Introduction                                                                                                         (top) 

The BbyB Beacon is an electronic publication to keep the members of Bit by Bit informed about the current affairs of the company. It contains announcements of important events like training programmes, Management Review Meetings, etc.

Contact Information
Any contribution to the newsletter in the form of technical articles, or items of general interest, are welcome. Please send them to pratima@bbyb.com or sreedhar@bbyb.com

From The Editor

Controlling Employee Turnover

Employee terminations/turnover are a significant cost to organisations. Productivity is lost during the time it takes to refill the position and the time it takes to train the new employee. The higher the turnover, the more the pressure on recruiting. Listed below are some strategies to put the brakes on employee turnover.

Career oriented employees primarily seek career advancement opportunities. Ensuring that job openings are posted and that there are no barriers to transferring to new positions (such as inter-organisational rivalries, or unwillingness to release an employee from a particular project) goes a long way in employee retention and so do career development discussions (once a year or whenever employees request it). Although employees are expected to be enterprising and to have their career development plan, it needs to be encouraged and nourished by the organisation. A mentoring program would help.

Communicating the business condition of the organisation to the employees is valuable for several reasons. It can help provide a link between the employees' job and the success of the company. It gives employees a sense of stability of the organisation because the employees can see that someone is in charge and worrying about the big picture. Don't be afraid to communicate bad news, because no matter how bad it is, it is still going to be better than the rumour mill. It's best to communicate the state of the business on a regular basis. A personal presentation from the head of the organisation is ideal, but written communication can work too.

Listening to employee ideas and complaints is another important aspect of communication. Employees who do not feel listened to will be demotivated. A system of regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings between the employee and manager can help fill the need to be listened to. Listening to employees conveys the impression that they are valued and provides them with a sense of control over their work situation.

Providing recognition to employees is one more aspect of communication. Recognition can be a simple pat on the back, a word of thanks, or financial incentives. Pay is an over-rated retention tool. The other aspects mentioned in the above passage are more important than remuneration.

Pratima.

Other News                                                                                                           (top) 

Surveillance Audit

The auditors from TUV conducted the first surveillance audit on 7th June 2004. BbyB has successfully cleared the surveillance audit.

A Walk on the Wildside

We have been extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity to soak in the beauty of nature during our recent stress buster at Blue Valley Jungle Resorts. Nestling in the midst of Madhumalai, the resort spreads over 32 acres of green woods and is just a stone's throw from the Mudhumalai Wildlife Reserve.

We reached the resort around lunch-time. After a nice lunch and a short nap, everyone took off to see the elephant pooja which is quite a spectacle out there, where three elephants perform the pooja to the local deity. everyone sat around the bon-fire in the evening. There was a round of anthakshari after which "Munna Bhai MBBS" was screened and dinner was served during the screening of the movie.

The next day, everyone was up early...

Due to the proximity of the resort to Ooty, it afforded the newly-weds an opportunity to go up the hills and stroll around the lake and the beautiful botanical garden. Most of the crowd spent almost an entire day at Ooty, while the more adventerous ones ventured up the hills on foot. After a 4-hour trek over the hills, the team comprising of six people returned all in one piece even after being chased by a lone tusker.

Mudhumalai (meaning the ancient hills) is a very attractive wildlife sanctuary, clothed in dense mixed and moist deciduous forests. What made the visit to the place very interesting was the night safari in the jungles (after dinner) where we got to see spotted deer, elephants, Wild Boars, Peacocks, Hare, Bisons, Bears, etc.

On the third day, everyone got up late. Some of us had a dip in the Singyara river and returned to the resort around lunch-time. After the meal, we started off to Bangalore.

Below are a few snaps from the trip. Click on each to enlarge.

Meetings and Events                                                                                             (top)

Management Review Meeting

A Management Review Meeting was held on Saturday, 5th June 2004, prior to the ISO surveillance audit. The focus was on Customer and Employee Feedback.

The members of the MRM committee and the invitees - Sreedhara Rao, Vinay and Pratima attended the meeting.

Project Leaders' Meeting

The objective of the meeting was to give an identity to the 'Testing Team'. It was decided at the meeting that the Testing Team would have a team lead (TL, equivalent to the position of a Project Leader), who would have the knowledge of all the Projects. It was also decided that the Project Leader should co-ordinate with the TL with regards to issues concerning testing and scheduling the versions to be tested.

New Recruits                                                                                                       (top) 

Bit by Bit has recruited two more people for the testing team.

The newcomers are Vidya and Raghul.

Upcoming Birthday                                                                                              (top)