Talentalk by Xpheno

Happy Resignations

Some of you may have resigned in recent times. Some of you must have been thinking of resigning, but some of you who have not thought through in the great reshuffle that we are experiencing, I'm sure you resign one day too and now in the days that have gone by or that you are imagining in the near future, what is the kind of reaction that you expect from your boss when you say I quit? Now, I can think of two things. One is the boss says I was waiting for this. I'm so happy for you. Wherever you're going, I'm sure you do. Well, that's one kind of reaction.

It looks a little dramatic, but let's say some of you are expecting that because you know, you're a great guy or girl and you expect the boss to be very nice to you. The second reaction, obviously, somebody is going to feel let down i incrementally I bonus and you said you're gonna be with me and you resigned, right? So the boss feels extremely let down here or she's gonna be emotional, somebody even cry, not talk to you. Go whatever are their typical reactions of being upset and making, you know, that they're upset now, which is your preferred reaction. You know, you can say, you would like to be in the zone of form where the boss says I'm happy for you and let you go.

But think of it if somebody says I'm so happy you go, it does. It also mean that you're not required. How does that make you feel? You know, maybe the boss doesn't want you and they expect you to leave? Is that the reaction that you want or the latter where they feel let down where you're so important. And you know, maybe, you know, that's the reason the reaction is coming out and that importance is creating all the kinds of emotions that you're experienced though. You'd never liked it the way he or she expressed it with you. But can you consider that they wanted you so much that they feel, let down that you're leaving now? Very clearly. Each one of us process it based on our convenience because now we are in love with our future employers so much because they give money, they gave title, they get brand whatever that any reaction, either of them, we process it in a way that actually suits us. Anybody getting reactive means, you know, while going here or she said that to me, right? So I always process this when you know, when I left, how did they react? If they felt bad.

Should I consider that as you know, that I was an asset or if they say, what is your notice period? So let's get done with the transition knowledge transfer. Should I feel bad that I was not required? I've always been confused with that. So as many of us put on our papers or have already put on the papers, let's process this. What's the reaction we want? We want somebody to say, hey, you know, thank you very much. And I was expecting this all the best for you very ideal. At the same time, it also means that, you know, we're happy to let you go or we get reactive as bosses and you know, pour out our emotions that, you know, we feel let down though. It feels bad for the moment.

But maybe later you think you are so valued that, you know, they're feeling bad that you're going. I don't know how you're processing all these things that you're only thinking of the future employers giving you their dollars. So as you leave, resign, process your boss's emotions and let me know how your own experience has been in this journey of leaving your current boss and employer. Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth,co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Saying No Works

When was the last time you said no to your boss or somebody of authority in that organization for a past? They asked you, I'm sure there must have been many history collections more than what the boss did. I want to ask you, what is the impact on you? I believe that every time you say no to one ask it puts more stress on us to do many other things that we otherwise would have said no. Also just because he said no to one or maybe the baby said no to I remember once when I was an employer, I said in a way, no to an it strategy that was coming away when you're working in a large organization, then strategies come and when you are in certain position, you take a stance saying that this is not good for us. I won't do it. So I said no to the I strategy.

Then what happened? Few months, a new marketing side came into play. You know, other policies came out and as new things came my way, I realized that I could say no to everything. One because like I said, I really, I haven't really disagreed with ID strategy. It put more pressure on to align or agree to hr policies. So the marketing strategy that came my way, maybe it's just me. But I felt that every time I said, no, I ended up saying yes to many more friends. I remember once one of my, my reportings refused to do one aspect in a particular time. He said, look, I can't do this. And if you want, you get it done yourself.

And he walked away from that time, I realized that he was always under stress and his wife felt so to agree to everything that I asked him to do. At least the psychological, you know, fact of not wanting to be seen like a precipitating, you know, reporting is what I perceived as. And I thought I got more answers from him because he in a way in the not acceptable category said no where he want. So I want to ask you when we say no, I know we get a great sense of space for ourselves. We create autonomy for ourselves. We all want autonomy at work. And that's a great thing to have. But I always wonder how many times by saying no, we cause additional stress on ourselves to say yes to many other things and end up doing that anyhow. So what's the cost of a, let me know what it is? Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Reference Check Expiry Date

How important is a rest slash background check form that comes to you? I think it's not important. You know, why let me share these two examples to you and then maybe you make up your own mind. One of my ex colleagues called and said, hey, I've been asked to go by my manager. He says that he just received my check slash background check form from ex employer. And in there, my manager has put in as somebody who is a poor performer. So I need a job now, right example, two, somebody was just about to get confirmed and she calls me and says, hey, look, my background check form has just been received by hr and in that my manager has put it as attitudinal issues and she doesn't want to confirm me. I said, what's the work around? She says if somebody is senior to this ex manager of mine can certify that I didn't have an Atal issue, then it will be great. So imagine, you know, you just found a way to confirm a person.

I said you've already worked with them six months. What else do they want? They want to confirm you, this piece of paper means nothing. Anybody can say anything from your past employment. She said no, I want this not getting into what I did with that. But look at this, somebody is three months, somebody is six months. You worked with the person, you hire them for a reason. Either you hire them for desperation or they did so well in the one of the reasons but then comes the background check form months later. And do you want to take a condition on somebody whom you worked with? How unfair it is to the person who has already worked with you?

Three months, six months. So begs the question about our process. When do we actually do the checks before we offer before the person joins are purely based on our desperation to hire the person. Are we being fair? And this entire process of sending an Excel sheet and word document and asking somebody to fill that? And the audition is based on that you have not even spoken to the person who filled the form. How do you think this process is going to help us going forward? I think there's a whole lot of reading we need to do about our entire definition about rough checks slash background checks. When do we do it? How do we do it? Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Put Off Questions

Let's face it. Interviews are the holy grail for selecting or rejecting most of the people for a job interview. If you are anybody like me at this point of time, you also must be interviewing quite a lot of people. One aspect of an interview process which I want to focus on today is the questions the candidate or a job seeker asks you, we all leave the space open after we've done the questioning as an interviewer and most likely to ask, do you have any questions? And it's possible that we judge people by the quality of the question. Sometimes I definitely have that I remember in the past maybe about 10 years ago, it could have been a question like, what's your background? I have really taken serious offensive. People have asked that to me in the world of lining. I always thought you must have done your homework and you must be doing who I am kind of stuff, right?

 And believe it or not, I have actually said no to people purely based on the question they have asked, you know, what's your background? And after that, many years later, I think the question had been, if anybody asked me, it's a Friday week, you know, weekends off Saturday, Sunday off and very silly of me. But I have said, oh, your mindset is holiday not about, you know, working. Is that even a question? Because I suggest people on the quality of the question, you know, a Friday. We used to trigger me off saying that is that what you wanted to ask? I remember once somebody told me sitting in the chair, where do you think I can be in your seat? I thought it was a real confident question. But at the same time, I felt it was very arrogant and, and I thought it was a very dramatic stage kind of a question. I've gone on to almost saying let's reject this person.

And then my team has held on to me say no, come on sales guys, you want them to be arrogant, cocky. So that's a question which is allowed. It seems, you know. So though I somewhere felt that is not the question that I was comfortable with, but I will let that pass without rejecting people after that. But I think in recent times, maybe five years ago when I was new as an entrepreneur, when I was interviewing people, I remember one particular episode where after the interview, when I asked any questions, she said, come on, can you send this business plan? You showed me? I have to show it to my husband. And if he thinks it makes sense, then, you know, I would like to come back and ask you a few questions. I seriously got offended by that. I said this is it. I think we possibly will meet again for coffee if not anything else. But I think his job interview is over.

You know, I took serious offense to that question. When I look back, I, I laugh at it, but at that point of time, it was not funny. And honestly I got offended. So today, my question to you is are there those put off questions that candidates and job seekers ask you and you reject it purely based on that I have done. And when I look back, it looks very silly to me. And if they come, somebody comes and tells me no questions, I have met your team and possibly all the questions have been answered by them. I'll be very happy because I'm scared of the question they ask and what it would trigger in me. Let me know what's your favorite pet question that has triggered you off that people have asked you and you said no, I am visiting this person for this question.Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth,co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

People First

My head once said to me, come on, can I just email my presentations and not come at all for the meeting? I asked him why he said we have so many people related issues. We are running a very high attrition organization and I'm taking a flight with you from Bangalore to Delhi. And most of the time by the time my turn comes, it's time for us to leave and possibly head to the dinner or possibly we had to head straight to the airport because they're always late on schedules. So what's the point of coming all the way sitting there throughout the day listening to other presentations and not able to, you know, present the case of hr and I really fell for the guy and it was my orientation and I wanted to ask you today, when does the chat present in your organization? I'm sure that every national, the national level meetings, if you are like any of my past employers, I'm sure sales will be the first to present. The business heads will be the first to present.

If you're a technology company, I'm sure that there are various business heads and technology product guys who will be presenting their case. And I'm sure in today's world where we are challenged by great resignation, we have people issues. Have any of your employers or organizations change the order now, they are the head of HS present first or do you think it doesn't matter? As long as people get quality of time to present the order should really not matter. But I think there's something more than that, it may sound symbolic. But the kind of people issues that many of us have, including our ability to attract and retain people today, you think we can all make a moment where a is not that last bogey off the train like my head of hr jokes.But the first one to present, do you think it will make a difference to how we consider hr as people issues as and be a kind of an organization that will really mean and say people first, some of these practices say a lot about what we really think of a people, you have a different take. Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno,a specialist staffing firm.

Remote Working SMEs

Maybe like you, I'm also a kind of a work in progress when it comes to remote working. After all, we're not born with the tribe, they're all trying to seamlessly, you know, sort of enter into that space right now. Now, we have no choice. But I found a very interesting organization as I was trying to understand a little more on remote working, especially I looked at organizations which were into this fully before pandemic broke out. One such company that I came across was a company called git Lab G IP lap dot com. Not github. If you have not heard about them, don't sweat because unless you're a coder, very unlikely that you would have heard of them. They are a devops platform company. Very impressive because not only have the raise close to $426 million. You know, in terms of funding so far, they valued at $3 million but more than all this, the most impressive part is all their 1200 employees have been working remotely for a few years now and guess what?

They have hired somebody called as head of remote, yes, head of remote working. Not now but a year ago. So that company, you know, git labs have taken remote working very seriously much ahead of times. And their website has a nice PDF about what are the things that they have learned in this process? Go ahead and see. I think a company which has been implementing it for a while and a lot of things they put out is worthwhile. I think to study what I found very interesting on their side were two things. One, like I mentioned, like they have a remote head, they talk about having a leadership team for remote work. Let's say we convert that in our own company and have an SME team for remote working kind of a go to team who possibly will figure out and do things as a full time work for that. Would it help us?

I think so, but you might wonder all of us are, you know, getting the remote working simultaneously. So how can some people be a little ahead of us? I think if you carefully look around, you might find a few people in your company who you think can be a little ahead of this curve, you know, and for example, in my company, I felt my CTO had better a cue to run this compared to many of us, you know. So when I have a doubt, I go to him. So similarly, you might find a few people put them together and I think they must be the team who possibly can lead us as remote working is here to stay. Another aspect which I found interesting, which is I'm sure common sense for all of us is to minimize the tech stack. You know, because we are all not seeing each other. Maybe we are over using the emails Slack, Whatsapp ,Zoom and you know, Google meets the G drive as applicable.

Can we use one or two text stack is what they are talking, especially applications, you know, maybe just an email or a Slack or combine that with whatsapp, we cannot do with our whatsapp can we? So those are two things that struck me when it came to, you know, remote working, they list another 56 aspects which I think also could be useful depending on what kind of a company you are. But I found this aspect of having an SME team for remote working very, very interesting. And that is something that I think we all should experiment. So I want you to tell me what are the hacks that you have developed as a company? You are somebody who already cracked it or you think having a, an SME team for remote working or even having a head of remote will be important for your organization. Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Tailgating or Executive Empowerment

When senior leaders join your organization and in no time they bring their exporters to their team. What goes through your mind? You must be thinking that they must have called the hr guy and said, hey, I like these two guys. Give them an awful like, isn't that simple? Maybe not. You all know the system, isn't it? You know, if you had to hire somebody, whether you are a funded startup or large enterprises, there are rigorous interview processes including skip levels, local level interviews, assessment centers and still the XT members time. How does that happen for me?

I always think that there are thin lines between conflict of interest, governance and what I call as a when you hire somebody, you are actually telling them, I trust you. So I trust all the people that you recommend to the company as well. But let's say you want to don't want to actually empower the person. What happens? Once when a founder wanted to recruit a CFO, the investor said no. And they brought in somebody else, guess how, how long that lasted? About six months. So what went wrong? I don't know. But it's pretty clear, right?

When you bring somebody who I don't want to work with what happens it doesn't take off at all. I also believe that when you are hiring people from your, you know, past relationships, it's a double s ask me, you know, I once hired somebody and the person didn't last six months and my super boss, he humiliated me in public in front of my colleague's peers and said, see what happened. We trusted you and brought somebody, the person left in no time and worse. If the person is there and doesn't perform, you're sort of, you know, inserted even further saying that, you know, who are you recruiting, you're only recruiting based on, right? So if you think that bringing somebody is like, you know, just to increase your quarter in an organization, it's a double s sword for our senior leaders if they perform great.

But at the same time, you're giving an indication that, you know, only people who have worked with in the past will go well, if they leave again, it's a credibility issue with your peers and bosses and the reportees that, you know, people whom you recruit don't stay with you. So hiring from your past life, from your relationships from your past enterprises seems to be the easiest thing to do and maybe it passes through certain governance and conflict of interest parts of the organization. But I think when the board, when Super bosses allow you to hire silly people from your pastor. What it means is that they are trusting you, they are empowering you. This is what I call an apartment and it can horribly go wrong or it could work well in your favor. People who balance it well and get the right kind of people to nurture and also take them along actually are successful. But I always felt it's a double sword. Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Poached by friends

In the world where we are all struggling to keep our talent or to attract talent. What if somebody known to you purchase one of your valuable team members?I'm sure it has already happened to you. And if you're not already, you're very lucky. The first time I did something like that, I got a call from the employer who also happened to be a competitor. He called me over Starbucks and said, look, this is not done. And of course, he said many other unpleasant things. Of course, he paid the bill. So I also didn't know how to react because that was my first time.

But now often when I look at those instances happening around us, what should we do? The last time it happened to me, I sort of sent a text to somebody whom I knew because in my head, I felt it's not done. And I said, look, you have so and so not something that I appreciate of, but for the relationship we have possibly you shouldn't indulge. He said sure enough, I'll take care of it. Not to worry. Obviously. No, I wish he had said, don't lock up your door. Don't tell me what to do in my house. Right. So, I'm very uncomfortable talking to somebody when let's say my own valuable colleagues are recruited by them.

After all, I believe I'm in a recruitment business and when I keep recruiting from others, it gives a license to everyone to recruit from us too. However, the thin line is, it pinches a little more when somebody known to you does that to you, doesn't it? And you feel somewhere a little entitled to tell them that, hey, don't recruit from me. I think it's sort of very sensitive to have that kind of, I've done that before. Not very comfortable, but at least I got the kicks off expressing to them that look, I didn't like it. Of course, after saying that I believe it's a deterrent where they won't do it again. And that's only intent, right? So you feel that you are entitled to tell somebody else not to recruit them, but let's say somebody who is not known to you recruits them, you sort of keep quiet. It doesn't hurt you.

I also feel it's a little diabolic to feel bad when somebody known to you poaches your own team and a stranger recruits from you. You don't feel anything at all. Why does it feel? So, do we feel entitled because somebody knows us, they cannot recruit from our team or is still kind of a backhanded compliment if somebody known to you recruit from you? Where do you stand in this world of people known to you poaching your own stuff? Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.