BANK OF BARODA HR Initiatives

People oriented Deployment, Promotion and selection policies Bank has formulated and put in place well documented and comprehensive deployment, promotion and selection policies oriented towards identifying the best talent and providing opportunities for fast-track growth and development. Some of the prominent HR policies put in place are
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HR Resourcing policy Promotion policy for officers Transfer policy for officers Promotion policies for clerical and subordinate cadre Overseas selection policy

Talent identification & Grooming programmes Various programmes are being run by the Bank for grooming of officers in specialised areas of Credit, Forex, Treasury / Dealing, Wealth Management, for grooming of Branch heads, etc. Customised Leadership development programmes PROJECT LEAP: Bank has been a forerunner in initiating customised and focussed leadership development programmes for its operational and strategic leaders. Project-LEAP (Leadership enhancement and appreciation programme) was initiated by the Bank for grooming 300 leaders of the Bank and was implemented during the period 2007-2009. It involved systematic development of identified leadership competencies after running of an individualized assessment and gap analysis on those competencies for each participant.

PROJECT UDAAN: This is a comprehensive leadership development programme initiated by the Bank covering almost 300 AGMs / DGMs and almost 1200 Branch Heads of Urban and Metro Branches. The design of each module encompasses a field and forum approach wherein the participants are required to attend classroom sessions on various aspects of leadership and apply the acquired learning to real business situations. The classroom sessions are also designed to be very experiential with role-plays, activities, etc. reinforcing various leadership concepts in an off-site location coupled with coaching sessions in between. . HRNes (Human Resource Network for Employee Services) "HRNes" covers the entire gamut of human resources management function in the Bank currently being performed and also includes many new sub-functions. It comprises of four broad modules encompassing different functions:
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Oracle Core HR Module, covering all current HR processes in the Bank; Fluous Payroll Module, - centralised payroll, payments of various benefits, perks, welfare schemes, terminal benefits, etc.;

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Employee Self-Service Module. Oracle Learning Management Module which includes training administration & elearning; Various E-Learning modules are gradually being put on the system for employees to avail of and undergo these courses.

Employee performance management system A new Performance Management system has been formulated and implemented for all officers w.e.f. 2009-10 onwards. The new system enables a holistic approach to the issue of managing performance and does not limit to only an appraisal. It starts from performance planning and Goal-setting and takes it forward into performance review discussions, feedback and development. The new system is business-linked, highly objective and fully transparent, with individuals owning and managing their own performance themselves.

Baroda Sujhav and ideaonline@bankofbaroda.com Idea channels for eliciting new ideas from employees with structured rewards provisions for the best ideas. Streamlined Induction schedule for all new joinees Bank has put in place a well-defined and properly structured induction programme, phase-wise for different batches of directly recruited officers, campus recruitees and newly recruited clerks, which is imparted through a mix of classroom and on-the-job training. Role-change programmes and executive development programmes Executive Development programmes are being regularly conducted for newly promoted senior and top management people in conjunction with leading Business schools like ISB, Hyderabad, MDl, Gurgaon, National Institute of Bank Management, Pune, etc. Role change programmes are being conducted for newly promoted employees at Bank's internal training establishments which give them inputs on behavioural issues, soft skills, team work, leadership, etc. besides ways on how to cope with the challenges of the new role better. Grooming and etiquettes programmes Grooming and etiquettes programmes are being conducted for front-line employees and also for employees selected for overseas posting in order to improve their service levels and qualitative interaction with customers and various stakeholders better. SEED (Self efficiency and effectiveness development) programme being run for frontline staff of the Bank in order to improve their service skills and servicing efficiency.

Employee Speak

Immense exposure in terms of evaluating sizeable projects and client interaction so early in the career are my biggest pluses in Bank of Baroda..A very friendly culture and the freedom and learning you get here is very good especially for someone at the start of his/her career - Aswin Dev, PGDM (IIM Kozhikode), Current Posting-Project Finance and Syndication Ive been always in love with Finance with a sharp inclination to know more about different industries. My current profile has given me an opportunity not only to hone my Financial Analysis skills under the aegis of sharp& seasoned minds but also a wonderful exposure to different sectors. The work culture motivates one to aspire for nothing less than excellence. - Priti Srivastav, PGDM (IMT Ghaziabad), Wholesale Banking Department I think my career in the Bank has truly been crafted to order. In just over 4 years, I had the excitement of a feet on street professional in a Region, the challenges to draw and implement retail strategies with McKinsey on a growth Strategy and Performance Transformation initiative and top it up with an overseas posting in the worlds financial capital, London. - Abhinav Iyer, PGDBM (BIMTECH, NCR), Current Posting-Marketing, Bank of Baroda (UK) I am getting a great exposure of handling leadership development projects and also got the opportunity to work in the area of HR technology implementation. - Vasant Raut, PGDM (BIMHRD, Pune), Current Posting-HR Department

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
A performance appraisal, employee appraisal, performance review, or (career) development discussion is a method by which the job performance of an employee is evaluated (generally in terms of quality, quantity, cost, and time) typically by the corresponding manager or supervisor. A performance appraisal is a part of guiding and managing career development. It is the process of obtaining, analyzing, and recording information about the relative worth of an employee to the organization. Performance appraisal is an analysis of an employee's recent successes and failures, personal strengths and weaknesses, and suitability for promotion or further training. It is also the judgement of an employee's performance in a job based on considerations other than productivity alone. Aims Generally, the aims of a performance appraisal are to:
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Give employees feedback on performance Identify employee training needs Document criteria used to allocate organizational rewards Form a basis for personnel decisions: salary increases, promotions, disciplinary actions, bonuses, etc.

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Provide the opportunity for organizational diagnosis and development Facilitate communication between employee and employer Validate selection techniques and human resource policies to meet federal Equal Employment Opportunity requirements.

To improve performance through counseling, coaching and development.

Methods A common approach to assessing performance is to use a numerical or scalar rating system whereby managers are asked to score an individual against a number of objectives/attributes. In some companies, employees receive assessments from their manager, peers, subordinates, and customers, while also performing a self assessment This is known as a 360-degree appraisal and forms good communication patterns. The most popular methods used in the performance appraisal process include the following:
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Management by objectives 360-degree appraisal Behavioral observation scale Behaviorally anchored rating scales

Trait-based systems, which rely on factors such as integrity and conscientiousness, are also used by businesses but have been replaced primarily by more objective and results-oriented methods. The scientific literature on the subject provides evidence that assessing employees on factors such as these should be avoided. The reasons for this are twofold: 1) Trait-based systems are by definition based on personality traits and as such may not be related directly to successful job performance. In addition, personality dimensions tend to be static, and while an employee can change a behavior they cannot change their personality. For example, a person who lacks integrity may stop lying to a manager because they have been caught, but they still have low integrity and are likely to lie again when the threat of being caught is gone.

2) Trait-based systems, because they are vague, are more easily influenced by office politics, causing them to be less reliable as a source of information on an employee's true performance. The vagueness of these instruments allows managers to assess the employee based upon subjective feelings instead of objective observations about how the employee has performed his or her specific duties. These systems are also more likely to leave a company open to discrimination claims because a manager can make biased decisions without having to back them up with specific behavioral information.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Performance Appraisals

There seems to be an ongoing debate as to the value of doing employee performance appraisals. Anyone who has given or received a performance appraisal could argue vehemently as to the effectiveness and sensibility of doing them. So what is a performance appraisal? A performance appraisal is an evaluation of job performance over a period of time. It is basically an annual report card on an employee and how they performed over the prior year. Unfortunately not all performance appraisal processes are the same and some are designed to not only fail, but to create a negative experience for both the employee and the manager. So why do organizations do performance appraisals? There are different schools of thought on this. Some organizations do performance appraisals out of their understanding of obligation to perform the dreaded task. Some do it so they have a piece of paper in the file. But successful organizations have learned to do them strategically as part of a larger performance management process. Advantages of doing performance appraisals:
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They provide a record of performance over a period of time. They provide an opportunity for a manager to meet and discuss performance with an employee.

Provide the employee with feedback about their performance and how they completed their goals.

Provide an opportunity for an employee to discuss issues and to clarify expectations with their manager.

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Offer an opportunity to think about the upcoming year and develop employee goals. Can be motivational with the support of a good reward and compensation system.

Disadvantages of performance appraisal

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If not done appropriately, can be a negative experience. Are very time consuming, especially for a manager with many employees. Are based on human assessment and are subject to rater errors and biases. If not done right can be a complete waste of time. Can be stressful for all involved.

Finally a performance appraisal is only as good as the performance management system it is part of. If an organization merely does performance appraisals for the sake of doing them, they are wasting their time. But if they strategically incorporate performance management into their strategic plan to implement business goals, they will provide a process to accomplish those goals.