Sense and sensibility

PUNE, INDIA: A software engineer working with India's bellwether IT company killed his wife and committed suicide by hanging himself recently in Banaglore.

In 2006, a jilted BPO employee in Bangalore allegedly murdered his ladylove. These could be aberrations, but even if these are perceptual issues, the image distortion, be it drugs, sex, murders and other ailments, get highlighted whenever it's the IT or BPO industry in question.

Managing the hyperbole, even if unsolicited, is a task that the industry cannot run away from. Is the argument that many IT professionals have not been able to rightly cope up with the emotional side of the growth curve?

Seasoned corporate trainer and international motivational speaker Prakash Rohera explains that in view of overlooked areas like sensitivity and communication.

"Success is not easy to handle. Many IT and ITeS professionals have seen that at a very young age. It's easy to blame companies. Passing the buck is very easy. And it's possible that the employees, when they go back home, discuss the negatives flanked with the job more than the positives.”

“We tend to crib more; it's in our system. So while we cannot blame the employers, we need to understand that the employees here are high on sensitivity. The right way to deal with it is more platforms of communication, more visibility and success. Make more stars and make them visible. Also it's hard but the employer has to find new and fresh ways to connect with an employee he doesn't meet on a regular basis. Giving them feedback is and having more knowledge sharing sessions is vital. So is assertiveness training," he said.

He also points out that IT professionals are not as drab as normally perceived. They have a sense of humour and they are changing.

Rohera, founder of Corporate Training Consultancy -The Redwood Edge, distills his experience from over 1600 motivational workshop with corporates across Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China, UAE, Bahrain and UK and has been conducting sessions in Cybage Software Private Limited and Persistent Systems Ltd lately.

Patting your employees is important, Rohera stresses as he cites the pride quotients that Tata or Birla employees have for their companies. It's indeed a model or a benchmark worth emulating for IT companies too and not that uphill climb at all.

"It's time for proactive Vs reactive HR. Today passion for the employer is very low. Passion for job is there but not as much about the brand one works for. If HR will become more proactive, the workforce will realize it much ahead than others."