Kerala

Vol. XXIII, No.02 | July- Sept. 2015

2

Kerala

Good organization becomes great through a series of initiatives taken by them consistently and in turn gets

recognition. The activities of our Chapter are once again recognized by our National Council by adjudging as

the “Best Chapter for the year 2014-2015”.

It is a matter of great pleasure and satisfaction that the last quarter for the Chapter was spectacular with

multifarious activities. The debut HRCon2015 with the relevant theme Make in India: Re-aligning Workforce

& Workplace was a grand success in terms of delegates, quality of speakers and presence of luminaries from

various fields. I am sure that the interaction of HR professionals and deliberations in the conference would

enrich the experience of delegates with new ideas, practices and trends.

The flamboyant Onam celebration followed by organic farm visit, business quiz for the Synthite Rolling Trophy

for B-school students with record number of teams, Regional Business Quiz for Southern Region, Recruitment

and Entrance Test for various organizations etc. are some of the unique programs conducted during the period.

Another remarkable achievement during the period was the possession of extended asset 'NIPM Annexe' to

the Chapter adjacent to the present premises.

Apart from organizing the regular programs, we have commenced continuous education and young

professionals' programs like “Employability Enhancement Certification Programs” for Post-graduate students at

De Paul Institute of Science & Technology. The redesigned “Young Managers' Contest” for Innovative

Employee Engagement Practices for “NIPM Geojit BNP Paribas Rolling Trophy” with a cash prize of Rs.

50,000/- & 25,000/- each for the winning and first runner-up teams and individual mementoes and certificates

will be another flagship event for the Chapter. The submission of case studies closes on 18th Nov. and the final

presentation is scheduled at Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies on 28th November 2015.All are requested to

give wide publicity for the successful conduct of the same.

The other vertical for the Chapter is the 3 months “Labour Law Certification Course” commencing on 12th

December 2015. The brochure along with details will reach you all soon for your extra focus. In view of the

recent amendments and developments in labour law, it is also planned to have a workshop by involving

concerned machineries including Labour Commissioner, Director of Factories and Boilers etc in the next

quarter.

I would like to place on record the determined efforts of the coordinators of various committees, members and

well wishers for making the quarter more eventful and I am confident that all of you will continue to contribute

your best efforts towards the incessant success of our Chapter in the ensuing quarters with the involvement and

input of more Gen Ys to our fold.

With profound regards,

Dear Professionals

M.Thomas KadavanChairman

Message from

CHAIR ANMNIPM Kerala Chapter

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PUBLISHING�CREDITSNational Institute of Personnel Management (Kerala Chapter)NIPM House, Mather Square Town Railway Station Rd.Kochi - 682 018 | Kerala Tel: 0484 - 2393489, 4050310 www.nipmkerala.org e-mail:kc@nipmkerala.org

ARTwww.graphin.in

All rights reserved. No matter may be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher.The opinions expressed by editors, other contributors and advertisers may vary from the official positions of NIPM-Kerala chapter.

For Private Circulation Only

Kerala

3

Vol. XXIII, No.02July- Sept. 2015

Content

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60

70

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HRCon2015

NIPM Business Quiz 2015

Onam Celebrations

01

21Inhouse Training Programme

Regional Business Quiz 2015

Labour Law Certification Course from NIPM

31Quantifying the Intangibles –

What's in it for HR professionals ?

Kerala

4

NIPM Kerala Chapter has successfully organized Two day HR Conclave 2015 at Hotel Dream Cochin, with special focus on

Make in India and Skill Excellence on 6th& 7th August 2015. The Theme of the Conclave was “Make in India – Realigning

Workplace and Workforce”. The program was inaugurated by Prof. Aabraham Koshy, IIM, Ahmedabad and former Chairman,

The Federal Bank Ltd. and the Key Note Speaker was Mr. Kochouseph Chittilappilly, Chairman, V Guard Industries Ltd.

2015CON 6th and 7th of August

Kerala

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The Sub Themes and the speakers for each sub-theme were :

¨ The Neo Workforce:- Sanjay Antony �̈ Motivating the Workforce – A Make in India Case Study :- Shamim Rafeek ̈ Re- aligning

Employee Relations and Laws – Branding Kerala's Labour Practices :- Tom Jose IAS, Special Secretary (Labour & Skill) Govt. of

Kerala ¨ Culture of Positive Employee Relations – Padmakumar ¨ Proposed Changes in Labour Laws and its Implications – Prof.

HAC Poppen ̈ Special session - Performance Management at Amara Raja –Jaikrishna ¨ New Paradigms in Skilling and Learning

(Panel Discussion) – MSA Kumar, Raj Raghavan (Amazon), Prof. Biju Varakey and Rahul R IRS, MD, KASE ¨ Evidence Based

Digital HR – Prof. Manoj Varghese, XIME, Santhosh Panicker and Binu Philip (Microsoft India) ̈ Motivational Talk – Maaney Paul

¨Valedictory session –The Chief Guest was Jiji Thomson IAS, Chief Secretary to Government of Kerala and the other Speakers

were VA Joseph Director Relations, Rajagiri Hospital and A.S. Girish, National Vice President, NIPM.

Realigning Workforceand Workplace

MAKE IN INDIA

NIPM Kerala Chapter has successfully conducted the 15th NIPM Business Quiz 2015 for Synthite Rolling for B-School students

on 29th July 2015 in association with Synthite Industries Ltd. and SCMS Cochin at SCMS Campus, Kalamassery, Ernakulam.

The welcome address was delivered by Mr. K. Suresh, Hon. Secretary NIPM Kerala Chapter and program was inaugurated by Mr.

M. Thomas Kadavan, Chairman NIPM Kerala Chapter . The Quiz Master was Mr. Shamim Rafeek.

In the valedictory function held immediately after the competitions, the Chief Guest Sri Ninan Philip, Director (HR), Synthite

Group of Companies and Managing Director, Herbal Isolates Pvt. Ltd. presented the Synthite Rolling Trophy to the First prize

winning team. Cash Prizes of Rs.10,000/-, Rs.7,500/- and Rs.5,000/- respectively were also presented to the winning teams. He

also delivered the valedictory address during the function. Dr. K. Raman Nair, Director, SCMS Cochin also addressed the

audience. Mr. Anish Aravind, Hon. Addl. Secretary proposed vote of thanks.

The First prize winning Team and the First Runner-up Teams were qualified to participate in the Regional Business Quiz 2015

and the winners of the Regional Quiz will be eligible for NIPM National Business Quiz 2015.

NIPM Kerala

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Business Quiz 2015for�

�Synthite Rolling�Trophy�

Kerala

NIPM Kerala Chapter hosted the Regional Business Quiz 2015 in association with Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies,

Kochi at their Auditorium on 15th September 2015. Kerala Chapter Chairman Mr. M. Thomas Kadavan welcomed the

participants, guests and audience and Mr. A.S. Girish, National Vice President NIPM delivered presidential address. The

program was inaugurated by Dr. Joseph I Injody, Exeutive Director, Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies. 13 teams from

Chapters like, Karnataka, Mysore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trivandrum and Kerala Chapters participated in the

Quiz Competition. Mr. A.S. Arun was the Quiz Master.

NIPM

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Regional Business Quiz 2015

On the occasion of HRCon2015 a Colorful Special Conclave Souvenir was also released during the inaugural Session on 6th

August 2015.

Onam CelebrationKerala

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To mark the occasion of Harvest Festival of Kerala “ONAM” Kerala Chapter organized Onam Celebration and Family Get-

together at Udyan Convention Centre, Vennala, Kochi from 9.30 am onwards. The program was inaugurated by famous

Cine/TV Artists Ms. Manju Pillai and Mr. Jayakumar. Mr. M. Thomas Kadavan, Chairman delivered Onam Greetings and Mr.

A.S. Girish, National Vice President delivered Felicitation Speech. Many Cultural Programs and competitions were organized

by Family forum members. Mr. K. Suresh welcomed the guests and NIPM members and Ms. Jaya Jacob Alaxander, Co-

ordinator, Women Cell proposed vote of thanks.

& Family Get-together

UnitVisits

Kerala

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Immediately after the Onam program a team of 30 members visited the residence of our Life Member Mr. T.J.

Thankachan, DGM, MM Television to see the Innovative Mushroom production technology & Organic Farming. Mr.

Thankachan explained various aspects of the farming and its benefits which were well appreciated by the members.

NIPM National Business Quiz 2015 – Team from Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIMR), Kochi consisting of Mr. Apoor Tiwari & Mr. Cheniapa Adityan won the First Prize and Cash Award of Rs.1,00,000/- . Team from Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies (RCBS), Kochi consisting of Mr. Joseph Philip & Mr. Justin Joseph Andrews won the First Runner-up Prize and Cash Award of Rs. 75,000.00.

CONGRATS

Kerala

Enhanced Employability Certification Program

17 Days Enhanced Employability Certification program was conducted at De Paul Institute of Science & Technology, Angamaly for Final Year M.Com Students. The programe was inaugurated by Mr. M. Thomas Kadavan, Chairman, NIPM Kerala Chapter. Similar Sessions are being organized in other Business Schools also shortly.

Evening Lecture

An Evening Lecture Meeting was held at NIPM House, Kochi on the Topic HR's Role in DrivingDigital in a S-M-A-C world”. The Resource Person was Mr. Anish Aravind, Hon. Additional Secretary, NIPM Kerala Chapter, Principal Consultant, SS Consulting, Kochi, & Former Associate Director, Arbitron Technologies India.

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ankind has been trying to discover and explore the outer space world in the past few decades and the next

Mfew decades may be a journey of expedition to man's inner world. Yes, the human mind is still the most

exciting and unraveled mysteries that we are trying to conquer.

The field of psychology has been evolving ever since Ancient Greeks, Chinese and Indians were trying to study the

mind and its philosophies. However Psychology which was a branch of philosophy until the 1870s then developed

as an independent scientific discipline in Germany and the United States initially.

TToday, the field of psychology is fast growing and is becoming a well researched scientific discipline with highly

acclaimed research institutes studying the nuances of human brain and the concept of mind. Add to it, the advances

in technology, internet and the social media, the science of gauging the human mind is growing leaps and bounds.

The field of Applied Psychology and Psychometrics are soon becoming a fashionable thing as well among the

corporate. So what's this all about? Read on for an overview of the field and how it can help HR Professionals and

organizations as such.

What is Psycho Profiling and Psychometrics?

Psychometrics is the measurement (Metric) of mental attributes (Psycho). It is a scientific method of assessment of

human mental attributes towards better self understanding and performance prediction.

What can we measure?

Most of the intangible attributes of mind can be assessed using specifically developed tests. Some of the areas

include,• Personality •Behavior •Skills •Attitude •Aptitude •And many other psychological attributes.

How do we measure?

Advanced Psychological testing like eye tracker, sweat analyzer, brain analyzer and other instruments are used in

well known psychological labs and research institutions for understanding human behavior and mental attributes.

However, we are yet to have such sophisticated methods in India. Hence, most of our Psychological assessment

methods include paper and pencil tests (or online version of the same) However, it's very important that we measure

psychological aspects only with Standardized Instruments.

Standardized instruments are reliable and valid and culturally calibrated. For e.g.; How do we know that we have

fever? The easy method is to place our hand on forehead and know it. Yes, we realize that we have fever. We may

then decide to take a medicine or decide to go to a doctor. But when you go to the Doctor, he places the thermometer

to measure the fever and then only prescribes the medicine accordingly. And the measure gives the temperature in

units like degree Celsius or Fahrenheit, so that when the score is high, the medicine and dosage is different than when

the temperature is low. Now, Will you trust your doctor if he also places his hands on forehead and prescribes

medicine? No, right? Hence, using a proper diagnostic tool that is calibrated and scientifically tested and norms

created is very important for proper diagnosis.

How do we know whether the test is standardized?

Check if Standardization documents are published by the test provider. The standards and norms should be ideally

published in credible academic journals as well. The reliability coefficients and validity results are included in the

statistical analysis of these documents. The rule is simple - higher the reliability coefficient, the better the test. Higher

the validity, the better the test! But in some cases, the most popular tests may not have these coefficients high as well. Why and when should we measure? What is the ROI?

There are different psychometric tools for different needs. A good psychometric consultant identifies the needs of the

client and prescribes the tools as per the need. Some tools are paid and some are free. Yes, psychometric tests may be

confusing and it is intentional. Regarding ROI it is usually based on the need and outcome. You can equate an

assessment as a laboratory test in a medical situation. The diagnostic tool helps in better handling of the patient

Quantifying the Intangibles – What's in it for HR professionals?

Ms. Chandra Vadhana R (CeeVee)

Kerala

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needs. Psychometric tests are similar. Five star hospital conduct MRI even for ordinary cases! But an experienced

doctor can diagnose it without costly tests. Similarly some of the tools are commercial and can be done even

without. But yes, technology has enabled better psychometric test construction and administration. Let us see some

of the contexts where psychometric tests can be of great use.r the validity, the better the test! But in some cases, the

most popular tests may not have these coefficients high as well. assessment as a laboratory test in a medical

situation. The diagnostic tool helps in better handling of the patient needs. Psychometric tests are similar. Five star

hospital conduct MRI even for ordinary cases! But an experienced doctor can diagnose it without costly tests.

Similarly some of the tools are commercial and can be done even without. But yes, technology has enabled better

psychometric test construction and administration. Let us see some of the contexts where psychometric tests can be

of great use.

• Self development : One of the most important uses of psychological assessments would be self awareness , which

is the first step towards personality development

• Organizational Restructuring : Psycho profiling helps in understanding individual differences and also in re-

aligning the workforce towards better performance

• Recruitment & Training: Psycho profiling also helps in identifying suitable talents for each position based on the

required personality / behavior/ attitudes for each position

• Career Management: Career selection is one of the most important outcomes of personality and other

psychological assessment. Helps in eliminating career profiles which are not matching for the person.

• Marriage and Life partner selection: In the near future, we can envisage psychological matching getting

preference over traditional matching methods like astrology or other matrimonial matching. There are already

certain websites providing dating services and matching services based on personality types. Organizations worldwide are progressively using psychometric instruments to address behavioral changes for

recruitment & selection, leadership development, succession planning, high performance identification, team

allocations, etc.

In today's confused and competitive world, we aspire for solutions to simplify our problems in some objective

manner and most of the commercialized psychometric tools help us in solving such problems. Just like, when we

are ill, we trust the doctors and are willing to undergo any kind of diagnostic tool! Similarly commercial

psychometric tests are mostly for such critical needs. For eg: for a student confused about career, a career aptitude

test can help. A personality test is normally administered for people confused about life. Bigger organizations with

large number of employees may find it easier for standardizing recruitment and training processes by using

psychometric tests for eliminating unsuitable candidates from getting selected. Again, regarding the ROI in such

cases, the damage of a bad hire or bad training may be even worse. Most psychometric tools are of self diagnosis in

nature and can be used for better training interventions. However we don't advice it as a performance appraisal tool,

though some companies use leadership assessments for choosing strategic management team from middle

managers.

Dos & Don'ts

• Always use locally standardized tools - Many of the highly popular as well as costly psychological tests need not

standardized in the Indian context. So, is that problem? Yes, it could be. Most of the tests are designed by

American psychologists considering the American population and psyche. Imagine an American wearing a

“Saree” or any traditional Indian dress. Of course, they look pretty, but they look different. Similarly, an American

test needs to be modified to suit the local culture and interpretation style of each test item. This involves further

statistical analysis and an academic acceptance as well. Alternately, tests developed by Indian author could be

statistically validated in the Indian context and could be a better option.

• Always get expert consultation - Just like there are frauds in every field, there are quacks here as well! A minimum

Post Graduation qualification in Psychology is a must to become a Psycho profiling Expert. Psychometricians are

still a rare breed in India and they are experts who have designed their own tests or worked on standardization

studies of tests previously validated in other cultures. • Psycho profiling should be done with a purpose – Outcome should be positive and help in decision making like

recruitment, training or performance appraisal and not as a tool for reprimand or employee lay off.

Kerala

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Mr. Carl Smith Mr. Imran Ahmed Khan Mr. Sunish V.N

CORPORATE MEMBERS

Kerala

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Ms. Elizabeth George Mr. Isaac Varghese Mr. Manoj Mathew

LIFE MEMBERS

Mr. Shelly Jose

Mr. Praveenkumar V.K Mr. Renjith K. K Mr. Nettikadan Thoman Babu

Mr. P. J Jolly

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Ms. Sita Mary Thomas Ms. Remya Ravi Mr. Alan T Lukose

• Psychometric instruments can't be force fitted into an organization's context - Market trends and

individuals comfort in using certain instruments dominate the selection of instruments today. The focus must

be to evaluate what is relevant to the organization's context as well as relevant across levels. Hence, the

purpose and behavior that can drive the purpose within the organization needs to be identified before

selecting an instrument. There is no one size that fits all. The future of Psychometrics in India

As told in the beginning of this article, the coming decades will be full of activities dwelling into human mind.

The purposes could be many – trying to understand how the human mind functions to developing artificial

intelligence or in the field of robotics, the science of assessment has immense possibilities. Just like each space

exploration gives new insights, each attempt to study human nature gives newer perspectives. In Personal and

Organizational context, the application of psychometric properties in designing newer assessment methods

will yield objective and measurable results.

A survey conducted by Tata Strategic Management Group suggested that adoption rate of psychometrics

could increase to 87 percent by 2016 in the Indian organizations.About 52 percent of organizations are

currently using psychometric instruments, which facilitate objective people decisions and reduces

subjectivity for all levels, it said.

Similarly, Skill development is being discussed with great zest by everyone these days. Thanks to the huge

impetus that is being given by nationwide skill development initiative like NSDC (National Skills Development

Corporation) or state level initiatives like the KASE (Kerala Academy of Skills Excellence) or the ASAP

(Additional Skills Acquisition Program). With great dreams and large scale implementation methods, the

mammoth challenge of skill development of the youth exists. But even greater challenge is the right assessment

methods for training and certification. India definitely needs more and more skill development and assessment

experts. As an HR professional, you too can become an assessment specialist, by undergoing higher

qualifications in Psychology and Psychometrics and applying the immense possibilities of the same in your

work place.

New Members

13

COURSE CONTENTS LAW RELATING TO INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

This Course is very useful for professionals and graduates who wants to excel in their chosen areas and

those who are already working and would like to take certification for further career progression. Job

seekers looking to find employment in legal or human resources departments of various companies can

prove their employers the value of their skills through this certification Program.

CERTIFICATE COURSEIN LABOUR LAWS

Short Term

OTHER LABOUR LAWS

The Apprentices Act 1961

The Kerala Industrial Establishments (National and Festival Holidays) Act 1958

Inter State Migrant Workmen Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service Act 1979

Returns and Maintenance of Registers under Labour Laws

Labour Law Certification Course from NIPM

For details and registration contact:

NIPM Office0484-2393489/4050310

kc@nipmkerala.org

Starts from 12th December 2015

Kerala

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SOCIAL SECURITY LEGISLATIONS

Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923

Employees Provident Fund Act 1952

Employees State Insurance Act, 1948

The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961

The Payment of Gratuity Act 1972

The Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act 2013

LAW OF WAGES & PRINCIPLES OF WAGE FIXATION

The Minimum Wages Act 1948

Payment of Wages Act 1936

The Payment of Bonus Act 1965

Equal Remuneration Act 1976

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