VRS is not an answer for Downsizing

(Article published in Deccan Chronicle on 21st May 2001)

With organisations resorting to downsizi€ng and rightsizing, vast human resources that are being placed in the residual category. A nation committed to optimising its resources will have to channelise properly human resources rendered redundant by shrinking the organisations. Otherwise such resources may become a burden to the State.

Instead of allowing these competent persons to join the ranks of unemployed, redeploying and rehabilitating them in an effective manner through a planned approach would be a more progressive step. The government of India has taken several initiatives through the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, which has addressed this burning issue and identified several nodal agencies in different States for counselling, training a redeploying the employees who have opted out of service under voluntary retirement scheme in Central Public Sector Undertakings.

A separate scheme was also introduced in 1990s under National Renewal Fund for retaining and redeploying the rationalised employees of private, State and Central public sector undertakings. nisiet, since 1998, has been in the forefront, offering escort services to such rationalised employees through its employee assistance cell.

The Institute has acquired rare expertise in this area through its experience of conducting management development and entrepreneurship development programmes over several decades. nisiet has developed a model tailored to diverting their energies to income generation activities.

The emphasis is on dovetailing individual skills, with terminal benefits and latent spatial needs. Rationalised employees, generally tend to succumb to withdrawal syndrome. Therefore through a process of unfreezing, the employee is motivated to pursue self-employment avenues leading to a creative, independent and self-sustaining role. nisiet rehabilitation programmes in this direction have come up with encouraging results with more than 65 percent of the trainees starting up their units.

Institutions from different parts of the country are now approaching nisiet to study its methodologies and are seeking nisiet's support to organise similar programmes in other destinations.

We have a dedicated team committed to this task. This is a clear manifestation of how an opportunity has been exploited by the Institute to provide gainful solutions through a very critical human resources development programme. The institute, through its Employee Assistance Cell, is servicing the retaionalised workers, the Industries Departments of both Centre and States, and finally the nation.