LIC has thousands of employees in its offices. How many of them are sincerely giving output for the requisite number of working hours is questionable. Consider the below-mentioned facts.
There are employees who have medical problems, some even suffer from life-threatening ailments, yet refuse to resign, just so that they can continue getting medi-claim and complete the mandatory years of qualifying service for voluntary or regular retirement. They are not able to discharge their duties to their fullest capacity when they do attend office, thereby putting the work-overload on their grudging colleagues.
The relatives of employees who have been appointed on compassionate grounds enjoy the benefits of a stable job, without having to go through the regular process of recruitment.Several of them are complacent and not very keen about their jobs. Most of them retire in the same posts in which they were appointed.
Then there are the perennial shirkers who have made hedging a fine art. Such people refuse to assume any responsibility for their jobs and while away precious working hours, gossiping or shopping and running errands during office hours. If their superiors attempt to make them realize their responsibility, they in turn will be 'warned' by the Branch Manager to 'go soft on them.' Probably, they fear a backlash from the employees' unions.Such shirkers will never be tolerated in any private enterprise.
Most of the staff refuse promotions fearing far-away postings and are contented in their current positions. They never aspire to achieve anything. They don't attempt technical exams and thus are not updated in their knowledge about their work. They refuse to give up their seats and don't want even a departmental change, at times.
Several such non-motivated employees stick on to their well-paying jobs for the entire duration till retirement.
This is LIC's concept of employee-loyalty. Just warming one's seat! Productivity may be damned!
During my exit interview with the Manager (P & IR), I mentioned this malaise. He nonchalantly replied, "If 40% of the staff is not working, just ignore them and get their job done by the remaining 60%." I said that this was injustice towards the remaining hard-working employees. "Why should they be over-loaded with work when every employee gets the same salary?" He just shrugged as if implying that that was the way how things worked in LIC. He smiled and remained silent. His attitude was a revelation that the Management was fully aware of such shirkers and that until it didn't take such people to task, things would never improve.
The grape-vine has it that the Management has decided to repudiate the arrears payments to the resigning employees on the grounds of not being loyal to the Corporation.
In the light of the facts that I mentioned above, one can't help being amused (and disgusted) by LIC's ill-conceived Concept of Loyalty.
Even the Provident Fund rules stipulate for transfer of the PF dues from a resigning employee's account to that of his new employer. These rules recognize and appreciate the fact that dynamic and motivated employees will always seek betterment of career prospects. Such employees will contribute positively and productively to the economy, in the long run.
Besides, why should an employee be unjustly deprived of the arrears' payment, PF and Gratuity difference for the period during which he was on the salary rolls of the Corporation? Even LIC has admitted in reply to my RTI appeal, that this is an arbitrary decision as it doesn't have any reason on record for repudiation of arrears!
Hence it can safely be said that LIC's top brass needs rigorous lessons in HR practices. Its HR policies are out-dated and need an over-haul urgently. No amount of computerization can achieve it. Attitudes and perceptions have to be examined, analyzed and changed. A behavioral therapy resulting in empathy and sensitization is the need of the hour!
There are employees who have medical problems, some even suffer from life-threatening ailments, yet refuse to resign, just so that they can continue getting medi-claim and complete the mandatory years of qualifying service for voluntary or regular retirement. They are not able to discharge their duties to their fullest capacity when they do attend office, thereby putting the work-overload on their grudging colleagues.
The relatives of employees who have been appointed on compassionate grounds enjoy the benefits of a stable job, without having to go through the regular process of recruitment.Several of them are complacent and not very keen about their jobs. Most of them retire in the same posts in which they were appointed.
Then there are the perennial shirkers who have made hedging a fine art. Such people refuse to assume any responsibility for their jobs and while away precious working hours, gossiping or shopping and running errands during office hours. If their superiors attempt to make them realize their responsibility, they in turn will be 'warned' by the Branch Manager to 'go soft on them.' Probably, they fear a backlash from the employees' unions.Such shirkers will never be tolerated in any private enterprise.
Most of the staff refuse promotions fearing far-away postings and are contented in their current positions. They never aspire to achieve anything. They don't attempt technical exams and thus are not updated in their knowledge about their work. They refuse to give up their seats and don't want even a departmental change, at times.
Several such non-motivated employees stick on to their well-paying jobs for the entire duration till retirement.
This is LIC's concept of employee-loyalty. Just warming one's seat! Productivity may be damned!
During my exit interview with the Manager (P & IR), I mentioned this malaise. He nonchalantly replied, "If 40% of the staff is not working, just ignore them and get their job done by the remaining 60%." I said that this was injustice towards the remaining hard-working employees. "Why should they be over-loaded with work when every employee gets the same salary?" He just shrugged as if implying that that was the way how things worked in LIC. He smiled and remained silent. His attitude was a revelation that the Management was fully aware of such shirkers and that until it didn't take such people to task, things would never improve.
The grape-vine has it that the Management has decided to repudiate the arrears payments to the resigning employees on the grounds of not being loyal to the Corporation.
In the light of the facts that I mentioned above, one can't help being amused (and disgusted) by LIC's ill-conceived Concept of Loyalty.
Even the Provident Fund rules stipulate for transfer of the PF dues from a resigning employee's account to that of his new employer. These rules recognize and appreciate the fact that dynamic and motivated employees will always seek betterment of career prospects. Such employees will contribute positively and productively to the economy, in the long run.
Besides, why should an employee be unjustly deprived of the arrears' payment, PF and Gratuity difference for the period during which he was on the salary rolls of the Corporation? Even LIC has admitted in reply to my RTI appeal, that this is an arbitrary decision as it doesn't have any reason on record for repudiation of arrears!
Hence it can safely be said that LIC's top brass needs rigorous lessons in HR practices. Its HR policies are out-dated and need an over-haul urgently. No amount of computerization can achieve it. Attitudes and perceptions have to be examined, analyzed and changed. A behavioral therapy resulting in empathy and sensitization is the need of the hour!
