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For old timers’ sake (View Comments)
Unnati Narang
Posted On Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 11:34:25 PM
The possibility of old timers exists only in organisations that successfully engage people for the long term. The million dollar question, however, is how best to identify and advantage from old timers so as to build long lasting mutual win-wins
Mahesh Shah joined Kale Consultants Ltd. more than two decades ago. Today, he is the Executive Vice President. His long innings at the global airline, logistics and travel consulting company has been anything but monotonous. With over six job rotations, Shah has had the opportunity to work in various businesses, starting with passenger airlines to banking and IT infrastructure. The challenges at each step kept him going. In a fast paced world, where people switch jobs at the blink of an eye, it is rare to come across such old timers, who spend much of their professional life in one company. While the long stay can be a symbol of growth within the company, resulting in loyalty, at the same time it can also result from complacency and too much comfort in stable jobs. For Shah, it is the former.
Growth trajectory is the most important determinant of how long a person will work with a given organisation as also how effectively he would contribute in terms of results. Looking back, Shah explains, “Two factors have played the most instrumental role in my long stint at the company. One is that my suggestions have always been heard. Secondly, I have experienced enormous self-learning due to my various job rotations. It is the satisfaction of growing with the company that has enabled my fruitful stay. These days, the steady state scenario, wherein people continue to remain with an organization without growing, is very rare. Companies are less tolerant of people who cannot deliver performance in line with their compensation.”
Drawbacks and challenges
On one hand, companies wish to engage employees to retain them for the long term. On the other hand, if the employee is not performing as per expectations, there might be a need to draw the line. V.T.Gopinath, Executive Vice President, Actis Biologics explains, “As long as the organisation is able to meet the employees’ expectations, the employee will not seek opportunity elsewhere. However, in the long run, the needs of the organisation may change drastically due to business dynamics and interplay of factors beyond managerial control. The employee is unable to shoulder higher responsibilities within or outside the organisation. The concerned employee becomes complacent and creates his own comfort zone. Consequently, the organisation will suffer due to the lack of dynamism required to oversee operations effectively and it might lose many business opportunities.”
Clearly, old timers are not always good performers. S Rajalakshmi, HR Manager, SumTotal India elaborates, “Longevity is a healthy trend as long as it is beneficial for the organisation and the employee. Once, complacency sets in, then it is time to let go of or have the employee pull up his straps. If the person is staying just because his/her talent does not find any takers outside his/her current firm and even within the firm he/she has not been promoted despite being a ‘stayer’ then most probably the person is a non performer. Hence, it is important that the company promotes a ‘pay for performance’ culture. So, the employees who are at the bottom of the stack, irrespective of the number of years of service are put on a performance improvement plan.”
Advantaging from old timers
Though it is true that the possibility of old timers exists only in organisations that successfully engage people for the long term, the million dollar question is how best to identify and advantage from old timers so as to build long lasting mutual win-wins. Rahul Kulkarni, Head HR, Kale Consultants Ltd. explains, “Roles must be assigned according to the strengths and passion of the person. This is the first step in ensuring long term bonding with the employees. Secondly, there must be a set procedure of continuously talking to employees about their respective career paths. An employee must feel that he is contributing to the company. It is of greater importance that employees who have the potential to stay and grow are identified through feedback from time to time. If the performance of any person is weak, it is best to engage to joint discussion and assign a new role to him, instead of letting go.”
Counseling on a regular basis coupled with effective evaluation mechanisms must be in place. The HR manager and immediate superiors must adopt different strategies for different people. Gopinath continues, “Though some employees may realise their own limitations, they may sill nurture very high aspirations, disproportionate to their capabilities. If such expectations are not realized they may result in depiction of negative tendencies and perhaps subversive activities. Likewise, for a very competent and committed employee, who has no scope to grow further in the organisation, it is prudent to openly discuss and encourage him to seek opportunities outside. At the same time, identify and nurture those who feel empowered and energised and display a passion for growth. These are potential business leaders, who must be gradually inducted into the management team.”
Clearly, there is no one strategy that the HR can adopt for old timers. The nature of job, the level of management, the motivation for staying with one company and the aspirations on both ends are critical factors. It is the survival of the fittest and the fastest growing!
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