Zigsaw Blog

Category: HR

  • How To Measure HR Productivity

    INTRODUCTION 

    HR productivity is dependent and is directly proportional to employee performance. Once a candidate is hired for a particular job, after being assessed to be the most suitable person to fill in for the job, his/her performance is evaluated to ensure whether the higher has been successfully effective or not. A successfully effective hire automatically translates to productive employee performance. Employee productivity not only ensures profitability for the organization but also is a prerequisite for the growth of the organization as a whole. The role of the HR department of the organization encompasses functions not only limited to recruiting, hiring, and onboarding but also assessing, evaluating, and measuring employee performance to ensure correct decision making. 

    HR PRODUCTIVITY 

    HR productivity also sometimes referred to as workforce productivity is the evaluation of an employee’s work to decide upon whether he or she is effective and efficient enough. Productivity is abstract and is subjected to individuals’ perspectives, that’s ideally it cannot be measured. But to keep a track of the output of an employee at a specific time it is important to measure, assess and evaluate the amount of work and the accuracy of the work done by an employee. HR productivity is also known as employee productivity because HR stands for human resources and the human resources of an organization are the employees who work for the organization. Employee productivity is measured by keeping a track of the output by every employee (e.g the number of projects handled by an employee in a month). The precision, accuracy, and effectiveness of an employee’s performance have a direct reflection on employee productivity. Measuring HR productivity gives the employer an idea about the efficiency of the employees for a task or project. And for measuring HR productivity the employer needs to collect data about the employee performance demarcating their KPIs. 

    FUNCTIONS OF HR (FOR MEASURING HR PRODUCTIVITY)

    1. Collecting data about the output generated by every employee through a tracker mode
    2. Having a regular check on the employee performance
    3. Motivating employees to work more efficiently
    4. Implementing incentives and lucrative reward system for the employees
    5. having clear communication to avoid any kind of confusion or delay in work, lack of productivity
    6. Planning, organizing, controlling, and coordinating other HR functions like recruitment in such a way to ensure a smooth workflow and effective employee performance
    7. Measuring employee KPIs because the performance indicator is going to give a fair idea about the HR productivity measurement.

    KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR (KPI)

    Key performance indicators help businesses to staff outline and reach their goals. KPIs are a style of performance measure and are usually used at an operational level to guide the business towards pre-determined goals and at the worker’s appraisal level to facilitate staff stretch themselves and have the end goal in sight.

    THE INDICATORS 

    ABSENCE RATE: The absence rate within the organization is typically calculated by dividing the range of operating days within which the worker was absent by their total number of operating days.

    ABSENCE COST: The total value of absence is calculated by counting worker pay, as well as the value of managing absent, and substitution costs.

    BENEFITS SATISFACTION: Satisfaction with employment advantages is typically measured through a worker engagement survey. These are often relevant to cut back the turnover rate.

    EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY RATE: Although this metric is difficult to calculate, it says one thing regarding the capability of growth in terms of the production of human capital.

    EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION INDEX: Employee satisfaction is measured through worker angle and engagement surveys. Discontentedness is a vital cause of the employee turnover rate.

    INTERNAL PROMOTION RATE: This KPI is measured by dividing the variety of senior functions that were procured through internal promotion by the whole number of senior positions procured. Internal hires are usually to hurry up quicker, scale back the danger of a poor recruit, and keep them longer within the job.

    HOW TO INCREASE HR PRODUCTIVITY

    • Management (Training) By Objective 

    Every organization has a certain objective which all departments of the organization comply with and work towards achieving. Hence every hire should be effective enough to produce productive output which helps the organization achieve its objectives. Thus it is very important to evaluate the employee’s performance whether the employee’s actions are aiding the organization to achieve its goals and targets. Once the employee evaluation is done apt training could be given to the employee to brush up on his or her skills for better and much productive performance.

    • Motivation For Achieving Benchmarks and Targets 

    Every employee of an organization is assigned to do a particular number of tasks in a job, and his or her productivity is assessed by the rate at which he or she finishes the assigned tasks. Often employees are given particular targets to reach in a stipulated time frame which gets the employees to work with full zeal to finish the target. An organization could also opt for a reward system for the employee who finishes the maximum number of targets in the least time frame. This can also work as an added motivation for the employees to work in a much efficient and productive manner with more profitable results.

    • Employee Appraisal

    An effective appraisal system can contribute to the competitive advantage of the organization by improving employee performance in two ways – by directing employee behaviour towards organizational goals and by monitoring that behaviour to make sure the employee performance is productive enough that the goals are met. Often, HR departments of organizations implement employee appraisal programs to boost the motivation level of the employees which leads to more productivity as the employees become more focused and committed to their work.

    • Employee Engagement

    When an employee is engaged in their work he or she would be willing to go above and beyond what would typically be expected in his or her role, this is employee engagement. engagement is the extent to which employees are willing to go beyond the minimum requirements of the rules to provide additional energy or to advocate for their organization as a great place to work. Employee engagement is a strong predictor of employee retention and employee performance which gives an idea about the level of effectiveness and productivity maintained in the organization and the strong willingness towards goal achievement.

  • How To Do Bulk Hiring?

    Mass recruiting importance is recruiting a representative in mass; it is where the association utilizes up-and-comers in enormous scope in a brief timeframe. Mass recruiting is actualized when the organization has numerous vacancies. The technique for mass employing implementation in different manners relies on the organization’s prerequisites. Mass recruitment is one of the most gainful administrations to the business for selecting young minds with youthful ability who are in transition between campus to corporate. Mass recruitment is for choosing and short-posting qualified candidates.  

    The HR department of a particular organization or numerous organizations oversees and manages the entire hiring process and methods. Bulk hiring needs different sorts of steps to follow. First employing measure advanced via web-based media systems administration to pull in applicants. The hiring process can opt for either on-the-job or off-the-job recruitment methods. In general, bulk recruitment resorts to off-the-job recruitment or external methods like professional trade associations, campus recruitment, walk-ins, write-ins, and talk-ins, through radio and television and social media, acquisition, and mergers. 

    TOOLS FOR BULK HIRING 

     

    Professional and Trade Associations  

    Many associations offer placement services for the members. These services might contain a compilation of job seekers’ lists and providing access to members throughout regional or national conventions. Further, several associations publish Or sponsor trade journals or magazines for the members. These publications usually carry classified advertisements from employers inquisitive about recruiting their members. skilled or trade associations are notably helpful for attracting extremely educated, intimate, or masterful personnel. Another advantage of those sources is that recruiters will zero in on specific job seekers, particularly for hard-to-fill technical posts. 

    Campus recruitment  

    Colleges, universities, testing laboratories, sports fields, and institutes are the most fertile ground for recruiters notably the institutes. The Indian institutes of management and the Indian Institute of technology are on the top of the list of avenues for recruiters. In fact, in some firms recruiters are guaranteed to recruit a given variety of candidates from these institutes once a year. The IIMs are a source of a vital supply for recruiting management trainees. Campus recruitment is going global with companies like Hindustan Unilever, Citibank, HCL, HP Google, Facebook, Motorola, and Reliance looking for recruitees in the global market. Business schools in the US and the UK or a source of potential candidates for them. These candidates are Indians who are willing to return to India and take up assignments here. At least 4 reasons can be given to explain this trend.  

    First, changes in the economic front have thrown open new opportunities within the mother country. Second, the quality of life in the Asian nation has improved significantly. Third, it’s turning extremely tough for foreign students to secure work permits within the North American nation 

    Fourth, sentiment and love for the homeland compel them to come back to India. 

    Campus enlistment is wanted by the recruiters that every school, university, department, or institute needs to have a placement officer to handle enlistment functions. Campus enlistment is usually a costly method though the recruiting method eventually produces job offers and acceptances. The majority of those would leave the form within the first five years of employment. Some folks attribute this high rate of turnover to the dearth of challenges offered by the firms. Problems notwithstanding, campus recruitment is a major source of recruitment for prestigious and blue-chip companies. 

    Walk-ins, Write-ins, Talk ins  

    These are the most common and least expensive approach for candidates is a direct application in which job seekers submit unsolicited application letters or resumes. The direct applications also can give a pool of potential workers to satisfy future wants. From employees’ viewpoints walk-ins preferable as they are free from the hassles associated with other methods of recruitment. While direct applications are particularly effective in filling entry-level and unskilled vacancies, some companies compile pools of potential employees from direct applications for skilled positions. 

    Acquisitions and mergers 

    Another methodology of staffing companies could be a result of the merger and acquisition method. When organizations mix into one, they need to handle an oversized pool of staff, several of whom could not be necessary within the new organization. Consequently, the new company has, in effect, a pool of qualified job candidates (although they’re current employees). As a result of the merger or acquisition however new jobs will be created as well. Both new and old jobs may be readily staffed by drawing the best-qualified applicants from their employee pool. In contrast to the other external methods, this one can facilitate the immediate implementation of an organization’s strategic plan, such as entering a new product line that would otherwise be unfeasible using standard recruiting methods. 

    Radio, television, and social media 

    Radio and tv are used however meagerly which inturn is just used by government departments solely. Companies within the non-public sector are hesitant to use the media owing to high prices and conjointly as a result of the worry that such advertising can create the businesses to look desperate Radio and tv can be used to reach a particular set of job seekers.​ ​The only motive here is to reach a wider pool of candidates for the job. Generally, government organizations hire employees through competitive exams followed by interviews. Thousands of candidates apply for the competitive examination. Thus, the usage of radio and television for this sort of recruitment reaches a larger audience platform (potential candidates) for mass hiring.  

    A new and rapidly emerging source of recruitment is the extensive use of social media. Social interaction applications like LinkedIn and Facebook have been using to network virtually. This and more search apps have quickly blossomed into an ideal space to look for talent to post job openings and advertise career opportunities both at an individual level and by recruiters. One of the key advantages of the source of recruitment is that it is a highly preferred platform. With a technology-savvy millennial(GEN Z) entering the workspace in large numbers, there will be an increase in a shift to using social media as a key source for recruitment. Employees who refer to jobs within their circle of friends and acquaintances will spread to other circles and so on. 

  • Difference between HRM and HRD

    Human Resource Management (HRM) is a partial segment of management responsible for allowing effective use of the human capital or workforce of the company and supplying workers with flexible working conditions. This incorporates those activities which plan and manage a company’s human capital. HRM also focuses on building and maintaining a healthy relationship among the employees and at different management levels.

    Whereas Human Resource Development (HRD) is a subset of HRM that aims towards the betterment, empowerment and development of the human capital or workforce. HRD mostly puts its effort into training and developing the manpower of the company so that the organisation and it’s employees both achieve growth and success. HRM and HRD are often misinterpreted and is considered to have a similar meaning, but it is not. Therefore to provide a better understanding and help you distinguish between HRM and HRD, here are furthermore details to how they are different from each other.

    Human Resource Management

    Human Resource Management, often known as HRM, implies a particular management segment that is dealing with handling employees in a company so that to ensure maximum quality output to meet the mission and vision of the entity. The principles of management are brought into practical application on the employees of the organisation. It helps to boost the organisation’s efficiency and profitability by discovering the quality and capability of the workforce. HRM is, therefore, the allocation of work to the accurate person at the right time to get the maximum result.

    The procedure consists of various steps beginning with recruiting, screening, orientation, integration, training & development, performance assessment, incentive, compensation, inspiration, employee protection, health & wellness policy, corporate partnership management, change management.

    Human Resource Development

    The word Human Resource Development or HRD indicates the growth of the workforce in an organization. This is a component of HRM; it helps to develop the organization’s workers’ abilities, expertise, capabilities, mindset, nature and attitude. The HRD aim at empowering and improving the employees ‘ abilities so that their productivity is more efficient.

    Human Resource Development provides employees with these prospects that will respond effectively to their overall growth. Such prospects involve training and development programs, career development, performance management, KSA improvement, leadership development, identification of specific staff, strategic planning, etc. Nowadays, several companies work for HRD of workers from the very beginning, and the practice remains until their employment.

    Role of Human Resource Management

    The basic role of HRM is to design, organize and plan the policies and norms that support and work along with the benefits and upliftment of the employees working for the organisation. Also, it’s role is to maintain relations within the workplace.

    There are three major roles of HRM:

    • Administrative role of HRM – here, Human Resource Management is mainly to keep records, and legal paper works about the employees in the organisation. With this tie, the administrative role has been improved with technology that maintains huge databases, and the paper works can be easily done online or through accessible forms over the internet.
    • Operational role of HRM – this handles the relationship barriers in the organisation. Often the HRM department is said to act as an advocate, and it helps in maintaining relationships between different levels of the organisation and also internal relations. This helps in avoiding conflicts and creates a healthy work atmosphere for the maximum benefit of employees as well as organisation.
    • Strategical role of HRM – the strategical role of Human Resource Management is the footsteps towards HRP ( Human Resource Planning ), i.e., the organisation includes the HRM head in the strategical planning and takes into consideration the opinions and viewpoint of the HR manager as they have a better insight to the potentiality of candidates in the market.

    Role of Human Resource Development

    As HRD is a component of HRM, and its role is precise and particular in the organisation. The major role of Human Resource Development is to enhance the KSA factor of the employees, that is, brushing upon their knowledge, skills and abilities toward the job they have been assigned for. Also, the HRD department must provide the required training to the employees. Nowadays, many companies invest a lot in T&D programs to increase the efficiency of the employees.

    Objectives of HRM

    • Personal objective – helping the employees accomplish personal goals that also benefit the organisation.
    • Functional objective – the contribution toward the organisational achievements as a department of the firm that shows motivation and teamwork and the relation among the employees.
    • Organisational objective – putting efforts towards the mission and vision of the organisation. Organisational success should be one of the goals of the employees to increase their productivity.
    • Societal objective – when the above objectives are met by an organisation, it creates an image, preaches teamwork and motivates others and also attract new potential in the market.

    Objectives of HRD

    • To develop and uplift the workforce altogether to enhance the performance of the organisation.
    • To design better and more efficient training and development programs to attract greater potentiality and find talent.
    • To enhance the performance level of the employees to make them capable of achieving their personal goals.
    • To motivate the employees to have similar goals as the organisation.

    Difference between HRM and HRD

    Basis Human Resource Management

    Human Resource Development

     
     Definition  HRM is the managing, controlling and handling of employees for both enhancements of productivity and achievement of goals at personal and organisational levels.  The systematic procedure of development of employees to increase their efficiency toward the job they have been assigned for is referred to as HRD.
     Function  As it is a management function, it is responsive towards any organizational activities and also acts in decision making processes.  It is a subset of HRM, so it comes into charge only when it is required or called for. HRD is like a process that needs to participate at the time of requirement.
     Objective  Enhance the productivity of the employees and working relationships to maintain a healthy work atmosphere To increase growth, efficiency and creativity of the employees and help in meeting goals.
     Dependency It is an open ended and independent system.  It is interdependent.
     Procedure It is a continuous process that happens. HRD is a process that takes place when planned and called for.
     Meant for  People.  Growth of the organization and its employees.

    To conclude, HRM is a wider and broader concept of management. It consists of the traditional principles of management that are applied to the human capital to make them grow personally that further results in the enhancement or improvement of the organization as well. It also helps in creating an image in the society and therefore creating its public profile based on how the company’s performance is.

    Human Resource Development is a subset or subsystem of HRM. This department of an organisation is more of a functional part of the system that comes into action in developing both employees and the organization together. The employees are trained towards meeting personal and organisational goals and motivates the workforce to have mutual objectives as the entity.

  • What is Workforce Diversity – Meaning, Benefits, Drawbacks, Features

    In today’s post, we are going to learn about workforce diversity, how does it matter to your business, its benefits, and more. 

    First, workforce diversity isn’t merely an inclusion fad – but it has got direct and tangible benefits. Businesses with higher workforce diversity perform much better than their competitors and attain higher productivity in the long run!

    Workforce diversity means an organization has built a team workforce that includes different kinds of people. It will mean people from different ethnicities, socioeconomic status, sexual orientations, genders, ages, religions, or other ways where they differ. In simple terms, it means that people who have got different personalities and skills will approach particular situations differently, like both extroverts and introverts. Ideally, a company will build the workforce consisting of the above and match the strategy to have different employees with the overall organizational values and goals.

    Why is Workforce Diversity So Important for Your Business?

    Increasing workforce diversity will have many benefits: positive reputation, innovation, creativity, and more! Having various perspectives will improve your creativity and helps people to communicate positively with each other. This collaboration can bring more innovation and the ability for your organization to stay in front of these changing times! Of course, enjoying diversity within your business will encourage a positive public reputation & create devoted brand fans. Why should we not consider workforce diversity?

    Benefits Of the Diverse Workforce

    Creating workforce diversity has many amazing benefits for companies. A diverse group of employees will come up with varied and unique ideas and approaches. It allows the company to perform better and come ahead with some original and creative ideas. The workforce consisting of one group will be a bit conducive to creative any stagnation that can halt the company’s success. Having people who speak different languages can open up international business opportunities and outreach in communities where various languages are spoken. The diverse workforce can improve the reputation of a company and allowing it to gather better talent and higher customers.

    Drawbacks of the Diverse Workforce

    So, with positives, there are some disadvantages too like communication barriers, negative attitudes, and resistance to change. Sometimes it is a challenge to collaborate with employees of different communication styles and cultures. Meetings and discussions can be sidelined when dealing with what must be an easy issue- communication. Your business might come across people resistant to any change and show negative feelings towards your diversity.

    Features of the Workforce Diversity

    Salient features of the workforce diversity are given below:

    • Workforce diversity aims in making employees work to their full potential
    • Work-force diversity will work towards better attainment of the organizational goals.
    • Workforce diversity rules out discrimination among the people whatsoever.
    • Workforce diversity needs the creation of the organizational climate, where people from various cultural, social, and diverse in other respects (like gender, age, education, etc.) will co-exist & work with the co-operation of each another.

    How To Develop A Diverse Workforce

    An initial first step in building a diverse workforce is hiring people from different backgrounds. The companies must not consider tokenism for diversity, and where they hire one person from a particular group whereas other employees from a different group. It is not just unhelpful but comes over as shallow and can lead to disgruntled employees. So, integrate the hiring strategy with the overall business goals. For instance, hiring employees from a specific group can help the business to be successful in ventures, like expanding in a new area or providing a new product. A diverse workforce will be tough to build, so the organization needs to learn from the mistakes and continue trying.

    Supporting a Diverse Workforce

    Just creating a diverse workforce by hiring employees of different backgrounds will not be enough. The company has to support them & meet their needs. For instance, a team member from the religious minority might grow dissatisfied when he/she is not given off work on holidays or asks for time off for practicing her religion. In contrast, other employees don’t work on their religious off by default. So, an employee of different ethnicity might experience unaddressed racism or may leave. Companies have to take their responsibility to a diverse workforce very seriously where all are treated equally and are welcomed. When the companies do, they will reap benefits in the lower turnover & stronger loyalty from the customers and employees.

    Importance of Workforce Diversity

    Workforce diversity is important for the following reasons:

    Dealing with Diverse Consumer Market

    A culturally diverse workforce will better appreciate the requirements, feedings, and behaviors of the culturally diverse consumers. Therefore, workforce diversity improves the competence of the company to deal with the market inclusive of different consumer groups of culture, age, sex, etc.

    Improve Decision-Making

    People from heterogeneous backgrounds might aid management in better decision-making by offering suggestions from diverse perspectives and orientations. A heterogeneous team of people can be more innovative and creative; whenever they pool their experiences and knowledge and agree on the common solution to the tricky problem that may help management to make the best decisions for their organization.

    Better Relations

    Workforce diversity aims to develop and nurturing the common organizational climate and culture that allows people from diverse backgrounds and cultures to co-exist calmly. Such a type of organizational climate and culture leads to better relations in an enterprise and generates overall managerial and organizational efficiency.

    Preventing Labour Turnover

    If there’s a good workforce diversity, women or other dis-satisfied employees will be prevented from leaving your company. If otherwise, when there’s a huge labor turnover due to poor workforce diversity, the investment made in the manpower might go waste, with bad consequences for a company. Employees leave a company when they don’t feel comfortable or duly cared for by the management.

    Building Goodwill

    Organizations with the best workforce diversity grow goodwill in our society. As such, skilled and talented people with diverse cultures and backgrounds get attracted to seeking appropriate employment. These companies do not have any problem with the scarcity of educated, talented, and skilled human capital.

    If you can find value in diverse cultures, ideologies, traits, and experiences, you are on the way to the stronger and diverse workforce that grows with your business.

  • Why Do Companies Use Staffing Agencies?

    Companies using staffing agencies have increased tremendously. You might be thinking about why such a trend is happening and if it’s something that you must look into it. So, here are some top reasons why you must consider doing a similar thing.

    Decrease Overhead Costs

    Permanent employees cost much more than the salary they are paid. Like health care, retirement plans, vacation pay, sick days, and more are some costs that are included with the permanent staff. With a staffing agency, a manager or employer does not have to pay that, and they pay them for work that they have done without any additional overhead expenses.

    Decrease Overtime Pay

    Instead of putting extra demands on the current permanent staff, the employer may use a staffing agency to bring in the temporary workers to reduce the work during busy times. It saves time from churning out their full-time employees & overtime costs for the employees if they are work on an hourly basis.

    Need for the Short Term Staff

    Sometimes employers might need some temp employees because of permanent staff being sick, having some family emergency, on maternity leave, or taking an absence leave. Hiring through the temporary staffing agency will give an employer a little flexibility for scheduling somebody for a short time to handle such situations.

    Save on Time, Training, and Decrease Hiring Risks

    Training any new employees need an important investment in costs and time. While looking for somebody to cover some months’ work, it does not make any sense to spend that much money only to train them. So, the staffing agency will provide somebody keen to do the task they need. When a contractor’s job is done, work is over, and there is nothing to worry about unemployment insurance, severance pay, or finding a replacement. Not to mention the parting of ways is streamlined and smooth.

    Improves ROI

    At times employers searching for resumes might have certain projects that need a specialist or somebody with expertise. If it is a temporary project that can take some amount of time, it does not make any sense to hire permanently. The staffing agency will set the employer up with a skilled staffing professional and save time by weeding over hundreds of resumes, taking calls, and checking references who can or cannot be qualified.

    The role of a staffing agency is to help and find workers in the company and save employers money and time so that they can focus on other aspects of the business.

    When to Use Staffing Agency?

    Like with anything, even staffing agencies are not an ideal answer for each business out there. But, they are the most viable choice for the majority of the business. Here are a few things you must consider if the staffing agency can help to move your brand or business to the next level.

    Need an Employee Urgently

    Suppose your business has seen a sudden need for employees, then you have to consider a staffing agency. When the current employees feel overworked or stressed, they will not perform at the maximum level, and your business will suffer more.

    Business is Seasonal

    Most of the businesses, like one that caters to the tourists or those having seasonal work, must need full staff all year round. Others have to improve the number of staff during their holiday season. So, whatever is your business nature, if it’s seasonal, hiring the full-time staff is counterintuitive. And turning to the staffing agency can find you the right employees that you need.

    Want Experts for Finding Best in Their Field

    You know the process of interviewing each candidate and still cannot find the best one to fill the job positions that you have open. So, you’re stuck with continuing the long procedure and hoping that somebody will answer the ad fits perfectly or turn to the staffing agency. It can improve the pool of your candidates considerably and further enhances your odds of finding the best employees.

    Employers often find it tough to outsource the workforce requirements to the staffing agencies; they would rather be the ones looking after the hiring procedure. But, when they get over the mindset, they find it very useful to associate with the placement agencies, particularly a staffing agency.

    Employment agencies are handy in a given situation:

    • There is an immediate need for many skilled workers on the short-term plan.
    • Business is seasonal, and you do not want people around a year.
    • You want a qualified worker with a specialized skillset.
    • You don’t have the proper resources or time to recruit the new team.
    • You are looking to decrease recruitment costs like the large HR department, employee insurance, and more.

    At times, the staffing agency will be a single industry-focussed market serving only one particular sector such as IT and manufacturing. In some cases, they will allow the businesses to connect over specific roles such as executive positions and subject matter experts.

    Responsibilities of the Staffing Agency

    The staffing agency will offer complete staffing solutions to the business that includes:

    • Determining the workforce needed 
    • Understanding workload needs of a company
    • Conducting proper interviews & shortlisting candidates
    • Vetting potential staff through background checks & employment history
    • Checking the performance of your temp workers and see if requirements are met
    • Drawing proper contracts & looking at the legal issues
    • Imparting training

    If a worker isn’t the right fit for the company, then a staffing agency must stop the hire and compensate if needed.

    Final Thoughts

    Finally, using the best external staffing agency that meets the criteria must be an important part of each company’s talent program. But, when you find the right company, then the worst thing done is to comply with the internal rules and processes that can negate their unique power and strengths. But, leverage their capabilities, pay a one-time fee, and understand that hiring the right people is a multi-year investment, which keeps on giving.

  • Top 10 HR Magazines in India 2024

    Human Resource, like any other professional field, is an ever changing concept. There are trends, news and innovations happening every day and people associated with an organization, especially people working closely with Human Resource Department need to keep up with these updates so that the organization doesn’t miss out on effective and efficient innovations.

    One of the easiest ways to keep up with the newest trends is through magazines. Specifically, curated information and innovation is in a magazine can help your organization keep up with the latest developments in the HR sector. Given below are some of the reputed HR magazines in India, read and discussed by many reputable firms and HR professionals daily.

    Top 10 HR Magazines In India

    1. People Management

    People Management is a UK based magazine ranked number one by many trusted sources in the global HR network. It is the biggest publication on HR worldwide and also the official publication of Chartered Institute of Public Development (CIPD). It is published by Haymarket Media Group. It is trusted by many organizations in India as well as abroad due to its comprehensive knowledge dissemination through its varied content. It can brief you about specific issues, newest trends and familiarize you with known faces of HR world all around the globe through one issue. You can check their website for more details at www.peoplemanagement.co.uk

    2. HRD Connect

    HRD connect is again one of the more respected HR journal trusted by many organizations and professionally associated with Human Resource sphere. It again a UK based publication providing information on nearly all the spheres of Human Resource. HRD connect also provides a digital subscription for individuals and organizations to make it more accessible. One can also look into their podcast by the name HRD Connect Podcast to look into various topics or subscribe to their newsletter for specially curated news delivered into your email. For more information, check out their website www.hrdconnect.com

    3. HR Grapevine

    HR grapevine is a professional network of HR, mainly from Europe. It publishes a magazine by the same name covering the latest news, case studies, trends and innovations which is widely trusted by HR organizations and professionals worldwide. Their digital, as well as newsletter collection, is very much comprehensive in dealing with diverse topics at one go. Although the magazine is specifically talking about the UK, or more so Europe, it is widely read and respected by the global Human Resource network. Check out their website with this link, www.hrgrapevine.com

    4. Recruiter

    Recruiter is another magazine based out of the United Kingdom and mainly deals with the Human Resource culture of Europe but is widely read and respected by many Human Resource professionals. It deals with news articles, opinion pieces, culture and travel and everything related to the human resource field. For the organizations that want to take up a comprehensive discussion on Human Resource, this is the best option available in the market. Their online issue is available at www.recruiter.co.uk/magazine

    5. Employee Benefits

    Employee Benefits can be reached out with the following click on employeebenefits.co.uk/. This magazine is ranked in the top five HR and Business organization magazines that are available in the market about employee well being and human resource development in general.

    6. Personnel Today

    Personnel Today, which goes by the name of PT amongst its followers is again one of the best ranked magazines on employees, human resources and professional work environment in general. From day to day development in terms of factual news to the ways new ideas can be incorporated to make Human Resource more compatible and efficient, this magazine covers it all. The newsletter and digital subscription are also available, which makes it accessible to more people. For further information, check out their website at www.personneltoday.com

    7. Training Journal

    Training Journal known by the name of TD is again one of the widely read journals by human resource network worldwide. Although it deals with recruitment, training, apprenticeship and other similar opportunities for the benefit of job seekers as well as the organizations, it is widely trusted by HR professionals to make their work environment more compatible with the changes that are occurring the workspace. Further information can be accessed at www.trainingjournal.com.

    8. HR Magazine 

    HR magazine is again one of the most trusted reads by the emerging corporate workforce. It deals with the issues of employees as well as the employers and everything that is mildly related to HR. It gives a holistic framework to understand every role and responsibility of Human Resource professionals. You can check out about subscription plans and other information at www.hrmagazine.co.uk.

    9. HR Zone

    HR Zone, contrary to its various counter parts, is an online publication and does not come in print format. However, it deals with the various topic, issues and studies related to employment, management and work environment. Crafted especially for HR professionals, it touches diverse themes and hence is trusted by many across the globe. HR Zone can be accessed at www.hrzone.com.

    10. Changeboard

    Changeboard is a platform maintained by HR specialists and deals with each and every HR related issue in a very comprehensive yet varied way. One can find all sorts of information about every famous professional, event and trend from this magazine. For further information, check out their website at www.changeboard.com.

    These magazines are altogether one stop destination for all the quests and questions that you have regarding HR and everything around it.

  • Difference between KRA and KPI

    Every organization has got their goals, missions, and certain objectives to achieve. These objectives could be the short-term goals that need to be fulfilled in a given period. To determine if these strategies will achieve their goals and take the organization in the right way or not, the company makes use of dedicated metrics. And those are KRA and KPI. The primary relationship between KRA and KPI is that goals are made using KRAs, and realization will be measured by KPIs. Now, let us see the difference between KRA and KPI!

    What is KRA?

    KRA is a key result area and is one important success factor to the company no matter internal or external where superior performance should be achieved for an organization to attain their strategic goals and the vision and mission. The main result areas are the ‘critical success factors’ and ‘key drivers for success’.

    KRAs can be developed for the employees in a company linked to the job roles and performance objectives. Normally, key result areas will be around 3 to 5 major responsibilities, which are included in the employee’s job specification and indicate the main value of a person to the company. The analysis of such areas will help the employees to develop the personal strategic program for career development as well as serve basis for the employee performance analysis valuation.

    What is KPI?

    KPI is a key performance indicator made to assess the achievement of the objectives. For every objective out there, there is a dedicated KPI that can be set at the beginning of their performance period. At the end of this performance period, as per KPI, management will determine if the organization will attain a particular goal.

    Management must evaluate the following questions if deciding over KPIs

    • Can the KPI achievement be controlled?
    • Are KPIs linked with strategic objectives?
    • Can KPIs explain easily?
    • Is KPI simple to manipulate?
    • Are proper actions taken for improving the KPI performance?

    This balanced scorecard is the management tool made with heavy use of the KPIs and used to know KPIs efficiently. The balanced scorecard functions with 4 perspectives; goals are set for every perspective, and KPIs are used for measuring whether these goals are accomplished or not and to what extent they are realized.

    Difference between KRA and KPI

    Difference between KRA and KPI

    The primary objective of this post is to offer you an overview of what KPIs & KRAs are –and clear up a few misconceptions – and shed some light on why it’s important to separate both the metrics. We will run through a few definitions, and clear up what’s a KRA or KPI, dive into the importance of both, and offer some examples too.

    Your metrics can easily be broken down into two categories:

    Performance Indicators – PI’s are nonfinancial. They are measured on the regular cadence (every day, every week, every month, and so on.) and are the result of a person’s activity. PIs offer information over what action should be taken for improvement and are highly useful for creating proper strategies and aligning the goals. The indicators are:

    • Understood by employees
    • Actionable
    • Leading and forward-looking

    Result Area – One of the important goals for setting KRA is improving business communication and enhances productivity because everybody is aware of what winning is in their respective role. The areas are:

    • It’s specific, clear, and measurable 
    • It is under your control
    • It is an important business activity 

    Now, you have got your KPIs and KRAs. The major difference between the Indicator and Result Areas lies in their importance and value to you. So, whichever metric you consider is dependent upon your business’ priorities. For this reason, no tangible list of the indicators (i.e., Performance and Result) exists – and they are fluid & change depending on their business. Important to note that: If a metric impacts your business directly, it is ‘KEY’ for your business success

    Importance of KRAs and KPIs

    Key Result Areas is a strategic factor, implied to an organization where most favorable results are achieved, and reach its goal and take ahead the vision of the organization. 

    KPIs aren’t much flashy as KRAs, but more focused on actions, leading to positive results. Key performance indicators are the foundation from where successful strategies are made, and they are some steps, which take us to KRAs.

    Most of the businesses mistakenly rely on KRAs for offering insight into the overall performance of the business & direction over which activities are successful and what steps you must take next. Just KPIs can track down the steps taken (those that have to be taken) to make sure the success.

    Based on the above information, some major differences between KRA and KPI are:

    KPI KRA
    KPI is the performance metric that aims to evaluate the progress and achievement of the specific goal. KRA looks after the strategic area where the best performance is needed
    It’s the metric that checks the level at which the business goal is accomplished. It’s the metric that defines areas where employees are liable to produce positive results.
    It’s the quantifiable metric that gauges the performance of the product, service, in a market. It’s the qualitative metric and defines areas that will help to achieve the goals of an organization.
    Measures how successfully the organization achieves its goals at different levels. Helps to find out the scope of the job and product.

    Final Words

    As we can see, the major difference between KPI & KRA depends predominantly on the way that they are employed for organizational success. Each business has a pre-determined set of objectives that they wish to achieve that must be assessed against the dedicated metrics.

  • 10 Best HR Books to Read in 2024

    In a current challenging field of HR, there is always plenty of things to learn—especially this year brings a huge collection of books for Human Resource professionals. In this post, we have listed some best hr books that will help you to sharpen your skills, learn from the diverse perspectives, and keep up with the changing trends.

    People who are keen to become better in their work or personal lives, search for the books that show them different possibilities and ideas. Hopefully, this list we have put together will make your work life more fulfilling!

    10 Best HR Books in 2020

    1. Unleashing the Power of Diversity by Bjorn Z. Ekelund

    Unleashing the Power of Diversity by Bjorn Z. Ekelund

    With the changing world in a workforce, Unleashing the Power of Diversity highlights on how to ensure that your company works to improve the communication between the people from different cultural experiences. You will learn to break down the barriers to trust and unification is at the forefront mission of this book. This book helps the HR professional to ensure that diversity is sustainable and viable.

    2. People Analytics for Dummies by Mike West

    People Analytics for Dummies by Mike West

    It is the best HR book for novice HR professionals or one who wishes to start utilizing analytics to improve their HR strategies. The book shows that different data will help to point you in the right direction, keep workers satisfied, and enhance their motivation.

    Also Read: 14 Best Books on Leadership and Management 2020

    3. The HR Scorecard by Brian Becker, Mark Huselid, Dave Ulrich

    The HR Scorecard by Brian Becker, Mark Huselid, Dave Ulrich

    The book by Brian Becker, Mark Huselid, Dave Ulrich is arguably one of the oldest on our list –however the most timeless of all. In an HR Scorecard, Becker & colleagues explain in detail how people, performance, and strategy are quantified and linked. HRM hasn’t been regarded as hard science. To align HR strategies with an organizational strategy, and measuring an impact on the workforce does not come naturally to Human Resource. But, when it is done well, it allows HR to quantify the impact & measure effectiveness in their work.

    4. Predictive HR Analytics: Mastering the HR Metric by Kirsten & Martin Edwards

    Predictive HR Analytics: Mastering the HR Metric by Kirsten & Martin Edwards

    Predictive HR Analytics builds on their previous version and is used as the reading material for Human Resource analytics classes. This book explores analytics and metrics in a detailed form. Using many different case studies, this book explores metrics and analytics linked to employee attitudes, diversity, employee turnover, recruitment analytics, employee performance, and much more.

    5. The Essential HR Handbook By Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell

    The Essential HR Handbook By Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell

    This is one book that many Human Resource Professionals reach out for whenever any question and problem comes up. The newly updated edition for 2020, the book offers complete advice and information on just about each HR topic, which includes hiring & firing, managing the diverse workforce, telework, making compensation packages, as well as avoiding any legal pitfalls. You can find best practices, which will help you to attract talented workers, create positive relationships between the managers and employees, and navigate human resource issues in a complex business environment today.

    6. The HR Answer Book by S. Smith and R. Mazin

    The HR Answer Book by S. Smith and R. Mazin

    The HR Answer Book by S. Smith and R. Mazin is a go-to HR book for getting quick answers over HR problems. It is simple to read, precise and provides complete guidance on all the issues that are found in the Human Resource. Answers range from simple to complex and making it one best quick reference HR book for everybody interested in this professional and are working in this field. It’s one of the best books for the HR experts that must also be kept in HR libraries.

    7. SHRM Essential Guide to Employment Law by Charles Fleischer

    SHRM Essential Guide to Employment Law by Charles Fleischer

    SHRM Essential Guide to Employment Law by Charles Fleischer sets the foundation for the HR professionals to improve their knowledge of data and analytics as well as help to improve the overall performance of the business. The book covers practical aspects like data-analytic thinking, data collection, data management, applying human resource tools and analytics to the workforce, and planning, training, recruiting, as well as turnover analysis.

    8. Human Resource Management By Gary Dessler

    Human Resource Management By Gary Dessler

    Gary Dessler is known to be the pioneer when it comes to HR Management literature, and his Human Resource Management work is arguable the best read & studied HR books right now. The new edition covers important key aspects of Human Resource. This includes the practical and step-by-step details of the key cornerstones of HR. The author breaks it down into five important parts: recruitment, placement and talent management, training and development, compensation, as well as employee relations.

    9. Unleashing Capacity: The Hidden Human Resources by Rita Trehan

    Unleashing Capacity The Hidden Human Resources by Rita Trehan

    Human Resource professionals are on a lookout for different ways to improve their careers and skills. When a human resource is enabled just by taking on the new leadership issues, they will enhance the roles, skills, as well as processes in the organizations. The author tries to share the first-hand experience in simple-to-read chapters, which will help the HR experts at different levels to move the corporate ladder.

    10. Financial Analysis for HR Managers: Tools for Linking HR Strategy to Business Strategy by Steven Director

    Financial Analysis for HR Managers Tools for Linking HR Strategy to Business Strategy by Steven Director

    One main part of being a successful human resource professional lies in the ability to manage the financial functions of your work. It includes assessing the financial impact of human resources in the long-term business goals, preparing meaningful rewards packages for the employees, and making sure that HR plays an important role in the bigger enterprise profitability.

    This book is a thorough guide, covering each and every aspect of the financial element in HR today. Filled with examples, the breakdown of financial numbers in simple-to-understand aspects, and step-by-step point towards designing the successful HR & financial roadmap –it is one best read for people who are looking to get the best strategy from CFOs.

    Keep Reading

    HR isn’t about leveraging authority, bit, it is about the soft power: Human Resource must co-opt and attract than coerce. So, these are some of the top-rated HR books, check them out and do not stop reading.

  • Strategic Human Resource Planning – Definition, Process and Importance

    As said “well begun is half done” and the beginning of anything great starts with excellent planning as planning is the initial step in the area of management. To manage everything well in any organization, the key factor is to plan everything perfectly. Since human assets are the most precious assets in the organization based on whom the journey of success starts so planning them well becomes even more essential, and this prospective approach for the human resources is called Strategic Human Resource Planning.

    What is Strategic Human Resource Planning?

    Strategic HR planning is an essential component of HR management. Almost every sized organization has a strategic plan that guides the organization in successfully meeting its mission. Organizations regularly complete financial plans to ensure they achieve organizational goals, and while workforce plans are not as common. Strategic HR management is defined as “Integrating human resource management strategies and systems to achieve the overall mission, strategies, and success of the firm while meeting the needs of employees and other stakeholders.”

    Strategic HR planning is a process that helps an organization to identify current and future human resources needs to achieve the end goals. It links human resource management to the overall strategic plan of an organization.

    Importance of Strategic Human Resource Planning

    1. Clarifies the Current Scenario and Indicates the Loopholes

    HR planning strategy, start with where you currently are. Here are several questions that can be used for self-assessment in the course of Strategic Human Resource Planning which gives a clear picture of the present situation.

    • What is going well right now?
    • Where do struggle is the most?
    • Which processes are running efficiently, and which ones are a constant pain?
    • Where does the team spend most of its energy and time?
    • Amount of manual tasks?

    2. Helps in Future Anticipation

    Success is not accidental. To keep moving forward and finish the race, you want to check out the long term and make a solid plan. Here are a few questions to consider when you predict the future to assure a brighter tomorrow:

    • How do the current assets and liabilities align with your goals?
    • Is welcoming new people feasible?
    • How to retain your existing and new employees?
    • Will a training strategy help your team build new competencies?

    3. Helps to Incline with Market Trends

    It’s possible to get lost in the ever-growing complexities in the market. Monitoring market trends and external factors are crucial elements of a strategic HR plan. The following questions will help to assess market conditions:

    • How is the labour market doing?
    • What are employees most likely to demand?
    • Which technological changes will disrupt the industry?
    • How is the economy expected to vary in the future? What impact will it leave?
    • What are the government regulations you need to be aware of?

    4. Assess the Workflows and the Delays

    Strategic Human Resource plan is to perform an internal scan on tech, and other inventory.its must convert your strategic plan into action. These questions will help you evaluate the current HR technology:

    • Is the current HR process capable of accomplishing strategic goals?
    • What are the frequent bottlenecks within the present HR workflow?
    • Is the current HR process plagued by errors?

    5. Unleashing the Power of Automation in HR Planning

    Strategic HR planning helps organizations absorb changes easily. However, before implementing strategic planning, eliminating the existing chaos in HR Processes is a must.

    Strategic Human Resource Planning Process

    Strategic Human Resource Planning

    The strategic HR Planning process has four steps:

    1. Assessing the current HR capacity
    2. Forecasting HR requirements
    3. Gap analysis
    4. Developing HR strategies to support organizational strategies

    1. Assessing Current HR Capacity

    Based on the organization’s strategic plan, the primary step within the strategic HR planning process is to assess the present HR capacity of the organization. The knowledge and skills of your current staff got to be identified. This can be done by developing a skills inventory for every employee. An employee’s performance assessment forms are often reviewed to work out if the person is prepared and willing to require more responsibility and to seem at the employee’s current development plans.

    2. Forecasting HR Requirements

    The next step is to forecast HR needs for the longer-term supported the strategic goals of the organization. Realistic forecasting of human resources involves estimating both to and fro. Questions to be answered include:

    • How many staff are going to be required to realize the strategic goals of the organization?
    • What skill sets will people need?

    3. Gap Analysis

    The next step is to determine the gap between where the organization wants to be in the future and where it is now. The gap analysis includes identifying the amount of staff and therefore, the skills required within the future as compared to the present situation. Gap analysis must encompass these below questions to be answered:

    • What new skills will be required?
    • Do our present employees have the required skills?
    • Are employees currently in positions that use their strengths?
    • Do we have enough managers/supervisors?

    4. Developing HR Strategies to Support Organizational Strategies

    There are mainly three HR strategies for meeting organization’s needs in the future:

    Training and Development Strategies: This strategy includes:

    • Providing staff with training to require new roles
    • Providing current staff with development opportunities to organize them for future jobs in your organization

    Recruitment Strategies: This strategy includes:

    • Recruiting new staff with the skill that your organization will need within the future
    • Considering all the available options for strategically promoting job openings and inspiring suitable candidates to use.

    Outsourcing Strategies: This strategy includes external individuals or organizations to undertake and try to do some tasks. Many organizations look outside their staff pool and contract skills. This is incredibly helpful for accomplishing specific, specialized tasks. Each outsourcing decision has implications for meeting the organization’s goals and will, therefore, be carefully assessed.

    Are you in the process of Strategic Human Resource Planning, end up with us? Zigsaw provides the best-outsourced recruitment service to fulfill organizational prospective goals. 

  • Gamification in HR – Working, Importance and Example

    Gamification is the use of recreation-wondering and recreation mechanics in non-recreation eventualities inclusive of commercial enterprise surroundings and procedures, specially in recruitment, schooling and improvement, and motivation, with a purpose to interact with customers and remedy problems, as described through Gartner Group.

    According to Gallup studies launched in April 2012, much less than one in 10 personnel are ‘engaged’ in their jobs. The closures are ‘now no longer engaged’ (60 %) or are ‘actively disengaged’ (32 %) – the maximum dangerous shape of disengagement. The goal is to take strategies from recreation layout and effect them in non-recreation contexts so that the general revel in for the worker or ‘user’ is extra enticing.

    The writer of Gamification of Learning & Instruction, Karl Kapp, says the important thing to gamification is how addictive it could end up throughout all generations of people. Kapp believes the benefits which might be a part of gamification inspire customers to live engaged and engage with each other, constructing more potent relationships. Several companies like Marriott, Cognizant, Deloitte, Aetna, and others are using gaming to enhance staff alignment, decorate worker skills, remedy complex troubles, and faucet into new expertise pools. Typical recreation layout strategies encompass intention setting, competition, real-time comments, and rewards. There also are systems inclusive of eMee and MindTickle that facilitate Gamification in companies.

    TCabs, a nearby radio cab provider issuer from Pune, India, has converted its everyday Call a Cab commercial enterprise right into a gamified consumer-enticing offering, using the eMee gamification engine. TCabs has added one of the first consumer loyalty software for cabs in India, referred to as TMiles. They have additionally brought recreation mechanics to inspire consumer sports like presenting comments at the cab journey, encouraging customers to actively take part in enhancing their provider, and sharing their TCabs revel in with their friends.

    Gamification in HR

    How Does It Work?

    The energy of Gamification works like this: it makes use of the aggressive streak all of us have inside us, and as we play a recreation, we end up extra absorbed and engaged, we experience a different experience of fulfillment and are extra inclined to head the greater mile in both making extra efforts to pick the proper people or finishing extra schooling programs, or maybe assisting personnel to live motivated. And as we progress, we retain to boost our engagement with the sport and attain new levels.

    In Recruitment and Selection

    Marriott International Inc. became an early implementer to check how gamification may be applied in recruiting the proper people. It advanced a motel-themed video game, much like Farmville or The Sims, to acclimatize potential personnel with the Marriott as an organization, the corporation tradition, and the motel industry. Anil Garg, VP-HR, Whirlpool, said at some point in the latest TimesJobs.Com boardroom convention that they had been drastically using social media and gamification (cryptic puzzles) to interact with potential personnel to preserve the emblem join alive. It’s clear that gamification withinside the recruitment sphere has proved to achieve success for those businesses and is getting outstanding results.

    Also Read: Difference between Recruitment and Selection

    In Training and Development

    The famed Deloitte Leadership Academy has skilled 10000+ executives from everywhere in the international, grants getting to know gamification through Badgeville to boom expertise sharing and emblem improvement. TCS has additionally stepped withinside the international of gamification through imposing recreation engines that permit the introduction of real-existence environments with integrated networking features, allowing the improvement of such Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG). The software of MMORPG for real-international commercial schooling and simulation can cause extra collaboration and group play and decrease the dreariness concerned in solo-schooling, says the group.

    In Retention of Employees

    Accenture is the use of the gamification gear for worker engagement and administrative center conduct modification. The World Bank’s Evoke is a social collaboration recreation for fixing social problems. A very promising region of engagement and retention wherein gamification may be applied to worker health. For example, Mindbloom’s Life Game being used by Aetna is a freemium online social recreation aimed toward enhancing worker fitness and health through encouraging interactions with a metaphorical “self.” In essence, customers can preserve a test on their health by choosing and growing plans to foster health.

    The marketplace for gamification is anticipated to develop drastically, withinside the subsequent coming years. The Gartner studies suggest that through 2015, 50% of companies that cope with innovation procedures will gamify the one’s procedures, and that through 2014, extra than 70% of Global 2000 companies can have as a minimum one gamified app.

    Importance of Gamification

    1.  HR can alternate the education content material with the aid of using revamping it right into a game. Activities may be added if you want to permit personnel to advantage factors and badges via levels.
    2. Onboarding costs bureaucracy, and files may be very time consuming and complicated. Reward factors via gamification can result in performance withinside the commercial enterprise processes.
    3. It facilitates the HRs to install a difficult machine for worker well-being. There is an organisation answer known as Welbe, which aggregates information from wearables and worker well-being right into a dashboard. All people can determine every difference via leaderboards.
    4. It lets personnel understand every difference via aggressive and collaborative processes to commercial enterprise processes, necessities, and events.
    5. It lets in personnel to cost every difference once they excel at a specific activity. This is carried out via the assist of cost badges and lifestyle factors supplied to personnel if they comply with the agency values appropriately.

    Example of Gamification

    In 2015, PWC Hungary introduced a sport referred to as a Multipoly video game that carried out the commercial enterprise demanding situations right into a digital surrounding wherein the personnel get a hazard to check their flair and abilities via means of receiving guidelines and remarks via the in-sport performances. It now no longer best improved worker retention however additionally boosted the agency recruitment,

    Another New Zealand famed agency, Deloitte, used a recruiting video that became gamified and interactive. It went by way of the call of ‘Will you be healthy in Deloitte?’. It defined the firm’s offerings and agency lifestyle in information permitting applicants to play a position to get entry to their sports via desired points.

    From getting to know and improvement to recruiting, gamification withinside the destiny will migrate from the place of work surroundings to new domain names if you want to assist HRs to realise excessive appearing personnel. If you’re one of these people who’s searching ahead to growing an attentive, worthwhile, and interactive workforce, it’s time which you to leverage their intrinsic motivators via exceptional gamification approaches.