HOW TO WELCOME AN EMPLOYEE & HIS/ HER FAMILY:-

When an employee takes up a new job or moves from one location to the other, he moves from an old established known location to another which may be alien to him. He not only moves alone he moves with his family leaving an established set up which disturbs him but also his family. After all an organization gets the best opportunity to make the first, best and lasting impression about the organization in the employee and his family’s minds !!

I have changed more than ten jobs in a span of thirty five years of employment. I have moved across the length and breadth of India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Even within these ten jobs many a time, I was moved from one location to the other. Thus my daughter used to say that she was the most fortunate and unfortunate person who moved ten schools in twelve years of her schooling within India as well as overseas.

But it is interesting how you get to interact on the very first day in work in a new environment. How you are welcomed and orientated in work as well as in family.

As long as one is a bachelor, hopping job from one place to another is very easy. It becomes pretty simple like packing a back pack and moving on a wild life safari.

Once married and have a family to look after, it becomes pretty challenging to move from one location to another. You have issues like kid’s schooling, getting a house of your choice on rent or lease, shifting furniture & fittings to set up a home and start your life back on the rails for a trouble free run!

I read a book by Bill Gates wherein he mentions that in Microsoft the moment an employee joins his desk, work station, bank account, travel credit card, travel desk details etc. all get arranged on the same day.

Things are not so good in India. We get a transfer letter, marching orders and sometime to take up the new role or old role in new location immediately leaving little time for the employee to organize his / her family issues which generally take a back seat. Some organizations, arrange for a guest house or hotel accommodation for a few days may be up to a few weeks then you are asked to fend for yourself!

One organization, where I had worked for had a Sales Manager. He had a unique way of motivating his front line sales staff. He used to transfer them every year from one location to the other all within a radius of 10 to 15 KM. The staff that way used to get relocation allowance which used to be more than a month’s salary. This was paid without the employee moving from the head quarters where he was working earlier.

When I moved to Malawi, taking up an assignment, I was received by the incumbent manager in the air port. I was driven to the office wherein the MD of the company welcomed me in his office with a new diary marking on the date sheet my arrival time etc. When I reached my bungalow, we were surprised to find a fully furnished house with nearly a month’s provision nicely stacked in the store room including Indian Snacks and savories. Later for a week food for lunch used to come from one household or the other piping hot and for dinner we were picked from home and dropped back after good treat!

I was chosen for a job in Thailand. I had a unique boss who loved and spoiled me with weekly dose of Indian movie CDs etc. We were picked up from Bangalore to travel along with him and thus our excess luggage was taken care by his special privilege card etc.

On landing in Bangkok around early morning 3 AM I was asked whether I would join on the same day for work as he was expecting his boss that day. I politely told him that we need to catch up some sleep. He had a problem with his cell phone and therefore borrowed mine and went for work.

We went to our condominium which was fully furnished with all gadgets etc. We had a look at all of them and went to sleep. When we got up we were hungry like mad, but had nothing to eat within the condominium. We were starving to death.

By then my boss returned for his lunch on hearing his room getting opened we went and asked him whether there was any food with him. We borrowed rice etc. from him and made our first meal in Thailand only to go to shopping same evening to fill our provisions!

When I joined a job in Hyderabad I was received by my employer around midnight with piping hot Idlies and Chutney in the airport and then dropped in the hotel where we stayed for a week. He had by then seen a big house for us !

Moving to Madagascar was easy, as we had a group of Indian friends who had made their best arrangements for the home, accommodation, first meals etc. But the rickety Renault Yellow Taxis which were used to pick up and make us to travel a distance of seven Kilometers was the icing on the cake as the same was no longer even used to pick up garbage in many third world countries!!