People are dying from job related stress. Actually dying or moving fast towards death
with diseases like stress related diabetes, cardiac problem, high blood pressure etc.
(DEAD: Raghu Pillai of Future grp, R Ravimohan of Reliance, ex CRISIL, Ranjan Das of SAP, Dewang Mehta - NASSCOM are the known examples & DYING : Most of us)
Unfortunately the pace at which economy (due to technology) wants us to react is so fast that human species will take time to adjust. Like the versions of the IT products we also need advance versions of people who can take on the technology and can react and move at speed of thought. I am not talking abt development of technology but the speed at which things in the world happens due to sophistication of technology is the KILLER.
Technology is just a one part, problem with CAPITALIST society is that Capital is d only measurement of success.All our measurements of success surrounds CAPITAL. ROI, IRR, EBIDTA, EPS, ROCE, PBT , EVA and that's it. Failure or success is defined by these figures. PERIOD.
Which company actually measures stress or happiness of the employees , suppliers (Quick deliveries and delayed payment) & customers on an on going basis and actually work towards improving the happiness and lowering the stress? No Annual Reports talks about people's happiness or customers happiness due to the existence of the enterprise. People talks about triple bottom line (one each for Shareholders, Society and Environment).We have regulator like SEBI and minister like Jairam Ramesh so two of the three are looked after to some extent (environment reporting is negligible). Society incl people (HR) and customer influenced by the Enterprise is invariably ignored.
Companies in the US like Zapoos is one of the very few who has taken up HAPPINESS as an objective of their existence and they are working on delivering happiness not just to their customers but to people across the globe.
Unless the focus changes things will not change. Unless we care abt the people more than the shareholders things will not change. Unless our annual reports are driven by people, customers and society at large than by Companies Act things will not change. Which company will wake up first?? Infosys did it once on governance and reporting transparency.
Who will take the lead this time? Are we not extremely conditioned!!!
Who will take the lead this time? Are we not extremely conditioned!!!
Well as per my belief, Business is done for just one primary aim- PROFITS.. And that shall be the prime focus of any company. Its we analysts who have formed new terms such as - Customer Satisfaction, Employee Wellness, etc.
ReplyDeleteLet's take a simple example. Have we ever heard our parents being asked by the grocer on the crossroads ki are you happy with the rates i am providing u commodities @? Or are you happy with quality of ghee i provide? No... cause that's not something which conventional business involves.
Same way with employee wellness. Never have the business maestros been worrying abt their workforce.
PROFIT is the AIM, only aim.
And neither we nor the working class can help it. They're falling a prey to STRESS borne diseases, they know that well. But they are helpless, aren't they?
Am too inexperienced to comment, but got reeled in by the subject so leaped in.
Well said Anish. However ONLY profit attitude is primitive form of trade and business. When u engage social resources like people, infrastructure,environment etc etc, ONLY profit motive will not work in the long run.
ReplyDeleteProfit is necessary but not sufficient. profit at what social cost? We cant & should not ignore other elements. By focusing on happy employees and enchanted customers profit is going to go up. Who will give more than 100% to their employers? Happy or Unhappy Employees? Who will be yr repeat buyers and FAN of yr brand , enchanted customer of unhappy customer? Profit is d motive but approach can be different. What companies' can do with happy employees can not be done with unhappy and stressed out employees.
There are enlightened companies who follows the principle that Employees Comes First and Wowing customers is the agenda.
There are books like Customers Comes Second , Seven Days weekend , Experience Economy and The Starbucks Experience.
U must dwell into these writings b4 u start yr enterprise.
U must create FANs of yr BRAND. Rest all is red ocean cut throat competition.
Cheers.
There are just a handful of enlightened companies as you've termed the, which follow the Principles Employees First and Wowing Customers in the agenda.
ReplyDeleteWill cite a simple example,--- LIC of India. India's biggest Life Insurance Corp. Neither it knows WOWing customers nor does it know keeping employees happy. Still it's making awesome profits.(I don't say that, market analysts, balance sheets and CNBC says it). Its not that it doesn't have competition. With the private Insurance neophytes increasing(Eg Reliance, Aviva,Birla Sunlife,Star, Max Bupa and so many) the competition hasn't affected LIC's profit considerably.. People still go mad after LIC.. Why? Cheap service, though miserably inefficient.
We Indians are such species who are just interested in quantitative factors rather than qualitative factors. One more example to cite. Most of the Indians would always prefer having a 35Rs Unlimited Meal @ an Unhygenic Dabha (with no waiter services) rather than to having Awesome mouth watering food at a good restaurant @ 100Rs Unlimited Meal(with waiter services). Factor to be noted here is SAVING MONEY, though it be at the cost of your personal health.
The factors you cited fua, would fall exactly apt for Western Companies, I agree to it to the fullest and I have seen so many Western firms putting it to practice, my WebHosting Provider Hostgator being one of those amazing ones. I have an awesome Customer Experience to share pertaining to WOWing customers and providing impeccable service. I will soon share it on the FB page you created.
But like from my point of view I feel India will take much more years to understand Customer Satisfaction, Employee Welfare kinds of lofty concepts.. And no wonder, we Indians like to be such turtles who are always SLOW, always STEADY and never want to win the RACE. No offences, still a PROUD Indian.
Either U Fit in existing System or U Stand Out & make d difference. There are Amitabh Bachchans and SRKs & Aks and there are many other actors , there are Shankar Vilas Tea Hotels and CCDs surviving & making money. We need to choose our role in d universe (As business and individuals too). Making Money or Making d difference while making d money.
ReplyDeleteHowever I like yr long & thoughtful comments.