Chords Of Life

Over the last year or two, anyone employed in business and commerce in India would have encountered the abysmal depths that work ethic has sunk to. Its all very well to say that India has an abundance of qualified (?), skilled (??) english-speaking workforce, but if they don’t know how to conduct themselves in a professional environment, there’s no way we are getting anywhere near being a super power. Already many comparisons are gaining ground on the productivity of the Indian workforce, and with lack of a work ethic, to my mind, it spells the doom of India’s competitive advantage.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against people making hay while the sun shines, and frequently changing tracks towards better opportunities. The demerits of frequent shifts is another issue and can be looked at both ways. Attrition is a natural business problem to be dealt with.

What I cannot even begin to accept is the complete lack of professionalism and common sense in the way people switch. Without so much as a good bye, one fine day they’re just gone without a care for the tasks that were assigned to them. Here are a few examples of behaviour that I have encountered and I think any progressive economy can do without.

1. Not turning up for an interview of arriving late without any prior intimation.

2. Accepting a job offer, making the new employer wait for the joining date, and then not landing up, or if you are lucky, calling the day before the joining date to inform that he/she will not be able to join!

3. Absenteeism without intimation.

4. Resigning the job without adequate notice.

5. Absconding from job.

The problem is of course exacerbated by the fact that there is no (practical) legal recourse especially in serious matters like absconding.

After suffering this for a few years, it struck me that why can’t there be an Employee Credit Rating Bureau which maintains the employment track record of all employees? Just like there is a Credit Rating service for your financial soundness, we could have a one for employability as well right? The thing is that such unethical workforce is actually able to get away with all this. While some firms do have a mandatory reference check and documents to be submitted at the time of joining, many, especially in the SME segment, cannot afford such processes. Moreover, what do you do if the person happily omits mention of a short stint somewhere?

Wouldn’t it be great if there could be a central database which employers could access at a fee where previous employers’ references could be checked? Employers don’t have to be wait to be asked – for any employee who breaks the code, a negative reference could be entered immediately. This could even cover behaviour which is otherwise difficult to capture like not turning up for interviews without intimation, not landing up after accepting an offer, etc.

Of course, one would have to build checks and balances against vindictive employers who could fudge references (and there’s no doubt there are a few of those around), but I’m sure that’s a problem that can be licked. Having such a “listing” in the central database could itself become a positive factor for employees (like a kind of credit certification). Why, this could even be extended the other way round by having am employer rating system.

Perhaps such facilities are available in one form or another for large companies, and maybe this is only a need felt by SME’s. I know we could certainly use something like this at Indigo Consulting.