the country participating in the national level HR conclave, Disha. It is summit for the HR heads across industries. We have diverse industry heads coming like Finance, Consultancy, FMCG, IT, Textile and Manufacturing among others. we at TAPMI learn deeper industry insights.”