IT biggies forced to chuck out trainees failing grade
The attrition rate at entry level is under 5% for major IT companies in India and has remained stable in the last one to two years.
By Thanuja B M & Urvashi Jha , TNN |
BANGALORE: Every quarter, IT companies make news for hiring freshers in thousands but what doesn’t get highlighted is the effect of this extensive hiring — overburdened recruiters, stressful hiring system and diluted quality standards. With ever rising demand big IT giants have no other option but to recruit as many people as they can to fulfill their increasing project requirements. And once the hiring process is over, then begins the training and weeding.
According to Ajit Isaac, MD, Adecco India, the attrition rate at entry level is under 5% for major IT companies in India and has remained stable in the last one to two years. “Companies are investing a lot in training and processes, so we expect the entry-level attrition to remain stable,” he added. By this yardstick, if the top 5 have about 40,000 people in training, a 5% attrition means that roughly 2,000 find themselves out of a job at the end of training.
Aquil Busrai, director-HR, IBM Global Delivery India says, “We look at talent as a long term resource to start with.“
“Some freshers are slow starters who later shape up due to our strong appraisal system and Individual Development Feedback programme. Therefore only on basis of performance after training or ethics violation, we ask people to leave, ” he added.
Infosys is training about 20,000 people at its Mysore training centre this year. The company’s involuntary attrition is 2.7%, which includes entry level attrition. Wipro is hiring 8,000 freshers this year, IBM has hired about 6,000 people already while Accenture is said to be recruiting about 5,000 freshers from campuses this year.
“Due to huge demand, companies are forced to hire students from all kinds of colleges wherein some students get admission by paying huge donation and not due to their intellectual abilities. Even if these students get placed in some IT companies they are not able to get through the training. Companies have no choice but to weed them out,” says Kris Lakshmikanth, MD, The Head Hunters.
“Three months time is enough for people to exhibit whether they have the ability to learn the basic concepts. We give them opportunities but if they are not able to make the grade, then they have to be removed,” says Pratik Kumar, corporate VP-HR, Wipro. He adds, “Apart from training, a lot depends on the individual’s motivation, desire and alignment with the organisation’s vision and goal.”
Another fallout of hiring process is lack of quality checks at the entry level. “Pressure of time gives no opportunity for quality checks, but the basic checks are perfectly in place,” says Shiv Agarwal, CEO of ABC Consultants. “It is obvious that we have to have quality checks at multiple points. For instance, an appraisal is a good check point. The company can then take preventive and remedial measures,” says Mr Kumar.
Some IT firms are also in talks with several colleges for providing more work-oriented education. NASSCOM too is looking at the initiative wherein on-campus training is provided to students.
According to Ajit Isaac, MD, Adecco India, the attrition rate at entry level is under 5% for major IT companies in India and has remained stable in the last one to two years. “Companies are investing a lot in training and processes, so we expect the entry-level attrition to remain stable,” he added. By this yardstick, if the top 5 have about 40,000 people in training, a 5% attrition means that roughly 2,000 find themselves out of a job at the end of training.
Aquil Busrai, director-HR, IBM Global Delivery India says, “We look at talent as a long term resource to start with.“
“Some freshers are slow starters who later shape up due to our strong appraisal system and Individual Development Feedback programme. Therefore only on basis of performance after training or ethics violation, we ask people to leave, ” he added.
Infosys is training about 20,000 people at its Mysore training centre this year. The company’s involuntary attrition is 2.7%, which includes entry level attrition. Wipro is hiring 8,000 freshers this year, IBM has hired about 6,000 people already while Accenture is said to be recruiting about 5,000 freshers from campuses this year.
“Due to huge demand, companies are forced to hire students from all kinds of colleges wherein some students get admission by paying huge donation and not due to their intellectual abilities. Even if these students get placed in some IT companies they are not able to get through the training. Companies have no choice but to weed them out,” says Kris Lakshmikanth, MD, The Head Hunters.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Three months time is enough for people to exhibit whether they have the ability to learn the basic concepts. We give them opportunities but if they are not able to make the grade, then they have to be removed,” says Pratik Kumar, corporate VP-HR, Wipro. He adds, “Apart from training, a lot depends on the individual’s motivation, desire and alignment with the organisation’s vision and goal.”
Another fallout of hiring process is lack of quality checks at the entry level. “Pressure of time gives no opportunity for quality checks, but the basic checks are perfectly in place,” says Shiv Agarwal, CEO of ABC Consultants. “It is obvious that we have to have quality checks at multiple points. For instance, an appraisal is a good check point. The company can then take preventive and remedial measures,” says Mr Kumar.
Some IT firms are also in talks with several colleges for providing more work-oriented education. NASSCOM too is looking at the initiative wherein on-campus training is provided to students.
ADVERTISEMENT
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
