tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22493126136067095252024-02-08T08:05:53.653-08:00HR ArticleHR ArticleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-68146824453824133032011-08-31T11:56:00.000-07:002011-08-31T12:01:02.367-07:00AP Min. Wages of Security personnel<table width="100%" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="mid1"><tr bgcolor="#CCCCCC"> <td width="40%"><strong>STATE</strong></td> <td width="20%"><div align="center"><strong>Zone I:All Municipal Corporations</strong></div></td> <td width="20%"><div align="center"><strong>Zone II : All Municipalities</strong></div></td> <td width="20%"><div align="center"><strong>Zone III : Rest of the area</strong></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><strong>Highly Skilled : (Security Supervisor/ Officer/ Field Officer) </strong></td> <td><div align="center">7500</div></td> <td><div align="center">6000</div></td> <td><div align="center">5000</div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><strong>Skilled : (Security Inspector/ ASO/ Intelligance and Fire Fighting Personal, Head Gaurd)</strong></td> <td><div align="center">7000</div></td> <td><div align="center">6000</div></td> <td><div align="center">4500</div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><strong>Semi-Skilled :(Asst. Security Inspector /Security Gaurds with Arms) </strong></td> <td><div align="center">6500</div></td> <td><div align="center">5500</div></td> <td><div align="center">4250</div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><strong>Un-Skilled : (Security Gaurds without Arms)</strong></td> <td><div align="center">5000</div></td> <td><div align="center">4250</div></td> <td><div align="center">4000</div></td> </tr>
</table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-57910780473522705462011-05-25T02:36:00.000-07:002011-08-31T05:10:59.852-07:007 Rules of Excellence for HR Managers<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In today’s competitive business environment where people management has come on priority, excellence in discharging HR functions is on high demand from HR managers. There can not be any magic stick by which any HR manager can be transformed into an excellent one. It is only by proactive mindset and practice; HR manager can bring excellence in him. No one is born with the excellence value. Practically it is developed slowly by passage of time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is not necessary that only a highly qualified manager from a premier management school brings with him the guarantee of excellence. I have witnessed many persons with average upbringing, educational and social back ground proving themselves to be an excellent HR manager. What is required is the quest of learning and attitude of taking ownership of the problems in the organization by the person.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The following are the rules of excellence for HR managers:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">1. Become leader not a manager.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The basic skills of excellence in HR require a manager to build people, bind people together with hearts minds and souls and for this he has to become a leader and not a mere manager. Every organization that has maintained its excellent over the period of time has been able to do so because it had a leader and not a manager who was able to transform the culture of excellence. While a manager does things right, as a leader HR manager should always do right things. While a manager may be efficient to move in a right direction to achieve excellence, as a HR manager you should have a vision to choose that direction. While manager may use the authority to discharge his functions, as a leader you should use your power derived from employees respect. HR manager has to develop the capability of working well without loosing balance in times of crisis.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>2. Be careful, honest and sincere while selecting a person.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Engage right person at the right job. Don’t try to fit a square in a hole. Discourage favouritism in recruitment. Don’t compromise with the quality and requirement of the job. Always prefer attitude in a person. Engage for attitude and train for skills. It is the attitude of the person which makes a difference while performing his job. Problem starts from this point.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">3. Don’t make induction a ritual</span></b>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Most of the HR managers do this exercise as a ritual and leave it on subordinates which ultimately turn out to be a utter failure in achieving purpose of this exercise. This is high time for HR manager to mould new employee and tune him with the organizational culture. Most of the new employees leaving organization in a short tenure reveal the startling fact of their poor/negative induction at the time of joining making their prime cause demotivation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">4. Make the employee clear what is expected from him.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is for the HR manager to ensure that employees working in the organization are well aware of what the organization expects from them. In one of the reputed organization when I was called as an expert to diagnose the problem in people management, after observing the work culture I commented, ‘In your organization everybody is doing every body’s job and no body knows what he is doing’. HR Manager has to be cautious about this silent killer of the organization culture.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">5. Be firm and fair.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">HR manager has to practice this policy down the line all the time. While dealing employee relations he has to exhibit and display his firmness and fairness even in sensitive situations to command respect from all corners. He has to champion the cause of employees and employer too.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">6. Confront Problems</span></b>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">HR manager who escape from tricky situations and problems can not excel in discharging his functions. He has to confront the problems as they arise and disseminate them. Always remember that avoiding problems and keeping the dust under the corpet will not pave the way of excellence. In any organization where HR people pass the buck and shift the burden of problems like shuttle cock are bound to face more complex situations which may explode in a more aggressive way causing irreparable losses to organization culture.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>7. Apply the principle of 20-80.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a HR professional it is not necessary all the time to use your technical knowledge for achieving excellence but what is required is skill of dealing with people and this ratio is known as 20-80. 80% is of your people handling skills in all situations with common sense management of human dignity and 20% is of your technical knowledge. If your reverse this ratio, you may never achieve excellence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-44869154066539255932011-05-24T22:27:00.000-07:002011-08-31T05:11:17.508-07:00The Seven Golden rules of HR (Recruitment)<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Recruitment is a key element of HR practice, but complying with legal responsibilities can make the process harder than it first appears. Gary Rothville and Kishanie Wijewickrama examine the legal pitfalls of recruitment and detail seven steps for avoid ing them </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>1. Present the job honestly </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When you advertise your vacancy in the marketplace, you and your recruitment consultant will want to present the job in the most attractive light possible. However, the Trade Practices Act prohibits a corporation from engaging in conduct that is misleading or deceptive, or that is likely to mislead or deceive.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Example: In a recent case, a leading stockbroking firm was found to have engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct when it told an applicant for a senior role that the terms of his employment would not change when the employer’s business was acquired by another company. The applicant relied on these representations by taking steps to leave his job as quickly as possible. The court found that the employer had breached the Trade Practices Act, rendering it liable for damages and costs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Golden rule: When you are advertising and recruiting be honest. Don’t exaggerate the role simply to secure the best candidate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>2. Recruit fairly </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">An employer must not discriminate unlawfully in relation to job selection criteria, employment offers, or employment terms. In Victoria, as a general rule, and unless a statutory exception applies, it is discriminatory to treat one job applicant less favourably than another on the basis of age, gender, disability, pregnancy or potential pregnancy, race, religion, political opinion, medical or criminal record, marital status, sexual preference, union activity or physical features.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Example: A man was refused employment as a pilot because of his age. The airline argued that it cost a great deal to train pilots and the man would be likely to be a pilot for a shorter period, due to his age. The airline was found to have discriminated against the man on the grounds of his age and was ordered to remove age as a selection criterion for new pilots.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Golden rule: Consider all job applications and short list and make job offers on the basis of their skill, experience and qualifications in relation to the selection criteria only.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>3. Screen candidates by relevant criteria </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Employers often seek to find out information about prospective employees by conducting pre-employment checks on such matters as the candidate’s medical or criminal record. It is unlawful to refuse to hire an applicant on the basis of his or her medical or criminal record, unless the refusal is based on the inherent requirements of the position. However, an employer is entitled to request that an applicant undertake a pre-employment criminal check or medical test, if it is genuinely necessary to determine whether the applicant is suitable for the role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Example: A man seeking work as a school cleaner was denied a job on the basis of his criminal record, which showed a history of volatility and violence, particularly after drinking. This was held to be justified, because of the risk of the man displaying aggressive and violent behaviour around school-aged children.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Golden rule: Before conducting criminal record or medical checks, ensure that the results are genuinely relevant to the position being filled.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>4. Ensure application forms comply </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">An employment application may list the duties of the role and ask the applicant about any pre-existing illness or injury which the applicant is aware of and could reasonably foresee being affected by the work duties. If the application form correctly refers to and complies with relevant provisions of WorkCover legislation, an employer can avoid workers’ compensation liability in relation to an exacerbation of a pre-existing injury which the employee did not disclose. However, if the applicant does disclose such an injury, you must not discriminate against him or her on the basis of that injury, unless it means that the applicant could not safely perform the inherent requirements of the role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Example: An employee who had previously sustained a knee injury on the factory floor but failed to disclose this pre-existing injury in his job application would not be entitled to workers’ compensation for an aggravation of the injury, suffered in the new employment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Golden rule: Written application forms should set out the physical requirements of the position, request disclosure of all relevant pre-existing injuries, correctly cite the legislative provision that requires the applicant to disclose this information, and state the consequences of failing to make a full disclosure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>5. Keep questions relevant </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Questions in job interviews that focus on any of the grounds of discrimination can themselves be found to be discriminatory. Questions should focus on whether the candidate can perform the requirements of the role, for example whether a candidate can work back late on short notice, if that is a requirement of the role, and not on irrelevant factors such as the candidate’s childcare arrangements.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Example: In a recent case a female candidate with extensive relevant experience was asked a number of questions pertaining to her marital status and her intention to have children. These questions were found to be discriminatory as they were not relevant to the role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Golden rule: For consistency, a set of questions should be developed and asked of all job applicants, which allow for an assessment of the applicant’s suitability against the job selection criteria, and will help avoid discriminatory questions and keep the interview on track.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">6. Be clear when making an offer</span> </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When making an offer, always make it clear to the applicant if the offer is conditional on some yet to be completed event, such as a reference check or the results of medical tests. If an employer makes an unconditional offer to a candidate but later wants to withdraw that offer, the withdrawal must occur before the candidate accepts the offer. Otherwise, the candidate can claim that a binding contract of employment had been formed, and sue for the breach of that contract when employment does not eventuate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Example: A man applied for a job as an ‘aircraft handler’, performing engineering and maintenance duties. At one of his interviews, he was asked to perform a typical task required of an aircraft handler, to see whether it would aggravate a previous wrist injury. He performed the task, and was offered employment. On arriving for his first day at work, he was told that he would not be employed because he had failed a medical test. It was found that the employment relationship had already been created and, also, that the employer sought to terminate the employment based on the man’s impairment (his wrist injury), and that this was discriminatory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Golden rule: Do not make an unconditional offer of employment unless you have all the information you need to be able to make the offer – if you don’t have that information and want to make a conditional offer, ensure that the applicant clearly understands the conditions that apply to the offer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">7. Define the probationary period </span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The primary purpose of an employment contract is to avoid any later dispute as to the terms of the employment. A contract sets out an employee’s benefits, but can also impose conditions on the employment, such as a probationary period. Employees cannot issue unfair dismissal proceedings relating to the termination of their employment during, or at the end of, a probationary period, provided that the probationary period is agreed before employment starts, is set out in writing and signed by the employee. However, if the probationary period is unreasonably long, it will not be enforced.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Examples: In one case, it was found that a four-year probationary period was unreasonable for an ambulance driver. During that period, the driver was given three years of training, followed by a 12 month period during which there were on-the-job assessments. In that case, it was found that a three month probationary period would have been reasonable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Golden rule: It is essential that new employees be given a written contract of employment, that sets out the terms and conditions that will govern the employment relationship. The contract must be as clear as possible to avoid later disputation. A written contract of employment benefits both the employer and employee, and should always be used when employing a new person in a business. Always use a written contract where you wish to apply a probationary period, and ensure that the period is reasonable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-27244218158162685132011-05-11T23:34:00.000-07:002011-08-31T05:11:35.398-07:00Govt open to amending contract labour law : Kharge<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">NEW DELHI - Government is open to amending a law related to the regulation and abolition of contract labour in the country, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said during Question Hour that government will hold a meeting of the tripartite group, which has been asked to give a report on how to regulate the wages and service conditions of contract labour.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Based on that report, if an amendment (in the Contract Labour Regulation and Amendment Act) is necessary, it will be done," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He expressed confidence that the report could help address issues like uneven wages to contract workers and employment of contract workers in jobs, where regular workers should be working.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a written statement, the minister said there is no proposal before the government to end the system of contract jobs and outsourcing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-32367304588146340532011-05-10T20:57:00.000-07:002011-08-31T05:12:10.426-07:005 ways to land the perfect job, post-appraisals<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><b>Before you switch, think again:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This may sound strange, but is the most essential step. When you join a new job, you bring your “credibility balance” to zero. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“So be clear of your gains in that “dream job” in terms of new learning and growth potential apart from money if you are spending all your credibility balance, says A Sudhakar, executive director, HR , Dabur.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><b>Spend time on carefully crafting your resume:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Resume is more about content and less about style. Someone who reads your resume perhaps also reads 100 other resumes. Can you precisely put down what you bring to the table, such as past results or other relevant facts, for that “dream job”? </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Your potential employer is not interested in your assessment of your potential in your resume. Spend enough time on this step for your own clarity.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;">Arm yourself well for the interview :</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Prepare the ‘elevator sales pitch’ about yourself. It helps to rehearse that first golden question: “Tell me about yourself”. This is your opportunity to set the direction of your interview. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“Be absolutely clear about your facts — vague answers on academic results, sales figures, productivity numbers is a strict no-no, says Yogesh Patgaonkar, vice president — group HR, RPG Group.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Wear your best self on D-Day:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Be yourself — be it in terms of what you choose to wear or even how you answer. If you pretend to fool someone by being “smart” in an interview, you will not be able to sustain the pretensions when you get that job. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This is the simplest yet most effective method of evaluating the “suitability” of the job for you.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Ask questions and do your reference checks:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Please clarify genuine doubts rather than trying to ask “intelligent questions” — you will be amazed at how intelligent your stupid questions turn out to be if they are your genuine queries! </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It is important that you get your doubts sorted out — the way your questions are answered will also indicate how open the environment will be when you join. Also, make sure you run your reference checks on the job. If you are not comfortable on both these counts, don’t take up the job.</span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-53862520011362028002011-05-06T22:53:00.000-07:002011-08-31T05:11:52.217-07:00EPFO faces Rs 7,000 cr tax demand on premature withdrawals<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Income-Tax Department has slapped the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) with an unprecedented tax demand for failing to tax premature withdrawals by account holders, a move that could saddle the organisation with liabilities of more than Rs 7,000 crore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
The Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Samirendra Chatterjee, who oversees the EPFO, said the I-T department's decision to slap these tax notices on two PF offices in Delhi was "untenable", and his organisation would move the Delhi High Court to quash the tax demand. The dispute raises the possibility of yet another open war between two government arms under two ministries. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
The EPFO comes under the labour ministry while the I-T Department is under the Ministry of Finance . The two have recently been at loggerheads over a 9.5% EPF rate for 2010-11, and over the EPFO's refusal to invest in equities, which the finance ministry has been insisting on since 2005. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
The tax officials, while imposing this liability, have justified their action by citing a rule in the 1961 Income Tax Act that stipulates withdrawals of provident fund money by individuals who have not completed five years of contributions to the EPF should be subject to income tax. So far, this tax demand has been raised on only two PF offices and for a two-year period between 2007 and 2009, but the EPFO is apprehensive the same demand can be slapped on all its 120 or so offices that by and large follow the same policies and procedures. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
The EPFO is the custodian of retirement savings of some 5.87 crore private and public sector employees in the country. C h at t e r j e e suggested the IT Department's move was impractical and at odds with the government's income-tax exemption ceilings . "Our mandatory salary ceiling for PF coverage is Rs 6,500 per month. How can we tax a worker who doesn't even fall under the taxable annual income bracket of Rs 1.8 lakh?" he asked. Chatterjee said EPF savings were not taxable under the EPF Act of 1952. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
"And if at all tax has to be levied, it has to be the employers' responsibility as they are aware of workers' total incomes while we may not know even if they are paid more than Rs 6,500 per month." The I-T department's move has also drawn sharp reactions from trade union officials. "It is ironic that the government keeps dithering over bringing back black money from tax havens, but doesn't think twice about taxing the middle class' retirement savings," said AD Nagpal of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha and its representative on the EPFO's central board of trustees. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
The I-T Department's demand effectively means all future withdrawals from provident fund accounts by individuals who have made PF contributions for less than five years would henceforth have to be taxed at source by the EPFO. The department argues only longterm contributions to the provident fund should be tax-free to ensure parity with other long-term tax savings instruments such as National Savings Certificates and Public Provident Fund deposits, which have five-year lock-ins. The tax department has been seeking to enforce the 50-year-old rule for the past two years. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
In February 2009, it began asking the PF departments for details of all workers' claims settled before five years. Last December, the Central Board of Direct Taxes even issued a circular to reiterate the law. Last week, top EPFO officials, responding to summons from the I-T Department, shared information on the total money credited into workers' accounts in 2007-08 and 2008-09 from the two PF offices in Delhi. The department followed this up with its assessment order. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
According to the order, a copy of which is in ET's possession, the department has assumed half the total EPFO payouts to individuals falls in the premature withdrawal category "in the absence of specific in-formation and considering the churning of corporate employees and the economic scenario of frequent job changes". Consequently, a tax demand of more than Rs 285 crore was levied on the two PF offices. The figure assumes a top tax rate of 33.66% and penal interest at 18%. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Calculations by ET, assuming a similar formula for all the 120-odd PF offices in the country that together pay out settlement claims worth Rs 11,000 crore annually, show the EPFO could be saddled with a tax liability of around Rs 7,000 crore for three financial years ending in March 2010. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Incidentally, a recent EPFO study concluded more than 70% of all withdrawals were made within three years of service and nearly 90% were made before five years. This would make the I-T department's assumption of 50% withdrawals being premature a conservative estimate. But for the EPFO, having to pay tax on behalf of account holders who have withdrawn their savings is a serious problem. It has no system in place to track such people and neither can it pay the tax liability from its own funds. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Experts say the EPF law is subordinate to tax laws and the PF authorities could have a tough battle on their hands. They say Section 9 of the EPF Act deems the fund as a recognised PF trust under the Income Tax Act of 1922, which establishes the primacy of I-T laws over the EPF Act.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/personal-finance/savings-centre/savings-news/epfo-faces-rs-7000-cr-tax-demand-on-premature-withdrawals/articleshow/7894047.cms">Source :</a> <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/personal-finance/savings-centre/savings-news/epfo-faces-rs-7000-cr-tax-demand-on-premature-withdrawals/articleshow/7894047.cms">http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/personal-finance/savings-centre/savings-news/epfo-faces-rs-7000-cr-tax-demand-on-premature-withdrawals/articleshow/7894047.cms</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-18122074845131232872011-05-01T09:59:00.000-07:002011-08-31T05:10:29.744-07:00Splitting of Minimum Wages for the purpose of PF contribution not permissible<div style="text-align: center;">EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND ORGANISATION<br />
<br />
Bhavishya Nidhi Bhawan, 14,<br />
<br />
Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi – 110 066.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dated : 23.5.2011<br />
<br />
All Addl. CPFCs (Zones) All RPFCs (In-charge of Regions/Sub-Regions)<br />
<br />
Sub : Splitting of Minimum Wages for the purpose of PF contribution not permissible.<br />
<br />
Sir,<br />
<br />
Attention of all concerned is invited towards this office circular No.Coord./4(6)2003/Clarification/13633 dated 6.6.2008 vide which it was advised to ensure that P.F. Contributions on at least Minimum Wages are remitted by the establishments. It was also directed to review all such cases disposed of u/s 7A of the Act where determination of dues has taken place on wages lesser than Minimum Wages.<br />
<br />
2. However, it has been observed that still uniform approach in this regard is not followed by the field offices which is viewed seriously. It is also observed that the field offices are not duly defending the issue in spite of the fact that the Division Bench of Hon’ble High Court, Karnataka in the matter of Group 4 Securities Guarding Ltd. vs. RPFC has categorically upheld the view that RPFCs u/s. 7A of the Act can examine and look into the nature of contract entered between the employer and its employees as well as the pay structure to decide whether the pay is being split up under several heads as a subterfuge to avoid PF contribution.<br />
<br />
3. The order of the Division Bench was challenged by the establishment before the Apex Court. While tentatively upholding the order of the Division Bench, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order dated 23.7.2004 again granted liberty to the authorities to decide the matter in accordance with law on its merits. As such the authorities have to consider the order of the Division Bench of Hon’ble High Court, Karnataka unless there is substantial evidence to lead otherwise.<br />
<br />
4. Accordingly, the matter has been examined in view of the Apex Court’s direction and the following guidelines are issued which should be adhered to and followed by all strictly.<br />
<br />
5. The EPF & MP Act, 1952 is a beneficial social security legislation. In construing the provisions of the Act, it has already been settled earlier* that wherever two views are reasonably possible, the view which helps the achievement of the object should be preferred and accordingly the assessing authority while determining dues under section 7A should curb any attempt to curtail the legitimate social security benefits of the employees. It is needless to reiterate the impact of contribution on lesser wages by splitting the wages into different heads, which results in lesser accumulations in PF account and miniscule pension to the member/family.<br />
<br />
[*The RPFC, Punjab vs. Shibu Metal Works - 1965 (1) LLJ 473].<br />
<br />
6. As you are aware, section 2(b) of EPF & MP Act, 1952 defines the basic wage which excludes all kind of allowances from being considered as basic wage. As the term suggests, ‘basic wage’ or ‘basic salary’ is the base salary which is provided to a person in lieu of his services. It is without any allowances which may or may not be added to basic wages in terms of employment.<br />
<br />
7. However, it appears that some confusion is prevailing among field offices as to whether basic wages can be lower than the minimum wages or whether an establishment paying minimum wages to its employees can be allowed to split up the wages into various allowances reducing the PF contribution by making it a part of “terms of employment or Contract”.<br />
<br />
8. It would be worth to see that the terms ‘basic’, ‘basic wage’ and ‘minimum wage’ are defined in Oxford Dictionary as below :<br />
<br />
(i) “basic. Adj.1. forming an essential foundation; fundamental. 2. consisting of the minimum required or offered”<br />
<br />
(ii) “basic wage. n.1 a minimum wage earned before additional payments such as overtime. 2. Austral/NZ/ the minimum living wage, as determined by industrial tribunal”<br />
<br />
(iii) “minimum wage, n. the lowest wage permitted by law or by agreement”.<br />
<br />
9. Thus, whereas the minimum wage is the lowest permitted wage ought to be paid to a worker as per law as upheld and revisited on various occasions by the Hon’ble Supreme Court*, basic wage is only relevant for allowing additional allowances by treating it (basic wage) as a basic/floor level.<br />
<br />
(*Crown Aluminium Works vs. Workers Union, [1958 Vol.I LLJ, Page I), Unichoyi vs. State of Kerala [1961 Vol.I LLJ P.631], Kamani Metals & Alloys Ltd. vs. Their Workmen [1967 Vol.II-55; (1967) 2 SCR Page 463]).<br />
<br />
10. Another aspect of basic wage/salary is that it is provided to all classes of employees irrespective of quantum of their salary and its quantum varies with every class/post of an employee whereas minimum wage is prescribed only for the lowest paid employee to whom any lesser payment of wages is not permitted by law.<br />
<br />
11. From above, it is abundantly clear that basic wage in no case can be lesser than the minimum wage as the same is not only contrary to law of land but is also beyond logic and rationale that an establishment which cannot pay even minimum wages to its employees, would be willing to pay allowances to them and if such instances exist, there is certainly a malafide motive which may be considered as knowingly making or causing to make false statement/representation punishable u/s 14(1) of EPF & MP Act, 1952. It may also attract the provision of section 418 of IPC.<br />
<br />
12. Further, it also needs to be kept in mind that any agreement which negates any law of land is ab-initio-void and would have effect of non-existence. Therefore, any such terms of agreement for employment where minimum wages is splitted to reduce the liability under EPF & MP Act, 1952 would be governed by the same logic as it is against the provisions of Minimum Wages Act and hence illegal.<br />
<br />
13. Also Minimum Wage being a state matter, clarifications were sought from various State Governments. The replies received reveal that minimum wage is a lump sum composite amount arrived at by following the permissible procedure of fixation as revised from time to time and it cannot be segregated and reclassified. Thus, the State Governments have also observed that splitting of minimum wages is not permissible in the eye of law.<br />
<br />
14. Accordingly, all concerned are directed to ensure that P.F. Contributions are not remitted on wages less than Minimum Wages since every employer is legally bound to pay at least minimum wages to his/her employees and minimum wages are not amenable to split up. It is not pay package.*<br />
<br />
[*Civil Appeal 4259 of 1999 Air Freight Ltd. vs. State of Karnataka and Ors., 1999 Supp.(1) SCR 22]<br />
<br />
15. It is needless to mention that wherever the matter regarding splitting of wages is challenged or pending in a court of law, the stand of department along with all rules and guidelines of Hon’ble Supreme Court should be effectively utilised to defend the case. It is also mentioned that nothing said above shall come in way of implementation/execution of any order of a court of law.<br />
<br />
16. The assessing officers shall examine full facts about the wage structure, minimum wages prescribed by the appropriate govt. for the relevant class and provide reasonable opportunity to the establishment before deciding the subterfuge, if any.<br />
<br />
All the concerned officials/officers are requested to strictly comply with above said guidelines in regard to subject matter.<br />
<br />
Please acknowledge receipt.<br />
<br />
(This issues with the approval of CPFC)<br />
<br />
(K.C. Pandey) Addl. Central P.F. Commissioner(Compliance)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-52160229058807525692011-03-09T22:53:00.000-08:002011-03-09T22:53:33.533-08:00E P Funds (Amendment) Scheme, 2011 - Reg- Amendment in para 60 and 72(6),<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The PF old balance will stop earning interest. After three years of inactivity.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">MINISTRY’ OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">NOTIFICATION</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">New Delhi, the 15th January, 2011</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">G.S.R. 25(E).—In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 5, read with sub-section (1) of Section 7 of the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 (19 of 1952), the Central Government hereby makes the following Scheme, further to amend the Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 1952. namely</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1. (1) This Scheme may be called the Employees’ Provident Funds (Amendment) Scheme, 2011.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> (2) It shall come into force from the 1st day of April, 2011</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2. In the Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 1952, (hereinafter referred to as the said Scheme), in paragraph 60, after sub-paragraph (5), the following sub-paragraph shall be substituted, namely:—</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“(6) Interest shall not be credited to the account of a member from the date on which it has become Inoperative Account, under the provisions of sub-paragraph (6) of paragraph 72”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3. In the said Scheme, in paragraph 72, in sub-paragraph (6):—</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> (a) for the words “but no claim has been preferred” the words “but no application for withdrawal under paragraphs 69 or 70 or transfer, as the case may be has been preferred ” shall he substituted:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> (b) for the words “three years”, at both the places where they occur, the words “thirty six months” shall be substituted.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">[F. No. S-35012/01/2010-SS-1I]</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">S. K.. DEV VERMAN, Jt. Secy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For more details :</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://hr-articals.blogspot.com/2010/12/after-three-years-of-inactivity-pf.html">The PF old balance will stop earning interest. After three years of inactivity.</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-71762072035847121892011-02-18T22:06:00.000-08:002011-02-18T22:06:00.906-08:00Extension of the ESI Scheme to the Construction-site-workers<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">The matter of extending the benefits under ESI Act, 1948 to construction site workers have been examined at stretch and it is decided to revisit the Instruction No. 4/99 circulated vide letter no. P-12(l1)-11127/99-Ins.IV dated 14thJune 1999.</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">The Construction site workers who were kept out of coverage of ESI Act till date can now be covered with the implementation of IT Roll Out "Any time, Anywhere". ESIC services will be available to these mobile and migratory workers with no geographical barrier.</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Also with user friendly instruction issued recently, the scope of medical care (primary, secondary and superspeciality treatment) is wide now and can be availed by these construction site workers. In other words, ESI Scheme is not restricted to our own dispensaries but the medical services can be availded at empanelled private dispensary/diagnostic Centre where ESIC is unable to provide services.</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Further, if any Construction workers at site cannot avail ESI Scheme, they can be granted exemption in suitable cases.</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Sourse : ESIC CIRCULAR No. P-12/11/11/60/2010-Rev-II Dt. 03-01-11</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-77315100239279543902011-02-18T21:49:00.000-08:002011-02-18T22:00:55.457-08:00Extension of the ESI Scheme to the Construction site workers<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The matter of extending the benefits under ESI Act, 1948 to construction site workers have been examined at stretch and it is decided to revisit the Instruction No. 4/99 circulated vide letter no. P-12(l1)-11127/99-Ins.IV dated 14thJune 1999.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Construction site workers who were kept out of coverage of ESI Act till date can now be covered with the implementation of IT Roll Out "Any time, Anywhere". ESIC services will be available to these mobile and migratory workers with no geographical barrier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also with user friendly instruction issued recently, the scope of medical care (primary, secondary and superspeciality treatment) is wide now and can be availed by these construction site workers. In other words, ESI Scheme is not restricted to our own dispensaries but the medical services can be availded at empanelled private dispensary/diagnostic Centre where ESIC is unable to provide services.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Further, if any Construction workers at site cannot avail ESI Scheme, they can be granted exemption in suitable cases.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sourse : ESIC CIRCULAR No. P-12/11/11/60/2010-Rev-II Dt. 03-01-11</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-66380180030944023972010-12-20T21:53:00.000-08:002010-12-20T21:53:17.548-08:00After three years of inactivity, the PF balance will stop earning interest, Transfer your old PF accounts balance to current account.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Don't you hate it when you look at your salary slip and find that sundry deductions have pared it down. But believe us, you should actually feel happy about one of these deductions-the monthly contribution to the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF). The 12% of your basic salary that flows into the EPF every month has the potential to make you a crorepati when you retire.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Sounds unbelievable? After all, the investment seems too small and the interest rate offered doesn't seem too high. But don't forget that a matching contribution comes from your employer every month. Don't also underestimate the power of compounding and what it can do to your retirement savings over the long term. As the graphic above shows, the 8.5% interest earned on the EPF can help a person with a basic salary of Rs 25,000 a month accumulate a gargantuan Rs 1.65 crore in 35 years. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Direct Taxes Code had initially proposed that new contributions to the EPF be taxed on withdrawal. However, the revised draft has once again made EPF fully exempt. This makes it the best debt option available in the market. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In fact, the EPF can single-handedly account for the debt portion of your financial portfolio. You need not invest in tax inefficient fixed deposits or worry about which debt fund to invest in. All you need to ensure is that you don't ever withdraw from your EPF account till you hang up your boots. If at any stage you find that your debt portion is lagging, you can add more through a voluntary increases in your contribution. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">However, few people are able to reach even the Rs 1 crore milestone in their careers. EPF rules allow encashment of the accumulated corpus when a person quits a job and it's not uncommon for people to withdraw their PF at that stage. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This is despite the fact that the government discourages you from withdrawing the money. The withdrawals from the EPF within five years of joining are taxable. The tax will be minimal if the person is jobless and has no significant income from other sources but he won't completely escape the tax net. "When you withdraw you do not let the power of compounding to come into play," cautions Suresh Sadagopan, a Mumbai-based financial planner. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Transfer, don't withdraw: Instead of withdrawing money from the EPF on switching jobs, one should transfer the balance to the new account with the new employer. This does not happen automatically. You need to fill a ‘Form 13' and deposit it with the EPFO. Financial advisers recommend that you put this down among the list of priorities at the new workplace. "You should take up the matter with new organization as soon as you join. With passage of time you might get busy. Also, if your previous organization has lost the records, you could face a hard time looking for your PF details," adds Sadogapan. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In the form you are required to fill in details of your previous organisation including the previous EPF number and the regional provident fund office. The account number is basically a combination of your employee code, the PF regional office with which the account is maintained and your employer's PF code. Once the new organisation gets these details, it adds the new account number to it and submits the form to the regional office with which your previous organization had an account. In case your previous organisation had maintained a trust, the form has to be sent to the trust and a copy to the regional provident fund. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Though the process of transferring takes nearly a month, the good news is that the EPFO is developing a new software for enabling online transfer of money from the older accounts to the newer ones. This will not only reduce the paperwork but also the time taken for the transaction. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What if you don't transfer: Till now, there was no compelling reason to transfer the money from an old account to a new one. Even if you stopped putting money in your account, the balance kept earning interest till the time of withdrawal. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: red; font-size: 17.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This will stop from April 2011. After three years of inactivity, the balance will stop earning interest. </span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Even otherwise, multiple accounts can be a pain. They only add to your paperwork because you need to keep records of different accounts. Also, you will need to fill up separate forms to withdraw the money from the accounts. The process gets more cumbersome if accounts are located in different cities. "Transferring the balance not only makes it easy to transact, but also gives the subscriber a better idea of how much he has in his account," says Amit Gopal, senior vice-president, India Life Capital. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In future the social security number, which is in progress, would make EPF portable. "Once this number is allotted to members, they need not switch the funds. The new employer would make the contributions into that account. It will be completely independent of the workplace," he adds.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/personal-finance/savings-centre/analysis/EPF-can-make-you-a-crorepati/articleshow/7118066.cms">Source : </a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-84860362994217546872010-12-10T02:21:00.000-08:002010-12-10T02:21:14.044-08:00Managements free to fix hours of work rules SC<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court said that courts must exercise restraint and refrain from interfering with functions of the managements that involve administrative decisions including fixing of the working hours. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In our opinion, fixing of hours of work, provided they do not violate any statutory provision or statutory rule, are really management functions and this court must exercise restraint and not ordinarily interfere with such management functions," said a bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra in their judgment delivered Monday, but only made available Friday. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bench's ruling came as it disallowed an appeal by the Transport and Dock Workers Union of Mumbai Port Trust on two different and discriminatory working hours of typist-cum-computer clerks, before and after Nov 1, 1996. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those appointed before Nov 1, 1996, had to put in seven hours' work during the day which also included half an hour lunch break, while those appointed after this date had to put in eight hours of work with half an hour lunch break. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The union had contended that this was discriminatory and violated the Article 14 of the constitution providing for equality before law. The management of the Mumbai Port Trust said that it had to resort to these working hours because of the stiff competition from private players. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dealing with the question of discrimination under Article 14, the judgment said: "Article 14 of the Constitution is a slippery slope, and a fine balancing act must be done by the court to avoid slipping down the slope." </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking for the bench, Justice Katju said: "Differential treatment in our opinion does not per se amount to violation of Article 14 of the Constitution. It violates Article 14 only when there is no conceivable reasonable basis for the differentiation." </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the present case, there was a reasonable basis for differential working hours and hence there was no violation of Article 14, the judgment said. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In our opinion it is not prudent or pragmatic for the court to insist on absolute equality when there are diverse situations and contingencies, as in the present case. In view of the inherent complexities involved in modern society, some free play must be given to the executive authorities in this connection," the judgment underlined.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It said: "In our opinion, Article 14 cannot be interpreted in a doctrinaire or dogmatic manner. Absolute and inflexible concepts are an anathema to progress and change." </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The judicial process is thus not a bucket of readymade answers, but a process, or technique, for easing an endless flux of changing social tensions", the bench said and went on to add: "Judges must maintain judicial self-restraint while exercising the powers of judicial review of administrative or legislative decisions." </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In our opinion, adjudication must be done within the system of historically validated restraints and conscious minimisation of the judges' preferences," it said. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bench noted that the court "must not embarrass the administrative authorities and must realise that administrative authorities have expertise in the field of administration while the court does not"</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/Managements-free-to-fix-hours-of-work-rules-Supreme-Court/articleshow/6956526.cms">Source</a> :</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-67693260412176277892010-12-09T22:08:00.000-08:002010-12-09T22:08:52.030-08:00How do you identify Leaders of Tomorrow?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had earlier written about leadership development and its significance. Don't ask "why its important" rather focus on "how to develop?". Identification becomes a critical aspect of the development life cycle. Every organization has a finite number of resources and therefore it becomes critical that leadership, innovation, learning, employee engagement is broadbased and permeates through the entire fabric. Another key reason for identifying a leadership talent pool is to ensure that there is continuity and momentum towards achieving the mission. So what does an organization need to do to identify the next gen leaders? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are three key stages in the leadership life cycle as shown. In this blog, we will focus on the identification phase which lays the foundation for the rest of them. What are the attributes that you need to consider for recognizing people who can be the future leaders? Is it just behavioral, or is it performance oriented or is it based on potential? A lot of thought and consideration needs to go into selecting the right kind of next gen leaders </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's now get through some of the essential steps in this process :- </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1.Bring together a core team : The core team would be responsible for the entire process of identification, enabling and nurturing the leadership pool. Be sure that you select the right kind of people who truly believe in developing leaders for your department/organization. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2.Be clear on the "why" and "what" : You need to be absolutely certain as to why are you identifying this group and what are they expected to do. Outline the objectives and guidelines upfront, and ensure that this is communicated. Avoid confusion !!!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3.Define the attributes : Write down the leadership characteristics that you want this team to exhibit. Start with the traits, then the competencies and situations where you think that the leader might make a difference</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4.Pre-selection process : Start with identifying the target group, while keeping in mind the objectives. Once you have decided on the target group, lay out the evaluation criteria. This is going to be used by the panelists for deciding on the candidates. It is advisable to have atleast one round of face to face discussion. Speak to the leadership team to pick the jury.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5.Selection : Once the target group, send out a communication outlining the objectives, and the entire process. Be sure to share the dates and relevant information for people to respond. Its very critical that all stakeholders are tuned to the entire process. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6.Post Selection : Communicate to all those who showed interest on the completion of selection process. Meet the team, set the expectations and ensure that you provide enough impetus for them to get started. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While it's a topic by itself, enabling nurturing these leaders is a critical activity in their development. This does need a lot of care and attention. The leadership development framework must contain ways and means to measure the impact of this group. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a common misconception that leadership development is necessary for enterprises or big firms. A project, account, unit or department, a region or for that matter any group that is being united by a dimension needs leadership development. Ofcourse, the scale and complexity will differ but the advantage would be how each one can leverage and build on. So for example, if a department decides to launch this, it must consider piggybacking on the mechanisms/avenues that are available at an organizational level for development. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are a few guiding principles that can be looked at while establishing the selection criteria :-</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">•Transparency : Communicate to everyone about the process</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">•Forward looking : This is about the future and hence the criteria has to be telescopic</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">•Stringent : Make people realize that this is a grill and not for the short termers</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">•Uniformity : No entitlements even if you are a leader by virtue of your current role</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For all those of you who are wondering - what are the characteristics that I need to look for while picking out the potential candidates, therein lies the enigma. Here are a few of them to get you started but remember that this is a never ending list - visionary and aspirational, inspirational, honesty, integrity, managing conflict, bringing out the best in people, working with diverse people and opinions, managing stakeholders, empathy, risk taking and many more. Identify the traits that align with your objectives and design the evaluation around them. Having said this, I would like to solicit feedback from my readers on what they think are the traits that you need to look for in Leaders of Tomorrow. Good luck and god bless !!!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source : email from my friend</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-56058910159252517562010-12-04T01:04:00.000-08:002010-12-04T01:04:02.880-08:00Unorganised sector a major challenge: Kharge<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3b3a39;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge said the major challenge facing India today was that of the unorganised sector.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3b3a39;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He was speaking at the second World Social Security Summit organised by the International Social Security Association in Capetown, South Africa, on Friday. Mr. Kharge is heading a six-member high-level delegation from India, which held discussions with several Labour Ministers of the nearly 120 countries participating in the meet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3b3a39;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr. Kharge said India was committed to social security programmes and had introduced several forward-looking legislation such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, housing programmes for those below the poverty line, old age pension, the RSBY (Rashtriya Swasthaya Bima Yojna), the Right to Education, the mid-day meal scheme, etc. He emphasised that the social security schemes in India had the full support of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Ministry of Finance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #373535; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CRUCIAL TO GROWTH</span></span></b><span style="color: #373535; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3b3a39;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr. Kharge said: “Our major challenge remains the unorganised sector where around 430 million workers are employed in a total workforce of around 450 million. By their sheer numbers, this segment is crucial to India's continuing growth in the post crisis recovering period. While it is a fact that India's economy was less impacted upon by the financial crisis, we have not remained insulated to its consequences. We have started a slew of programmes to address the social security issues in the unorganised sector.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3b3a39;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The employees in the unorganised sector, despite comprising a majority of the working class in the country, mostly remain in low-paid insecure jobs, have little access to institutionalised social security and are the most vulnerable to the negative impact of economic slowdowns in terms of job loss and wage cuts. The government has since introduced health insurance, general insurance and a pension scheme for those serving in the unorganised sector.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source : </span></o:p><a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article929913.ece">http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article929913.ece</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-38084151232622111822010-12-01T01:14:00.000-08:002010-12-01T01:17:39.703-08:00ESIC Launched Online Portal for Submitting Application and ReturnsESIC Launched New Online Portal for Submitting Application and Returns<br />
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<a href="http://www.esic.in/">ESIC PORTAL</a><br />
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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-17609582225969835222010-11-27T21:59:00.000-08:002010-11-27T21:59:38.698-08:00Labour laws hurting employment growth, need to be revisited: PM<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Acknowledging that some labour laws had not yielded the desired results, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said there was a need to revisit some of them which had hurt the growth of employment.<br />
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Manmohan Singh “We have enacted several progressive labour laws since independence and some even before that. But it appears that not all these laws have had the intended good effects that we would like to see on the ground,” he said inaugurating the 43rd session of the Indian Labour Conference.<br />
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Singh said there was a need to consider the possible role of some of the labour laws in “contributing to rigidities in the labour market which hurt the growth of employment”.<br />
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“Is it possible that our best intentions for labour are not actually met by laws that sound progressive on paper but end up hurting the very workers they are meant to protect,” he said in his address to the delegates who included representatives from trade union, employees and employers.<br />
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The prime minister also said the government was making serious efforts to moderate the inflation rate. “We have difficulties but we shall overcome,” he said referring to the prices of essential commodities.<br />
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Noting that the government was keen on not only making growth faster but also more inclusive, he said: “There have been many successes in our initiatives for social and economic inclusion. But we need to do much more”.<br />
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Asserting that the government was committed to economic reforms with a “human face”, Singh said its ability to devote more resources for social welfare activities depended crucially on the ability to accelerate the pace of economic growth to 9 to 10 per cent a year.<br />
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Emphasising the need for the industry and labour to work together to remove the barriers for faster economic growth and employment, he said the regulatory framework in the labour sector should encourage investment in labour-intensive industries and also ensure welfare of workers.<br />
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“We should constantly introspect whether our policies are serving our goals. We should reflect upon possible flaws in our policies as well as ways to strengthen policy to withstand adverse circumstances,” he said.<br />
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Singh also advocated strengthening the micro and small enterprises sector, which had the second-largest share of employment after agriculture. He said it encompassed a wide range of economic activities and also helped check rural to urban migration by gainfully employing people in villages.<br />
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Singh also asked the private sector to participate actively for the success of skill development programmes initiated by the government.<br />
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The prime minister added the government had upgraded the ITIs into centres of excellence to provide multi-skill courses.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/labour-laws-hurting-employment-growth-need-to-be-revisited-pm/415988/">Source:</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-58345011786053637462010-11-18T09:11:00.001-08:002010-11-18T21:08:40.656-08:00APPRECIATION - A LESSON<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;"><div id="post_message_1336759">This is a powerful message in our modern society. We seemed to have lost our bearing & our sense of direction.<br />
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One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.<br />
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He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.<br />
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The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.<br />
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The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "none".<br />
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The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.<br />
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The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.<br />
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The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.<br />
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The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*<br />
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The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.<br />
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The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.<br />
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This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.<br />
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After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.<br />
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That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.<br />
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Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.<br />
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The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"<br />
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The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'<br />
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The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."<br />
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The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.<br />
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The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager.<br />
I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.<br />
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Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.<br />
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A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*<br />
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You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.</div><div style="margin-top: 5px; text-align: right;"></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.citehr.com/295986-story-appreciation-must-read-all-managers.html#ixzz15ef3WdWn"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><br style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-76216611583022299542010-11-15T22:16:00.000-08:002010-11-15T22:16:11.902-08:00Married women eligible for employment on compassionate grounds (B. HC) - November 2, 2010<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Bombay High Court has just wreaked havoc on yet another anti-women rule that the Government of India has been harbouring for decades - discrimination against women. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Holding that the role of a daughter in supporting her family did not change after marriage, the Bombay High Court has described as "unfair labour practice" a 1994 Maharashtra Government rule which allowed only unmarried daughters to be eligible for employment on compassionate ground in the case of her parent's premature retirement. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It is impossible to accept in this day and age that assuming a woman gets married she will cut off her ties with the family she is born in and will leave it to suffer the vagaries of life in penury," Justice Nishita Mhatre observed in a significant judgement delivered last week. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The court was hearing an appeal filed by Maharashtra Government against an order of Industrial court which termed as illegal the termination of Medha Parke, a Pune resident, who had secured employment in keeping with the Government policy framed under Maharashtra Civil Services (pension) Rules after her father retired prematurely on medical ground. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In my opinion, the rule which discriminates against women is arbitrary and, therefore, it cannot be said that the termination of service of Parke was legal. An unfair labour practise has been established," Justice Mhatre observed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It is necessary for the Government in this case to establish on evidence that Parke, after having secured employment, was no longer connected with the family that she was born into and that the family was living without her financial support," the judge opined. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The State has instead chosen to dismiss Parke without holding an enquiry and thereby committed an unfair labour practise," the judge said in the order. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the eligibility criteria for applying for appointment on compassionate grounds is that the daughter must be unmarried. The respondent was unmarried when she applied for the post. She was selected as she fulfilled all the other criteria for appointment. Her name was included in wait-list and she was issued an appointment order three years later. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The petitioner cannot expect the life of respondent (Parke) to come to a grinding halt only because her name was included in wait list. The unreasonableness and arbitrariness of the petitioner is writ large," Justice Mhatre observed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The judge asked, "Does the respondent have to let life pass her by only because her name was included in wait list? The answer must be emphatically in the negative. To suggest that because Parke had not waited long enough to get married, she had committed a fraud, smacks of unfair labour practise. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In my opinion, the order of Industrial Court is correct and need not be disturbed. Industrial Court has also rightly awarded the backwages. Parke's services were terminated on December 21, 2005. The complaint was filed on January 31, 2006, after a month and 10 days of her termination from service. It is difficult to believe that a person will be able to get job within a month from the date of her dismissal." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Merely, because the complainant has not stated that she is unemployed it would not mean that she is not entitled to backwages. The Industrial Court has, therefore, rightly granted her backwages," the court held. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 1994, the Government had framed a policy under the Maharashtra Civil Services (pension) Rules which provides that a husband/wife, son or unmarried daughter or legally adopted son or unmarried daughter are eligible for being appointed on compassionate grounds in place of a deceased or a prematurely retired Government employee. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Accordingly, Parke had applied for the job after her father retired prematurely.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source : <a href="http://www.financialexpress.com/news/online-hiring-gets-popular-among-india-inc/710939/">http://www.financialexpress.com/news/online-hiring-gets-popular-among-india-inc/710939/</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-62752908990901668732010-11-15T21:59:00.000-08:002010-11-15T21:59:11.611-08:00Online hiring gets popular among India Inc<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <br />
New Delhi: Online hiring is steadily gaining prominence among India Inc, as this medium helps in reducing costs as well as saving time in activities related to recruitment, feel HR experts. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They also opined that several organisations are looking at online medium as effective channel for sourcing talent. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Online hiring has picked up in popularity, as it has been vastly used during the first half of this year from January-June," staffing firm TeamLease Services Vice-President (IT Sourcing) Surabhi Mathur-Gandhi said. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Job portal Monster.com Managing Director (India/Middle East/Southeast Asia) Sanjay Modi noted that online hiring activities have increased in recent years. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A recent study by the portal showed that online job opportunities in October this year grew at a robust pace of 22 per cent, as compared to the same period in 2009. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Staffing services firm Ma Foi Randstad Director (Marketing) Aditya Narayana Mishra said that online hiring activities have been picking up and related challenges have also increased. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mathur-Gandhi stressed that many firms are resorting to online hiring to reduce costs. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Accuracy, less dependency on human resources for evaluation, almost immediate assessment... have helped many companies move from the traditional testing methodology to a modern one," she added. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, Mishra pointed out that organisations are facing challenges to keep pace with the volume of online applications coming in. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to Modi, there are also challenges related to hiring online, such as validation of the data provided by jobseekers. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mishra said that even though many companies believe that online hiring reduces costs, there are 'huge hidden costs associated with the hiring efforts'. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He noted that return on investment is a more appropriate metric than measuring the direct cost of hiring a person, such as fees paid to a recruitment firm and cost of advertisements, he added.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source : <a href="http://www.financialexpress.com/news/online-hiring-gets-popular-among-india-inc/710939/">http://www.financialexpress.com/news/online-hiring-gets-popular-among-india-inc/710939/</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-9411666779187109672010-11-15T20:56:00.000-08:002010-11-15T20:56:21.615-08:00Take action on NREGA wages: Sonia<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">National Advisory Council (NAC) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking him to treat as ‘urgent’ the notification of minimum wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). This is her second intervention, seeking that work done under NREGA be treated as scheduled employment under the Minimum Wages Act.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rural development ministry has not notified minimum wages so far and has even been dragged into a prolonged court case in Andhra Pradesh over non-payment of minimum wages for NREGA workers, which it funds.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Under Section 6 (2) of NREGA, the ministry had been earlier paying agricultural wages of various states for the scheme, till it decided to have its own wage rate under Section 6 (1) of the Act. But the ministry froze the wage rate at Rs 100 a day in January 2009. Today, state wages are higher in many places, creating a situation where NREGA wages violate many states’ Minimum Wages Act.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The issue was debated in the NAC last month, where it was recommended that minimum wages should be enforced in NREGA. Gandhi’s letter says: “An immediate solution could be reversion to Section 6 (2) of the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). This was discussed in the NAC meeting of October 23 and is being suggested by the Chief Ministers.” she writes. The reference here is to the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, who have both written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking payment of minimum wages under NREGA.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gandhi’s letter further points to the recommendations of the Central Employment Guarantee Council working group on wages, headed by Jean Dreze, which said state wages should be linked to the Consumer Price Index.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It also suggests NREGA be notified as a scheduled employment by the Government of India under Schedule II of the Minimum Wages Act 1948. Last week, the labour ministry said it would introduce a national minimum wage to tide over such contradictions and to ensure payment of minimum wages, but the rural development ministry has kept quiet so far. The Andhra Pradesh government had sued the ministry in the High Court over non-payment of minimum wages after the ministry issued a notification freezing the NREGA wages at Rs 100 in January 2009.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since then, state minimum wages have increased more than that in at least 19 states, including Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, but the states have been forced to pay less in the centrally funded scheme.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NAC member Aruna Roy, whose network of NREGA activists, and her colleague in the NAC Harsh Mander, today welcomed the step taken by Sonia Gandhi and said it was an issue that was so obvious and on which no one could have made a mistake. “How can you not pay minimum wages to a worker?” asked Roy.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rural development ministry is under pressure not only from NAC to act on the matter of payment of minimum wages in NREGA but from the fact that the hearing in the Andhra Pradesh High Court is scheduled for November 16. In the last hearing, the court had asked whether state or centre was to be blamed for contempt of court. The court had maintained that minimum wages should be paid.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Says Roy: “Now the ministry has to act soon, or it would be charged with contempt of court.” </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sonia Gandhi’s letter provides a fresh impetus for the ministry to act.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source:<a href="http://business-standard.com/india/news/take-actionnrega-wages-sonia/414701/">http://business-standard.com/india/news/take-actionnrega-wages-sonia/414701/</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-64238922024657229112010-11-09T13:40:00.001-08:002010-11-09T13:50:44.063-08:00Relief From Headache In Natural Ways<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Headache is a common problem, specially among the working crowd. Headache is caused due to several factors, but we can put it under three broad categories -</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.Tension – This is the most common cause of headache. Tension creates a spasm of the muscles at the back of the neck. The muscle spasm gets the tissues over the surface of the cranium and thus, the pain is felt not only on in the neck but also on the forehead.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.Migraine – Migraine is the abnormality of the nervous system. This strain on the nervous system is caused due to eye strain, shock, stomach disorders etc. Migraine is a chronic disease which needs medical attention.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">3.Cluster Headache – Cluster headaches are repetitive and gets back several times in a month. These are generally caused due to constant pressure on the nerves like alcohol consumption, chain smoking etc.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Headaches are very disturbing and restricts your attention to the pain alone. At this moment pain killer seems to be the only solution to get relief form headache. Pain killers, however, have side effects. Here are few home remedies to get relief from headache -</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.For chronic headache, eat sliced apple with salt everyday in the morning for a week.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.Crush lemon crust into a fine powder and make it into a paste with the use of water. Apply this on the forehead. This is quick relief form headache caused due to tension.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">3.Apply a small amount of Eucalyptus oil on the center of the head and cover it with a towel dipped in warm water. This is one of the most effective ways of curing pain.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">4.Put 3 drops of ghee in your nostrils for a week to get rid of headache from cold.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">5.Drink a glass of water with a teaspoon of honey every morning to treat chronic headache.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">6.Grind watermelon seeds with poppy seeds and consume three grams of it everyday if you are suffering constant pain.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">7.Application of sandalwood paste on the forehead is one of the tradition ways of curing headache.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">These seven tips will surely give you quick relief from headache and does not have any side effects. They not only get you relief from headache but also treats it, so that you don't suffer the symptoms again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">http://living.oneindia.in/health/wellbeing/2010/relief-from-headache-291010.html </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-26967344414605772462010-10-27T22:34:00.000-07:002010-10-27T22:34:07.939-07:00A new model of leadership that challenges existing worldviews<div class="Normal" style="text-align: justify;">In his youth, Michael Jensen laid the intellectual foundations for the use of stock options as an executive compensation tool. He developed the Jensen's Alpha, a widely-used portfolio management measure and founded the Journal of Financial Economics, the leading academic publication in its field. But now the 81 year-old professor emeritus of Harvard Business School has moved on to other more important things. Jensen is developing a whole new model of leadership, one that breaks away completely from all that's gone before. <br />
<br />
"The leadership field is currently in a bit of a mess," he says. "Universities teach leadership courses where students study past leaders. They come out of these courses knowing about leadership. It's an epistemological approach and it doesn't create leaders. We've created a course based on ontology, where they leave 'being' leaders." <br />
<br />
We'll leave you to google 'epistemology' and ontology' since a complete description of these philosophies is beyond the scope of this article. It is sufficeto say that as an ontologist, Jensen is in the company of men like Aristotle, Plato, Spinoza and Rene Descartes, the seventeenth century philosopher of cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am) fame. <br />
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First introduced at the University of Rochester in 2004, Jensen's course on leadership is less about learning and more about unlearning. "One-third of the course involves putting stuff in and two-thirds is about taking stuff out," he says. "We all have our world-views, our frames of reference, our cultural biases. These act as hindrances and we confront students with them. We also provide an environment where they can cleanse their minds and put on leadership lenses over their world-view lenses." <br />
<br />
The ontological constraints that Jensen's course addresses are of two kinds. The first set are perceptual constraints where the brain, through pre-conceived notions, filters external perceptions, leaving us to see only what we want to see. The second set consists of functional constraints, subconscious triggers that set off negative responses to anything we are conditioned to believe is physically or emotionally damaging. "Human beings see what their brains are conditioned to see, not what their eyes see. That's why we miss things that are totally obvious. This stops us from opening up, appreciating other points of view. They also take away free choice. To become leaders, we need to loosen the grip of these constraints." <br />
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The leadership course incorporates bits of Eastern philosophy, which is not surprising since Jensen's main collaborator in this ambitious teaching programme is Werner Erhard, a Buddhist and the recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award in 1988. "There's a fair amount of harmonics between Indian philosophy and our ontological model of leadership," says Jensen. "A lot of my Indian students cite the Bhagwad Gita. The idea of creating things by taking something away is very Eastern." <br />
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Jensen actually looks at leadership very broadly, starting from the individual taking control of his or her own life. "Everybody has leadership capacities," he says. "They might want to use it to change the world or they might use it to make their own lives better. Those who would go out and do a Gandhi thing need to have a sense of awareness, of the risk they will put themselves through." <br />
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What prompted him to risk shifting his focus from the tried and tested area of financial economics to the wholly new area of leadership? After two failed marriages, says Jensen, he needed to have fun: "I've always been interested in understanding who I am. I've also been interested in individual freedom. Besides, the stuff I was doing before had become rather boring." <br />
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Jensen's understanding of his own ontological constraints though came in the classroom one day, when a highly wrought student had an emotional breakdown when he asked her a question. "That was the first time I had to deal with an emotional upset," he recalls. "I had al-ways been a good teacher, my classrooms were always full, but I realised then that I had always been afraid of my students. I was afraid of emotional upsets." <br />
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How is the academic world taking to his radically new model of leadership? "My work has always been rejected by my colleagues. That's because it challenges their world-views, their frames of reference," says Jensen. <br />
They obviously have to get over their ontological constraints. Next month, they can do so at in the hills of Panchgani, near Pune, where Jensen and his team are organising a five day workshop under the aegis of IC Centre for Governance and MW Corp. </div><div class="Normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Normal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/corporate-dossier/A-new-model-of-leadership-that-challenges-existing-worldviews/articleshow/6789333.cms">http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/corporate-dossier/A-new-model-of-leadership-that-challenges-existing-worldviews/articleshow/6789333.cms</a></div><div class="Normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2249312613606709525.post-66815776381461890712010-10-22T23:28:00.000-07:002010-10-22T23:28:17.179-07:00Raymond, union agree to Rs 309-cr compensation<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MUMBAI: Textiles major Raymond’s plan to develop a realty project on its 126-acre Thane unit received a shot in the arm on Friday as the company reached an out-of-court settlement with its labour union after a nearly one-year long stalemate over the terms of a voluntary retirement package. The two sides agreed upon a compensation package worth 309 crore, double of the company’s initial offer of Rs 150 crore. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The compensation will be paid to all 1,885 workers of the unit in two tranches spread over three years. The first tranche of Rs 150 crore and dues worth Rs 49 crore will be paid in the next one week while the balance Rs 110 crore will be paid after three years. The compensation package represents workers’ full wages and other benefits payable until their age of retirement. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ET in its edition on October 15 had reported that the company has revised its compensation package offer to around Rs 300 crore that will be paid in two tranches and was close to reaching an agreement with the union. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The union had initially sought a compensation package of Rs 350 crore but lowered its demand to Rs 328 crore. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It is not downsizing, its relocating (of operations ). This particular plant had become completely uneconomical... You will not see any other plant of ours offering a VRS scheme,” said Gautam Hari Singhania, chairman and managing director. He said the outlook for textiles business continues to be bright. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Singhania refused to comment on the company’s plan for the land where the textile factory was set up in 1925 and operations suspended in November 2009. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reacting to the news of the settlement, shares of Raymond closed at 408.30 on Friday on the National Stock Exchange , up nearly 8% from Thursday’s closing price. The Sensex, the most widely followed index, fell 0.5% on Friday. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Singhania said as per the agreement, all four writ petitions filed by the labour union against the company’s plan to develop a realty project will be withdrawn immediately. However, local MLA Pratap Sarnaik, who has also filed a petition jointly with union leader Jintedra Joshi, said he will not withdraw his petition until workers’ entire dues are paid. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After nearly 11 months of negotiations with the management, the labour union had filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court in September seeking a ban on the proposed realty project claiming that the closure of the Thane unit was “illegal and unconstitutional”. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The court had directed the Thane municipal corporation not to grant any approvals to the company for redevelopment of the land. The Maharashtra government had also refused to provide a no objection certificate for the realty project until the company resolved the compensation dispute with its workers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source : <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/cons-products/garments-/-textiles/Raymond-union-agree-to-Rs-309-cr-compensation/articleshow/6796684.cms">http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/cons-products/garments-/-textiles/Raymond-union-agree-to-Rs-309-cr-compensation/articleshow/6796684.cms</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com