Internship Report

On

Human Resource Practices at Banglalink Digital

Communications Ltd.

Submitted By:

Exam Roll: 152195

Registration No: 40970
Session: 2014-2015
Batch: BBA 5th Batch

Department of Management Studies

Faculty of Business Studies
Jahangirnagar University
Savar, Dhaka-1342

8th July, 2019

i
 An Internship Report

On

Human Resource Practices at Banglalink Digital

Communications Ltd

i
 Letter of Transmittal
8th July, 2019

The Chairman

Examination Committee, 5th Batch

Department of Management Studies

Jahangirnagar University

Subject: Submission of Internship Report on ‘Human Resource Practices of Banglalink

Digital Communications Ltd.’

Dear Sir,

I am hereby submitting my Internship Report entitled ‘Human Resource practices of

Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd.’, which was assigned to me as a requirement
for the completion of the BBA program. This report assembled my learning, activities and
experiences in the company during my internship period, starts from Jun 19, 2019 to
August 18, 2019. The report is formulated with all the reliable and valid information of the
organization. I believed that the experiences and the knowledge that I gathered from
internship period, would be helpful for me to become successful in professional life.

I sincerely hope that, you will find this report worth reading. Please feel free for any query
or clarification that you would like me to explain. Hope you will appreciate my hard work
and excuse the minor errors. Thanking you for your cooperation.

Sincerely Yours,

Exam Roll: 152195

Registration No: 40970

Batch: 5th Batch

Session: 2014-15

ii
 Student Declaration

Id no 152195, a student of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program,

Jahangirnagar University, hereby declare that the presented report of internship titled
‘Human Resource Practices of Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd.’ is uniquely
prepared by me after the completion of three months’ work at Banglalink Digital
Communications Ltd.

I also confirmed that, the report is only prepared for my academic requirement not for any
other purpose. The report does not contain any confidential or destructive information
about the organization.

Exam Roll: 152195

Registration No: 40970

Batch: 5th Batch

Session: 2014-15

iii
 Acknowledgement
My first thanks goes to the Almighty Allah for giving me the patience, energy, strength
and courage to complete the huge task within its deadline. Without his blessings and
endorsement, this report would not been accomplished. The successful completion of this
report might never be possible in time without the help some person whose inspiration and
suggestion made it happen.

I am especially grateful to my course advisor sir for his support and guidance in giving me
valuable knowledge and expertise to enable me to work on such a professional task.
Without his guidance, it was impossible for me to do the task properly.

I want express my sincere gratitude and respect to my supervisor Md Ahasan Ul Arif

Chowdhury for supporting me and giving the proper guideline of what to do during the
internship period. I am very thankful to him as he gave his valuable time to instruct me
different work. I am also thankful to my team members who have always encouraged me
and helped me whenever I needed.

I also thank my parents and friends for giving me support and motivation in giving me
courage to complete this report. I express my gratitude to all those people who helped me
by providing information and advice.

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 Executive Summary
As far as telecommunication sector in Bangladesh, Banglalink Digital Communications
Limited is one of the dynamic and leading companies. When Banglalink entered the
Bangladesh telecom industry in February 2005, the scenario changed overnight with
mobile telephony becoming an extremely useful and affordable communication tool for
people across all segments.

It was a great opportunity for me to work as an intern in the HR department of a telecom

industry and most importantly in Banglalink Digital Communication Ltd, which is the third
largest cellular service providers in Bangladesh. My experience over there was remarkable
and I have gained practical knowledge that I learnt previously in my university life.
Moreover, the working environment is very friendly there and people all together helped
me to gain knowledge and experience through giving the proper guideline. There were
numerous tasks that I had to complete daily and my main task was updating excel files and
sorting their workstation with current information. This internship program has helped me
a lot to learn about the actual situation and activities of HR department of a telecom
Industry. This internship program has helped me to explore new horizons of business
environment.

The report consist of several chapters. First chapter is the introduction part that includes
origin of study, objectives of report, scope of the report, methodology and limitation of the
report. The second chapter is all about the overview of Banglalink Didital Communications
Ltd. The third chapter contains literature review. Discussion about their roles &
responsibilities in the fourth.\

Five chapter comprises of main topic HR practices in Banglalink Digital Communications

Ltd. Which describes the overall policy of Human resource department. This department
have a great impact on overall organization for recruiting new employees and developing
existing employees.

Without this department, it’s completely impossible for an organization to successfully run
for progress. While working on this department. I highly understand the value of Human
Resource Department.

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 Table of Contents
Letter of Transmittal ....................................................................................................... ii

Student Declaration ....................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgement ......................................................................................................... iv

Executive Summary.........................................................................................................v

List of Table ................................................................................................................ viii

List of Figure ............................................................................................................... viii

Chapter One: Introduction ...............................................................................................1

1.1 Origin of the Study .................................................................................................2

1.2 Objectives of the Report .........................................................................................3
1.2.1 Broad objective: ...............................................................................................3
1.2.2 Specific Objective: ...........................................................................................3
1.3 Scope of the Report ................................................................................................3
1.4 Methodology ..........................................................................................................3
1.5 Limitations of the Study .........................................................................................4
CHAPTER TWO ORGANIZATION PROFILE ..............................................................5

2.1 Company Overview................................................................................................6

2.2 Vision, Mission & Values ......................................................................................6
2.3 Business & Strategies .............................................................................................9
2.5 Key Executives .................................................................................................... 11
2.6 Headquaters ......................................................................................................... 12
Chapter Three Literature Review ................................................................................... 13

3.1 Definition of Human Resource Management ........................................................ 15

3.2 Human Capital Management ................................................................................ 16
3.3 HR in Organizations ............................................................................................. 16
3.4 The philosophy of HRM ....................................................................................... 17
3.5 Importance of HRM ............................................................................................. 17
3.6 Scope of Human Resource Management .............................................................. 19
3.7 Aims of Human Resource Management................................................................ 21
3.8 HRM Functions .................................................................................................... 23
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 3.9 Integrative Model of Recruitment ......................................................................... 28
3.10 Training & Development .................................................................................... 32
3.11 Rethinking HR ................................................................................................... 32
Chapter Four Duties & Responsibilities performed in Banglalink Digital Communications
Ltd................................................................................................................................. 34

4.1 Roles of Mangers in Banglalink Digital Communications ltd. ............................... 35

4.2 Responsibilities of managers at different level of Banglalink Digital
Communications Ltd .................................................................................................. 36
Chapter Five HRM Practices in Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd. ...................... 38

5.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 39
5.2 HR Planning ......................................................................................................... 40
5.3 Recruitment Major Steps ...................................................................................... 41
5.4 Selection Decision ................................................................................................ 46
5.5 Training & Development ...................................................................................... 53
5.6 Performance Appraisal ......................................................................................... 56
5.7 Compensation & Benefits ..................................................................................... 57
Chapter Six Findings, Recommendation & Conclusion .................................................. 61

6.1 Findings ............................................................................................................... 62

6.2 Recommendation ................................................................................................. 63
6.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 65
References ..................................................................................................................... 66

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 List of Table
Table 1: Candidates’ Assessment and Selection ......................................................................... 44
Table 2: Activity Task................................................................................................................. 45
Table 3: Recommended Matrix ................................................................................................. 46
Table 4: Pre-employment Background Verification.................................................................... 49

List of Figure

Figure 1: Organizational Values ................................................................................................... 7

Figure 2: Organizational Structure ............................................................................................. 11
Figure 3: Recruitment Major Steps ............................................................................................ 41

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Chapter One
Introduction

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Whether you realize it or not, Human resources department is one of the pivotal sector
within an organization. We all know that Human resource management is an integral part
of an organization. Without this department it’s difficult to successfully run an
organization. Basically Human resource management is the strategic approach to the
effective management of people in an organization so that they help the business to gain
competitive advantage. It is designed to maximize employee performance in service of an
employer’s strategic objectives. HR is primarily concerned with the management of people
within organizations, focusing on policies and on systems. HR departments are mainly
responsible for overseeing employee-benefits design, employee recruitment, training and
development, performance appraisal and reward management. HR department is also
concerned with organizational change and industrial relations. The overall purpose is to
gain the success through the proper utilization of people. Man power is the most important
element of an organization.

This paper encloses a detailed study on the organizational overview and HR process and
practices of one of the leading telecommunication companies of Bangladesh – Banglalink
Digital Communications Ltd. It depicts an overall idea about this renowned organization,
its vision and values, how it functions and practical experiences as to the ground level jobs
that helps the company run.

1.1 Origin of the Study

As a part of the BBA program, all the students of the Department of Management Studies
have to experience an internship program with a purpose of gaining practical
understanding about corporate world. The program covers a period of three months of
organizational attachment. After the completion of internship program, each student has
to submit an internship report mentioning the activities performed and learned during the
internship period.

With a view to acquire practical knowledge, every student is assigned to a particular

department to do some regular particular task. After this, every students need to prepare a
report on the selected organization under the guideline of his or her assigned supervisor.

As a participant in this program, I was place at Banglalink Digital Communicatios Ltd,

Head office, for a period of three months. I prepared this long format report of all HR

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practices of Banglalink Digital Communicatios Ltd in Bangladesh so that the overall
Human Resource Management System of the company can be enhanced.

1.2 Objectives of the Report

1.2.1 Broad objective:
To learn and get practical knowledge about the Human Resource Information System
of Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd.

1.2.2 Specific Objective:

 To have knowledge & experiences about the overall working environment of
the organization.
 To explore HR functions, structures, and its procedure, rules & regulation.
 To understand the whole recruitment process comprises of several steps.
 To have a basic knowledge about the organizations culture, norms, values,
procedure, strategy, its business, its customer.
 To compare the practical personal work experiences with the theoretical
corporate concept.

1.3 Scope of the Report

This report has been prepared through extensive discussion with employees, HR executives
and on the information gathered from the annual report and prospectus of Banglalink
Digital Communicatios Ltd .I have got the great opportunity to have an in-depth knowledge
of the Human Resource Information System of Banglalink Digital Communications.
1.4 Methodology
Sources of Information
 Primary: The primary information is collected through discussion, face-to-face
interview, and personal observation, individual conversation with employee and by
participating in the recruitment process directly along with a survey amongst the
employees of different departments.
 Secondary: The secondary information collected from website, magazine,
memorandum, journals, internal database and some other relevant research paper and

3
 sources. Both primary and secondary data sources were used to generate this report.
Primary data sources are scheduled survey among the employees of the different
departments of the organization, informal discussion with professionals’ and
observation while accomplishing day to day jobs.

1.5 Limitations of the Study

The main limitation of the study was the restrain on information, as because most of
the information was confidential. Therefore, neither the organization nor the employees
want to disclose those. However many of the employees form the different departments
were not entirely aware of the overall recruitment process, which made the information
collection process more difficult.

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CHAPTER TWO
ORGANIZATION PROFILE

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2.1 Company Overview
Banglalink is one of the leading digital communications service providers in Bangladesh
working to unlock new opportunities for its customer. It is the third largest cellular
service providers in Bangladesh. Banglalink digital communications Ltd is fully owned
by Telecom Ventures Ltd. of Malta, which is a 100% owned subsidiary of global telecom
holding. Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd. was formerly known as ORASCOM
Telecom Bangladesh Ltd. and changed its name to Banglalink Digital Communications
Ltd. in july 2013. Launched in February 2005, with over 33.69 million subscribers over a
decade, Banglalink was the catalyst in making mobile telephony an affordable option for
consumers in Bangladesh.

Banglalink Digital Communicatios Ltd. provides fiber optic network based mobile
telecommunication services. The company offers pre-paid, post-paid, social media packs,
international roaming, call management services, and mobile financial services. It also
offers digital services including train tracking, sports news, call block, music stations, and
messenger services.

The company was founded in November 1998, almost 22years ago and is based in Dhaka,
Bangladesh. As of September 2, 2004, banglalink digital communications limited operates
as a subsidiary of Global Telecom Holding.

Banglalink had 1.03 million connections until December 2005. The number of Banglalink
users increased by 257 per cent [5] and stood at 3.64 million at the end of 2006, making it
the fastest growing operator in the world of that year. In August 2006, Banglalink became
the first company to provide free incoming calls from BTTB for both postpaid and prepaid
connections. On 20 August 2008, Banglalink got past the landmark of a 10 million-
subscriber base.

2.2 Vision, Mission & Values

Vision: To be a Pioneer; working at the frontier to unlock new opportunities for customers
as they navigate the digital world. . Its vision is to communication open to mass people of

6
Bangladesh. To achieve its vision Banglalink has also targeted a set of missions that will
lead the organization to its vision.

Mission: The initial success of Banglalink was based on a simple mission “Bringing
mobile technology to the masses”, which was the cornerstone of Banglalink’s strategy.
Banglalink aims to enable its customers to get the best out of the digital future and create
a true digital ecosystem through providing products that suits the demands of customers.
The mission is to get the necessities of their client and to decrease the aggregate cost of
utilizing portable correspondence. Main purpose is to improve the livelihood of
individuals.

Organizational Values: Banglalink is filled with strong core values such as customer-
obsesses, Entrepreneurial, Innovative, collaborative & truthful. In order to fulfil the values
banglalink is now working relentlessly to bring digital world to each customer to build a
true digital Bangladesh, moving away from the traditional mobile operator to a tech
company.

Figure 1: Organizational Values

Collaborative

 We bring people together, united by our passion for our customers

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  We work with each other and we respect the time of others

 We don't look to blame, we look for solutions to problems and we take ownership

 We partner with others - both internally and externally- in order to achieve more

 When doing things together, we do them smarter and faster

 We are a team

Innovative

 We never stop. We are always moving, looking for the next disruptive digital ideas

 We are adventurous and excited about trying new things

 We are quick to bring new digital products and services to market, always driven
by a clear customer needs

 We don't follow the status quo, we are passionate about creating our own path

Truthful

 We are open, honest and demonstrate integrity and respect in all our dealings – both
internally and externally

 We are trustworthy, we keep our promises and admit our mistakes

 We are focused on upholding the highest level of ethics at all times

 We set clear expectations and communicate feedback in a transparent and respectful

way

Entrepreneurial

 We have an ownership mentality, demonstrating passion and taking responsibility

of the business as if it were our own

 We are agile and dynamic. We like to push boundaries and explore what's possible.
We are not held back by a fear of failure and are always looking to develop new
things.

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  We take smart risks, but only when it's in our customers' best interests

 We lead by example – we do what we say we are going to do

Customer-obsessed

 We have a passion for our customers – they are at the heart of everything we do

 We are able to make difficult decisions when we know it's in our customers' best
interests

 We keep an eye on our competitors but it's our customers who are always front of
mind

 We are driven by our customer insight – all our digital innovations are borne out of
customers' needs

The main objective is to deliver superior quality & benefits in every phase of the customer
experience. Bringing the whole country into a place where everyone can easily
communicate with each other without any difficulties. Goal of the organization is to
guarantee telecom benefit for all individuals of Bangladesh.

2.3 Business & Strategies

Finance

Beyond the view of the glamour of Icon’s and Sales are groups of people who make sure
that the pulse of the organization is up high and running. Keeping a balance of the revenue
coming in with the expenses going out, the finance department of banglalink is part of the
strong backbone that banglalink stands on.

Starting from keeping basic track of revenue and expenses, finance also takes into account
payment of tax for both organization and employees, accounts payable and treasury. The
efficiency of banglalink finance team has seen banglalink paying off its debt from its own
revenue in the recent times. Our strategic & business planning, legal and supply chain units
are also under finance department.

9
Regulatory affairs

The people in regulatory affairs are in charge of making sure that banglalink is always on
the good side of the Telecom regulations as well as the laws of Bangladesh. Every short
and long-term transactions with any external stakeholder is reviewed by regulatory affairs
to make sure that Banglalink is not losing out in any of its transactions.

Human Resources & Administration

In today’s world, HR is the most important resource of an organization, being not only the
provider of human labor but also knowledge. Banglalink HR undergoes change
management, facilitation and is a strategic business partner to the company. The efficiency
of banglalink HR has led them to winning the Benny Awards 2012 for best practice in
Compensation & Benefits and in Learning and Development.

The other segment of this team is Administration. Be it the stapler on your desk or the
massive banglalink structures. Administration does it all. This team of high caliber
employees maintain every tangible asset that banglalink claims as its own. From buildings
to vehicles, from security to environment. The Administration team are the people working
round the clock to ensure that the right resources are available at the right time for the right
job.

CEO’s Office

On top of all the departments and all the activities of banglalink, there is the CEO’s office.
The CEO’s office coordinates the high value objective of banglalink with all the other
departments. In relation they also decide on the investment made by banglalink. The CEO’s
office also includes the Internal Audit & Company Secretary.

Customer Care

Customers are the lifeblood of any organization and Banglalink Customer Care continually
strives to ensure customers are always treated with utmost importance and their every query
is met with instant responsiveness at all times.

10
Marketing

The marketing department is an integral part of our operations as the Banglalink brand is
carried forward to the rest of the world by our dynamic Marketing team. They are the ones
responsible for building the brand’s image and ensuring that the Banglalink stripes are
always at the top of mind of our target audience.

Sales

Our Sales team is one of the key the driving forces behind the company’s success as they
are the ones delivering our products to the masses and increasing our subscriber base. They
are relentlessly working towards making new inroads for Banglalink and in doing so,
ensuring that Banglalink is one of the top mobile operators of the country.

2.4 Organizational Structure

Figure 2: Organizational Structure

2.5 Key Executives

Chief Executive Officer: Erik Aas

Chief B2B Officer: Choukri Berghout

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Chief Ethics and Compliance officer: M Nurul Alam

Chief Corporate And Regulatory Affairs Officer: Taimur Rahman

Chief Financial Officer: Anton Landman

Chief Human Resources & Administration Officer: Monzula Morshed

Chief Legal Officer: Jahrat Adib Chowdhury

Chief Commercial Officer: Ritesh Kumar Singh

Chief Technology Officer: Pierre Boutros Obeid

2.6 Headquaters
Tiger’s Den, House 4, Bir Uttam Mir Shawkat sharak, Gulshan 1, Dhaka-1212,
Bangladesh

2.7 Website: http://www.banglalink.net/

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Chapter Three
Literature Review

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The terms ‘Human resource management’ (HRM) and ‘human resources’ (HR) have
largely replaced the term ‘personnel management’ as a description of the processes
involved in managing people in organizations. According to encyclopedia, Human
Resource Management (HRM) is the term used to describe formal systems devised for the
management of people within an organization. The responsibilities of a human resource
manager fall into three major areas: staffing, employee compensation and benefits, and
defining/designing work. Essentially, the purpose of HRM is to maximize the productivity
of an organization by optimizing the effectiveness of its employees. This mandate is
unlikely to change in any fundamental way, despite the ever-increasing pace of change in
the business world. As Edward L. G observed in the Journal of Business Strategy, "the
basic mission of human resources will always be to acquire, develop, and retain talent;
align the workforce with the business; and be an excellent contributor to the business.
Those three challenges will never change (Nwachukwu 2009).

Until fairly recently, an organization's human resources department was often consigned
to lower rungs of the corporate hierarchy, despite the fact that its mandate is to replenish
and nourish what is often cited legitimately as an organization's greatest resource, its work
force. However, in recent year’s recognition of the importance of human resources
management to a company's overall health has grown dramatically. This recognition of the
importance of HRM extends to small businesses, for while they do not generally have the
same volume of human resources requirements as do larger organizations, they too face
personnel management issues that can have a decisive impact on business health. As Irving
Burstiner commented in The Small Business Handbook, "Hiring the right people and
training them well-can often mean the difference between scratching out the barest of
livelihoods and steady business growth'¦. Personnel problems do not discriminate between
small and big business. You find them in all businesses, regardless of size (Armstrong, M.
2003).

According to Michael Armstrong (2003) in his book ‘A Handbook of Human Resource

Management Practice’, Human resource management (HRM) is concerned with all aspects
of how people are employed and managed in organizations. It covers the activities of

14
strategic HRM, human capital management, knowledge management, corporate social
responsibility, organization development, resourcing (workforce planning, recruitment and
selection and talent management), learning and development, performance and reward
management, employee relations, employee well-being and the provision of employee
services. Human resource management can be defined as a strategic, integrated and
coherent approach to the employment, development and well-being of the people working
in organizations.

3.1 Definition of Human Resource Management

HRM has been argued to be a replacement of the term personnel management in
organizations. In this light, experts like Armstrong (1987) sees HRM as ‘old wine in new
bottles’; while Guest (1987) argued that human resource management is not a replacement
but somehow differs from personnel management. Practically, it suggests that Human
Resource (HR) tasks are majorly concern with the administrative activities such as
recruitment, reward systems, promotion, and so on. However, it does not make HR
administrators ‘having a seat at the table’ meaning that HR administrators is not regarded
as a strategic business partner, therefore does not contribute to the success of the business.

Storey (1995) defines HRM as “a distinctive approach to employment management which

seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly
committed and capable workforce, using an integrated array of cultural, structural and
personnel techniques”; while Byars & Rue (2004) see HRM as “activities designed to
provide for and coordinate the human resources of an organization.” In addition, Boxall &
Purcell (2000) argue, “HRM includes anything and everything associated with the
management of employment relationships in the firm.” The words anything and everything
in the definition explains the wider range of issues comprising policies such employment
contract and ways in which employees may be involved and participate in areas not directly
covered by the employment contract thus ensuring suitable work life. Further, it goes
beyond employment relations or industrial relations, which personnel management would
not have been able to render in organizations.

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3.2 Human Capital Management
Human capital is one of the four types of assets managed in organizations; others includes
(i) physical assets such as land, buildings, equipment etc; (ii) financial asset such as stocks,
securities etc; (iii) human assets are competent individuals with capacity to render services
to the organizations; and (iv) Intangible assets like patents, designs etc. These assets are
essential and vital at varying degrees in the operations of any organization; however,
human assets operate at the pivot of the operations. Human assets in organizations control,
guides, and manage the use of other assets in order to achieve organizational goals. It is
important to emphasize that human capital is not basically individuals in organizations;
rather it is what they have to contribute in achieving organizational goals. Robert &
Elizabeth (2003) define Human Capital as “the collective value of the capabilities,
knowledge, skills, life experiences, and motivation of an organizational workforce.” It is
also referred to as “intellectual capital to reflect the thinking, knowledge, creativity, and
decision making that people in organizations contribute” (Mathis & Jackson, 2006).

3.3 HR in Organizations
Generally, all managers in organizations are regarded as HR managers. College Dean,
Matron, Sales managers, and Supervisors are all assumed to engage in HR management,
but their effectiveness and efficiency depend on how HR system is being organized and
managed in organizations. Essentially, it is inappropriate to engage a Matron (Head nurse)
or an Engineering manager in designing and administering HR activities such as pay
system and reward; human resource planning; recruitment and selection; employment
regulations etc. Therefore, medium and large organizations create HR department and
equip it with HR specialists that can conveniently handle these activities. However, smaller
organizations do engage in some of these activities, where the owner usually handles them.
And in some other small businesses, clerical assistant is employed to handle the payroll
systems, record keeping and other clerical work. Supervisors and Managers (irrespective
of their departments) are involved in recruiting, selecting and training prospective
employees, as a result these activities tend to shift their attention away from their primary
assignments and reduce the time they spend on their core and other business areas (Cole,
G. A. 2002).

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3.4 The philosophy of HRM
As originally conceived by the pioneers in the 1980s, the concept of HRM was based on a
philosophy, which was fundamentally different from the personnel management practices
of the time. Beer et al (1984) believed that ‘Today, many pressures are demanding a
broader, more comprehensive and more strategic perspective with regard to the
organization’s human resources… These pressures have created a need for a longer-term
perspective in managing people and consideration of people as potential assets rather than
merely a variable cost.’ Beer and his colleagues (the Harvard school) were the first to
underline the HRM tenet that it belongs to line managers. They suggested that HRM has
two characteristic features, first, that line managers accept more responsibility for ensuring
the alignment of competitive strategy and HR policies, and second, that HR has the mission
of setting policies that govern how HR activities are developed and implemented in ways
that make them more mutually reinforcing. Fombrum et al (1984) held that HR systems
and the organization structure should be managed in a way that is congruent with
organizational strategy.

The philosophy underpinning this notion of HRM provided a new vision, which was
strongly criticized by many commentators during the 1990s (see the critical evaluation of
HRM at the end of this chapter). It was supposed to be substantially different from old-
fashioned personnel management, a term which has virtually disappeared since then,
although in some quarters the term ‘people management’ has been adopted, possibly by
those who dislike the connotations of ‘human resources’ with its apparent emphasis on
exploitation and treating people as factors of production. However, whether it is called
human resource management or people management, the essential nature of the ways in
which organizations manage and relate to their employees has not always changed
significantly from that of personnel management, although new techniques may have been
introduced. In 2000 I asked the question ‘The name has changed but has the game remained
the same?’ and answered it with a broad affirmative (Dugguh, S. & Dennis, A. 2014).

3.5 Importance of HRM

The Evolving Business Paradigm

17
One of the factors behind organizations giving a lot of attention to their people is the nature
of the firms in the current business environment. Given the fact that there has been a steady
movement towards an economy based on services, it becomes important for firms engaged
in the service sector to keep their employees motivated and productive. Even in the
manufacturing and the traditional sectors, the need to remain competitive has meant that
firms in these sectors deploy strategies that make effective use of their resources. This
changed business landscape has come about as a result of a paradigm shift in the way
businesses and firms view their employees as more than just resources and instead adopt a
“people first” approach (Dugguh, S.I. 2012).

Strategic Management and HRM

The aims of strategic management are to provide the organization with a sense of direction
and a feeling of purpose. The days when the HR manager was concerned with
administrative duties is over and the current HRM practices in many industries are taken
as seriously as say, the marketing and production functions.

Importance of HRM for Organizational Success

The practice of HRM must be viewed through the prism of overall strategic goals for the
organization instead of a standalone tint that takes a unit based or a micro approach. The
idea here is to adopt a holistic perspective towards HRM that ensures that there are no
piecemeal strategies and the HRM policy enmeshes itself fully with those of the
organizational goals. For instance, if the training needs of the employees are simply met
with perfunctory trainings on omnibus topics, the firm stands to lose not only from the time
that the employees spend in training but also a loss of direction. Hence, the organization
that takes its HRM policies seriously will ensure that training is based on focused and
topical methods (Evan, R., & Davis, W. 2005).

In conclusion, the practice of HRM needs to be integrated with the overall strategy to
ensure effective use of people and provide better returns to the organizations in terms of
ROI (Return on Investment) for every rupee or dollar spent on them. Unless the HRM
practice is designed in this way, the firms stand to lose from not utilizing people fully. In
addition, this does not bode well for the success of the organization.

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3.6 Scope of Human Resource Management
Human resources are undoubtedly the key resources in an organization, the easiest and the
most difficult to manage! The objectives of the HRM span right from the work force needs
assessment to management and retention of the same. To this effect Human resource,
management is responsible for effective designing and implementation of various policies,
procedures and programs. It is all about developing and managing knowledge, skills,
creativity, aptitude and talent, and using them optimally (Mullins, L. J. 2002).

Human Resource Management is not just limited to manage and optimally exploit human
intellect. It also focuses on managing physical and emotional capital of employees.
Considering the intricacies involved, the scope of HRM is widening with every passing
day. It covers but is not limited to HR planning, hiring (recruitment and selection), training
and development, payroll management, rewards and recognitions, Industrial relations,
grievance handling, legal procedures etc. In other words, we can say that it’s about
developing and managing harmonious relationships at workplace and striking a balance
between organizational goals and individual goals (Mullins, L. J. 2002). The scope of HRM
is extensive and far-reaching. Therefore, it is very difficult to define it concisely. However,
we may classify the same under following heads:

HRM in Personnel Management

This is typically direct manpower management that involves manpower planning, hiring
(recruitment and selection), training and development, induction and orientation, transfer,
promotion, compensation, layoff and retrenchment, employee productivity. The overall
objective here is to ascertain individual growth, development and effectiveness, which
indirectly contribute to organizational development (Fajana, S.I. 2002).

It also includes performance appraisal, developing new skills, disbursement of wages,

incentives, allowances, traveling policies and procedures and other related courses of
actions.

HRM in Employee Welfare

This particular aspect of HRM deals with working conditions and amenities at workplace.
This includes a wide array of responsibilities and services such as safety services, health

19
services, welfare funds, social security and medical services. It also covers appointment of
safety officers, making the environment worth working, eliminating workplace hazards,
support by top management, job safety, safeguarding machinery, cleanliness, proper
ventilation and lighting, sanitation, medical care, sickness benefits, employment injury
benefits, personal injury benefits, maternity benefits, unemployment benefits and family
benefits (Mullins, L. J. 2002)..

It also relates to supervision, employee counseling, establishing harmonious relationships

with employees, education and training. Employee welfare is about determining
employees’ real needs and fulfilling them with active participation of both management
and employees. In addition to this, it also takes care of canteen facilities, crèches, rest and
lunchrooms, housing, transport, medical assistance, education, health and safety, recreation
facilities, etc (Mullins, L. J. 2002)..

HRM in Industrial Relations

Since it is a highly sensitive area, it needs careful interactions with labor or employee
unions, addressing their grievances and settling the disputes effectively in order to maintain
peace and harmony in the organization. It is the art and science of understanding the
employment (union-management) relations, joint consultation, disciplinary procedures,
solving problems with mutual efforts, understanding human behavior and maintaining
work relations, collective bargaining and settlement of disputes Evan, R., & Davis, W.
2005.

The main aim is to safeguarding the interest of employees by securing the highest level of
understanding to the extent that does not leave a negative impact on organization. It is
about establishing, growing and promoting industrial democracy to safeguard the interests
of both employees and management.The scope of HRM is extremely wide, thus, cannot be
written concisely. However, for the sake of convenience and developing understanding
about the subject, we divide it in three categories mentioned above Evan, R., & Davis, W.
2005.

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3.7 Aims of Human Resource Management
The overall purpose of human resource management is to ensure that the organization is
able to achieve success through people. As Ulrich and Lake (1990) remark: ‘HRM systems
can be the source of organizational capabilities that allow firms to learn and capitalize on
new opportunities.’ Specifically, HRM is concerned with achieving objectives in the areas
summarized below.

Organizational effectiveness

‘Distinctive human resource practices shape the core competencies that determine how
firms compete’ (Cappelli and Crocker-Hefter, 1996). Extensive research has shown that
such practices can make a significant impact on firm performance. HRM strategies aim to
support programs for improving organizational effectiveness by developing policies in
such areas as knowledge management, talent management and generally creating ‘a great
place to work’. This is the ‘big idea’ as described by Purcell et al (2003), which consists of
a ‘clear vision and a set of integrated values’. More specifically, HR strategies can be
concerned with the development of continuous improvement and customer relations
policies.

Human capital management

The human capital of an organization consists of the people who work there and on whom
the success of the business depends. Bontis et al (1999) have defined human capital as
follows: Human capital represents the human factor in the organization; the combined
intelligence, skills and expertise that give the organization its distinctive character. The
human elements of the organization are those that are capable of learning, changing,
innovating and providing the creative thrust which if properly motivated can ensure the
long-term survival of the organization.

Human capital can be regarded as the prime asset of an organization and businesses need
to invest in that asset to ensure their survival and growth. HRM aims to ensure that the
organization obtains and retains the skilled, committed and well-motivated workforce it
needs. This means taking steps to assess and satisfy future people needs and to enhance
and develop the inherent capacities of people – their contributions, potential and

21
employability – by providing learning and continuous development opportunities. It
involves the operation of ‘rigorous recruitment and selection procedures, performance-
contingent incentive compensation systems, and management development and training
activities linked to the needs of the business’ (Becker et al, 1997). It also means engaging
in talent management – the process of acquiring and nurturing talent, wherever it is and
wherever it is needed, by using a number of interdependent HRM policies and practices in
the fields of resourcing, learning and development, performance management and
succession planning.

Knowledge management

Knowledge management is ‘any process or practice of creating, acquiring, capturing,

sharing and using knowledge, wherever it resides, to enhance learning and performance in
organizations’ (Scarborough et al, 1999). HRM aims to support the development of firm-
specific knowledge and skills that are the result of organizational learning processes.

Reward management

HRM aims to enhance motivation, job engagement and commitment by introducing

policies and processes that ensure that people are valued and rewarded for what they do
and achieve and for the levels of skill and competence, they reach (Scarborough et al,
1999).

Employee relations

The aim is to create a climate in which productive and harmonious relationships can be
maintained through partnerships between management and employees and their trade
unions.

Meeting diverse needs

HRM aims to develop and implement policies that balance and adapt to the needs of its
stakeholders and provide for the management of a diverse workforce, taking into account
individual and group differences in employment, personal needs, work style and aspirations
and the provision of equal opportunities for all.

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3.8 HRM Functions
HRM in people centric industry is concerned with the ‘people’ dimensions of the
organization. In order to achieve the objectives as stated above, HRM must perform certain
functions. Generally, it is said that to achieve the organizational objectives, retailers must
set up a proper correlation between the objectives and the functions. Usually a particular
set of functions helps realize specific objectives. For example, personal objectives are
thought to be realized through training & development, performance management and
compensation & benefits functions, while on the other hand, organizational objectives are
achieved through human resource planning, employees’ relations, recruitment, selection,
training, compensation and managerial relations functions (Taylor S 2002).

Following are the common human resource functions, any typical retail organization
will be having: 1. Job analysis and job design. 2. Recruitment and selection of retail
employees. 3. Employees’ training and development. 4. Performance management. 5.
Compensation and benefits. 6. Labor relations. 7. Managerial relations

These seven human resource areas and their associated functions share the common
objectives of an adequate number of competent employees with the abilities, experience,
knowledge and skills required for fulfilling organizational goals. Though a human resource
function can be assigned to one of the seven areas of human responsibility, some functions
serve a variety of objectives. For example, performance management besides motivating
the retail employees leads to employees’ development as well as compensation and
benefits. Similarly, compensation and benefits function facilitates retention, training and
development and also serves to have cordial labor and managerial relations (Taylor S
2002). .

1. Job analysis and job design

Job analysis is the process of describing the operations, duties and responsibilities of the
job. In order to recruit retail employees on a scientific and rational basis, it becomes
necessary to determine in advance a standard of personnel with which interested candidate
can be compared. This standard must establish the minimum acceptable qualities necessary
for the accomplishment of tasks by retail employees. In the words of Edwin B. Flippo, “Job

23
analysis is the process of studying and collecting information relating to the operations and
responsibilities of a specific job”. In the words of John A. Shbim, “Job analysis is the
methodical compilation and study of work data in order to define and characterize each
occupation, in such a manner as to distinguish it from all others”. According to Michael J.
Jucius, “Job analysis refers to the process of studying the operations, duties and
organizational aspects of jobs in order to derive specifications, or as they are called by
some job descriptions”. According to Scott Clothier and Spriegal, “Job analysis is the
process of critically evaluating the operations, duties and responsibilities of a specific job”.

Job analysis process provides information about what the job involves and what human
features are essential to carry out these activities. This information becomes vital to decide
what sort of people to recruit and hire. The data derived from job analysis process is
beneficial for estimating the value and appropriate compensation for each job. The reason
behind this is the belief and practice that compensation generally depends on the job’s
required skill and education level, safety hazards, degree of responsibility, and so on all
these factors that are assessed through job analysis. This ultimately provides the base for
determining the relative worth of each job so that each job should be properly classified
(Taylor S 2002). .

Hence, job analysis is a data collection function performed by the HR department that
includes the following steps: (i) Collection of factual materials: The first step of job analysis
process includes collecting information relating to the job. This task is usually
accomplished in four ways: (a) With the help of structured questionnaire (b) Using
narrative descriptions (c) Observations, and (d) By interviews. (ii) Completing job
description blank: After collecting the information, job analysis puts such information in a
standard job description form as a comprehensive draft, which shows full details of the
activities of the retailing job. As per the nature and format of the retail organization,
separate forms may be used for various activities in the job and may be compiled later on.
In actual, the whole task of job analysis depends upon these forms, which are regularly
consulted as reference guide for the future planning tasks. (iii) Preparation of the job
specifications: Job specifications are also prepared on the basis of information collected
through data collecting techniques. Job description basically refers to a statement of

24
minimum acceptable qualities of a candidate whose selection should be made. (iv)
Preparation of Report: This report indicates various activities to be performed by the
retail staff and expectations from them. It is prepared by the job analyst on the basis of
information collected. The report is then submitted to the HR department for its suggestions
and amendments. (v) Approval: The report submitted by the analyst and reviewed by the
HR department may now be revised by the top executives for:(i) Competitive policies (ii)
Comments of HR department (if any) (iii) Views of Trade Unions (if applicable) (iv)
Mission and vision of the organization In some organizations, such drafts are usually
approved by the HR manager while in some organizations by the top executive, who has
the ultimate responsibility to finalize it (Scarborough et al, 1999).

2. Recruitment and selection of retail employees

The success of a retail organization largely depends upon the team of efficient store
employees who are chosen out of a number of applicants for the job. Recruitment is a very
first step in the employment process, which aim at obtaining and maintaining an efficient
store staff (floor employees) as a means of achieving sales targets. Recruiting employees
basically involves three major sub-functions: (i) Recruitment, (ii) Selection, and (iii)
Placement on the job. According to Edwin Flippo, “Recruitment is the process of searching
for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for the jobs in the organization”.
According to Werther and K. Davis, “Recruitment is the process of finding and attracting
capable applicants for employment. The process begins when new recruits are sought and
ends when their applications are submitted. The result is a pool of applicants from which
new employees are selected”. Theoretically, recruitment is the positive process of
employment aiming at searching for the prospective employee and inspiring them to apply
for jobs in the organization. In short, it increases the number of applicants and number of
posts vacant and thus provides an opportunity to the management to select the suitable
person.

Selection defined: Selection is the process by which qualified and suitable store employees
are selected and placed on the jobs according to their capabilities and organization’s
requirements. Thus, it is a tool in the hands of the management to differentiate the suitable
and unsuitable applicants by applying various techniques such as group discussions,

25
personal interviews, game tests etc. According to Thomas stone, “Selection is the process
of differentiating between applicants in order to identify those with a greater likelihood of
success in the job”. According to Dale Yolder, “Selection is the process in which
candidates for employment are divided into two classes, those who are to be offered
employment and those who are not”.

Selection is a long process beginning with receipt of applicants and ending with the final
placement. The selection process varies from organization to organization and between two
different positions. For example, in a retail company, when they are looking for entry-level
sales personnel, they tend to reply on educational institutions, advertisements and
employee recommendations. Moreover, when a retail company is looking for middle-
management positions, they are likely to use employment agencies, competitors,
advertisements and current employees. The recruitment process can be very costly. It takes
a great deal of time to set up an effective recruitment process. Therefore, the company has
to carry this job out in a systematic way. For instance, selection procedure for store
accountants, store supervisors, store managers will be long drawn and rigorous as
compared to those applicants who apply for floor staff position. The top management
should decide the various steps in the selection of desirable employee in the organization.

3. Training and development

After selecting the most suitable and eligible candidates in the organization, the next step
of HR department are to arrange for their training. All types of jobs require some type of
training for their efficient performance and therefore, all employees, new or old should be
trained or re-trained from time to time. Further, the way new and new retail formats are
emerging, new developments are taking place throughout the globe, it becomes imperative
for any retail organization to systematically plan for the training program aiming at
increasing the knowledge, skills, abilities and aptitude of employees to perform the new
competitive tasks.

4. Performance Management

After selected, training and motivation, the next task, a HR manager has to perform is to
evaluate the personality and performance of each employee by quantitative factors (such

26
as targets achieved). In actual, with the help of performance management, the management
through HR department would like to find out how effective it has been hiring and placing
employees. Performance management allows retailers gain access to the reliable, timely
information that drives better decisions. The term ‘performance management’ and
‘performance appraisal’ are used synonymously by few authors and subject experts. But
the retailers throughout the globe believe that performance management is a broader term
that may include performance appraisal too. A typical performance management system
involves following actions: (i) To develop job descriptions clearly. (ii) Selecting right
employees at right jobs with right selection process. (iii) To negotiate requirements and
accomplishment based performance standards, outcomes and measures as and when
required. (iv) To provide appropriate training, education and induction. (v) To facilitate
ongoing coaching and feedback. (vi) To conduct quarterly/half yearly performance
development discussions. (vii) To design appropriate compensation and appraisal system
that rewards employees for their outstanding contributions. (viii) To provide career
development opportunities for employees. (ix) To assist with exit interviews to understand
why loyal employees leave the organization (Ichniowski, C., Shaw, K. and Prennushi, G.
1994)

5. Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and benefits represent a substantial part of total cost in most of the
organizations. Compensation is not only the concern of the organization but is equally
important for the workers and employees to maintain their social image. The main
objective of such compensation and benefits are to control the costs, to establish a fair and
equitable remuneration to all, to utilize the compensation and benefits device as an
incentive for greater employee productivity and to establish a satisfactory public image.
Hence, it becomes imperative for the HR department of any retail business to have clear-
cut policy guidelines regarding employees’ compensation and various benefits. For
effective implementation of compensation plans, HR department should be aware about
the benefits given to the employees in similar kind of organizations. The attitude of the
employees towards his employer will usually be determined by the extent to which he/she
is satisfied with the wages he/she is getting, though it is not the only reason for employee

27
satisfaction. Even motivation comes after an employee is satisfied with his/her basic
compensation. It is also the best way to satisfy the employee at the lower and middle level
of management (Lawler, E.E. 1986).

6. Labor Relations

In modern days, retailing is carried on a large scale where hundreds of employees work
together. The HR manager is basically responsible for the control of labor (workers and
employees) through human relation approaches. Employees differ in nature and therefore,
it is but natural that due to any communication gap, labor relations may spoil within the
organization. Therefore, the HR department should know the proper policies, rules and
regulations with regard to labor relations. Harmonious relationships are necessary for both
retailers and employees. It not only results in industrial peace but also leads to better and
higher sales targets. Most of the retail organizations these days besides having HR
department also take the services of legal experts (practitioners) for consultation from time
to time. Further, hiring legal experts within the organization has become necessary
considering that each state has its different set of rules for managing HR with some
standard rules (Lawler, E.E. 1986).

7. Managerial Relations

The employment relationship, irrespective of nature of organization, usually has two parts:
labor relations and managerial relations. The former which covers the price of labor is more
obvious. The labor relation is also known as ‘market relations’. The managerial relations
on the other side are the relationships that define how the process takes place. Labor
relations describe the price for a particular shift (a set of number of hours) but managerial
relations determine how much work is performed in that time, at what specific task or tasks,
who has the right to define the tasks and change a particular mix of tasks and what penalties
will be deployed for any failure to meet these obligations.

3.9 Integrative Model of Recruitment

Since an organization's success is confined within the limits of its human capital, employee
recruitment is a critical function for organizational survival (Phillips & Gully, 2015).
Potentially as a result of this importance, many researchers have sought to examine and

28
reveal the factors associated with successfully filling job openings. This has led to
mountains of research examining predictors of applicant attraction to a job (e.g., Uggerslev,
Fassina, & Kraichy, 2012). In a related vein, several other researchers have examined the
process from the job-seekers' perspectives and strived to find the predictors of job search
success. Thanks to this research, we now have a good amount of information about the
predictors of success for organizations and individuals in reaching their employment goals.
However, despite this research interest, the available literature has been criticized for
lacking a bonding theory to organize the findings and guide future research (e.g., Breaugh
& Starke, 2000; Ployhart, 2006). Although we know several linkages within the process
such as some of the factors leading to job search success or predictors of applicant
attraction to a job opening, no attempts have been made to integrate this vast amount of
research into one integrative model, which delineates both the process by which individuals
search for jobs and the process by which organizations search for employees.

Employee recruitment can be defined as activities that influence the number and types of
applicants who apply for a position, stay in the applicant pool, and accept a job offer
(Breaugh, 2008). A distinction can be made between types of recruitment efforts in terms
of the targets of these activities. Specifically, while some recruiting practices are aimed at
attracting individuals who are looking for jobs (i.e., active job-seekers), others target
individuals who are currently employed by other organizations or are not interested in
participating in the workforce but would potentially be open to job opportunities if offered
(i.e., passive job-seekers). The main difference between these two groups is that active job
seekers can be attracted by relatively passive methods of recruiting such as posting
information about a job opening on an online job board or a company website. However,
these methods are not likely to work for the second group because these individuals are not
likely to be searching for jobs. Accordingly, the way to reach those individuals is by
specifically targeting them through approaches that are more active.

Traditional methods of recruitment (i.e., recruitment sources) include advertisements,

employee/friend/relative referrals, employment agencies, internal job postings, walk-ins,

29
campus visits, and job fairs (Zottoli & Wanous, 2000). Advertisements can also be divided
into different types based on the medium (e.g., TV, internet, billboards, etc.) used to
advertise about the job openings. In addition to these more traditional sources, online
recruitment has also become an established practice for organizations in the last two
decades as official company websites, online job boards, and more recently social
networking sites are frequently used for this purpose (Acikgoz & Bergman, 2016). Social
networking sites are especially useful for targeting passive job seekers given the vast
number of individual profiles they contain. In fact, LinkedIn is a social networking site
specifically designed for professional networking, and thus it is largely used by recruiters
to locate and approach those individuals who are potentially good candidates for the job
openings they are seeking to fill (Jobvite, 2016).

As can be inferred from the definition above, the ultimate goal of the employee recruitment
is to fill job openings with individuals who possess the desired attributes. There are a few
models of employee recruitment process in the literature, which describe factors associated
with an increased likelihood of reaching this goal (e.g., Breaugh, 2008; Celani & Singh,
2011; Schreurs & Syed, 2011). One common limitation of these models is the limited
discussion of job search behaviors by potential applicants. However, any model which
attempts to illustrate the recruitment process must take into account those activities
performed by job seekers in search of an employment opportunity. Job search can be
defined as goal-directed activities initiated by an individual in response to a real or
perceived discrepancy between an employment goal and current state of affairs (Kanfer,
Wanberg, & Kantrowitz, 2001). Commonly examined topics in the literature on job search
include antecedents of different types of job-seeking behaviors and the extent to which
these behaviors lead to the desired employment outcomes. According to one taxonomy,
job search behaviors include preparatory and active job search behaviors (Blau, 1994).
Preparatory job search behaviors include the actions aimed at gathering information about
potential job openings, while active job search behaviors include actually acting upon the
information gathered in the first phase by sending out resumes, contacting potential
employers, and interviewing with those employers.

30
Another distinction is generally made between job-search effort and job-search intensity
(Kanfer et al., 2001). Job search effort refers to the overall amount of effort spent by job
seekers when looking for jobs, while job-search intensity involves the frequency with
which specific job-seeking behaviors are performed. The literature on job search has
generally examined the types, antecedents, and outcomes of job search behavior. The types
of job search behaviors frequently examined in the literature include job source usage, job
search intensity, and job search effort (Saks, 2006). As Kanfer et al. (2001) note, the extent
to which individuals perform these job search behaviors has been found to be influenced
by several antecedents including applicant personality characteristics, locus of control,
optimism, self-esteem, job-search self-efficacy, motives (e.g., financial need), social
support, and other demographic variables (age, gender, education, etc.). Finally, while the
most frequently studied outcome is employment status after the job search, other outcomes
such as number of job interviews, number of job offers, duration of job search, and
perceptions of person-organization (P–O) fit and person-job (P–J) fit have also been
studied (Saks, 2006).

Literatures on employee recruitment and job search, although from different perspectives,
are in fact both examining the factors that lead to a job opening being filled by an
appropriate candidate. While the research on employee recruitment examines the issue
from the organizational perspective and thus is aimed at predicting factors which influence
the quality and quantity of the applicant pool, the literature on job search examines the
issue from the job-seeker perspective and thus investigates factors which influence whether
or not an individual successfully lands a position which meets his or her expectations.
Accordingly, in both research areas, the goal is to ensure that the right candidate fills the
right job opening. Despite this deep connection, anyone who conducts a review of the
studies published in both fields would realize that the literatures on job search and
employee recruitment have followed their own paths without making a clear reference to
one another. As an example, available meta-analyses on the subject limit their scopes to
either job search activities by individuals (e.g., Kanfer et al., 2001) or employee

31
recruitment activities by organizations (e.g., Chapman, Uggerslev, Carroll, Piasentin, &
Jones, 2005; Uggerslev et al., 2012).

3.10 Training & Development

The process of increasing the knowledge and skills of the workforce to enable them to
perform their jobs effectively Training is, there for, a process whereby an individual
acquires job related skills and knowledge. Training costs can be significant in any business.
However, many employers are prepared to incur these costs because they expect their
business. Commonly, training is required to: 1. Support new employees “induction
training” 2. Increase marketing effectiveness 3.Support higher standards of customer
service and production quality 4. Introduction of new technology, system or other change
5.Address changes in legislation 6.Support employee progression and promotion Effective
training has the potential to provide a range of benefit for a business: 7.Higher 8. Better
productivity 9. Improved motivation – through greater empowerment 10. More flexibility
through better skills 11. Less supervision required (cost saving in supervision) 12. Better
recruitment and employee retention 13.Easier to implement change in the business
Effective training starts with a “training strategy “the three of a training strategy are: 14.
Identify the skills and abilities needed by employees 15. Draw up an action plan to show
how investment in training effectiveness (Ubeda Garc´ıa M. 2005).

3.11 Rethinking HR
According to Iganatius (2015), It might seem that we have it in for human resources.
An article in our April issue urged companies to scrap a cherished HR practice: the forced
ranking of employees. And this month our Spotlight advocates rethinking HR from top to
bottom. It’s not that we don’t like HR; it’s just that we believe it can be improved.

In the lead article, “Why We Love to Hate HR…and What HR Can Do About It,”
Wharton’s Peter Cappelli argues that HR should scrap many long-standing “best practices”
and set a forward-looking agenda instead.

Juniper Networks, in Silicon Valley, is already doing so. In “Bright, Shiny Objects and the
Future of HR,” John Boudreau, a professor at USC Marshall School of Business, and
Steven Rice, a former executive vice president of HR at Juniper, describe how the company

32
created an innovative HR operation that delivers exciting, consistently business-aligned
results.

The remaining piece in the package, “People Before Strategy: A New Role for the
CHRO,” is a collaboration by the influential business adviser Ram Charan; McKinsey &
Company’s global managing director, Dominic Barton; and Korn Ferry’s vice chairman,
Dennis Carey. They contend that companies need to take HR more seriously and should
make the chief human resources officer a true strategic partner of the CEO.

33
 Chapter Four
Duties & Responsibilities performed in Banglalink Digital
Communications Ltd

34
4.1 Roles of Mangers in Banglalink Digital Communications ltd.

Roles and responsibilities that Banglalink Digital Communications performed are given
down below.

Leadership roles

Banglalink Telecom Company has more control on leadership. Once upon a time they were
no able to maintain the law of leading, but now they achive leadership role to establish
their company as a running position. They maintain 95% leadership role.

The motivation and activation of subordinates are more satisfactory and Banglalink
Telecom Company most important roles based on staffing and associated duties.

Liaison Roles

In Banglalink Telecom Company Liaison role is another important part of their

organization, by following this role they able to made connection between tops to bottom.

In our visiting organization concentrate on Acknowledging mail; doing external board

work; performing other activities that involve outsiders.

Banglalink Telecom Company maintain in 95% Liaison role

Monitoring Roles

Thus, the three informational roles are primarily concerned with the managerial decisions.
Monitoring is one of them. In the monitoring role, the managers of Banglalink Telecom
Company received and collection information.

Banglalink Telecom Company concentrate on seeking and receiving wide variety of special
information to develop thorough understanding of organization and environment; emerges
as nerve center of internal and external information about the organization.

The percentage of monitoring in Banglalink Telecom Company 100%

35
Spokesperson roles

Spokesperson role is another part in Banglalink Telecom Company; the namager of

Banglalink Telecom Company are very much involved in spokesperson role.

Banglalink Telecom Company mixed up transmits information to outsiders on

organization’s plans, Policies, actions, results, etc. serves as expert on organization’s
industry. The percentage of spokesperson role is 95% Banglalink Telecom Company.

Informational Roles

As a multinational Group Banglalink Telecom Company makes link with modern

technology so it is essential for that to cope with informational roles. Its helps their
managerial works smoothly.

In Banglalink Telecom Company all managers, has to follow some important degree,
which fulfill with informational roles, receiving and collecting information from other
organizations and institutions outside their own organization.

Banglalink Telecom Company following 85% informational roles.

Decisional Roles

Disturbance Handler managers take corrective action in response to previously unforeseen

problems. Banglalink Telecom Company desisional role is 90%

4.2 Responsibilities of managers at different level of Banglalink Digital

Communications Ltd

CEO

The major duties of CEO of Banglalink Telecom Company is that, he spends his time in
decision making as well as planning in carrying out organization goals. Actually he is a
decision-maker and controlling all process.

36
Top Level

The major duties of top level managers of Banglalink Telecom Company are spending
more time to set planning, organizing and controlling rather than mid level, and lower level
managers. But they are also spending their time in leading but it is less than first line or
mid level managers.

Mid-Level

The mid-level managers of Banglalink Telecom Company are spending their time in
carrying out organizational goals in planning, organizing, and controlling as well as
leading. However, in leading functions their contribution is less than planning, organizing
or controlling

First Level

First level managers are spending their time in leading. But they have a contribution in
planning, organizing, and controlling but it is less than top or mid-level managers.

Operatives level managers

Actually, they do the fieldwork. They cannot interfere in planning, organizing or

controlling, but they have to pay contribution in leading, but not so much contribution.
They also research market.

37
 Chapter Five
HRM Practices in Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd.

38
5.1 Introduction
Banglalink aims to ensure a fair, transparent, competitive and agile recruitment process for
meeting its talent requirements internally and externally. The focus is to maintain a healthy
talent pool that addresses the diverse and changing skill requirements. The recruitment and
selection process is of paramount importance in order to recruit people with the necessary
skills and attributes to fulfill the company’s short-term and long-term objectives. Hence,
this Recruitment Policy aims to cover the endto-end recruitment and selection procedure,
which will be consistent with employment legislation with equal opportunity in order to
recruit and select the suitable candidates for any vacancy by providing a clear guidance,
which starts from Headcount Requisition, advertising, cv screening, assessment process,
interview matrix, selection of a candidate, job offer, pre- employment verification.

Purpose

This policy applies to all permanent/FTE and direct contractual management vacancies to
be filled in Banglalink. The purposes of this policy are:

 to ensure a clear and meritocratic system of recruitment giving all qualified employees
equal opportunities for development

 to promote the intra and inter-functional exposure of key managerial talents

 to attract and recruit the most capable talents from external markets (where necessary)

 to establish proper governance in the overall recruitment and selection process.

Guiding Principles

The company Recruitment Policy will be based on the following guiding principles:

 This recruitment policy is governed by relevant local laws

 The Company shall not discriminate against any job seeker and employee on the basis of
race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical disability, or any
other factor that does not relate to the individual’s ability to perform the job

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 This policy will not allow any favoritism, nepotism or preferential treatment to anyone.
Any explicit/ implicit influence during the hiring process by any internal or external party
will be treated as disqualification

 Interview panel must be unbiased

 The company shall ensure best match of skills to recruit competent people in the right
position and at the right time. Individuals between the ages of 18-60 years can be hired as
regular employees of Banglalink. Minimum educational qualification must be a Bachelor
degree for permanent position. All the selection steps and procedures during the course of
recruitment, selection and placement should conform to the standards of the company. All
appointments in the company shall be guided by job grade/band structure and reward
principles. 4.

Scope

The company will hire permanent employees through different avenues based on business
need and organizational structure. Any recruitment that happens in the company shall be
governed by this policy.

5.2 HR Planning
Human resource planning is a process that identifies current and future human resources
needs for an organization to achieve its goals. Before starting the recruitment process.
Talent acquisition team overviews the whole organizations vacancy. Then selected persons
are responsible for the recruitment process of that position which is defined before. HR
manager plans a structured way for recruiting new employee and set it as a policy for the
whole organization. According to that policy, each processes are followed. Talent
acquisition team attempts to estimate the demand for labor and evaluate the size, nature
and sources of supply which will be required to meet the demand.

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5.3 Recruitment Major Steps

Head count planning and budgeting

Head count requisition

Sourcing and shortlisting of job

application

Assesment and selection

Figure 3: Recruitment Major Steps

Head Count Planning and Budgeting

Talent Acquisition Team along with facilitation from respective HR Business Partners
consolidates the headcount requirement for all departments and sends to HR Budget
Controller. The consolidated headcount requirement is submitted during the annual budget
exercise for management approval. Hiring decision must be in line with function specific
headcount plan.

Headcount Requisition

A headcount requisition will occur when there is a vacancy in the organization. For every
vacancy, an approved Role Clarification and a commensurate Job Evaluation of the
vacancy has to exist, which will define position band and the pay band of the same. A
vacancy can occur in three ways:

a) Replacement due to resignation

b) Internal transfer

c) New headcount due to business requirement

The band of new headcount, position created by merging two or three positions will be
determined by approved Mercer IPE Governance Policy.

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 1. Position with New Skills and Capabilities: A position having new skills and
capabilities supporting future business strategies need to be approved by the
Headcount Control Board.
2. Position with Old Skills: A position having old skills and capabilities needs to be
included in the headcount budget and approved by the Headcount Control Board.
A headcount requisition is to be made through a form duly completed and approved by
respective management team member. Besides, it can also be done through email by
including the appropriate approval authority in the organization and Group (where
necessary).

Sourcing and shortlisting of job applications

In case of internal sourcing, an internal job advertisement will be posted. Hiring manager
may refer to approved succession plan (wherever available). In case of availability of
approved succession plan, internal/external hiring process may not be required. However,
in all other cases, both internal and external job advertisement and hiring process can be
run simultaneously. As per decision of Headcount Control Board, only external hiring is
allowed against specific positions considering the hiring requirement and sensitivity.
Besides, the Headcount Control Board by its own discretion can allow sourcing and hiring
against specific position/s without publishing any internal/external job advertisement.

1. Internal Talent Sourcing: Any internal advertisement must be posted

through intranet/internal communications platform and at least 5 working
days will be allowed for application. The objective of this sourcing is to
provide opportunity to the internal employees where he/she may apply for
the internally circulated jobs suitable for him/her. Talent Acquisition Team,
in conjunction with the concerned Department, will look into the prospect of
internal sourcing for any position, by giving internal job advertisement and
preference to internal resources. The employee will need to fulfill the
following criteria:
 An employee can apply at same band or one band higher than his/her current
band

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  Must have ‘Meets Expectation(ME)’ in last performance appraisal and meet
the experience and competencies required of the job

 Must serve at least 12 months at current role (for same job band), 18 months
in case of next band roles

 Must notify line manager in writing prior to appearing for an interview for
the role.

2. External Talent Sourcing: The Company will hire candidates from external
sources to meet talent requirement of the organization. Recruitment Team
will look for resources from the following external sources (validity for six
months):
 CV database
 Referral
 Job-portal (e.g. Bdjobs.com etc.)
 Newspaper
 University Career Placement Offices
 Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook etc.)
 Career Fair
 Enlisted headhunter / HR agency
3. Shortlisting of Job Applications: Talent Acquisition Team will shortlist the
CVs from internal/external sources based on the requirement of a position as
advertised and forward the shortlisted CVs to the concerned stakeholders for
further review and sifting. Final shortlisting of candidates must be agreed by
Talent Acquisition Team, concerned HR Business Partner and the concerned
Hiring Manager.

Candidates’ Assessment and Selection

The Assessment Tools Matrix is a guidance to ensure consistent application of selection

tools across the organization while recruitment. The target will be to get the best quality

43
employees for their organization. Depending on the job details and position grade, the
below Selection Tools Matrix will be used for externally shortlisted candidates:

Table 1: Candidates’ Assessment and Selection

The results of the Assessment Centre will be scrutinized by Head of Talent Acquisition &
Development, Head of Department and respective HR Business Partners.

All internal candidates who would be shortlisted for any vacant position will be evaluated
through preliminary interview and if found suitable for the vacant position would be
evaluated in the final interview session (if they have already appeared at the Assessment
Centre initially while joining Banglalink). No other assessment procedure would be
required for them.

Preliminary Interview: The purpose of the preliminary interview is to screen out the
candidates who do not meet the requirement of the role in terms of behavioral and
functional competencies. Therefore, the qualified candidates from preliminary interview
will be sent for next phase of assessment and selection process.

Assessment Center: An assessment center is an assessment tool in which candidates are

assessed to determine their suitability for specific types of roles. The candidates'
personality and aptitudes are determined by a variety of techniques including interviews,
group exercises, presentations, role play etc.

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 Table 2: Activity Task
However, the format of the Assessment Center may be reviewed from time to time
considering the hiring requirement of the organization. Accordingly, contents of the
Assessment Centre will be developed and implemented. Usually a consult/vendor will be
engaged in developing the model and contents of Assessment Centre as per business need.
Assessment Centre (as part of recruitment process) may not be exercised in each case with
proper justification and subject to approval from Chief Human Resources &
Administration Officer.

Psychometric Test:

Candidate may need to appear for a psychometric test (chosen module) which will be
designed around ‘emotional intelligence’ as expected out of candidate. The objective is to
get the best reflection based on the candidate’s self-disclosure on emotional standing on

45
various situations that he/she is likely to face in his/her day-to- day life at work or
elsewhere.

The design of the questions has been such that the answers will somewhat reflect the
situations truly as the candidate faced recently. There will be no marking as there is no
right or wrong answers but will give the candidates’ standing on the grid of optimal,
proficient, vulnerable and caution level.

Final Interview:

 A candidate who is recommended by Preliminary Interview Panel members and

subsequently met minimum standard of other selection tools (Assessment Center,
Psychometric Test, etc.), if applicable, will be called in for Final Interview.
 It is recommended to have minimum 2 candidates for the final interview
 For any Band 2 position, CEO may see only the best shortlisted candidates initially
selected by respective Management Team Member and Chief HR & Administration
Officer.
 Interview Panel Matrix:

Given below is the recommended matrix that will be followed during interviews:

Table 3: Recommended Matrix

5.4 Selection Decision

The Talent Acquisition Team based on the assessment results after the completion of all
agreed assessment tools will compile a tabulation result. This result will reflect the

46
unanimous performance result of each candidate, as assessed by the assessors in each of
the assessment. According to merit list, the top scorer will be selected for the position by
the final interviewers.

In case of unavailability of the selected candidate, Talent Acquisition Team may go for the
next best candidate upon agreement with the final interviewers and hiring manager.

In case of hiring of Group CEO-2 requires Group Chief HR Officer approval. Hiring of
Expats, as well as Hiring of CEO-1, CEO-2, to be approved by OpCo CEO. All other hiring
to be approved by Headcount Control Board (members are Chief Executive Officer, Chief
Financial Officer and Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer) of Banglalink.

If an employee is selected internally against a vacant position and is willing to take the
role, s/he must be released from his/her existing role within 30 calendar days after the
official communication from HR. Replacement of the vacant position (in case of internal
transfer) will be considered on a case by case basis. Expatriate hiring is usually driven by
Group and all necessary hiring steps are managed by them. Group has to provide necessary
information and documentation against such hiring for OpCo’s reference. Once the
candidate will be initially selected, a Job Application Form will be filled by the candidate
and sent to the Talent Acquisition Team within three days of receiving an email from the
banglalink Talent Acquisition Team.

Determination of reward package for selected candidate:

As per Banglalink’s reward guideline, the following factors are being considered while
preparing a salary package for the selected candidate:

 The proposed Job Grade is initially determined through Role Assessment and
Evaluation based on Mercer methodology
 1st proposal considerations is given based on BL’s current structure minimum
(following BL’s salary structure philosophy) - [Ideally for lower experienced
candidates or if candidates current salary is lower than our structure minimum]

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  2nd proposal consideration may be given based on current functional average of
similar Graded position (peer average) - [Ideally for medium experienced
candidates]
 3rd and final proposal consideration may be given based on market C&B survey
results, where the position may be offered salary packages from higher percentiles
(55th – 85th) depending on the criticality of said position and/or the scarcity of
required/eligible candidates or skills - [Ideally for candidates with extensive
experience, who are experts in their field of work and where there is high scarcity
of such resource in the market]
Although there are certain thresholds specified for offering either the 1st, 2nd or 3rd
proposal, it is crucial that we always try to negotiate the lowest possible offer to all
candidates irrespective of their experience level or for scarcity of resource.

Pre- Employment Medical Examination:

All selected candidates will undergo a medical test in the Banglalink enlisted diagnostic
center, after he/she accepts the verbal offer. HR Shared Services Team will issue a letter
for pre-employment medical tests to the selected candidate within three days of acceptance
of offer. If the result of the medical examination is not found satisfactory, the case will be
consulted with the Banglalink appointed doctor and decision will be taken accordingly.

Letter of Offer:

Once a satisfactory Medical Test Report is received, HR Shared Services Team will issue
a Letter of Offer (2 copies) in favour of the selected candidate by taking endorsement from
authorized signatory. Then the said Letter of Offer will be handed over to the selected
candidate for acceptance. A second / duplicate copy, with all necessary documents from
the selected candidate, will be retained by HR Shared Services Team for doing the
necessary arrangement for pre-employment verification checks and on-boarding.

The template for Offer Letter is subject to Legal review at least once a year.

Pre-Employment Verification Check:

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The Banglalink appointed vendor for all external candidates as per the Pre-employment
Background Verification Check Agreement will do pre-Employment Verification (PEV).
Candidates against permanent position (i.e. FTE) as well as temporary/contractual position
(i.e. under direct contract with Banglalink) will fall under the scope of PEV. This will take
place immediately after the Letter of Offer is accepted by the candidate and will be
completed within 30 calendar days unless due to any unforeseen delay. The following
verification checks will be performed:

 Verification of educational qualifications

 Verification of employment (up to last two employers)
 Criminal record check (through Police Clearance)
 Address verification
Educational background, criminal record check (i.e. Police Clearance) and employment
record (i.e. position, employment & separation date with earlier employer etc.) must come
out clean. In case feedback from pre-employment background check is not satisfactory
(e.g. terminated by employer etc.), Talent Acquisition Team will review it with Chief
Human Resources & Administration Officer along with Line Manager and respective Head
of Department (if it is deemed necessary) to determine way forward on case to case basis.
In extreme cases (e.g. unsatisfactory feedback against educational and police clearance),
the employment offer will be revoked.

Timeline for completing the pre-employment background verification will be as

followed:

Table 4: Pre-employment Background Verification

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Letter of Appointment:

Once a satisfactory Pre-Employment Verification is received, HR Shared Services Team

will issue Letter of Appointment (2 copies) and take endorsement from authorized
signatory. Then the said Letter of Appointment will be handed over to the selected
candidate for acceptance, on the day of joining. A second / duplicate copy, with all
necessary documents from the selected candidate, will be retained by HR Shared Services
Team for doing the necessary arrangement for on-boarding. The template for Letter of
Appointment is subject to Legal review at least once a year.

However, in case of extreme business urgency, selected external candidate may join
Banglalink and accept Letter of Appointment before completion of the all the PEV checks.
In such case, concerned Line Manager, concerned CxO will have to provide undertaking
through a memo and will have to take the full ownership of this exception; the memo will
need to be approved by the CEO.

SLA of Recruitment & Onboarding

Agreed SLA of overall recruitment and onboarding process is as below:

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Criteria for medically unfit candidate

 If the person is having uncontrolled Diabetes or uncontrolled high blood pressure

for long time even with medication & on advance age group, e.g. around 50 he is
advised to consult a specialist doctor for control. Even if it is not controlled the
person may be declared unfit as it can risk his medical state of heath.
 If Hb% is below 6%-7% (Severe anaemia) he is unfit as it can risk his heart &
mental state. These persons are usually confused and getting tired with minor desk
work.
 If the chest x-ray shows active or unhealed tuberculosis.
 If anyone is positive for Hepatitis B, HBeAg is done to rule out active & infective
state which can spread to others. Even these persons can’t regain his normal state
of heath in short time.
 If Urine test shows plenty Albumin, Sugar, red blood cells that indicates serious &
long term disease (Chronic disease).

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  If the person is having chronic renal failure which is not reversible.
 If the person is having any contagious disease.
 If any chronic disease (cardiovascular, Chest, Kidney, Liver) is uncontrollable.
 If the person is having psychiatric problems, abnormal mental health to a degree
of agitation.
 If the person is addicted to drugs (e.g. heroin, cocaine, marijuana etc.)

In case of any clarity required, the concerned company appointed physician will be
consulted and appropriate way forward will be followed on a case by case basis considering
the merit of each case.

Rehire Eligibility

Employees who have left Banglalink on their own accord may be considered for rehire
after two years from separation date. Eligible candidates may be considered only if there
is a vacancy and the candidate secures required qualification of the company’s current job
requirement. Rehire will not be automatic and the applicant has to go through the standard
recruitment process and compete with other candidates who have applied for the position.

An employee who was dismissed or terminated or had unsatisfactory performance

record will not be eligible for rehire with the Company. An approval form needs to be
signed by the respective management team member and Chief HR & Administration
Officer for any rehire.

Conflict of Interest

 First Degree Relatives: A person's first degree relative will be spouse, parent,
sibling, or child. The first-degree relative working in banglalink or any other
mobile operator may be treated as a situation of “Conflict of Interest”. Such
relatives can be hired under the following cases only:
o The relative has fulfilled all necessary recruitment processes;

52
o Both the relatives will not be able to work in the same unit and/or, under same line
manager;

o Hiring of relative has to be approved by the Management of the concerned departments,

Chief HR & Administration Officer and Chief Compliance Officer;

 In case a supplier’s first-degree relative is selected for any vacant position, a

declaration will be made in the Job Application Form by the candidate which will
be approved by Chief Compliance Officer and Chief HR & Administration Officer.
The approval must be in place before any employment offer is extended to the
candidate.
 Relationship in Government Offices: A declaration to be made by the selected
candidate if there is any first-degree relative working in government offices.
End-to-end recruitment process will be completed in accordance with the Company
policies and procedures (i.e. Remuneration Policy, Code of Conduct Policy, Conflict of
Interest Policy, IT Ethics Policy, etc), and any other relevant laws of the land.

5.5 Training & Development

Training and development involves improving the effectiveness of organizations and the
individuals and teams within them. It’s a very important part of HR in any organization. It
can be arranged by the organization and it might include variety of educational techniques
and programs that can be attended on a compulsory or voluntary basis by employees.

In Banglalink Training and Development is usually arranged by the HR. Most of the
training is done outside the head office in different premises. Based on the demands of
needed development training are arranged. All the training is not same. For different level
of employees different types of training are arranged. We know that successful candidates
placed on the job needs training to perform their particular task. Worker must need training
to operate or to avoid errors.

Banglalink provides some training session for candidates to make them a better performer.
At Banglalink from midlevel to top level managers all of them have these trainings. These
help them to increase their ability to achieve the goal and flourish their leadership quality.

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  On the Job Training
 Off the Job Training
On The Job Training

A manager can have his training while he is on the job. Four types of techniques are applied
at Banglallink for the development of a manager.

 Coaching: Coaching is one tool that can be used to assist others development. At
Banglalink the purpose to coach the managers are to reduce the impact of change
whilst maximizing personal and professional scope of improvement for growth.
 Mentoring: Mentoring means providing guidance, direction and career advice. At
Banglalink managers get their senior level managers as their mentors. They take
every type of help to take decisions or to do something.
 Job rotation: Job rotation is interchanging the jobs of employees within the same
department or organization. At Banglalink, job rotations are done very often. It
helps the employees to know their potentials and also help them to learn new things.
It helps the managers to have a good knowledge about all the works done in any
department. Job Instruction Technique: By this method the trainer demonstrates the
task or the skill to the trainee, allows the trainee to copy or mimic the task shown
and finally taking the feedback from the trainee. This method helps the trainees to
know more specifically the works he needs to do. At Banglalink employees are
trained step by step.
Off The Job Training

Off the job training is employee training which sites away from the actual workplace
and it can be a day long or for few days long training. It helps the trainees to get their
confidence as well as make them prepare to take the work load of the workplace.

• Case study method: This method is very much practiced method at Banglalink. In the
training session, many types of issues which Banglalink has faced so far are given to
see how the trainees simulate. They try to generate new ideas to counter the problems
they face. It helps them to increase their decision making capabilities. It also teaches

54
 them how previous issues were solved and how cost effective way can be used to solve
the problem.

• Management Game: This method of training is very helpful for the managers. This is
based on an artificial environment that simulates the real situation in the management
of the organization. At Banglalink they also practice various types of business games.

• Outdoor Seminars: Outdoor seminars are aalso arranged at Banglalink. But only the
top level management can attend those. Usually these are conducted in outside the
country. At Banglalink, the top level managers also attend seminars outside country
where the other country subsidiary managers participate.

Strategic Assistant Program

Apart from these training, Banglalink have strategic assistant program where new fresh
graduates get the opportunity to apply and to take training session during performing
the job. Banglalink give priority to young professionals to rethink the existing process,
restart with a fresh mind and recreate every day.

Strategic Assistant Program provides fast track growth opportunity for exceptionally
promising fresh graduates to become the digital leaders of tomorrow. At Banglalink,
we strive to empower the online generation to make their mark with us. Strategic
Assistants join as trainees, and go through challenging job rotations supported by
formal learning, and upon completion of the program get absorbed against a permanent
role.

Advanced Internship Program (AIP)

Banglalink also provides Internship opportunity as I get the opportunity to learn & to
work here as an intern. Banglalink’s AIP is a unique opportunity for an undergraduate
and postgraduate-level student to complement his/her academic studies with
experiential learning in a professional setting. The AIP aims to mutually benefit
students as well as the company through the below defined outcomes:

Student’s Perspective:

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  Allow graduating students to familiarize themselves with a multi-national work
environment and gain practical experience

 Provide students with an opportunity to grow professionally and gain an

appreciation of roles, duties and responsibilities at work

Company’s Perspective:

 Assist the Company in its effort of capacity building by empowering young people
to gain experience and prepare themselves for the job market

 Assist the Company in securing potential candidates for its entry-level vacancies

Banglalink ensures that they are bringing people who are best fit for the company and
also helps student to meet their academic requirements.

Banglalink University

Banglalink has a training session room, which called ‘Banglalink University’.

Banglalink University offers many sessions regarding the topic related issues. Both
external and internal session been done here. Banglalink University also offer weekly
training session for their employee’s improvement such as training on regulatory
affairs, training on administrative policy and so on. Even though, besides training, some
sessions also held about awareness related issues, health related issues etc. for
employee.

5.6 Performance Appraisal

At Banglalink, performance appraisal is done once in the beginning of the year. In the
beginning of every year, some objectives are set to achieve for every employee.
Throughout the whole year they need to achieve those objectives within a given time.
Individual percentages are allocated for each objective achieved. Annually those
percentages will be added. There are five values based on which employees need to
evaluate themselves. Then the employees will seat with their line managers and they
have to justify them the reasons of their evaluation, do they really deserve or why they

56
 deserve. After this session, line managers also evaluate them with a percentage. The
previous percentage and this percentage are added together and 70% of this will be
taken. The rest of the 30% is the company performance. These are the revenue and the
EBIT. The total percentage will evaluate as the performance appraisal of the employee.
Based on this performance appraisal an employee gets increment and performance
bonus.

5.7 Compensation & Benefits

Banglalink will transfer the respective employee’s remuneration along with all other
dues of the employee to their bank account in accordance with the following
regulations. All New Employees are strongly encouraged to open bank accounts in
specified banks prescribed by the company so that their salary can be created at the end
of each month. If payday falls on a weekend or a holiday, the account of the employee
will be credited on the preceding working day. Upon separation from service the
employee will receive their final settlement dues in their respective bank account or
through cheque. Banglalink also has lunch & transportation facilities.

At Banglalink, employees are rewarded based on their performances. There are some
rewards policies that Banglalink follows. They are

• Promotion: Employees are promoted to higher positions if their performance is

outstanding • Increment: Employees are given increment to their actual salary

• Performance Bonus: Based on the performance employees are rewarded with

performance bonus. For example, 2% of the revenue earned by the employee will be
given as performance bonus.

• Foreign Training: Sometimes employees are send to foreign countries for training. It
gives them chance to get new experience as well as recognition as a better performer
in the organization.

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• Foreign posting or assignment: Sometimes foreign assignments are assigned to the
employees as reward. Foreign trips are seen as very reputed rewards as Banglalink.
People take it very positively and it increases their KPI.

• Cost of living adjustment: As reward employees get living adjustment for example
house rents, bills etc. facilities.

• Spot recognition: When an employee does outstanding performance he gets a spot

recognition for his or her work. People know their work and their hard work comes to
color when they get recognition for their work.

• Other remuneration: Employees are often rewarded with transportation benefits, gift
hampers, all-expense paid trips.

• Terminal Benefit: If an employee is terminated for some reason, he or she will be

given three months of basic salary before departing.

5.8 Safety & Security

Environmental Safety

Banglalink respectfully complies with the law of the land and obtains required
permissions and licenses whenever required for any new installation or for any existing
installations.

Medical Support Services for Employees Health

Banglalink have taken essential measures to support employees’ health related issues
through corporate agreements with renowned hospitals at home and abroad.

Safety Measures

Banglalink have placed an adequate number of safety appliances to ensure safety in

case of any emergency at all BL installations.

Emergency Evacuation Drill

To improve the state of readiness and awareness in case of any emergency, Banglalink
organizes evacuation drills in coordination with the Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil

58
Defense Authority for all our employees at Tigers’ Den, Medona Tower and all
regional offices.

CSR Activity

Banglalink conducts voluntary “Blood Donation Programs” at Tigers’ Den to assist the
Thalassaemia patients.

Safety Awareness

Banglalink conducst safety awareness programs at all regional offices on a continual

basis. Employees get an understanding about the hazardous materials in the working
place and how to set control to avoid any incidents.

First Aid Coverage (Medicine)

Banglalink have already covered more than 95% of our total employees by providing
them with first aid medicine on a monthly basis (offices having less than five
employees are not covered).

Safety Visit

Banglalink have conducted safety visits at all the office premises of OTBL (Dhaka
offices, Regional offices, Technical offices and Co-offices) on safety survey related
issues. It has given us a bird’s eye view of the existing safety conditions of our offices
and has given us a chance to take immediate measures to ensure a safe working place.

Evacuation Plan

Banglalink have developed an evacuation plan for banglalink’s Dhaka offices and
Regional Offices. This plan gives a clear idea of evacuation during any emergency.

Vehicle Diagnosis

Banglalink have arranged vehicle diagnosis for OTBL vehicles (both company owned
and 3rd party) at a computerized automobile workshop (Vehicle Solution) to ensure the
safety condition of vehicles.

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60
 Chapter Six
Findings, Recommendation & Conclusion

61
6.1 Findings
The main purpose of this internship is to get the flavor of corporate life. This internship
period gave me the practical knowledge that I have learned theoretically. Overall
learning demonstrated all the things that I have learnt previously in university life.
During this period, I have found something different from other companies that are
given below:

 Firstly, I got the opportunity to know how Telecom Company works, how their
culture is, how they operate. The process they followed for HR planning is
legitimate. Everything is done in accordance with the policy which is set before by
the head of HR. Whenever, a vacancy arrives in any department, Talent acquisition
team starts their process in online as well as offline, following the preset plan.

 Bangalink strictly follows their HR policy, rules & regulation to avoid certain
conflicts in organization. Total policy is given in their internal website. In order to
avoid conflict, Information are updated after a certain period. Banglalink is
completely a peace-loving place.

 Job description are very precise and exact in Banglalink. Depending on the position,
they updated the requirements along with experiences which is specific for the
position.

 As my team was responsible for dealing with all the recruitment activities, I get to
learn how Banglalink recruits people efficiently in a short span of time & in an
organized way. They follow every recruitment and selection steps consecutively.

 The concept of training of employees in Banglalink is to teach them the basic skills
to perform competently in the organization. Banglalink University offers various
training session for the employees.

 The concept of development of employees in Banglalink means improving the

quality of employees by providing them proper training and a deeper understanding
of the fact.

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  Banglalink kept every single documents of each employee. Every employees have
their own profile that contains every detailed information of a single person.

 Banglalink have updated software that holds numerous data and information about
the whole process starts from online application ends to final interview.

 Banglalink is more up to date with Advanced Internship program than any other
organizations and focuses more on young growing generations. They strongly
believed that young people have more leadership ability than others do.

 The compensation and other facilities are more in Banglalink than any other
organization. The most important thing that the flexibility employee have, is very
different from any organization.

6.2 Recommendation
It has been mentioned before that the recruitment process of Banglalink is one of the
international standards, and there are both flaws and positive sides of the recruitment
process. However there is nothing called best hence this recruitment process also needs
some improvements for which an elaborated list of recommendations has been stated. The
recommendations are basically some general suggestions that might help it be better.

 Although they maintained a standard HR policy, more employees need to be placed

in the overall recruitment and selection process so that everyone can do their task
relentlessly without any delay.

  An important test that could be added to the recruitment process of Banglalink is

Personality or Behavior test so that person-job match and person-organization
match can be ensured. Though from the interviews with HR and concerned
departments both can be known however the personality test gives more authentic
result. Moreover this test will also help the organization to determine what kind of
training could be given to the employees in necessary situations. Furthermore these
results can be used in succession planning of the company.

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 An online tracking system should be added so that the prospective candidates can
know about their current status. This online tracking system should include the
result of written tests, interviews, IQ tests etc. the candidates can prepare
themselves for the next stage. Besides this will also create a good impression about
the company in terms of valuing applicants.

 Automation of the recruitment process and less paper works should be ensured. The
IQ tests, Functional tests etc. can be taken electronically so that paper work can be
reduced. Furthermore, the resumes and the interview evaluation forms that are
printed for the interviewers in the interview boards can be provided in a
computerized way rather than delivering them in printed forms. This will not only
reduce the paper works but also signifies the company’s goodwill, professionalism,
efficiency and also reduce cost.

 In Banglalink currently multiple days are allocated for taking individual interviews
and the time for decision making in recruitment process is lengthy. Moreover the
decision making also takes longer period of time and sometime for one position the
completion of all the steps takes more than one month. So in these cases all the
interview of one position can be taken in one day or consecutive days and the
decision making of the selection of candidates should made more spontaneous.

 Biasness, reference from higher authority, showoff or eye wash interviews should
be eliminated. These are very rare cases however happen sometimes. Because of
the reference from the higher authority there remains a chance to overlook many
potential candidates. Besides, in case of the internal recruitments or transfer of the
employees from one department to another, management has pre-selected
candidates. But to follow the organizational policy eye wash interviews take place.
These sorts of practices should be eliminated.

 Last but not the least another important step that should be added to the recruitment
process is to provide feedback to the rejected employees. This practice is done only
for the top level hiring but for the entry level and mid-level there is no such
approach. The rejected applicants should be contacted to inform them about the
causes of rejection and how to improve the lacking. It will be helpful for the

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 candidates and the company as the applicants would know their inefficiencies and
the organization would become more professional.

6.3 Conclusion
Banglalink Digital Communication Ltd. one of the successful multinational companies in
Bangladesh that has earned its success in short course of time. This is the third largest
telecommunication of the country that is serving millions of subscribers with its level best
services. The human capital is the main asset for the company. And the Human Resource
division plays an important role in the success of the organization and this department
ensures hiring right people for the right positions of each department with attractive
remuneration and motivation. In this report, I have tried to shed some light on the HR
process and practices regarding recruitment in Banglalink. It has been mentioned before
that the recruitment process of Banglalink is based on international standards for which
potential candidate’s recruitment and selection is taking place. In the study, a notable
number of findings were obtained based on which the company can do better in terms of
the recruitment process. Through observation and informal discussion with the employees,
it can be derived that the recruitment process should be a blend of internal and external
approach. Moreover, there could be other media that can be added with the current media
used for vacancy advertisement. Through this study I have been able to understand about
the practical knowledge of recruiting people in big organizations and how the employees
can motivate the company to change the process positively. This report has helped me to
get a thorough idea about working professionally and this will help me to grow in my future
endeavor. In brief it can be said that despite of having some flaws in their recruitment
system Banglalink is following one of the effective ways to recruit people and working on
this report has also enabled to discover the actual scenario of the professional environment.

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