A union is maintained for a specific purpose for protecting the interests of its members. It is basically an association of employees that represents them and take care of the relationship with their employer.  It is necessary for an employer to establish and maintain good relations with the unions as the unions are the most sensitive but also an important part for the company.

Earlier when productive group were used to be small the worker had no secured place and was also replaced when he was no longer useful to the company. Hence the employer’s attitude was that of taking out benefits from a particular worker and throwing them out of the company when their supplies met the demands in the market. The employer used to tell the terms and conditions of service in a dominant way. The trade unions were formed when the workers realised that they should help themselves as they used to receive inhumane treatment, filthy and unsafe conditions of working environment and very low wages in comparison to work done per day. Yes, we can say that Unity became strength and Trade Unions were formed.

As a result of formation of Trade Unions the workers were started being treated in a good and humanely way and then they were not also treated as some tool or machine. Working hours were shortened and wages were increased. The most important step of providing safety was duly taken care off and leaves were also granted. Thus, it can be seen that when a worker joins a trade union and starts asking for their requirements and improvements collectively, he is surely listened and must be listened or else your company may fall into a critical danger.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about the trade unions. The reason being because of the mindset of the employers as they don’t understand that trade unions are formed only to protect the workers and protect their working conditions. Employer should never get aggressive or nervous on the formation of the workers as it is a fundamental right of the workers or employees and it is also guaranteed by the Constitution of India. Moreover, the workers also realize that if they bargain individually there will be less impact on the employer than bargaining in collectively or in a group. Also, in some situations, an individual may not be able to put his thoughts or defend his interests whereas a group can. Therefore, workers noticed an advantage of organising themselves and then to protect each other rights. An illuminated employer also finds an advantage to deal with trade unions as being a group rather than to deal with an individual.

A trade union is a very necessary and also a natural part for workers to secure their dignity and protection at work. The union is also known as the ‘natural protective agency’ against arbitrary and unjust decisions. In fact it is not always necessary that first a trade union will be formed then workers will start working. If the policies are clear and fair, if communications are transparent and if the objective of the company is not vague, there should be no need for the workers to collaborate and form unions.

Consequently, the employer should not feel it as a disappointment if a ‘good employee joins the union or even if he leads a union as then an employee has two responsibilities towards the organisation and another to the union. A good ‘unionist’ can still be a ‘good employee’. There is a difference between behaviour and intentions and so as an employee watch the behaviour of the employer not the intentions. They react to the behaviour. And also there is always the difference between the way the manager perceives himself and how others have the perception about him. So, it is advisable to always maintain healthy relationships with every employee of the organisation. The decision of the employees to join the trade unions or not should never effect the internal matter of an organisation. The formation and choice of a union is no business of the employer. Also such an interference leads to unfair labour practice under section 2(r) of Industrial Disputes Act.

Now, we should understand the difference between registration of a union and its recognition. Registration is an act of the members of the union by which government sets up the union and attains legal identity and status. The trade unions are registered under Trade Unions Act, 1926. On the other hand, recognition is an act of the employer where he agrees to treat  a certain union as the representative of all the establishment of workmen. Even, The Public Sector Undertakings have instructed the Department of Public Enterprises to recognize the trade unions under Code of Discipline in Industry.

Organising efforts of trade unions should not interfere with work and management. Management should use worker complaints to improve the quality of its administration. If the situation leads to slow work or strikes you do not need to panic and you need to negotiate and keep appreciating their utility. Though very few workers can afford strikes as it is clearly mentioned by the Supreme Court that no wages will be payable even when the strike is legal and justified. Moreover any management-union discussion should achieve at a discussion by which both parties gain and none loose.

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Today the Global Organizations works on the basis of ”New World Of Work”. It requires a drastic change in strategies for Leadership, Talent and Human Resources. What can be done? What can be done differently? What are the critical areas and needs to be changed? Use the under given findings to understand your organization’s current state and it’s desired future.

The human capital trends helps to bridge the gap between the human capital and and talent agenda of the previous years. The most urgent issues of the companies are leadership, retention and engagement, the re skilling of HR and talent acquisition and access. In many cases the business executives don’t believe that their companies are still ready to take on the challenges. According to the reports from FORBES Magazine 2014, the 10 trends for this year has been mentioned by proper analysis. It is a moment to take action as both business and HR leaders are placed to take care of human capital and talent agenda. It has also been noticed that for every trend readiness scores lag behind and sometimes very far behind. Urgency is needed to follow the trends and work according to the demands of this era.

According to the research there are 10 major trends that explores four apex themes for 2015. The themes are as follows-

1. Leading
2. Engaging
3. Re inventing
4. Re imagining

On the basis of geography, industry and company size here are the trends of 2015  to be followed by the organization and it also mentions the practical insights to help you overcome the difficulties and challenges in your organization.

1. Leadership– For the past few years leadership has become the most difficult challenges faced by global organizations. So, here the question is that if every organization is recognising leadership as a critical talent problem then why very few companies are making progress in this area, why not every company and organization? In today’s competitive business environment organizations should develop a portfolio of leaders who are ready to engage employees, drive innovation, work according to strategies and maintain a healthy relationship with customers. Companies that fail to invest in leaders surely lag behind others.
2. Learning and Development– Learning has become a business critical priority for increasing skills. It is also one of the biggest challenges. For investing in such an important factor the global companies are adopting new technologies, consolidating new offerings and balancing centralization. It’s now time to change the vision of corporate learning market as it is undergoing a digital transformation. Learning and Development process should be in such a way that every employee has a significant effect on them.
3. Culture and Engagement– In an era of increased corporate transparency, greater workforce mobility and severe skill shortages culture, engagement and retention have been the issues for business leaders. Most of the people say that their organization have poor program to enhance engagement and it gives a bad name to the company. Explore the missing links between culture and engagement and try to close the gaps as soon as possible.
4. Workforce on Demand– To engage and retain the workforce the companies should think broadly about the HR programs and strategies that could be applied to full time employees and as well as to contingent and part time workers.
5. Performance Management-For many companies Performance Management is being reinvented for a new purpose. It is considered as a secret ingredient. It helps in finding the talent. Today’s organization must examine the performance process of their employees and should involve them in strength based assessments and coaching. The days of traditional appraisals are coming to end and performance management is now a tool for employee engagement.  Organising various seminars also works for the best!
6. Re Inventing HR– It is an extreme makeover.Today’s HR organization must be business-integrated, data driven and deeply skilled in attracting, retaining and developing talent. Building HR universities and modernizing relationships with internal business partners can help in solving the problem. It must also be able to meet the intense pressures of today’s business environment.
7. HR and People analytic–  Data and analysis is the key to solving business and talent needs. Organizations work only on improving leadership skills which is wrong. Companies should also excel in talent and HR analysis. Thus, this factor is stuck in neutral and needs to be accelerated to achieve success in corporate sector.
8. People data everywhere– Leading organizations use internal and external data to build their brand, manage risk and make investment decisions. The data comprise a critical part of company’s strategies.
9.  Simplification of Work– Reducing the stressful environment and simplifying the work in the company is very beneficial for the employees. Technology and globalization needs complexity to work but it has an disadvantage that leads to damage in employee engagement, lowers quality and reduces innovation and customer service. Leaders should focus on individual, organizational and work specific programs that reduce complexity and help people focus on what really matters. The coming revolution should work on it.
10. Machines as Talent– The increasing use of computers and softwares forces the organization to re think the design of work of the organization and capabilities of their employees. HR must look forward for collaborating with machines rather than wholly replacing employees with machines. Professionals must use this opportunity creatively and take full advantage from them but in a specified manner. The work that can be done with the help of machines should not be done by the employees as it consumes a lot of time effecting the productivity. Thus Efficient, productive and profitable collaboration should be made between employees and machines.

Hence, These are the new trends of 2015 that needs to be followed to follow the agenda of ‘new world of work’.

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Time is the most valuable resource you have, after people. Time limits are the important components of managerial control. Shortage of time is the common refrain of every business executive. To make the best use of available time is not only an art but science also. The success has always kissed the feet of those people who have mastered the sense of time.

It is a long established fact that working harder is equal to working longer, but working longer will not itself improve employee efficiency. The phrase ‘work smarter’, ‘not harder’ is appropriate in the office environment where factors such as team work, training, motivation, organization and planning are all critical to survive in the competitive world. Here I would like to mention the quote by Dr. Chang Pao-Cheng, President of China Productivity Center.

“Successful people are usually excellent at managing time, which can be viewed as both a skill and an art form that everyone needs to both learn and practice. Time is the fairest resource that nature has bestowed on us, each and every one of us having the same 24 hours a day. As such, time management is not about time as much as about how to allocate time.”

Should making efforts towards improving office productivity be considered a priority for every organization? Yes, of course. Productivity is directly proportional to profitability. The topmost priority in every business should be ‘Employee Productivity’.

It is always difficult to decide the changes that need to be made for increasing productivity. So, for this organisations need to have policies and strategies to improve efficiency in their offices. Productivity initiatives should match the pace with corporate culture.

Interaction among employees is very crucial to improve office productivity. So, keeping this in mind HR managers must create detailed and systematic plans for supporting the needs of employees as well as the mission of the organization. Along with this, it is very essential to provide incentives to the best employee to boost their inner conscience to work even more efficiently from now onwards.

But, again a question raises here that is it solely the duty of the top management to initiate productivity measures? The answer is surely a big no. It is the duty of operational functionaries to take stock of work flow and accordingly adopt measures to increase productivity.

However, top management does have a role to play in ensuring that the process of implementing productivity measures, moves on smoothly or else more the confusion, less will be the productivity. Their responsibilities include everything from sanctioning resources removing ‘bottlenecks’ to providing training and support. (Note – Bottleneck is a point in the enterprise when the flow of data is stopped entirely. In easy terms it is a barrier in communication.)

In fact, constrictions are prime reason for such productivity measures not being implemented as per plans. Bottlenecks may evolve as a reason for frustration among the employees. There is lack of enthusiasm for carrying forwards the tasks, thus indirectly resulting in loss of productivity. That is why it is essential to identify and remove bottlenecks as one of the first steps.

Let’s move onto something interesting. Here, I would like to explain you the Importance of Time with realistic and relatable examples. Instead of mentioning those old points of importance I have tried to mention those points which our readers can correlate.

1. To realize the value of 1 year- Ask a student who has failed in his examinations.
2. To realize the value of 1 month- Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
3. To realize the value of 1 week- Ask an editor of a weekly magazine.
4. To realize the value of 1 day- Ask a daily wage labourer.
5. To realize the value of 1 hour- Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
6. To realize the value of 1 minute- Ask a person who has missed the train.
7. To realize the value of 1 second- Ask a person who has survived in an accident.
8. To realize the value of 1 milli second- Ask a person who has won a silver medal in Olympics.

So, by these examples I am sure you would have understood the importance of time in life. Similarly, importance of time should be considered very useful in the office work as well. Delay, even by a minute may give you huge losses instead of expected profits. Since there is no sure technique for improving office efficiency, it is better to initially focus on some essential areas and keep it as simple as possible.

Culture of Time Management should be inculcated in the office work. Even the personal life of employees should be taken into consideration. ‘Increase in Productivity leads to increase in profits!’

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Human Resource is no longer a primitive activity. It has become very effectual in terms of manpower planning whether in a big or small enterprise. The role of HR managers has transformed from traditional body shoppers to pride builders. We can differentiate between a successful and unsuccessful company on the basis of how each manager manages its people. It depends on how we use and put our knowledge into work, in an economy where people have unlimited access to information.

No doubt, the HR  has become very important but it is noticed that the Industrial Relations and Personnel Managers in the industries have been ignored since a new breed of human resource executives is dominating the industrial scenario. These brilliant and talented HR executives, generally with MBA degree, are best in the field of recruitment, training and placement but not with industrial relations and related labour laws. Therefore, to handle all these contingencies an HR manager needs to be a skilled person. It needs expertise and experience to effectively deal with.An effective HR manager connects with workers. Such managers knows exactly when he needs to give them that little pat on the back and when he needs to be firm. There should be a perfect balance between what a manager has to do and what not to do. Also, HR manager needs to create strong emotional bonds with their people. This ability never comes by training in business schools and leadership programmes but this ability can only come from possessing boundless emotional energy, sensitivity and the ability to differentiate between whipping up irrelevant sentiments.

The difference between a well-run company and a great company lies in the presence or absence of these emotional bonds- bonds that build teams, make every individual see beyond his personal victory, create a sense of belonging, and enable different groups of people to follow a common vision. A good HR manager is both employee and task centred, concerned for his people but equally intent upon the purpose of the Company. Moreover, the concept of ‘Master and Servant’ is very rapidly changing  to that of dignified relationship of ‘Employer and Employee’.

The term (HRM) Human Resource Management is a modern title for managing people in an organisation. It depicts a broad understanding of the difficulties of people and their management techniques. Few years ago if you would have asked the seniors executive about their most valuable assets they would have talked about the Brand, Plant and Machinery, Goodwill etc. But if you ask them today they will talk about capital i.e., Customer Capital,  Structural Capital and Human Capital. Those were the old days when the duties of HR managers were confined only for maintaining discipline in the organisation. Even HR managers of today were known by the title ‘Personal Managers’. They had hardly any role to play in the selection process and recruitment of employees.

But now the situation has completely changed, as the employees have become more aware and trade unions has completely disappeared and managements are not uncompromising in nature and have become more adaptable to technological developments. Employers are now giving more significance to outsourcing  that is why HR professionals need to compete for even unfamiliar roles and have to demonstrate new skills. This change has occurred because the whole layout of production and management has changed.

In this era of globalisation and modernisation, organisations are becoming more competitive and innovative. The HR persons have to face new challenge each day and they have to prepare themselves and as well as their employees to face those challenges in the economy. The competition has increased so much these days that everyone should be well prepared in advance to face any kind of challenge and working efficiently and effectively should be the key to success. These Days the HR managers even have to develop themselves as service providers to their customers.

Change is the law of nature. What is appropriate today may not be a correct approach for tomorrow. So, the HR managers needs to be dynamic in all aspects. Hence, the HR person is also known as as Knowledge Manager who has bucket full of talents and ideas. He must have potential to meet every challenge to outshine his company among its other competitors. A huge amount of responsibility lays over HR Managers from recruiting an employee to provide with an excellent training and from dealing with new technologies to checking the performance of every employer in his company. Companies should understand the Four Ps (people,, products, processes and profits) are the mantra for corporate success in the modern competitive environment. The focus on first three Ps, people, products and processes will lead to profits i.e. fourth P.

The good leader i.e. HR manager take pains to analyse success and failures and learn from them. Human Resource Development has undergone several changes in attitude of Management towards its employees. People do not understand the importance of the team behind any business or venture. A good team with a good leader can make an average business look great. There is also a term called Motivation. It is a tricky subject. A good manager and leader understands that people are always motivated to do what they believe to be in their best interests. Also, it is important to mention that what skills a good leader should cultivate to work in the competitive and challenging environment. Few of the skills are- Clarity of the goal, Adopting the method of Delegation, Politeness, Analytical Power and a Manager needs to be a good example for his employees.

Therefore, these are all the modification of Human Resource layout in the Twentieth Century and an HR manager is no less than a CEO of a company.

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A professor earns a higher wage than a peon in the college. Why? Because a professor has the skill or abilities to produce more professors. For Example- An Engineer Professor has the skill to produce more engineers and a Medical Professor has the skill to produce more doctors. The peon in the college does not have this skill, so he is paid much less. Skill is valued because it contributes to the process of production or the process of growth by raising the level of efficiency or the level of productivity. Higher the skill, greater the contribution to the process of production/growth, accordingly higher the value or reward. This article deals with relationship among human capital, economic growth and human development.

Human Capital refers to the stock of ‘skill and expertise’ of a nation and Human Capital Formation is the process of adding to the stock of human capital overtime. Let us illustrate it- if ‘human capital stock’ of a nation consists of 10,000 skilled workers at the beginning of 2014, and if at the beginning of 2015 it increases to 12,000 skilled workers, (implying an increase of human capital stock by 2,000 workers in a year) there is human capital formation to the extent of 2,000 skilled workers in a year.

Now, you must be questioning yourself that ‘How do we add to the existing stock of human capital of the nation?’ Or you must be thinking that ‘What are the ways by which  we can convert unproductive workers into productive workers’ other than education? And even some must be trying to figure out that even if we have skilled workers then ‘How we can make existing workers more efficient and more productive?’ These questions point to the determinants or the sources of Human Capital Formation, they are as follows-

1. Expenditure on education– It is the most effective way of enhancing and enlarging a productive workforce in the country.
2. Expenditure on health– A ‘sound mind in a sound body’ is an old saying. It makes a man more efficient and productive. That person adds more to GDP of the nation than a sick person.
3. On the job training– It helps the workers to improve their specialised skills. Returns on account of enhanced productivity far exceed the cost of training programmes.
4. Study programmes for adults– The government and NGO’s organize study programmes for adults with a view to making them proficient in their work areas.
5. Migration– It contributes to human capital formation as it facilitates utilisation of inactive skills of the people by better utilisation of the skills.
6. Expenditure on information– Information relating to job markets and educational institutions offering       specialised skills is important. In the absence of such information people fail to actualise their productive potential.

Here, I would like to withdraw the attention of the readers on few terms and facts.

1. Human Capital and Human Development are related concepts, but certainly not identical. Human Capital means to an end and refers to abilities and expertise in a particular area and Human Development is an end itself and refers to the development of the individuals.
2. Education and Literacy are not identical terms. Education is a much wider term whereas Literacy just refers to the ability to read and write.
3. In India, spread of education has not been linked with vocationalisation. Accordingly, there is an acute problem of educated unemployment.

As it is said, Ideas can be created only it needs a correct way to implement it similarly, every human in our country is a valuable resource and should utilise their efforts in a correct way and should develop his/her skills to satisfy the qualifications that an employer needs. If China is like a manufacturing factory of the world, India should become the human resource capital of the world. But skills without education will not build a human resource base. India is in course to become world’s populous nation by 2022 then why not take out advantage from the disadvantage. If Education is being imparted, teachers fails to develop the skills among students. And those who have skills also are the sufferers of unemployment. So, a balance between a skilled person and an educated person has to be maintained. Not only teaching skills but it has also to be checked that ITIs are provided with good equipments like infrastructure and manpower to meet the requirements of industry and market. To eradicate the problem of joblessness there should be a proper connection between skill development programmes and employment policies of the government.

From the above given facts it is to be noted that Human Resources i.e. Manpower must be developed to achieve success. Overtime, Human Capital has come to be recognised as a factor of much greater economic value than Physical Capital. Which is why investment in education and professional training is being accorded a high priority in all countries of the world. If physical capital represents production capacity of a nation, human capital is the cause behind physical capital. Who designs machines? Who engages machines in the diverse areas of production? Who innovates technology? It is all done by human brain, more specifically the skill in human brain. Without skill i.e. Human Capital, Physical Capital would not have got the new characteristic and without the innovative techniques of production, growth and development would have remained only a dream!

Hence, the title “You can’t ignore the formation of Human Capital” is very true and concludes that human capital is nothing else but the human resources itself. Here, quality of human capital matters not the quantity. So, a well educated and skilled human capital will surely help in earning profits for the company which will eventually give rise to economic growth of the country.

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Encouraging effective communication by a manager is the best strategy chosen to deal with his Human Resources i.e., his employees. No enterprise will be able to flourish, if it’s workers do not communicate with each other. Lack of communication causes missed appointments, disjointed meetings and waste of time. For effectual business communication, technology proves to be productive and fruitful for the employers and employees both. Whether you are managing a small start up business or a globally spread business, effective communication is a must that shoots up the managerial efficiency too.

The old were those days when you used to follow ‘Scalar Chain’ i.e., formal lines of authority from highest to lowest ranks. In operation you used to find that an employee cannot directly contact the CEO of the company which probably was the reason for delayed communication.

But in this era, owing to technology, workplace communication has changed. Today’s office communication depends on conference calls and e-mails. Similarly, Instant Messenger is a valuable tool for office communication and in many ways it is far better than e-mail. Instant Messenger is a text based communication similar to chat. In other words, IM is the modern evaluation of computer chat. It includes the related links and information of your workplace.

In today’s busy and competitive world, where at no condition work can be delayed, a poor communication may lead to poor production and as a result less profits. So, this is where Instant Messenger proves to be useful. With an Instant Messaging program supervisors and managers can see which workers are available at their desks, which ones are in meeting and which ones are out of the office. Employees can get answers promptly using an IM system. Microsoft Office Communicator is one of the most widely used IM programme. It is also very beneficial for abroad business.

At last but not the least, improving communication system at your workplace must be the topmost priority as it can do wonders for the growth of your organisation. It’s not how much time you have consumed to complete your work, it’s how smartly and efficiently your work has been completed. So, be a tech- savvy, use Instant Messenger and save yours and as well as others time.

Instant Messenger can do miracles for office communication!

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