Monday, May 10, 2010

Where Both Ends will meet ?


Sometimes a company recruits Artisans and Direct workers after a long gap,
due to some expansion programme. The ultimate result is there exists the problem of inter-personal relationships. When there is a gradual increase of recruitment in anticipation of
superannuation and labour turnover, the relationship between the existing employees
and the new recruits is coridal and there is a good understanding of both class of employees.
Moreover, there exists a brotherhood relationship among the employees and it will be adjusted in the short run.

On the other hand, when there is recruitment ban and after a time gap of roughly twenty years, it is lifted and new recruits are peeped in, there comes the problem. There exist a mis-match between existing workers and new recruits. Here, the relationship is like a fatherhood relationship. Nodoubt in fatherhood relationship, the generation gap prevails which leads to strained relationship. Usually, the older employees want to retain their position at any cost and the new recruits want to establish their technological competance over the existing elderly workers. There may be a chance of rivalry between themselves. When the rivalry developed, the first casualty is communication. When there is no clear communication, in the long run the peril will quash the very mission of the corporate entity it self. Imagine in a shift , the partners in a Lathe is in different age group?

On the other hand, it is interesting to see that in the Top level , there is no vast diffence in ages. Unstructred decions are taken by the Strategic Leaders in the same age-group it self?
Then why there is a long age gap among operational level people?
Let us anticipate the Problems :
1. Psychological fear among Old Employees.
2. Their productivity will be decreased.
3. Working Environment will be disturbed.
4. Mis-match between Older and New recruits.
5. Strained Relationship.
6. Poor Communication.
7. Value added per Worker reduced.
8. Low Turn-over.

In the present scenario, World Class Companies switch over the focus from Customer to their Working force. How we can escape?
Can anybody guess how the panecea will be overcome?
Your valuable ideas are very much solicited.

5 comments:

  1. Instead of recruiting only fresh candidates & giving them training, the Management may recruit at least 50% of experienced and talented people of different age groups - say 35 to 45 years. This will solve the quoted problems to maximum extent. [ This 35 to 45 age group may easily mix with their younger brothers of 20 to 34 & also with their elder brothers of 46 to 60 ]

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  2. Here, the relationship is like a fatherhood relationship. No doubt in fatherhood relationship, the generation gap prevails which leads to strained relationship

    sir you are showing the the great phenomena in between generations, that means Generation Gap misunderstandings.


    Even I faced the problem in between my father and me.

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  3. This is really a major problem prevailing in almost all the departments. I have experienced this in banking.

    //World Class Companies switch over the focus from Customer to their Working force.//

    This is true. In SBI, Transformation programmes named "Parivartan" for old employees and "Citizen SBI" for all the employees and some other special programmes for Branch/Regional Managers and other officers were conducted(are being conducted) just to bridge the gap b/w older and newer generation staff, besides developing their service to the customers.

    So I think Personality Development Programmes (for both the old and younger generations) can help to a large extent to tackle this menace.

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  4. I feel this is a major concern..The listed out problems would occur certainly. I welcome Vai.Go. s suggestion. But if that is not immediately possible, then suitable training programmes may be conducted to bridge the gap between seniors and juniors to have a proper understanding and work place harmony.

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