The Human in Human Resource

THE HUMAN IN

HUMAN RESOURCE

Facets & Perspectives

THE HUMAN IN

HUMAN RESOURCE

Facets & Perspectives

M

ARUTI

S

UZUKI

XISS

A

WANISH

K

UMAR

D

EV

M

EMORIAL

T

RUST

Published by Zorba Books, September 2022

Website: www.zorbabooks.com

Email: [email protected]

Author Name & Copyright © Maruti Suzuki XISS Awanish Kumar Dev Memorial Trust

Title:- The Human in Human Resource – Facets & Perspectives

Printbook ISBN :- 978-93-95217-04-0

Ebook ISBN :- 978-93-95217-05-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, except by a reviewer. The reviewer may quote brief passages, with attribution, in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web—without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The publisher under the guidance and direction of the author has published the contents in this book, and the publisher takes no responsibility for the contents, its accuracy, completeness, any inconsistencies, or the statements made. The contents of the book do not reflect the opinion of the publisher or the editor. The publisher and editor shall not be liable for any errors, omissions, or the reliability of the contents of the book.

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Those we love

Can never be more than a thought away…

For as long as there’s a memory

They live in our heart to stay!!

- Anonymous

AWANISH KUMAR DEV

(1962-2012)

Dedicated to the memory of Late Shri Awanish Kumar Dev

(General Manager – Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.)

CONTENTS

Advance Praise

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

1. Industrial Relations in the Changing Business Environment

2. Repositioning Industrial Relations in New India

3. Forecasting ER Challenges 2020

4. The Real HR of IR

5. Realigning ER Strategy for Sustained Manufacturing Excellence

6. Make in India through Excellence in Manufacturing @ Industry 4.0

7. Building Progressive Employee Relations for Competitive Advantage

8. Redefining ER Strategy with Focus on Employee Wellbeing

Conclusion

ADVANCE PRAISE

This book consists of practical insights and learnings on human resources, with specific focus on bridging the gap between HR and IR. My compliments to the Awanish Dev Trust for taking this important initiative to share this knowledge with aspiring HR and IR professionals including students.

The most interesting aspect is that this book is the compilation of learnings shared by senior HR leaders when they delivered the Awanish Dev Memorial Lectures over the past 10 years. The actual experience of HR thought leaders on HR and IR across manufacturing sectors on pan India basis captures the varying issues and insights on the subject. The evolving employee relations scenario over the last decade has been shared as well as the emerging best practices in different companies.

I believe that managements and workers cannot afford to be in conflict. In my thinking there must be a partnership approach with clear and consistent communication and focus on company objectives and business growth along with employee welfare and well- being. I hope this book will pave the way to strengthen the capability of young HR and IR professionals to create the right construct of employee relations in their organisations.

My very best wishes to the readers.

Mr. R. C. Bhargava

Chairman

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.

I am very Happy that the Awanish Dev Trust has made efforts to compile this book on HR & IR best practices based on the learning of the Late Awanish Dev Memorial Annual Lecture over the past 10 years.

The Annual Lecture brings senior HR Thought Leaders across India to share their rich experience on HR & IR with practical insights of various issues & best approach of handling the same leading to positive Employee Relations. This book has captured the essence of learning on HR & IR from Manufacturing companies – large, medium & small – to help in capability building of aspiring HR & IR professionals & also B- School students.

In my thinking regular two - way communication with Trade Union & shopfloor workers is one of the most critical aspects of creating positive Employee Relations. Also training of employees can help build pro-active ER environment.

Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa

Executive Vice Chairman

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.

The importance of such a book cannot be emphasized enough. It is timely and full of practical advice, especially for those aspiring to bridge the gap between HR and IR. What gives it credence is that the advice comes from those who have successfully bridged the gap themselves. This is a must-read recommendation for HR/IR aspirants in B-Schools, so that they can glean learnings from this book to enhance their productivity in the fields of IR and ER. This is just as relevant for stalwarts in the industry, for as we all know, learning is a lifelong process.

It is heartening to have this compendium on ER and IR brought to us at such an opportune time, especially since I have been associated with this initiative since its inception and have seen it evolve and grow.

P. Dwarakanath

Former Chairman GSK Consumer Healthcare Ltd

"A critical success factor for creating sustainable competitiveness of organisations and nations will be their ability to unleash the potential of their human capital to achieve the desired purpose and goals.

In this context a sharp focus is required on how to unleash this potential in the labour force,both organised and unorganised,and to bring this onto the radar screen of leaders at all levels as an integral part of the business strategy and review process.

I believe a fundamental paradigm shift is required in the leadership mindset of both management and workers to redefine the nature of interaction between them from the old Win-Lose interaction to Win-Win.

Is labour a short-term cost to be minimized or is it one of those rare assets that can actually appreciate in value over time,if we invest wisely in their capability building and the opportunity we give them to contribute to organisational life and it’s value-creation process?

This outstanding compendium addresses these issues and is a veritable treasure chest of gems for serious practitioners who are exploring the conditions that will create sustained outperformance in the New Normal of VUCA accompanied by pushback from all stakeholders in an interconnected world."

Mr. Rajeev Dubey

Chairman

Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd.

As long as interests are unique, differences in expectations will remain. The compendium of Awanish Memorial Lectures stresses the importance of the perspective that civilised Human’s resolve differences through dialogue & mutual respect. Distrust, deceit, coercion and violence destroys development for everyone. This compendium, I believe will stress the need for placing development and growth for individuals and institutions at the heart of all collaborative commercial endeavours."

K. Ramkumar

Founder and CEO Leadership Centre

The book ‘The Human in Human Resources– Facets & Perspectives’ reminds readers of the seminal truth of putting the Human Being at the centre of the equation in the workplace. It is filled with wisdom from the leading minds of Corporate India. I applaud the Maruti Suzuki- XISS Awanish Kumar Dev Memorial Trust for organizing the lecture series in memory of Awanish Dev, based on which this book has been published. The book is a must read for all leaders of Corporate India and more so for HR Leaders who will find great nuggets and tips for handling the complexities of managing people.

Dr. Asha Bhandarker

Distinguished Prof. of Organizational Behaviour

IMI Delhi

Over the past ten years the changing world of HR has been captured in this wonderful book that speaks to the various topical themes each year. The richness and the thought-provoking ideas have made this book into a collector’s item for anyone who is a keen follower of Industrial Relations. Kudos to the team that compiled the book so painstakingly. A book that is not to be missed.

SV Nathan

Partner and Chief Talent Officer

Deloitte India

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Our personal and professional lives are constantly being hit by adversities. Most of the time what happens is not under our control, but how we react to the situation, how we adapt, and how we act depends on us.

The Maruti Suzuki XISS Awanish Kumar Dev Trust is the outcome of the aftermath of one of the biggest adversities in the Indian Industrial landscape. The labour unrest of July 2012 not only shook up the automobile industry, but was also any eye-opener for the entire HR fraternity and industry at large. Standing the severest strain without breaking is the real test of unity, and this is how the entire HR fraternity came together to commemorate the memory of a very treasured member, the Late Shri Awanish Kumar Dev.

This book is a culmination of the experiences of excellent HR professionals and thought leaders, who invested their time and came onboard to share their insights with us, by participating in a series of Awanish Kumar Dev Memorial Lectures conducted pan India since 2013.

We offer our sincerest gratitude to the eminent luminaries for their tireless support and creative insights. The Trust is thankful and extends individual acknowledgements to each of them:

Mr. R.C Bhargava, Chairman – Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.; Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa (Former MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.); Mr. Suresh Narayanan – Chairman & Managing Director, Nestle India Ltd.; Mr. T.V Narendran – Managing Director, Tata Steel; Mr. B Santhanam, CEO at Saint Gobain Asia Pacific & India; Dr. Santrupt Misra, CEO Birla Carbon, Director Chemicals & Director Group HR, Aditya Birla Group ; Padamshri Late Dr. Pritam Singh; Mr. Satish Sharma, President – APMEA at Apollo tyres ; Mr. Nirmal Kumar Minda, CMD UNO Minda Group ; Mr. Ashok Taneja, Managing Director & Chief Mentor at Shriram Pistons & Rings Ltd ; Mr. Manoj Kolhatkar, Co-chief operating Officer, Anand Group India & MD, Gabriel India Ltd. ; Mr. K Ramkumar (Founder of Leadership Centre, Former Executive Director, ICICI Bank) ; Mr. Manas Panda, Former Executive Director, Steel authority of India Ltd ; Mr. Anand Nayak, Executive Vice President HR, ITC Ltd ; Mr. P Dwarakanth, Former Chairman GSK Consumer Healthcare Ltd. ; Mr. S.Y Siddiqui, Executive Advisor, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd ; Mr. Rajeev Dubey (Chairman, Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd.) ; Mr. Arun Sehgal, Former VP HR (Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa) GSK Consumer Healthcare ; Mr. Sabih Kidwai Director Learning Solutions, Talent Mgt & OD at Schneider Electric, Greater India ; Mr. Deepak Dhawan, CEO & Founder, Talentonic HR Solutions Private Ltd. ; Mr. Suresh Dutt Tripathi – CHRO Air India; Dr. Shalini Sharan, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Elektromobilitat India Pvt. Ltd. ; Mr. Yash Yadav, Vice President HR & Corporate Affairs at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company ; Dr. Dev Raj Sharma (Director-HR, Integrated Supply Chain, India at Mondelez International) ; Mr. Rajiv Kapoor (Executive Director & CEO - Group Head HR -UNO MINDA) ; Dr. Arvind N Agrawal, Managing Partner LEAD Associates ; Mr. Vivek Paranjpe (Management Consultant) ; Mr. Yogi Sriram, Advisor to CEO & MD, Group Human Resources at Larsen & Toubro ; Mr. Vineet Kaul (Former Advisor, Group Human Resources at ABG and Former CHRO, Hindalco Industries); Mr. Prince Augustine (EVP Founder & CEO, BiT Partners LLP & Former Group Human Capital & Leadership Development at Mahindra & Mahindra) ; Mr. S Parthasarathy, Advisor, RANE Group ; Mr. Sujith Kumar, AVP & HR Business Leader, Infosys Ltd.; Mr. Venkatanarayanan R, President HR, IT & Education, RANE group ; Mr. M. Muthaiya, Sr. VP-HR, Murugappa Group ; Mr. Pramod Mahatme (Former Vice President Employee Relations, WIPRO) ; Mr. S.V Nathan, Partner, and Chief Talent Officer at Deloitte India ; Mr. B Prasannatha Rao, Advisor – HR, Coromandel International Ltd ; Mr. R. Sridhar (Former Group HR Head, ITC) ; Mr. Y. Ozawa (Senior Advisor, Suzuki Motor Corporation) ; Mr. Nadeem Kazim (Managing Director, Splice HR Works, and Former CHRO TIL Ltd.) ; Dr. Atmanand, Director, MDI Murshidabad ; Mr. V C Agarwal, HR Head, RP-SG ; Ms. Poonam Burman, CHRM, Homecare, beauty & Personal Care, HUL ; Ms. Anjali Byce, CHRO at STL - Sterlite Technologies Ltd ; Mr. Vijay Nair, Vice President, Mahindra & Mahindra ; Dr. Santosh Bhave, Director HR & IR at Bharat Forge Ltd ; Mr. Anand Khot (CHRO Pharmarack & Former GM-HR at IBM) ; Ms. D.S Navalgundkar, Executive Director C4i4 Lab ; Mr. G P Rao – Founder GP Rao HR Consulting LLP ; Mr. Rajeshwar Tripathi – CHRO Automotive & Farms Sector of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. ; Mr. Ranjan Mahapatra - Director HR, Indian Oil Corporation ; Mr. Madhu Damodaran, Group Head Legal, Quess Corp Ltd ; Mr. R.P Singh, Director HR & Legal, IFFCO ; Mr. Sreekanth Reddy Narala, Vice President HR, Aditya Birla Group ; Mr. Ramkishore S, Vice President & Head HR L&T Construction. Fr. Alex Ekka S.J (Former Director, XISS, Ranchi).

I would like to acknowledge the trustees of Awanish Kumar Dev Memorial Trust, Ms. Suparna Dev (Wife of Late Shri Awanish Kumar Dev), Shri Rajesh Uppal (Chairman, Maruti Suzuki XISS Awanish Kumar Dev Memorial Trust & Member of Executive Board, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd), Shri P Dwarakanath (Former Chairman GSK Consumer Healthcare Ltd.), Shri Suresh Dutt Tripathi (CHRO, Air India), Fr. Dr. Joseph Marianus Kujur SJ (Director, Xavier Institute of Social Service Ranchi), Mr. Amar Eron Tigga (Professor and Dean Academics at Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi) and who have guided us in the creation of this compendium. Because of their commitment to excellence and value addition, we have been able to put together this book in a short period of time.

This acknowledgement would be incomplete without recognizing the sincere efforts of Mr. S.Y Siddiqui (Executive Advisor, Maruti Suzuki) who has been instrumental in conceptualizing, designing, and providing the foundation to the entire lecture series from the very beginning. He continues to provide relentless support to this initiative year after year. His guidance has been invaluable during every step of writing this book.

My deepest thanks to the National Human Resource Development Network (NHRDN) and all its local chapters for their persistent support in organizing the annual Awanish Kumar Dev Memorial Lecture. Special mention to Mr. Kamal Singh (Former Director General NHRDN) and Mr. Dhananjay Singh (Director General at NHRDN) for their contributions and warm and generous spirit.

Special thanks to Ms. Shakila Kundu (Business content writer & editor) for multiple improvements in the initial manuscript and content editing. Her insightful work has greatly enhanced the final product.

I would like to acknowledge my team members Ms. Ladli Kumari and Mr. Krishan Kumar for their initial reading and suggestions that improved the compendium. Special thanks to Krishan for putting in several hours for the conversion of the lecture series audio/video into a meaningful transcript.

And last but not the least, thanks to Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. for supporting the trust all through out and for being the very pedestal on which the axis of the trust rests.

If there were no night, we cannot appreciate the day. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. The journey is never ending there is always going to be growth, improvement and adversity. With this I would like to thank all my friends and colleagues; you have been invaluable and gracious with your time, counsel, and support. Thank you!

Yours Sincerely

Mussarat Hussain

Secretary

Maruti Suzuki XISS Awanish Kumar Dev Memorial Trust

FOREWORD

18th July 2012 is indelibly etched in our minds for one of the most shocking, unfortunate and tragic incident at MSIL. It was the day we lost a valued and dedicated HR colleague, Awanish Kumar Dev, to violence at our Manesar plant in Haryana.

The most pertinent thought we had was that such an incident should never occur again in MSIL, or in any Industry in future. We deliberated, detailed, analysed and reviewed within MSIL, to identify the root cause of such a shocking development. The deliberations were led by the MSIL top management involving all business heads. Our introspection led to a consensus that to nullify the negative influence of the surrounding external environment on our young workforce, an increased focus on proactive shopfloor management & regular communication with our shop floor associates will be most appropriate counter-measures.

We widened our ambit to also analyse such incidents in different industries, over the past few years around the country, to understand the provocation, possible common issues leading to the extreme negative context of Labour issues and the resultant violence.

We then sought participation, dialogue and thought sharing from CHROs of twenty-five top corporates. They shared our concern regarding the seriousness of this issue. Our collective deliberations brought us to the decision that we had to ensure that it was of utmost importance to cultivate and facilitate a violence free work environment.

This gave us clarity and direction to bring in a partnership approach between Labour and Management. We decided that the top leadership and HR had to undertake a conscious future Employee Relations Strategy aiming at twin objectives of business growth and mutual share of gains. The ER Strategy to revolve around a Positive, fair & transparent Work Environment with focus on Communication, participation & engagement. Also the