Forward by Divakar
New Delhi: Here is a bad news again for employees as many companies are likely to move away from the planned salary hikes in 2009. Indicating further reduction in work force, a recent Mercer survey says companies have conceded that workforce reduction would occur and hiring would become more selective and skill- based.
Of hundreds of human resource and finance professionals in India surveyed, 83 percent believe that their companies have planned to look closely at holding down the level of compensation increases and salary increases are likely to be lower than originally planned in 2009. But surprisingly, very few Indian companies surveyed are considering the more drastic step of freezing 2009 salaries at 2008 figures, with 19 percent of survey respondents saying that such a step is likely and 24 percent saying a salary freeze is somewhat likely.
Half of the Indian respondents say that their company is likely to reduce previously budgeted 2009 bonus payouts for performance in 2008. "It is now time to plug gaps where mediocre performance has been rewarded with high pay. Companies need to drive robust performance management and adopt a performance-based reward strategy. Employees should increasingly focus on acquiring new skills and developing an entrepreneurial mindset," opined Padma Ravichandar, Country Leader, Mercer Consulting (India).
The survey also focuses on human resources and says that in an environment in which they are asked to operate with reduced resources, HR continues to be considered core strategic to most companies' business. 27 percent of the respondents said their companies plan to maintain their investments to improve the overall HR services.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Companies likely to cut planned salary hikes
Time please
Forward by Arun Kumar
Young Man: Sir, may I know the time, please?
Old Man: Certainly not.
Young Man: Sir, but why? What are you going to lose,if
You tell me the time?
Old Man: Yes, I may lose something if I tell you the time.
Young Man: But Sir, can you tell me how?
Old Man : See, if I tell you the time you will definitely thank me and may be tomorrow again you will ask me the time.
Young Man: Quite possible.
Old Man: May be we meet two three times more and you will ask my name and address.
Young Man: Quite possible.
Old Man: One day you may come to my house saying you were just passing by and came into wish me. Then as a courtsey, I will offer you a cup of tea. After my courteous approach you will try to come again.This time you will appreciate tea and ask who has made it.?
Young Man: Possible
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Old Man: Then I will tell you that my daughter has and I will then have to introduce my young and pretty daughter to you & you will admire my daughter.
Young Man: Smiles. ;)
Old Man: Now onwards you will try to meet my daughter again and again. You will offer her to go out for a movie together and a date with you.
Young Man: Smiles
Old Man: My daughter may start liking you and start waiting for you. After meeting regularly you will fall in love with her and propose her for marriage.
Young Man: Smiles
Old Man: One day both of you will come to me and tell me about your love and ask for my permission.
Young Man: Oh Yes! And smiles
Old Man: (Angrily) Young man, I will never marry my daughter to a person like you who does not even own a watch.
Without hands( Inspiration )
Forward by Meenu Kochumon
Doctors do not know precisely why Jessica Cox was born without hands. Antenatal tests have not revealed this rare congenital defect. However, since infancy, its legs served it as hands. As well as all children, it has passed through various stages of development. It has learned to eat independently and as to write by means of legs. During all childhood, it participated in various actions, including: navigation, gymnastics, dances.
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Friday, December 19, 2008
When You Thought I Wasn't Looking
Forward by Arun Kumar
(A message every parent or adult should read, because children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.)
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I felt you kiss me good night. I felt loved and safe.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know from you--how to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."
Each of us, parent or friend, influence the life of a child.
Today I said a prayer for you.
How will you touch the life of someone today? Just by sending this to someone else, you can help them to think about their influence on others.
Friends and parents are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
Newton Laws for Software
Forward by Subamangala Ramaseshan
Law 1 .Every Software Engineer continues his state of chatting or forwarding mails unless he is assigned work by manager.
Law 2. The rate of change in the software is directly proportional to the payment received from client and takes place at the quick rate as when deadline force is applied.
Law 3. For every Use Case Manifestation there is an equal but opposite Software Implementation.
Bonus :-) Law 4 . Bugs can neither be created nor be removed from software by a developer. It can only be converted from one form to another. The total number of bugs in the software always remains constant.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
New Openings and Layoff news from India - Dec 18th: Update
Forward by Divakar
TCS to honor hiring commitment, says no "pink slips"
Hyderabad - India's largest tech firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) said it would honor all employment offers made to college graduates and had no plans to hand over "pink slips" to current employees despite the ongoing global economic slowdown.
Accenture Profit Rises 26% on Outsourcing Demand
Accenture Ltd., the world’s second- largest technology-consulting firm, said first-quarter profit rose 26 percent after the company won more outsourcing contracts.
Telesoft sets up telecom lab in India
New Delhi: Telesoft Technologies, a UK based provider of reliable and cost-effective Telecommunications, Monitoring, Homeland Security and Intelligence solutions, has announced the opening of its telecom laboratory in India to assist integration and roll out of new partner products in the region. The lab has Telesoft's complete range of products allowing local customers to quickly integrate and test software applications and ensure network compatibility in real world conditions.
Stanford sees huge opportunity in India
Bangalore: "The transformation of 'call-centers' into 'data-centers' and then into 'data-center hubs' would become an eventuality in the years to come," says Balaji Prabhakar, Associate Professor, Dept. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Stanford University. Identifying India to be the next potential hub, the 10 eminent professors from Stanford provoked thoughts of techies on innovation and research developments at 'The Stanford Engineering Symposium - India', organized in association with SiliconIndia here today. Click here for complete story.
HCL Technologies completes Axon acquisition, becomes major global SAP player
New Delhi - Tech major HCL Technologies Ltd said it has successfully completed the acquisition of UK-based SAP consulting firm Axon Group Plc. (Axon) in a £441.1 million all-cash deal and has merged the HCL SAP practice under Axon leadership.
Layoffs in India
Hexaware - firing senior people
Source: post from a reader
Every friday evening between 5 pm to 6 pm at least 4 senior members get a call from HR manager. A resignation letter is kept ready in front and is asked to sign. Absolutely no notice given. Within a minute you lose all access and you are jobless. No room for gratitude… no respect for the hardwork earned from the employee. The act is like taking disciplinary action against the employee. Imagine…. if this is happening to someone who had spent more than 10 years who was treated like a king when his skill was requried for the growth of the company. The new CEO who has joined Hexaware from Wipro is axing people like he is cutting trees from his garden.
After Wipro, he has come to Hexaware that ranked 6th in Best employer survey - DQ in 2006. For him Employees are commodities not human resource with blood and Flesh.
Six months back there were 2 rounds of layoffs when the IT slow down started due to which there were heavy attrition and the company lost all good resources. To stop this further the top management wanted to spread a positive message and convened to the middle management that there will not be anymore layoffs. They were trying to kind of justify why it happened. However behind the screen they are axing people silently but cruelly
Motorola issues pink slips to 100 employees in India
Mumbai/New Delhi: US mobile phones maker Motorola is learned to have issued pink slips to at least 100 of its 4,000 employees in India.
Flurry of top-level exits in Satyam
NEW DELHI: Satyam Computer Services had seen a flurry of top-level exits in it’s IT and BPO businesses, including Satyam head of strategy Shailesh Shah, before the Maytas buyout decision was taken on Tuesday. In September, Venkatesh Roddam, the CEO of Satyam BPO, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Satyam, put in his papers.
"Self Appraisal"
Forward by Monika
A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a Soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone numbers).
The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation:
Boy: "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?
Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): "I already have someone to cut my lawn."
Boy: "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now."
Woman: I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.
Boy: (with more perseverance): "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk,
so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach , Florida.
Woman: No, thank you.
With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.
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The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store Owner: "Son… I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job".
Boy: "No thanks",
Store Owner: But you were really pleading for one.
Boy: No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have.
"I am the one who is working for that lady, I was talking to!"
This is what we call "Self Appraisal"
Highly Recommended…..
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Good Morning !!!
Forward by Monika
A hundred of years from now it will not matter what my bank account was,
the sort of house I live in or the kind of car I drove.
However, the world will be different because I was important in the life of a child...
Have a Lovely Day...
Good Morning !!!
I THINK OF YOU
Forward by Sudharshan Pillai
When I open my eyes
to see the sun rise
I think of you.
When I hear a robin sing
on the first day of spring
I think of you.
When I see a red rose
on the bush where it grows
I think of you.
When I feel the summer heat
on the sand beneath my feet
I think of you
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When I sit on a beach
another world just out of reach
I think of you.
When I see the colored leaves
fall to the ground from a light breeze
I think of you.
When I look to the night sky
and see the sparkle like in your eyes
I think of you.
When the snow is coming down
to softly blanket the ground
I think of you.
When I go to bed at night
as I turn out the light
I think of you.
When I'm old and near death
and I draw my last breath
I'll think of you.....
A Violinist in the Metro
Forward by Ankit Chawla
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
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In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
