HRM an impending catastrophe of business

An unbiased environmental scan of Human Resource Management (HRM) in Sri Lanka benchmarked against India indicates a high probability of an impending risk that could negatively impact the competitiveness of Sri Lankan business.

The ‘Red Comrades’ are threatening severe trade union action against the failure to provide government jobs to unemployed graduates.

Tharuna Aruna graduates are sitting in protest on public roads demanding permanent government jobs. The Minister of Education offers to absorb them as teaching assistants. Alas, no one speaks of their present capability, strengths and weakness (knowledge, skills, attitudes and values), the market needs and the way forward.

A Central Bank official blames the Ministry of Finance for allowing increases in public sector cadre, and thus failing to arrest resultant ill effects on the macro economy. It is reported that 25,000 new recruits will swell the cadres of the armed services and police.

There is reference to 15,000 home guards being engaged at Rs 15,000 a month all inclusive allowance and provided with training and a gun to protect the conflict affected border villages. How quickly will these guards join the first batch of graduates absorbed as contract staff and given teaching posts last year, in demanding permanency, perks, benefits and pensions? Alas, no one addresses the issues of productivity, quality and value addition with the increasing cadre.

Banks offer permanent jobs with attractive salaries and perks to graduates. Before long these recruits express dissatisfaction over work assigned and designations. They desire new job titles, work with higher responsibilities than non graduate colleagues and allocation of non repetitive supervisory jobs (not tellers and customer services officers).

Unemployed girls are reluctant to take up posts as sewing girls in Sri Lanka and overseas. Village parents are reluctant to encourage children to take up these jobs due to the reputation risks associated with the industry. Unemployed girls offered supervised hostel facilities operated by employers are unwilling to take up jobs in diamond cutting industry despite attractive earning options due to perceived negative medical issues related to eye strain.

Tea and rubber plantations fail to attract village labour and fail to attract new entrants.

These sectors are unable to attract sufficient human resources to meet demands.

Construction and industrial sector jobs in the Middle East and Far East attract Indian, Pakistani and Chinese labour.

Sri Lankans are reluctant to take these demanding jobs with relatively inconvenient working conditions and adaptation to the heat and strenuous routines. Customer-service jobs in the Middle East and Far East are the preserve of Filipinas and Indians due to proficiency and fluency in English. Nursing and home care jobs overseas cannot be effectively filled by Sri Lankans as they lack required competency and experience.

International software development companies find it is impossible to access sufficient numbers of staff with required skills (numeracy, IQ, logic) and English to match industry needs, even with training. BPO operators are unable to attract staff willing to work night shifts, despite rotation with day time work, transportation, food and attractive remuneration. BPO operators engaged in skilled services and technical work find the knowledge and skill levels of employees well below needs and available options in competing nations. Lack of adequate numbers of skilled resources becomes the greatest hurdle to operating in Sri Lanka.

The low interest of employees (including management staff), in training and development offers is another shocking reality (ie. unless these offers involve week day commitments only or have a component of foreign travel). Most employees do not commit personal time to expand job related knowledge and skills and are mostly uninterested in expanding capability through reading newspapers, magazines, books and the use of Internet.

As an increasing number of Sri Lankan businesses come under the influence of Indian management, local employees (including members of management staff) openly complain about the employer expectation of hard work, long hours (Saturdays and 10 hour week days), expanded job responsibilities and lower pay and perks.

There were similar complaints a few years ago when equally or more qualified Indians were taking lucrative management jobs, working harder, smarter and longer hours at lower total remuneration costs than their Sri Lankan counterparts.

We always write on Fridays 'enjoy the weekend'. Instead why don't we say on Mondays 'enjoy the work week’? We should change the mindset of people that work is more enjoyable and also healthier than lazily spending time, probably boozing and over eating during weekends? In today's context with e-mails, and Internet, work is more fun and keeps the adrenalin pumped, which according to latest medical research is good for you!

It is time business leaders, trainers, communicators, media, policy makers and politicians together recognized their responsibility for leading a paradigm change in HRM to meet the emerging challenges of business.