Be professional, less merciful, IIM Kozhikode tells Kerala State Electricity Board

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The additional report submitted by IIM Kozhikode on ways to enhance service quality and organisational efficiency in KSEB Limited has called for the review of the ‘Compassionate Employment Scheme’, which allows employment in the position such as workman, lineman, office attendant, confidential assistants, and fair copy assistant for dependents of former employees. The scrapping of the ‘Compassionate Employment Scheme’ is recommended as a long-term measure.

In the meantime, it suggests certain measures that KSEB Limited could take to take the organisation toward the eventual abolishing of the scheme.  One, recruitment on compassionate ground for the positions of office attendant, confidential assistant and fair copy assistant should be stopped as these positions are largely duplicates. “Thus they can be amalgamated or possibly phased out post the introduction of information technology,” the additional report stated.

Two, promotion of employees recruited under the compassionate scheme to higher position without requisite skill not only compromises with the overall skill requirement, but also creates a danger of exposing the employees life to risk while handling the job. Three, KSEBL must ensure the minimum skill requirement before or within a specified period (may be through provisional appointment) of absorbing any employee under this scheme.

The additional report has also recommended three options to deal with the scheme, right from training such employees to the scrapping the scheme. Option one: Fund and train the dependents before considering them for employment and after successful performance in the skill test. Option 2: Give a provisional employment to the hired employees on compassionate ground, who need to ensure acquiring of competency before confirmation.

However, the report is more keen on Option 3, which says that ‘Compassionate Employment Scheme’ must be stopped in long run. Instead, the report states that KSEBL should explore in embracing a “group term insurance policy” to pay a huge compensation. “This would not just reduce the cost of KSEBL significantly, but would also reduce the liability of the company. This would also help KSEBL to get competent employees sans any compromises, guided solely by the competency requirements, while providing adequate benefits to the dependents of the deceased employees,” the report stated.