Employability is a matter of great concern for most organisations. How can we increase the employability level?

I agree that this is a cause for concern. If 100 students pass out from a college only 20 per cent are employable immediately after completion of their education.

The problem of employability needs to be addressed from the school level and it’s my personal opinion that we need to have a syllabus on soft skills from the seventh standard onwards to transform normal run-of-the-mill students into strong, confident and positive candidates for the future.

Focus on improving soft skills should be nurtured from a young age. It is important that this is understood not just by the student but also by the parents/guardian.

I think corporates will need to work closely with Government organisations, colleges and schools to make this happen. This is CSR with a clear ROI: a win-win situation for everybody who decides to participate.

Why is it necessary to emphasise on soft skills? Can it be imparted in schools and colleges?

Most often we see young minds are powerful to do a lot of things but they don’t get empowered. This is because of their limitation in expressing what they know, what they can do and how they can do it.

Soft skills are a mix of presentation, verbal and non-verbal communication and a host of EQ-related skills. It is about how to interact with different kinds of people in different situations and it is the key thing in being understood and accepted when you are trying to drive home a point, which, in your perspective, will add value.

To a student who is entering college, what courses should be on the radar, keeping in view the talent demands? And what languages can be recommended addition?

We live in an era where any course or qualification gives an almost equal opportunity. There was a time when we were goaded to be doctors, engineers or a lawyer, and I mean the whole lot of us. Today, you can be a biotech specialist or be a process expert at a call centre, and both these vocations were not even in vogue sometime back.

This brings us back to employability. Soft skills are the key and the base apart from professional qualification. Education can only get you this far. When fresh students plan their career they will have to ask themselves, “Am I good enough to impress myself.” Students should start meeting successful professionals and spend time with them asking questions like “what was the differentiating attitude/attribute that contributed to your success?”

Have you ever been a part of a soft skill course?

I have been on the other side. I’m fortunate to have been part of the team initiated by a CII Consortium and the Madras University to write the syllabus on soft skills and make it a mandatory paper for all colleges affiliated to the Madras University. The aim of this project was to increase employability within Tamil Nadu to start with, and then share this success story with the rest of the universities and institutions in India.

I’m glad that the management of St Bedes AIHSS, where I passed out from, has allowed me to explore this opportunity, and make a pioneering effort that can transform human potential from the high school onwards.

What are the metrics that are the most important in HR function?

Metrics are the basic requirement to justify an HR action plan. It also helps to measure HR efficiency in any given HR sub-function. All metrics are important to the HR function and most of them are inter-related. The metrics on exit interview findings will help justify the metrics on retention and recruitment and the reverse holds good as well.

All kinds of data about people are important. People intelligence or intelligence about your staff is key to helping you use that same intelligence when you try to make important decisions. So, be it in talent management or in trying to make an internal role change for an individual staff, data helps.

Is the level of attrition that we find in IT correlated with the quality of HR?

Not always. Sometimes even the lack of an HR team does not affect attrition if the overall morale in the organisation is very high. HR’s quality will be directly proportional to the quality of talent that is brought in and this especially so in the case of people managers that are recruited.

Bad people managers can ruin an organisation and it starts with bad recruitment and is sustained by bad talent management. On the contrary, great people managers ensure an organisation’s growth and have the capability to retain their team members who make a positive differentiation to the bottom line. They add tremendous value because they nurture talent and empower staff to make ordinary teams look extraordinary.

Is there a need for ethics in HR so that people hired are vocal brand ambassadors?

I think it is a basic requirement for an organisation and HR to ensure that short-term business pressures do not dictate recruitment to the extent that long-term wins are forgotten. Every new recruit has to be a brand ambassador and so do all existing staff. Some might think that this is wishful thinking, but if HR partners with the business and is proactive, then this can be achieved.

What are the magic rules for motivation?

Trusting your team and making them realise that you believe in their ability to deliver, should be the primary motivator and the best way to motivate staff. Consistency in recognising and rewarding is important. Weaving a recognition and rewards programme that blends personal aspiration and organisation ambition is the key to the success of making people feel that they are wanted and valued.

How can organisations manage and plan succession in high-level management?

Managing succession at the top has to be planned two to three years ahead of the actual time of succession. This is a minimum requirement. Process transparency is vital and outcomes of performance measures need to be clearly defined to ensure that people are not unhappy when they are unable to make it to the desired level or if their next move gets delayed.

Coaching and mentoring are synonymous to the attitude of the organisation which has to be built from the top, with HR playing a key role facilitating the process. Mentors need not be people who are from the same division. They can be successful people, or just people who are great at mentoring and known for their expertise in this area. The defining statement / question for the mentor will be “do I have the energy to transform human potential?” and he / she needs to ask this question regularly to validate his / her interest before sitting for a mentoring session.

Is there a need for re-skilling existing employees?

This is again an area that has improved a lot in the last five years with the advent of e-learning. Re-skilling has become the mantra not just for technology organisations but for all industries as HR and top management have realised the benefits of having multi-skilled staff who can add value in more than one area.

HR people often say attitude is the key. What do you actually mean?

The need for a “Can Do” person is perennial. This is what we call as a positive attitude. Then we also look for a learning attitude and an attitude to share knowledge without fear and thus empower the organisation.

Positive attitude is infectious. When an organisation hires for positive attitude and trains for skill (considering that the basic skill requirements are met) then you have a situation where people with negative attitude either change or leave.

It creates a virtuous cycle which breeds positivists and high energy people thereby converting challenges into opportunities.

How does one build teams?

Trust and consistency are the two vital ingredients to build and sustain high-performing teams. When I say consistency, I mean treating every member in a fair manner and that includes body language as well. People have different IQ levels but even the person with the lowest IQ can sense partial treatment and that is where EQ and people sensitisation comes into play.