Objective:
The objective of the study is to understand the Call center industry and the recruitment & attrition trend followed in the industry.
The other objective is to study the reason for attrition and what measures are taken by company to reduce the attrition.
Also we would be studying the current trends about compensation and other motivational factor which hold the employee and the absence of which create attrition.
Scope of the Study:
This project was undertaken to assimilate the details of the various Recruitment and Retention strategies that the sample organizations follow. This would help us understand the current practices that are prevalent in the new world order.
The scope of my study is to observe the degree of satisfaction levels of the employer as well as the employees as per my sample size towards the process of Recruitment and retention techniques adopted by the company. I will also study the deviations if any, towards this effect that I will be experiencing in my research. Apart from getting an idea of the techniques and methods in the recruitment procedures I will take a close look at the insight of corporate culture prevailing out there in the organization. This would not only help me to aquanaut with the corporate environment but it would also enable me to get a close look at the various levels authority responsibility relationship prevailing in the organization. Also the stipulated time for the project is insufficient to undergo an exhaustive study about the topic assigned and moreover the scope of the topic (Recruitment and Employee Retention) is wide enough, so it is difficult to cover all the topic within the stipulated time, but still whatever I could do towards this effect, I will do that.
Conclusions:
The analysis of the data provided certain insights into the various aspects of the Recruitment and Retention Strategies that are being followed in the corporate these days.
From the analysis we can safely conclude that the practices that are being followed differ from organization to organization, as “One fit does not fit all”. But the bottom line from these findings clearly states that the organizations are increasingly outsourcing their recruitment process to private organizations. As the HR these days is clearly focusing on other organizational activities such as
• Attracting talent,
• Retaining talent,
• Career planning and
• Succession planning.
The focus is gradually shifting and this could be seen as a positive development as the HR professionals focus more on Retention and other important strategies that go a long way in reaping long-term benefits.
The organizations are now focusing on attracting talents through Company Offerings such as
• A world class-working environment,
• Job Security,
• Best Compensations,
• Work Life Balance,
• High quality of internal operations,
• Opportunities to grow within the organizations,
• The ability to satisfy the needs of the employees.
But a question arises on the credibility of the Consultancies that are used to recruit employees hence a periodical or a surprise audit of the recruitment procedures at these organizations should be carried out.
Considering the recruitment preferences of various organizations we can conclude from the analysis that
• I Energizer was leading the pack with opting for 30% of their recruitment through Walk In followed by Wipro and Daksh at 25% each and Convergys coming at the bottom with 20%.
• Hiring through Consultancies was more with Daksh and IEnergizer with 27%, followed by Wipro and Convergys at 23% each.
• Advertising was a major source for both Wipro and Convergys and clocked 33%, followed by Daksh at 25% and at IEnegizer it was a meager 09%.
• Campus recruitment was the most at Wipro at 40% followed by others at 20% each.
• Employee Referrals were given the most importance at IEnergizer and Convergys with 29%, followed by Daksh at 24% and Wipro at 18%.
Recommendations:
Innovative Employee Relation Initiatives should be undertaken by the organizations to recruit and retain their employees.
• A satisfied employee knows clearly what is expected from him every day at work. Changing expectations keeps people on the edge and creates unhealthy stress. This creates insecurity and makes the employee feel unsuccessful. An employee’s deliverables at work must be communicated to him clearly and thoroughly.
• The quality of the supervision an employee receives is critical to employee retention. Frequent employee complaints center on these areas.
• Lack of clarity about expectations,
• Lack of clarity about benefits pertaining to performance based incentives.
• Lack of feedback about performance,
• Failure to provide a framework within which the employee perceives he can succeed.
• The ability of the employee to speak his or her mind freely within the organization is another key factor. Have meetings or dinner once a month, to share the company's vision, the industry's growth and where they see themselves in this scheme of things.
• Talent and skill utilization is another environmental factor key employees seek in the workplace. One just needs to know their skills, talent and experience, and take the time to tap into it.
• When an employee is failing at work, Refer to W. Edward Deming's question, "What is about the work system that is causing the person to fail?" Most frequently, if the employee knows what they are supposed to do, then the answer is time, tools, training, temperament or talent. The easiest to solve, and the ones most affecting employee retention, are tools, time and training. The employee must have the tools, time and training necessary to do their job well - or they will move to an employer who provides them.
• Implement Competency Models, which should be well integrated, with HR processes like Selection & Recruitments, Training, Performance appraisal and potential Appraisal.
• A common complaint or lament during an exit interview is that the employee never felt senior managers knew he/she existed. They have to take time to meet the new employees to learn about their talents, abilities and skills. Meet with each employee periodically. They will have more useful information and keep their fingers on the pulse of organization. It's a critical tool to help employees feel welcomed, acknowledged and loyal.
• The perception of fairness and equitable treatment is important.
• Another important factor is focus on the process than on the person especially when the employee is failing at work.
• The Senior Managers to be involved in the recruitment process if the Recruitment team has identified potential and cultural fit candidates.
• Involve the advisors or team leaders in the interviewing panels.
• The staff members must feel rewarded, recognized and appreciated. Frequently saying thank you goes a long way. Monetary rewards, bonuses and gifts make the thank you even more appreciated. Understandable raises, tied to accomplishments and achievements help to retain staff.
• In Company presentations to potential candidates encourage the employees to share their experiences.
• Offer an attractive, competitive, benefits package.
• Provide opportunities for people to share their knowledge via training sessions, presentations, mentoring others and team assignments.
• Demonstrate respect for employees at all times. Treat the employees well & provide dignity of job; follow the maxim of Mr. Marriott that "Ladies & Gentlemen serve the Ladies & Gentlemen".
• If a key employee resigns, it should be taken up on a priority basis and kept confidential as far as possible and the senior management should meet the employee to discuss his reasons for leaving and evaluate if his issues bears merit and whether they can be resolved.
• Exit Interviews: Outsource this process to external consultants to get a realistic and unbiased feedback. This can be a great source of information regarding the shortcomings in a management system.
• People want to enjoy their work. Make work fun. Engage; employ the special talents of each individual.
• BPOs should endeavor to implement work-life balance initiatives to reinforce the retention strategies. Innovative and practical employee policies pertaining to flexible working schemes, granting compassionate and urgency leave, providing healthcare for self, family and dependants, etc.
• Work-life balance policies would have a positive impact on:
• Attracting high caliber recruits,
• Retaining skilled employees,
• Reduce recruitment costs,
• Improve employee morale,
• Maintain a competitive edge,
• Listen to employees' ideas; never ridicule them.
• Offer performance feedback and praise good efforts and results.
• Recognize and celebrate the employees’ success.
• Get them involved in social causes and fund drives like Tsunami Disaster Relief. Provide a meaning or a cause to their lives.
• Nurture and celebrate organization traditions like Diwali, Holi, Christmas etc.
• According to research by the Gallup organization, encourage employees to have good, even best friends, at work.
• Encourage humor & laughter in workplace to deal with stress. This will ensure that the employees are happy, and get reflected in their services especially critical in voice based transaction.
• Feeling valued by their manager in the workplace is a key to high employee motivation and morale.
• Reach out to the families of the potential candidates with sustained and focused messages in the media about the excellent prospects in the BPO Industry.
• Encourage & groom employees to take up higher positions/openings. If not fulfilled then they will look outside the organization.
• Look for talents within the organization and encourage them. For instance, if a person has the potential to be a trainer, groom & develop the employee.
• Have doctors to advise & guide them about their biological clocks and ways & means to deal with them.
• Provide Dietary advice: - Do's and don'ts.
• Special lights in the office/workplace to ensure their bodies get sufficient vitamin D
• Create the passion that they are doing a yeomen service to the nation by bringing the much-required Foreign Exchange.
• They are helping people (clients) to make their life easier.
• Creativity & Innovation- Its all about Attitude! A job can be as monotonous or exciting as one think/believe it to be, as it is all a state of mind. Look for excitement in the job process as it is not just answering the queries or solving the problems of customers but learning more about the customer through his voice accent or visualizing his environment/culture.
• Those who are working on services verticals - like Banking & Financial services to be imparted training/knowledge of Vedic Maths, which would help them, calculate the figures quickly without using calculators.
• Encourage the best performers to share their experiences with others and mentor others. The emphasis is to create the desire to learn, enjoy and be passionate about the work they do.
• Meditation Room or deep breath exercises for Associates & Team Leaders - the emphasis is that they should never be in the stress mode or upset while attending calls of a customer.
• Hire Professional Massage personnel to help the employees relieve their stress and strain. This would rejuvenate them and would lead to higher productivity.
• A session on Transactional Analysis during the induction period so that they are made aware of the causes for Communication breakdowns & conflicts which affect their mental behavior and stress which needs to be tackled at the earliest in the right manner.
• Implement organizational culture measurement tools like Adversity Quotient (AQ).
• Select the right people in the first place through behavior-based testing and competency screening.
• Using psychometric tests to get people who can work at night and handle the monotony.
• Selection tools designed to obtain behavioral and motivational information about candidates contribute to effective selection systems.
• Hire outstation candidates (from small towns like) and provide them with shared accommodation.
Objective of Report
In the changing environment and business environment, proper human resource management has assumed till more crucial role in the growth of the organization. It has become imperative to re-look at cultivating a good culture in the departments within the employees by keeping in mind the tools available to optimize existing manpower through skill matrix, redeployment, training & development etc. management labor and others can take justifiable credit for excellent advances in organizational behavior and performance but it is also a known fact that without a satisfied manpower no organization can excel.
