"Retention of people should be considered a business goal rather than a damage control measure."

There was a time when silver and golden jubilees were recognized and awarded "Long Service Awards". The latest in the IT industry is that Long Service Awards are being given to employees who have actually completed a year. And mind you, a year in IT is like an eon elsewhere-sort of the concept of one man year being seven dog years. And of course crazy deadlines-time zone issues and true justification of "working like a dog". The difference of course, being the loyalty factor. And the concern being-How to create that loyalty? It obviously cannot be secured with one meal and two walks a day-so what is it that would help the industry create loyalty?

Words such as creativity and innovation enter the scenario at this juncture. Organizations are now endeavoring to "create" "innovative" approaches to retain manpower-and battle the situation of losing out on superior performers. Day in and day out there are situations being created- wherein the organization need to face the client and tell them their favorite resource is no longer available. (Of course, if he looked a little further he may just spot the same resource working at the client site-status changed from contractor to employee!) That is the whole game-gone are the days of ethics and customer satisfaction. The first step today is employee satisfaction. And yes-they are no longer employees, but Internal Customers!!!

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About the Authors

Sunil Tadwalkar is a senior consultant in HCU-quality Consulting division of Satyam Computers Services Ltd India; he has over 22 years of Industry experience in manufacturing as well as IT industries and is involved in process consulting and project management field. He provides the expertise in model based (CMMI, CMM, PCMM, ISO9001, PMBOK, and ITIL) and non-model based (Based on business objectives of client) services for Indian and overseas clients.

 

Manjira Sen has nine years of experience in various facets of IT - and has mainly worked in the development of markets and marketing strategies, both in India as well as Europe. She is a post graduate in Economics and Statistics, an MBA in marketing and has done her Post Graduate Diploma in Total Quality Management. She currently works with QPRIME -Satyam's Quality consulting group.

Source: Ubiquity, Volume 6, Issue 14, April 26-May 3, 2005 http://www.acm.org/ubiquity