Thursday, June 24, 2010

HCL Shifting to Manesar - Another Official Atyachar OR Cool Decision?

In another 3 months or so, the HCL employees based in Infocity location will be shifted to a newly built workplace at Manesar around 17 KM from Hero Honda chowk of Gurgaon.
Since Manesar is under developed or developing area adjoining to Gurgaon, NCR most of the employees have mixed feelings about moving to the new locations.
Few concerns that have been raised by employees can be summarized in the following pointers -
  • Additional Travel time for people coming from other NCR locations
  • Security Concerns - for women employees and male staffs
  • Additional expenses due to 2nd Toll Plaza
  • Mobile roaming charges, if applicable
  • Late evening client calls
  • Traffic horrors at NH8

Employees have suggested various alternatives - which I would say demands - Unofficial wish lists from employees are -
  • Free AC transportation services for all employees
  • Free Breakfast at office
  • Special location allowance
  • Telephone extension for all employees
  • Work from home facility
  • Crèche facility
  • Reduced working hours to compensate long travel time


Few Challanges -
People coming from Faridabad or other part of NCR such as Mayur Vihar starts their journey at around 7 am in the morning to reach office at Infocity at 9 am. If office timing is changed  8 am instead of 9 am, imagine when they should start their journey.
But what about late evening calls? Onsite needs early morning calls so that we can start our work with clear objective. The client calls happen after 7 or 7:30 pm only. If  they need to attend both morning and evening calls then they have spend atleast 11 to 12 hours in the office. Plus travel time of 2 hours one way. This would surely make some unwanted scenes in the family life.

HCL has formed some employee council to facilitate smooth movement to Manesar. I don't how much effective the council is. But this decision is surely a risk to the existing projects in G4 building. The appraisal cycle is just about to be closed. People are not saying anything now and waiting for the I4excel letter to be released. Once that is out, people will start looking outside. I am sure we will need backup resources ready.

Please share your thoughts by commenting on this blog. You may also vote your choice - saying yes or no to Manesar Yatra.

*Note - Yes, this blogger is an HCLite working in G4 building. For now I am just among one of the HCLites affected by this "Official Atyachar or Cool Decision" to move to Manesar, starting October 2010.

22 comments:

  1. I can see frustrated faces all around HCL, no one is happy with the company. HCL should compare itself with IT companies such as Infy, TCS and CTS. HCL will keep on spending money in recruiting new guys and giving training to them mean while it will loose all valuable resources day-by-day. Manesar movemnet is one of the best example, I heard from around ten to fifteen guys that they will change the company for sure due to this Manesar movement. Great HCL. HCL will never be the first IT company in India, it will always stay back at fith or eighth position throughout its existence.

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  2. Who is the writer of the blog?

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  3. Dear Friends,

    I beg to differ from the above mentioned opinions...

    In a controversial stuations like this, when we feel anger, we cease to strive for the truth, and begin to strive for ourselves. :) Also, you will agree that a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. What do you think HCL is? Only HCLites know what we are... Moreover, human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. Let's understand that a good decision is based on knowledge and not on desire/emotion and of course not on numbers... Be a man and do what you must do - in spite of any personal consequences, in spite of any obstacles/dangers/pressures - and you won't regret your decision because that's what make you so special - an HCLite.

    A poem dedicated to my friends:

    The Charge of the Light Brigade

    Alfred, Lord Tennyson

    1.
    Half a league, half a league,
    Half a league onward,
    All in the valley of Death
    Rode the six hundred.
    "Forward, the Light Brigade!
    "Charge for the guns!" he said:
    Into the valley of Death
    Rode the six hundred.

    2.
    "Forward, the Light Brigade!"
    Was there a man dismay'd?
    Not tho' the soldier knew
    Someone had blunder'd:
    Theirs not to make reply,
    Theirs not to reason why,
    Theirs but to do and die:
    Into the valley of Death
    Rode the six hundred.

    3.
    Cannon to right of them,
    Cannon to left of them,
    Cannon in front of them
    Volley'd and thunder'd;
    Storm'd at with shot and shell,
    Boldly they rode and well,
    Into the jaws of Death,
    Into the mouth of Hell
    Rode the six hundred.

    4.
    Flash'd all their sabres bare,
    Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
    Sabring the gunners there,
    Charging an army, while
    All the world wonder'd:
    Plunged in the battery-smoke
    Right thro' the line they broke;
    Cossack and Russian
    Reel'd from the sabre stroke
    Shatter'd and sunder'd.
    Then they rode back, but not
    Not the six hundred.

    5.
    Cannon to right of them,
    Cannon to left of them,
    Cannon behind them
    Volley'd and thunder'd;
    Storm'd at with shot and shell,
    While horse and hero fell,
    They that had fought so well
    Came thro' the jaws of Death
    Back from the mouth of Hell,
    All that was left of them,
    Left of six hundred.

    6.
    When can their glory fade?
    O the wild charge they made!
    All the world wondered.
    Honor the charge they made,
    Honor the Light Brigade,
    Noble six hundred.


    Copied from Poems of Alfred Tennyson,
    J. E. Tilton and Company, Boston, 1870

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  4. HCL is the worst company to work with...I am working with HCL now but I hope to quit soon...

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  5. Story is same every where, grass always looks greener on other side. Try to understand why organization taking this step, and whats the rationale behind it. Give a thought on if you run the organization, what will you do? creating the trouble for the employees is never on agenda, every organization wants happy employees, but there are limitations.

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  6. HCL......the best talent left a decade ago. The left-overs are hanging around with fancy designations.

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  7. Adequate commuting facilities should be provided and such an initiative has to be taken from the HCL's side. Sufficient number of buses plying to-and-from the Manesar facility catering to the different work-shift timings is the first thing that should be taken care of. Otherwise, the daily mental and physical exertion caused due to the additional commuting hours will not only frustrate the employees but will do no good to the company as well as the exhausted workforce can't devote their 100% to serve the company.

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  8. I m going to join HCL in coming month...i m concerned abt security in Manesar...gurgaon and Noida....please reply...

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  9. Mate, Manesar is Far Far away, consider this when the top Notches are saying that there will be armed gaurds accompanying all cabs, it says much about the security concerns of teh area. Majority people are against it, consider this the company is making profit getting cheap land and is not even thinking a ounce for the people(employees). Harish you have to be practical, we have 9.5 hours working(Indian Labor Laws state not more then 8 hours or so working per day) Add the transit time of two to three hours and 12 hours and no compensation.
    Guess HCL will have to learn few more things then to do false Propaganda of Employee First(bulls**T)

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  10. @Anonymous 1: Is your face one of those who are frustrated? If yes, then you should take the bold step of quitting the company! If not, it is best advised that you should let sleeping dogs lie.
    @Anonymous 2: How does it matter who the write of the blog is? The perspective presented here is one of the blog-writers. That's all that should matter.
    @Anonymous 3: Thanks for your awesome and erudite 2-word comment. It has opened my eyes, more than any of the other comments :)
    @Harish Kumar: Good words and an awesome poem, but that doesn't help at all, does it? The situation is being faced by employees @ various offices in Gurgaon. You haven't mentioned whether you are among the affected or just someone who is content with providing "gyaan" from the sidelines.
    @Bhaskar: We all hope so too, better outside pissing in than inside pissing out. The sooner you quit, the happier you will be :)
    @Anonymous 4: Well said, you actually managed to hit the nail on the head, although a little crooked. The company, many a times, does have control over these issues but not always. In this case, we don't know what the actual situation is but as humans we love speculation and that's what we are doing :)
    @Anonymous 5: You seem to know so much about the organization!!! I hope you are still a part of HCL, because losing people who know all these "trade secrets" could be harmful for the company.
    @Anonymous 6: Finally someone who comes with a mind and a solution! Good job! It would be helpful if these and other solutions are presented to the management so that they at least have something to chew on.
    @Anonymous 7: Let me be very precise! India is not a safe country! You could be robbed, killed, raped, maimed, run over, pushed into a well (where available), and also fired! That said; Noida and Gurgaon are reasonably safe places. I'm sure some of the other anonymouses above (or some new ones) will come up with statistics or incidents that can deter you from joining. All in all, it's as safe as you can make it for yourself. About the company, there are other companies as well in Gurgaon, Noida and Manesar. This is not something specific only to HCL (although the facilities and security provided and discussed here are).
    @Anonymous 8: Agrred, Manesar IS far far away (where Finao from Shrek belongs :)). The armed guards scenario is being mentioned because the employees expressed a fear (madad karo to maro, na karo to maro???). Like Anonymous 4 said, think about the perspective of the company as well. I don't think the company forces anyone to join the job. YOU have a choice to do it. When you know that the working hours are 9.5, why join such a company?? Save yourself the agony of working such long hours and take the way out to some other company. Comapnies all over NCR and India demand that their employees stick to their working hours and policies. When you start working for HCL, the agreement you sign does not state the exact facility you will be working in. In fact, it states that the company shall and will place you in any facility depending on their requirements. Why sign such an agreement in the first place??? And what do you know about Employee First??? Let's hear your definition of it and then we can decide whether you have any basis for this or not.
    I am an HCLite. I am proud to be a part of this company. Maybe 100% of everything that happened with me, or is happening today or will happen tomorrow may not be to my liking. But I have a choice. I can move to another company. I would rather attempt at making a change, realizing I cannot do anything, and move on to another project, team, group, LOB or company; than spew venom against the very hand that currently feeds me.
    For all those who WERE with HCL, if you didn't like the experience, at least you had the balls to make a choice. Good for you, I hope you are happy wherever you are.
    All said, I hope that the Manesar situation can find some middle ground. Happy employees make happy companies and not the other way round :)

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    Replies
    1. as stated earlier you must be the left-overs that are hanging around with fancy designations.

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  11. - who is this asshole writing poem abt HCL
    must be some wretched HR
    go and die somewhere

    - the guy who is planning to join
    don't if you have other option

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  12. frustrated then quit. why waste time. we all work for a company called capitalism, just quit man, whats the big deal?

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  13. It should change from employee first to Managemnet First.when you join as a fresher,they will forcefully move you to other state like noida to hydbad by saying that just for one year go there insapite of your problem.They are even ready to take chance for employee life also.I got Two time hospitalisation in same senario one time only 2hr I had,doctor told(Can you imagine ?what was the condition at that time)and ask for trnsfr after 4 month they replied for my question ,they told they dont have proj in noida.I belong to east delhi,now they are saying go to Manesar(Approx 70 km far frm my home)..Means chit b apni and pat b apni..

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  14. I am from north delhi, n it is making little sense to take a pg in gurgaon cz nw the gurgaon office is being shifted to manesar. Ofcourse manesar has no pgs. And if i dont resort to a pg, i ll be leavg home at 6 50 in the morning and coming back at 9. what a life!! And with a fresher's salary, I dont want to work like that.

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  15. Hey Guys !!!

    There is no point till the time we really not knock the concern responsible for actual improvements.

    Keep escalalting the issue till the time it doesn't resolve.

    We have to keep writing in complain books, scan it and sent to concern if required take it to highest level b'coz we are paying to them in all means.

    May be the upper level are not aware of the problems facing by us on day to day basis like transport, food, housekeeping, admin, AC etc..

    U can write all issues to Sameer.Roy@hcl.com or can escalate it to chander.sukhu@hcl.com if required.

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  16. Manesar is new silicon valley of india. Good hcl realised it.

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  17. what is the land line no for hcl manesar

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  18. Guys, I am new to HCL but usually this is story in every organisation. The best part of working here is that no one is ready to take ownership of his/her tasks but always ready to get things escalated plus would feel proud to share FREE KA ZHAN. I am here because I feel I would learn too much here which I would not able to pick in other organsiation. Here you have free hand to drive things with your knowledge and intelligence. We need to pick the merits of organisation rather focus on demerits. Each company got some open issues or I may call troublesome issues which would never be closed, but positive in your attitude as this is sale marketing tool for you. If you are not happy with management, just raise the concern and share suggestions. Give yourself and management around 3-6 months and if things would not improve, take decision accordingly.

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  19. Hi Guys,

    Got to know that HCL is shifting to Manesar. We have been given lucrative offers so that we may move there with no issues.
    Rs 15,000/ for relocation
    Rs 3000-5000 extra to your salary **TnC applied. GOD KNOWS..!!
    Because at the bottom they have said
    HCL can change the policy as and when required.

    THANKS
    PAPPU of HCL


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  20. yes its True their lease is going to expire in few offices in Noida.So They are shifting projects to Manesar. I work there and HCL is not comparable with TCS.CTS.CSC.WIPRO.INFOSYS. Its far behind they focus on cost cutting rather than expansion With No managment system at all and in some projects they are not providing the cab facilities at all. So callled 6 billion organization does not care about there employees

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