Employee Issues in

IT industryTalent Acquisition

Symbiosis Institute of

Computer Studies and Research !

By , Kapil Shendge Ankita Goyal

Hussain Inamdar Abhishek Pachisia

Pooja Toprani Bhagyashri Kadam

Pragati Gulavadi Nikita Kakadiya

Introduction• Many elements determine an individual's behaviour in the

workplace.

• Employees are shaped by their culture and by the organisation's culture.

• These influences affect the way employees communicate and interact with one another and with management.

• An employee's beliefs affect his or her ethics and sense of ethical responsibility

Internal/External Forces• Companies rely on employees to produce and deliver high-

quality products and services.

• Employee behaviour is impacted by a variety of forces, both internal and external, as they attempt to perform their job duties.

• Employers who are aware of these forces, and who are prepared to leverage or counteract them, can have a positive impact on the employee's behaviour.

Forces• Working Environment • Technology • Customer Demands • Labour/Company Laws • Discrimination • Unfair Dismissals • Attendance • Conflict Management • DownSizing • Privacy

Issues Faced by Employees• Stress :

Today, many organizations and employees are experiencing the effects of stress on work performance. The effects of stress can be either positive or negative. What is perceived as positive stress by one person may be perceived as negative stress by another, since everyone perceives situations differently.

• Workplace : Employee rights topics regarding the workplace, such as drug testing, office dress code (including employee uniforms), employee privacy, sexual harassment and working for a bad boss.

Issues Faced by Employees• Health : ! Workers in information technology (IT) like business process outsourcing and call centers working with visual display units are reported to have various Health and Psycho social disorders. The work consists mainly of activities that use telephone and computer, with the objective of developing standardized and continuous actions of marketing or to manage communication with clients, public or government agencies. Musculo-skeletal disorders, ocular disorders and psycho-social problems were some of the key health problems observed among IT professionals. The Call Center ranked high for attrition due to health reasons. Sleeping disorders were

observed among 83% compared to the industry average of 39.5% and voice-loss among 8.5% as against 3.9%. Other health problems are ear problems (8.5%), digestive disorders (14.9%) and eye- sight problems (10.6%).

Issues Faced by Employees• Technological Changes: Technology is a significant factor that can have both positive and disruptive

influences on employee behavior. While technology can often help streamline processes and make work easier for employees, learning how to use new technology while remaining productive can be stressful. Factor in the rapid advent of technology, in general, and employers seem to be faced with an almost ongoing need for new training, process improvement, and documentation.

• Rapidly changing Customer Demands: Customer demands can be an external force that exerts pressure on organizations to continually stay ahead of the competitive curve. Employees must adapt to the changing needs of customers, the growing shrewdness of customers, and the heightened expectations that customers put on employee behavior.

Issues Faced by Employees• Married Couples Cant be Co-Workers :

• Employee Furlough

• Poor Communication

• Age Harassment

• Compatibility Issues

• Feeling Forgotten

Employee Relations IssueEmployee relations involves all aspects of an employee's relationship with an employer. Human resources personnel, managers and supervisors maintain this relationship by implementing employee policies that establish rules regarding performance, conduct, conflict of interest and discipline. !Legal Issues Employee relations issues stem from various aspects of employment and labor law. Legal issues such as workplace harassment, discrimination and equal opportunity are among the employee relations issues employers must face. Employers are obligated to investigate harassment and discrimination allegations in the workplace and provide a possible remedy to the situation. Employers also must reasonably accommodate workers who require modification of job duties because of disability or pregnancy. !Conflict Management Conflicts often arise in the workplace between co-workers, as well as between employees and managers. When disputes arise, managers must implement specific procedures for resolution while maintaining optimal working relationships. These procedures allow employees to voice their concerns and have the issues resolved internally. Conflict management also helps employers document the circumstances surrounding a particular incident and how the matter was resolved. This will assist employers if a similar situation arises.

Employee Relations IssueAttendance A strong attendance record and adherence to their schedule is the responsibility of all employees and essential to the employer's bottom line. If an employee is tardy, misses work or does not adhere to his schedule, it affects his co-workers and supervisors.Employers regulate attendance through defined attendance policies. An attendance policy defines absence and tardiness and outlines the consequences for unexcused time away from work. !Disciplinary Action When an employee engages in undesirable behavior, employers must act to correct that behavior. Disciplinary action is designed to prevent or improve poor performance or deal with inappropriate behavior. Employers typically implement discipline gradually based on the type and frequency of a policy violation. For example, a manager may give a worker a verbal warning for coming in late without a valid excuse. The next time the worker has an unexcused tardiness, the manager may give the worker a written warning. After the next instance, the employer might issue a final written warning before terminating the employee.

Expectations of Employee Behaviour

• One of the largest expenses to any organization is the cost of labor.

• Good managers work hard to set the expectations for each employee. This is done through in-service meetings, monthly staff meetings, annual reviews, and the overall culture of the organization.

• Most employers expect their employees to work towards accomplishing the organization's goals and ultimately its mission.

Wrong Employee Behaviour because of Issues

• Absenteeism, tardiness, leaves early • Not following rules, policies, procedures, guidelines, agreements • Not cooperative; is argumentative, rebellious, insubordinate, rigid • Defensive, overly-sensitive, overly-reactive, excuse-making • Confrontational, controlling, bossy, bullying • Rude, insensitive, abrasive, insulting, demeaning, derogatory,

sarcastic • Gossips, spreads rumors • Avoids work, pawns work off on others, grudgingly accepts work • Arrogant, self-centered, overly-confident, Prima Donas

Positive Environment•Most people spend fifty percent of their lives within indoor

environments, which greatly influence their mental status, actions, abilities and performance .

•Better outcomes and increased productivity is assumed to be the result of better workplace environment.

•Better physical environment of office boosts the employees and ultimately improve their productivity.

•Various literature pertain to the study of multiple offices and office buildings indicated that the factors such as dissatisfaction, cluttered workplaces and the physical environment are playing a major role in the loss of employees’ productivity

Positive Approach towards Negative Mind

• Counselling skills are skills that employers/managers must learn and practice in order to improve them. They must also be aware of their limitations when counselling employees. They can't solve all the life problems of their staff but they should be able to assist them with difficulties they may be having at work.

• Counselling at work is to help people identify the causes of work-related problems, such as poor performance. The employer/manager should not feel that they must identify and solve the causes of personal problems such as depression, alcoholism or marital problems for an employee.

• If personal problems do become apparent, it is important that employers refer the employee to the appropriate experts.

Counselling ChecklistDO’s Dont’s

!Give the employee recognition Don't assume the role of a parent scolding a child

Provide a warm atmosphere of communication Don't moralise

Encourage the employee to gain insight into the problem

Don't threaten the employee of the likely consequences if they don't get their act together

Give the employee a clear picture of their strengths and weaknesses Don't get into an argument

Encourage the employee to bring out any conflicts, personal problems and ideas Don't cut off an employee's comments

Suggest positive steps to rationalise the problem or improve performance Don't give the employee false hope

Build a level of support that is conducive to both friendliness and efficiency

Don't expect a dramatic change in the employee because of one counselling session

Disciplinary ProcedureSample disciplinary procedure  !Step 1 - Employees who are performing unsatisfactorily will be counselled so they understand the standards expected of them. They will be offered assistance and guidance in achieving the expected standards. !Step 2 - Confidential records of any counselling undertaken will be made. The employee will be shown and given a copy of the written records and will have an opportunity to comment on its contents. This can be done either in writing or orally. The record will only be placed on the employee's personal file when the employee has been given the opportunity of responding to the record and adding any notations regarding the contents of the record. !Step 3 - Employees whose performance or behaviour is unsatisfactory will be given adequate time to demonstrate a willingness to improve. If at the end of this period the employee shows no willingness to improve in the opinion of the employer, a final warning in writing will be issued to the employee. This notice will inform the employee in writing that disciplinary action up to and including dismissal may be taken if the employee does not cease the unsatisfactory performance or behaviour immediately. !Step 4 - The employer also has the right to summarily dismiss an employee for serious and wilful misconduct. !Step 5 - At every stage of the disciplinary process, the employee has the right to have another employee or union representative present as a witness.

Thank You…!!!