A lot of what I know about HR today is based on experience, observation of trends, blogposts, news and conversations. When I analyze the systems that surround me, they too seem largely based on what organizations have done in the past, few experiments and many perceptions. While I question these often, I rarely dig deep … Continue reading First Principles
Goal setting is a slippery task. No matter how much effort you put into it, it always seems to be lacking an elusive magical element. Just when you feel like you’ve got it right, the year takes an unexpected tumble and you find yourself back at the drawing board.
Of all the ideas that resurfaced in 2019, the 4-day work week is by far my favorite. After all, who wouldn’t like an extra day off work every single week? The concept of a 4-day work week dates as far back as half a century. Nixon first predicted it in 1956. As work productivity continued to witness … Continue reading Free Time: The Forgotten Dream
If you have worked in HR long enough, you have without doubt used the term internal equity/parity at least once. This versatile term can be put to use anytime a conversation around compensation creeps up. It can be at the time of hiring, internal transfer or at the much loved annual appraisal cycle when a … Continue reading The truth behind internal equity
Watermelon goals are green on the outside but when you cut it open and dig a little, bright red and juicy on the inside.
Life is unfair. Some people begin their career with a clear advantage. Your intelligence (measured in IQ) is inherited, so is your socio-economical background, height, appearance and core personality. As per Marc Effron, these together form 50% of the factors that predict success. Nevertheless, the other 50% is entirely in your control. It is this 50% that that the book hopes to address.
This is not yet another article advocating the benefits of a strength-based philosophy. We’ve seen many of those already, haven’t we? Gallup, Peter Drucker and the industry as a whole have successfully convinced me to believe that employee performance and consequently organizational productivity is positively impacted when organizations routinely focus on strengths. I’m sold! However, despite all the … Continue reading What does one do with the strength-based philosophy?
Early this year, the media went crazy. Every other day, pieces titled – ‘The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea’ or ‘The Open-Office Trap’ attacked my inbox and it hasn’t stopped yet. One quick Google search on open offices will tell you that the world hates them. But we always … Continue reading The office from the future
On 2nd March 2018, United Airlines President Scott Kirby attempted to spice up the life of his employees. The organization decided to get a little creative with their rewards system and messed with employee bonuses. In case you haven’t heard (which would be surprising given the stir it has created), the scheme was this – you take … Continue reading What was United thinking?
It is because external feedback and self-retrospection are the only two tools I have towards continuous growth and I’d be damned if I don’t abuse both.
