Great Intentions in every act

In one of my previous posts, I made a mention about small bureau that would be provided to each employee in Transit houses. Taking a closer look at it would reveal you the manufacturer name WORTH (Workshop for Rehabilitation and Training of the Handicapped). WORTH is an organization completely employed with leprosy affected and handicapped people. They had fabrication and manufacturing facilities in Pondy, Trichy and Katpadi. This is another example to prove that Titan never missed an opportunity to express its support for a noble cause.

In later years, when I was co-ordinating with Ananda Vikatan (leading Tamil weekly) journalists to publish an article on Titan – MYRADA venture at Mathigiri, I realized the reach and positive impact of socio-economic development initiatives by Titan.

During the first three days of joining Titan, we attended a series of Induction sessions in General shift. Selvam George, S. Deenadayalan, Y.R.Wilson, D. Easwaramurthy, R. Mohan, R.V.C. Pathy, Jayanthi, P.Gowtham, Udupi Krishnan, Ramananda Kini, Hari, Sophia, Paranita, Srilakshmi, Padma, G.Alphonse, D.Vivekanandan, Security Rajendran, etc. were key figures from Personnel Department covering various Personnel Policies and Procedures ranging from ‘Punch in’, ‘Punch out’ to Canteen recovery, Transit House, Leave eligibility,etc. All of them had a knack of handling adoloscent employees. They made cautious statements. A senior person who warned us on the repercussions of theft or cheating incident had to leave the organization for a similar allegation on him at a later date. Such events were sound enough to teach us the management’s stand on ethics and values.

After first three days general shift, male employees get allotted into two different shifts for a six weeks training program. By this time, your feet measurement for industrial shoe is done and you receive a coupon for King’s Footwear (in front of Vasanth Bhavan Restaurant). Salesman at the footwear shop would ignore your request for a replacement of rugged industrial shoe with a nice canvas (another step to enforce shopfloor Safety for its employees).

On the first day of six weeks training program, all my transit house mates who were in second shift, started early in the noon, as we could not estimate the time to reach factory from Appavu Nagar by foot. We took shortcut routes and were running through ASTC Housing Board Colony and reached the factory an hour before the shift start time. Main Gate Security Guard will not let you in before 1.55 p.m.

... to be continued

Transit House and Cycle Loan

Most of us moved out from native and Hosur was foreign to us. We hardly had known faces there and the next need after joining Titan was a place to stay. Titan as committed in the appointment order would have got a bed space and a cupboard ready for each new joinee.

During our time of joining, most new joinees were made to stay at Parvathi Nilayam or Manjula House, which were largest amongst many transit houses managed by Titan. Female employees were made to stay in transit houses at Dharga, specially guarded by security personnel from Titan Security & Administration Department. Contrary to female employees’ transit houses, male employees’ transit houses will have no security guards, another reason for guys to celebrate on weekends.

I guessed that I would stay either in Parvathi Nilayam or Manjula House but was taken to a new transit house at 115 Appavu Nagar. September cold weather was uncomfortable to me against my native place Srirangam’s warmer days. For first three days, my dad stayed in Hosur and recommended me few hygienic (and expensive) restaurants like Anjaneya Mess. As all those restaurants were far to reach by foot, I preferred a mess close to our transit house in Thally Road.

In my subsequent employment, I had several opportunities to closely observe the claims made by the organization that all their CBPs (Critical Business Processes) were at Six Sigma. In an era of technological advancements, such organizations still suffer from human errors, planning and execution failures. Their CBPs really do not measure up to their tall claims.

But, two decades ago, when there were no cellular phones or intense computerization, Titan was extremely well prepared to handle transit house accommodations, its management and assured a safe shelter and care to the adoloscents (and their parents).

There was a strenuous planning behind every action. In the Works Entry Complex (the space between Excise and Personnel Department), new bicycles were exhibited for employees to choose and avail interest free cycle loan to purchase them. I remember ‘Hero Ranger’ was one of the expensive and sought after model in those times. Employees would choose low cost large cycles or expensive Rangers if it fits their wallets.

Cycle was a good means of transport from transit house to factory, yet the hilly terrain of Hosur did not give a comfortable ride to us as our native roads were plain plateaus. If you notice, around 5:40 a.m., from Dharga junction to factory cycle stand, several models, colors and sizes of cycles would be making a tough and quiet climb.

From cycle stand and main gate, on the way to canteen, in the early morning darkness you would hear employees softly exchanging greetings – from a simple ‘Good Morning’ to colloquial ‘Vanakkam Frendu’ and ‘Namaskaramannaa’ (Telugu), breaking the silence to begin the day.

… to be continued

From ‘All About Me’ forms to ‘Adobe’ Forms

As new joinees wait near the Main Gate, one or two HR representatives would arrive there around 9 a.m. After a brief introduction to parents and candidates, they guide everyone to the Canteen. As you cross the security guards in uniform, green lawn sprinkled with water, young staff moving around the work entry complex in green overcoat, every scene is new and unseen to you. When you walk down the stairs towards canteen, the sprawling half-white buildings suddenly introduce you to the spread of the factory with surprise.

Those were the days when mass recruitment was in full swing. If am right, 40 candidates joined 15 days before our date of joining. I vaguely remember 23 candidates joined with me. I remember on 3rd Oct 1989, 60 candidates joined.

Once you reach that large 800 seater canteen, you will be signing several forms as part of joining formalities. After that, you will be given a pre-printed A3 size form called ‘All About Me’. You would be prompted to self introduce by filling the boxes that essentially works like an ice-breaker amongst the group. Though some of the new joinees would wonder what to fill, they might copy the contents from others. I have noticed this based on the information pattern that exists in several forms of employees who joined on the same date. You will see the display of such forms in Notice Board or Manithuligal (the famous titan wall paper). Many new joinees used to mention ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ or ‘Mother Teresa’ as their favorite person. For favorite hobbies, most would mention ‘Poem writing, essay writing’ as their hobby. Any one who wrote his hobby as ‘Poem writing’ is sure to receive a phone call from R.Balaji, inviting contributions for Manithuligal.

I am sure you might have ego searched in the internet several times (searching your own name in Google). Similarly, those days many of us were keen to see our ‘All About Me’ form in the Notice Board. Introducing new joinees in an informal manner but making it interesting and vivid was one of the successful and innovative practices of HR. Even today, in many organizations, such practices are quite unheard of.

In later days, when I worked in Wipro, a colleague who was close to me as coffee time companion, never shared that next day was his last day at work. That incident made me feel that only few organizations can successfully bond their employees and Titan is one of them.

Those teens who filled ‘All About Me’ forms are the ones implementing the latest solutions like SAP Adobe Forms in many organizations across the globe.

How did that happen and what’s the role of Titan as an Organization in such (r)evolution?

… to be continued

Day One Hungama

Fresh in my memories - first day at Titan – Sep 15, 1989. I am sure thousand and odd people might have already had the similar experience. We were at our adolescent age.

When you look at the group of new joinees standing on the side of main gate, you would notice some arrived with their parents to join No. 3, 4, 5 – Sipcot Industrial complex. Few would be in their school uniforms with holy ash in their forehead and rest were near the petty shop with filter cigarettes between their fingers.

Fine, I got a job now, but what’s next? After all, what’s this job all about? How did they select me for this job? When am I returning back to native? – so many unanswered questions running in our mind as our eyes get stuck at hundreds of those same age group employees walking towards the main gate with their identity card hanging in their chest. You may overhear their murmurs pointing at you as ‘New Joinees’.

Some of the new joinees would know their school seniors or locality guys working in Titan. They would have already got ‘insider information’ regarding ‘what is shift, what are the timings for first, second, third or general shifts, how difficult it is to reach at 5:30 a.m. during winter for first shift breakfast’ etc., etc. Those who do not have this information would panic a bit on hearing these unorganized information (like the ones who invest based on NDTV Profit market analyst's recommendation) . Parents would have already started their ‘advice campaign’ to their dear ones on do’s and don’ts.

Over a period of few months, you would notice the guy who came with holy ash in forehead would have picked up a filter cigarette in his hand and the guy who had filter cigarette on the first day has become a fabulous speaker at Hosur Rotaract Club delivering speeches at Victory Shine Hotel. The guy who came in school uniform would have costumed himself with denim jeans and t-shirts, roaming in his Hero Ranger terrain cycle around Dharga streets at 5.30 p.m.

In subsequent posts, am going to share with you, how Titan as an organization, contributed to such transformations for good in these individuals.

… to be continued

Titan – My University

Many of us (ex-Titanians) left Titan at least half a decade back yet when we hear some one around us muttering the word ‘Titan’ or when we read it on the news lines, we mechanically get dragged into our finest days of work life.

Some of the members in this ex-titan group akin to me joined the giant in their teens. We had never expected our life would take these interesting twist and turns in both career and personal life, that we have experienced so far. After spending several years in subsequent organizations, many of us would agree that the learning and experience which we gained during our tenure at Titan is incomparable and difficult to be repeated or simulated in another work place.

We achieved key milestones in life during our Titan days – academic excellence, adolescent to youth or youth to adult evolution, finding our better-half(!), accumulating wealth, career progression, professional acquaintance, etc. After spending 11 years in Titan, I left the organization a decade back. I always love to proudly mention Titan as ‘Not just an organization, it’s my University’. It’s true that we learnt all key skills that we have mastered today only from Titan University.

This is my humble attempt to share with you our collective Titan experience, in my own perspective. My original thoughts usually flow in Tamil (posted at http://youmeandtitan.blogspot.com). English version would hit your mailbox with a delay if you subscribe to guruzinbox@gmail.com. Though it’s not a verbatim translation from Tamil to English, I wish to ensure the essence is not missed. As you might appreciate the fact that Chennai based Mani Ratnam’s Ravanan (Tamil) was rated as better presented than Ravan (Hindi) by his bi-lingual fans, give me that allowance too.

I dedicate this blog to the noble man Mr. Ratan Tata and his colleagues who brilliantly ensured Tata’s corporate objectives were met precisely the way it ought to be. This includes all ex-Titanians and Titanians who still strive for the success of this University.