On The Job : Education

Executive education and a sense of pride

Aparna Kalra — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:02:00 GMT

Mint's pull-out on executive education shows that good companies will invest in people even in bad times. Executives who participate in mid-career progarmmes not only brush-up old skills, they acquire new ones. And they acquire something else which came through in their interviews: a sense of pride that their employer is willing to invest in their career.

So cut down on his first-class travel, but send your CEO to that management programme abroad that you were planning to.

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Volunteerism high on B-School grads' agendas

Taru Bahl — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:56:00 GMT

One of the top five questions which B-school graduates in the US and UK are asking potential employers during placement sessions is, "will I get a chance to do voluntary work in your company?"

On a three-hour drive from Nagpur to a cluster of villages in Chandrapur district, Rachael Barber, global head, community investment, Barclays talked to me about how increasingly employee engagement in local communities is high on the bank's sustainability agenda and how people – from 24 to 60 years are opting to work for charities, supporting causes and giving away a good portion of their time, without expecting any monetary return.

In 2007, Barclays invested £52.4 million in community projects around the world, and more than 43,000 colleagues in 29 countries were involved in all kind of fundraising and volunteering initiatives that included simple things like painting schools, planting trees, improving environments to doing heavy duty-based school training, spending time at old age homes and counseling out-of-school children to get them back to school.

Skill-based volunteering according to her adds maximum value to aid recipients. This becomes even more relevant when you see the ILO estimates which point out that there are over 88 million unemployed young people (15-24 years) around the world, comprising half the world's total unemployment. Also world over young people are four times more likely to be unemployed than older workers.

Youth unemployment figures get further pushed up when you see the serious barriers they encounter on entering the labour market. Poor educational attainment and lack of experience places them at the bottom of the work pyramid. They are often the last to be hired when times are good and the first to be laid off when times are bad – a scary thought, especially when jobs seem to be getting scarce and holding on to them tougher. And those who have missed on a basic education have even lesser prospect of catching up.

While volunteering is not a KRA or mandatory for companies that are engaged in any kind of CSR activity, it definitely has the potential to add to the employee's annual appraisal. For the last 6-7 years there has been a strong culture in UK and Africa, where Barclays has a strong presence to participate in a 'make a difference day' project that spans two weeks. Employees come up with ideas and suggestions on what they can do and the bank provides assistance, aid and time off to do that. In 2007 in 26 countries 100,000 hours were devoted to different initiatives. Some of the novel things that got done included providing shelter facilities for homeless dogs.

Consulting and accounting companies have traditionally done a lot of community work. It is easier for them to move their consultants from place to place. But for others, much of their voluntary work has remained confined to where they are headquartered. In Barclays too this was the trend but in the last few years they have tried to go beyond the UK and see how the amount allocated for aid has a 50% component that can be spread out to other countries, locations and geographies.

Ritu Anand, deputy global head of human resources at the Tata Consultancy Services had recently talked about how their employees were actively seeking voluntary work, choosing to devote weekends to spending in villages on the various projects which the company has on ground without claiming any compensatory offs in return.

Now the good news is that companies are beginning to offer employees long-term volunteering opportunities that could be for 2-3 years at a stretch. So you could actually take time off and devote yourself to something that interests you. You continue to be on the payrolls of the company and do something that gratifies and fulfills. Even international volunteering opportunities are up for grabs. With donors like Barclays who have social projects in different countries this could mean volunteering work in Africa, Pakistan, Egypt or even India.

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This also happens in India

Taru Bahl — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:29:00 GMT

My run-down Santro is shared between the elder son and me and being the good Indian mum, whenever he makes a request, I am quick to relinquish my chauffeur driven comfort and take an auto instead. Our office being right in the middle of Delhi's busy Connaught Place area, means getting an empty auto is never an issue but getting one to agree to take you to your destination most definitely is (beats me how Mumbai is so different in this regard: the guys there never say no to the shortest of distances; they always return the change, even if it is Re1; they go strictly by the meter; they wear a uniform and most importantly, they are clean).

Well, after facing a disinterested No from half a dozen autowallahs, one decent looking chap agreed and I hopped on, trying not to feel guilty about three people standing behind me, hoping he would say no. Mid-way he asked me if I minded his stopping at Nehru Place to pick up his daughter. I hesitated for a moment but he proceeded to explain all the same, "she works in an advertising agency and I usually try to pick her up around 7pm to avoid her taking a bus on what is a very crowded route." He proceeded to add, "you know madam, she is office-going like you and to me the ride back home is so precious, for she updates me on all her office politics and developments and though I have never seen the inside of a swanky office, I can imagine what it must be like." He didn't need much prodding to talk.

As he regaled me with anecdotes of her always winning art/ story writing/ mono acting competitions, the half hour drive flew by till he halted at what looked like a predesignated spot outside a commercial complex.

I saw a tall lissome girl walk purposefully towards us. Wearing a black trouser and shirt with a striped georgette turquoise scarf, she looked a bit like Shilpa Shetty. When she slid gracefully into the vacant seat next to me, for a minute I did a double take. It was only when she wished me and then her father in perfect unaccented English that I realized she was his daughter! (Well, I have been accused of being a bit of a tubelight).

The next 20-minutes flew by as we slid into an easy conversation where I tried not to gush and be overpowered by her charisma and tehzeeb (good manners/ upbringing). She is a creative visualizer with a leading advertising agency. The proud dad butted in, much to her embarrassment, informing me that she was earning a 6-digit salary and was not even 25 years of age as yet.

The girl had gone to a government school where she had, not surprisingly been a topper throughout. Along with an English (Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College she did a few short duration diploma courses in art. And though she has opted for a career in art, her agency wants her to dabble in copywriting too.

Her younger sister is in Pune doing her MCA and no, she has no brothers. The father took a decision of going in for vasectomy once the younger one was born, making a promise to his parents who were still hankering for a boy, that he would give his girls an education that would be just as good had it been sons he had had. He had to sell off his stake in the family's ancestral agricultural land but he has no regrets. Turning around at a busy intersection he quizzed me, "you think any cash crop or bank would have given me better returns?" Still trying to overcome my complete sense of admiration for the duo, I muttered, "ah, no, not at all, especially not with the way banks have kept slashing interest rates on fixed deposits".

A similar story is that of one of our security guards in office whose son has secured a seat in the Delhi College of Engineering. Raising funds has been an issue but so far goodwill has helped him mobilize enough for the first semester. A true democracy, India lives up to its image where extremes thrive. If you have kids like the ones I talked about in my last post (rich spoilt brats, unflinchingly spending their rich dad's money) there are kids like these two who make it on their own steam, rise above their background and earn a place for themselves in society. Apart from talent and determination, equal opportunities for the deserving exist. Reservations notwithstanding.

As I got home that night, I couldn't but stop thinking of my accidental meeting. This story had so many messages for us, people from the seemingly upper strata of society. How many men do I know who would go in for a vasectomy out of choice? How many in-laws would not truly want a male child? How many fathers would let go of an extra income (he could have run his auto for another 2 hours in CP's busy area or later, earning overtime) choosing to spend time with their children? And how many privileged kids would be as respectful as this young girl?

The answers shamed me!

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Complete this sentence: My best teacher was...

S. Mitra Kalita — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:18:00 GMT

... a journalism instructor in high school named Mrs Bonnie Blader. She was nurturing but blunt, idealistic but practical. It is because of her encouragement that I went anywhere with words. Nobody in college came close, except for one history teacher I took three courses with, he was that good, especially when it came to relating Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness to world history even as those two guys didn't really get along so well. I thought of the educators who impacted my life as I wrote today's column about the best professors and their last lectures. Yesterday also brought the announcement from Minister of State for Higher Education D. Purandeswari that the Indian Institutes of Technology need to tap young talent at the doctoral level, as well as NRIs and premier professors at other universities. She suggested creating a database to at least begin tackling the acute talent shortage of faculty in higher education. "Once these candidates are earmarked as potential faculty members of IIT system, they can be supported to continue their post-doctoral research at any premier institution of their choice," Purandeswari said.

The gesture, of course, is needed, but I also feel sad for the IIT kids who might have to learn from fresh-faced profs who are just graduated themselves. Will they get those pearls that only life experience and industry exposure can provide? (Mrs Blader, for example, had me in stitches when she shared a magazine piece about whale-watching with the words: "Call me Bonnie." Readers of Moby *** will know why.)

Anyway, the teacher crunch is global but most successful folks remember at least one teacher who made a difference and affected their journeys. Who's yours? And for those of you who have studied in both India and the West, compare the teaching styles for me, please. Do tell... And please, call me Mitra...

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Reservations on reservations?

S. Mitra Kalita — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:47:00 GMT

After a year of back and forth, the decision's out - 27% of seats at public institutions must be reserved for members of other backward classes. Readers of my column likely know how I feel about this but let me know if your workplaces or campuses are abuzz...

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