Emerging Trends in Managing Human Resources

by Radha Shivakumar, Manager - Talent Acquisition, Tejas Networks ndia !vt" #td" $ we trace back the history o$ business environment, in the early years, trading %atterns and markets were stable, technology was static, customers were %assive, s%eed in getting to market was secondary, com%etition was limited to sectors and regions, and hierarchies were generally acce%ted in all walks o$ li$e" No more, since &'()*s, America and much o$ the rest o$ the world has been almost continually bu$$eted by change" +ustomers demand that businesses do it better, $aster, chea%er, em%loyees want to control more than the -Sto%. button on the assembly line" The twentieth century saw nations around the world become %art o$ the global village, with trade barriers between them reduced or removed com%letely" /lobali0ation o$ trade and economy are taking dee% roots in ndia" The holistic %aradigm shi$t to a single global com%any has o%ened u% new economic o%%ortunities" 1vents o$ the last $ive years o$ the %revious century have $ocused our attention on knowledge industries" 2uality human resources have there$ore become an im%ortant base with which to res%ond to the emerging environment" The knowledge work$orce in %articular has a vital role to %lay in the emergence o$ the digital economy" A look at the trends in managing %eo%le in this dynamic industry re$lects that Attracting, Managing, Nurturing talent and Retaining %eo%le has emerged to be the single most critical issue in lieu o$ the enormous o%%ortunities s%un o$$ by the market" The new avatar o$ talent is the knowledge %ro$essional who is innovative, business savvy, quick on the u%take, has an instinctive ability to network, and %ossessing unbridled ambition" They are %ro%elled by an urge to e3%eriment, scan new avenues that can s%ur their creativity" The knowledge %ro$essional will gravitate to an organi0ation that is $le3ible, has strong values, a robust %er$ormance ethic and %rovides challenging work on latest technology" This has led to com%anies %roactively taking measures on three $ronts" 4irst, com%anies create an organi0ational ambience where talent can bloom" Second, they %ut in %lace systems that hel% unleash their %otential and third, they build a reward and recognition mechanism that %rovides value $or %eo%le" !ro$ound systemic changes have been seen in the way com%anies are structured" The conce%ts o$ leadershi% and managing %eo%le gave undergone a radical rethink" +ubicles, hierarchies and rigid organi0ation structures o$ the %ast, have now given way to o%en work environment, $lat structure with in$ormality being a general rule and em%owerment o$ individuals" Today work itsel$ is centered around %rojects, which have virtual teams working on them" This work structure has led to a culture o$ $le3i time, round the clock accessibility to the work%lace" Also catching u% $ast is the trend o$ workstations at home, remote access, video-con$erencing and re%orting by e3ce%tion" To stay one ste% ahead o$ the as%irations o$ their %eo%le, com%anies are continuously striving to %rovide an intellectually stimulating environment" 4ew e3am%les being, in-house libraries, continuous u% gradation o$ knowledge and skills, knowledge sharing, building relationshi%s with academia thus enabling knowledge workers to %ursue multi%le careers within a single com%any" +oming times will see sabbaticals $orming %art o$ the organi0ation culture, cor%orate universities dotting the new hori0on, com%eting com%anies bunching together to setu% knowledge networks" +om%anies today are constantly striving towards enhancing the quality o$ work li$e and also the %ersonal li$e o$ its em%loyees and this does not sto% with the em%loyee buts gets e3tended to his 5 her $amily as well" n-house health clubs, yoga and meditation centers to relieve stress, s%orts and cultural

activities, em%loyee get-togethers with invitations to come over with $amilies, day care centers and many o$ the like are being %rovided by com%anies" 6ith the increasing si0e o$ the com%anies, the to% down communication model o$ yesteryears has been re%laced by bottom u%, cross level communication thereby encouraging %eo%le to voice their o%inions and $eelings" 7%en house sessions, mentoring, online chats on the intranet have emerged to be the communication enablers" The new economy has given rise to a culture o$ working in teams" Today no job in the knowledge industry can be %er$ormed in isolation" Since working in teams is not a %assing $ad, com%anies are now designing com%ensation structures, which rewards team %er$ormance in addition to individual %er$ormance" To conclude, change is here to stay, and we need to understand that all the %ractices that are working today may not necessarily work tomorrow" +ustomers* e3%ectations, market changes and strategic decisions will derive the tools to managing the human assets"