SUMMER TRAINING REPORT SUBMITTED TOWARDS THE

PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF POST GRADUATE DEGREE IN

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

EVOLVING HR ISSUES
IN
PANTALOON RETAIL INDIA
Ltd.

SUBMITTED BY:
SHIKHA SINGH
MBA-IB (2007-2009)
Roll No. : AI802007 / C79

INDUSTRY GUIDE FACULTY GUIDE

Mr. ANKIT ASTHANA Dr. RAJU VOLETI /
ASSISTANT MANAGER Mr. ARUN SACHER
CORPORATE PLANNING FACULTY
PANTALOON RETAIL AIBS.
INDIA Ltd.

AMITY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL, NOIDA

AMITY UNIVERSITY – UTTAR PRADESH

2
Company Certificate

(LETTER HEAD of the Company)

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

This is to certify that _____________________, a student of Amity

International Business School, Noida, undertook a project on
“___________________” at ________________________
from __________to _____________.

Ms./Mr.________________ has successfully completed the project

under the guidance of Mr./Ms.____________________. She/He is a
sincere and hard-working student with pleasant manners.

We wish all success in her/him future endeavours.

Signature with date

(Name)
(Designation)
(Company Name)

3
 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN

This is to certify that Ms.SHIKHA SINGH, a student of Post Graduate

Degree in MBA-IB, Amity International Business School, Noida has
worked in PANTALOONS, under the able guidance and supervision Of
Mr ANKIT ASTHANA, designation: ASST MANGER-CORPORATE
PLANNNG Company: PANTALOONS
The period for which she was on training was for 8 weeks, starting
from20th May to 20th July’08. This Summer Internship report has the
requisite standard for the partial fulfillment the Post Graduate Degree in
International Business. To the best of our, knowledge no part of this
report has been reproduced from any other report and the contents are
based on original research

Signature Signature
(Faculty Guide) (Student)

4
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my sincere gratitude to my industry guide

Mr. ANKIT ASTHANA, ASST. MANAGER-
CORPORATE PLANNING, PANTALOONS
RETAIL( INDIA) LIMITED, for his able guidance,
continuous support and cooperation throughout my
project, without which the present work would not
have been possible.

I would also like to thank the entire team of

PANTALOONS RETAIL ( INDIA) LIMITED, for
the constant support and help in the successful
completion of my project.

Also, I am thankful to my faculty guide Dr. RAJU

VOLETI/ Mr. ARUN SACHER of my institute, for
their continued guidance and invaluable
encouragement.
Signature
(Student)

5
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Research Based

Chapter No. Subject Page No.

Ch.# 1.0 Executive Summary………………….6-7

Ch.# 2.0 Research Methodology………………8-10
1.1 Objective…………. 9
1.2 Hypothesis…………………… 9
1.3 Research Design……………… 9
1.4 Scope of the Study…………….10
1.5 Limitations…………………….10
Ch.# 3.0 Critical Review of Literature……….. 11-14
Ch.# 4.0 Company Profile …………………….15-21
4.1 Industry Profile………………..22-25
4.2 Swot Analysis………………….26
Ch.# 5.0 Findings & Analysis………………….27-45
Ch.# 6.0 Recommendations……………………46-54
Ch.# 70 Bibliography………………………….55
Ch.#8.0 Case Study ……………………...…...56-61
Ch# 9.0 synopsis of the project ………………62-65

6
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY

7
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the hottest sectors of India’s booming economy, HR concerns are key business
issues and good human capital management is a business necessity.

For many companies in highly competitive sectors, a lack of talented workers

constitutes a “make-or-break” HR issue, which makes the value of good HR
management readily apparent to top executives. The profession, as a result, is gaining
both respect and attention—the kind that comes from being on the hot seat. Faced
with growth at record levels in some industries and skyrocketing attrition, HR
professionals say they’re spending upward of 80 percent of their time on recruitment.

Some of the evolving HR issues in India are, creating a high-performance culture.

Retaining talent. Recruiting, linking training with performance. Compensating
knowledge workers. Building interpersonal relationships/managing conflict.

The objective of my summer training is to make observation and conduct interviews

of sales representatives and DMs of three pantaloons stores, viz Gurgaon, , Rohini, &
Noida, determine their motivation level, training need analysis & team building
efforts.

8
 RESEARCH
METHODOLGY

9
 OBJECTIVE

The objective of my project is to measure the evolving HR issues in the Pantaloons

store. The HR issues and challenges faced by user organizations overall and by HR
service function.

Satisfaction with current HR service provision, The HR initiatives planned by

organizations overall and within each of talent management, payroll services,
benefits administration, recruiting & resourcing, and training & learning services.
Attitudes towards use of HR analytics and HR analytics initiatives. Current and
planned usage of external HR services overall and by HR service type.

HYPOTHESIS

1. ALL THE EMPLOYYES ARE SATISFIED.

2. TRAINING POVIDED TO THE STAFF IS BEST.

RESEARCH DESIGN

• Primary and secondary data source

• Experience gained during on the job training.
• Comments from human resource department.

10
11
SCOPE OF THE STUDY

My scope of this study is limited to the activities of human resource department of

PANTALOONS and specially focused on the motivational level , analyzing the
training need of sales representatives.

LIMITATIONS

• The time factor was the limitation in get to know more of other activities
which are in synchronization of training.
• To know the workings of HR-Operations department which would include
employee joining, Salary, various other compensation, employee satisfaction
Employee appraisal.

• The understanding of the workings of HR- Operations would have completed

a fair knowhow about the whole gamut of activities carried out in a HR
department as a whole in a corporate.

12
CRITICAL
REVIEW OF
LITRATURE

13
 CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE

To understand the problem and get its appropriate solution I had gone through many
books news articles and journals. The problem could be understood when one can
understand the macro environment.

HR’s Rising Star in India-“he hottest sectors of India’s booming economy, HR

concerns are key business issues and good human capital management is a
business necessity”Robert.J.Grossman

Human resource management is directly related to the overall performance of the

organization

Identifying and planning for training can be linked to many corporate processes-
Dereks Stockley.

Team Building / Employee Empowerment / Employee Involvement

“Employee involvement, teams, and employee empowerment enable people to make

decisions about their work. This employee involvement, teambuilding approach, and
employee empowerment increases loyalty and fosters ownership.”-Ron Zemke

“Without effective learning, organization are unable to improve their performance and
retain their competitive positions against organizations that do learn”-Vaheed Z
Ubaidulla

14
Many companies have started focusing on hiring right candidate for right job and to
cater to this need they have approached specialist of the industry, which is the human
resource people. Many organizations are going for complete revamp of activities and
organizational restructuring in order to spear head the manpower requirement through
a special department called the human resource department. According to market
experts, there is a prediction made that in the coming two years every company which
will have 100 employees will require a human resource specialist to handle all the
human resource activity of that particular organization.

Human resource management is directly related to the overall performance of the

organization.

Identifying and planning for training can be linked to many corporate processes.

The level of intense activity continues in most organizations. In Pantaloons managers

and team leaders find themselves working hard on a myriad of activities. However,
effort can be wasted if it is expended in a vacuum. Here, each activity is treated as a
separate action, its intended impact on the organization is never lost.

Many important initiatives are undertaken by organizations. These include

In Pantaloons the first step is to keep all programs and initiatives aligned to a
framework of increased performance. This ensures that each activity complements the
others occurring at the same time.

The relationship between internal and external factors is also important.

15
Within the performance framework, the second step is to achieve the best outcome
from each employee. Improvements and achievements can be made in all areas, even
the traditional ones such as training:

The sources of training need provide a diversity and complexity of training

requirements.

To be at best practice level, it is important to manage and coordinate the training

necessary to satisfy, in priority order, all of the needs shown. All personnel involved
in training are skilled and effective. All the training is dovetail into performance
improvement efforts.

The training effort is at an optimum level when every area is addressed. The
importance of training in performance management is clearly shown by the similarity
of the two diagrams. Training is an important foundation of success.

Recruitment/selection is another traditional HR area. The best possible

recruitment/selection processes should be in place.

After training and recruitment/selection, the third and final traditional area to
highlight is salary administration.

The Human Resources (HR) function provides significant support and advice to line
management at Pantaloons. The attraction, preservation and

development of high caliber people are a source of competitive advantage for their
business

16
COMPANY
PROFILE

17
 PANTALOON RETAIL (INDIA) LIMITED

Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited, is India’s leading retailer that operates multiple
retail formats in both the value and lifestyle segment of the Indian consumer marker.
Headquartered in Mumbai (Bombay), the company operates over 5 million square feet
of retail space, has over 450 stores across 40 cities in India and employs over 18,000
people.
The company’s leading formats include Pantaloons, a chain of fashion outlets, Big
Bazaar, a uniquely Indian hypermarket chain, Food Bazaar, a supermarket chain,
blends the look, touch and feel of Indian bazaars with aspects of modern retail like
choice, convenience and quality and Central, a chain of seamless destination malls.

Some of its other formats include, Depot, Shoe Factory, Brand Factory, Blue Sky,
Fashion Station, all, Top 10,
Bazaar and Star and Sitara. The company also operates an online portal,
futurebazaar.com.

A subsidiary company, Home Solutions Retail (India) Limited, operates Home

Town, a large-format home solutions store, Collection, selling home furniture
products and E-Zone focused on catering to the consumer electronics segment

Pantaloon Retail was recently awarded the International Retailer of the Year 2007
by the US-based National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Emerging Market
Retailer of the Year 2007 at the World Retail Congress held in Barcelona.

Pantaloon Retail is the flagship company of Future Group, a business group

catering to the entire Indian consumption space.

Future Group is India’s leading business group that caters to the entire Indian
consumption space. Led by Mr. Kishore Biyani, the Future Group operates through
six verticals: Retail, Capital, Brands, Space, Media and Logistics.

18
Apart from Pantaloon Retail, the group’s presence in the retail space is
complemented by group companies, Indus League Clothing, which owns leading
apparel brands like Indigo Nation, Scullers and Urban Yoga, and Galaxy
Entertainment Limited that operates Bowling Co, Sports Bar, F123 and Brew Bar.

The group’s joint venture partners include French retailer ETAM group, US-based
stationary products retailer, Staples and UK-based Lee Cooper. Group Company,
Planet Retail, owns and operates the franchisee of international brands like Marks
& Spencer, Next, Debenhams and Guess in India. The group’s Indian joint

venture partners include, Manipal Healthcare, Talwalkar’s, Blue Foods and Liberty
Shoes

Future Capital Holdings, the group’s financial arm, focuses on asset management
and consumer credit. It manages assets worth over $1 billion that are being
invested in developing retail real estate and consumer-related brands and hotels.
The group has launched a consumer credit and financial supermarket format,
Future Money and soon plans to offer insurance products through a joint venture
with Italian insurance major, Generali.

The group is currently developing over 50 malls and consumption centers across
the country and has formed a joint venture company focusing on mall management
with Singapore-based CapitaLand, one of Asia’s largest property companies.

Future Group’s vision is to, “deliver Everything, Everywhere, Every time to Every
Indian Consumer in the most profitable manner.” The group considers

‘Indian-ness’ as a core value and its corporate credo is - Rewrite rules, Retain
values.

19
Group Websites:

• Futurebazaar.com

• Futuregroup.in

• Kshitijfund.com

20
 PANTALOONS

Celebrate the Fresh Look, Fresh Feel & Fresh Attitude at Pantaloons Fresh
Fashion!

Fashion is all about the now. Why, then should people not see a fresh look every
time they walk into a Pantaloons store? That is the thought behind 'Fresh Fashion'.
An idea that has captured the imagination of young India. With a focus on the
youth of today, Pantaloons offers trendy and hip fashion that defines the hopes and
aspirations of this demography.

Pantaloons Fresh Fashion stands out as a fashion trendsetter, on the lines of how
fashion is followed internationally. The ‘look’ and ‘what’s in’ today for the season
is sacrosanct.

Pantaloons take its promise of 'fresh fashion' very seriously making available to its
customers the latest in fashion every week!

All Pantaloons stores reflect the new ideology -- Fresh Feeling, Fresh Attitude,
Fresh Fashion. The stores offer fresh collections and are visually stimulating
thanks to appealing interiors and attractive product display!

The first Pantaloons were opened in Gariahat in 1997. Over the years, it has
undergone several transitions. When it was first launched, this store mostly sold
external brands. Gradually, it started retailing a mix of external brands while at the
same time introduced its own private brands. Initially positioned as a family store,
it

21
finally veered towards becoming a fashion store with an emphasis on 'youth' and
clear focus on ‘fresh fashion’.

Today, the fashion store extends to almost all the major cities across the country. A
pantaloon has established its Presence with stores not just in the metros, but also in
small towns.

Pantaloons stores have a wide variety of categories like casual wear, ethnic wear,
formalwear, party wear and sportswear for Men, Women and Kids.

Corporate doctrine ‘Rewrite Rules, Retain Values’

Over the years, the company has accelerated growth through its ability to lead
change. A number of its pioneering concepts have now emerged as industry
standards. For instance, the company integrated backwards into garment
manufacturing even as it expanded its retail presence at the front end, well before
any other Indian retail company attempted this. It was the first to introduce the
concept of the retail departmental store for the entire family through Pantaloons in
1997. The company was the first to launch a hypermarket in India with Big Bazaar,
a large discount store that it

Commissioned in Kolkata in October 2001. And the company introduced the

country to the Food Bazaar, a unique 'bazaar' within a hypermarket, which was
launched in July 2002 in Mumbai. Embracing its leadership value, the company
launched aLL in July 2005 in Mumbai, making it the first retailer in India to open a
fashion store for plus size men and women.

Today pantaloons is the fastest growing retail company in India. The number of
stores is going to increase many folds year on year along with the new formats
coming up.

22
 Pantaloon is an invitation to join a place where there are no boundaries to what you
can achieve. It means never having to stop asking questions; it means never having
to stop raising the bar. It is an opportunity to take risks, and it is this passion that
makes dreams a reality.

PANTALOONS quotes “Come enter a world where we

promise you good days and bad days, but never a
dull moment”

23
COMPANY AWARDS & RECOGNITION

2007:

• W National Retail Federation Awards

International Retailer for the Year 2007 – Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd.The
National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association with
over 1.4 million members in the US and across the world. Some of the past
winners of the award include Metro AG (Germany), Carrefour (France), Zara
(Spain), Boticario (Brazil) and Ito Yokado (Japan). The award was presented at
the Retail’s Big Show held in January 2007 in New York.

• World Retail Congress Awards

• Emerging Market Retailer of the Year 2007 – Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd

The inaugural World Retail Congress held in Barcelona, Spain in March

2007 attracted over one thousand retail professionals from over sixty
countries. The awards were decided by a multinational

• Hewitt Best Employers 2007

• Best Employers in India (Rank 14th) – Pantaloon Retail (India) LtdGrand
Jury. Winners in other categories included Inditex, Mall of Emirates, Marks &
Spencer and IKEA. Leading human resources consultancy, Hewitt Associates
conducts an annual survey of the best employers in India, as part of its global
initiative. It is based on CEO interview, People Practices Inventory and Employee
Opinion Surveys. Pantaloon Retail became the only retailer to feature among the
twenty-five best employers in India.

24
• PC World Indian Website Awards
• Best Indian Website In The ShoppingPC World, a leading consumer
technology magazine selected the best Indian websites in various categories based on
use of technology for delivering solutions, information being presented in an intuitive
and concise manner and overall experience aided by design. Category -
Futurebazaar.com.
• Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands Platinum Awards
• Trusted Brands Platinum Award (Supermarket Category) – Big Bazaar

The Reader’s Digest awards are based on surveys done among consumers
by independent research agency, Nielsen Media Research. This is the
second consecutive time Big Bazaar has won this award.

2006:

• Retail Asia Pacific Top 500 Awards

• Asia Pacific Best of the Best Retailers – Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd
Best Retailer in India – Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd

• The Retail Asia publication in association with EuroMonitor and

KPMG honours the best retailers in 14 countries across the Asia Pacific
region. The awards were presented in Singapore in October, 2006.

• AsiamoneyAwards
Best Managed Company in India (Mid-cap) – Pantaloon retail (India) Ltd.

• The Asiamoney publication conducts a poll among fund manages and

investors and does a quantitative analysis of financial performance to select
best managed companies in Asian countries.

25
 • Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

• Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Services) – Kishore Biyani.

• Considered to be one of the most prestigious business awards in India,

a jury comprising leading names in Indian business selected the winners
based on courage, creativity, passion, endurance and vision.

• CNBC Indian Business Leaders Awards

• The First Generation Entrepreneur of the Year – Kishore Biyani

• Organized by CNBC-TV18, the twelve awardees in various categories

are decided by a high profile jury, along with research partners - The
University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, Development
Dimensions International (DDI) and AC Neilson ORG MARG.

• Lakshmipat Singhania – IIM Lucknow National Leadership Awards

Young Business Leader – Kishore Biyani

• The award recognizes and honors individuals who have contributed

consistently to the betterment of our country through their pursuit of
excellence. The awards were presented in New Delhi by the Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh in December, 2006.

• Images Retail Awards

Best Value Retail Store – Big Bazaar
Best Retail Destination – Big Bazaar
Best Food & Grocery Store – Food Bazaar

• Retail Face of the Year – Kishore Biyani

26
 The IRA awards are decided through a nationwide consumer & industry poll and
nominations followed by performance assessment by team of analysts and jury.

• Readers’ Digest Awards

• Platinum Trusted Brand Award - Big Bazaar.

The Reader’s Digest awards are based on surveys done among consumers
by independent research agency, Nielsen Media Research.

• CNBC Awaaz Consumer Awards

• Most Preferred Large Food & Grocery Supermarket – Big Bazaar

• Conducted in association with AC Nielsen-ORG Marg across 21

major cities, nearly 10,000 consumers were asked to choose their most
preferred brands.

• Reid & Taylor Awards for Retail Excellence

• Retail Entrepreneur of the Year – Kishore Biyani

27
 SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS
 The major strength of PANTALOONS is its HR department and its own
employees.
 It has access to all the sources of recruitment and the name of future group
plays a big role in attracting large pool application.

WEAKNESS
 The major weakness which I would consider is that proper training is not
imparted to the employees

OPPORTUNITY
 The opportunity which lies with them is that with so much experienced
staff they can go high in future.

THREATS
 There is no such threat to the workings of Hr department but of course
there poses a threat for pantaloons stores with so many retail outlets
popping up.

28
FINDINGS AND
ANALYSIS

29
 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
My findings are based on the two months on the job training at PANTALOONS.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of my study is to gauge the motivation level, analyze the training need
of sales representatives of three pantaloons store, viz, Gurgaon,, Rohini, and Noida,
and to make observation on various HR issues evolving in the store, to examines the
various HR processes that are concerned with attracting managing, motivating and
developing employees for the benefit of the organization. Through the findings a co-
coordinated approach could be developed to understand how a staff can be leaded to
confidence. Confidence leads to trust. Trust provides the foundation for a positive
cultural environment, which in turn provides the driving force.

30
 METHOD ADOPTED

The method adopted in assessing motivation level and analyzing training need of
sales representatives was qualitative ,recommendations are based upon my personal
observation and unstructured interview conducted on the sales representatives of
pantaloons store.

Population: Customer Service Representatives.

Sampling Method: Simple Sampling

Sample Size: 50

Method Used: Unstructured Interview

31
 QUESTIONAIRE & ANALYSIS

Assessing Motivation level, Training need & Team Building Efforts

A) Motivation Level

1. Do you enjoy working on difficult tasks & goals?

 Yes
 No.

35%

Yes
No

65%

2. Do you provide new suggestions & ideas?

 Yes
 No

32
 15%

Yes
No

85%

3. Do you hesitate to make decisions?

 Yes
 No.

45% Yes
55% No

4. Do you strive to exceed the performance/targets.?

 Yes
 No

33
 35%

Yes
No

65%

5. Are you afraid of making mistakes?

 Yes
 No.

45%
Yes
55% No

34
6. Do you ensure that things are done as per schedule & plan?
 Yes
 No
21%

Yes
No

79%

B) Team building efforts

1. Do you work in collaboration with other colleagues?

 Yes
 No

37%

Yes
No
63%

35
2. Is there anybody around when you need help?
 Yes
 No

25%

Yes
No

75%

3. The team has enough freedom to decide its way of working?

 Yes
 No

10%

Yes
No

90%

4. When you need some help, no one is available?

36
  Yes
 No

23%

Yes
No

77%

5. Do you think there is a lack of resources (human/stock) required by the

team member support each other when required?
 Yes
 No

46% Yes
54% No

37
ANALYSIS

38
In the current scenario clothing and accessories accounts for 39% of the total
organized retail in India. Following it Food and Grocery with the market share
of 11%. Footwear Industry and Consumer electronics are on 3rd position in the
percentage of organized share which reads as 9% for both of them.

PANTALOONS GURGAON

As far as my observation and its understanding goes in this competitive

environment people are the key differentiators and if a store fails to develop and
retain the good lot than it is the store’s irrecoupable loss, I have observe that in the
frenzy of achieving sales and making profits store has totally forgotten about the
people who are instrument in achieving it, one could not easily afford to overlook
the frustration and resentment of the employees(sales associates & team leaders).I
have observed that they have develop a deep rooted feeling of distrust and anger
towards the management, because they are made to feel that they are not needed by
the store ,they need the store, may be that is true but the company who have
humility ,introspection ,leadership, etc as a core value cannot be expected to
demonstrate such ‘don’t care’ attitude and then we are worried about attrition, I
have interacted with more than half the employees and they all are set to leave the
store as soon as they will get the opportunity ,if the store is so conscious about cost
cutting then it should care about the employees because if the store is planning to
invest a substantial amount in the employees training [which it is not doing in
practice],rewards(again not doing properly),then it will all go in vain because the
employees are not willing to stay and are ready to leave.

• I have interacted and observed that every employee, not singling any one out
are so much demotivated, discouraged, and with low morale that they have
lost interest, commitment and association is something out of sight in them.

39
 • Employees are not respected how a store can expect them to respect when
they themselves are not regarded properly

• They are not even given basic training like fabric-knowledge,

communication, etiquette, stress handling, fire fighting.
• Nobody of them knows how to use fire extinguisher, which is so imperative.

There is hardly anything more frustrating than working hard, meeting/exceeding

expectations & discovering that it doesn’t matter to your company that is what the
impression of the store which an employees holds and which is suppose to bring
maximum sale for the region.

• Majority of them feels that there is no scope of development and opportunity

in the store they feel stagnant, how can we expect them to feel motivated, they
express their willingness to learn more, they don’t know

40
SOP

INWARD/OUTWARD

SAP

COMPUTERS

CASHERING (EXCEPT 2 0R 3)

LPC…..then how can they feel well cared for, the older employees felt demotivated
because of lack of recognition, they all are suffering acutely of low morale.

Another most important observation I made that the store lack transparency,
employees don’t know why they are not been promoted and why other person is been
promoted despite of the fact they are old and efficient, another reason for lack of
motivation.

If the store is thinking of staying ahead in the competition than it need to seriously
consider the reward, recognition and employees development policies in order to
retain and attract skilled and efficient employee

41
PANTALOONS ROHINI

• Pantaloons Rohini has the privilege of having bunch of most hard working
girls as their sales representatives, but when it comes to recognition very few
have the art of recogninsing and maintaining talent, and am afraid that at
rohini anybody is aware of this and if aware then they are not working in a
proper direction.

• Any kind of training defeats it purpose if it does not bring the needed/desired
change and same has happened in case of the rohini staff. They need
training, in such a form that can be easily comprehended and internalize by
them. They felt the need of it and see training as an opportunity to grow and
learn more.

• Interaction with the employees, asking about their well being can make a
difference, management should try to use such method to motivate, they are
not asking much just such small gestures which shows that they are well
cared and very much needed.

• Management needs to do something about the fun zone soon, employees

needs a place where they can relax and talk freely, I observed their
discomfort during the tea break where they had to sit on the floor and have
tea since back office is their it causes lots of hindrance to them as well as to
the person who is going to the back office.
• Management needs to maintain a transparency, what I felt & observed that
there is a communication gap exists.

42
• staff requires a certain level of discipline

• Initiatives are taken by the store, have conducted training in customer

services, sap, gsd & lpc.Doctor visits the store for checkup of the employees
that is really commendable .fashion show for the staff has also been
organized by the store.

43
 PANTALOONS NOIDA

 There is no proper grooming standard at pantaloons noida store.

 Staff requires a degree of discipline in the store.

They also felt and required training in various areas like

1. fabric knowledge
2. sop
3. sap
4. fire fighting
5. etiquette training
6. stock inward/outward.

 Requires informal interaction and fun activities in the store.

 staff needs fun activities to happen in stores where they can have the
opportunity to relax and enjoy

44
 OBSERVATIONS

Major observation of the Pantaloons Retail (India) Limited are as follows:

 Role of HR is parochial: I have observed that the responsibilities & power of

the HR executive is very much parochial in the stores, they are viewed by the
staff (employees) as somebody who prepare their salaries or who keeps their
leave applications and misplaced it at the same time. But this is really a
deplorable condition; we have greatly overlooked the paramountcy of HR who
is suppose to be the ridge between the management & the employees,
suppose to know their people & people look up to him/her as somebody with
whom they share their worries and problems

 No fruitful interaction: Interaction with the employees, asking about their well
being can make a difference, management should try to use such method to
motivate, they are not asking much just such small gestures which shows that
they are well cared and very much needed.

 Training is required in various areas (felt & needed):sales staff requires and
feels the need of training so that they can perform better, following are the
areas where

45
 Training is required :SAP,LPC,ETIQUETTETRANING,FIRE
 FIGHTING,FABRIC KNOWELEDGE,VM,STOCK INWARD &
OUTWARD.

 Code of conduct: is the another important area where the staff lags, they need
to understand the importance of behaviors a lifestyle store employees needs to
demonstrate both amongst themselves as well as with the customer.

 Team building exercises needs to be conducted: employees lack team spirit,

which in turn results in poor coordination, such kind of behaviors by the
employees results in demotivation and discontent

 Timely recognition: Appreciation if delayed, is denied, timeliness is the key to

success, if we want to keep our employees happy, motivation is the key to it, it
is not necessary that every time we need to reward our employees
humongouly, but small appreciation in form of pat on their back is enough to
keep them going, it takes nothing but a little effort from the side of
management, but we tend to take obvious things for granted.

46
 Need of transparency: stores lack transparency; employees don’t know why
one employee is chosen over another for the reward / recognitions, what is
expected out of them and what kind of the behavior they need to put on.

 Stress busting activities needs to be conducted: the job of the sales

representative’s demands time and great deal of efforts which causes stress
and tired employees can not be expected to be active and smiling.

 Clarity of roles & expectation: employees are not clear about their roles ,what
is expected out of them, even the TL’s are doing the same thing as a team
member.

 Communication gap: there is a communication gap exists ,there is no proper

flow of information related to any issues, and this is quite surprising because
this hampers the progress, create confusion and ensue frustration.

 Need to train ASMs’ & DMs’ in Team Management

47
48
RECOMMENDATION

49
 RECOMMENDATION

I have made my recommendation on the basis of observation & unstructured

interview conducted on sales representatives.

 HR cum Counselor: the sales staff needs the emotional support at their work
place, they need someone who could listen to their problem and provide
solution to it.

 Empower the HR at store level, review their performance on monthly basis: in

order to improve the condition of the work force , the HR at store level are
required to be empowered because they are quite limited in their approach

 Provide training: in order to enhance the performance of the sales staff,

company needs to train the staff, and provide follow up on training which are
held, following are the areas which requires attention,

Fabric knowledge

SOP

SAP

50
Etiquette (code of conduct)

Communication

Fire fighting

LPC

Team building initiative needs to be taken: the sales representatives are need to
be taught that they are a team and targets can be achieved only if they will work
in coordination and organized way.

 HR should be provided with separate corner/room, so that employees without

any inhibition can go & share their problems/queries with the HR.

 Management needs to maintain a transparency, what I felt & observed that

there is a communication gap between the various levels, if there is some
information which an employee had to follow most of the time, most of them
remain unaware.

 Training needs a follow up which is very necessary to check whether the

employee is doing what he/she has learnt and how much training has helped
them to perform better.

51
PANTALOONS GURGAON

RECOMMENDATION
We are incapable of leaving our emotions at home so they are operational even
at work, we need to take care of this fact and have to make employees feel that
they are RESPECTED, IMPORTANT and CARED by the store(please avoid
making them feel unimportant and disposable even if that is the
fact).BIGGEST REASON FOR DEMOTIVATION AND UNREST

 Most of the employees feel stagnant, so measures can be taken to get rid of
this ‘stagnation’ through training, which they do need in the areas such
as

Fire fighting

Fabric knowledge

Team building exercises and activities needs to be done so that sense of

ownership which they lack can be inculcated.

Stress handling and stress busting activities such as keeping games in fun
zone, taking the staff for picnic or organizing the party at the end of the
month provide the employees an opportunity to enjoy ,relax and interact
informally with each other and the management this will foster emotional
bonding.

52
SAP/SOP

INWARD/OUTWARD

VM

ETIQUETTE

Training needs a follow up so after training they needs to be observed to see whether
they have learned anything and if they have learned will they are able to put it into
practice.

 Refreshment(eatable and hygienic) & at right time can be provided during

straight shifts, sales periods such small gestures will definitely do wonders
and make them feel ‘cared for
 Timely recognition for work (employee of the month was not given on time
so lost its worth), team recognition and rewards needs to be done more to
foster the team spirit.

 Certain level of transparency needs to be maintained,

why a certain person is rewarded, what makes him\her apart
etc.so that they are cleared about how to improve and do
better this will create sense of fairness.
 For development we can increase their
responsibility(especially of the TLs’
 Employees should get a timely weekly off which they
are not getting and which is the other reason for their
frustration and resentment.

53
  Need to create a gender balance this will maintain the interest and
the work can be well divided like girls cannot stay for night shift
then they can do the morning shift for their counterparts.

Employees needs to be given proper day off after they had done a straight shift which
they are not getting lately and because of which their health has suffered we all know
a healthy and fit sales rep can perform better than a tired and burned out employee.

We need to foster environment of trust and compassion and that can only be done
when employees are made to feel important and needed, when they will get the
opportunity to grow and develop as a person then only they can be involve and
perform better they needs to be respected and treated fairly .

54
PANTALOONS ROHINI

RECOMMENDATION
• I recommend training should be given in areas like
SOP
SAP
VM
FIRE FIGHTINING
GROOMING
FABRIC KNOWELEDGE
TEAM BUILDING (INCLUDING DM’S)

It is very imperative in order to retain the employees especially the talented one,
training will psychological make them involve and improve ,will reduce the
feeling of stagnancy and monotony which has developed in them. Each training
needs a follow up (it is must to follow up), to monitor the difference in the
performance and needs to be repeated after 6mths.

• Managements need to listen to the employees, try to understand the situation

objectively without holding any preconceive notions against the employee. ,
it will boost their morale and motivate them as well.

• Management can make most out of the Saturday meeting it could made a
platform for learning , platform where employees can express themselves
freely ,it could be made interesting if enough interest and zeal will be shown
by the management which is not there and employees hates Saturday
meeting.

55
• Management needs to foster team spirit amongst the employees, needs to
promote & recognize team effort.

• Management should have a positive attitude towards the employees, if they

will not try to understand their staff points of view, then it will further create
a problem for the store only, so management should avoid taunting and
pointing out the mistake this will only humiliate the employee & it will reap
discontent & demoralized staff, there are better ways to make things done
that too amicably, negative approach can do much harm & it should be kept
in mind.

56
PANTALOONS NOIDA

 Grooming standards should be improved.

 Team building initiative needs to be taken: the sales representatives are need
to be taught that they are a team and targets can be achieved only if they will
work in coordination and organized way.

 Employees need to trained in areas likes

SOP
SAP
VM
FIRE FIGHTINING
GROOMING

FABRIC KNOWELEDGE
TEAM BUILDING.

 Fun activities should be conducted so that employees can enjoy and have fun.

57
 BIBLOGRAPHY

• Udai Pareek, Organizational Behavior Processes, 1992.

• Paul and Faith Pigors, “The Incident Process-Learning by Doing”
• Udai Pareek, Training Instruments for HRD.
• Human Capital, Punita Malhotra.
• Best Practices in Customer Service by Ron Zemke, John.A Woods.
• Human resource management-ROBBINS

REFERENCES

The websites which I had visited to enrich my content of

report were as follows:

• www.e-HResources.com
• www.panatloons.com

58
CASE STUDY

59
 COMMON GROUND
RESOLVING
EMPLOYMENT DISAGREEMENTS.

INTRODUCTION

The Pantaloon Family of Companies has exceptionally productive

and creative
workforces. Our 100,000 plus employees are our most valuable
asset and have helped establish the Johnson & Johnson Family of
Companies as a leader in the health care field.

In any company, there are occasions when differences arise on

matters relating to an individual’s employment. Employees should
not have to face these issues alone. The Pantaloon Family of
Companies offers employees innovative internal procedures for
resolving employee relations concerns fairly, quickly and as
amicably as possible. We refer to this program for resolving issues
as “Common Ground.” Common Ground offers employees three
comprehensive steps for resolving issues or disagreements. These
are: Open Door, Facilitation and Mediation

60
OPEN DOOR

The employee is encouraged to resolve the problem whenever

possible by engaging in discussions directly with his or her
supervisor, or the supervisor’s supervisor. The employee may also
discuss the matter with Human Resources professionals at his or her
operating company. Human Resources will promote open dialogue,
make every effort to maintain a confidential environment when an
investigation is necessary, will review the issues, and work with both
parties to resolve them amicably and fairly.

FACILITATION
If the issue is not resolved, facilitation is the next step. The
facilitator works to open up lines of communication and identify
creative solutions.

MEDIATION

The third step toward resolving the issue is Mediation, which is an

informal dispute resolution process conducted by a neutral third
party, the mediator.

The mediator helps open up the lines of communication and assists

the parties in attempting to reach a mutual and voluntary resolution
of their dispute by identifying the issues, the strengths and
weaknesses of their respective positions, and exploring possible

61
bases for agreement. Mediation is a fair, straightforward and cost-
effective method for examining and resolving disputes, offering
many advantages for all involved parties. Mediation is non-binding.
If the mediation is not successful, the issue can be brought to court.
Most types of issues
may be raised in Open Door and Facilitation. Only claims that could
be asserted in court are
referred to Mediation if not resolved in the earlier steps. Because
Mediation has proven highly
successful in the majority of cases, it is generally the dispute
resolution process of choice. It
offers the following advantages.
 Provides the opportunity for both sides to explain their
positions.

 Gives both sides the benefit of a neutral, third party

perspective.

 Helps separate emotional issues from factual issues.

 Promotes discussion of fair, creative solutions.

 Helps people work problems out themselves.

62
 Is relatively quick.

63
IMPACT OF COMMON GROUND ON
EMPLOYMENT

The program does not establish any terms of employment. It

provides a procedure for attempting to resolve employment related
disputes. It does not create a contract of employment, express or
implied, for any period of time or guarantee that employment will
end only under certain conditions. The program does not alter or
modify the “at will” employment relationship between an employee
and the Company at which he or she is employed. By participating
in the Common Ground Program, an employee will not lose or
compromise any
substantive rights he or she has. The Program will not impair the
right of the Company to make decisions regarding an employee’s
compensation, benefits or continued employment.

COMMON GROUND PROGRAM EFFECTIVE

DATE

The program is the exclusive means for attempting to resolve

employment disputes between employees and their operating
Company, including disputes for legally protected rights such as
freedom from unlawful discrimination, retaliation, or harassment. If
an employee accepts or continue employment with his or her
operating Company after the program went into effect, he or she
agrees to process all employment related legal claims against the
Company through this Program.

64
CHANGE OR REVOCATION

The Common Ground program may be changed or discontinued at

any time. Any claim
submitted to Mediation under the program before the effective date
of any modification or
discontinuance of the program shall continue to be resolved through
the Program as it existed
before modification or discontinuance.

65
PROJECT
SYNOPSIS

66
PROJECT SYNOPSIS

EVOLVING HR ISSUES IN PANTALOON INDIA RETAIL

Ltd.

Student’s Name: SHIKHA SINGH

Industry Guide: Mr. ANKIT ASTHANA
Faculty Guide: Dr. RAJU VOLETI

67
 The summer internship project undertaken by me at Pantaloon Retail ltd.was in
purview of the objectives which I had defined in my summer internship proposal,
which are as follows:
 To understand the working of Human resource department in a Company
which is oriented towards understanding & Development of Human
behavior

 To get to Know about an Organization which is Largely involved into

training and development activities e.g.(soft skill training, management
development programme etc.)

 To understand the concept of sourcing of problems faced by

employees in the organization

 Finally to get to know how a store operates. And how do employees work.

 Overall to have a fair idea about the standards of corporate world and the
ethics by which they abide by their functions.

As my summer training proceeded ahead and in due course of time I was an

active part of operation of store in the HR department. Handling all the
activities ,I came to know the basics on which the HR department functions
and operates in a corporate culture.
There were various sources used for training of employees starting from basic
manners to deep routed knowledge.

In my analysis I found out evolving HR issues in the Pantaloons store. The HR

issues and challenges faced by user organizations overall and by HR service

68
function. Satisfaction with current HR service provision, The HR initiatives
planned by organizations overall and within each of talent management, payroll
services, benefits administration, recruiting & resourcing, and training & learning
services. Attitudes towards use of HR analytics and HR analytics initiatives.
Current and planned usage of external HR services overall and by HR service type.

My industry guide Mr. ANKIT ASTHANA, a dynamic personality was

always a inspiration for me to work hard in achieving my learning objective
during my on the job Internship period. It was his helping hand and enriched
experience which guided me to do my work and complete this project. I will
always remember his humble nature, being deputed at such a responsible and
high post he never denied to help me whenever I approached him for any
difficulties which I faced during my internship and while drafting my project
report. He was the person who spear headed all my activities and all credit of
my work goes to him .It was an enriching and wonderful experience to work
under such a brilliant and multi facet personality. Overall it was really a
learning an enriching experience which has added a new chapter of success in
my professional career.

69