A REPORT ON INDUSTRY BENCHMARKING FOR BEST PRACTICES IN TALENT

ACQUISITION

Submitted to: -

CHITKARA BUSINESS SCHOOL

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of degree of

Master of Business Administration

Submitted by: Supervised By:

Reena Sapra Ms. Nidhi Malhotra

2020981522

CHITKARA BUSINESS SCHOOL

CHITKARA UNIVERSITY

2021-22

1
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the report work entitled “Industry Benchmarking for Best Practices in Talent
Acquisition” is a record of original work done by me under the guidance of Ms. Nidhi Malhotra and has
not been published or submitted elsewhere.

Reena Sapra

2020981522

2
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

“No one who achieves success does so without the help of others…the wise and confident acknowledge
this help with gratitude”

On the very outset of this report, I would like to extend my sincere obligation towards all the worthy people
who have helped me in this endeavor. Without their guidance and encouragement, I would not have made
headway in this project.

I am extremely thankful and pay my gratitude to Ms. Nidhi Malhotra for her valuable guidance and support
on completion of this project in its entirety. I would also like to thank my mentor Mrs. Peyu Gupta,
Panasonic India ltd., who has been a source of inspiration for me throughout this project.

Last but not the least I would like to extend my gratitude to Chitkara Business School for giving me this
wonderful opportunity.

Thanking you

Reena Sapra

3
OFFER LETTER

4
 EXCUTIVE SUMMARY

ShopClues is an Indian online marketplace, owned by Clues Network Pvt. Ltd.The company was
established in July 2011 by Sanjay Sethi, Sandeep Aggarwal and Radhika Aggarwal. In 2015, ShopClues
was valued at US$1.1 billion, with Tiger Global, Helion Ventures, and Nexus Venture Partners as major
investors. In 2019, the company was acquired by Singapore-based Qoo10 in an all-stock deal valued at
approximately US$70 million, representing one of the largest valuation meltdowns for an Indian-based
startup.

ShopClues provides unstructured categories of home and kitchen, fashion, electronics and daily utility
items. Around 70% of its Gross Merchandising Value (GMV) is received from Tier – II and Tier – III cities.

In June 2016, the online marketplace reached half a million sellers on its platform, claimed to be the highest
in the Indian e-commerce industry. The employee strength as of 2017 is more than 700 people.

Objectives of Project Includes

5
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Cover page (Title of the project)

2. Declaration form

3. Acknowledgement

4. Executive Summary

5. Table of contents

6. Part I of Report :

7. Part II of the Report :

8. Reference:

S.No Topic Pg. No

6
1. Part I –

1. Introduction to the company 4–5

2. History of Shopclues
6
3. Introduction to the particular firm/division where internship
was undertaken 7

4. Main competitors & Brief competition analysis

5. Organisation structure
7 – 11
6. Study of functioning of all the department of the company
7. Step by step software issued to the customers 12 – 13
8. Sources of finance
14
9. SWOT Analysis
10. Financial Statement Analysis of the company 15
11. Trend Analysis of the company
12. Strategies (marketing, financial, HR) adopted
13. The strategies for improving HR Services used in Shopclues 16 – 18
14. Profitability Analysis 19

20 – 27

28 - 30

30 – 32

32 – 33

33 - 34

7
Part II –

1. Description of nature of work done during internship 36 – 37

2. The Nature of work during my internship

3. Any training provided for internship

4. How are you executing your work 38

5. What are the tasks assigned to me? 39

6. What is the volume and nature of calls 40

7. Any Digital Platform Used by You 41 - 42

8. How do you coordinate your work with your group members 43

case of a group project.
43
9. What are the challenges faced
44
10. How the organization is monitoring your work?

11. Share your experience of working remotely

45 - 47
12. Soft Skill Etiquettes on digital platforms
48 - 52
13. Understanding the role of effective writing and editing
53 – 54
documents
55 - 56
14. Understanding the time management while working remotely
57
15. Understanding the role of social media in business
development 58

16. Any certification done to improve 59

17. Your contribution to organization 60 – 61

62 - 63

8
PART I

9
 I. Introduction to the company

Company – Shopclues

ShopClues is an Indian online marketplace, owned by Clues Network Pvt. Ltd.The company was
established in July 2011 by Sanjay Sethi, Sandeep Aggarwal and Radhika Aggarwal. In 2015, ShopClues
was valued at US$1.1 billion, with Tiger Global, Helion Ventures, and Nexus Venture Partners as major
investors. In 2019, the company was acquired by Singapore-based Qoo10 in an all-stock deal valued at
approximately US$70 million, representing one of the largest valuation meltdowns for an Indian-based
startup.

ShopClues provides unstructured categories of home and kitchen, fashion, electronics and daily utility
items. Around 70% of its Gross Merchandising Value (GMV) is received from Tier – II and Tier – III cities.

In June 2016, the online marketplace reached half a million sellers on its platform, claimed to be the highest
in the Indian e-commerce industry. The employee strength as of 2017 is more than 700 people.

India’s Asli Online Shopping Hub – ShopClues.com

Back in 2011, when people were hopping from one Store to another for best bargains on an overall
household’s monthly bill, ShopClues was being developed as a budget-friendly online bazaar in India.
ShopClues.com was then given a shape and strategy in 2012 as India’s First & Largest Fully Managed
Marketplace.

Ting se Leke Tong – with Aflatooni Products!

‘What you Think is What you Get’ isn’t just a saying at ShopClues. With over 2.8 crore products, you can
get just about everything that you can imagine at ShopClues. From usual products in Electronics, Fashion,
Home & Kitchen, to unusual products like cow dung cakes, Knife Sharpeners, etc., ShopClues tops in
everything. So, you see what we mean when we say Aflatooni Products! ShopClues has revolutionized the
conceptual Online Shopping in India with initiatives such as Ghar Wapsi Sale, Bigger than the Biggest
Thank You Sale, #EkZeroKum Sale etc. Amongst many other shopping sites, ShopClues is the leader in
unstructured categories like Daily Utilities, Garden Needs, Hardware, Kitchen Storage, and others.

Believable Shopping @ Unbelievable Prices

Every day, ShopClues delights millions of discount-hunters with Paisa-Vasool Shopping Experience with
prices as low as Re.1. We are the first ones to introduce the idea of ‘Sab Kuch Wholesale Ke Rate Par’ on
an online platform with shopping options to both wholesale as well as retail seekers.

Experiencing the neighbourhood Local Bazaar

10
ShopClues brings the experience of India’s Flea Markets online, in the form of its weekly properties -
Sunday Flea Market, Refreshing Monday Sale, Triple Value Friday Sale, and Wednesday Brand Bazaar.
Another property capturing the essence of regional Indian shopping is called NRH (National Regional
Heritage), which gives a sneak-peek into India’s Cultural Gullies at very reasonable prices. These online
markets showcase products with range so wide, and prices so low, that they beat the offline neighbourhood
markets of India. The concept especially works incredibly well with the middle class population habituated
in tier 2 & 3 cities.

An Online Selling Space for SME Merchants

Working as a marketplace, ShopClues has been well-supported by a bourgeoning community of certified

merchants in India. Unlike various other online shopping sites, ShopClues has achieved the largest
merchant base of over 3.5 Lakhs. This online shopping website is creating history by empowering local
and regional merchants, primarily from Tier 2 & 3 cities and making them a national enterprise at
ShopClues.

Shopclues Surety

The Shopclues Surety Program, was launched in order to ensure a hassle free shopping experience for its
customers. This premium service is in addition to the ShopClues Buyer Protection program which ensures
an extensive 5 point quality check of the products in order to give Customers a seamless shopping
experience. In order to make it user-friendly, the platform marks out the rating of the products classified
into ‘Best Buy’, ‘Great Buy’, ‘Value Buy’ or ‘Brand Authorized’. This allows the customer to make an
optimal purchase decision while shopping on the platform.

ShopClues VIP Club

Get Rewards Every time you Shop! Join the VIP Club and Get 5% Cashback on Every Order. That's not
all! With Free Membership, No Hidden Costs & No Registration Procedures, get Exclusive Benefits on
Grofers, Lenskart, Food Panda & Hi Care Pest Control Services.

11
ABOUT US

12
13
 KEY PEOPLE

1. Sanjay Sethi - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

2. Sandeep Agarwal - Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer (COO)

14
3. Radhika Aggarwal - Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer (CBO)

15
 HISTORY

SHOPCLUES MILESTONE

16
17
18
 VALUES OF THE COMPANY

1) Customer Centric

We exist because customers exist. The most important thing you do at ShopClues.com is to keep the
customers' interest first. Customer is the most important part of our business. In our case, there are two type
of customers -- buyers and sellers. For us both type of customers are important but even sellers exist due to
buyers. So buyers go to be the most important group of customers.

2) Passionate

We dare to challenge traditional approaches every day and try to achieve lots of things in short span of
time. These can only be done if we are very passionate about what we do. The excellent only comes when
you are passionate about what you do.

3) High Energy

We operate in a fast paced and highly competitive environment. Similar to being passionate, high energy
is super important competency at ShopClues. You will be surprised how your high energy can influence
people and things around you.

4) Long-Term Approach

E-Commerce is a monolithic opportunity and the industry will continue to see very high growth for long-
term. We are not in E-Commerce for a quick exit but have taken a long-term approach. We want to be
around forever. That means, we keep long-term approach -- we should not restore to short-cuts or covering
our mistakes with carpet

5) Learn from Mistakes

We are an Internet start-up. We make lots of mistakes but the key is to learn from mistakes and not repeat
it. This also means, doing the same thing better next time. If each one of us bring excellence in what we do
and make things better as an iterative process, ShopClues.com will become an unstoppable force.

6) High Work Ethics

19
Hard work, sincerity of purpose, and giving your best to your day to day work will help you shine at
ShopClues.com. We are full of people who truly love what they do and we do not watch clock but focus
on giving our best.

7) Frugality

Frugality does not mean being cheap. It means, no wasteful spending. We watch and measure every
Rupee/Dollar we spend. This has helped us to keep our operations lean and spend money with higher level
of accountability. Does not matter how much money we have and will have, we will not change our culture
of frugality. Frugality does not mean that we try not to spend the money but we measure before and after
we spend the money and as they say” if you can not measure, you can not control.

8) Result Oriented

ShopClues is a culture of delivering results. Each one of us at ShopClues has set of duties and role to play.
You should focus on results and deliverables vs. distractions, exceptions, and constraints.

9) Take Ownership

Take ownership of your work and handle it end-to-end. One thing, which I believe wholeheartedly is --
your role is what you carve out. And this is perhaps true for every aspect of life. If you take ownership of
your work and deliverable, you carve out great career for yourself. So take ownership of your work at
ShopClues and take them to next level.

10) Positive Attitude

Life is as positive as you want to make it. it is very easy to bring negativity in your
thinking/observations/behavior but there is no end to negative thinking and negative attitude. We want to
keep ShopClues a place with positive attitude. Positivity goes long way in life vs. negativity. So stay
positive and positive things will happen.

20
 TOP COMPETITORS OF SHOPCLUES

1. SNAPDEAL: - Snapdeal hosts a wide selection of good quality, value-priced merchandise across
fashion, home, beauty & personal care, general merchandise, and other categories. With more than
200 Mn app installations, it is one of India's top online shopping destinations. According to a recent
industry report by global consulting firm Kearney, the growing number of value-conscious online
shoppers is reshaping India's e-commerce landscape. Value-conscious online buyers focus on
finding affordable products that meet their needs of desirable quality, durability, and trendiness.
The typical shopping behaviours and demands of these consumers have led to the rise of value e-
commerce - differentiated business models optimized to serve the needs of value-conscious online
customers. Currently estimated at $4Bn, value e-commerce in India is expected to see fast growth
at 26% CAGR and reach $40 Bn by 2030.

21
2. GMARKET: - Global Market is the leading eCommerce Marketplace in Bangladesh. Gmarket BD
is the sister Concern of Bartaman ICT. In addition to all the necessary products, we can buy all the
perfect products for home decor or fancy at the highest discount from Garment BD. GMarket BD
does not make any unreasonable offers, in each case our offers are reasonable and timely, it do not
have 40/45 days delivery time. They deliver products all over the country within a maximum of 4/5
days. Gmarket BD is ahead of other e-commerce companies in terms of fast delivery and 100%
authentic product. You can order the product of your choice from anywhere in Bangladesh at
Gmarket BD. They will reach you through our logistics partner. You can also easily sell your
product or service by joining Gmarket BD as a seller. They store all seller and buyer information
with maximum security. The best brands in the country are already working with us.

3. DARAZ: - Daraz is the leading e-commerce marketplace across South Asia (excluding India). Our
business covers four key areas – e-commerce, logistics, payment infrastructure and financial
services – providing our sellers and customers with an end-to-end commerce solution. With access
to over 500 million customers in our markets, we strive to deliver on our promise of enabling easy
access to a wide assortment of products while bringing users on an interactive and personalised
journey. Together with digitalised logistics business, they employ more than 10,000 people, helping
to bring economic opportunities to communities in South Asia. As they work towards our vision of
becoming a champion of South Asia, it will continue to look for new ways to improve our offerings
and connect with our people and communities.

4. HOMESHOP 18: - HomeShop18 is India’s first comprehensive virtual retail business, selling
credible brands to customers nationally, operating in a multimedia environment including Internet,
22
 TV and via mobile. Started in 2011, HomeShop18.com is the e-commerce arm which is setting a
benchmark in the ecommerce industry by offering innovative, differentiated and demonstrative
retail experiences on the Internet. And with the introduction on mobile shopping in 2013,
Homeshop18 redefines the way consumers shop. Present over all virtual platforms of shopping,
HomeShop18.com has emerged as the largest e-retailer in India with monthly reach of 8.1 million
unique visitors and an increase of 119.4% year-on-year growth (ComScore June 2013) As a
pioneering player in the space, HomeShop18 changed the way Indians shop by launching India’s
first 24 hour Home Shopping TV channel in 2008. Today, HomeShop18 reaches a strong loyal
customer base with an impressive portfolio of over 14 million SKU’s across multiple categories and
a logistical reach of over 3000 locations across India. HomeShop18 strives to provide high quality
products at exceptional value to consumers through innovative, differentiated and demonstrative
retail experiences on Internet, TV and mobile. From the stage of product selection, to placing the
order & all the way to the final delivery at your doorstep – an experience that you can depend upon!

5. INFIBEAM: - Infibeam Avenues Limited (IAL) is a leading digital payments and e-commerce
technology platforms company in India and provides a comprehensive suite of web services
spanning digital payment solutions, data centre infrastructure and software platforms. We provide
solutions to merchants, enterprises, corporations and governments in both domestic as well as
international markets to enable online commerce. Our digital technology facilitates businesses and
governments to execute e-commerce transactions in a safe and secure manner.

23
6. FLIPKART: - Flipkart is committed to transforming commerce in India through investments in
made-in-India technology innovations, customer-centric constructs, a diverse category landscape
and a world-class supply chain. With a customer base of over 350 million, product coverage of over
150 million across 80+ categories, a focus on generating direct and indirect employment and a
commitment to empowering generations of entrepreneurs and MSMEs, all driven by a sustainable
growth strategy – Flipkart is maximising for customers, stakeholders, and the planet at large!
Flipkart is a part of the Walmart-owned Flipkart Group, which also includes group companies
Flipkart Wholesale, Myntra, and Cleartrip. The Group is also a majority shareholder in PhonePe,
one of the leading Payments Apps in India.

7. AMAZON: - Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus,
passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. We are driven by
the excitement of building technologies, inventing products, and providing services that change lives.
We embrace new ways of doing things, make decisions quickly, and are not afraid to fail. We have the
scope and capabilities of a large company, and the spirit and heart of a small one. Together,
Amazonian’s research and develop new technologies from Amazon Web Services to Alexa on behalf of
our customers: shoppers, sellers, content creators, and developers around the world. Our mission is to
be Earth's most customer-centric company. Our actions, goals, projects, programs, and inventions begin

and end with the customer top of mind.

24
8. MYNTRA : - Myntra is India’s leading e-commerce company committed to making fashion and
lifestyle products accessible to everyone. We create solutions that disrupt the ordinary and help make

the world a happier, more fashionable place. We are a company that is constantly evolving into newer
and better forms and we look for people who are ready to evolve with us. From our beginnings as a
customization company in 2007 to being technology and fashion pioneers today, Myntra is going places
and we want you to take this journey with us. Our Culture As self-driven, motivated individuals who
believe in taking ownership instead of being handed responsibility, we are a curiously non-hierarchical
team who believe in working as a whole to take the Organization forward. Firm believers of meritocracy,
we encourage you to take on tasks and readily empower you with the right tools, space, and

opportunities. In essence, work at Myntra is challenging but fun - we believe in equal opportunity,
encourage intellectual curiosity and empower you to be the change.

25
26
SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

1. It has 7,500 plus national and international brands.

2.A large sellers base comprising of 75,000 plus sellers.

3. It lists 9,000,000 products across 4000 plus categories

4. Products are shipped to 12,000 plus cities.

5. Great offering of EMI plans for price sensitive customer

6. Loyalty system in the form of Clues Bucks.

7. Numerous prestigious awards are won by it like Red Herring Asia Top 100, Best eRetailer Award etc.

8. MOU signed with India Post, wide distribution network of India Post can be leveraged.

9. Great marketing initiatives like the Make in India campaign, Diwali Flea Market, ShopClues Factory
Outlet etc

10. Received multiple rounds of funding. Investors include Helion Venture Partners, Tiger Global etc.

WEAKNESSES

1. Relatively less brand visibility in metros in comparison to its strong competitors.

2. Limited market share growth due to intense competition

OPPORTUNITIES

1. Expansion to other countries

2. Heavy promotion to capture the rising affluent and internet savvy population in tier 2 and 3 cities.

3. Expansion to other product categories like fresh produce.

4. Acquisition of ecommerce portal like yepme or zovi to strengthen their positioning.

5. Sale of private labels.

27
THREATS

1. Increased competition from ecommerce giants like amazon, flipkart etc.

2. Heavy discounts offered by offline stores like BigBazaar etc.

28
 SHOPCLUES BUSINESS MODEL

Shopclues business model is same as many of the online marketplace. It is a business to consumer shopping
platform. They charge 12% selling service fee on every successful transaction. Shopclues does not charge
any setup fee to the sellers. Shopclues targets small businesses like retailers and shopkeepers and
encourages them to sell their stuff online. The transaction process is so smooth that people with no technical
knowledge can sell online through Shopclues. Shopclues also provide support to the sellers through helpline
and emails.

Shopclues provide an ultimate platform to small sellers to showcase and sell their product all over India.
ShopClues deliver products to over 30000 pin codes.

Shopclues spends heavily on its TV commercials for awareness and branding purpose. Shopclue’s Sunday
flea market and Wednesday Super Saver Bazaar are two main traffic pullers for Shopclue. They also have
huge social media presence with more than 4 million likes on Facebook and more than 2 million Twitter
followers. Shopclue engages with their audience regularly and also handle queries through these two
platforms.

SHOPCLUES PRODUCTS

Shopclues sell products under 9 different categories including Mobile and Tablets, Electronics, Men,
Automotive, Computer, and Cameras etc. with more than 5 lakh sellers across India Shopclue has around
5.3 crores products worth more than 50,000 crores. Shopclues deliver products to 30,000 cities in India
with help of its logistic partners. Shopclues has 3 fulfilment centers in India.

SHOPCLUES REVENUE AND GROWTH

After a humble start in 2011 Shopclues has become a big brand in E-commerce market in India. With 100
million visits every year more than 5 lakh sellers and millions of product Shopclue have come a long way
with team size increase from 5 to 1000 plus in last 6 years.

29
ShopClues has seen a jump of 46% in revenues for financial year 2017-18 at INR 273 crore, while the
company also cut down losses significantly by 40% to INR 208 crore during the fiscal. Its total revenue fell
23.3 percent to INR 209.46 crore in 2018-19 from INR 273.30 crore in the previous financial year.

The company had seen a flat growth last fiscal with total revenue rising only by 5% to INR 188 crore in
FY17. The company’s losses had declined marginally by 13% to INR 332 crore during FY17.

The company focused on high margin products and cut down costs of operations and advertising
significantly, as per a person aware of the developments. It cut its employee benefit expenses to INR 111
crore from INR 120 crore, and advertising and promotional expenses also came down to INR 130 crore
from INR 143 crore.

30
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Shopclues reported a revenue of INR 97 Cr in the financial year 2020, representing a 53% decrease from
FY2019’s INR 209 Cr. The ecommerce company’s expenses decreased by 46% from INR 278 Cr to INR
148.6 Cr in the same time frame. The company further cut down it’s losses by 25%, from INR 68.5 Cr to
INR 51.5 Cr in FY2020.

Shopclues Goes For Aggressive Cost-Cutting

Over the last three years, Shopclues’ expenses have gone down by 60% from INR 363.4 Cr in FY2018 to
INR 278 Cr in FY2019 and to INR 148.6 in FY2020. The company’s priority spending areas have, however,
been the same — employee benefits, information technology expenses and advertising costs.

The company had spent about INR 111 Cr in giving out employee benefits in FY2018, which was reduced
to INR 66 Cr in FY2019 and then to INR 51.5 Cr in the previous fiscal year. However, it continued to be
one of the major areas of spending for this ecommerce company. In fact, the employee costs equal the
losses made by the company this year.

This was followed by advertising and promotion activities, where Shopclues spent 19% or INR 28.4 Cr of
its total expenses in FY2020. The spending in this area has been reduced by 60% compared to FY2019 and
by 80% from FY2018. It is also important to note that Shopclues spent about INR 159.5 Cr in FY2018 as
shipment charges, which fell to INR 84 Cr in FY2019, indicating a roughly 100% drop in total shipments.

31
The company also cut down its transportation and hire charges by 93%, from INR 6.2 Cr to INR 38 Lakh
in the same time period. The financial statement of Clues Network Private Limited for FY2020 does not
mention these costs separately, which is again a worrying sign, given that expenses have gone down overall.

32
PART II

33
HR OPERATIONS

HR operations refer to the services that a human resource department and HR professionals provide to other
business units.

These HR functions cover the entire employee lifecycle and include areas such as the small business
recruiting process, administration, performance management, benefits administration, absence
management, and offboarding. These are often referred to as HR activities.

HR operations managers normally carry out the tasks related to these processes on a day-to-day basis; it
makes up the bulk of their work. The day-to-day operational processes and tasks differ from strategic
human resource management, which is normally the responsibility of the head of human resources.

They look at HR from a business-performance and planning perspective, ensuring that that the human
resources department aligns with the direction of the company and its overall goals, and that its work
supports the work of the business as a whole.

How HR operations look in each department

Human resource professionals are involved in all aspects of the business, but their interactions with
employees can change depending on the business unit or department they are working with, as we explain
below.

Sales department
HR operations in sales involve aligning departmental goals with overall company objectives. HR leaders
can also help with compensation management, and getting the right balance between basic salary, benefits,
perks, and commission.

The sales department feeds into all areas of the business, and HR needs to make sure there are enough
salespeople with the right skills to meet the objectives of their staffing plan.

This not only involves full-cycle recruiting, but also learning and development initiatives. Sales and HR
need to decide on hiring needs (both short- and long-term), the ideal candidate profile, the recruitment
process stages, the onboarding process, and performance and employee management strategy.

The HR solution ADP Workforce Now provides pipeline management capabilities that help you understand
the actions you need to take to ensure you are meeting the hiring needs of your staffing plan.

34
Marketing department
The needs of the marketing department can vary dramatically according to factors such as new product
launches, company announcements, or external and internal events that your business must react to. That’s
why it’s important that the department has access to the necessary resource at short notice.

This is where the HR department’s talent acquisition process comes in. You need to have a database of
candidates who you can reach out to at these times, whether you’re hiring a full-time employee or
freelancer.

Ideally, you’ll already have a database of past candidates you can draw on or a speedy sourcing process,
such as the AI-based service provided by HR software Workable.

Customer service department

As your customer service team is the first point of contact for anyone getting in touch with your business,
it’s important to make sure that they have the skills and tools to adequately deal with all situations, whether
they are positive or negative.

This involves hiring the right people with the right experience, but it also extends to collaboratively
creating performance measures so employees can work toward improving skills, and providing the
necessary training to close skills gaps.

HR software Zenefits can help, as it provides templates that allow you to easily create goals and run
performance reviews on an individual, team, and company level. You can also track both the progress of
goals and the performance management process as a whole.

35
The main goals of HR operations
While different businesses will have different HR structure models, with some small businesses even
preferring to outsource the entirety of their human resources operations, the overarching goals remain the
same.

These goals will be similar to those of HR professionals who are carrying out strategic work for their
company.

1. Proactively identify issues

As HR operations managers deal with human resources processes on a day-to-day basis, they are best placed
to identify issues and improvement opportunities before they become serious problems for the business.

If you are monitoring and measuring the different HR functions, such as recruitment, onboarding, talent
management, employee satisfaction and retention, performance management, and compensation, you can
easily get the insight you need.

For example, if you notice that you several employees within the same department aren’t on track to meet
their goals, then you can check in to see if they need more training or if they’re unhappy with something.

As with anything, it’s important to regularly check how all processes are working so you can optimize and
adjust as necessary, doing more of what works well, and stop anything that isn’t serving your business.

2. Improve employee relations

In the past, the HR department has gained a bad reputation for caring more about processes, rules, and
regulations than people, while not applying the same principles to everyone across the business.

By having HR processes in place to govern day-to-day operations, you can focus on improving your
interactions with employees and creating a positive work environment.

Streamlining the way, you run HR operations means that you can better support all your employees across
different departments and empower them to achieve company goals.

3. Establish HR best practices

Through the experience and expertise, you gain from dealing with different facets of HR every day, you
can start to build up an idea of what works and how you can optimize your human resources processes to
boost company performance.

You can also start to understand what is achievable with your level of resources and experience, as well as
what works for your particular business, industry, and staff.

36
This will then allow you to create a set of HR best practices that you can apply across the company and that
will guide your strategy as you grow as a company.

INDUCTION AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

An induction is the process a new recruit goes through to be introduced to the company and
their new role. This includes not only meeting managers and colleagues, but also getting to
know about the building and its layout, being trained in the use of phone and IT systems, and
familiarisation with policies and procedures.
Depending on the size of your company, an initial induction could take as little as a day.
However, in large organisations, there may be a lengthier process, involving off-site or
centrally-based training and perhaps a series of meetings and presentations from various parts
of the organisation.
Finding and recruiting staff is a lengthy and expensive process, so you want to be sure that you
put in the effort to then make them feel welcome and to train and induct them effectively. Plan
the induction programme carefully, and consider incorporating the following areas.

Why Inductions Matter

The recruitment process can be time consuming and costly, so you want new joiners to contribute to the
business as soon as possible. In fast-growth businesses, this can critically affect whether the business meets
its potential or not.

An effective induction program – or the lack of one – can make the difference between a new employee
successfully integrating and leaving very quickly. Research shows that this can affect engagement, staff
turnover and absenteeism levels, and the employer brand.
When a candidate accepts a job, he may have to work several weeks' notice in his current role. So, it's
important that you, as his prospective manager, maintain contact with him and keep him engaged during
this time. If you fail to do so, he could lose interest, change his mind, or – worse still – go to a competitor.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

37
The term employee engagement relates to the level of an employee's commitment and connection to an
organization. Employee engagement has emerged as a critical driver of business success in today's
competitive marketplace. High levels of engagement promote retention of talent, foster customer loyalty
and improve organizational performance and stakeholder value.

Employee engagement is the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward their
places of work.

Engagement is employees' willingness and ability to contribute to company success.

How to Develop and Sustain Employee Engagement

To increase employee engagement levels, employers should give careful thought to the design of
engagement initiatives.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

As HR professionals consider adopting or modifying practices or initiatives to increase employee

engagement, they should:

• Make sound investments. The organization should consider the strategic implications of various
HR practices and determine which are more important and merit greater investment to enhance
engagement levels.

• Develop a compelling business case. HR professionals should be able to demonstrate how these
investments have led to positive, measurable business outcomes for the organization or other
businesses.

• Consider unintended consequences. When evaluating alternatives for redesigning HR practices

to foster employee engagement, think about the likely impact of the revised policies. Are there
potentially unintended, unfavorable consequences that may occur based on the impact of that
change on employees in different circumstances and life situations?

• Base investment decisions on sound data. Employee engagement should be measured annually.
Survey items should be linked to the organization's key performance measures, such as profitability,
productivity, quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Outcomes of employee
engagement research should include the identification of the highest-impact engagement levers and
survey items that differentiate top-performing business units from less successful units.

• Create an "engagement culture." This can be done by communicating the value of engagement
in the mission statement and executive communications, ensuring that business units implement

38
 their engagement action plans, monitoring progress, adjusting strategies and plans as needed, and
recognizing and celebrating progress and results.

HR PRACTICES
HR practices have a significant impact on employee engagement. The following practices can increase
employee engagement:

• Job enrichment: Incorporate meaning, variety, autonomy and co-worker respect into jobs and tasks
so that employees view their role more broadly and become more willing to take on duties beyond
their job description.

• Recruiting: Target applicants who are likely to view their work as interesting and challenging.
Encourage those who are not suited for particular work to opt out of the process.

• Selection: Choose candidates who are most likely to perform job duties well, make voluntary
contributions and avoid improper conduct.

• Training and development: Provide orientation to create understanding about how the job
contributes to the organization. Offer skill development training to increase job performance,
satisfaction and self-efficacy.

• Strategic compensation: Use pay-for-performance programs to focus employees' attention on

incentivized behaviors. Adopt competency-based pay to encourage acquisition of knowledge and
skills and enhance employee performance.

• Performance management: Set challenging goals that align with the organization's strategic
objectives, provide feedback, and recognize accomplishments and extra voluntary contributions.

Communications

Targeted communication initiatives can enable managers and HR professionals to stay on top of employee
engagement issues, get ongoing feedback from employees and anticipate changing needs of workgroups.
Managers and HR professionals should take advantage of opportunities to engage employees and should
use varied communication methods to do so.

COMMUNICATION OPPORTUNITIES

Employers have numerous opportunities for "engageable moments," when they can motivate and provide
direction for employees.

Formal opportunities include:

39
 • Recruitment; onboarding.

• Performance reviews.

• Goal setting.

• Training.

• Communications by senior leaders.

• Employee surveys.

Informal opportunities include:

• Coaching.

• Mentoring.

• Career development discussions.

• Ongoing performance feedback.

• Recognition programs.

• Company social events.

• Personal crises.

COMMUNICATION METHODS

The size, composition and expected reaction of the target group of employees should dictate the type of
communication used for engagement activities. Some of the communication methods HR professionals and
managers can use include:

▪ "Keeping in touch.": Ongoing communications with workgroups can occur through regular

weekly or biweekly meetings, ideally with 10-15 employees in each meeting. In this forum, issues
can be aired or ideas can be discussed to gain immediate feedback. Another component of keeping
in touch is one-on-one meetings with an employee who is targeted for superior performance,
identified for performance improvement or randomly chosen from the workgroup.

▪ Remote communication: Different technologies allow managers and HR professionals to maintain

contact, including:

▪ Employee listening platforms where HR can survey workers, gather comments and

suggestions, conduct exit interviews, etc.

▪ Social media and mobile app resources to discuss issues, share ideas, conduct surveys and

vote on issues.

40
 ▪ Blogs that routinely inform and update employees on new initiatives and allow employee

responses to be recorded and openly available.

▪ Videoconferencing and teleconferencing.

▪ E-mailed newsletters.

Metrics

Many organizations conduct workforce surveys to measure levels of employee engagement within the
organization and to analyze the relationships between employee engagement and key business outcomes.
The results of such surveys can identify which engagement initiatives are achieving desired goals. Surveys
can be helpful in gauging levels of employee engagement, but employers need to realize that employee
engagement surveys differ from other employee surveys.

For the best results, employers should create an overall engagement strategy that goes beyond simply
measuring engagement scores. Ideally, an employee engagement strategy should be created before an
engagement survey is administered. An effective plan will detail these five components:

1. How the strategy will be communicated.

2. How action areas will be identified.

3. What measurable outcomes will be used to evaluate progress.

4. What specific actions will be taken to address the survey results.

5. How the engagement strategy will be sustained over time.

UNIQUE ASPECTS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SURVEYS

Employee engagement surveys have a different focus than other types of employee surveys. While
employee opinion and satisfaction surveys measure workers' views, attitudes and perceptions of their
organization, and an employee culture survey measures employees' points of view to assess whether they
align with the organization or its departments, engagement surveys measure employees' commitment,
motivation, sense of purpose and passion for their work and the organization.

CREATING ENGAGEMENT SURVEYS

When developing employee engagement surveys, organizations should consider the following guidelines:

• Include questions that could be asked every year or more frequently. This will provide a base line
for management of employee engagement.

• Keep language neutral or positive. For example, ask, "Is our line-to-staff ratio correct for a company
our size?" instead of "Are there too many staff for a company our size?" Avoid negatively worded
items.
41
 • Focus on behaviours. Good questions probe supervisors' and employees' everyday behaviours and
relate those behaviours to customer service whenever possible.

• Beware of loaded and uninformative questions. For example, questions such as "Do you look
forward to going to work on Mondays?" elicit a "no" response easily, even from engaged workers.

• Keep the survey length reasonable. Overly long surveys reduce participation rates and may result
in skewed responses because participants check answers just to finish the survey as quickly as
possible.

• If you work with a vendor that comes to you with a "standard" list of questions, consider tailoring
questions to reflect your organizational needs.

• Consider what you're saying about the organization's values in issuing the questionnaire. Question
selection is critical because it tells employees what the organization cares enough to ask about.

• Ask for a few written comments. Some organizations include open-ended questions, where
employees can write comments at the end of surveys, to identify themes they might not have covered
in the survey and might want to address in the future.

• Consider doing more than one type of survey, each with different questions, frequencies and
audiences. For example, "pulse" surveys are brief, more-frequent surveys that address specific
issues or are given to specific segments of the workforce, and they can take place between annual
surveys. Or conduct different surveys for company leaders and employees, or in different business
units or specific countries.

ON BOARDING PROCESS
1) Prepare colleagues for the new employee

Prior to the new employee’s first day, send an announcement to all employees, either in-person or via email,
welcoming them to the company. The announcement should tell them the new employee’s role, a bit about
their experience, what they’ll be doing at your company and encourage other employees to welcome them.

When employees are aware of a new staff member ahead of time, they can be prepared to assist them on
their first day. This will go a long way to making the new employee feel welcomed.

2) Have the new employee’s workstation ready to go

Having a “home base” that is ready for your new arrival is crucial to an employee’s first impression of your
company. As a new employee, nothing is worse than not having the tools you need to be successful. Setting
up the new employee’s computer, email and phone numbers ahead of time, and providing any necessary
office supplies, can help a new colleague feel valued from day one. This gives the new employee the tools
to perform at their best.

42
3) Make sure your new employee has access to any necessary programs

In line with getting their workstation ready, make sure the new employee has access to any programs,
software or electronic files they will need before their first day. Skipping this step can stunt the new
employee’s training, stall their ability to get to work and, in turn, affect their outlook on your company.

4) Make introductions

Schedule some time for the new employee to meet with key people and departments on their first day.
Although they may not remember everyone’s name, this will give them a good overview of where to go to
get what they need. These introductions will also help them understand how your company works and how
their role plays in the overall picture.

5) Plan a team lunch

Arrange a lunch meeting or after-work gathering for the new employee and their immediate team members
within the first week. This will help break the ice and allow the employee to get to know their new
colleagues in a relaxed environment. You don’t even need to leave the office for this step – employees can
bring their lunch and gather in a conference room. Take the time to learn a little bit about your new
employee outside of the interview process. When an employee feels valued by their team on both a personal
and professional level, they are more likely to stick around for the long haul.

6) Allow plenty of time for training

The first week or so with the new employee should focus on training. Even if the employee has performed
the same job function elsewhere, there are bound to be differences between companies. Having a training
plan in place is a vital part of helping new employees find their feet in an organization. Your training should
cover company rules, processes, procedures and expectations. Detailing what is expected for new
employees sets a precedent by which they can measure their comfort in their new role.

Assigning a mentor from the employee’s department can also help them acclimate to their job by giving
them a person who is ready to answer their questions and walk them through some of their assignments.

7) Don’t forget to follow-up

This step is the most important and often the most overlooked by employers. Commit to your 30, 60 and
90-day check-ins with the new employee. Even if the employee is doing well and you feel like they don’t
need an evaluation, meet with them. This is your opportunity to learn more about your company’s
onboarding process from the employee perspective. Find out what they liked and didn’t like about your
process and make changes as you see fit.

43
Successful onboarding processes reflect the time and effort put into them. Take the time to be thoughtful
and do your homework. The first few weeks are the most influential to a new hire’s outlook on your
company - positive or negative - and sets the tone for their relationship with your business in the long-term.

REFRENCES
https://snacknation.com/blog/onboarding-process/

https://www.trinet.com/insights/7-steps-to-an-effective-employee-onboarding-process

https://www.junojourney.com/lp/onboarding-new-hire?&utm_source=google-
search&utm_source_type=search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=hr%20onboarding%20process&campaignid=15
050483958&adgroupid=130517960042&keyword=hr%20onboarding%20process&device=c&placement=&networ
k=g&matchtype=e&utm_campaign=search-campaign-test-india-

44
southafrica&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7oyNBhDiARIsADtGRZaIX-
nPR2aS1vTHMYbCR6EC7lDJwfzEzVZR9TAixb6B7ppctaty4DIaAi2lEALw_wcB

https://www.junojourney.com/lp/employee-onboarding?&utm_source=google-
search&utm_source_type=search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=employee%20onboarding%20program&campa
ignid=15050483958&adgroupid=130517960042&keyword=employee%20onboarding%20program&device=c&pla
cement=&network=g&matchtype=e&utm_campaign=search-campaign-test-india-
southafrica&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7oyNBhDiARIsADtGRZYPUe_QEKjgBhpXe2kRIRwenUJDgGxeCr5M2R2Lbly1QuC1CeEb
dbgaAmj3EALw_wcB

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_99.htm

https://www.breathehr.com/en-gb/blog/topic/recruiting-talent/what-is-an-induction

https://www.fool.com/the-blueprint/hr-operations/

https://inc42.com/buzz/what-the-financial-one-time-unicorn-shopclues-slide-continues-fy20-revenue-drops-
under-inr-100-cr/

https://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/it-technology/12907-shopclues.html

CONCLUSION
Shop Clues follows a Marketplace model and Inventory led model to reduce the cost reduction. They
concentrated equally on the Reverse Logistics to achieve sky level success by the help of 3PL logistics
partners. ShopClues wants to increase it’s just in time concept and they want to concentrate more on
reverse logistics.

45
Course Learning

The main role of human resources is to facilitate the alignment of human capital with
organizational goals.
Human resource management activities are carried out by all those in a leadership role in
an organisation. In most situations, such leaders fulfil their human resource responsibilities
within a clear human resource policy framework.
No formal organization can exist and function well without formal ‘rules of engagement ’
in managing people, known as Human Resource Policy.
HR Policies are continuing guiding principles on the approach of which an organization
intends to adopt in managing its people. HR policies are used to set the direction for the
employees working in the company and what is expected of them in the workplace.

According to Beer et all (1984):

Human resource management Involves all management decisions and actions that affect
the relationship between the organization and employees - its human resources.

According to Armstrong (1994):

"Perhaps it is best to regard HRM as simply a notion of how people can best he
managed in the interests of the organization.

Definitions of Human Resource Management

According to Alan Price (2011):
"RM is A philosophy of people management based on the belief that human resources are
uniquely important in sustained business success."

HRM is aimed at recruiting capable, flexible and committed people, managing and
rewarding their performance and developing key competencies.

Human Resource Management Activities

The activities contributed to an organization by the HR Department can be summarised
under 3 main headings:

Strategic Activities:
If, HR policy making, long term
planning and innovation

46
Advisory Activities:
L8, assisting line managers in key
areas of human resource management.

Operational Activities:
i.e, day-to-day activities like staff recruitment, personnel record keeping, payroll etc.

Concept of Strategy
The direction and scope of an organization over the long term.
It should match the resources of the organization to its changing environment (markets,
customers and other stakeholders).
It is a ploy: A specific manoeuver to outwit a competitor.
It is a long-term plan

What Are HR Strategies?

HR strategies set out what the organization intends to do about its human resource
management policies and practices and how they should be integrated with the business
strategy and with each other.
Key elements are:
• Strategic objectives
• Plan of action

Overall HR Strategies
Describe the general intentions of the organization
about how people should he managed and developed and what steps should be taken to
ensure that the
organization can attract and retain the people it need
and ensure that employees are committed, motivated, engaged.

Broad!-brush statements of aims and purpose that set the scene for more specific
strategies.

47
Specific and articulated plans to create sets of HR
practices and develop a coherent HR system.
Conscious introduction of overall approaches to HRM
such as:
• High-performance management
• High-involvement management
• High- commitment management

Specific HR Strategies
• Talent Resourcing
• Talent Management
• Learning and Development
• Reward Management
• Employee Relations

Stages of The Employee Life Cycle

The encompasses various stages in the career of an employee, from joining the
organization to the time of exit from the organization.

HR is Evolving into a more technology-based profession because organizations need

to:
Streamline HR processes and reduce administrative burdens.
Reduce HR administration and compliance costs.
Compete more effectively for global talent.
Improve access to data for employees and managers.
Provide real-time metrics to allow decision-makers to spot trends and manage the
workforce more effectively.

What Are HR Policies & Procedures?

HR Policies are continuing guiding principles on the

approach of which an organization intends to adopt in managing its people.

HR policies are used to set direction for the employees working in the company and what
is expected of them in the workplace.

HR procedures "states how" the HR policies must he

followed by the employees of the organization (ie. step-by-step approach)

Importance of HR Policies & Procedures

It help managers to ensure that people management
48
is in line with corporate values.
It ensures that human resource management
decisions are made consistently.
It helps to minimize inequality in the treatment of
employees.

Formulating HR Policies & Procedures

It is strongly recommended that an organization
formulates HR policies & procedures that will cover all
human resource management functions - the employee life cycle.
• Specific Human Resource Policies
• Recruitment and Selection Policy
• Learning and Development Policy
• Reward Policy
• Performance Management Policy

49
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

50
CERTIFICATION

51