Hiring an employee

TrinTrin

Heretofore I've been relying on my partners employees but I've decided that its best for me to have one or two of my own guys mostly for loyalty reasons. I'm looking for generic advice on hiring here - I want to avoid any potential legal hangups.

A. I'm looking for the typical Indian over achiever with a newly minted BA - age range is around 20-23 years of age. He should be male, speak English perfectly, and know Hindi as well as Marati

B. He should be hungry for success - therefore middle-class like myself.

C. He should be loyal. He should not make deals behind my back.

D. I can't give him an employment contract presently. They would have to start off under the table.


So my questions are:

1. What's the best way to find such an employee, I've asked around and haven't found anyone suitable. What will placement agencies require?

2. What is the wage I should expect to pay this guy? I've been told 25-40,000 is sufficient.

3. Any generic advice would be good.

AvidTrekker

Give an ad in the MiD-Day or Mumbai Mirror.

Talented English Speaking freshers are lured by Call centres which start them with 12,000 per month going up to 18,000 within six months. So your offer of 25 to 40 K seems attractive enough.

What exactly is the nature of this job? Is it indoors or outdoors? Is the office in South Mumbai or Suburbs?

Depending on these answers, the job seekers may consider yes/no/whatever.

Just to give you an idea.... of what options lie before before a fresh graduate....

My cousin, a fresh Engineering Grad got a job with one of the biggest Financial Firms [stock market] at 18,000 pm start. He chose a big Corporation so he got a small salary. Had he chosen a smaller firm, he would have got a start of 25 to 30 k a month. Had he chosen to go in for software [he graduated in it] he would be drawing 40 k to 60 k a month at Infosys and the like.

Placement agencies are flooded with business nowadays... they may not be eager to look at such a case in the present scenario. They charge anything from one months' salary to three months' salary from either or both the employer and employee... depending on the demand supply equation.

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TrinTrin

Thanks a lot. The job in question would be a fantastic opportunity to avoid big corporations and make a ton of dough in the process. I am not advertising it on the site for a lot of strategic reasons.

amyl

Fresh Graduate . Doubtful!

But yes...only After a couple of YEARS if still in India....may make such saving and even more if sent abroad.

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TrinTrin

I've idnetified a candidate making 10 grand now. I'd like to pay him 20 grand so I don't feel bad and so that he'll be more loyal and less likely to steal from me. What do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea?

AvidTrekker

Depends on family background. Have read your thread on how everyone "is trying to steal from you". The stealer will steal even if he/she is paid 40 k a month. An honest person will not steal even if you pay a pittance.

It takes time to judge these things. Many old time families have servants that go back twenty years, are loyal and not paid much. [but their hospital exps and the like are taken care of..]. The new generation is not that loyal or that moral.

If the person concerned has learnt that "stealing not to be done" in childhood itself, less likely that it will be done. This does not depend on your generosity. Even then, charging extra for conveyance [not actually incurred] is a fairly common practice and not considered "stealing".

Just explain to the guy what you want from him and hope for the best. If its a sales related thing, pay a telescoping commission or something like that as incentive. As a newly arrived foreigner, you will not be able to judge his family background at all. You have to be born here to do that... and even then, some of us fail at times...

TrinTrin

Its not a sales thing much better. I'm buy side.

He's the nephew of my lawyer. Thats gotta say something.

AvidTrekker

You won't know without trying him out, will you??

Again, take care that the lawyer should not take his resentment out on you in some subtle/gross fashion if you happen to "not like" the nephew at a later date. The lawyer may not understand things like "he was simply incompetent" ... he may take it as a personal affront.

And maybe, just maybe, you are putting a tad too many eggs, all in same basket. You already are at the complete mercy of your lawyer. Make it very clear [to the lawyer] what performance/loyalty you expect from his nephew. Again, if the same people were from certain parts of India, they would be labelled "more loyal" than others... and so on... these prejudices die hard, but are not without any substance.

I would know very clearly what types to steer clear of... but even for the remainder, there would still be a selection process.

capt_mahajan

Very true.

Also, sometimes overpaying makes people think you are an easy mark.

What I would do with whoever I decided to employ was make it clear that I was paying well, and that any wrongdoing would result in instant dismissal, which would kill the goose that laid the golden egg.

But I wouuld still keep a good eye on the person, ie Trust, but verify.

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GoanCanuck

Agreed. My personal opinion is that you should not employ your lawyers nephew. You can get royally ripped off and you will not be able to do anything.

TrinTrin

Hmmm, good point.

His job won't involve cash or the books. Does that make it better?

His uncle is one of the few people here that I trust, so his reference is valuable to me. Care to elaborate more GoanCanuck?

rahulcal

Hi

Would suggest you avoid the nephew - too many complications at a later date since in India family ties are stronger and hence more likely to affect judgement. For this reason , most of the companies , including almost all that I have worked for till date , never ever allow close relatives to work in the same organisation or at least in the same city. In fact one of my ex employers had a rule that if one married someone within the company ,one of the two had to quit .


One good way of going about the recruitment could be to register as an employer with a job site like www.naukri.com or www.monster.co.in. There you can discreetly check out the candidates and then take it forward.

The filters that you can use , could include

a. Previous employer references . Even if the candidate has been working for a call centre you would get a good insight about him/her from the employer.

b. Family background - Without meaning to sound snobbish , in certain cases the family background does matter .


Lastly, 25 k should be more than enough to get you a normal graduate for starters - call centre may pay well but there are enough people dying to get out of that industry on account of the hours they have to keep.


Hope this helps,

Cheers ,

Shark

The first thing I think you should do is enter the 21st century and don't be so discriminatory and prescriptive.

I truly love India and have been to India many times over the past 16-years but I've got to say this discriminatory type of behaviour is one thing I don't like about India.

example: Therefore middle-class like myself.....age range 20-23 years......he she be hungry for success...

What's wrong with someone who has the skills who may not be from the same class as you..
What's wrong with employing someone who maybe 35 or really old like 40.
Why does it have to be a male?

My generic advice to you is broaden your horizons and consider people on their merits and how well they can do the job not on their age, sex or caste. Namaste

Nick-H

Given that I have no experience of working or employing (apart from domestic, and that is Mrs N's Dept anyway) here, I'd just add a small echo to both concerns.

I'd be inclined to pay 25 to 50% more --- not double. Double, to me, is holding up a placard saying 'Sucker here!' and will bring you more trouble.

I'm less worried about the lawyer-family thing --- so much is done here by 'networking' of one sort or another. Even so, it might worry me less, but I must defer to the experienced Indians who have said otherwise.

capt_mahajan

My concerns with the lawyer-family thing echo avidtrekker's; that should things sour at a later stage, there may be fallout with the lawyer.