Why Employees Leave Organizations

From Mr. Azim Premji's desk.......

Somehow I feel the article is candid.... tried not to be convinced, but could not prove it wrong either.
Every company normally faces one common problem of high employee turnout ratio. People are leaving the company for better pay, better profile or simply for just one reason' pack gay '. This article might just throw some light on the matter... After reading it' I realized how true the depiction is.....


WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE ORGANISATIONS?

Early this year, Arun, an old friend who is a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. He had heard a lot about the CEO of this company, charismatic man often quoted in the business press for his visionary attitude. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food. Twice Arun was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined. "It's a real high working with such cutting edge technology." Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Arun walked out of the job.

He has no other offer in hand but he said he couldn't take it anymore. Nor, apparently, could several other people in his department who have also quit recently. The CEO is distressed about the high employee turnover. He's distressed about the money he's spent in training them. He's distressed because he can't figure out what happened.

Why did this talented employee leave despite a top salary? Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away. The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called First Break All The Rules.

It came up with this surprising finding: If you're losing good people, look to their immediate supervisor. More than any other single reason, he is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why they quit, taking their knowledge, experience and contacts with them. Often, straight to the competition.

"People leave Bosses not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. "So much money has been thrown at the challenge of keeping good people - in the form of better pay, better perks and better training - when, in the end, turnover is mostly manager issue." If you have a turnover problem, look first to your managers. Are they driving people away?

Beyond a point, an employee's primary need has less to do with money, and more to do with how he's treated and how valued he feels. Much of this depends directly on the immediate manager. And yet, bad bosses seem to happen to good people everywhere. A Fortune magazine survey some years ago found that nearly 75 per cent of employees have suffered at the hands of difficult superiors. You can leave one job to find - you guessed it, another wolf in a pin-stripe suit in the next one.

Of all the workplace stressors, a bad boss is possibly the worst, directly impacting the emotional health and productivity of employees. HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find public humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted. The second time, that! Thought gets strengthened. The third time, he starts looking for another job. When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression.

By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and no more. By omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: "If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble.

You don't have your heart and soul in the job." Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents.

When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over seemingly trivial issue. It isn't the 100th blow that knocks a good man down. It's the 99 that went before. And while it's true that people leave jobs for all kinds of reasons- for better opportunities or for circumstantial reasons, many who leave would have stayed - had it not been for one man constantly telling them, as Arun's boss did! : "You are dispensable. I can find dozens like you." While it seems like there are plenty of other fish especially in today's waters, consider for a moment the cost of losing a talented employee. There's the cost of finding a replacement.

The cost of training the replacement. The cost of not having someone to do the job in the meantime. The loss of clients and contacts the person had with the industry. The loss of morale in co-workers. The loss of trade secrets this person may now share with others. Plus, of course, the loss of the company's reputation. Every person who leaves a corporation then becomes its ambassador, for better or for worse.

We all know of large IT companies that people would love to join and large television companies few want to go near. In both cases, former employees have left to tell their tales. "Any company trying to compete must figure out a way to engage the mind of every employee," Jack Welch of GE once said. Much of a company's value lies "between the ears of its employees". If it's bleeding talent, it's bleeding value.

Unfortunately, many senior executives busy traveling the world, signing new deals and developing a vision for the company, but have little idea of what may be going on at home????

Regards,
Azim Premji

Shift + del recovery-useful tips

Your manager/customer asks you for information that you have deleted.
You frantically run and search for that mail from your peers, colleagues, but cannot get the correct information. You curse yourself for using that " Shift+Del " combination

Not to worry anymore, you can recover those mails now .

How? Here are the steps :

1) First go to Start-Run and Type ' regedit'

2) Go to:
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\EXCHANGE\CLIENT\OPTIONS
registry key.

3) Right click options and add new DWORD VALUE (data type is REG_DWORD) and then right click and rename to DumpsterAlwaysOn. It is case sensitive.

4) Then right click and modify and make the value 1 to turn the Recover Deleted Items menu choice on for all folders or enter 0 to turn it off.

5) Then go to Outlook , choose "Recover deleted items" option from the Tools Menu to get back your "permanently deleted" mails!


Note : This procedure can recover mails which were deleted by pressing shift+del in the past 30 days.

Nostalgia

I will narrate you a small incident that is a part of me and can never be lost……………

Dated: 7th December 2005

It was 6.00 or 6.30 in the morning on my birthday in Ranchi. The winters are chilling in Ranchi at that time. I was sleeping in my room at my house (as any sane person would do), I heard something disturbing my ears, "Happy Birthday to you....... Happy Birthday to you...... oh it’s my birthday....... so I must be dreaming I guess....” Again that same thing..... I opened my eyes and to my utter shock, there were some one dozen people standing around me and singing the happy birthday song. I was too sleepy to recognize faces; I had barely opened up my eyes. But, now I could distinctly see each of them, every one was there..... Neha Ruchi Nidhi Nivedita Pranidhi Surbhi Pallavi Ankit Pushkar Goldy Thapa Shinu....... oh God! I was still in a trance to realize all of this. After a while, I was in my total senses and could see the shock transforming to an elation of the highest degree. I was simply flabbergasted.... I can’t explain. There were cakes, flowers all around me and I found myself amidst the sweetest incident of my life. I could not believe that a surprise of this magnitude in this early morning could ever take place (I must tell you that one needs to experience the biting nature of the winters in Ranchi), given the fact that these are the people who failed regularly to reach the morning 8.50 lecture, barring a few toppers in the list :-) Moreover, I was with all these guys until 8.30 last night and talking to my sweetheart till 4.30 in the morning. It was all the moment of my life and what followed is one of my most precious memories. Then, I came to know about the whole story behind this, that even my sweet mom was involved in this and also came to know that none of them had even brushed their teeth (yuck!!). This was by far the best birthday I could have ever had, shared with all the people whom I could call as mine.

Life was like a dream that time, everything was perfect. I was among the people who were recalcitrants and believed their greatness comparable to Neil Armstrong :-). We were all a part of the small family called the IT section and I can bet that a class cannot get more ideal, more perfect, more bonded than this, I am proud of each one of them. I wanted to write this down not as a tribute to all of them, because that would be the biggest disrespect of their feelings, but because I did not want this to fade away in memory lane and wanted to relive it again and also because I love all of them.

Life at BIT, Mesra was a phase when we were always surrounded by the company of true friends, and ironically did not realize the worth (thats my personal opinion). But, now we do and just want to rewind it on a quixotic note, knowing that it cannot. I realize the truth in the words my dad once told me "You can make friends only till you are in college, after that all you can make are acquaintances". Life has to move on and we cannot live our dreams forever, but at least we can cherish them and keep them close to our hearts..........

Love you Friends........... Each of you rock..........

I will leave you with this dulcet work of art as a tribute to our bonding (Thanks to Neha)....... you need to watch it to admire it!!



Unfortunately, these are memories that are beyond the scope of words and even a raconteur would find it hard to promulgate. Hope to have served the purpose to some extent.

**Always remember to forget, The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember, The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget, The friends that proved untrue.
But don't forget to remember, Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget, The troubles that have passed away.
But never forget to remember, The blessings that come each day.

** Author Unknown

Code Monkey

A tribute to all the Coders out there...........

Code Monkey get up get coffee
Code Monkey go to job
Code Monkey have boring meeting With boring manager Rob
Rob say Code Monkey very dilligent But his output stink
His code not “functional” or “elegant”
What do Code Monkey think?
Code Monkey think maybe manager want to write god damned login page himself
Code Monkey not say it out loud
Code Monkey not crazy, just proud
Code Monkey like Fritos
Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew
Code Monkey very simple man With big warm fuzzy secret heart
Code Monkey like you.......
Code Monkey like you.......

Code Monkey hang around at front desk Tell you sweater look nice
Code Monkey offer buy you soda Bring you cup, bring you ice
You say no thank you for the soda cause Soda make you fat
Anyway you busy with the telephone No time for chat
Code Monkey have long walk back to cubicle he sit down pretend to work
Code Monkey not thinking so straight
Code Monkey not feeling so great
Code Monkey like Fritos
Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew
Code Monkey very simple man With big warm fuzzy secret heart
Code Monkey like you.......
Code Monkey like you a lot

Code Monkey have every reason To get out this place
Code Monkey just keep on working See your soft pretty face
Much rather wake up, eat a coffee cake Take bath, take nap
This job “fulfilling in creative way” Such a load of crap
Code Monkey think someday he have everything even pretty girl like you
Code Monkey just waiting for now
Code Monkey say someday, somehow
Code Monkey like Fritos
Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew
Code Monkey very simple man With big warm fuzzy secret heart
Code Monkey like you.......
Code Monkey like you.......

P.S.: This is a work of art and is intended purely in a humourous sense. Any genuine resemblance to anybody is purely co incidental. [:)]

Leaving on a jet plane

This song appears on seventeen albums, and was first released on the rhymes & reasons album, this is john denver, the country roads collection.

**All my bags are packed
Im ready to go
Im standin here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin
Its early morn
The taxis waitin
Hes blowin his horn
Already Im so lonesome
I could die

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that youll wait for me
Hold me like youll never let me go
cause Im leavin on a jet plane
Dont know when Ill be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

Theres so many times Ive let you down
So many times Ive played around
I tell you now, they dont mean a thing
Evry place I go, Ill think of you
Evry song I sing, Ill sing for you
When I come back, Ill bring your wedding ring

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that youll wait for me
Hold me like youll never let me go
cause Im leavin on a jet plane
Dont know when Ill be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time
Let me kiss you
Then close your eyes
Ill be on my way
Dream about the days to come
When I wont have to leave alone
About the times, I wont have to say

Oh, kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that youll wait for me
Hold me like youll never let me go
cause Im leavin on a jet plane
Dont know when Ill be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

But, Im leavin on a jet plane
Dont know when Ill be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

**Words and music by john denver

I'll leave all of you with the performance of this song from the maestro.......

Critique.....

The following was used as part of an internet advertising company's appeal to businesses: "Furniture Depot employed our internet advertising company to help. Since then its sales increased by 10% over last year's totals. Furniture Depot's success demonstrates how using our internet services can increase your profitability."

There are a number of underlying unknown assumptions that can weaken the claim of the Internet Advertising Company:

• It is very well possible that the kind of internet service that is provided by the internet company is specifically suited to the business of Furniture depot.
• The statement given is very vague as the 10 percent growth of sales, the actual figures of Furniture depot might still be below the break even point.
• Also, the success of Furniture Depot can be attributed to any reason other than the internet advertising services and the internet company might be trying to leverage on this fact.
• We have no proof of the genuineness of the claim as stated by the internet company; the claim might well be refuted by the Furniture Depot.

If the claim of the internet services company is accompanied with the facts and figures to justify the claim, the statement can become very cogent in nature. The internet services company must add a statement from the authorized Furniture Depot officials, so that the event of 10 percent growth is confirmed. Some idea of the generic design of the services provided may prove the service to be more marketable. It should also be stated whether the service can be customized as per the specific needs of an organization. This will enable the internet services company to view a larger market segment. The internet services company should also provide the performance of the Furniture Depot over the years, so that the comparison and trends, if any, can be evened out. This will enhance the genuineness of the claim as figures are always easier to comprehend and believe.

Any statement that is given out to enhance the marketability of a product or service must be such that it addresses all the underlying assumptions. This is imperative for the growth and success of an organization as even one odd negative conclusion affects the image and profitability of an organization. Any claim must be justified by facts and figures that consider the various possible scenarios.

Profit Maximization

The desire for corporations to maximize profits creates conflict with the general welfare of the nation at large is an arguable statement. This is a trade off that all the countries have faced at certain points in time and are still facing them. The most important criterion that comes to play is the way in which one defines "general welfare". We have contradicting views in this regard; some might relate it to living conditions, environment, etc while some might relate it to monetary earnings.

One of the most common ways of maximization of profit happens by cost cutting, which is done by reducing overheads. The overheads can be of various forms like facilities, subsidies or even the actual work force. And, when the cost cutting is done by the reduction of the actual work force with the motive of maximization of profit, the prime reason for the existence of the organization or industry from a humanitarian perspective is lost. While, from an industrial point of view it can be argued that if the organization runs into loss, then the overall effect might be much bigger than anticipated. Hence, this decision depends upon the values, vision and policies of the organization and cannot be generalized.
Another argument might suggest that, while a country is developing, a natural growth is attributed to the development of industries. The development of the industries has an adverse effect on the environment and this goes against the healthy living conditions of a nation. But, another thing that needs to be viewed is the economical benefit a country gains as the industries are developing. And, both the factors are equally important for survival and sustenance in the present day scenario, so the most logical and practically attainable solution is a balance between the two factors.
Hence, this is an argument that can be debated with equally strong views from both ends, while to reach a solution to this, we need to see the bigger picture or the overall effect of this phenomena. It is the responsibility of our governing body to take care of the best interests of the nation as a whole, with equal consideration to the betterment of the economy by maximization of profits. The basic idea must be that the intention behind every move or strategy must be good and in the best interests of the people concerned.

A Career Fad?

MBA? I must admit that I find myself to be affected by this….. CAT’2007 (For the uninitiated CAT stands for Common Aptitude Test administered by the IIMs), a staggering 2, 50,000+ applicants took the test. This makes me wonder as to why has MBA become such a prime career alternative. I still remember the days when as a child, I used to admire my cousin bhaiyas n didis….. For being a fresh doctor or an engineer and being so praiseworthy, I used to treat them as paragons. We still admire them but may be not as we used to, the reason might be attributed to the fact that India now produces more than 60,000 engineers a year, with Karnataka alone contributing at least half of that figure. Why so? May be we are in need of more technicians as the economy is rising or may be because the quality is going down. Quality or Quantity, a million dollar question? One can easily get admission to an engineering college if Big Daddy can afford a few lacs of rupees.
Currently, I am working in the services and consultancy sector. I find many of my contemporaries to be very disinterested and I don’t find this to be a healthy phenomenon. The Indian economy is growing like it has never before, but still…. I am really not able to comprehend. What puzzles me the most is the “taken for granted” attitude toward what one possesses? What we don’t realize is the fact that what we have today is what we had dreamt yesterday. I asked one of my friends as to why an MBA, he told me he has more interest towards the business,strategy, etc. rather than technical intricacies. But if that is so why engineering? But, one of my more honest friends quoted…. “The Buck Stops Here”, rightly said I believe. One definite fact is that MBA does make you the most competitive blend in the industry and that’s a rare one I must say. But, does that justify the 2.5 lac aspirant figure?
Seems to be a paradox, but that’s how it is…. As very well said by a learned man “You cannot make money doing the work you don’t love”…. Does it mean that love=money or money=love, both the equations are definitely not the same . This is where our self analysis comes to play. Think Think Think............

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS NOT A FAD………

E waste

We are at the pinnacle of Technological Development and Innovation, but, at the end of this fast-paced road lay a mountain of electronic waste, or "E-waste”. E-waste is hazardous waste that contains significant amounts of heavy metals and chemicals present in electronic products. The rate at which the waste of obsolete electronic products is growing will reach crisis proportions unless consciousness is developed and significant steps are taken in this regard.

A lot of end-of-life electronics are neither disposed of, nor recycled, and sit uselessly in storages and warehouses. This complicates the issue of E-waste management because recyclers cannot gain access to the valuable resources these electronics contain. Many end-of-life electronics items contain valuable elements such as gold, silver, and platinum. Unfortunately, E-waste can also contain potentially harmful substances such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. Regardless of whether its elements are valuable or potentially hazardous, handling and recovery of E-waste can be a costly undertaking. These considerations have led to intense debates about how E-waste can best be managed. There are also concerns about landfill toxins such as mercury, problematic levels of emissions from E-waste incineration, and exposure problems arising from poorly designed E-waste recovery and recycling operations. High labor and environmental control cost requirements are economic disincentives to E-waste recycling domestically. As a result, much E-waste recycling has shifted to overseas operations where labor costs and compliance requirements are lower.

While the state of E-waste is not as widespread in India as compared to some of the other developed nations, there should be a national concern to utilize this opportunity because it is possible to make clean, durable products that can be upgraded, recycled, or disposed of safely and don't end up as hazardous waste in someone's backyard. The Indian economy is very flexible due to its nature of growth in recent times and hence, it would prove to be very supportive to E-waste management due to a number of reasons. Firstly, the labor costs in the country are relatively lower as compared to the developed nations. Secondly, India has a huge infrastructural and intellectual backup required for this, because of the phenomenal growth of the Services and Software Sector. Thirdly, a bulk of the electronic trash is exported from the west illegally to Asia, where workers at scrap yards, often children, are exposed to a cocktail of toxic chemicals and poisons. And, finally, this would lead to the initiative of the conservation and utilization of energy which is the super set of the whole concept of e-waste management.

These are issues that might seem to be projected or exaggerated in the current state of affairs in the country, but definitely cannot be ignored from the conscious consideration when viewed meticulously with a provident perspective.