HR Bulletin Volume 119

HR BULLETIN

How managers can turn themselves into mentors in a startup ecosystem

By engaging in regular conversations with team members, managers can build trust, effectively address employee concerns, and help them meet their goals creating a happier environment and ensuring workers' engagement.

Does a universal recipe for creating a great organisational culture exist? Are there common issues that could break a culture? Are there simple measures that can revolutionise work culture?

The answer to all of these questions is yes! To find out what makes Indian employees happy at work, what organisations are doing well, and what needs to be improved, we recently surveyed 50,000 employees across 150 startups. Over 2.5 million data points were collected from this survey, which measured the eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score®) of startups across multiple dimensions.

We found that one of the most important aspects of building a successful company culture is the manager. A company's greatest asset its competitive advantage is its employees. Organisations are striving to attract and retain talent and stimulate them to become integral parts of the company. Managers play a vital role here and can make or break the dynamics.

We found that 97% of startup employees are proud to be associated with their organisations and resonate with the problems they are addressing. Isn't that awesome? Moreover, 95% of employees have high trust in their teams. It is easy for them to share ideas with their colleagues because they perceive them to be highly talented. They echoed confidence that demonstrates that we, as an ecosystem, are hiring the right talent and giving them missions that inspire pride. In contrast, we also identified a few areas for immediate improvement.

Over 43% of employees wouldn't recommend their managers to their friends. Startups with multiple managerial layers are more likely to have these issues. Employee satisfaction is influenced primarily by manager effectiveness. Our conversations with startup employees revealed some startling revelations about employee manager relationships

It is common for startup leaders to see managers as those who can "get things done" But what does a team member expect from his/her manager? Our respondents highlighted certain key traits of a great manager:

•Managers with deep domain knowledge contribute to growth by acting as mentors

•Good managers guide employees in solving problems when they get stuck.

•Managers should be accessible, and regular conversations will benefit employees' personal growth.

As one employee puts it, "the best managers I've worked with care about me as a person beyond their transactional responsibilities."

It is clear from this that teams are not looking for someone to oversee their work. They want their manager to guide them, help them, and care about them the classic qualities of a mentor!

As startups grow, many managers are added at different levels. These additional levels can cause cultural problems without adequate training and processes A junior startup employee summed up a sentiment we've heard hundreds of times before: "It was great at first when we had flexibility and freedom However, as soon as we got micro managed, we lost our enthusiasm "

Managers have long been known to be the strongest determinants of employee happiness A Manager Recommendation Index (MRX) is an indicator of individual manager effectiveness and a powerful measure of the quality of managers in a startup. When the average MRX declines, eNPS falls this metric quantifies the power managers have over eNPS. Our data suggest that over 20% of startup managers are in deep red with negative MRX scores. Simply put, this means several of their team members actively discourage others from working under them. It is particularly prevalent among first time managers, who aren't properly trained to manage teams. From the employee's perspective, the manager represents the senior leadership and embodies the company culture. Employees, who are unhappy with their managers, are unlikely to be happy with the company. Startup managers make several common mistakes.

Not valuing opinions: About 23% of employees feel that their managers do not value their opinions There is one way communication in this system, where managers assign tasks to employees and employees to execute them According to one employee, "The issue flows from top to bottom Senior management takes an authoritative stance, and it's surprising to see mid seniors not providing even neutral viewpoints They expect us to follow suit "

Unfair practices were also a major concern: About 22% of employees felt their manager was unfair toward them A disgruntled employee told us, “Favouritism is at play. I don't feel like my manager cares about me as an individual he only cares about a select few individuals.” Others talked about their managers’ grudges and their repercussions. Teams riven by such sentiments are prone to discord and can fracture from within.

Employees felt their managers lacked the necessary technical skills to lead their teams: The problem is more prevalent among employees in specialised fields. A health tech employee said, “My manager is a good leader and people manager. Despite this, he does not have very much experience in my field.” This is not surprising in startups, where employees with less experience tend to be promoted to senior positions simply because they joined the company earlier A shocking 18% of employees do not feel that their managers have the required technical knowledge to lead their team

Finally, many employees believe their managers don't care about their individual needs: An employee of an ed tech company described how his team is led “According to my new manager, effective leadership involves instilling fear in the team

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5 ways you can apply marketing to HR management

In the battle for talent, companies can maximise different tools to find the right candidates. To do this, they can combine marketing and human resources management

Companies today struggle to attract top talent because of shifting dynamics in the workplace. To confront these challenges, companies must incite more initiative, provide more attention, and practice more imagination to execute goals, increase productivity, and enable innovation

To find the right talent, companies can combine marketing and human resources management Marketing is all about selling and promoting products and services, along with reputation management, advertising, social media management, press releases, and market research, among other things It focuses on getting customers interested in what you offer (business to customer or B2C) or encouraging other businesses to avail of services you can provide (business to business or B2B)

Meanwhile, human resources management deals with the people aspect of the job from handling recruitment, onboarding, practising labour policies, and fostering workplace culture to offboarding. It also goes beyond the traditional activity of finding potential candidates for job positions because, today, human resources management is about nurturing talent growth within the company.

The two combined create “employer branding,” says Global Human Resources Leader Anjani Kuumar.

When marketing and HR management departments collaborate, it will become easier for companies to stand out in a saturated labour market Standing out will become possible by building the company’s brand and increasing awareness When a company stands out, more job seekers will notice and check to see if there is any position in the company that fits them It’s a win win situation

Tips for return to work after maternity leave

Working women don't receive a lot of time off to spend with their new newborns, but they deserve a break. Find out how to return to work in the most seamless way possible.

It's normal to feel a bit anxious before returning to work after a period of time off for maternity leave. After all, juggling parenthood and work may be challenging. You can make the move back to the workplace lot easier with a little forethought and preparation. Here are some pointers to assist you.

Tips for a smooth transition back to the office

•It can be difficult to ease the transition back into work after having a baby. Here are some tips to help you make the transition:Talk to your employer in advance about your return date and what arrangements can be made to ease your transition back into work For example, can you gradually increase your hours or start with a part time schedule?

•If possible, try to arrange for child care well in advance of your return to work This will help reduce any last minute stress

•Get organised at home so that you can better juggle work and parenting responsibilities This might mean hiring a babysitter or family member to help out with childcare, preparing meals in advance, or creating a daily schedule for yourself and your family.

•Be prepared for some changes at work. Things may have changed while you were away, so it is important to be flexible and adaptable.

Difficulties of returning to work after maternity leave

Returning to work after maternity leave can be difficult for many reasons. For one, it can be hard to find childcare that is affordable and convenient. Additionally, it can be tough to balance work and home life when you have a young child You may also feel guilty about leaving your baby at home or worry that you are not doing enough for your child If you are struggling with any of these issues, here are some tips to help you make the transition back to work

IT recruitment skill gap: How to identify challenges and overcome them

High attrition is attributed to the shortage in new age tech talent and recruiters are redesigning their hiring strategies and betting on contract to hire staffing platforms and other online hiring platforms

As the economy continues to transform digitally, the ecosystem of IT hiring evolved dramatically. From e commerce to AI and data mining to cloud technologies, the tech hiring frenzy refused to take a halt. According to the reports, the IT industry created over 5,00,000 new jobs in the market alone in FY22. The covid 19 accelerated digitalisation by five to ten years in India.

India is a powerhouse of IT talent that is witnessing a steep surge in IT recruitment due to its technology driven start up culture Organisations are increasingly investing in hybrid work model tools including cloud technologies, digital customer outreach, AI, and automation to streamline repetitive and mundane tasks However, there is a wide market gap between the rate of IT adoption that intends to hire over 10,00,000 people by the end of 2023 and the availability of competent IT professionals The IT sector will always pose myriad challenges to recruiters in hiring tech savvy talent and one needs to be prepared before anyone jumps into the market

Talent supply shortage

There is no denying that covid 19 has created an unparalleled demand for the IT workforce. However, the gap between demand and supply is inevitable. It requires better solutions as the Indian IT market was already battling with a chronic dearth of talent even before the pandemic outbreak. The limited availability of skilled talent in the IT industry is further initiating a war of talent within the industry, resulting in record high attrition rates. As per reports, India is already battling with the tech demand supply gap of 21.1% which is further projected to stout in the coming years

How do you deal with your quiet quitters?

And not by firing them either.

In every organisation, there are a few employees who are passionate about their work, consistently putting in efforts that are above and beyond the expectations, and most often, climbing up their career ladder rapidly, but there are many who work just enough to meet the minimum expectations and not draw the ire of the reporting manager. Unfortunately, during the last two years, many employers faced various unforeseen situations like the pandemic and economic slowdown, and hence, couldn’t do enough to reward their most valuable employees for their hard work and passion. And some of these employees did feel resentment. “Promotions and hikes were minimal in sectors like manufacturing, engineering, construction, mining, power, energy, hospitality and entertainment. This led to many good performing employees experiencing a lack of recognition and burnout at the same time. They feel disenchanted leading to their quiet quitting,” says Aditya Narayan Mishra, managing director and CEO of CIEL HR Services

What is quiet quitting?

As the trend suggests, quiet quitting is when employees stay in their job but refuse to do more work than they're contractually obliged to "No longer are they willing to go above and beyond what’s required unless there’s a meaningful give and take and this doesn’t just mean salary bumps and added vacation days. This trend is seen across multiple industries, especially among Gen Z and millennial workers,” says Kristi Hummel, chief people officer at Skillsoft.

How to find out if employees are quiet quitting ?

Signs of quiet quitting can take on various forms, depending on the employee's reasons for wanting to pull back on work. If an employee is truly unhappy, the signs may be much more noticeable than for someone with the simple goal of wanting a better work life balance…