On the surface, The Kid by Charlie Chaplin is a feel-good film revolving around the shenanigans of a tramp and an abandoned child. Going deeper, it’s about the unforeseen ways in which lives get intertwined. At another level, it demonstrates that professional loyalty and optimal performance grow in a soil tilled with trust and life-enhancing partnerships. In this timeless comedy, the tramp, who is a glazier, has a reliable ‘assistant’ in the little child. The rascally boy hurls stones at glass windows and flees the scene of crime, and the tramp trots in a little later and gets the job to fix them. The boy is indefatigable, steadfast in his duty and does not baulk at the risk involved, in this case, the hovering presence of a six-foot-tall police officer. (Remember it’s a film, and any kid of that age should be in school)
Before showing how the two earn their living, the film displays how the tramp cares for the boy. They connected at the human level which enables them to work effectively as a team.
With a young workforce that tires quickly of nibbling at the same pasture, managers in India are increasingly recognising the need for such a connection. They are beginning to focus more on the human side of productivity. Human beings don’t turn automatons as they step into the work station: they continue to be humans. Managers now pay more attention to this obvious fact as they face attrition.
Sujith Kumar J., HR professional and secretary, NHRD Network, Chennai Chapter, says, “Emotional drivers are as significant as rational drivers. Correcting salaries alone will not arrest attrition. If adequate compensation can retain people, then great paymasters should not be worrying about attrition. But they do. According to a study by Gallup, people always think they are paid less than they deserve, no matter how fat the pay cheque. ‘Are you paid enough?’ will invariably elicit a ‘no’. You cannot win the game with money. Paying more does not always help retain talent.” Sujith says two types of employees stay on. “One, satisfied employee. Two, engaged employee. The satisfied employee continues in his job because he’s comfortable, having found his space. The engaged employee loves his job because it allows him to test his limits, constantly. Organisations should work towards having engaged employees. An engaged employee looks for growth. He does not want to be stuck in a rut. Job rotation and cross-training can feed his appetite for learning and new challenges.”
HR gurus are now redefining leadership, steering it from the executive cabins. The new semantics of leadership allows — in fact, expects — even those who lack powerful titles and have a limited sphere of influence to drive change in small ways.
“Employees tend to love their jobs more, if they realise what they do is adding value to the product and the company. They will see their jobs in a more positive light, if they see their impact. The end result of what they do has to be articulated. They should be told how their work benefits clients and people. And by allowing them to have a say in certain matters, they could be helped to see themselves as an integral part of a process. This thinking has to be in a company’s DNA,” says Sujith
A happy work station is another essential. Companies are now investing more in this area. Efforts at adding an element of fun and humour to routine tasks have official sanction.
“Managers tend to wear a stern face to work. They may have a sense of humour, but assume the office is not the place for it. But humour can defuse tension. It contributes to a happy work station. And a happy work environment gives an employee a strong reason to stay on.”
