8 - Placement, Induction, Internal Mobility & Separation

PLACEMENT, INDUCTION, INTERNAL MOBILITY AND SEPARATIONS

EXCEL BOOKS

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8Chapter

ANNOTATED OUTLINE8-2

PLACEMENTPlacement is the actual posting of an employee to a specific job—with rank and responsibilities attached to it. Most organisations put new recruits on probation for a given period of time after which their services are confirmed. Placement, however, should be made with as little disruption to the employee and organisation as possible.

Placement, Induction, Internal Mobility And Separations

Benefits of Placement The employee is able to:

Show good results on the job.

Get along with people easily.

Keep his spirits high, report for duty regularly.

Avoid mistakes and accidents.

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Induction Or Orientation

Induction or orientation is the process through which a new recruit is

introduced to the job and the organisation. Induction removes fears from the

mind of a newcomer, creates a good impression about the organisation and

acts as a valuable source of information.


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Welcome to the organisation Explain about the company and show all the facilities Show the location where the new recruit will work. Give the company's manual Offer details about various work groups Provide details about policies, rules, regulations, benefits, etc Explain about opportunities and career prospects Clarify doubts Assign the new recruit to the supervisor


Induction Programme: Steps

Induction includes socialisation also. Socialisation is the process through

which the new recruit begins to understand and accept the values, norms and

beliefs held by others in the orgaisation.

Follow up meetings may also be required at regular intervals to find how the

new recruit has adjusted himself to new environs.

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Induction Training In India


Induction Training: Indian Snapshots Aptech

Maruti udyog

Standard chartered bank

Citibank

KPMG

Sony India

Indian shaving products

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Internal mobility refers to the lateral or vertical movement of an employee within an organisation.

Purposes of Internal Mobility

Improve organisational effectiveness

Improve employee effectiveness

Adjust to changing business operations

Ensure discipline


Internal Mobility

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Transfer

A transfer is a change in job assignment. It may involve a promotion or

demotion Or no change at all in status and responsibility


Purposes of transfer To meet organisational requirements

To satisfy employee needs

To utilise employees better

To make the employee more versatile

To adjust the workforce

To provide relief to overburdened employees

To reduce conflicts

To punish employees

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Benefits and problems associated with transfers


Bene fits P ro b le m s

Improve employee skills Inconvenient to employees who otherwisedo not want to move

Reduce monotony, boredom Employees may or may not fit in the new location/department

Remedy faulty placement decisions Shifting of experienced hands may affect productivity

Prepare the employee for challenging Discrim inatory transfers may affect

assignments in future employee morale.

Stabilise changing work requirements indifferent departments/locations

Improve employee satisfaction and morale

Improve employer-employee relations

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Transfer policy: Organisations should clearly specify their policy regarding

transfers. Such a policy would normally consist of the following things

Specify circumstances under which the transfer has been effected

Name the persons authorised to effect transfers

Mention the basis for the transfer

Clarify the position regarding pay, allowances, benefits etc

Transfer

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Promotion

Employee movement from current job to another that is higher in pay, responsibility and/or organisation level is known as “promotion”. Promotion has powerful motivational value as it compels an employee to utilise his talents fully, and remain loyal and committed to his or her job and the organisation.

Bases of promotionMerit based promotions

Seniority based promotions

Promotion policy: To be fair, an organisation should institute a promotion Policy that gives due weight age to both seniority and merit. Promotion Opportunities must be thrown open to all employees. The norms for promotion should be expressed in writing. Detailed records must be maintained for this Purpose. A responsible official should be asked to take the final decision regarding employee promotions.

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Employee movement that occurs when an employee is moved from one job to another that is lower in pay, responsibility and/or organisation level is called demotion.


Demotion

Causes of demotionEmployee unable to meet job requirements

Organisation forced to demote employees because of adverse business conditions

Demotions happening to check errant employees

Demotion policy: A clear cut policy regarding demotions would help employees

adjust to complex organisational demands admirably. To this end, punishable

offences must be listed in advance. Better to state the reasons before punishing

an employee. Any violation must be properly investigated and followed by a

consistent and equitable application of the penalty. There should be enough

room for review.

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Resignation: A voluntary separation initiated by the employee himself is called resignation. It is always better to find why the employee has decided to quit the organisation. Properly conducted exit interviews would help throw light on factors behind the curtain

Retirement: Termination of service on reaching the age of superannuation is called retirement. To avoid problems, organisations normally plan

replacements to retiring employees beforehand.

Death: Some employees may die in service. Death caused by occupational hazards, of course, would attract the provisions of Workmen's

Compensation Act, 1923. The normal separation of people from an organisation due to resignation, retirement or death is known as attrition.

Lay off: A lay off entails the separation of the employee from the organisation temporarily for economic or business reasons.


Employee Separations

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The Do’s and Don’ts of laying off employees


Consulting firms offer the following advice for telling employees that they will be la id off

(S. A lexander, The Wall S treet Journa l 81, 1991. A lso see “Easing the Exit”, B. World, 1.9 .2003)

D on t ’s

Don’t leave the room, creating confusion. Tell the

employee that he or she is la id off or terminated.Don’t allow time for debateD o n ’ t m a ke p e r s on a l c o m m e n ts ; k e e p the

conversation professionalDon’t rush the employee off-site unless security

is really an issueDon’t fire people on important dates (birthdays,

anniversary o f their employment, the day theirmother died, etc.)Don’t fire employees when they are on vacationor have just returnedE m p lo y ee s w h o c o n t in u e to w o r k w i t h t he

com pany shou ld not be igno red. T hey are asvulnerable to the changes as the ones being let go.

D o’s

Give as much warning as possible for

mass layoffsSit down one-to-one with the individualin a private office

Complete the firing session quicklyP repare the ind iv idua l w ho is be ing

asked to leave to cope with his emotionsOffer written explanations of severance

benefitsProvide outplacement assistance awayfrom company headquartersBe sure the employee learns about thelayoff from a manager, not a colleague

Appreciate the contributions made bythe employee – if they are appropriate

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Retrenchment: A permanent lay off for reasons other than punishment but not retirement or termination owing to ill health is

called retrenchment. Legally speaking, employers in India are required to give advance notice or pay equivalent wages before the actual lay off date. (50 per cent of basic wages plus

allowances)



Stop hiring people when the first signals of trouble ahead surface. This would send the right message to the trade unions.

Better to be on good terms with all the trade unions.

Allay the workers’ suspicions by communicating with them directly.

Design a severance package with incentives for training and redeployment.

Never use pressure tactics to intimidate your workers into leaving.

How to trim the workforce?

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Outplacement: Outplacement assistance includes Efforts made by the employer to help a recently separated employee find a

job. Apart from training support to such employees, some organisations offer assistance in the form of paid leave travel charges for attending interviews, search firm expenses ,etc.



Merits and demerits of outplacement

M e r i t s D e m er i ts

Shows the human face of the company. May be time consuming and costly.

Eases the pain of retrenchment. Maintaining databases on other jobs isnot easy.

Preserves the morale of those who remain Can work only when retrenching awith the company. few managers at a time.

Smoothens the way for future downsizing Can be turned down by angry, disillusionedmoves. employees.

Helps you retain your former employees’ Difficult to convince and implement at therespect. level of workers.

Source: Business India Jan 7 -21, 1996 pp . 300-504

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Suspension: Suspension means prohibiting an employee from

attending work and performing normal duties assigned to him.

Discharge and dismissal: The termination of the services of an

employee as a punitive measure for some misconduct is called

dismissal. Discharge also means termination of the services of an

employee but not necessarily as a punishment. A discharge does not

arise from a single irrational act such as alcoholism, willful violation of

rules, insubordination, carelessness, dishonesty, inefficiency, violent

acts, unauthorized absence for a long time


Documents

8 - Placement, Induction, Internal Mobility & Separation