Go in for regular reskilling
Investing in the primary asset, which is oneself, is the only way to beat skill stagnation and stay employable
This has created panic among the industries dependent on the IT sector – specifically the real estate or the housing and the office space industry. Why did this happen and where do we go from here? Let’s start with Why.
Recently, I got a call from my ex-employee, who works with a top IT services company based outside India. He has been with this company for many years and now he wants to come back to India. Why? “Things have changed. Everyone at the top has taken the ‘me and for myself’ approach, leaving a lot of middle managers stranded. In the past, the top and middle management were one team and now it is ‘either me or you’. The leadership has clearly crossed the ‘Laxman Rekha’ on compensation and rewarded themselves at the cost of rest. I am disgusted at the way things have changed so quickly.”
The Reasons
So the first reason is that the top Indian companies, which portrayed one team spirit when they were winning, have changed and have discovered suddenly that the middle management was not adding value proportionate to the salaries paid. There are changes in the post-Trump era. But this is not the only reason for this development.
Five years ago, the Indian IT industry faced a big change – SMAC. Four technologies – social media, mobile, analytics and cloud – were changing the face of IT. At that time, the challenge of obsolescence of the middle managers was met with strong company-driven learning programmes. This time around, the companies have given up and put the middle manager on notice.
Behind the Curve
Who is responsible for staying contemporary is the key question. Is the employee or the employer responsible for keeping the employee contemporary? Professionals have been spoilt for a long time by the employers who put all the investment and took all the risk. The average employee just sailed along.
Let me explain this a bit differently. When an IT professional joins the industry, s/he starts investing in assets such as cars, housing and high-end smartphones. When investing in these material items, are they aware that the primary asset that creates all these secondary assets also needs investment? Clearly, the primary asset is ‘oneself’.
How many IT professionals invest a percentage of their salaries in skilling themselves – attending conferences, buying latest books and getting the latest certifications? This is often believed to be the employer responsibility. There are many who don’t even invest in the latest laptop and expect the employer to do that. Even those who do invest in themselves, do they spend adequately? In my opinion, every IT professional must keep aside 10% of her earnings every year for investing in own skill upgradations.
The second aspect is the role intensity. As one goes into middle management, the job becomes more and more transactional — of daily crisis management. Weekends are spent on meeting deadlines. Why does this happen? Because the quality of hires at the entry level has been falling and more time is sucked up in managing angry customers. The net result – skill stagnation.
Possible Solutions
Deferred Resignation
I have a suggestion – deferred resignation. The employees resign with a deferred date of 6 to 12 months. During the notice period, the IT employee will be on the bench for a change. Earlier, the bench was used before redeployment. Now the bench with half salaries for 6 to 12 months can be used to provide a graceful exit. Employees can use this time to upgrade using company resources like online courses and even work as an apprentice on projects involving new technologies.
Tenure System
All future hires, especially from Tier 2 and 3 campuses, must be on a contract basis for five years. This will put the ownership on the IT employee to stay contemporary. At the end of this first contract, only those who fit the future requirements will be converted into a long-term and permanent tenure. The rest may get an extended contract or may have to leave. This is the most common practice among university professors in the US and keeps them on their toes. More importantly, this kills any complacency in the employee.
(The author is chairman of TMI group and an independent journalist)
