A survey from TimesJobs.com has revealed that 62% hiring managers and recruiters have admitted to hiring candidates not because of their skills but because he or she fits the salary range they have allotted to the post. 
 
This blunder, which is committed by more than half of hiring managers surveyed, tells that CTC is regularly given preference over skill sets, because the recruiters have to adhere to budgets. 
 
Around 55% of the surveyed organisations also revealed the most common hiring blunders that recruiters make, which is giving out unclear job descriptions in the first place. Other most common mistakes include using outdated methods for screening and hiring candidates (46%) and ignoring the relevance and importance of a good cultural fit (40%). 
 
"It is a highly competitive world and the war for talent is equally brutal as that for business. However, with lack of due diligence on the fronts of clarity of role, career path and cultural fit talent retention remains a big challenge," TimesJobs.com COO Vivek Madhukar said. 
 
To add to the shocking revelations, it has come out that while 70% of hiring managers believe that reference checks are important, a mere 58% actually take the pain of conducting these checks. 
 
For the study, 713 hiring managers in companies across major employment hubs in India were surveyed. 
 
<a href="http://img-d01.moneycontrol.co.in/news_image_files/sme-mentor/2015/job-30-09-2015-6183009151022.jpg">Image source</a>

A shocking number of recruiters prefer CTC over skills while hiring

Since the 7th Pay Commission proposed a 23.55% salary hike for central government employees, it seems private sector employees are at unease. 
 
As per a survey conducted by TimesJobs.com, over 70% employees expressed regret working in the private sector after the proposal. 
 
This survey, which covered over 700 professionals working in the private sector from across the country, who earn their increments based on their individual performance and contributions to the business, revealed that 68% respondents felt that Pay Commission’s proposal was unfair. 
 
Meanwhile, 47% respondents said there was no link to employee performance while 30% feel the massive hike will eventually widen the public and private sector income disparity. 
 
Another 23% respondents felt that since the private sector is a bigger employment generator, granting such a hike to central employees is unfair to them, revealed the survey. 
 
"This considerable hike is going to put a lot more discretionary income in the hands of central government employees and will definitely lead to increased spending. But the discontent caused in the private sector by this performance-indiscriminate hike to central government employees is palpable. And India Inc. employers are having to face the brunt of this dissatisfaction with lowered motivation and performance levels,” said Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com. 
 
Around 90% respondents were from manufacturing, automobile and retail sectors. Nearly 75% middle and senior-level employees also shared similar sentiments. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Tables have turned! Private sector employees are now jealous of govt employees. Here’s why

This is an appropriate time if you are looking for a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=job+change+">job change</a> as <keyword id="6357342" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hiring">hiring</keyword> activity grew by 4% in September, with infrastructure, IT and <keyword id="6354776" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Telecom">telecom</keyword> industries are leading in talent demand. 
 
According to the latest recruitment index report by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=TimesJobs.com">TimesJobs.com</a>, infrastructure leads the way, registering a solid 10% rise in talent demand in September. Petrochemicals, oil and gas sectors register 9% rise in talent demand. 
 
In terms of locations, it is the tier-II cities that lead in demand, with Indore posting a whopping 19% rise in hiring activity. 
 
There is a good news for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=HR+professionals+">HR professionals</a> as their demand has increased by a massive 13% in month-on-month demand. While one of the most challenging levels to fill, middle management demand has also seen an 8% rise. Business managers and professional consultants also report a significant 12% rise. 
 
Customer service and tele-calling professionals are also witnessed 10% rise in demand. While IT and telecom and hospitality professionals report 6% and 5% increase in talent demand respectively. 
 
 "The government's push to create 100 smart cities comprising modern digitally-connected infrastructure had an impact on hiring activity in India Inc., with a rise in demand for key personnel in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=middle-level+professionals+">infrastructure industry</a>, and across Tier-II cities. Demand for middle managers, experienced professionals and HR, further consolidates the prediction that India's growth will be people intensive, needing experienced leadership, and team coordination," explains TimesJobs' COO, Vivek Madhukar. 
 
The IT and telecom sectors have witnessed an average of 6% rise in talent demand during the month of September. 
 Other big employers that are witnessing considerable gains are the travel and <keyword id="68179" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hospitality-industry">hospitality industry</keyword> that register 5% rise in demand and the BFSI sector has seen 4% rise as per the September 2015 RecruiteX. 
 
Talent demand was buoyant in Tier II cities in September. Among smart cities, Indore topped the chart with a huge rise of 19% in hiring activity in the last month. Pune also reported a massive 14% rise in demand. 
 
Among states, Andhra Pradesh (except Hyderabad) witnessed the maximum rise in talent demand of 18%, while among state capitals Ahmedabad registered a whopping 17% increase in talent demand. Among metros, Delhi NCR posted the highest 8% rise in hiring activity. 
 
The demand for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=middle-level+professionals+">middle-level professionals</a> has reported the maximum rise in September. Working professionals with 5-10 years of experience have seen an average 8% rise in demand during the month. 
 
While candidates with 10-20 years of experience have witnessed 4% rise in demand, however, demand for candidates with over 20 years of experience has seen 9% drop. 
 
TimesJobs.com is India's leading career and recruitment portal. Currently, it has a candidate database of over 25 million registered job-seekers across levels and functions who clock-in over 60 million page views a month. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Hiring grows 4% in September! Infrastructure, IT & telecom are top recruiters

The board of directors at Mumbai-headquartered <keyword id="46013" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kotak-Mahindra-Bank">Kotak Mahindra Bank</keyword> has approved the sale of 6.2 crore equity shares to raise equity capital worth Rs 5,369 crore at current prices. 
 In a notice to the <keyword id="6402868" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Stock-exchanges">stock exchanges</keyword>, the bank said that the board approval is subject to approvals from shareholders and other regulations. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/ed-arrests-kotak-mahindra-bank-manager/articleshow/56217210.cms">ED arrests Kotak Mahindra Bank manager</a> 
 This fresh capital will be used to pursue acquisition opportunities in <keyword id="417932" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Banking">Indian banking</keyword> and finance and buying stressed loans from other banks, while also helping fuel lending and digital opportunities. 
 
The money would also help raise funds for bank's subsidiaries. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Donald-Trump-once-sued-Kotak-Mahindra-for-launching-a-credit-card-called-Trump-and-even-won-the-battle/articleshow/55311125.cms">Donald Trump once sued Kotak Mahindra for launching a credit card called Trump and even won the battle</a> 
 
Reserve Bank of India's communication asking the bank's promoter and managing director to reduce stake could also be a reason behind this decision to sell shares. 
 
It was last month that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/RBI">central bank</a> had asked Kotak Mahindra Bank to reduce promoter holding to 30% by June 2017 and to 20% by December 2018. 
 
As per BSE data, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/-Heres-how-Mukesh-Ambani-Uday-Kotak-Anand-Mahindra-and-other-Indian-leaders-wished-Narendra-Modi-in-his-birthday/articleshow/54380854.cms">Uday Kotak</a>, MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank, along with family members control 33.61% of bank’s stake as of December 2016. Out of this, 33.30% is held by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Uday-Kotak-Forbes-most-powerful/articleshow/52238490.cms">Kotak</a> individually. 
 
(Image source: TimesJobs)

Kotak Mahindra Bank plans to raise Rs 5,400 crore equity capital; might pursue consolidation

Headhunters across India have been observing a shocking trend after the slump in the information technology (IT) sector, with a unique jump in the resumes of mid-management IT professionals. These resumes have, as compared to last year, taken a leap of as much as 250% this year. It’s clear, therefore, that the reported instability in the country's $150-billion software services exports industry has had the most impact on the middle-level employees, those with 7 to 15 years of work experience. The rise in CVs could also be accredited to the radical shift in the need of upskilling, as well as the emergence of automation and robotics. Talking of upskilling, there is a clear difference in the skill set that these employees possess and the skills that the clients need, forcing employees to upskill or look for new jobs. "As IT companies adjust to this new normal, there is a change happening in their delivery models and workforce optimisation. This has made professionals uncertain about the future, resulting in the increase in the number of CVs finding their way to recruitment firms," Paul Dupuis, Managing Director of <keyword id="6421932" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Randstad-India">Randstad India</keyword> told <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/it-is-a-worry-headhunters-see-up-to-90-jump-in-mid-level-tech-resumes/articleshow/59225130.cms">ET</a>. Over the past six months, Randstad India has seen around 15 to 20% jump in the number of mid-manager profiles for the IT industry. Other companies reported jump of 250% since (Head Hunters India), 90% since January (<keyword id="6381892" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Teamlease-Services">TeamLease Services</keyword>), and 45% in the month of January alone (TimesJobs). Most of these mid-level <keyword id="6467356" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="IT-employees">IT employees</keyword> are team leads, delivery managers, project managers etc, while the list also includes people from quality assurance, security testing, infrastructure, technical operations, code review, etc.

IT whirlwind has impacted mid-level employees the most! Here’s how

The coming year is expected to bring good news for job seekers, because as per the results of the TimesJobs Job Outlook Survey 2016, the hiring activity is all set to be increased by a considerable 7% across sectors. 
 
The survey was done over 1,614 employers across India, and nearly 60% of the surveyed organizations reported positive hiring approach. 
According to the survey results, IT, telecom and manufacturing sectors will be the biggest employment generators in the coming years. Also, 25% organizations surveyed predicted that IT and telecom will hire the maximum number of people, while 20% said that manufacturing will be the top employment generator. 17% organizations voted for infrastructure, while 15% voted for healthcare. 
 
"With the government’s Digital India and Make in India push, manpower demand is bound to increase in core technology and manufacturing sectors in 2016,” says Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com. He also added that even though big enterprises are expected to rule the hiring scene in the coming year, the contribution of startups in creating new jobs can’t be overlooked. 
 
“Though 66% of the major corporates surveyed deny any sort of competition from startups in our survey, one cannot overrule the fact that e-commerce and startups will add a significant number of jobs next year. In addition, the focus of organizations on business expansion, selling and branding will fuel the demand for sales, business development and marketing professionals in 2016.” says Madhukar. 
 
According to 26% of the companies which were studied for the survey, sales &amp; business development professionals will be the most sought-after, and that companies would also offer premiums for proven performances. Another 25% organizations predicted that there will be an increased demand for marketing professionals, and that digital marketing would command a higher premium. 20% organizations still think that IT professionals should remain the focus area, and can expect to see the maximum demand. 
 
Most companies plan to hire for their middle-level. Professionals with 2-5 years of experience will see the maximum demand from across sectors, according to almost 68% of the surveyed organizations. 
 
In a continued effort for gender diversity, nearly 57% of the organizations surveyed said that they are focused on increasing the strength of their women workforce in 2016. 
 
Also, almost 60% organizations said that women professionals will be hired at middle-level positions, while 32% said their hiring will be at entry level. 8% of these surveyed organizations will recruit women professionals in C-suite roles in 2016. 
 
Talking of the location where most jobs would be offered, metros will continue to be the job hubs of 2016, along with tier I locations and state capitals. 
 
<a href="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/markgreene/files/2015/05/rising-interest-rates1.jpg">Image source</a>

Survey reveals 7% expected rise in hiring next year; IT and manufacturing to lead talent demand

If you thought only peer pressure or long working hours affect professionals’ productivity, think again. As per a latest report by <a href="http://www.jobbuzz.in">JobBuzz</a>, an employer-rating platform powered by TimesJobs.com, most of the India Inc employees dread long commuting hours to work every day. Industry experts directly link the biggest effects of long commutes to stress-related health issues, and its adverse impact on employee productivity and job satisfaction. 
 
The report titled ‘Work Commuting Survey’ suggests that a whopping 60% of the respondents felt spending more time to reach work directly affected their day-to-day performance and hampered their productivity. 
 
"What employees feel instinctively has been substantiated by numerous health studies that show the adverse effects of long commutes ranging from increased cholesterol and blood pressure, to anxiety and even depression. On a macro scale, the effects of commuting are obvious from contributing to traffic congestion, noise and air pollution, to urban sprawl and global warming." explains Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com. 
 
Office is over an hour away for most people 
 
The survey results show that over 50% of India Inc employees spend more than an hour commuting to work every day while another 30% spend at least half an hour getting to office. JobBuzz further revealed some striking commuting patterns: 
 
· 57% employees in metros spend more than an hour in commuting to office every day 
· 43% employees in small cities spend more than an hour in commuting to office every day 
· 53% male employees spend more than an hour in commuting to office; 35% spend over 30 minutes 
· 44% female employees spend more than an hour in commuting to office; 25% spend over 30 minutes 
So should proximity of the company to one’s home be an essential criterion while taking up a job? 
 
For 52% of the respondents, an office near home was a very important criterion while taking up a job. But 48% felt the proximity of one’s office to one’s home did not matter if the job and salary were fitting. 
 
In terms of gender, 65% male respondents felt proximity to home was a crucial factor in deciding their acceptance of an offer of employment. However, only 37% female employees felt the same way. A whopping 63% of female employees clearly stated that proximity was not a concern for them if career and financial benefits were good. 
 
On being asked what kind of company they would choose to work for, 40% of the survey respondents said they would choose an organization that was located less than 30 minutes away from their homes. 
 
Over 24% respondents said they would choose a company within a 5 km radius near home, while 21% said they would go for a company that offered higher conveyance allowance or fuel reimbursements. Nearly 15% of the respondents said they would work for a company that provided conveyance facility. 
 
"What seems evident is that employees in India Inc. are willing to forego their personal well-being for the benefits of higher income or better housing being passed onto other members of their household. They are sacrificing themselves for their families' happiness." says Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com 
<h1>
	Public transport is still the main mode for commuting</h1>
 
For 45% of respondents, public transport remains the most economical and efficient mode of commuting to office while nearly 40% respondents used their own vehicles for this purpose. Nearly 9% respondents said they were provided with transport by the office while a meager 6% said they had organized and regularly used carpools. 
<h1>
	 </h1>
This JobBuzz survey was conducted among 536 working professionals across India

Guess what hits India Inc. employees’ productivity the most? Long commutes that is

Northeast India, a place which is so far counted among the best tourist destinations in India, is now emerging as one place where the demand for talent is on a rise. According to the latest TimesJobs RecruiteX data, 5-30% y-o-y growth rate in talent demand is seen in <keyword id="6354915" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Assam">Assam</keyword>, <keyword id="46408" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Arunachal-Pradesh">Arunachal Pradesh</keyword>, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, <keyword id="50015" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="nagaland">Nagaland</keyword> and <keyword id="48118" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sikkim">Sikkim</keyword> from Feb 2014-Feb 2015. 
 
 
These new findings refute the perception that the North-East does not offer good employment opportunities. In fact, the percentage growth in demand for talent in the eight states is higher than that in the metro cities. 
 
So, does this mean Northeast is going to be the new ITeS &amp; BPO hub of India? At least, Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com feels so. 
 He says, “The <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword>’s focus on the region coupled with improving interstate infrastructure and telecommunications are providing a strong impetus to <keyword id="352701" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Economic-Development">economic development</keyword> and job growth in the Northeast. With a young and a ambitious, well-educated population it is quite possible that the Northeast is going to be the new ITeS &amp; BPO hub of India.” 
 
As per the RecruiteX data, which defines the definitive demand and supply recruitment index in India, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim have reported growth rates in the range of 5-30% for talent demand. In comparison, the top five metros have reported an average growth of just 2% in the same period. 
 
Manipur is leading the demand for talent with 21% growth in demand for talent as compared to last year. According to TimesJobs.com data for the state, there are more jobs available in the salary bracket of Rs 15-25 lakh as compared to the Rs 4 lakh plus salary bracket. The demand is almost four to five times higher and is driven by automobile, IT-software, consumer durables/FMCG and BFSI industries. 
 
Arunachal Pradesh is another major gainer with an average y-o-y growth of 19% in talent demand among the eight states. Interestingly, here the highest numbers of jobs are available in the Rs 4-10-lakh salary bracket. Also, there are more jobs in the Rs 25-50 lakh bracket compared to the Rs 10-25 lakh bracket. 
 
This clearly indicates that residents of the North-East are likely to earn more in their hometowns than in metros in similar job profiles. Sectors such as education, travel and tourism, FMCG and BFSI are strong across the region. 
 
In a state-wise analysis, Nagaland and Tripura recorded an average y-o-y growth of 17% and 12%, respectively. In both states, telecom, IT-software and insurance sectors are driving the demand. Professionals with 2-5 years experience are the most sought after. 
 
Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram have also reported higher average y-o-y growth in talent demand than the metros. The average growth in these three states ranged between 5-6%. 
 
In Sikkim, the demand for talent is up by 6% in Hotel/Travel, IT-software and Biotech/Pharma. However, demand is mostly for entry-level roles with salaries going up to just Rs 2 lakh per annum. 
 
Experts say improving job market in the region are due to improved infrastructure, consumer sentiments and investments in IT and core manufacturing sectors such as automobile, consumer durables and FMCG. 
 
You can read the complete RecruiteX report <a href="http://content.timesjobs.com/talent-demand-rises-ittelecom-leads-recruitex-february-2015/">here</a>. 
 
(Image: Reuters) 
​

Indians, Job Alert! Northeast is where the opportunity exists

A survey from JobBuzz, conducted on professionals working in new ventures, has shown that 88% of these professionals are ready to leave their current jobs in startups if they are offered jobs in more established companies. This means that only 12% respondents felt content with their work profiles in current startups. 
 
The survey findings point at an impending attrition problem that startups could face in the near future as they seek to scale. 
 
“Today’s talent is no longer lured by just fat paychecks. They are looking at long-term career growth and are careful when choosing their employers. The recent spate of retrenchments have deeply affected the very important and high-engagement sense of ownership and belonging that young professionals felt when they joined these start-ups," says Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com. 
 
“Those joining startups must have that sense of passion and ownership to make the company grow. If they want to switch, as the survey shows, startups need to have a relook at their hiring strategy so they pick people who share the vision of the founders and feel themselves part of the company’s growth story,” adds Madhukar. 
 
Over 750 professionals working in different new ventures across the startup hotbeds of Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon, Delhi and Noida took part in the survey. 
 
When asked why they were thinking of quitting their startup jobs, 43% felt they would be able to draw higher salaries in established companies. But a significant 30% said it was due to the nature of their jobs in startups as they were unable to maintain work-life balance. 
Interestingly, the fear of the startup not taking off properly and employees losing their jobs was not reported to be a major concern. Only 15% survey respondents admitted that they wanted to switch to an established company to seek better job security. 
 
But ennui appears to have set in among employees who have been in these startups for at least one year and more. Nearly 65% of them said they would readily switch to an established player if they got the opportunity. 
 
Nearly 58% employees in IT, internet, dotcom, consulting and retail startups, who answered the JobBuzz.in survey, said they wanted to move to bigger companies. The discontent appears widespread among both junior and senior-level professionals, 75% of whom wanted to move to bigger companies. 
 
However, respondents felt that their startup stints had started off with a lot of passion. 
 
When asked why they took up a startup job in the first place, 54% said it was because of the thrill of working in a new venture. Only 23% had taken up the jobs for higher salary while 20% were looking for a flexible work culture – a major pull for Gen Y and Z today. 
On the concerns they had before they joined startups, most survey respondents said it was the risk of the venture failing (63%) and the pressure of taking up multiple roles (29%). 
 
HR leaders from large companies, speaking at various TimesJobs.com boardroom discussions, have said that startups pulling in talent has become a hiring challenge for them. But some also pointed towards increasing cases of burnout among employees as the new ventures scaled and thus the increasing urge to leave for established companies. 
 
<a href="http://d225fqn1pkg6mt.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Big-brand-or-new-brand.jpg">Image Source</a>

Startup charm starting to fade? Almost 90% employees want to switch

The Indian <keyword id="62763" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Job-market">job market</keyword> is expecting pay hike ranging between 10-30% in 2016. The private sector is also expected to hire aggressively. However, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=e-commerce">e-commerce</a> and '<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Make+in+India">Make in India</a>' must push this just a bit. 
 
The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=7th+Pay+Commission">7th Pay Commission</a> is also expected to trigger a big hike in government employee salaries. That’ll lead to fatter pay-cheques in the private sector as well. According to a TimesJobs survey, over 70% employees regret working in the private sector following the proposed 23.6% salary hike for government staff. 
 
Experts say the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=job+market">job market</a> would definitely be better in 2016 than 2015. With promises of a better investment climate and the government push to manufacturing industry, 2016 is expected to be a fruitful year. 
 
Executive search firm GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said, "Though there is lot of back-end work happening to bring the 'good days', it is still reflected at sentiment level only. It may start reflecting on ground level in year 2016." 
 
The average pay hike would be around 12-14%. The key performers can expect a hefty 25-30%. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

India’s 2016 Job market to see more hiring and 10-30% pay
hike #AccheDin

We all have gone through times when we weren’t appreciated by our <keyword id="74643" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bosses">bosses</keyword>, following which we hopped jobs. But, according to a study by TimesJobs, nearly 90% employees in <keyword id="46431" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-Inc">India Inc</keyword>. would stick around longer if they feel they are being appreciated for the work they do. 
 "Companies should ensure this by appreciating, recognising and rewarding your employees. It is a highly effective and proven strategy for improving employee engagement and business output. Therefore, creating a formal structure for employee recognition is very important,” <keyword id="2984280" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nilanjan-Roy">Nilanjan Roy</keyword>, head of strategy, <keyword id="149320" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Times-Business-Solutions">Times Business Solutions</keyword> told ET. 
 
Everybody enjoys appreciation and values it but according to the study, only 41% employees feel that they are being appreciated. 59% of them, however, feel that aren’t being appreciated for what they are doing. 
 
This study showed that regardless of how important appreciation is, companies really don’t care about it, as 59% is quite a big number and they feel that they aren’t appreciated. 
 According to an industry-wise analysis, 87% IT, Telecom, ITeS and internet employees don’t get much appreciated by their bosses. The number in automobile industry is comparatively low to 75 % and 70% in <keyword id="6356925" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BFSI">BFSI</keyword> sector said no to any sort of appreciation from their bosses. Manufacturing and retail sectors, however, seem to be quite appreciative of their employees with 52% of its staff claiming there is enough appreciation from their bosses. 
 In a gender-wise analysis, it was seen that the number of <keyword id="3804701" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="unappreciated">unappreciated</keyword> males is higher than that of females. 85% male and 63% female employees feel there is not enough appreciation from their boss at work. Also, 62% junior level, 80% middle level and 50% senior level employees claim a lack of appreciation at workplace. 
 
"Employers need to actively engage with their current and future employees, and positive reinforcements are the best way to ensure a powerful employer brand. Open, transparent and responsive communication both on formal and informal channels is key to success - active use of digital media, social networks and company reviews sites all play a major role in ensuring an attractive employer brand." Roy told ET. 
 
“It's not a tough task to make employees feel valued at work. About 70% employees say that they feel appreciated if offered career advancement opportunities at their workplace. For 44% appreciation lies in regular rewards &amp; recognitions, 37% find the best form of appreciation is in a pay raise while 22% feel valued when given a more challenging work profile,” it said in the study. 
 
“Nearly 20% employees say they feel appreciated when allowed flexibility options, such as work from home &amp; telecommuting. And 11% say more authority in decision-making makes them feel appreciated,’ it added. 
 
Though, a sustainable competitive advantage can be achieved by simply keeping employees happy but employees in India still have a long way to go as only 22% employees said they received appreciation every time they performed well last year, while 60% employees say they had rarely been appreciated for their good work last year. A further 18% stated they were never appreciated.

Here’s how you can stop attrition rate in your office

When 80,000 coders from 9,000 IT companies were given a chance to fight the TechGig Code Gladiators 2015 battle using a weapon of their choice i.e. a programming language they love, we realized that Java is the love of their life. Contestants preferred Java over 9 other programming languages, which includes: C, C++, C#, PHP, Java Script, Python, Perl, Ruby and VB.net. 
 
TechGig Code Gladiators is a national level competition that showcases the company with the best coders and identifies the Best Coder in the Country. 
 
In the initial online rounds of the Code Gladiators 2015, the top 100 coders battled it out face-to-face in the grand finale to win coveted titles and prize money of Rs 6 lakhs. And at the finale, when India got its five best coders, Java emerged as the most popular coding language among the top coders. 
 
Apurv Gupta from Oracle (the winner), Surender Godara from SapientNitro (first runner-up), Victor Hoh from AWPL (second runner-up), <a href="http://www.techgig.com/ankitvij">Ankit Vij</a> from Cvent India Pvt Ltd (fourth runner-up) and <a href="http://www.techgig.com/hinabhatia1">Hina Bhatia</a> from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steria/112676715413273?fref=ts">Steria</a> (TechGig Code Diva and best women coder) - all chose Java as their preferred language to sail through the contest. 
 
"One thing all skilled coders agree on is that they love familiarity. When it’s time to write for heavyweight and scalable enterprise applications, techies reach for their most comfortable tool. Thanks to years of unrelenting backward compatibility, Java is that tool." says Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com 
 
Speaking to TechGig after the finale, Surender Godara from SapientNitro said that for the first two virtual rounds, he was coding in C language but the final problems were so tough he had to switch to Java. 
 
Only the third runner-up, <a href="http://www.techgig.com/sonusingal">Sonu Singal</a> from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/algoworkstech?fref=ts">Algoworks Technologies</a>, was the lone winner to code in C# (C sharp) in the grand finale of Code Gladiators. 
 
Similar to <a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-07-14/news/51485010_1_coding-talent-experience">the 2014 edition of TechGig Code Gladiators</a>, majority of the participants of this year’s contest too coded in Java, followed by C# and C/C++. Coders this year also turned to trending languages such as Python and Ruby. 
 
The competition also saw the rise of the top five IT companies - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PersistentSystems?fref=ts">Persistent Systems</a> (first), <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steria/112676715413273?fref=ts">Steria</a> (second), <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/IRIS-Software-Pvt-Ltd/228413760539823">IRIS Software</a> (third), <a href="https://www.facebook.com/itcinfotech?fref=ts">ITC Infotech</a> (fourth) and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmadeusSouthAsia?fref=ts">Amadeus South Asia</a> (fifth). 
 
In terms of User Engagement &amp; Traffic metrics – the 2015 Edition of TechGig Code Gladiators racked up a record breaking - 
&gt; 100 Million+ Impressions 
&gt; 8 Million+ Users 
&gt; 1.5 Million+ Views 
&gt; 500K+ Visits 
&gt; 3.4 Million+ Twitter Impressions 
&gt; 250K+ Facebook Impressions 
 
(Image: india times)

Indian coders are in love with Java and here is the proof

India <keyword id="624" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Women">women</keyword> have come a long way in terms of establishing themselves as leaders, decision makers, bread earners, company representatives and entrepreneurs. These leaders are encouraging women to have a transformed lifestyle. We’re seeing women rising the ranks in business, technology and government from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. There’s been no better time to be a woman in India than right now. By and large, women are safer, more prosperous and have more opportunities than they ever had before. 
 
Recently when the world was showering praises on ISRO’s feat of launching 104 satellites, the untold story of the “Rocket Women” of India was also unfolding simultaneously. These brilliant women scientists have taken the Indian space programme to new heights. And they are not the only ones who have broken the glass ceiling to reach for the skies, literally, but every sector is witnessing an increasing presence of women in the boardroom. A case in point will be the banks or the technology companies where women now dominate the top roles. 
 
Women have never had it so good 
Long gone are the excusable days that women are not part of the corporate composition. According to the World Economic Forum, more than a quarter of a billion women have entered the labor force in the past 10 years, up from 1.5 billion to 1.75 billion worldwide. 
 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 of the <keyword id="6355833" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="united-nations">United Nations</keyword> 2030 global agenda specifically sets out to achieve gender equality and female empowerment. And according to ADB, a tenant to the achievement of SDG 5 is the use of Information and Communications Technology. SDG 10 – Reducing Inequalities connects in equal measure to the active inclusion of women and girls in educational, social and economic spheres. It’s an inclusion that ICT effectively drives. 
 
Women have come a long way, still a long walk 
Despite accomplishments of women leaders from Asia, there are many hurdles to be crossed. For example, India has among the worst levels of gender wage disparity — men earning more than women in similar jobs — with the gap exceeding 30 per cent, according to the Global Wage Report 2016-17 released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in December 2016. 
 Further at a regional level, Asia loses between US$16 billion to US$30 billion annually as a result of gender gaps in education and then employment. According to the <keyword id="240184" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="International-Labour-Organization">International Labour Organization</keyword> (ILO) and ADB, the region reportedly loses between US$42 billion to US$47 billion annually due to women’s limited access to employment opportunities. 
 
Clearly, if more women were active participants in the economy, we all benefit. Eliminating gender disparity in the region would increase per capita income for all by 70% in roughly 60 years and that’s something everyone should be able to get behind. 
 
Women need to feel empowered and supported by their companies in order to put themselves forward for senior positions. Without this commitment and backing from the business community, the current imbalanced situation which the corporate sector is facing won’t change. According to the TimesJobs Job Outlook Survey 2016–17, an increased number of corporates in India will have a larger focus on gender diversity in 2017. Nearly 70 percent of organizations said they would be hiring more women in 2017 and 20 percent said that they would hire women professionals for CXO roles in the years to come. 
 
Technology to empower <keyword id="42463" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Women">Indian women</keyword> A 2016 report done by <keyword id="50041" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="KPMG">KPMG</keyword> found that communications technology, including mobile phones, promotes entrepreneurial activity of women, improving business practices overcoming gender barriers. This is corroborated by two thirds of working women who reported that having a mobile means they have, or would have, greater access to business and employment opportunities (GSMA). 
 
Over 110 million Indian women are active users of internet and it is growing at a rate of 46% every year, according to a report by Internet and Mobile Association of India and IMRB International. The internet’s ability to enable access and reduce cost barriers for such young female pioneers is essential in a world where remuneration inequalities still exist. With the right knowledge, a world of opportunity is at their fingertips—a world of female-empowered initiatives and gender neutral marketplaces—where outputs are judged solely on quality and void of predisposed discrimination. 
 
The steepest, but surest climb is in India 
The issue of women empowerment has never been more relevant in India. As one of the world’s fastest growing economies, in India, the creation and growth of digital economies and women empowerment should go hand-in-hand. 
 
Telecom companies should provide the power of digital communication, enabling its female customers to improve their lives, build societies and secure a better future for all. Empowering women in societies and creating a positive local impact should be at the core of all actions. 
 
Digital innovation has the ability to bring more women and disenfranchised into the fold. It gives an opportunity to promote inclusive growth and rewrite society’s gender code now. The rise of female inclusion through digital innovation around the world will provide more gender neutral opportunities and mute, if not completely extinguish the age-old – and frankly no longer acceptable – narratives of “before”. 
 
(About the Author: This article has been contributed by Sharad Mehrotra, chief executive officer, Telenor (India) Communications) 
 
(Image Credits: Flickr)

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