Workers expect more from employers, say HR pundits

Labour is no more a mere factor of production ""- it is a major form of capital, 'human capital'.

Post liberalisation era has witnessed a phenomenal change in the perception about employees in different companies.

Talking on the topic ' Good to Great """" Human Capital & The Changing Environment' at a HRD convention jointly organised by ICFAI Business School (IBS) and Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, speakers like N N Framjee, executive director of CESC Ltd, D J Basu of Lafarge and R Chopra of Eveready and S Ray of IBS spoke on the changing perpective about HR in India today.

B Gupta, managing director of Vesuvius India, said in his keynote address, "Trust, integrity and dignity of the employees are today's key word that brings a dream environment in the company".

Collective harnessing of dreams and liberalisation of human capital were pointed as the need of the hour.

"Today the real challenge to the HR management (HRM) lies in turning a poor performer into an asset of the company and not merely firing him" said Framjee.

Pointing to the changing practices in human resources management (HRM), Basu said, "Unlike earlier years some companies today are concerned about those who have been asked to leave during down sizing".

Gradual change in perception about employees from simply human beings to human-capital came up several times in the days discussion.

A major issue of concern was the high attrition rate "" lack of information sharing , narrow job opportunities in some of the cases, low salary were cited some of the reasons for this.

S Chowdhuri of IBS Pune said that a most important part of human capital planning was building of a leadership system, creating leadership in an individual.