CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND HRM POLICY

While developing sound personnel policies management should pay attention to the following things:

1. Related to Objectives: Policies must be capable of relating objectives functions, physical factors and company personnel.

2. Easy to Understand: Policies should be stated in define, positive, clear and understandable language.

3. Precise: Policies should be sufficiently comprehensive and prescribe limits and yardsticks for future action.

4. Stable as well as Flexible: Personnel policies should be stable enough assure people that there will not be drastic overnight changes. They should be flexible enough to keep the organization in tune with the times.

5. Based on Facts: Personnel policies should be built on the basis of facts and sound judgment and not in personal feelings or opportunistic decision.

6. Appropriate Number: There should be as many personnel policies as necessary to cover conditions that can be anticipated, but not so many policies as to become confusing or meaningless.

7. Just, Fair and Equitable: Personnel policies should be just, fair and equitable to internal as well as external groups. For example, a policy of recruitment from within may limit opportunities to bright candidates from outside: and a policy of ‘recruitment from outside only’ would limit promotional avenue to promising internal candidates. To ensure justice, it is necessary to
Pursue both the policies scrupulously and apply them carefully.

8. Reasonable: Personnel policies must be reasonable and capable of being accomplished. To gain acceptance and commitment from employees, the policy should be conditioned by the suggestions and reactions of those who are affected by the policy.

9. Review: Periodic review of personnel policies is essential to keep in tune with changing times, and to avoid organizational complacency or managerial stagnation. For instance, if the current thinking is in favor of workers’ participation in management , the personnel policy should be suitably adjusted to accommodate the latest fad, accepted by many in the organization

Personnel policies to be sound should also have broad coverage in addition to satisfying the above conditions. Hence, it would be appropriate to discuss the coverage of personnel policies here

ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT IN THE ORGANIZATION

The Human Resources (personnel) department has staff relationship with other department / managers in the total organization. The personnel department is responsible for advising management from Managing Director to the lowest line supervisor on all area relating to the personnel management and industrial relations. Personnel department also performs various functions of employment, training and development. It represents management in many of the relationships that affect the organization as a whole. It is also responsible for representing various workers problems to management.

Personnel department generally acts in an advisory capacity; it provides information, offers suggestions and is not responsible for the end results. The personnel managers must exercise control very tactfully in order to win the confidence and cooperation of all line managers. He has to persuade the line managers to work with staff specialists and not against them. The authority of personnel manager should derive from concrete personnel policies and programs and from the advantage and result of accepted specialized knowledge

As a Source of Help:

In certain situations (when line managers lack skill or knowledge in dealing with employee problems) experienced personnel managers assume line responsibility for personnel matters. But it may be resented by the very managers who ought to seek staff assistance in meeting their personnel responsibilities. Personnel managers should learn the reputation and confidence of line managers of being a source of help rather than a source of threat to line managers. Staff assistance is likely to be effective when it is wanted rather than imposed.

As a Change Agent:

Personnel Manager should work as an enabler and change agent regarding personnel areas and he should be familiar with different disciplines like management, technology, sociology, psychology and organizational behavior as organizational adaptability, viability and development are dependent on the human resources development. So the personnel managers should work as a consultant of an organizational development by providing necessary information and infrastructure to line managers. Thus, the role of personnel managers is more concerned with providing information and offering advice to the decision makers rather than making decisions.

As a Controller:

Nevertheless it is still true that effective personnel executives advise on policies that help managers in implementing their programs and provide service and exercise the monitoring and control function sparingly.

Responsibilities within Personnel Department:

As other managers the manager-personnel is also a line manager in relation to subordinates within the personnel department. Personnel Manager is responsible for the success or failure of his department in contributing to the organizational goals. In most of the organizations the personnel manager is responsible for supervising the activities of his subordinates, like employment manager, wage and salary manager, manager for training and development, manager-industrial relations etc. He is also responsible for the operations of personnel manager at divisional and branch levels

As the Chief of the Personnel Department the Personnel Manager has to get effective results with the co-operation of all the employees working in the department and by showing the validity of the concept of the team work. The success of the personnel department should be measured in terms of its contributions to the personnel programs.

The effectiveness of HR department can be gauged by the fact how smooth they conduct the negotiations with workers’ union without the workers resorting to strikes and how fast the periodic agreement (once in 3 or 5 years) is signed with them.

Personnel Administration-An overview

The scope of personnel administration is quite wide. It includes all activities which help the management in getting the work done by the labour force in the best manner possible to accomplish the organizational objectives. The main objective in any organization is the optimum utilization of available resources. Personnel administration is primarily concerned with the organization of men; therefore, the main objective may be summarized as to utilize the available human resources in a a way so as to get the work done effectively to the maximum satisfaction of the individual worker to seek their cooperation in accomplishing the general goals of the organization.
The objectives of personnel administration can be classified into General objectives and specific objectives.
General objectives
1. Maximum individual development – the employer should always be careful in developing the personality of each individual. If an act of the employer can adversely affect the personality of the individual, he should avoid it. Employer should establish and support such human values that may have social recognition and importance. They should always be regarded as partners and given due importance. The objective of Personnel administration as a bridge between the management and the employees is to keep the management apprised of positive accomplishments and warning signals in the personnel practices. If the human assets of an organization are being misused in the process of profit maximization, it is definitely a short term achievement, because in the long run, the adverse effects felt by the work force will translate into lesser profits for the organization.
2. Desirable working relationship between employer and employee – it is the major objective of personnel administration to achieve a desirable working relationship between the employer and the employees so that they may cooperate with the management. Both of them must rely on each other. The personnel administrator should get it realized to the top management that personnel should be given fair and equitable treatment and on the other hand, convey to the workers that they should cooperate in achieving the goals of the management. The basic responsibility for the personnel lies with the supervisors although the administrator supplies tools
such as policy, record keeping, control and advice. His objective is therefore to ensure that the line supervisor is aware of his personnel responsibilities and carries them out responsibly. Simultaneously he should also ensure ethical conduct amongst all personnel and on the part of each supervisor towards each employee for whom he is responsible.
3. Specialized services – The administrator provides the tools such as record keeping, policy making, controlling and advising. Although not directly responsible for the personnel, who lie with the line supervisor, he may examine causes for non-efficiency or non-effectiveness, suggest remedial measure, perform research into proposed personnel procedures, handle negotiations with a government agency, etc. The basic objective here is to provide assistance to the line supervisor whilst simultaneously ensuring that the line supervisor meets his responsibilities to the personnel.
4. Molding of human resources – Human beings is the most important resource and the only active factor which engages all other factors of production. Therefore, the administrator should emphasize the effective utilization of human resources as compared to physical resources so that production and productivity is optimized. Other factors of production will be ineffective without effective molding of human resources.
Specific objectives
1. Selection of the right type and number of persons
2. Proper orientation and introduction of new employees to their jobs
3. Organisation of suitable training facilities
4. Provision of better working conditions and facilities.
5. Provision of sound, fair and effective wage and salary administration and incentives.
6. Good industrial relations with representative trade unions
7. Personnel research
Duties of Personnel Staff
In a dynamic working environment, the boundaries of any role cannot be clearly defined. However, the duties of Personnel staff may be described as under:-
1. As a Service Provider – providing information on market statistics of personnel availability, pay rates, etc. Interpret the complex laws and legislations. Employment and placement programs, employee compensation programs, training and development programs, labour relations could be stated to be the duty as a service provider. It must be noted that there will often be an overlap between the different roles that a Personnel staff may assume
2. As a facilitator – advises the supervisors on employee problems, facilitates training and development, and when performance appraisals are done. One of the responsibilities of Personnel staff is also to ensure that other managers who undertake such activities are well equipped to do so.
3. as a consultant – to help the supervisors resolve problems due to lack of motivation, lack of training, grievances, etc.
4. As an auditor – to ensure that all members of the management perform their respective roles, to determine whether personnel policies and procedures are being administered uniformly by supervisors.

The Impact Of Soft Skill Training

You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere.'-Lee Iacocca 1924- (former CEO of Ford and famous for reviving the Chrysler brand)

In today's world, where the survival of the fittest is the norm, it has become imperative to sharpen one's technical skills, and more importantly, one's soft skills. Technical skills can be learnt, applied and measured to an established degree. But the same cannot be said of soft skills. Soft skill is a sociological term for an individual's Emotional Intelligence (EQ). It can be broadly defined as personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job and career prospects. Whether it involves face to face customer interaction or even indirect correspondence over telephone or e-mail, employees adept at soft skills will achieve both individual as well as organizational success. Hence soft skills is critical to showcasing one's hard skills; both can be considered to be two sides of the same coin - one without the other has no impact.
Soft skill training has numerous dimensions. Some modules, amongst others which are highly sought after, have been mentioned below:

1. Communication Skills Training:
Communication is a dynamic process through which thoughts and feelings are conveyed. Effective communication is an essential component of organizational success whether it is at the interpersonal, inter group, intra group or external levels. It facilitates learning and knowledge sharing which is essential to the healthy growth and culture sustenance of your organization.

The Learning Process:
People in organizations typically spend over 75% of their time in inter personal communication; thus is it is no surprise to find that poor communication is at the root of a large number of organisational problems. There exist a number of barriers to effective communication that arise out of the utilisation of improper language, non verbal cues and feedback. In the present age of globalisation, insufficient understanding of cultural differences can also result in critical judgmental errors in the communication process.
We understand that in today's tough competitive business world, lucid and effective communication is very important. MMM Training Solutions help to provide professionals with practical and constructive advice on methods of effective communication.


2. Team Building skills:
Team building skills are critical for managerial effectiveness. Better understanding of team work can make an employee more effective. There exists a strong synergy amongst members who have the ability to build on their collective strengths. It is important to contribute as a focused team. Success occurs when a team can accomplish and scale greater heights to a greater degree than an individual can. The stages involved in team building are:
1. Clarification of team goals
2. Identification of issues which inhibit the team from reaching their goals
3. Addressing of those issues, removing of inhibitors and enabling the goals to be achieved
MMM Training Solutions emphasizes on developing skills in individuals to be effective team members. We deliver training for managers on how to create a successful team and for staff on how to be part of one.

3. Time management:
The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." - Michael Altshuler ( Psychotherapist and Clinical social worker)

The significance of proper time management lies not just in meeting deadlines. It indicates professionalism, focus, reliability and consistency to clientele. Hence it is of utmost importance to develop potential in this area. Successful people use time management to achieve excellent results. The key is to realise that one cannot possibly do everything that there is to do. Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little because they do not concentrate on the right things. Instead, one has to decide how to spend the limited amount of time one has each day. At the heart of the subject is a simple but obvious focus - one has to concentrate on results, not on being busy. Since time management helps in completing more work with relatively lesser effort, stress is considerably reduced.
MMM Training Solutions provides your staff with practical advice and tips on how to effectively manage their time in a practically and tactful manner; at the same time adhering to the quality standards that your organization upholds.

4. Presentation skills:
I do not object to people looking at their watches when I am speaking. But I strongly object when they start shaking them to make sure they are still going.' -Lord Birkett (1883-1962)

In her book, Presentation Skills (2nd edition- University Press)', author Suzy Siddons writes that a good presentation contains many of the same constituents as a good restaurant meal. The participants should be hungry. The chef should be at least competent, if not inspired. The menu should be tempting, understandable and offer a range of choices to all the diners. The ingredients should be the best possible. The service should be impeccable. The ambience should be comfortable and attractive. There should be no nasty after- effects.
Today, presentation skills are required at every level. For effective presentations, it is necessary to research the audience and understand their needs. Structuring presentations to establish rapport, maintain interest and to end an impact is a skill that can be developed through meticulous practise.
The art of presentation is two dimensional- speaking and listening. It is equally important to be a good listener. The significance of effective listening is well delivered in the quote, it is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.'
Studies conducted have shown that the greatest fear human beings face is the fear of public speaking. At MMM Training Solutions, we train your staff to present their ideas in a manner that is clear, concise, interesting and persuasive.

In the face of the ongoing economic downturn, cutting back on soft skill training and focusing on technical skills is not the best option. At this hour, it has become even more imperative to narrow the existing gap between desired and actual level of soft skills of the employees. This would lead to effective communication that directly increases work performance as there is an enhancement in the effectiveness of communication.
Your employees learn by solving real time challenges within the work environment. Successful soft skill training helps participants unlock their inner leader, and sets into motion a positive and congenial atmosphere that encourages constant learning through self initiative. This in turn helps retain talent by giving your organization the extra edge and hence builds a competitive advantage.
There is an adage in business: "People rise because of their hard skills and fall because of (the lack of) soft skills". Soft skill training aims at nurturing and shaping attitudes, no matter what the individual nature. It manages the interactions between every employee within the workplace. Hence it enhances efficiency and minimises the attrition rate.
Soft Skill training enables your employees to function effectively in the global marketplace among numerous and various business cultures. It enhances the core competence and confidence of an individual. NASSCOM forecasts that this can narrow the wide gap existent between the talent supply and technical demand.
Since acquiring soft skills is far more challenging than 'hard' skills, imparting of the same is often outsourced. This enables organizations to hire experts who are aware of the current global trends and practices. However one time training on soft skills cannot impact an organization for life. For long time sustenance, training needs to be on its growth plan in order to maximize human capital. This helps in talent retention and knowledge sharing within the work place.
MMM Training Solutions brings to your organization great expertise and modular solutions. We help employees, your valuable assets, in dealing with change, effectively functioning within a team, and performing at their highest potential in order to reach excellence.

What Are Soft Skills And Why Are They Important?

Soft skills are nowadays seen as essential business skills. Employers look for them when recruiting candidates, HR and managers include them in core competencies when assessing performance and clients expect suppliers to have the soft skills to support the product or service they supply.

So what are soft skills? One way of thinking about it is that they are the opposite of hard skills. Hard skills are those that are job specific or technical. They enable you to get the job done correctly. Soft skills are those related to people and communication and are relevant across a whole range of jobs and roles, all in fact.

Soft skills include: presenting, motivation, people management, assertiveness, rapport building, influencing, team work and other interpersonal and communication skills.

Just because they are 'soft skills' however, doesn't mean they are any less essential to the success of a business. In the past it might have been enough to show that you can do the job. Now it's essential to show that you can do the job in a way that is as efficient, effective and profitable as possible, for all those involved. This is where soft skills add value.

Staff who understand the way others tick and know how to communicate with people, even if they have different personalities and styles from their own, will have greater success. They'll be able to build productive relationships, get what they want done and avoid mistakes and misunderstandings.

Someone who comes across in a confident, yet friendly and personable manner is more likely to be accepted and respected by others and to be able to build business relationships. People do business with people and it's no longer acceptable to be a tyrant, a robot or a wall flower.

Team cohesion and strong management skills will result in happier, more motivated staff who want to do a good job and are supported to do so. This in turn results in lower staff turnover, higher productivity and higher profits.

It's not all about being fluffy and friendly however. Some soft skills are fairly hard business skills - such as knowing how to write a clear and compelling report, negotiate the best deal or pitch your products successfully.

Nearly all companies now understand the value of soft skills and invest in training and coaching for their people accordingly. Face to face training allows people to explore and practise skills together, while learning from experts who walk the talk. Coaching enables specific issues to be addressed one-on-one and for skills to be honed.

Many organisations work hard at instilling strong people skills in their culture, referring to them in their values and focusing team days around them.

As diversity of cultures becomes more and more prevalent in business, soft skills become even more important for facilitating effective communication.

9 Soft Skills For Success By Sean Hewitt Career Advisor

So you've got an impressive set of letters that come after your name, a wealth of valuable experience and even a few connections in high places. But believe it or not, that may not be enough to land you your dream job or that promotion you've had your eye on.

These days, the strength of your "soft" skills can make or break how successful you are in the workplace.

what are soft skills?

Soft skills are essentially people skills -- the non-technical, intangible, personality-specific skills that determine your strengths as a leader, listener, negotiator, and conflict mediator. "Hard" skills, on the other hand, are more along the lines of what might appear on your resume -- your education, experience and level of expertise.

Are you an agreeable person? Conscientious? Do you communicate effectively? Solve problems efficiently? These are the types of questions aimed at uncovering the strength of your soft skills.

why employers care about them

Employers value soft skills, because research suggests that they are just as good an indicator of job performance as traditional job qualifications or hard skills. One recent study, for example, found that personality measures like conscientiousness and agreeability were equally important predictors of work success as cognitive ability and work accuracy.

the skills

So how do you uncover your soft skills and get the most out of them? Here's a list of some of the most important soft skills and how to perfect them.

1- Have a "winner" attitude
We've all heard that it's better to see the glass half full instead of half empty. And in the workplace, that type of positive thinking can go a long way. An overall positive outlook leads to an overall positive attitude, and that can be a valuable asset in work environments that typically breed cynicism and negativity.

The key to having a winning attitude is in how you tackle obstacles and challenges that come your way. For example, instead of complaining about a stressful workload, think about it as an opportunity to show off your abilities by getting through it productively and efficiently.

2- Be a team player
Employers love an employee who displays the ability to work well in groups and teams. Being a team player means not only being cooperative, but also displaying strong leadership ability when it's appropriate.

The next time a conflict arises within your team, take the initiative to mediate. When you find your team getting stuck in a project, take the lead to move things forward. And what if you don't normally work with a team? Try to be more collaborative in the work you do and build professional relationships with your coworkers.

Learn how to say what you mean, and watch your body language.

3- Communicate effectively
Good communication skills are essential to someone's job performance. Communication is what allows you to build bridges with coworkers, persuade others to adopt your ideas and express your needs.

Many small things you already do -- things you probably don't even think about -- have a big impact on your communication skills. Here are some things you should be wary of when communicating with others:

Make good eye contact
Don't fidget
Avoid body movements that cut you off from others, like folding your arms
Don't talk for the sake of talking; always have a point
Enunciate your words properly
Hone your grammar skills with a good reference or style manual

In general, you should become more aware of both the verbal and nonverbal cues you give off to others. Also remember that one of the keys to being a good communicator is being a good listener.

4- Exude confidence
In almost every situation where you're trying to impress another person, confidence is key. While it's important to accept your limitations and act humble when you receive praise, it's also important to acknowledge your strengths and embrace them.

Make sure you have the knowledge and skills to back up your confidence. If you act confident in some of your job responsibilities -- like your written communication, project management skills or leadership abilities -- make sure that it's based on genuine, positive reinforcement.

5- Hone your creative skills
Creativity and imaginative thinking are valued in any job. Even the most technical positions require the ability to think outside the box. So never underestimate the power of innovative problem solving.

The next time you're handed a tedious task, try to tackle it in a way that allows you to complete it more efficiently. When a problem comes along that others are reluctant to take on, jump at the opportunity to find a creative solution. If it doesn't work, then at least you'll have tried.

6- Accept & learn from criticism
This is one of the most challenging soft skills, which is why it's typically one of the most impressive to employers. Your ability to handle criticism says a lot about your willingness to improve. And being able to criticize the work of others constructively is just as important.

Be aware of how defensive you get in reaction to negative feedback. Never reject a piece of constructive criticism completely without acknowledging that at least part of it is helpful. And when you dish out criticism, make sure it's done diplomatically. Try to anticipate how the person you're criticizing will react based on his personality, and shape the way you criticize him accordingly.

Learn how to be a motivator and prioritize your projects.

7- Motivate yourself & lead others
It's important for an employer to know that you're a self-starter who takes initiative. This means constantly seeking out new ways to keep your job interesting and motivational, even if it at the surface it seems repetitive and mundane.

Creativity plays a big role in this, but there's more to motivation than just that. Have the courage to pursue those ideas you've had stuck in the back of your mind, and have the dedication to follow through with them and be successful. Pilot others in the same direction to work towards a common goal. Remember that a good leader leads by example.

8- Multitask & prioritize your to-do list
In today's workplace, a good employee is expected to be able to shuffle several different assignments and projects at once. Are you good at tracking the progress of different projects you've been handed to work on? Do you know how to prioritize what's most important? These are the keys to being a good multitasker.

Don't be afraid to take on new tasks. Show off your multitasking skills by taking on projects that fall all over the spectrum. Branch out beyond your direct responsibilities, and be sure to report on the progress of projects regularly.

9- See the big picture
Looking at the larger picture in your work means being able to see the determining factors of success. It also means recognizing a risk that's worth taking, and knowing when to take it.

Say, for example, that you're in advertising and you're handed the task of creating a campaign for a brand of soap. To see the big picture, you should recognize that the goal is not just to sell soap, but also to satisfy the client and provide him with a quality service. Additionally, you make yourself more valuable to your company by showing the unique creativity only you can bring to such a project.

capitalize on all of your skills

While it's important to recognize and build on your soft skills, that doesn't mean that you should neglect your hard skills. The real key to success in any job is making your soft skills and hard skills complement each other.

Train Your Attitude to Trust Self and Others

Many men and women have had to deal with this tricky but important decision in one's ife. Be it at work or personal life we all face relationship challenges from time
to time. The media continues to provide us with a variety of negative stories of how eople got cheated of their possessions. Yes, when you learn of the story, we most
often tend to sympathise with the weak or the one who got duped.

When our subconscious mind unknowingly gets exposed to such stories time and again,  our inner mind cautions us to be careful with any one and everyone. And here
probably lies the mistake. We seem to take the 'one size fits all approach'. We begin our every interaction by being on guard with lots of self doubts about the
intentions of the other person. Every move and every action of the other person is seen from a very suspicious angle.

To add to the confusion within one's mind, we have a host of internal enemies of the mind in terms of one's own ego, jealousy, desires, anger, greed, fears, insecurity
and inferiority to deal with. All these tend to wreck havoc within otherwise innocent mind creating further doubts. Now we may consult other near and dear
friends and relatives for help little realising that they are likely to be biased either in your favour or against depending on the situation. Their opinions whether
you like it or not is likely to further aggravate your ever growing doubts of the other person in question.

Since selfishness and self centeredness is the core of human nature, the same translates into everyday behaviour based on pre existing mindsets that are already
heavily conditioned over the years. These glue-like mindsets coupled with die-hard habits form Concrete Wall-like Attitudes. That is the very start of Difficult
Behaviours from otherwise well meaning people.

If you do not trust yourself, how do you expect others to trust you?

If you do not believe in yourself, how do you expect others to believe you?

If you do not love yourself, how do you expect others to love you?

If you do not respect yourself, how do you expect others to respect you?

If you wish to learn to deal with such behaviours, attitudes and mindsets in people with whom you come in contact be they your customers, family members, student
participants, bosses, colleagues and the like then it is good idea to take a holistic approach to attitudinal trainng. This is essentially to enable your people
skills to be better communicator, facilitator, coach, trainer, seller, public speaker, presenter, and persuader. Develop the Break Free Behaviour inspite of day
to day challenges and any serious problems that you may face.