Qualities, Skills & Competencies required for The New Age Manager

With time change, everyone is going through a process of transformation. It is no different for managers, the New Age Managers. How do new-age managers fit into the needs of new-age organizations? 

A report from the Business Manager for June 2022 by Management veterans and Industry experts who have seen and experienced generations shares the following insights

• By being aware of the change in employee psychology - Managers should unlearn the intuitive side of decision making and turn towards new, rich analytics based decisions.
• By learning to transition from authority to informality, from democratic to inclusive, and from the top down to the bottom up, transforming from a traditional authority figure to a trusted mentor, coach, and friend.
• Focusing on facilitating performance and reducing friction to manage continuous change.
• Becoming people managers, starting with dedicated efforts around wellness and care, leading to the creation of a psychologically safe environment where teams can thrive and unlock their potential.
• By being agile, i.e. able to quickly pick up new skills.
• Adapting quickly to the rapidly changing environment will be necessary for managers as they will be evaluated based on their capabilities in the areas of motivation, technological, cultural, social, emotional, economic, and digital agility. New age organizations will operate using these competencies.
• Demonstrate compassion by moving beyond the industrial-era style of command and control and instead creating cultures of empowerment and contribution. Make decisions and solve problems more quickly by flattening out the hierarchy.
• In this digital age, learn how to lead teams. The new managers will require a very different set of tools, e.g., agility, frugality, as well as a core of trust, empathy, and compassion.
• The human touch is going to be more and more important as technology advances, as it is at the core of our human nature. We will never be able to replace human interaction completely.
• It's all about embracing new initiatives that will lead to innovation at workplace since leadership style will always remain the same whether you're a fresh manager or seasoned manager leading through turbulent times. To stay on the crease and make way for the team while handling every challenge that comes your way and still be able to withstand emotional pressure will be a challenge for the new age leader/manager.

To conclude, these required qualities are not new and have always been identified, known and taught across ages. But the gap always has been in practicising them consistently. But what is changing is the degree of importance in implementing them NOW, in the current paradigm, it becomes more imperative & urgent.

Pragmatic Leadership

On the 4th of June, I took part in an online lecture on 'Pragmatic Leadership'. Narayanan NC provided excerpts from his book, 'Pragmatic Leadership,' including what to expect when you read it.

Pragmatic leadership refers to the development of leadership through practical methods. Leadership explained in plain English is the book's goal. This book is designed to help readers shape themselves into future leaders and to provide guidance on what skills are necessary to succeed in business. We all have read many Western leadership books, but Pragmatic Leadership takes us to the eastern path of leadership. This book shares the author's own life experiences with leadership. 

Leadership begins from within i.e. Personal Leadership which is followed by Team Leadership & finally Organizational Leadership. 

 

Indian paradigm states that every human being is born with capability. Every human being has the power of becoming a leader provided he or she chooses to sharpen those skills. If you are a good observer & conscious of your brain’s functioning, you will be able to develop Leadership skills. You do not need to have taken the Leadership Course from Harvard.  People become leaders when they develop competencies in themselves.

 

In order to grow in your career, you must create value. By improving top line, bottom line, and perpetuity of the organisation we work for, we create value for that organization.

 

Utility + convenience equals personal equity. A multi-skilled person is able to contribute to the organization through utility skills. "How easily others can work together with us without hassles" determines convenience.

 

Difference between a Transformational Leader versus Transactional Leader is that whilst the latter are always doing the same thing day in & day out, Transformational Leaders are always bringing about change

 

Extensive & Intrinsic Motivation are needed to be a Leader. We need to take charge of our own development by using our own brain power & moving forward. Expecting the organization to take care of your development, your growth is not the right approach.

 

A leader's golden rules

 

1. Don’t focus only on technical skills. Else you will be stuck in career growth by age of 35-40 years. Try to develop your overall personality.

2. The manner in which you interact with other people, your peers, supervisors, etc., and how you are perceived as a relationship person, is very important for your career path

3. Work beyond your organization's boundaries without waiting for it to give you the opportunity. Take on some of your boss' responsibilities.

This book has certainly caught my attention and I'm looking forward to reading it. How about you?

Differences between Assessment and Audit

1) Auditors assess compliance, while assessments analyze the maturity and depth of a system

2) The audit process is a pass/fail one. Assessments are a way of grading the maturity level of the process that helps the organization plan for its future growth in its pursuit of excellence. An assessment gives the organization a sense of where they stand and what needs to be improved.

3) The audit is a very specific examination within a predefined scope. Assessment is much more holistic and broader. An assessment does not get into minute details about every element of the excellence model against which the assessment is being conducted. A big picture view is used.

4) The audit is conducted according to a set of standards. The assessment focuses on a range of best-in-class criteria.

5) The length of time for an audit varies with the size of the organization, the locations to be covered, and the allocation of manpower, while the length of time for an assessment is usually 3 or 4 months with predefined steps. Key business factors are agreed to, followed by individual assessments, and then by consensus, forming a single viewpoint for the assessee company. A site visit then follows to verify or clarify critical issues identified during assessments with company officials. Upon completion of the site visit, the assessment concludes with the submission of a final feedback report based on the data gathered.

6) As most audits are accompanied by a predefined checklist, audits do not generally require high skill on the part of the reviewer. An assessment requires high levels of maturity on the part of the reviewer. This means being open to learning, appreciating, and developing.

7) Audits pinpoint mistakes, and assessments identify what's working well for you (best practices).

8) Having the mindset of an inspector is essential for an auditor. An assessment requires a developmental coach mentality, the assessor must demonstrate the spirit of appreciative inquiry

Last but not least, while audits conclude with the submission of the report, assessments are not just about giving feedback, but are also about the learnings acquired from the assessors throughout the assessment process. As a result of feedback, what are the key points the organization remembers that helped them improve their systems? It’s about getting people engaged and having a positive impact. 

Audited vs. assessment: which is better? Thoughts?

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡?

An audit is a learning experience for both the auditors and auditees

You can learn about an organization's processes and systems by performing an audit, as well as the best practices it implements. Because auditing aims to compare actual results to a set management systems standard (MSS) such as ISO 9001 that the organization has decided to follow. Thus, the Auditor must learn everything about the standards to do the job. 

Likewise, MSS describes how an organization operates. As a result, the auditor would be able to examine many aspects of how the organization operates. As a result, you will gain a great deal of knowledge about how various functions in an organization work and achieve their objectives. Gaining exposure to many areas of work can provide enormous rewards, as one builds a career in a specific field. When you have such exposure it's very easy to grow professionally and move up to senior positions.

Imagine someone who understands the organization well, knows which areas are of priority, what are the most critical areas that the organization can't afford to fail, can build relationships with those around them; has all the ingredients to navigate the organization, and climb its ladder. 

In addition, auditors are required to work with their colleagues (auditees). Normally, they will have difficulties getting cooperation. By doing auditing, It is the perfect setting for developing soft skills such as how to build relationships, offer constructive feedback, empathize with front-line realities and constraints, and pick up those who fail badly. Auditing has great potential, but necessary soft skills are important to make the most of it. Therefore, to leverage the above advantage of an audit position, the person must possess a growth mindset and high EQ.

To conclude, Auditing provides a development opportunity for the people doing the audit.

Model for Evaluating Audit Compliance based on Ratings, A Better Way To Measure it

An organization, division, or department can use a Maturity Model to gather information about the current compliance rate. 

My recommendation for measuring maturity is to use the following model, where a scale ranging from 1 to 5 will be used in determining how closely the requirements have complied.

1 - No formal approach was taken. Most activities are ad hoc or unstructured. A professional structure has not been established.

2 – Some Approach. Some activities have been outlined. Some of the requirements of the standard have been met in part.

3 – Normal Approach. Documented policies and procedures are integrated into the requirements of the standards.

4 – Continued improvement emphasized. Performance metrics have been implemented to monitor performance. The function is well managed.

5 – Best-in-class performance. Activities are top-level and are part of the organization's governance structure.

A maturity model can help organizations measure where they are, and compare their current state with where they want and need to be

In the long run, a more mature management system will enable better decisions and result in better outcomes. 

 

Time for Aligning Incentives with Performance

Fixed vs Variable Pay, Conundrum

What Tejinder Kalsi being the HR head of this logistic company – Highway Cargo Movers Pvt. Ltd was afraid of some time back, has started coming true before him. Last three months data reflected that attrition has reached 22% against an average of 3-4 %. It was an alarming situation as he has been asked to identify the reasons, take corrective measures, and also plan to recruit the persons to fill the vacancies as a priority.

 It was not difficult for Tejinder to identify the reasons. Actually, he knew it already and even sounded the MD also beforehand but he was sidelined.

Highway Cargo Movers in the business of logistics has an impressive market share and enjoys a good brand having offices and warehouses in all prominent cities to serve end-to-end clients' requirements. Co. has a fairly structured compensation policy having components of fixed pay and variable pay apart from incentives. It was designed in such a transparent and simple way that employees at large were satisfied and felt secure. The variable part was from 5% to 20% depending upon the level from top management to lower-level employees. In other words, while lower-level employees’ variable pay was 5%, top management level employees were put in a bracket of 20%. This variable part was payable annually based on company performance and business results. Middle and lower-level employees were in a secured job zone and were giving their best. The company was also registering profits year by year.

 Apart from the pay component of fixed and variable, there were incentive schemes at individual and group/ team level depending upon the nature of work of departments. The objective behind designing an incentive scheme was to keep employees motivated and well rewarded to increase in turn the customers’ satisfaction level. Group incentive was applicable in those departments where it was difficult to ascertain individual contribution and the result was largely dependent on teamwork. However, the percentage of incentives was lower at a higher level and higher at a lower level.  The incentives were paid quarterly.

During Covid when all other companies were reducing their employee headcounts to control costs factor and business took a deep dive and overall demands were at the lower side, the company decided not to reduce the headcounts during the crisis and support employees and their families, as it did not want to lose good people and moreover, it was not appropriate time to terminate even those employees who were not performing up to expectations. The company used reserves to meet out expenses because they were sure that the market will soon be up. Due to Covid, company profits have gone down. In such a scenario, the Company board thought of taking some effective cost-cutting measures. 

Tejinder communicated in a well thought and worded mail to all employees reinforcing company values and commitment towards its people that there were no reasons to be scared of as the company has decided not to reduce any person during this hard time and employees should continuously put in their hard work and all efforts to bounce back and bring the company back on profits path.

Tejinder was also asked by the board to control costs by not recruiting new people but instead by redefining the job profiles and distributing excess work if any amongst existing employees by taking a route of job enlargement.

Further to control costs, Management decided to restructure the compensation package to increase the variable pay component and reduce the fixed pay in a reasonable proportion. Tejinder expressed its reservation on this proposal as it may lower down the employees’ morale and diffuse/dilute the motivation level, company achieved in terms of employer brand value and work culture by not reducing the employees during the covid period. Tejinder was of the view that it may also lead to a high level of attrition as after the covid situation, the market started opening up and activities were heading towards normalcy.  The Tejinder view was taken more towards the softer side and of remaining in the comfort zone. Tejinder suggested that the incentive scheme may be redesigned and its load can be reduced by keeping a certain level of senior employees out of the scheme as they were already well paid. He also suggested that even if the restructuring of compensation was to be done, it should be done only in respect of senior employees. The third suggestion, he put forward is that this year's annual increment either be deferred or if given should be a very minimal level. These all measures can very well take care of cost reduction without much impact on employees particularly at lower and middle levels’ take-home salary. But his suggestions were turned down.  A few days later, the message was communicated by CEO to all employees through the mail directly announcing the increase in variable and reduction in the fixed component of salary.

Company management was of the view that this restructuring will not have much impact on employees’ positive sentiment because anyhow company will perform better and will recover the lost ground soon, but its boom ranged. Across all offices and warehouses, middle managers and lower-level employees started raising concern and dissatisfaction.  A sense of insecurity prevailed as their take-home pay was reduced. Tejinder was on fire fighting mode to contain the dissatisfaction and was counseling the employees personally over the phone and at a personal level where possible along with his entire HR team. He sent personal messages to employees explaining the reason behind the move and reminded them of company management gestures during the covid time.

When Tejinder was busy diffusing this crisis; department heads increased the targets at their level without even taking Tejinder into confidence. This action poured more fuel into the fire. Employees felt that by increasing targets, management do not want to pay the incentives also as in their opinion, the targets were not realistic and impossible to achieve in the present business environment.  Tejinder, when came to know, commented to CEO that increasing the targets was not well thought of about its timing. The pressure was mounting from all corners on the HR to roll back the compensation structure on the increased variable components.

The feedback also reached to CEO about the displeasure of employees in rank and file about the increased variable component in revised pay structure but on the advice of other department heads that the acceptance of the revised pay structure will come slowly and management should not roll back its decision, CEO ignored the feedback.

Within three months, resignations started flowing in across all levels. The Maximum was of middle and managerial levels. The attrition rate increased. Tejinder sent the attrition report with exit interviews feedback to CEO through the mail.

CEO called Tejinder to meet him the next day with proposals to control the damage and further possible corrective measures.

 Tejinder was thinking as if the organization has come back to square one?

Questions for discussions and solutions

1) Critically examine the company approach in restructuring the compensation policy?

Highway Cargo Mover’s Pvt. Ltd. had a fairly structured compensation policy that had components of fixed & variable pay apart from incentive structures. Employees felt satisfied & secured by and large with the simple and transparent compensation structure. There also existed a quarterly incentive scheme at the individual & group level depending on the nature of work of the departments. All of this kept the employees motivated and well rewarded that in turn increased customer satisfaction levels. However during the Covid-19 pandemic times, Highway Cargo Movers decided to restructure the compensation package, the objective being to increase the variable pay component and reduce the fixed pay in a reasonable proportion. This didn’t go down well with the employees who all of a sudden started to feel insecure in their jobs. This was further aggravated by the fact that department heads increased targets at their level. Employees felt that by increasing the targets, management did not want to pay the incentives also they felt that the targets were not realistic and impossible to achieve in the present business environment. So it was a negative sentiment prevailing all around. All of this also added fuel to the fire. 

Companies' approach in restructuring the compensation policy was a one-sided decision. It did not take employees’ feedback or their concerns into account while it underwent restructuring. It looks like Highway Cargo Movers tended to prioritize short-term financial results over the long-term well-being of their employees. Such decisions can also pose a reputational risk for the company. These actions undid all that Highway Cargo Movers had achieved in terms of employer brand value and work culture by not reducing the employees during the covid period. It lowered the employee's morale and diffused/diluted their motivation levels.

2) What should be the ideal compensation policy having fixed and variable components?

A good compensation system or policy always begins with an organization’s strategic goals. When compensation is misaligned with them, trouble ensues. Decisions about executive pay can have an indelible impact on a company. When compensation is managed carefully, it aligns people’s behavior with the company’s strategy and generates better performance. When it’s managed poorly, the effects can be devastating: the loss of key talent, demotivation, etc....as is seen in the case of Highway Cargo Movers wherein the last three months data reflected that attrition had reached 22% against an average of 3-4 %. Given the high stakes, it was critical for the company’s management team to get the compensation right. An ideal compensation system should be designed along four dimensions: fixed versus variable, short-term versus long-term, cash versus equity, and individual versus the group. The factors that drive choices should include the firm’s strategic objectives, ability to attract and retain talent, ownership structure, culture, corporate governance, and cash flow. When setting executive pay, the company must decide how much will be variable or fixed, awarded in the short term versus the long term, delivered in the form of equity versus cash, and tied to the group versus individual performance. None of this is seen being researched or studied or taken into account by Highway Cargo Movers while restructuring their compensation policy.

3) Where do you find Tejinder in this case? Why he could not influence business leaders to stay away from restructuring the compensation policy? What could have been done to create employees' acceptance?

Tejinder's view was taken more towards being on the softer side of the employees and of being in one's comfort zone. Tejinder was being viewed as one unable to be part of difficult organizational and business decisions. He was seen as being softer towards the employees, concerned for their well-being wherein the need of the hour was to take actions to ensure the survival of the company as its profits had gone down due to pandemic and still the company had decided not to lay off any employee during these hard times. It was utilizing its reserve funds to tide through these difficult times. Highway Cargo Movers as a Company needed to be sustainable and therefore it needed to restructure its policy.

To gain employees' acceptance, Tejinder could have communicated early and often through emails, meetings, video messages, and other channels, he could have announced the restructuring plan, clearly conveying why the change is being made and what can be expected. He could have charted a path for the employees in the revised structure so that they would get more clarity on it & perhaps gain their acceptance.

4) If you were in his place, what would have been your approach to handling the whole issue?

A company needs to give its employees meaningful work and then provide them with the resources they need to be successful. A thoughtful compensation plan makes the team feel valued, and that can be done with pay, noncash incentives, and many other contributors to workplace happiness. Good pay with a couple of perks will not stop the employees from leaving an otherwise miserable job. Compensation goes hand-in-hand with corporate culture. Well-designed incentives can respond to internal and external stakeholders’ priorities as well as reinforce that sustainability efforts can have both financial and non-financial results. Highway Cargo Movers should take efforts to build a great company culture and employees will be eager to join its team and stay. 

Below mentioned would be some of the strategies (approaches) to handle the whole issue i.e. stem down the flow of attrition and also recruit new hires & retain them.

1) Pay for performance. When we’re hiring someone, cushion the offer with a lucrative bonus structure, commission pay, or other performance incentives. That way, they get paid for the value they add, up to. 

2) Leverage equity compensation. Give each incoming employee an equity grant that vests over a certain period with a say one-year lock-in, so if a new hire leaves within the first year, the person is also leaving behind the shares. Highway Cargo Movers when granting these options must explain to the incoming employee what they might translate to in cash as the company grows, and also discuss how that employee can contribute toward increasing the stock price.

3) Leverage profit-sharing instead of equity sharing, whereby all eligible employees take home a set proportion of cash proceeds at the end of each quarter. 

In both scenarios, the team does well when the company does well, thereby aligning incentives for performance.

4) Reducing the risk in case of turnover by introducing a signing bonus or quarterly retention bonuses, both of which are swiped if an employee leaves the company too soon. A signing bonus can also be given to poaching an executive from the current company before an annual bonus, the cash upfront is a form of reimbursement for what the person will be leaving behind. The initial outlay for Highway Cargo Movers can be worth the cost savings of retaining good talent.

5) Invest in training and professional development. Highway Cargo Movers can pitch to prospective hires on the opportunities they’ll have to grow and advance in their career at the company. Successful professionals have invested in their careers and want to continue to do so. The Company can introduce an L&D policy wherein the team is encouraged to take time during work to develop new skills or to speak at conferences. Employees can be asked to set goals and report on professional growth during quarterly reviews. This may cost Highway Cargo Movers a few hours of productivity per month, but they will earn back that time back as its employees will have by that time, leveraged new skills or networks to be more efficient at their jobs.

6) Create a formal mentorship program wherein junior employees are matched with senior ones. Connect employees to experts in their field for one-on-one coffees and institute weekly lunch and learns wherein interesting people from the industry are brought in to share their experiences with the full team or they teach something new. Highway Cargo Movers by showing that it has invested in helping people grow can be a big draw during the recruitment process.

7) Promote balance and flexibility. Adopt other noncash incentives such as generous vacation and leave policies, flex time, remote days, or sabbaticals for senior employees. Have an unlimited vacation policy with a requirement that the team members take at least three weeks off over the year. Allow employees to work from home, don’t mandate set work hours. Many of these perks can be especially attractive to those with family obligations, being able to work remotely with the family at home can dramatically simplify one’s life.

Turn the threat into an opportunity

Social Media Policy at Workplace,  A double edged sword - to be or not to be

Monkey IT solutions is a web designing and software development company.  The technology based company is into the business of app based applications, website development, digital marketing. The only five years old company has earned very good reputation in terms of timey delivery of products and after sales service resulting into capturing the big chunk of  mid size segment of clients . The USP of the company has always been to keep fewer profit margins and increase sales volume. In some digit marketing campaigns the company has earned good name.  During covid company could visualize the growing need of tech based applications and started developing this vertical especially for Tech HR applications and their solutions.

Company increased hiring in a time when others were laying off their staff. Company HR department policies are very progressive, sensitive and responsive to employee needs. Its headcount reached to around 300 after new hiring. Having its HO in Gurugram, Company has also plans to open new offices in Pune and Bengaluru.

Working in a vibrant work culture with high degree of trust, company never thought of putting any restrictions on employees’ movement, flexible working hours were in place since inception of company, work from home and remote working was introduced in company much before covid disrupted the business and work life. There were no restrictions on employees for using social networking sites even during working hours. Employees were frequently active and live on networking sites also   while working on their projects.

Meher Sen  the newly joined product manager was though excited  to work in such a open work environment, but somehow noticed that employees in his section were consuming much office time in chatting on networking sites and keeping them engaged in digital world which hardly had any connection with company work or benefitting company in any way. Sen concluded of his own that few projects which were delayed was due to this reason and employees were not able to concentrate them fully on the projects and meet the deadline.

Sen also noticed that few employees were freely exchanging their political views on social media sites while working resulting into mutual conflicts in teams affecting the company work.  Employees with differing political ideology got polarized in teams against those who aired different views without assessing its impact on their teamwork. On some occasions during lunch or tea breaks people were noticed getting in heated exchanges of discussions on political issues.

One day when Sen was passing through the row of one of his team to take a check on the status of the modules assigned to him. The modules were to be sent to the client after noon of that day and wanted to ensure if the things were on right track.  He noticed that team lead was surfing through the networking sites and exchanging messages. Sen looked at team lead computer screen from behind and found him accessing Face book and relaxing with ease, contrary to his expectations of finding team lead working on the module. One hour back when Sen  checked with him on the status of the  module work, team lead replied to him that he is working on the same will send to client well before time. He needs not to worry.

Sen did not interrupt team lead in between and quietly went back getting annoyed.  Sen has always been against the use of social media networking sites by employees at workplace. He was of the considered opinion that  use these sites  by employees  is a double edged weapon which can be used against the company management by ant disgruntled employee and has potential to malign the brand image of the company. It was because in his earlier company some employee recorded an official conversation held between him and his manager and posted at social media that brought bad name to the company. After that, company decided to block all the social media/ networking sites and prohibited employees for its use during duty hours. Company also brought in new social media use policy for employees where employees were restricted to post any message in official capacity at any networking sites about company affairs or business or any happens. Communication department was created and after their approval only things were allowed to go on air.  

Sen wanted same policy here. He initiated this idea earlier also in meetings but HR was not in favour any such policy. HR Head Malti  was of the  view that employees  should be trusted to complete their work productivity in time and networking on social media is something that helps them to relieve , rejuvenate and de-in an otherwise hectic and pressured work schedule. Using networking sites in free moments can serve as a stress buster. 

Sen went to Malti seat and requested her to come to meeting room to discuss some important issue. Malti was taken aback. She was engaged in some other important assignment and was not prepared for non scheduled meeting just before lunch timings.

“Can we meet after lunch”? Said Malti.

“That would be too late”. Replied Sen.

Malti got up and went to meeting room with Sen. Sen started, “what I was suspecting, has now proved. I need your immediate attention and action on the issue. I have just come from the seat of Team lead who supposed to complete the modules, show me and send to clients today by 2.30 PM.  Now It Is 1PM and he is busy on face book commenting on friends’ posts. I wonder when he gets time to work, when he is mentally engaged in these social media chats. I am scared whether he will be able to complete them within the scheduled time? 

 “Did you enquire with him about the progress on modules? Malti said

“Yes, in the morning. He assured me of completing the work in time but nothing heard from him now”. Sen was little agitated. He said, “Pl. Malti take a quick decision and block all networking sites and stop employees using during working hours. It is a waste of productive time and cost heavily on company. Don’t be so liberal and progressive. We all are here to do business and give employees a feel that they are in a mall spending leisure time.”

“Well Mr. Sen, I appreciate your point of view. You raised this point earlier also. But I am scared that if we decide to block the use of social media sites during office hours it may back fire and there may be serious discontentment among employees.”  Malti shared her apprehension.

 “ Malti you are conditioned, it appears. You have to break the status quo. The things which were not harmful in past cannot be a guarantee that will not be in future too. It is time for management to take a call on it and review its policy on social media use during office hours.”

“Ok. Mr. Sen, thank you for your inputs. Give me time to have a relook.” With meeting ended and Malti went to take her lunch in cafeteria.

She noticed the team lead also there having lunch. She went to her table and asked her to see her after lunch around 2.30.PM. Malti decided to speak to him on the issue.

Team Lead reached to her cabin around 2.30. 

Malti offered her seat and straightway came on point. She asked him about the modules progress which he was to send top client today by 2.30.

“Yes mam, Completed and sent to client too. I completed all that even before lunch and kept ready to send after lunch. I have come to you after sending the mail to the client.” Team Lead responded.

“Did you inform the completion to your manager?

“I told him in the morning that he needs not to increase anxiety. He will complete before time and send well within timeline. Something Happened?”

“Yes, there is an issue surfacing of increased use of social media sites by employees during working hours thus causing delays to projects and loss of productivity by losing valuable company time. Also there have been instances of members conflicts because of political ideology differences surfaced on social media posts by employees. Company can’t tolerate all this. Why should an employee’s personal ideology become a cause of Team conflict in the Organisation?  If one facility given to employees is creating bad feeling among employees and loss of work productivity, then?”

“ I Think mam you are   reading too much in it.  We are not at all misusing it. Rather we all use this tool to enhance our knowledge and talk to working in other companies for some solutions also when we are not able to solve it. Our professional network helps achieving and completing tasks in time.”

 “Take care that company does not get a feel that you guys are abusing this facility.”  Concluded Malti

Now the ball was in Malti court. She has to take a call.

Questions for discussion and solutions:

1) Critically analyze the policy of allowing the employees to use social media sites during working hours?

Social media can be a powerful communication tool for employees, helping them to collaborate, share ideas and solve problems. Research studies have shown that more than 80% of employees think that social media can improve work relationships and 60% of employees believe that social media supports their decision-making processes. These studies affirm that a majority of workers connect with colleagues on social media, even during work hours. This is also seen in the case study during conversation between HR Malti and Team Lead wherein the team lead confidently responds to Malti’s question that she is reading too much on a probable issue that may surface due to increased use of social media sites by employees during working hours thereby causing delays to projects and loss of productivity by losing valuable company time. Team Lead clarified to Malti that they are not at all misusing social media, rather using it as a tool to enhance their knowledge by speaking to working professionals in other companies for solutions that they themselves are not able to solve, basically are collaborating together to achieve solutions which is the future of work going forward, post pandemic. Team Lead drove home the point to Malti that such type of professional networking helps them in achieving and completing the tasks in time which in turn is ultimately benefitting the company only.

Moreover, it seems that the concerns of Meher Sen, the newly joined product manager at Monkey IT solutions are misguided. He is carrying the baggage of his social media experience from his earlier company wherein some employee had recorded an official conversation held between him and his manager and posted it on social media that ultimately brought bad name to the company. After that, the company decided to block all the social media / networking sites and prohibited employees for its use during duty hours. Company also brought in new social media usage policy for it’s employees wherein they were restricted to post any message in official capacity at any networking sites about company affairs or business or any happens. Communication department was created and after their approval only things were allowed to go on air. Sen wanted the same policy here also in the new organization. This is a typical development in any organization wherein whenever a new manager joins, he or she wants to bring in changes that they were doing or following in their previous companies. They want the same thing to be repeated in the new organization as well rather than spending time & understanding work culture of the new organization, how things work there, how it is different from previous organizations, how it is beneficial to them, what new things they can learn and what they should unlearn from the past.

Social media doesn’t reduce productivity nearly as much as it kills employee retention. Effects of social media depend on who employees interact with. Employees who interact with their colleagues share meaningful work experiences. Employees who engage in online social interactions with coworkers through social media blogs tend to be more motivated and come up with innovative ideas which is exactly what is required for Monkey IT solutions, a technology driven company. 

Hence I agree with it’s HR policies that are progressive, sensitive and responsive to employee needs and thereby there are no restrictions on employees for using social networking sites even during working hours. This has resulted in the employees being frequently active and live on networking sites also while working on their projects. The work culture was vibrant and with a high degree of trust. The employees were motivated, less distracted & productive. I don’t think there was any complaint from the client side regarding end user delay in their requirements & or it not being met as per the specifications due to employee behavior or misconduct. Rather the company was growing, it’s headcount had scaled to 300 in HO, had plans to open new offices in other IT hubs like Pune and Bengaluru and some of it’s digital marketing campaigns had earned good name for the organization.

I feel that the problem is not with the Social Media policies or the employees of Monkey IT solutions but rather with Meher Sen. The problem is more person – oriented rather than a process or policy related. Meher is telling to HR Malti that she appears conditioned & informing that the things which were not harmful in past cannot be a guarantee that will not be in future too. Rather, Meher Sen should have a hard look at himself in the mirror before commenting such statements to others. Just because he had some bad experience in his previous companies w.r.t. employees misusing social media sites to tarnish image of company, it does not necessarily mean that it will happen in his new organization also i.e. Monkey IT solutions. I support HR Malti that in tech driven IT companies, the work atmosphere should be free, vibrant & open because that it when employees are at their productive best and will be able to give tangible outputs to the clients that will be beneficial. You cannot have a culture of micromanagement and control which is what Meher Sen was accustomed of having it around. Malti is justified in her apprehension that if HR decides to block the use of social media sites during office hours it may back fire and there may be serious discontentment among employees. 

Employees who engage in online social interactions with co-workers through social media blogs tend to be more motivated and may tend to come up with innovative ideas. The effects of social media depend on who employees interact with and for what purpose; employees who interact with their colleagues share meaningful work experiences and also to upskill themselves e.g. LinkedIn also offers a great learning platform to learn the relevant skills one needs to build the experiences.

2) How should Malti handle the situation now?

Having stated all of the above, research studies have also shown that employees using social media were more likely to leave an organization. This may be because they were more likely to engage with potential new employers than their less social peers. Employees using social media for work take an interest in other organizations they find on social media, compared to employees using social media only for leisure. These employees engage in some key activities including researching new organizations and making new work connections. This presents a dilemma for HR managers, Functional Line Managers and the organization too as employees using social media at work are more engaged and more productive, but they are also more likely to leave the company. This is seen in the case study aptly titled as “Double-edge – Be or not be”. The ball was now in Malti’s court to take a call. She temporarily resolved the situation by having a dialogue with the Team Lead and understanding the entire context. So far she had only listened to Meher Sen’s version of story. Now she heard the Team Lead’s story version too. Having been satisfied by the response given by Team Lead, she concluded by cautiously instructing the team lead to take care that the company does not get a feeling or warning signs that it’s facility is being abused. Malti trusted the story version of the team lead as long as they were delivering the customer’s requirements and timeline’s were met. 

This problem can be addressed by implementing solutions that neutralize the employee retention risk caused by social media. Social media training should be done to make employees focus on positive social media behaviors, like collaboration, which can increase satisfaction and attachment, countering turnover risks.

HR can also look at turning this threat into an opportunity by creating social media groups in which employees will be more likely to collaborate and less likely to share withdrawal Intentions or have discussions on political issues resulting into mutual conflicts in teams ultimately affecting company work (as seen in the case study here). HR can use social media to have a positive influence on the employees by recognizing employees’ accomplishments and giving visibility to employees’ success stories. This approach if implemented can also serve as a recruiting tool because if, on one side, the use of social media can make the employees leave the organization or have other harmful effects, on the other side, the same use of social media from employees of other organizations could also attract them to Monkey IT solutions.