|
 |
|
|
The Times of India Monday December 31, 2007
Bumper year for city in IT hiring
|
|
|
|
|
The Hindu Business Line Monday December 24, 2007
De-risking the staffing business
|
|
|
|
|
The Economic Times Thursday December 12, 2007
Career detours:Pursue dreams amid sabbatical breaks
|
|
|
|
|
The Economic Times Thursday November 29, 2007
Rupee blow : IT cos to go slow on hiring support staff
|
|
|
|
|
The Hindu Business Line Monday November 26, 2007
Building high performance teams
|
|
|
|
|
The Economic Times Tuesday November 13, 2007
IT giants fine-tune bench management
|
|
|
|
|
The Hindu Friday November 2, 2007
IT companies tighten purse strings to cut costs
|
|
|
|
|
Times of India, Sept 17, 2007
Indian tech campuses turn melting pots of diversities
|
|
|
|
|
Times of India, August 23, 2007
IT companies create shadow talent pool
|
|
|
|
|
Economic Times, August 22, 2007
IT companies show the door to deadwoods
|
|
|
|
|
Times of India, June 26, 2007
Bubble CEOs’ fill vacuum on top
|
|
|
|
|
DNA, June 15, 2007
Men are top job ditchers, women loyal, says study
|
|
|
|
|
Economic Times, May 28, 2007
Recruitment Sector gets into M&A mode
|
|
|
|
|
Times of India, May 03, 2007
Women slam move to ban night shift
|
|
|
|
|
Business Line, March 06, 2007
Venture Capital firms' move to recruit, retain talent
|
|
|
|
|
Business Line, March 01, 2007
Union Budget 2007-08 for Women
|
|
|
|
|
Times of India, Feb 22, 2007
Talent also has a shelf-life
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
IT giants fine-tune bench management |
|
|
The Economic Times |
|
|
November
13, 2007 |
|
|
J Padmapriya |
|
|
With Just-In-Time Pipeline Ruled Out, Focus Is On Utilisation Given The Recruitment Strike Ratio Of 1 In 10 Candidates
IT SERVICES majors are in no mood to economise on their bench even as they battle rising costs and an appreciating rupee Large IT services majors in general sport a bench (employees who are not yet in the billing cycle) comprising upwards of 20% of their total offshore workforce.
While many have mastered the art of fine-tuning the bench levels over the years, it is practically impossible to have a just-in-time kind of pipeline of immediately deployable employees
“Bench levels keep changing even during the course of the financial year. For instance, utilization levels could be at 73% during the beginning of the year when new contracts are signed. We have to be ready for market opportunities that knock at our door,” Infosys CFO V Balakrishnan told ET.
To that extent, bench management is also a function of the market environment. At any given point in time, these companies are chasing at least a dozen large business contracts. Infosys alone is pursuing 15 deals each worth over $100 million and winning large deals translate into ramping up staff.
Typically, a company that hires 30,000 employees per year would attract over three lakh resumes of which 50% would be rejected on various parameters. The recruitment strike ratio is one in every 10 candidates processed. Maintaining a bench is a faster way of immediate deployment.
|
THE WAITING GAME |
 Large IT firms generally sport a bench comprising upwards of 20% of their total offshore workforce |
|
With Cos are chasing at least a dozen large deals at any given time, benches are essential for immediate deployment |
|
Most Firms try to keep the onsite bench to below 3% as the cost of keeping employees on unbillable mode abroad is very expensive |
|
Cos are also increasingly keeping an active offline bench of jobseekers who could be hired at short notice |
|
So, to that extent, a bench is not such a dirty word in the IT services business, although, crudely put, it means that many number of employees are idle. According to a senior official at Satyam Computers, companies are looking at putting the bench to more productive use. “Most of these employees are in shadow-billing mode or in training modules. So, it is not as if they are totally idle. Most of us try to keep the onsite bench of below 3% as the cost of keeping employees on unbillable mode there is high. We prefer to fly back employees who have a waiting period of even one or two weeks.”
HR trackers say that instances of companies breaching the mark of below 20% bench may be very few. But companies are certainly trying out new ways to utilize it better. At Satyam, for instance, the bench is not maintained depending on a particular product or vendor specification. Instead, there is a bench for each practice which allows the employees to multi-skill themselves in that vertical.
HR trackers say that companies are also increasingly keeping an active ‘offline’ bench. This would be those set of job-seekers who could be hired at short notice. In HR jargon, it is “keeping them warm”, says Ad Astra founder V G Nirupama.
Companies routinely send mailers to such prospective candidates and keep in touch with them over their availability, she adds. Recruitment agencies also maintain a ready-to-join pipeline for large companies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
