Economic Turmoil and Human Resource Management

Every day we open our eyes in the morning with the news of the Economic Break-down. This is a fact and cannot be denied. In economics parlance it is a cyclic thing and bound to repeat many times. There are attendant problems, hardships, rethinking, re-alignment and so on and so forth. When the bottom lines are at stake, no other thinking has any place but to think of survival and when it becomes a question of survival – it is natural to fight back all-out.
In such a scenario – the HR processes definitely are under extreme pressure. The most common solutions – as is evident from the actions of many Global Corporations – large scale retrenchments of the work force.
Is this the only solution? This question has made me think about the whole HR process and Employee- Employer relationship. Are we the same people who in the flourishing times call employees as the most important asset of an organisation? By mass lay-offs – we are safeguarding the physical assets and laying-off the Human Assets, can this be considered prudent by any line of sane thinking? And who is to blame for this line of thinking? Probably – The HR Advisors have to take the majority of the blame. Why cannot we think beyond the easy alternatives? It may be difficult to take the alternative routes – agreed – but looking beyond the crisis – the results will be something un-imaginable.
Both the Top Management and the HR experts have to sit down and think of possibilities of saving both the physical as well as Human Resources – then only we can say we have learned and mastered the art and science of HR management.
There are n numbers of top notch experts in the field and they definitely must be working overtime to tide over the situation. Compared to them – I’m a non entity to even ponder over the issue, leave alone daring to even think on the issue, but the state of affairs do agitate me to the core to at least voice what I feel.
As written in my earlier articles on HR – I belong to a typical Marwari Businessmen Family and my school and college starts at home first, then beyond. Over the years, my education and attitude towards life has compelled me to think and rethink on issues beyond my professional capabilities. Everytime I delve inside, something new seems possible. In the present case also, the traditional Marwari System of HR management holds a lot of promises. I won’t get in to the details here as, I’m not trying to provide a solution for the issue at hand but instead the attempt is to initiate an alternative line of thinking. In the Marwari system of Management, though it was devoid of any modern day professionalism, it had solutions for almost every situation and especially HR management was probably the best part of the system. Retrenchment never had a place in the system. Still they could tide over a lot of storms.
I feel a very similar approach in the Japanese system, various discussions with peers and family members have indicated – How the Japanese Corporations value their Human Resources and the ways of overcoming the hurdles by both the Employees and the Employers. In case of Germany also, I feel their systems should also be very good, as, though laid-back, their performance and results are any day commendable. I’m not sure of the actions and policies of the Japanese in times of Turmoil, but in normal times, on firsthand experience, I can say they work very much parallel to the Marwari system. In case of economic difficulties faced by companies, there are instances of voluntary acceptance of LOWER WAGES by employees by mutual consent between the Employees and Employers. This is just one example – the modalities may be difficult – but the end result is definitely something to be emulated. It is a question of trust and care. Commanding and building confidences. Measures based on Humane considerations.
First we have to identify the problems, sit down and think and rethink, decide the priorities and at the core believe in what we say – Employees are the Biggest and most Valuable Assets of an Organisation. If so then an attempt to save it should be the TOP PRIORTY of the organisation.
The other way round, if retrenchment is taken recourse to – just imagine the fall-out, psychological pressures on the employees and their families, the after effects and the overall impact on the system. As such the situation is grim and in such circumstances a lay-off notice definitely cannot be considered Humane by any standard, leave aside justified. The Government should also contribute its two bits in tiding over the situation. A small example of the Government’s role – in case of adjustments of financial aspects – a prorata effect should temporarily be considered by Government in Taxes – both direct and in-direct. Making the government understand is not an easy task, but then for what do we have the Trade Associations and Chambers of Commerce. This is just an example and not as easy as it is said, but the time we are talking about is also not easy either. We need highly innovative solutions for extraordinary situation and looking to the present scenario – what more extraordinary situation can be imagined. We are fighting with our backs to the wall and facing a Break-down of the system. A situation where the Survival is at Stake.

Legalising - Live-in Relationships

A huge debate is going on around the country on legalising live-in relationships vis-a-vis marriage. Everyone has his own opinion depending on his preferences, upbringing, individual sexual exposure & experience, and background. Some state governments are in the process of formulating some laws to legalise it.
Live-in relationships – what exactly is a live-in and for what ends? As far as I understand, it is a relationship of convenience – in that case, is it justified to call it a relation at all. A relationship is based on mutual trust, sharing and caring, understanding and most of all giving without the expectation of a return. It is not a trade partnership where in we have defined assets and liabilities share. Relationships are based on Love, mutual or one sided. In case of mutual love – we almost touch the havens, whereas in case of one-sided love – over time it gets converted into mutual love only. Any relationship devoid of Love can never be called a relationship. Marriage also is a relationship, at least in India, and is never without love. Many people may argue over this, but ultimately they will have to accept the fact that it is not without love. In case of arranged marriages, it can be argued, how this relationship is based on love. True, at the start an arranged marriage is based on the convenience of the two families rather than the partners. The partners first start connecting sexually and gradually move on to LOVE. Our centuries old experience suggests it to be the most successful social institution. If everything is so simple and nice, then why at all we have divorces? There are exceptions; there is always a chance of things going sour. Here also the presence of love cannot be denied, only it is over-shadowed by other priorities. In most cases both the partners are equally responsible for the mishap, in a fewer number of cases only one partner may be at fault. This does not render the institution of marriage invalid.
The live-in concept is born out of this unfortunate mishap. The legal and social implications, the attendant cumbersome processes, both legal and financial, the time frame and above all the psychological toll on the individuals all add to favour a Live-in relationship instead of marriage. But the biggest fault with this is – even before starting – we are preparing for separation. The primary assumption here is – in case something goes wrong, in case things do not work out the way we want, in case we are not sexually compatible, in case ...., in case... so many in cases. With so many in cases – it is absurd to assume we will build a relationship at all. The most evident reason to get into a live-in relationship seems to be SEX and to some extent sharing some emotional ground. Here we do not recognise the fact that – A man trades emotions for SEX and a woman trades SEX for emotions. They may both enjoy the sexual aspect but the means and ends are at opposing ends. A man initiates emotionally to fulfil his sexual desires whereas a woman grants some sexual liberties to fulfil her emotional desires. Ultimately both reach the centre of the road – to enjoy sexual bliss.
Probably, this sexual aspect and the attendant pleasure is at the core of this man-woman relationship. In the animal world, sex is not for pleasure; rather it is a procreation activity. That is why they have mating seasons and unlike humans they do not engage in sexual activity at will and at any time. As humans, we have evolved and the compulsions of population explosion around the world have separated sex from procreation. In modern times, there is a significant percentage of population which engage in sex only for pleasure.
Nothing wrong with it, but where is the need of redefining the social institutions. We have had live-ins for centuries; even polygamy was a type of live-in only. Over time we have discarded polygamy in favour of monogamy. With legalising – live-ins we are going back in time and reverting to polygamy. Instead of multiple partners at the same time (Parallel Relationship) – we will have series of multiple partners one after the other (Serial Relationship). In case one relationship fails – we part ways – again fly like a freebee and get in to a new relationship, again we fail to live up to the new relationship – part ways and go on and on. In the process we would have robbed everything out of the relationship but for SEX. What will be the fate of the children born out of such Serial affairs is anybody’s guess. May be by resolving a small issue of divorce/separation, we will end up with much bigger issues in the future. Across the world what percentage of population subscribes to this system is anybody’s guess. For a small and insignificant percentage of supporters we want to disturb the whole institution and rock the very foundations of the Indian Culture is something beyond comprehension.
These are my views – many people may disagree with this line of thinking but I’m sure a larger part will agree with this. Let’s hope wisdom prevails and things work out well keeping the very foundations of our system intact.

Cyber Relationships & Social Net-working.
I’ve been net connected for quite some time. A very happily married man of 54 and having an extremely good and settled life. Due to my background, education and interests – have been in touch with my generation and the current generation. This has given me the opportunity to be in touch, and up to date, with all the so called in-things also.
Of the many in-things of the net revolution – in India at least, the social net-working and net friendship/relationship have developed to a considerable level. Many paid and free sites and net-works are in vogue. Lot of financial involvement is also there. One good thing which is happening is the opening up of an avenue where-in many people are benefited, though not without the attendant extreme risks of the net-connected world. Many liaisons are also made in the cyber space both for the better and worse.
In my various outings in this cyber world, many times in pop-ups, some social networking, adult friendship type ads also do pop up and raise my curiosity. I’ve joined some and found nothing of substance and subsequently left all. Still time and again keep visiting these sites to see what is happening around, how people are using/abusing it. The most prominent attitude, I have observed is, the cyber world is without any boundaries or limits, the extreme dominance of pent-up sex related feelings and ideas, adventures and/or misadventures. Most of the liaisons start with sex as a basic inbuilt component. The tone and demeanour looks mostly out of the fantasy world. I often wonder whether they will help us or destroy the social fabric we have inherited from our past. Are the basics of the Indian Psyche threatened? This also brings to mind a question from a very interesting book from Reader’s Digest – The book of QUESTIONS. In the book around 100 odd questions were there – which have no answers: for example – If you know your invention is going to kill some people but benefit most of the human race – will you go for the invention? There cannot be any correct answer to this question as the answers will be very individual. In the context of the cyber relationships also I find a strong similarity.
I also braved this space and explored to find some such contacts to have fun/entertainment or live out some fantasies (at least in the cyber-space) but did not have any success at all. Maybe I was not very keen to touch base and so the efforts were minimal but from what I read about the cyber-space, it should have been other-wise. Anyway I’ve no regrets.
Recently though I received a friend request from an unknown lady, a divorcee of 30 somethings. Just like that I accepted the request and started on my way to a fantastic new experience.
The beginnings were very restrained on both parts with the usual mistrust of the cyber world. Gradually it turned out to be an excellent experience. The present thought of – SHARING AND CARING is born out of this experience which I want to share with whoever is interested in, with the hope it helps someone.
On my part, as the aim was fun/entertainment/experience the expectations were minimal. There was nothing specific I was looking at. May be my curiosity was the only motivator. The same can be said for her – let me call her ‘R’. As we started the exchange of mails, chats on messenger and other communications – I could feel a volcano of hidden feelings in R. Belonging to a good family and well educated, R seemed to be in a perfect physical and mental state but for a small mishap of the divorce. Though she had already come out of the traumatic experience, still it has dented her overall beliefs in life. I could feel a well of feelings raring to be shared. Her beliefs and abilities, her mental assets and liabilities, her feelings, her emotions all waiting to be shared, reconfirmed, augmented. We have a big gap in the age still I could feel everything and she could empathise with me. From the beginning we were sure of a cyber relationship and nothing beyond; still the intensity of the shared feelings is beyond imagination.
This has provoked me to mull over the need for support groups. We have many help-lines, social support groups and other counselling alternatives but are they enough? Are they within reach of people in need? It has also raised the questions of support available from friends and family. Are we running too fast and after something insignificant and paying the heavy price by losing everything else in the bargain? It worries me to think of the future this life-style is leading us to. I’ve heard many times – Joy shared MULTIPLYS and Anguish shared DIVIDES. This is perfectly right, but where are the people with whom to share and where is THE reliability and confidence to do that? Why have we become so self cantered that we have lost everything else, neither are we a part of anyone’s life nor anyone else is a part of us, even in case of married couples many a times this absence of sharing is observed. Is this leading us to a mentally and emotionally bankrupt state? The situation seems grim though, but not beyond redemption. There is light at the end of the tunnel. First we have to take the lead, initiate and start sharing and caring – we will definitely get the same in return. Whatever the society has given us, we have to return with our added inputs. We have to look closer home for this and be open. Look around our own surroundings and be liberal and open to allow people to get in our shell.
We also have to change the attitude of fun/fantasies as a use of the cyber media – instead use it as a tool for betterment of life. The inventor’s of this space have given us a fantastic opportunity to make the best use of the medium. Let’s not waste it for living out sexual fantasies and pent-up frustrations. The available sexual exposure may please momentarily, and there is no harm in the momentary enjoyment but we have to be matured enough to filter out the permanent effects of the potential damage. Else it should better be refrained from. We have to grow-up and educate ourselves to openly discuss between friends on the TABOO subject and make most considered choice for such exposure.

MIND & BODY - HEART & SOUL

You must have heard the Song - Mind & Body - Heart & Soul - probably the lyricists' also didn't have in mind what this has provoked in my mind. I don't know for sure.

Apart from physical existence - what differentiates Humans from all other living beings are - feelings, emotions, ability to relate and communicate with other living beings and above all looking beyond existence. Plants, Animals all are living things and for existence - nature has arranged everything as per the individuals needs. Plants are immobile - almost without any motor function still nature has arranged for there life and existence, maintaining there immobile status. Animals share a bit more with humans - they have feelings, emotions on a finer level compared to plants but much inferior to Humans. And Humans - it is a fantastic creation of the ALMIGHTY.

How complex a system he has designed and built, the physical working at one level, enough to make one wonder, as if that was not enough, the different parts, mind, body features, internal organs and the overall system - how it is designed to work individually and as a whole. There is enough to keep wondering and still reaching no where. In the context of Mind and Body...... Heart and Soul again this makes me wonder about a lot.

Mind is a Organ and has a shape, existence and defined function. Same is the case with Body. But in case of Heart - (not the blood pumping organ) and Soul, they do not have any physical form or existence any defined functionality still - look at the similarity of both the duo. On the conscious level all feelings relate to Mind and most of the instructions are implemented by the Body. The maintenance of the Mind in perfect order again rests with the Body. On the unconscious level - the same thing is happening in the other pair - Heart is doing much the same as the Mind and Soul the same as Body. The only difference is at the conscious and unconscious level - visible level or physical level. When some one feels elated - we say "dil khus hua" - but the Dil we refer here is not the physical heart instead the proverbial heart.

At the conscious Mind & Body level we have so many rules, methodologies, preferences, biases, inhibitions, reservations and so on. On the other hand at the Heart & Soul level how free we are. All the impossibilities of the M&B levels are perfectly possible at the H&S level. A highly educated human being may never associate with so many things, because of so many factors at the M&B level, but can easily do every thing which he is not able to at the M&B level, on the H&S level. I may want to own the Tajmahal at the M&B level and know this is a impossibility and live in despair for the rest of my life, but if I can understand the H&S level, feel it, I will be a satisfied owner of The Tajmahal and live a very satisfied life. What difference it can make. And if one can have some communication between the two - M&B and H&S, how blissful life can be. Probably all dreamers, poets, writers are able to do it easily. Even scientists definitely are not untouched by this. It may only be a case of ego or courage to accept it as it is.

Probably the folk lore - heroes of LOVE - Romeo-Juliet, Heer Ranjha all had a permanent Hot line between the two. The dream relationships, platonic relationships, ideal love, Radha Krishna, Meera - Krishna all have a definite element of this understanding of the M&B and H&S inter connect. Probably, human relationships, love, hate most needs the understanding of the existence of this duo. Understanding and realization of this may lead to a much enriched life, "dharti par swarag", "atma aur parmatma" all seem to be a realization of this.

There may be so many things we may not be able to feel or live at the M&B level, we can live those and feel those things at the H&S level and have an equally satisfying experience. Similarly, the pains, trauma suffered at the M&B level can be relived at the H&S level, analyzed and forgiven and forgotten at the H&S level. It is very difficult or rather impossible to do so at the M&B level and it will keep on coming back at this level. Once transferred to the H&S level and resolved there, how easy it will be to come out of the pain and trauma. It leads again to the greatness of the Almighty to have thought of the parallel creation of the duo.

The more we delve inside and try to discover the workings, the more newer realizations come out.