Essential Strategic HR

HR and payroll : Mind the governance gap. Tax code changes, fallout from workplace harassment, the rise of artificial intelligence and other long-term trends will put the spotlight on workplace tech this year.

Trends In Payroll That Will Change
System integration is a key enabler for payroll processes. It is a necessity for adequate controls, data privacy and appropriate checks and balances. Integration throughout the payroll process reduces the risk of non-compliance and unnecessary labor costs. It can also reaffirm confidence in existing controls and reduce time delays in re-validating. Top-performing organisations have high levels of integration between their payroll system and other key systems including Rostering, Time & Attendance, and Benefits. With an integrated system, a company can reduce complexity, redundant data and risk of errors.
Internal Promotion and “Upskilling”
Upskilling is a relatively new term that is used to describe developing employees that are already working for the company. In 2018, it’s expected that companies will increasingly turn to their existing employees to fill open positions, offering training and encouraging employees to go for promotions.
With fewer new employees expected to enter the workforce in the coming years than ever before, employers are seeing the merits of investing in people that are already familiar with and loyal to the company.
AI in Recruiting
Many recruiting tasks have already been automated, but 2018 may push even more into the digital realm. HR software outfitted with artificial intelligence (AI) may begin reviewing top applications that have made it through the filtering process and even interviewing candidates.
Not all companies will see benefits from de-humanizing tasks such as application sorting and be interviewing, but adding AI to the mix will definitely save time and mitigate the potential for discrimination. AI is less likely to select or reject a candidate because of unconscious biases based on things like name, accent, and demeanor than a human interviewer. Ranking systems can also be built into virtual interviews.

HR Tech Trends
HR operations have been highly undervalued. All the HR professionals wanted to be a strategic business partner, the role with the most positive connotation. The last years we have seen an upgrade of HR Operations that will continue in 2018 – 2019. Most likely HR can add most value in the HR operations area. The requirements for the people in HR operations are different though, and probably we need a new breed of HR professionals who can run HR as a service organization.
Many more trends are emerging such as :
• From vacancies to opportunities
• Selecting on value fit
• The end of classroom training
• No more leadership journeys
• Purpose, purpose, purpose….
• Less multitasking
• Working from 9-5
• The Consumerisation of HR
• Improving Performance Consulting
• From Individuals to Networks of Teams
• Man-Machine Collaboration
• Algorithm Aversion
• HR Operations in the Lift
• Who owns the people data?
• One size does not fit all
• The battle of the apps
• Focus on the Employee Experience
• Agile HR
• Keep it Simple
• Talent Everywhere
• Organisational Network Analysis
• The use of personas
• The invasion of chatbots
• To a more human and holistic HR
• The end of static jobs
• The changing scope of recruitment

Data Drive in decision making

We are seeing the worlds of payroll, HR and business management solutions move closer together as organisations adopt integrated solutions to gain better control over their workforce costs and create stronger engagement with employees. One benefit lies in the fact that data and transactions don’t need to be captured multiple times across different business applications.
In addition, such systems give HR teams a complete view of their relationships with employees, from on-boarding to engagement, talent development and performance management. This empowers HR to react to the needs of the workforce and the business in a more agile manner.
Data will drive decision-making
HR is about to change dramatically with data analytics becoming a way of life for HR directors and HR managers.
As HR professionals have more data (gathered through digital interfaces like employee self-service) about employees and the business at their fingertips than ever before; they will begin to use analytics to make better decisions and to shape superior employee experiences.
Data will help HR and the business to answer questions such as :
• Where did we find the best hires for our business, i.e. top performers who have we retained for a good while?
• How many people will we need in our service department to support our forecasted revenue growth of 10% for the next financial year?
• What are the possible reasons for high employee turnover in the call center?
• What skills gaps do we have in our organisation?
Performance management is changing
We have seen a lot of discussion in the past year or two about the value of annual performance reviews, and many large organizations around the world have streamlined performance management or even done away with annual reviews. Though I don’t foresee most companies scrapping annual reviews, I expect that performance management will change to cater to a changing work world.
We’ll see companies give employees feedback more frequently, perhaps each month or even each week, rather than once a year. This will help managers and employers to constantly monitor performance, identify challenges and opportunities and recalibrate employees’ alignment with its strategic objective. Annual reviews are useful in this regard, but they’re not frequent enough in a business world where the pace of change is so fast.

Essential Strategic HR Agency in Andheri

About Andheri

About Andheri East

The largest and most densely populated suburb of Mumbai, Andheri started developing as early as 1915. This locality, situated on the west of Mumbai, on the Salsette Island, has the busiest railway station in the country. Andheri’s contribution to the country as a major industrial hub cannot be denied. Both the sections – Andheri East and Andheri West have a number of industrial and commercial centres.
Andheri East is mostly known for being an industrial and commercial hub. Despite that, there are plenty of residential colonies here. The people settling down here are mostly from middle-class background and the residential areas are cheaper than those in the more upscale western neighbourhood. Andheri West is almost entirely residential, with most of the communities here being dominated by Parsi households and luxury apartments and villas. It is more posh than Andheri East, and the property prices are higher.
The Andheri skyline is dotted with skyscrapers and high-rises. The most common property type is multi-storeyed apartments, with a few bungalows scattered here and there as remnants of Andheri’s rich Parsi heritage. The road network in Andheri is extensive, with broad roads, connecting it to every part of the city. Like the rest of Mumbai, life in Andheri is fast paced. The heavy flow of traffic and the number of malls and shopping centres in Andheri, makes it the first choice of many young Indians, who want to experience a happening city life.

Key Projects in Andheri East :

Kanakia Rainforest

Connectivity and transit points

Being a part of MMR, Andheri enjoys excellent rail connectivity. The Andheri railway station lies on the Mumbai Suburban Railway. The residents of Andheri mostly use the western line of the Mumbai Suburban Rail network for daily commutation. The harbour line, which is a part of the central line, connects Andheri station with Panvel and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport Terminus.
The road network in Andheri is excellent. The Versova Causeway or the Versova Road connects Andheri with Versova. The two major arterial roads that run through Andheri are the Madhavdas Amarsey Road (M.A. Road) and the S.V. Road. Andheri is connected to further off areas like Borivali via the new link road.

Major Landmarks

The major landmarks in Andheri that sets it apart are –

Zoroastrian Parsi Fire Temple
Santacruz Electronics and Export Promotion Zone (SEEPZ)
Andheri Sports Complex
Gilbert Hill
Mahakali Caves

Factors for growth in the past

Being located in the business capital of India, Andheri definitely enjoys the advantage of being home to a number of commercial and industrial hubs. The best example of these would be Saki Naka and MIDC-SEEPZ. The easy connectivity with the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is another added advantage that Andheri enjoys.
Developments in Andheri go back to the early nineties, when people from other states and colonies started migrating to Bombay. Andheri, which was previously dominated by the Parsi colonies, started to see rapid urbanisation under the influence of the subsequent colonisation.
But the real development in Andheri started when a number of film studios and companies were set up in Andheri. This period started from 1935 and lasted till 1980, during which Andheri was the hub of the Bollywood film industry.
One important infrastructure project, the Western Express Highway, which passes through east Andheri, connects this locality with suburbs like Bandra, Goregaon, Kandivili, Borivali and Dahisar. It then continues on to be the Delhi-Mumbai National Highway. Being located on such an important route, Andheri real estate continues to flourish under the constant traffic along this road.
Another project improving the connectivity in Andheri is the recently completed Ghatkopar – Andheri – Versova corridor of the Mumbai Metro. This has proven to be a boon for commuters, as it reduces their traveling time from one and a half hours to less than thirty minutes.

Residential and Commercial Market

Although both parts of Andheri have thriving real estate markets, there are some differences between these two markets.
The real estate market in Andheri East is distributed equally between residential and commercial properties. This locality claims a lower price rate than its western counterpart. Generally the properties in Andheri East are for middle class and upper class homebuyers. The properties favoured by these buyers are smaller, more compact apartment types, generally 1 or 2 BHKs, whose price range is Rs 10,400 – Rs 14,100 per sq. ft.
The locality of Andheri West can be identified as a posh and upscale neighbourhood, with the residents comprising of all the elites of the film and TV industry, and globally successful business personalities. They prefer larger apartments or villas (3 or 4 BHKs). There are no industrial areas here; strictly residential locality, and the price range lies between Rs 16,550 – Rs 25,100 per sq. ft.

Major Challenges

Traffic Problems: The areas that are most affected by traffic problems are the Andheri-Kurla road and the Andheri station. The Andheri station has a footfall of more than 6 lakhs, which has increased since the completion of the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar metro corridor. This has caused congestion and traffic comes to a standstill on a daily basis.

Garbage Disposal Problems: Parts of Andheri, especially Andheri West suffer from garbage disposal problems now and then. The agency responsible for the disposal and treatment of waste sometimes fails to pick up the garbage for some days at a stretch, creating extremely unhygienic conditions, especially in localities like Versova, J.P. Road and Lokhandwala.

About Andheri West

Andheri West is a popular, lively locality in the city of Mumbai. More affluent when compared to its eastern counterpart, it boasts of scenic sea-side views and landscaped beauty. Most of the property in Andheri West dates back to the early 1940s, with a majority of the residences exuding a sense of olden days. A locality for the elites, it is abode to several TV personalities, which has led to the soaring property values.
Andheri West differs from its eastern counterpart in many ways. Though Andheri East offers great industrial exposure and swift connectivity, it lacks in basic structure and organisation, something Andheri West takes pride in. The western side of this suburb revels in its green landscapes and calm environment, making it a hot property destination among realtors.
Primarily a residential catchment, Andheri West boasts of a myriad of amenities to accommodate to the residents’ needs. Situated close to the beach are prime residential complexes with state-of-the-art amenities such as swimming pools, jogging tracks, sports centers, departmental stores, and multiplexes. These include Lokhandwala Complex, Yari Road and Dhake Colony, among several others.
Catering to the educational needs of youngsters, there are a plethora of eminent educational institutions such as Arya Vidya Mandir School, Bombay Cambridge High School, Sardar Patel College of Engineering and Valia College of Commerce and Arts.

Key Projects in Andheri West :

Makwana The Lion Park
Platinum Heights

Connectivity and Transit Points

Andheri is one of the stations on the Western and Harbour Lines of the intricate Mumbai Suburban Railway network, connecting the suburb to major stations like Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Panvel, and other prominent suburbs of the city like Bandra, Santacruz, Vile Parle and Mahim. Stations that are bound for other towns and cities either start at this station or make a halt there. The station is located a mere 4km away from the western part of the suburb.
The recently operational Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro connects Andheri to Versova in the west and Ghatkopar in the east, enabling hassle-free travel between Western Line and the Central line of the suburban rail via important hubs such as the Airport, Western Express Highway, and the industrial region of Saki Naka.

Major Landmarks

â— Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church

â— Jain Mandir

â— St Blaise Church

â— Versova Beach

â— Gilbert Hill

â— Andheri Sports Complex

Factors for Growth in the Past

The construction of the Versova Causeway in 1940 led to the development of the surrounding areas of Andheri on Shasti Island, and the adjoining islet of Versova. One of the oldest colonies in this locality, the Dhake Colony, comprising five historic buildings, was built in circa 1950.
The original layup of this area was that of a residential colony, a network of lanes filled with massive bungalows facing the sea. Though the bungalows have given rise to multi-storey apartments over the years, the well-designed layouts with serene views of the sea shore and landscaped green pavements, remains the same.

Residential & Commercial Market

The current sale trends for multi-storey apartments in Andheri West fall within the range of Rs 21,500- 22,200 per sq.ft., and that of builder floor apartments fall between Rs 18,200- 22,000 per sq.ft. Rental rates vary from Rs 42-55 per sq.ft. Residential houses in Andheri West may cost anywhere around Rs 18,600- 22, 700 per sq.ft., with rents ranging from Rs 42-48 per sq.ft.
Current sale trends for commercial space fall within the brackets of Rs 19,000-20,000 per sq.ft., with rental rates ranging from Rs 95-100 per sq.ft.

Major Challenges

Problems caused by the perennial congestion on roads along with slow moving traffic adversely affect the residents of Andheri West. Poor lighting, ineffective methods of garbage disposal, and incidents of chain snatching and other petty crimes have also been reported.

Factors for Growth in the Future

The operation of Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro, increasing the connectivity between Andheri and other prime localities, has acted as a catalyst in this area’s growth.
New projects by renowned developers such as Rustomjee Developers, Sheth Developers, Nahar Amrit Shakti, Kani ka Spaces and Hubtown are in the pipeline.
The future prospects of Andheri West are boundless. The investment in commercial and residential units in this locality will continue to fetch good returns in the near future, leading to unbridled growth and progress.