Practising Mindfulness at Work - Start Bursting Those Thought Baloons!

Have you ever been to a situation where you reached office, opens your inbox and find that the pile of your pending jobs have just gone few more centimeters up (few feet  high will be very much of an exaggeration). Suddenly you feel mix of despair and boredom and makes you drag yourself to end of day somehow without actually doing anything to bring down the pile?

See if you can identify with any of below standard responses.

A) Never (Do actually such stuff happen?)

B) Yes, Occasionally. (Say 1 or 2 days in 3-4 month period)

C) Yes, quite often

Response Interpretations:
A) Liar Liar
B) Pretty Natural, don't bother
C) If it's not other personal issues contributing to your workplace lethargy, and if you aren't totally dissatisfied with your current workplace and is desperately looking for a change, then read along. It  might be time to practice mindfulness at the workplace. 

The Thought Baloons

Practicing mindfulness can be helpful to counter workload related stress, lethargy and boredom at work, and to make everyday more enjoyable and lively is to practice mindfulness.

Like with any other practice, this demands dedication and commitment to bring out benefits.

How to be mindful?

1. Start bursting your thought baloons

There is a  little voice inside our head, or the 'inner speech'. It plays a key role in human consciousness. This can manifest as thought generation (this is particularly helpful) and mind wandering (gotcha). First and the Biggest  step is to be aware of this mind wandering, about that little person who keeps chatting sitting inside your head. 

Instead of letting that voice distract you, get a tight hold of it. Keep wandering within limits

Start pricking those unnecessary thought baloons and make it a habit.

2. Slow down and Practice being "in the moment".

Avoid rushing to things and deliberately slow yourself down for better clarity and awareness.

Instead of mentally rehearsing or planning the next hour's or next days agenda, instead of plan about your meeting with your boss, be in the moment, pay all your attention to the work you are doing. Pay attention to subtle details of it and finish it off with perfection.

Being in the moment means being mindfully aware of what is going on right here and now.

3.  Engage in active listening and avoid unnecessary chatter

Talking consumes energy. Period.

Avoid unnecessary talks to the extent possible. 

Practice active listening and DO listen more than you speak.

There are many hurdles at every work place that is beyond control, but by better utilizing the assets available at your disposal, you can better manage your office ambiance.

There is a 10 minute TED talk  by Matt Killingsworth worth listening. Link here

Image Credits:Pixabay.com

Sony Paul Peter, +Sony Palachodan, Olam Agro India Private Limited.

HR Concepts - Red Circle Policy

When an employee is overpaid, salary lingo describes their base pay as a “red circle rate,” or a rate of pay that is above the maximum salary for a position. A red circle policy is a common approach to addressing this situation and allowing the market to catch up with the employee’s pay. Once red circled employees are identified, organizations normally freeze their salaries at their current level. In other words, red circled employees will not receive pay increases while their salaries are above the maximum salary range for their positions.

Some factors that contribute to  implementing a red circle policy are:

• Change in market conditions
• Employees have long tenure. 
• Job responsibilities decrease.
• Shifts in philosophy.

While the thought of freezing current employees’ salaries may seem too risky or controversial a move for your company to make, as long as you do it with a high degree of transparency and apply is equally across all departments and employees, it simply makes good business sense. Red circling can help you reach your long-term goals and is worth considering.

Further Reading & Reference:

1.HR Cost Cutting with a Red Circle Policy

Have a great HR day :)

Shared by - Maneesh M S, +Maneesh Muralidharanpillai ,Sr. Executive HR, Appollo Tyres Limited

HR Concepts : What are Psycho Motor Tests?

Psychomotor Tests are used for determining the precision, coordination, control, dexterity and reaction time for candidates in the hiring process. It not only assesses the mechanical performance of the candidate but also their ability to understand and follow instructions and perform motor responses.

It assesses the subject's ability to perceive instructions and perform motor responses often including measurement of the speed of the reaction.

A range of basic skills are tested during a psychomotor test, from precision, dexterity, coordination and control to reaction times, stability, speed and coherence. There are a variety of quick quick tests that experts may use to gauge these skills. Some of these tests include a tweezer dexterity test, a matching-color pegboard, or a set of small parts that must be quickly assembled.

O'Connor Tweezer Dexterity Test

This kind of tests are widely used for deciding the best candidate for surgeons or pilots etc. The test measures the candidate’s reaction time, multitasking capacity and coordinating abilities. The evaluator rates the candidate’s performance against a predefined benchmark. This is standardized for all applicants.

Example:

In a manufacturing facility, a candidate is placed in a high speed assembly line. They are asked to perform a task for a certain time period. This gives the employer an idea of the efficiency and fastness of the employee.

Factors affecting Psychomotor Tests: 

• Job role: The tests are created in accordance with the jobs demand. It asses the key physical attributes required to perform the job related tasks successfully.

• Job pressure: Pressure related to ache job role may be different and that has to be kept in mind while designing the tests

• Decision making: The degree of instant decision making is a key factor of psychomotor assessments

• Real time job environment: The tests are most accurate when conducted in a real time simulated environment, as that is when the motor reflex are best judged.

• Standardizing the evaluation criteria: For proper assessment of candidates, a checklist of all major criteria are created and every candidate is judged based on the same

Advantage:

• Relevance: These tests provide an acute understanding of the exact reaction that a candidate might give in a similar real life situation. This helps in selecting the best suited candidate

Disadvantage:

• Cost: The tests usually require equipment and simulation, so they can get quite costly.

• Time: Being a one to one testing environment, time and effort required in conduction psychomotor tests are very high.

Have a great HR day :)

Shared by - Maneesh MS, +Maneesh Muralidharanpillai ,Sr. Executive HR, Appollo Tyres Limited

EPFO Housing Scheme Proposal For Subscribers

Retirement fund body EPFO is working on a proposal to provide low cost housing to its over five crore subscribers. 

"The EPFO is working on the proposal to provide low cost housing to its subscribers, which will come up for discussion in the meeting of its trustees expected sometime next month," a source said. 

Earlier this month, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had said in the Lok Sabha that the government is exploring the possibility for providing a suitable low-cost housing scheme for subscribers of Employees'Pension Fund. 

He was replying to a question whether the government or the EPFO has introduced/proposes to introduce a scheme to allow its subscribers to pledge their future PF contribution to buy low-cost houses. 

Future EPF to be pledged as EMI's

Last year, the proposal was also on the agenda of EPFO's trustees meeting held on September 16. 

A report of an expert committee on housing facility for the subscribers was also presented to the trustees for their perusal. 

The committee had unanimously recommended a scheme to facilitate subscribers to buy houses where they will get an advance from their PF accumulation and will be allowed to pledge their future PF contribution as EMI (Equated Monthly Instalment) payment. 

Under the proposed scheme, there will be a tripartite agreement with member, bank/housing agency and EPFO for pledging future PF contributions as EMI payment. 

The panel had suggested that the subscribers will purchase a dwelling unit with loans from bank or housing finance companies and hypothecation of property in favour of the latter. 

However, the panel had suggested this scheme for those EPFO subscribers who are low income formal workers and could not buy a house during their entire service period.

News Source: Economic Times, [22.05.2016], EPFO to consider housing scheme for members next month

Image Credits: Pixabay.com

Shared by -Siju Jose T +Siju Jose , Sr. Manager - HRD,  Oil Palm India Limited.

CBDT: SALARIED EMPLOYEES TO SUBMIT PROOF FOR LTA, HRA CLAIMS

The CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) has introduced a new form (Form 12 BB) for claiming tax deduction towards LTA, LTC, HRA & interest paid for home loans. The new form mandates people to furnish proof of travel while claiming LTA, LTC, and details of landlord in case of HRA claims. Let us understand this in detail.

Why this Rule?

The main reason behind introducing this rule is to plug the loopholes under tax laws by tightening the entire procedure for claiming these tax exemptions. This becomes more important because there was no standard or prescribed format until now for filing these declarations. And in the Budget 2015, the Finance Act had already introduced Section 192(2D) of the Income Tax Act mandating employers to collect all necessary evidences, but the rules and form were yet to be prescribed. The same has been done now.

What is this form about?

The declaration needs to be filed for claiming deductions in a prescribed form i.e. Form 12 BB as set up under rule 26C.

What is the obligation on the Employer?

Earlier the employers were not under any statutory obligations for collecting bills or other proofs in order to prove the fact that their employees have actually utilized the money they are claiming towards these claims.

But, the current amendment with the introduction of this rule will now make all the employers obligated to collect all the relevant information in the prescribed format apart from collecting the proof of evidence, before they can allow the respective benefits under various tax benefits to the employees.

Details needed to furnish LTA, LTC and HRA claims

The circular as issued by the government has not specified the documents required to be submitted for claiming deductions but the existing documents that employees used to provide should hold good. Following are the documents which are required to claim these benefits:-

HRA:

As per the notification issued by the government, a person claiming HRA (Housing Rent Allowance) for over Rs. 1 lakh needs to furnish name, address and PAN i.e. Permanent Account Number of the landlord, apart from giving the rent receipts. With this the government can start tracking the fraudulent claims and can also verify whether the rent received by the landlord has been duly disclosed in their tax-return.

LTA/LTC:

To claim LTA (Leave Travel Allowance) or LTC (Leave Travel Concession), people need to provide the evidence of expenditure, and submit boarding pass and tickets for claiming LTA or LTC.

Housing Loan

To claim deduction on the interest on a housing loan, people need to provide PAN of the lender and their name and address.

Deductions u/s Chapter VI-A

People need to submit relevant proof for claiming deductions under chapters VIA(A) and VI-A that cover Sections 80C, 80CCC, 80CCD, 80E, 80G, 80TTA. Sections 80CCC, 80CCD and section 80C allow a deduction of Rs. 1.5 lakhs on specified investments.

What will be the impact of this new Rule?

The new rule and the forms will make it really easy for both the taxpayer and the employer because it brings standardization which will help employees and employers both. Moreover from the government's point of view, the new format will ensure collection and maintenance of information, and will assist them in streamlining their assessment process and curb the malpractice of fake claims.

When will this rule come into effect?

The rules will be applicable from June 1, 2016.

Shared by -Sindhu Riju, +sindhu riju , Manager - HR, CGH Earth Group of Hotels