Personnel Department of Indian Railways - Management and Objectives
With over 13.6 Lakh employees, Indian Railways is one of the largest employer not only in India, but also in the world. The workforce of IR is a varied mass of people from the Gangman/Khalasi at one end to Chairman, Railway Board at the apex level. The task of the personnel department of Railways is to manage and look after the welfare of this large mass of employees and their families.
Functions of Personnel Department
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Man Power Planning.
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Recruitment.
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Training and Development.
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Placement.
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Transfer.
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Performance Appraisal
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Promotions and Demotions.
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Guidance on Disciplinary matters.
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Wage and Salary administrations.
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Settling Industrial Disputes.
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Grievance Redressal.
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Incentives and Financial aids.
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Settlement and Pension.
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Arranging Post retirement benefits and Grievance Redressal of Pensioners.
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Setting up and maintenance of Welfare Activities.
Role of Personnel Manager
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Personnel manager take care of the human factor striving to get the best result from workers by developing their capabilities.
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Personnel manager will relieve the departmental officers from the task of management of employees of his department to the extent possible so that he can concentrate the functioning of his department.
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However the department officer will have the main say in the placement of workers to ensure better utilization, economy and efficiency.
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Personnel officer will also be receptive to suggestions given by departmental officer on transfer to maintain efficiency and discipline.
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Although Departmental officers are relieved of Personnel work to a great extent after setting up the Personnel Department, they should also maintain a close touch with their department employees, receive grievances on personnel matters and arrange to dispose of the same with the help of personnel officer duly keeping in view the rules and regulations laid down.
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Personnel officers are also Welfare Officers who will co-ordinate various Welfare activities such as Sports activities, management of Holiday Homes, Institute, Co-operative societies, Canteens etc.
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Personnel officer should see that legitimate interests of the workers are protected.
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Personnel officer should take utmost care in maintaining industrial peace, keeping good relations with trade unions and help in maintaining congenial atmosphere for smooth working.
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Productivity depends on technological factors and job performance. Job performance is based morale and motivation to work. Motivation of workers can be judged by their attitude towards the objectives of the organization.
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Management should be vigilant towards the attitude of the workers and should analyze the causes for negative approach of the workers in their performance. Management has to analyse and diagnose the needs of the workers for the purpose of achieving organizational objectives by maintaining close contact with the workers.
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Generally personnel department’s role is to communicate and implement policies. They play an important role by providing the required expertise in maintaining industrial relations by laisoning with the technical executives.
Manpower planning in Indian Railways
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Manpower planning is a process which aims to have the right number of staff at right places with right type of skills at right times to enable the organisation to achieve it s short term and long term goals. In other words, manpower planning is the system, which ensures the manpower availability at a given point of time.
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Manpower planning means establishment of job specifications or qualitative requirements of jobs to determine the number of people required and to find supply source.
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Manpower recruitment is related to matching the personal qualities of employees with the job requirements.
Job analysis and Job description
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Job analysis means analysing the corporate plans, objectives, finance, investments, products, marketings etc. with the trend of turnover, promotion patterns, transfers, qualifications, training, experience, performance standards and performance actuals.
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Job description includes job design, job specifications, job enlargement, job enrichment, job responsibilities etc. When these elements are co-related, the job demand is known.
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Job analysis, job specification and job design are the important factors involved in human resource development and manpower planning.
Assessment of Manpower in Railways
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In open line, factors like normal wastage, death, deputation, dismissal, creation of assets and posts, leave reserve, rest givers, yardsticks etc., influences the assessment of manpower.
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In construction projects, performance evaluation and review technique, phasing of work etc., are used to assess manpower.
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There have been dynamic change in the technology and modernisation, electrification, computerisation, mechanisation of track maintenance etc. are taking place at fast rate to meet the challenges of traffic requirements in Indian railways. To meet the challenges of the changing environment, systematic manpower planning is essential. Therefore a category-wise analysis of staff should be carried out, to identify the surplus and to arrange manpower in the areas of need. This adjusts the surplus in one category to other categories, where there is demand. Manpower planning ensures that the existing manpower is utilized to the maximum extent.
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Manpower planning emphasise on training to different categories of staff to improve the skill and to increase productivity. This step reduces the availability of unskilled staff, increase productivity and maximise manpower utilisation. Regular conversion training programs reduce the wastage of manpower due to changeover. The staff are also deputed for refresher course, conversion course, promotional course etc. with the aim to develop organisationally effective personnel with pride in their work and faith in management.
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The primary objective of the manpower planning is to ensure the availability of the required skill and to reduce wastage. When the manpower availability is clearly known arrangements can be easily made to cater to the additional needs of manpower as indicated in the forecasts. Normally, the field officers responsible for executing the job are responsible for the manpower planning.
Single file system
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The main purpose of the single file system is to have the full picture of a subject in one file itself.
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A single file contains two parts, namely the correspondence portion on the left hand side and noting portion on the right hand side.
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There should be no noting on the letters attached to the files on the left hand side, except endorsement of Officers calling for file, marking previous reference numbers and references to other files.
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A file cover can run up to 300 folios.
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When a file grows to bigger size, another volume of the file should be opened with a fresh file cover.
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These fresh files will bear the same file number and the volume number is also indicated. The first volume is not marked as volume I.
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On the noting side of the file, only foolscap sheets should be used. Both sides of a sheet should be used noting. The pages on the noting side are referred to as a pre page and the letters on the left hand side of the file are referred to as Folio.
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The filing procedure should facilitate easy collection of information, apart from eliminating possibility of manipulation at a later date. Folio number should be written in red and rounded at the right side top corner. In case a letter had more than one sheet, individual folio numbers should be given to each sheet.
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In order to have easy access to letters and their replies, the dealing clerk should mark back references and forward references on the letters. There may be a reference to an earlier correspondence in the text of a letter and by underlying the same in red, respective folio numbers may be indicated. In some cases, the back reference may be in a different file number should be indicated.
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Whenever a letter is put up with a noting, the clerk should examine the issue in the light of provisions of codes, manual and extant orders duly using their intelligence in analyzing the issue and come up with suggestions to help the officer to take a decision faster.
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The noting should be presented in a logical way and also the events in a chronological order.
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The dealing clerk should ensure that there are at least one or two blank papers on the PP side while passing the file from one official to another.
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The dealing clerk should mend the files, which are damaged, before putting up the same. While putting up the noting, the folio numbers should be cross connected to avoid attaching flags. In case a link file is necessary, the folio number and the file number should be indicated in the noting and the noting should be confirm "Linked file no..... is attached". All important letters should reach the concerned file without any delay.
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The letter issued from the file should be condensed preferably in one page.
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The wording should be short, but express the meaning fully. Whenever a draft letter is put up for approval in the file, references to folio number of the earlier correspondence should be indicated on the draft. This should be continued even at a time of putting up the fair copy for the signature of the Officer.
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Railway abbreviations should not be used in the letter addressed to an outsiders and the expression should be courteous.
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Invariably in all the letters the name and designation of the officer signing the letter should be mentioned, as the indication increases the sense of responsibility of the Officer and enhances the credibility of the letter at the receiving end.
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Replies to important letters should be despatched with the approval of the competent authority duly indicating in the letter that this is issued with the approval of ........ if somebody else signs the letter.
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Always the office copy of the letter should have the copies of the enclosures. However if the enclosures are already available in the same file at least the folio number should be indicated under the enclosure list of the office copy.
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It is always better to refer the letter no. of the addressee in a reply letter. The dealing clerk should issue self contained reminders without waiting for the instructions from the officers.
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In order to avoid the loss of the files in transit, when a file leaves a branch and is going to another branch, movement of the file has to be recorded to locate it later.
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On the cover of each file, the name of the dealing clerk and the supervisor with their designation may be written.
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Papers of the same size (A-4) may be used for making letters and notes.
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while using computer stationery the perforated edges may be removed so as to get the paper of proper size.
Advantages of single file system
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There is a system of maintaining one file for one subject.
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The filing procedure is systematic.
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Entire subjects is contained in one file.
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Correspondences between branches are considerably reduced.
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Delay due to interchange of correspondence is avoided.
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Views of another branch are obtained in the file.
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File linking is reduced.
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Workload of the clerk is reduced.
Disadvantages of single file system
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Delay due to circulation.
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Possibility of loss of file in transit.
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Operation of parallel files due to urgency.