Organisations can use human resources better through organised training programs and skill-upgradation of their employees. It’s a known concept in organisation management. The effect of this powerful concept, if applied in a PSU, would not have been gauzed until recently when the principle was applied by the HR team at South Eastern Coalfields (SECL).
Human resource systems are a back bone of any organisation. A robust HR framework leads to dedicated and disciplined work force committed to its organisational targets. Under the leadership of Dr RS Jha, director (personnel) of SECL, an attempt was made to utilise skills available within the organisation for bigger responsibilities in the coal mine. The experiment took off with need-based training programs for specialised trades of utility in coal mines. SECL employees at the entry level were inspired to take training in trade of their choice. The employees got an opportunity to enrich their job and assume more responsibility. They felt more committed towards organisational goals.
Going ahead with the HR wave, during FY 2018-19, SECL absorbed 199 general majdoors, after skill-upgradation in various highly skilled jobs. Around 57 of them were employed as drill operators, 46 as dozer operators, 24 as grader operators, 39 as payloader operators and 33 as crane operators. The workers in the general majdoor category, through skill-upgradation, were given an opportunity to enrich their jobs and assume higher responsibilities in coal mines. During FY 2017-18, around 1,617 employees were absorbed in various skilled jobs through internal selection.
In a recent HR initiative, SECL under the Apprenticeship Act, had selected youth for a defined period of apprentice. In FY 2019-20, SECL has already initiated process to take 5,500 apprentices in various disciplines and skilled jobs.
The efforts of the HR team at SECL are clearly visible in the organisational results. The organisation now produces humongous 157.35 million tonnes of coal. Many more experiments are being carried out as well.