The Hindu Business Line : Will back to basics work for HR?

Get back to basics, HR. Even as companies are crying hoarse over employee no-shows, skyrocketing salaries and zooming attrition rates, it's worth looking inwards, feel some recruitment and HR consultants.

"As companies are ramping up in thousands, the number of employee touch points are getting reduced," feels Ms Yeshasvini Ramaswamy, Head, HR Services and Training, E2E Business Solutions.

Take for instance, employee relocation. "Companies earlier personally helped employees find a house, schooling and even jobs for spouses. It is becoming a thing of the past now." Some companies just give fatter pay cheques in lieu of these services, which may be exciting initially, but causes a lot of stress later, leading to early exits in the company, she says.

Employee no-shows

"These are some of the reasons for pre-offer rejects by prospective employees, says Ms Nirupama V.G., Associate Director, TeamLease Services. Agreeing that employee no-shows have become a bane in the industry, she highlights the flip side of the problem.

"HR in several large companies is not able to cope with the expanding employee pool. In fact, HR is only focussing on hiring without realising that it has to play an active role even post-recruitment."

There are instances of hazy job descriptions even for senior positions, offers not given on time after several rounds of interviews and even a case where there was no job for a candidate after he joined the company. "This MNC had changed its business plan overnight," she says. These problems arise because HR is not able to cope with the company's growth, points out Ms Ramaswamy.

Personal touch

Ms Rachna Patel, Head, HR Operations, Logica CMG, agrees that as companies grow, `personal' attention does get difficult. "But it's not that HR does not have the desire to be in touch with people. When companies are recruiting in hundreds every week, they find it easier to resort to monetary benefits," she explains.