HRM IS NOT A T20 GAME

If the cost of potato comes to two rupees a kilo and a liter of petrol ten rupees then the employees would get only basic pay and perhaps some House rent allowance. This in fact is the exact concept of dearness allowance. When the cost of goods goes up, be it food items or consumer durable or medicine things become dearer. In other words the rupee fetches far lesser per one unit. That is how it is called dearness allowance which in sum and substance exists to compensate the erosion of money value.

 An allowance is meant to reimburse in cash after computing the money equivalent of any additional task/responsibility assigned or carried out by an employee. Because such burden is not allotted in each and every case, the word ‘special’ got attached to it. While drivers are normally in the subordinate cadre special allowance is part of their package for the additional skill and responsibility.

Such allowances are also given for possessing additional skills like stenographer/draftsman/electrician etc. When computers were new two decades ago, special allowance was paid for operating it. But today work is carried out in a high tech world and being tech savvy is a prerequisite. Thus there is nothing special about it.

HR managers are required to adapt to this change of working world and devise pay structure to suit it. In the IT based industries, specialization in a specific field like Java or mainframe or SAP itself is the basic requirement, reducing the scope of special allowance. In other industries too there are specialized areas both IT and non IT based which decide the pay strength. Ideally today there can be only Basic Pay, DA, HRA and City compensatory allowance in places where the cost of living is higher than comparable cities.

But both the employer (HR) and the employees are busy devising ways and means to circumvent the rules of Income Tax and Labor Laws to arrive at highest of take home with minimum of tax liability and to create a win – win situation. The fact that the employees don’t win in the long run is blurred in the process. The fathers of labor laws had lofty ideals of employee welfare, social security and well being and also post retirement assistance in mind while devising rules.

But we are in the era of T20. Immediate gains of name and fame along with unimaginable money albeit for a short period of life span, a decade at best is found to be enough.  Similar attitude of the HR is unacceptable especially when employee welfare is their KPA. PF, Pension and Gratuity are thus benefits linked to the period of service and there are many other benefits that are based on longer service. The change that is required in the arena is initiated by none other than the Prime Minister. The Chambers of industry are quick to welcome it.  

When that is so men leading the  HR forums have to stand up and speak to their management and industry forums to inculcate a culture of welfare that takes into account  life long well being of the working force also based on modern day stress and strain. They should desist their colleagues from the short cut of T20 style of management. In T20 itself, in the end overs the bowlers do their best to keep the speed and length of the ball deceptive and the batsmen hit hard, hit wild and hit inventively to ensure reaching the target. Employee welfare in the long run should be the target of HR professionals and whatever deception is attempted by the industry has to be destroyed similarly by hitting hard on 'walking the talk' by the industry managers.  That would ultimately uphold the true spirit of employee welfare and in turn would uphold their professional ethics. 

*************************************************************