Employee Retention

IT has evolved alot during the years, the process of Software development and design has evolved with it. It's evolved to such an extent that, it's more like unskilled labour now, maybe not all IT but definitely the Software development part of it.

1. Starting from recruitment, Engineers from all disciplines can get into IT (atleast in India, where the opportunities in specific trades are very less). Even non-engineers, Science grads apply for jobs in IT and make it as developers.

2. Everyone of them is then put to a standard training session, simple basics. After all the basic is same across all languages.

3. Project assignments are not based on how good a person is after training, it's based on how many should be 'billed' for the project.

4. Code to be delivered for a project, goes to stringent reviews, documentation and the end result of which is 'deployable working code' for the client.

5. The recruitment process continues and fills up a 'bench' of replacements for the developers in various projects. Trainings in specific products and disciplines will be taken up by the 'competency'

6. Every developer is expendable and every developer has a replacement. A developer if he's good, he'll be able to find new jobs, better roles and better pay. There is never a shortage of developers, but there definitely is a cost for a 'good' developer.

So I guess now I've justified that a developers job in an IT company is slowly becoming unskilled labour. People are expendable, so what is the 'Employee Retention' programs in IT companies. And how effective are they?

Is it cheaper recruiting from outside than retaining your talents from within the company?

What ensures that an employee who is retained will stay even after a raise or a promotion?

What's the number of employees retained in an IT Company?

I don't feel like it

What's it? Why do you need to feel like something in order to do the work? They call it work because it's difficult, not because it's something you need to feel like.

- Seth Godin.

He might be the biggest 'gas bag'/'gyan dad' in the whole world, but this line actually did make sense. 'They call it work because it's difficult'.

Everyday I go through this, 'I don't feel like going to work today?' phase in the morning. I work in a project which is in the support phase now. The work is boring, you will have lines of logs and trace files of failed transactions to analyse. Annoying mails to reply to. Design a hotfix for a issue. Hack an existing process flow to fit in 'an exceptional' scenario in their business. It's tough, it's boring, it doesn't have the jazz of the normal development phase. This line has given me a different perspective to the way I look at my work.

But there is this other kinda of 'working' IT guy especially, a species found in typical Indian Outsourcing firms. The ones who fill up an 'imaginary' bench, waiting their way to another project. What would inspire him to go to office. Do his time, check his feeds and have lunch and go home. He/She also 'goes to work', what would inspire him to go to work. This line would not work for him for sure. There is nothing to feel like... there's no WORK!!!

Permanent

It's anyway was not our permanent residence, but we slowly started liking it. It never score a 100 on the her scale, but I bet there were times when she started thinking of it as her own. I'm totally devastated, never saw this coming. What do I have to lose, I have an apartment for myself, I have two great roommates to share the place with. Then why do I feel like I have some big weight on chest.

I wouldn't have felt so bad if it was somebody whom I was not this close. We are not related, we don't even come from the same place. We've not studied together anywhere, but coming to think of it we basically would have the same blood type. I know how hard it was them for them to shift from Pune to Hyderabad. Though I know the place was no where near to a place, next to what they had in Pune, it kills me to see them have to go through the whole exercise again. If it was happening to me, it would have been fine, what do a guy who lives out of a suitcase care about leaving a place, but not them for Christ sakes!!!

It's been sometime... a longtime... since I prayed, sometime since I opened a Bible. I feel like I lost a Wimbledon to Nadal. I feel so not in control of what's happening around me. I feel that I'm being made aware of something cruel, strange and powerful controlling all of us...

OK. I give up, you win... again... but why don't you win FOR me for a change...

Reading Disorder

All my friends read alot, all kinds a books. Fiction, non-fiction you name it, they do make it a point to read a book a month I guess. The last book I read was... Seth Godin's 'Free Prize Inside'... Ok I didn't finish it... So that won't count... Asimov's 'Foundation'... didn't finish... Diary of Anne Frank... didn't finish... I did finish Da Vinci Code... I did finish Armstrong's 'It's not about the Bike'... I did finish the 'Google story' that VnA gifted me...

I used to read alot... I was totally into all the Five Find-outers, Secret Sevens, Hardy Boys Case files, then went into some Crichton... Eric Segal... Tolkien... don't know when I lost interest... don't know when I just stopped giving life to the all words in paperback in my mind.

Got to find my way back to reading... maybe should start with some old Secret Sevens... baby steps... One book at a time...

Running water

(Image courtesy:http://www.cs4fn.org)

Woke up to a dry tap... chances are, I might have to bathe in deo and go dry clean today. Running water, it's just a big confidence to a person in a house. It's not that you are using water for entire 24 hrs in a day but, it's that confidence that you have it at all times when ever you turn on turn on the tap. For all those unseen emergencies, the confidence that a tap with running water provides, is 'assurance' defined.

Need to find a new direction

Feeling like I'm into some sick routine everyday. Some shitty design change, some pending issues, some crappy meeting to sit through. Need to find a new direction... need to lock on to this new direction... been wasting time for a long time... it's now time to make a change

(is it me or do you guys also here the 'Eye of the tiger' song in the background?)

(Image courtesy: barbiismyname.files.wordpress.com)

Just wanted to remind you guys on what my friends were up to. Here

Cubicles

Caught up with 'Wake Up Sid' last Saturday with LSD, there was this part in it where the hero finds a job in the office, and boy was it some office. It was pretty cool, no cubicles at all. The manager had one big cabin, vending machines of course. No cubicles, now that's one office I'd wanna go to work everyday. The big sick conference hall with leather seats a with a flashy projector all is replaced by a big table with a white board and post-its. That's not just it, no dress code, well not that you can walk into office in your undies, but casuals that's the code of the day, everyday. I work in an IT firm, and I still don't know why we need cubicles? You could imagine them as bunkers place horizontally, it looks like some concentration camp of some formally dressed individuals. The place needs some posters, not posters of your HR buddy or the Go-Green campaign in office, let's get some RF posters, Cars, some graffiti, a good photo of 'aurora borealis', a view from the canyon.

Tim Robbins cell in 'Shawshank' had posters!!!. It changed his life in prison. I've decided, I'm decorating my cubicle, not like a tea shop or something... something inspiring... get a RF poster... A Steve Jobs poster... I'm gonna have my own cool, three walled office.

(Image courtesy:http://www.stomptokyo.com)

By the way a few updates. Two of my friends are getting into some serious hobbies. In alphabetical order.

Shveta: A fashion designer by profession, she's now getting her hands into 'pimping up' your old and boring dupattas, tops and curtains. She's into 'block printing' and 'tie and dye', she takes orders for printed dupattas, T-shirts and tops. You have to see the bed sheet that she just did with the whole 'tie and dye' technique- totally El wicked-o!!! and I'm not saying this just because she's my friend. She's really good at this. So if you guys are interested in 'pimping up' your wardrobe a bit. Just add a comment with your phone number or drop a mail to me at itsme[dot]bijou[at]gmail[dot]com. I'll pass on your details to Shveta.

Here's sample of she made.

Now Vasu, I have a theory about Vasu; God must have set course for her to land on earth in a place where there's cheese, chocolate and whole lotta goodness made from ovens. Seems she took a detour and landed in India instead (good for us). She's into big time baking, has an oven for herself and she's chugging out whole lot of awesomeness from this new friend of hers whenever she can find some time. She's decided on sharing her baking skills with anybody who wants to give baking a try. She will provide the materials and an oven, you just have to walk in and watch her at work and you'll get to make your 'own' cake with some help from Vasu. So you guys interested or know anybody who's interested. Drop in a comment to the end of this post or you could get in touch with Vasu on her blog here. You could also drop me a mail at itsme[dot]bijou[at]gmail[dot]com. I'll pass on your details to Vasu. She does share her recipes and pixs of the baked goodies on her blog, feel free to check it out.

Brother of the bride

Am I being a very obnoxiously over protective brother here. She always had it her way, and we always let her have it her way. It was like her secret super power or something, she always had it her way. Be it with chocolates, writing with ball point pens, her time with the TV. .She has veto power on 'Going to School' or in her words 'Lu-KG'. She very much decides on what she 'thinks' is right for her, not what really is right for her. Am I blowing this out of proportion, why is it that I just can't see her as a grown up and responsible woman.

Maybe I'm comparing her with the women around me. I already am guilty of being this over expecting brother, whatever she did was never good enough. I wanted her to be better than me, get the best opportunities better than the one that I got. And to make stuff worse, folks always let her have her way. I slowly became the guy who never could 'handle the truth', ammachi became her Fort Knox. Did I become 'the guy on the other end of the daily phone call'. Did I miss out on this whole transformation from baby sister to whatever she is now.

Now suddenly she's all ready and all to get married. There is a dude of her choice, she gets her way again. I'm not saying I don't like her choices... I just never trusted her choices. Life in 'Palathra' was literally a bed of roses. Tiffin on time, daily wake up calls, pick up and drop to school. The only thing that I think she knows to make is TANG and Maggi. No, I'm not exaggerating, the only other near to cooking (when the remote is not in her hand) thing I have seen her do is, mix the flour, butter and sugar for Amma's cake, and I have my theory that she does this so that she gets dibs for licking the bowl afterwards. Are we caving in to another one her wishes. Would she be able manage a home, be a wife and all.

Why couldn't baby sisters just pupate and then emerge as these a something with wings and all. How the hell am I supposed to know she's no more a baby sister. I don't think Palathra without my pestering sis would be the same. Yeah I know I'm totally flipping out here.

(Image courtesy:www.brisbaneinsects.com)

Caterpillar in the tree, how you wonder who you'll be

Can't go far but you can always dream

Wish you may and wish you might

Don't you worry hold on tight.

I promise you there will come a day

Butterfly Fly Away

Butterfly Fly Away (butterfly fly away)

Flap your wing now you can't stay

Take those dreams and make them all come true

Butterfly Fly Away (butterfly fly away)

We been waiting for this day

All along and know just what to do

Butterfly,

Butterfly,

Butterfly,

Butterfly Fly Away

(From Miley Cyrus: Butterfly Fly away)

Defrosting

It's been a while since I wrote anything; the last post was in Jan, I'm lazy. Saving you guys from yet another I'm lazy post, let's cut to the chase. Since my last post we did finally GO LIVE!!! well kinda GO LIVE!!!

Now days in office are kind of spent on SQL tunning and performance enhancement exercises. Years of fitting shitty requirements by 'hook or crook' takes a toll on the system once your tables get loaded with 3 crore rows of legacy data. It never crossed my mind that with 'more data comes more responsibility to back it up with quality code and queries'. So we are back to the design table, redesigning key objects we froze years ago. So right now we are defrosting. Object by Object we investigate them. Code by code interrogation, query over query we grill them. All this rework for years of haste.

(Image courtesy:1:5:10:365 EcoTip Blog)

Fake sense of urgency

(image courtesy:labs.gerbenrobijn.nl)

I had a very frustrating day in office today. I do totally understand that my project is not an ideal one. It a great specimen for a totally dysfunctional project. A prefect case study on what a project should NOT be. Add a client who doesn't give a damn about the project, you get yourself a project with no end. Frustrated team, bone headed managers, making the same mistake over and over again.

After years and years of scope creeps, no proper requirement gathering or requirement sign-offs. The project has still not seen the light of the day. There's no direction to project, just bogus Go-Live dates. Wastage of resources on weekends in a very desperate attempt to show the top brass a fake 'sense of urgency'.

With just days before the latest or the newest 'Go-Live' date, we are still suffering from scope creep. Everyday there is a new requirement, a new change, that is being added on to the scope. What we end up doing is add on to what we have to deliver and later end up fixing issues caused by proper impact analysis to new changes we take in.

Dear Client,

I know we messed up, we have two of your lines of businesses ready for you ready to use. We'll make amends to whatever we have not catered to on a priority basis in the coming releases. But we want you to start using the product and provide us with your feedback. Lets not complicate the roll out and the transition by adding more to the current scope. The current approach is not helping either of us in anyway.

Now this would work if:

• Our client is from some Bollywood movie.
• We have shown some credibility in what we done so far.
• We were professional enough and not act like greedy mercenaries trying to con the client with 'interim' solutions and 'temporary fixes'
• If we have a good Customer facing team managing customer expectations.
• A good Project Management team.

Is there a way out for us. I don't think so, IT industry in itself is a filthy industry with no credibility. It's a industry where no one owns up a project failure but you'd find many to own up a project success. It's an industry where blame chains play a far more important role than root cause analysis. CRs and Billing rates means more than what the 'Customer really wants'. Deadlines will whoosh past you. Deadlines would like seasons that come and go and never a date that has to be met. And most important, there will always be somebody to blame. So nobody gets fired for the project being delayed for all these years. 'Dud for brains' Project managers will still be managing projects.

There will still be bad days in your project where you still feel like pulling your hair out. So rather than wasting your energy worrying about this. Enjoy the 'free' internet access and occasionally crib about how much your work sucks, as you enjoy the fat paychecks for doing almost close to nothing.

Advantage YOU!!!

Sorry, the Nexus One phone is not available in your country.

A country where every body has atleast one mobile phone to himself, and it's still not available to India!!!

Anyway what would India do with a 3G Superphone when we still are delaying our 3G auction over and over again. We wouldn't even know what to do with 3G if we had 3G. AirTel which sells the HTC Android phones has blocked the Android Market Place app on the phones that they sell. Tata DOCOMO has provided access to the Android Market Place app for their customers but they still have no 3G. There is so much restrictions with smartphone already in the market, I doubt we'd be able to enjoy the phone even if we get one.

The Google Press Event got over, the whole Nexus One wasn't any different from the hoards of rumors and reviews of test phones floating over the internet. I would buy it even when I'm totally happy with my Nokia E51. I'd borrow money and buy one if I have too but I'd wait till the whole 3G services are available in India and unrestricted 3G services that too. I think waiting for a while would be good enough, by then Android will also have a few upgrades, Multi-touch etc. Then I'd buy one of these babies. I guess by that time we'll have a Nexus 2 or Nexus 3, but surely by then I'll own an Android Phone.

Ya pakka pakka... for sure... pinky swear..

23 Red Roses

It was a Sunday.

Those days when church was never to be missed.

It was the coldest bath ever.

Shivering he gets on the Bus.

The flower shop had the 23 preordered Red Roses waiting for me, arranged beautifully in a vase.

Carefully held the roses and called an auto, summoning all his guts... set meter to the place.

His heart clocked beats like Usain Bolt on a final 100m dash.

He pulls out the beautiful greeting card and a letter... 23 lines for every year.

Signed, Sealed.. and yet to delivered.

From the car park... looking up to the top most floor.

The the call is made, the phone never rang this slow.

She picks up... there is a half sleepy voice at the other end.

'Can you come down... I'm at the car park.'

Trying hard not to scream and wake her friends she makes way through the house and opens the door, phone in hand and looks down... he's not joking... he is at the car park.

Lift door opens... beep beep beep... Lift Door Closes.

Must have been the slowest lift in the whole world.

Beep beep beep... Lift Opens... Lift Closes.

'Happy Bday Mollae'