Agent of Change

No longer viewed as just a support function, HR must now get its act together and keep abreast of changing times if it has to stay relevant, writes VR Gopakumar, General Manager, Human Resources, ITD Cementation India Ltd. The construction industry today accounts for around 7.55 per cent of the country's GDP, thus making a significant contribution to the economy, while providing large-scale employment opportunities to the populace. Such is the importance of the construction industry that for the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017), the Planning Commission of India estimates an investment requirement of $1,025 billion in infrastructure to bring up the sector's share of GDP to 9.95 per cent. Needless to say, an investment of this magnitude can bear fruit only when coupled with efficient management, not to mention efficient human resource management. Typically, we're talking about a labour-intensive industry, where human resources serve as a key differentiator between what constitutes a good, better and the best company. Then again, industry is currently facing an acute shortage of skilled labour, from engineers and supervisors to technicians. While it has traditionally been perceived as a support function, the boom in the construction industry, particularly in infrastructure, has given a new dimension to HR, where it is now playing an increasingly critical role in the overall operations of a company. At ITD Cementation India Ltd, HR has a significant role to play to live up to the ambitious business plans of the company. Key focus areas are clearly demarcated as follows: • Right talent acquisition• Employee engagement and retention• Proactive and employee friendly policy deployment• Value-based and participative culture Right talent acquisition In today's work scenario, talent acquisition assumes even greater importance. Traditional employer-employee relationships have taken on a new dimension where there is a visible shift from the typical nine-to-five mindset, and each employee is considered a business partner and part of the growth story of the company. We lay special emphasis on acquisition and retention of talent. A multi-pronged approach is adopted, where we explore all avenues for recruiting fresh and experienced talent from the market to cater to our manpower needs. As always, our first priority is to make use of internal resources; only after we have exhausted that option do we look at recruiting from the market. We place a premium on recruitment from campus, and this year too we have visited a fair number of government engineering colleges across the country. Indeed, since September 2010, we have been very aggressive in our recruitment drive and have recruited close to 500 people from across the spectrum. As part of our strategy, we have been targeting small towns, as our experience shows that the strike rate is better from small towns compared to metro cities. A dedicated team is on the job and activities are monitored on a weekly basis. We also have an effective employee referral policy, which gives us yet another option when looking for any critical skill. Overall, recruitment is an ongoing process and is here to stay as attrition rates in the industry are pegged at an average of around 15 per cent. Employee engagement and retention This is a vital and critical function of HR, especially in a company as diverse as we are. We operate on a pan-India scale, and have people from all regions working with us. It's a humungous task to manage so many people and keep them together. In a market-driven economy, where demand out-shoots supply, compensation is a prime factor in retaining staff but it is not the only one. Compensation apart, today's employees seek much more in terms of meaningful roles, growth opportunities and a supportive environment to showcase their talent. In HR parlance, you may call it ‘employee engagement', which serves to win the trust of employees, and motivates them to perform and stay with the company for a longer period. Employee-friendly policies and culture Organisations like ours have people from various generations, and each generation has its own dreams and aspirations; our endeavour is to keep employees engaged and help them fulfil their hopes and dreams. This calls for a high level of leadership skills, not to mention employee-friendly policies and a value-based and participative culture. The need of the hour is to provide a value-based, transparent culture that emphasises a sense of belonging, ownership, ethics and mutual trust and respect. We try and inculcate these values such that they percolate to all levels of the organisation. Employees are encouraged to be proactive and to participate. Suggestions and innovative ideas are welcomed with a view to improving our systems and processes and operational capabilities. The road ahead In conclusion, there appears to be a paradigm shift in the way employees think today; they are more educated, more knowledgeable, and have greater opportunities, wider choices than their yesteryear counterparts. Today, it's an employees' market, and HR has a huge role to play in these changing times. At ITD, it is our constant endeavour to stay in sync with changing market dynamics, and achieve organisational excellence through aligning employee and employer goals. As our credo, we believe in predictable and sustainable performance and our endeavour is to provide better returns to all our stakeholders, adopt best practices, and create a world-class value-based organisation with participation and inclusive growth for one and all. About the author: VR Gopakumar is General Manager, Human Resources, ITD Cementation India Ltd. He has over eighteen years of experience in human resources and personnel management, with key expertise in HR domains such as talent acquisition, training and development, HRIS, C&B management, PMS, employee engagement, etc. To share your HR initiatives, write in at feedback@ASAPPmedia.com