IIM ROHTAK H U M A N E - R CLUB P re s e n ts
H R BULLETIN VOLUME 93
humane.r@iimrohtak.ac.in
H U M A N E - R | V O L U M E 93
HR BULLETIN
Where no one feels excluded
Neurodiversity refers to variations in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. It was a nippy morning in Mumbai as I walked purposefully into the office of a client for a discussion on a project for their sales team. I was greeted by a pleasant receptionist who escorted me into the conference room. As I began plugging in my computer, it wouldn’t start. After a few failed attempts, I realised it had crashed. I reached out to the receptionist to seek some help from their tech expert. The tech in charge, Prem walked in and I waved a cheery hello. He ignored me. He spent barely a minute examining the machine and proclaimed it had crashed. He took the laptop and said he’d work on it. I rolled my eyes and said I’ll get my repair guy to do it back home but the receptionist insisted that Prem could handle it.
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I was extremely sceptical. I pulled out my USB with the presentation and borrowed a laptop and continued my work. Mid-way through the meeting, Prem walks in and hands over my laptop. All was miraculously well! My client smiled and I was perplexed. How was it possible? My repair guy needs at least a day to fix things and this barely took 15 mins! Prem was one among the 5 employees in the company who are differently abled. He is autistic. My client explained that Prem has extraordinary focus and the skill to solve problems, creatively and he’s an incredible asset to the organisation. It was heartening to see in an organisation with such neurodiversity. Honestly, in my work, I have never interacted professionally with anyone having a neurodiverse condition. And, it got me thinking. It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences Audre Lorde What exactly is neurodiversity? Broadly speaking we all have diverse and different brains. However, some conditions make people more different or impaired. Neurodiversity refers to variations in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. It is seen as an intellectual impairment or disability. Some of the neurodivergent conditions include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, developmental language disorder, dyslexia, and dyspraxia among others. Why is it important to have a neurodiverse workforce? Organisations have seen merit in hiring neurodiverse employees. What we commonly term as ‘disabilities’ are in fact the special and invisible abilities. Most people with these conditions have above-average abilities like Perm when it comes to things like analysis, information processing, pattern recognition, greater innovation and effective decision-making. Research states that they make fewer errors and increase productive efficiency. It enables sharper clarity in communication across ranks with more specific instructions. This diversity brings new things to the table for an organisation to grow onward and forward in the space of mental health, increased brand value and profitability. It allows for greater inclusion in the true sense. How can you create a neurodiverse program and embrace it in your workforce? First of all, you do not have to be a large company for a neurodiverse program. For no organisation is too small. All it needs is for leaders to begin by leading inclusion conversations as a culture rather than an initiative or a charity act, and importantly walk the talk. The leaders need to educate the general workforce on the importance and benefits of a neurodiverse environment to break the bias and be mindful and empathetic. It is imperative for a balanced society with fair opportunities and economic growth. Once leaders communicate the ‘why’, the next step is to chart out the ‘how’. What’s equally imperative to understand is how do you hire and retain neurodiverse talent? •Start with the Job description. The standard skills one expects from the general workforce may need to be flipped. Instead of seeking competence in areas such as communication skills, emotional intelligence and persuasiveness, they may need to factor skills like problem-solving, information-processing, ideation, efficiency in decision-making, analysis, etc. •Engage with a local community for recruiting candidates. There are many local and national level organisations and foundations for the differently abled who groom candidates for employability. •The interviewer or/and the hiring manager ought to be trained in interviewing and dealing with a neurodiverse candidate…
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/strategic-hr/where-no-onefeels-excluded-33660
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Over 85% of professionals in India to seek new jobs as culture takes centerstage The surge in resignations is being driven by people searching for the right job at the right company with the right values and culture — and many would simply rather remain unemployed until they have found the right match. Over 85% of employees in India will be looking for new job opportunities in the next six months, as organisational culture and a greater accent on sense of purpose have emerged as critical factors when it comes to attracting and retaining talent in a post-pandemic world, a report has concluded. Strikingly, more than one-third of employees in India, or 38%, have been in their present positions for less than two years. Across all industries, levels of seniority, and age groups, a clear majority has indicated this talent migration will continue, according to Talent Trends Report 2022, launched by recruitment agency Michael Page India. The report with insights drawn from a survey of 3,069 respondents, gives a depiction of what the talent market looks like today, and how it will likely pan out over the year. With the pandemic bringing home and work-life into the same physical location, people's perspectives on not only their work, but their lives as a whole have been put under the spotlight. Employees are rethinking what it means to do good work, and they want it to be meaningful. While salaries, bonuses, and rewards are still top attraction motivators for candidates, the study shows a big swing towards non-monetary motivators. As per the report, a significant 61% of respondents in India are willing to accept a lower salary or forgo pay rise and/or promotion for better work-life balance, overall well-being, and happiness…
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/employee-relations/over85-of-professionals-in-india-to-seek-new-jobs-in-next-six-months-33664
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Pivoting hiring strategies to build an annual customised talent pipeline As the tech and digital skill gap continues in the face of increasing digital transformation: the burning question remains: How do we get access to industry-ready talent? A recent Mckinsey report revealed that around 87% of organisations globally acknowledged the dilemma of skill shortages; one that is going to accentuate in the coming years. A key driver for this has been the business changes brought on by rapid tech advancements. Studies have today shown that jobs today are at risk of being automated at an accelerated pace. And thus, developments in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Data Analytics etc. all influence organisational expectations, of their new hires. The skill demand and supply mismatch created by tech advancements aren't the only driving force behind a renewed hiring focus. While the pandemic initially slowed down the job market, it's back on track today. The Great Reshuffle showed that employees today are rethinking how they work, where they work, and why they work. Candidates now actively prioritise their growth and choose what they value. The result of such market forces and behavioural changes have resulted in companies today facing tough competition when it comes to hiring the right talent. Today it's imperative to invest in building the right talent pipeline, one that meets constantly evolving business needs, with innovative capability at the core of problem-solving. What we have at hand then are two pressing tasks: one is to find future-ready talent that can keep up with the dynamic skill needs, and the second, once this talent is found, how do we ensure they walk through the door? …
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/recruitment/pivotinghiring-strategies-to-build-an-annual-customised-talent-pipeline-33649
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Indian job market beats COVID slump, shows highest growth of 6% YoY: Monster Employment Index While brands and enterprises continue to value creativity and human-centered design with techenabled applications, job roles such as design architects, software designers, system validation engineers, 3D artists, AR/VR maintenance and support, and design/graphics engineer are expected to be in high demand in the coming months. With economic activity showing impressive recovery from COVID’s grip, hiring demand witnessed a 6% year-onyear growth in the month of March 2022, highlights the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI). Even as a marginal dip of 2.4% was witnessed in month-on-month hiring activity, owing to appraisal season, the Index remained positive from an annual perspective as recruitment activity continued across a broad range of sectors. In the month of March 2022, online recruitment activity exceeded the year-ago level in 11 out of the 13 cities monitored by the index. All metros registered a double-digit growth on an annual basis. Mumbai biggest job market, followed by Coimbatore Mumbai (up 21%) led all the monitored cities for the first time on a yearly basis followed by Coimbatore (up 20%), Chennai and Hyderabad (up 16% each). E-recruitment activity in Bengaluru (up 15%) charted a positive trend but weakened from previous months. While Pune recorded 12% growth, Kolkata and Delhi-NCR registered a growth of 13% each…
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/news/recruitment/indian-jobmarket-beats-covid-slump-shows-highest-growth-of-6-yoy-monsteremployment-index-33629
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Communication is a critical enabler to ensuring wellness adoption: Satish Kannan, MediBuddy Satish Kannan, Co-founder & CEO, MediBuddy discusses how companies can create exponential employee experience with a focus on employee wellness. It is the era of employees. This big shift is moving the world of work from a world of push to a world of pull. One of the key consequences of this great power shift has been an increased focus on employee wellness. Employees are prioritising their health and wellness above all. As a Microsoft report revealed, 53% of employees are more likely to prioritise health and wellbeing overwork than before the pandemic. The organisations that don’t respond to this great shift with personalised and flexible wellness plans could be at risk of losing their top talent. “The COVID-19 outbreak has pushed employers to focus on employee health and many organisations are enabling services that go beyond hospitalisation and insurance benefits and include solutions like telemedicine,” said Satish Kannan, Co-founder & CEO, MediBuddy. With a singular focus to bring a paradigm shift in the healthcare industry, Satish is helping organisations make highquality healthcare accessible to everyone across the nation through MediBuddy. He takes us through MediBuddy’s journey and shares how it is helping organisations address the diverse needs of their dispersed workforce with an on-demand, full-stack digital healthcare platform. What unseen opportunities did you see that inspired you to create Medibuddy? MediBuddy was founded when we (Enbasekar & I) began working on the concept, we realised that almost 70 percent of health issues can be handled by remote doctor intervention, diagnosed and treated online. That realisation became the genesis of MediBuddy…
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/employeerelations/communication-is-a-critical-enabler-to-ensuring-wellness-adoptionsatish-kannan-medibuddy-33697
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