Use of design thinking in HR initiatives

What is the design thinking?

Design thinking is a design methodology that provides possible solutions to complex problems. It is a creative methodology. It is a cognitive, strategic and practical process which design possible solution. It is used to identify problem and develop provide solutions.

What the design thinking process?

Design thinking is a creative problem solving method. Understandings issues from the customer point of view and provide effective solutions to the problem.  

Design process is consists of five steps:

1. Empathize: Gaining understanding of the problem from the user perspective though various ways like observing, going through similar experience, understand their experience and motivations and living the life of stakeholders.

2. Define: put all gathered information together to analyse and identify and framing problem. 

  

3. Ideate: based on the data try to solve problem from different point of view. Generate new ideas to solve the problem. Solution focused thinking.

4. Prototype: implementing prototype solutions to the stakeholders, investigated, re-examined and gathers feedback and redesigning and addressing the pain points. at the end of this process design team will have clear idea of problem and solutions.

5. Test: implement the solutions and work on any issues coming up to correct and repeat the process.

How Design thinking can help HR professionals?

Design thinking is focuses on problem that are complex in nature which are associated with people.. Design thinking can be used in every stages of HR process right from attract, engage and retain. It gives customer focused approach to HR professionals to handle employee related issues.

Hiring process: Understand candidate’s interest, needs, onboarding experience and create better candidate experience.

Engagement process: provide effective role, develop necessary skills through learning and development activities, and provide better employee experience.

Retaining top talents: identify top talents, recognise and reward with extraordinary benefits to retain key employees.

• Implementing change or change management initiatives.
• Employee engagement or increase employee experience initiatives.
• Integrate technology or organisation digitalisation process.
• Reinvent or reorganisation organisation functional areas or divisions.
• Bring new changes to enhance innovation.

Yes HR professionals can use design thinking by keeping in mind employees needs, current experience, expectations etc. Based on this HR professionals can design thinking in all HR initiative.

Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinkinghttps://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process

McKinsey-7S Framework in change management

The McKinsey 7S framework is a popular model used in organisations to study and analysis tool to assess and monitor changes in the internal situation of an organisation or investigate whether organisation is achieving its intended objectives and goals.

7S framework is developed by Mr. Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, consultants for the Mckinsey & Company. the model is based on the theory that for any organisation to perform well, these 7 elements needs to be aligned and mutually reinforced.

7S framework can be used in organisation changes such as organisation restructuring, new process, organisation merger, new system, change of leadership etc.

1. Identify necessary changes and resources alignment  
2. Decide clear and measures objectives to improve performance 
3. Improve organisation performance 
4. Predict effects of future changes within organisation 
5. Maintain alignment during changes

7S framework is divided in Two segments 

Hard Elements

1. Structure: Division of activities, integration and coordination mechanism. 

2. Strategy: Purpose or plan of actions of the business and the way of enhancement. 

3. Systems: formal procedures for measurement, reward and resolution of organisation day by day or year by year ex: budgeting, training, costing, performance evaluation procedures etc.

Soft Elements 

4. Shared values: standards, values, and other form of  ethical practices within organisation or overall culture of the organisation. 

5. Skills: core competencies and capabilities, skills of the organisation and its employees.

6. Staff: Organisation Human resources, demographic, education, characters.  

7. Style: Leadership and management, typical behavioural patterns of the leadership 

How to Use? 
Mckinsey 7S framework easy to understand but equally harder to apply in an organisation due to common misunderstanding of 7S elements and alignment. 7S elements must be given equal importance to achieve the best results.

Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinsey_7S_Framework
https://www.toolshero.com/strategy/mckinsey-7s-framework/

Human Resource - A Strategic Business Partner

Human Resource profession is dynamic in nature, plays key role in business success. HR department is a link between employee and the management; hence HR is needed for both in the organisation. There is not a single company without employee issues; HR faces wide variety of issues in the organisation.

HR generally branded as administrator, policy police, as parent, bearer of bad news etc but now HR has evolved as a key strategic business partner, actively involving in various strategic planning and other key areas.   

THBS HR team members are most effective and skilled with reputation of being trusted partner to help business owner by understanding business needs and deliver solutions in many ways.

• Attracting and retaining: fulfilling talent   
• HRMIS: Update HR hand book, Proper recording and documentation process
• Training: Encourage education, coaching & training
• Career growth and opportunity: GSR, Matching individual role with passion and capabilities,  
• Employee engagement activities:
• CSR activities:
• Improve culture and bring cultural change
• Build trust 

Serve as a consultant with business owner on HR related issues. Provide solutions to business needs, have more customer centric approach. 

We are here because business is hear, business required humans or talents, so HR will be there in future as far as humans and business are here. HR has to collaborate with business and business related issues. 

Compliance under POSH Act, 2013

The Sexual harassment of women at workplace (prevention, prohibition and redressal) act, 2013, this act is known as POSH act, or workplace harassment law etc. These acts are incorporated to protect women from sexual harassments at workplace. The act came into force from 9th December 2013. It is made mandatory for every employer to provide a mechanism to prevent, protect and redress sexual harassment issues at workplace and enforce the right to gender equality.

Source:MWCD

What is sexual Harassment?

Unwelcome of acts or behaviour whether directly or indirectly or by implication; namely

• Physical contact or advances
• A demand or request for sexual favour
• Making sexually coloured remarks
• Showing pornography
• Any other unwelcome physical, verbal, non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.

What is deemed as sexual harassment?

• Unwelcome touching, hugging or kissing
• Staring or leering
• Suggestive comments or jokes
• Unwanted or persistent requests to go out
• Intrusive questions about another person’s private life or body
• Deliberately brushing up against someone
• Insults or taunts of a sexual nature
• Sexually explicit pictures, posters, screen savers, emails, twitters, SMS or instant messages
• Accessing sexually explicit internet sites
• Inappropriate advances on social networking sites
• Behaviour which would also be an offence under the criminal law, such as physical assault indecent exposure sexual assault, stalking or obscene communications.

Two forms of sexual harassment

1. Quid pro quo harassment (Latin term means “this for that” or “something for something”)
2. Hostile work environment - Creation of a hostile, intimidating or an offensive work environment with the purpose of unreasonably interfering with woman’s work performance or subjecting woman to humiliating treatment likely to affect her health and safety.

Aggrieved Women

Aggrieved woman is a woman, who in relation to workplace alleges to have been sexually harassed. 

Applicability

All employers in India irrespective of size, stage, commercial and non commercial, (individual, partnership, Privet, public ltd, companies etc) nature of industry, location, gender ratios.

Scope of workplace

Office of the employee or employer, any place visited by the employee during the course of employment including transportation provided by the employer for the purpose of commuting to and from the place of work is also constituted as workplace. Extended workplaces are those where employee’s office events are taking place in social setting, even non traditional workplace which involve telecommuting get covered as workplace.

Internal Complaint Committee

Every employer is obliged to constitute ICC, having following members;

• Chairperson (internal)
• Internal Members
• External member

If the organisation has workplace located at different locations, than ICC must constitute at every workplace. 

Local Complaint Committee

The district officer will constitute an LCC in every district so as to enable women working in the unorganised sectors or small organisations to work in safe and sexual harassment free environments. LCC will receive complaints from women working in an organisation having less than 10 members, when complaint is against employer himself, and domestic workers.

Roles and responsibilities of an employer (Compliance under the act)

1. Provide safe working environment
2. Formulation of sexual harassment prevention policy (Anti Sexual Harassment policy)  
3. Create awareness at all level
4. Setting up ICCs and display of their contact details.
5. Train ICC members as per the act
6. Display of posters, notices and of a penal consequences of sexual harassment.
7. Assistance to complainer in filing criminal case or FIR in police station.
8. Compliance under the act
9. Reporting number of complaints received, resolve and pending issues in annual report. 

Timeline as per the act

Submission of complaints	Within 3 months of last incidents
Notice to the respondents	Within 7 days of receiving copy of compliant
Completion of inquiry	Within 90 days
Submission of report by ICC/LCC to employer	Within 10 days of enquiry completion
Implementation of recommendation	Within 60 days
Appeal	Within 90 days of recommendations

Penalties for non compliance

• The inquiry process should be confidentiality, if breached to this employer will be panelised of Rs. 5000/- on the person who has breached the law.
• Non compliance with provision of law shall be punishable with a fine of up to Rs. 50,000/-. Repeated violations may leads to higher penalties and cancelation of business licence.

The sexual harassment at workplace is a sensitive issue. The sexual harassment case can risk employer reputation and kick off questions on employer role in providing safe working environment. It is responsibility of an employer or HR professionals to ensure safe working environment for all of its employees, gender sensitisation, comply with the POSH act.

Sources:

• http://www.shebox.nic.in/user/faq
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_Harassment_of_Women_at_Workplace_(Prevention,_Prohibition_and_Redressal)_Act,_2013

Performance Review!!

Are you going for your performance review meeting? But have you prepared for it? Have you listed your accomplishments? Have you listed your value additions or contribution to organisation? Irrespective of your nature of work or department everyone in an organisation are expected to perform and performance are measured. Organisation generally focuses on what is assigned? And what is achieved?

Performance review is an opportunity to demonstrate accomplishments and bring out how you would like to evolve in this position and organisation in future.

How to prepare for performance review?

Review your GSR/objectives/Job responsibilities

Understand and negotiate on your GSR or job requirements from your reporting manager.

What are the expected results? (What)

How frequently GSR or job requirements are reviewed and revised? (When)

What are the result rating parameters? (How)

What steps need to take to reach next level?

How can I support our department priorities and objectives?

Documenting job plans and expectations:

If work not documented is not done!!

Maintain reports and records of your work done on consistently. Maintain your weekly, monthly work status, highlights, status reports or presentations.

Seeking Feedback

It is your duty to deliver best results. So have to do what is required, not what is easy for you.

Meet regularly to reporting manager, ask questions, and seek feedback on your work and get clarity on what is needed to make it better. It is always good to know what is going on in boss mind. Accept criticism; assure your boss that you will overcome those shortfalls. Make sure you do follow-up with manager every month in the beginning.

Prepare list of accomplishments

Your reporting manager may not be able to track and remember the every great stuff you have achieved in last quarter or last year. Getting routine job requirements are not accomplishments, maintaining collaborative working relationship with co-worker, supervisors are not worth bragging. Those are the things suppose to do, not for expecting rewards and promotions. But these are very important factors in overall performance.

Organisations need your value added contribution that makes difference in achieving organisational goals, Return on investment, so you have to focus on the activities that use your time, skills and resources most effectively connect that to company goals. So be very creative in presenting your accomplishments. Collect quantitative, qualitative data to support your results.

Be objective: If you can’t measure it, you can manage it!! Hence use comparable data that show your progress or out performing your set goals or co-workers. Quantify results as much as possible in facts, figures and with specific dates.

Present qualitative data like customer or client testimonial, remarks, feedback from colleagues, good remarks from reporting manager, business heads/HODs, other department etc

Highlight you results with grace, without putting any of your colleagues down with examples and samples.

Describe the impact, value addition it made on the organisation. Also describe your accomplishments initiated by you. Ensure that it has impact on you and organisation too.

Salary increment, rewards, promotions, and career development are depending on your performance review rating more than what you achieved in last quarter or year. Means proving your contributions are valuable to the organisation, communicating and selling your contribution matter more than you achieved your goals. so be prepared to craft your performance results in presentable story.