I may have posted a scenario for 2015 when a new system of promotion may come. But I actually think seniority based promotion is the best shot for IOCL.

Why so? Oh do not get me wrong. I am one of those who have always asked for merit based promotions and even today inside my heart I say that. And like it or not as a superior I always tell my juniors to perform so as to differentiate themselves if they want to reach high. If you do not differentiate then you do not do better. Only the best performer should rise if an organisation has to keep on improving in performance.

Yes I support merit based promotions even today.

But I say still that Seniority based promotions are best for IOCL. Why so? Why this contradiction?

After 29 yrs in IOCL I have come to realise that merit does not really matter. First IOCL is a PSU. One does not need to be like a high performer. We do not even need a super duper brain to do our work. We do routine work only most of the time. 

Does this all seem blasphemy to you? Will someone say to me that there are many jobs that need innovation/ skills and so on?

I am trying to bring your attention to the difference between "Need" and "Happening". There is always a need for all these. But do you see much happening around you?

So many times we come here and say this should happen and that should happen. But do they ever happen? That is what I am trying to tell you all here.

If all that should happen is not happening, if all the best practices that should happen is not happening, if all the new ideas that should get picked up is not getting picked up then why do we need merit? Just promote everyone turn by turn on seniority basis!! Because IOCL work is going on with mediocre people like us. We do not need super dupers!

And in any case we all know how merit is measured in IOCL. Since there is no fool proof way to measure merit objectively best way to promote people is on Seniority.

Yes! I have realised many things after 29 yrs of my service. Daily people change. I have changed too. I now feel lot differently on many things I had felt earlier.

Thanks IOCL for changing me!

I agree with you sir, for the following reasons,

"Merit does not really matter. One does not need to be like a high performer in govt. We do not even need a super duper brain to do our work. We do routine work only most of the time". 

Example

1) Chief secretary Tamilnadu Govt, is highly skilled professional but he is not able to apply the skill/merit etc to stop the misuse of Tax payers money which are meant for developmental purpose, the money meant for developmental schemes were misused to distribute colour TV/Free LPG stove/Free rice etc for the reason obvious to everyone.

If we appoint rickshaw puller to this post, the performance / ourput will be as good/same as the highly skilled Secretary, as the system doenst required knowledge/skill etc so the "Meirt" deserved to be worthless

2) In Oil OMC''s business, the TLF job is as good as filling our bath room bucket, we need to close the tap as soon as the level reaches the bucket brim, to do this job we dont require Engineer from IIT or MBA IIM-A

Again the "Merit" literally has no merit over the Richshaw Puller

SIR,

WHEN I POSTED THE SUBJECT VIOLATING SENIORITY IN PROMOTIONS AND OTHER SPHERES OF OFFICE WORK, YOU HAD STRESSED UPON SENIORITY+MERIT=PROMOTION.

NOW YOU ARE TELLING - I HAVE REALISED AFTER 29 YRS OF SERVICE THAT MERIT DOESNOT MATTER.

THIS FACT WHY YOU HAD NOT ACCEPTED ON MY SUBJECT MATTER.

IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT , THERE IS WRITTEN TEST FOR PROMOTIONS, IOC HAS ONLY SENIORITY NORMS SINCE 1998.

NOW IN IOC NEITHER SENIORITY NOR EXAM SYSTEM FOR PROMOTIONS.

THIS IS DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ANY ORGANIZATION.

PLEASE TRY TO ADDRESS THIS CONCERN ON PRIORITY BASIS.

A Promotion System based on Written -cum- Interview method would definitely be  more robust and transparent.  

Our problem is we do not read fully or read fully but our brains pick up only those portions which are relevant to the issues troubling my brain at that moment.

Same thing happened to you my dear VAGHELA CHANDRAVADAN SHANTILAL.

Pls see all my messages here from day-1 of Xpress. I have never changed anything I felt on day-1 till today without reason. If there is reason and new learning I have changed my views. But again if I have changed it is never drastically opposite. The change in my views have always been directed to better views- a sort of amalgamation of earlier with new.

In your last msg I said you are wrong. In IOCL we follow Seniority-Cum-Merit Promotion system. And certainly in A to B and B to C we do this. The APA/ EPMS rating system is the Merit system for IOCL.

Let me not get into the debate of how good or bad these systems are.

And what I have said in this msg is very well explained by Mr Indian!! He has understood me this time 100%.

"PLEASE TRY TO ADDRESS THIS CONCERN ON PRIORITY BASIS."

lol! Who are you telling this? Me? Hope not! I am not in HR today!

Ali you are right about the system.

But read what Indian has said. It exemplifies what I tried to say about such good systems not being needed in IOCL under the current scenario.

Any new policy that is to be done has to be done in a composite manner. Like for example the Career Path Model exercise being carried out since 2009 (when will we ever see it get executed!!?). That too should be developed in tandem with a suitable Transfer and a suitable Promotion, a suitable Reward System and so on.

Trouble with us is that we develop Policies affecting People in ISOLATION. We do not take a holistic view of the issues concerned and never attempt to tackle them together with each policy as a sub-set of the overall policy but interlinked tightly together.

In fact all such HR Policies should start with a overall top policy called HR Perspective for next 5 years and next 10 years which will have the macro view of what IOCL wants to do, what skills we need, what gaps we have, what business lines we want to tread in to. Because HR policy has to be linked to Business Policy too. And once the top level policy is clear it should contain sub level policies of Career Planning, Transfers, Promotions. Other reward Systems, Motivational plans etc etc

I can write pages on this.. BUT WHO wants us to talk of these?

Nobody!

I did not write these here to suggest anything to Management. I used to do all that earlier. Nobody listened.

Now I am discussing this only for FUN!! Just to keep your interests active on this site! That is all. These discussions will always remain what they truly are-- discussions!! Nothing more!

[Personally all these ideas I can jolly well implement outside IOCL if I want to.]

Thank you sir,

But it is very bad for the system to improve, if promotion and compensation are based only on the number of years of service and not Academic Performance / Merit / Human Calibre / etc

What is required is balance of both, but again the measure of balance should be strickly Scientific / Transparent/ etc

We are claiming " Centres of Excellence'' .,but there is no such things as "Instant Excellence" without Highly qualified / Talented / Dedicated / Experienced Human capital 

Perhaps that''s why we have "Electronic Appraisal Systems" in our company.

Wonder when we will have "Automated Appraisal Systems". I am sure HR Dept would be already up with some novel proposal such as this!

Actually Nowadays Promotions have become like a lottery!!

Haha!!

Only a very few who are very close to some people or lucky enough to be in positions where they can deliver are getting promotions on time in F to G at least- where all the bottleneck in Mktg is!!

"lucky enough to be in positions where they can deliver" sentence is easily explained.. Say you were at RSO OPS or Sanganer Tl before the FIRE? Your fate would have been screwed right? This is an extreme example. But believe me it is all fate when it comes to performance. Fate only decides a deadly combination of

Incident+ Opportunity to prove yourself+ Receptive / Nice Boss

You can conclude that promotions are INDEED AUTOMATED nowadays!! Since it is not in your hand.. it means it is AUTOMATED!!

Shantanu Das says " Nowadays Promotions have become like a lottery!!".

I tend to agree with the statement wholely. In a PSU like IOC, lottery system  should be used for deciding promotions. Everybody has a fair chance of winning it. And those who don''t  , can still smile and  keep trying their luck!!

Afterall , giant  PSU monoliths,will keep running, for men do not matter here. Look at Air India or NACIL or Indian- we don''t even know what is its proper name- is still flying high despite draining crores  of rupees everyday.

For that matter , State Govts have been run by the likes of Rabri Devi .Even at the Union level , there  has been no dearth of  puppets running the show.

Thanks for posting the relevant issue.

Promotion is just like motivation only.

The employees are working their work and performing their duties very well in their full capacity according their job profile.  But, they are not getting promotion on time.  Why it so?

In my opinion, employees are not judged properly by their seniors. It means that the promotion are not provided to the employees due to only the lack of knowledge, skill, understanding of their seniors.  Why it so?

Seniors are experienced but not got promotion in time i.e. they are more frustrated than juniors.  And, if the junior not got the promotion in time, one should feel their frustration.

Here, it is the demand of time that the prevailing system, to judge for providing promotion, should be totally changed and I suggest to adapt the new system as given:

1. Job assignment should be bifurcated and clearly written by the Management according to job, post & qulification.  It is circulated to all through online/intranet so that each and every person working in IOC can see the job assignment of any person.

2. There should be two system to consider the rating.  Pre-rating should be automatically considered at the time of job assignment and final rating to be considered automatically ony put up the  completion of the job.  No authority to be given to any person to change the rating to avoid exploitation of the employee.

3. If anybody feels that he get the rating low as per expectation, he will be allowed to raise the point before the higher authority without fear.

4.  At last, a panel comprising of 7 members only who got fast and timely promotion from every department should be made to judge overall the employee to provide promotion.

5.  It is necessary to mention here that if the senior has any problem from junior, he will submit his confidential report to the higher authority on regular basis as and when he feels and his report to be put up before the panel. 

In addition to the above, way of thinking of the people should be changed to get 100% satisfaction.

Regards,

Well so far I have suggested what should be the best way for IOCL to handle promotions.. I said Seniority.

Then I have also said how it is actually happening.. Like Lottery.

People have also pooled in with their ideas..

Manoj has too.

My dear new friends.. let me tell you.. one thing..

or okay two things.. hmm?

err  okay.. let me leave out the second thing for now..

The first is a harmless and good advice.. to youngsters.

I have learnt this.. long ago  but did not ./ could not apply.

The only trick to get promoted is what?

hard work?

Good work?

Intelligence?

Oiling?

Nahhh.. these are not the right answer.

The right answer in one sentence is

PLS SEE THAT YOU DO NOT GET NEGATIVE MARKS at office.

.. Baassss!!

No need to get positive marks.. by working hard or oiling boss or going the extra mile.. if you do all these okay.. but these are not essential..

The essential or mandatory reqmt is NOT TO GET NEGATIVE MARKS..

Negative marks means? Anything that damages you..

It depends on the boss what can be negative for you under him

If coming late to office is negative  for boss..come one hour earlier.

If going home on time is negative for boss stay back at office

If not working hard is negative for boss then work hard.

Are you getting me?

Go about your growth attempts in the backward way.. back calculation sort of..

Some bosses may not demand hard work from you.. for them wishing their wives may be the IN THING.. and if you do not wish her it may be negative for you.. so do pls wish morning and night.

Blv me!

I did not wish my boss''s wife once.. in Siliguri Do.. and I was in B grade..

Mark this.. I had been wishing her every day.. and I was very close to boss ... he never understood work.. so I need not work either.. though I did work.. and hard also..

But one day damaged it all

He asked me why did you not wish my wife today?

And as my nature is.. I retorted.. I am not reporting to your wife.. and stopped wishing her after that.. and LO and Behold He gave me a Satisfactory that year and filled up my APA with words like "Shantanu has lost interest in work.. blah blah" Blv me.. So you see the trick is NOT TO EARN NEGATIVE MARKS.. and sooner or later you will become ED at least before  quite comfortably and long before retirement..

Those you see around you not getting promoted or getting stuck at some grade even at DGM or GM .. rbr this.., they have earned some negative mark finally and have got stuck.!!

The last communication by the one and only SD was simply superb.

I have competed 17 years of service and what he says is 1000 % true.

The basic approach should be like all marketing efforts. You need not to sell a superb product but the perception of the concerned people should be your product is superb.

Staying late in office is one way of impressing your Boss. You might be the most inefficient person who spends time gossiping in office. But going home at 0830 in the night is one sure way of confirming to everyone that you are very hardworking.

Now we come to a very sensitive matter. Namely impressing BOSS''s wife and wishing her. This is very important specially in Colony locations where you stay together.

But be carefull - you should be close to BOSS''s wife and know her likes and dislikes but you should not be "too close". Know what I mean? Your BOSS might suffer from the green eyed disease.

Actually I could have given some real life examples - but since this is an open forum so I cannot. This I will write in my book (In case I get to write a book that I am planning).

As a corollary - in case you get a lady boss - how will you behave? This again is a very dicey proposition ? But we shall explore this is another writeup?

Regards all

Dear Sir,

A belief that tomorrow the system will be better than today; you, me or someone will change things around and make the system more meaningful (although the level of satisfaction may decrease when a better unbiased system comes.)

Where some see problems and disagreement, I visualise something else... people like this system where they believe things are biased. If I don''t get a promotion I will simply blame all others in the world being partial and myself being more deserving than 90% of the lot who got promoted. But if I get the promotion, I will have a strange feeling, a satisfaction that people who were with me are now below me.

In either of the case my Ego is satisfied, so where is the need for another system?

However, we should always move towards excellence and search ways that will make things better. (I don''t know what better is, but than this is idealism!!!)

-Regards,

Malaiya

PS: Sir, discussions do make a difference... never under estimate the power of words.