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A lot
has been written about issues related to managing people in the
IT industry, but one aspect that generally gets ignored is ‘discipline
management’. The basic perception among people inside and outside
the IT industry (as revealed while doing this article), is that
there are hardly any discipline problems, and that is exactly where
the problem actually starts.
Most
people generally associate the need for ‘enforcing discipline’
with the manufacturing sector and its labour problems. The fact
that the IT industry with its highly educated knowledge workforce
might also need to be monitored has never been given much thought.
It is generally believed that this is a knowledge-based industry,
and consequently enforcing of strict rules might not work as much
as having a flexible approach, which also breeds accountability
within people.
Problem
areas
Though
the industry has not faced any major people issues like strikes
or unionisation as compared to other sectors, there have always
been very typical people management issues that have needed to be
handled carefully. When times were good, IT professionals were in
great demand. The companies spoiled them by providing all kinds
of freedom and not enforcing discipline at any stage. Now this has
become “a culture” in the name of freedom and creativity.
“Pre-slowdown HR managers were plagued with issues like retention
and dealing with ever-changing attitudes of the software professionals.
In addition, there were issues of salaries (how much to give to
retain them), creating the right kind of job opportunities and enhancing
the productivity of an employee,” says Dr Y V Verma, vice president
of human resource and management at LG Electronics India.
Says
Praneet Mehrish, country human resource manager of ST Microelectronics,
“Compared to companies from Korea, Japan or even China, Indian
organisations still need to make a mark in being called ‘disciplined’.
While it is a way of business for organisations in those countries,
a lot needs to be done as far as enforcing discipline in Indian
companies is concerned.”
Lackadaisical
attitude
Apart
from a few organisations, the general attitude is still lackadaisical.
Issues like not coming to office on time,
irregular attendance, not conforming with the agreed working conditions
or communicating
effectively
are some of the common problems encountered by HR managers. Though
many companies have implemented ‘attendance management’
software, it really doesn’t showcase the real productivity
of an individual. Many a times, even after introducing the concept
of daily or weekly reports, it is still not followed regularly by
the employees. According to industry observers, for the long-term
welfare of the organisation as well as the employees themselves,
it is necessary to acquaint people with the harsh realities and
teach discipline—whether it is informing them about leave related
issues or stopping them from wasting time during office hours on
personal calls.
The
following complaints at customer sites are not uncommon: time wasted
on personal e-mails, loud and long personal talks on phones, erratic
eating habits, very casual approach to problem solving, not responding
on important issues and not reverting with a “yes” or
“no” answer, etc. P K Gupta, director of strategic development,
ICON operations at Legato Systems says that many a time a technical
person thinks too much about himself—that he is the success
behind the project, which can be bad on the morale of the rest of
the team members. If not curbed initially, this attitude can be
dangerous for the company’s future projects.
Atul
Srivastava, head of people relationship management, Cap Gemini Ernst
and Young, adds, “A disciplined organisation will have a stronger
commitment to adhere and deliver to agreed business terms which
will help in strengthening relationships. In fact, the ramifications
of it has not been properly understood in the Indian business environment,
however things are changing for the better.”
There
has however been a marked improvement in the attitude of IT professionals
following the slowdown, they are now more receptive to rules and
regulations that their company enforces. The industry seems to be
have matured considerably in the past two years, with employees
becoming more accountable and less demanding compared to the situation
five years ago. This change has been due to a change in the business
environment, where ‘customer is the king’. This apart,
there is the challenge of global service delivery, which has little
room for errors. A disciplined organisation can help in increased
productivity. All this is making companies work towards creating
a more disciplined environment.
The
ITES sector
Even
the newly emerging ITES sector is facing a lot of disciplinary problems
in terms of managing the younger crowd. Considering the nature of
business, the HR managers are faced with issues pertaining to attitude,
communication with the client and interaction with their peers and
trainers.
Considering
that habits and attitude do not change so easily, it becomes a part
of nature. Consequently, when a customer service executive is interacting
with a client (in India or abroad), s/he might show the same behaviour,
which can have very bad repurcussions for the company and also adversely
affect his/her career.
Changed
envioronment
In
today’s scenario, it is the customer who guides the activities
and processes within a company. “To be able to sustain the
growth, organisations across the board have been on their toes to
ensure that the internal processes are well laid out and executed
to meet the overall business objectives. A rational and thorough
understanding of these objectives is must for each and every employee
of an organisation,” says Parminder Miglani, managing director
of Keane India. According to him, companies need to have effective
two-way communication processes to iron out any niggling issues.
Lack of discipline can have a very damaging impact on future business
relations for the company. Companies often claim empowerment and
involvement, but control and limit people with a centralised structure
and systems that constrain rather than support. What is needed is
clarity of an organisation’s objectives and future direction.
They also need to put effective communication methodologies in place.
“Ideally,
corporate values should match the personal values of the employees
who need minimal discipline when they are devoted to their work.
Devoted employees feel positive about their jobs and are determined
to work for the good of the company,” says Srivastava. The
main qualities of a devoted employee include an awareness of being
part of the company, involvement in work and loyalty to the company
and its leadership. In any case, a set of documented rights and
responsibilities on the part of both employers and employees, in
the form of a code of conduct, is essential to staff discipline
in any successful business.
Discipline
needs to be inculcated, not enforced
It
is important for the company as well as employees to realise that
discipline needs to be understood and assimilated rather than enforced.
Says Miglani, “Disciplined organisations are built on the pillars
of visionary planning and implementation, development of a compelling
and coherent statement of business and organisational direction.”
Even though discipline management should be a top-down approach,
all parties within an organisation need to work from a common strategic
perspective.
With
freedom comes accountability, and this fact has to be understood
in its true spirit by all employees, otherwise there is always the
danger of people doing their own thing. Role models should also
be created and there should be mentoring of new employees from an
early stage. One has to also keep re-inforcing these values instead
of making it a one-time activity.
COMMON
PROBLEMS
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Time wasted on personal e-mails
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Loud and long personal talks on phones
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Casual approach to problem solving
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Not responding on important issues
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Lack of punctuality
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Irregular attendance
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