CASE STUDY - I

PRATHAMESH STEEL (PVT.) LTD.

Prathamesh Steel (Pvt.) Ltd. founded 15 years before by Mr. A.M. Bapat was havin
boomin time. At that time! Mr. Bapat! wor"ed both in the offi#e and in the fa#tory and
"new his men and they "new him. Produ#tion standard were always maintained and
labour turnover was pra#ti#ally non$e%istin. As the business mushroomed! the number of
employees has proressively in#reased. &hus! Mr. Bapat's reetins and #onversation
with his wor"ers be#ame less fre(uent. )n fa#t! he had so many thins to do! that he #ould
no loner supervise the fa#tory. &hus! he hired another man! Mr. *odse as a plant
supervisor. As this time thouh the number of wor"ers in#reased to about 5++! labour
turnover and absenteeism in#reased alon with the labour #ases. &he only thin that
de#reased was produ#tivity. )n order to meet the situations! Mr. Bapat ranted substantial
in#rease in waes whi#h were already hih and made some arranements for in#rement
earnins based on merit ratin on seniority. ,et labour turnover and absenteeism #ontinue
at a hih rate. -n investiation! it was found that the new plant supervisor la#"ed the
patien#e and understandin whi#h is ne#essary for dealin with the employees. .hen
somethin was found wron! he was s#oldin the employees but no attempt was made to
find the #ase of faulty wor". Meanwhile! labour unrest developed. &he !.or"er bean to
#omplain about wor"in on Saturdays and not havin either time or fa#ilities #hane
from wor" #lothes to oriinal dresses after wor"! about toilet fa#ilities et#. Some of the
#laims were' not found suffi#iently /ustified or easy to meet. Mr. Bapat offered to wor"ers
as #ompensation! a new rise in waes with more liberty in allowin va#ation time all of
whi#h the #ompany #ould well afford.
Questions
1. .ere the steps ta"en by Mr. Bapat riht0
1. .hat do you thin" he should have done in order to improve the situation0
CASE STUDY - II
A STUDY OF PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
-ne of the wor"ers! Sunil Pawar is a wor"er in the Produ#tion 2epartment and wor"s as
a driller. 3e is in the #ompany for past five years and all the while he has been wor"in as
a driller only. 3e re#ord of servi#e has been enerally ood! e%#ept for one warnin for
remainin absent for two days without permission. )n the early years of servi#e! he used
to be rude to his superiors and (uarrelsome with his #o$wor"ers. But there is nothin
about this on the re#ord! be#ause no serious view was ta"en about this by the superiors. )n
the past eiht months! sin#e the new manaement too" over the #ontrol of 4eptune
5nineerin 6ompany! there is a #hane in the poli#y. &he new manaement has ta"en a
stri#ter approa#h in enfor#in dis#ipline.
-ne day! at 7.++ p.m.! at the time of startin of the shift Sunil went to his supervisor
sayin that some uests has arrived une%pe#tedly at his house in the mornin and he
wanted leave for that day. &he supervisor told him that sin#e few more wor"ers were
already absent in the 2epartment he #ould not rant him! leave. )nstead he as"ed Sunil to
wor" on the press ma#hine. -n that day be#ause the reular press operator had not #ome
and there was a lare ba#"lo whi#h must be #leared today. Sunil de#lined to obey the
instru#tion. 3e said! 8) will wor" on my ma#hine only and not on any other ma#hine8!
and he went to his usual drillin ma#hine. After some time he left a leave appli#ation on
the supervisor table. 3e was not seen on the shop floor throuhout the day.
&he supervisor had reported the #ase to his manaer and the manaer wants your opinion
as the Senior 6onsultant to the #ompany.
Questions
1. 6omment on the events that have ta"en pla#e.
1. Suest the #ourse of a#tion.
CASESTUDY - III
SONA AND RUPA COMPANY
&he Sona and 9upa 6ompany manufa#tured wooden toys of various "inds: wooden
animals! pull toys! and the li"e. -ne part of the manufa#turin pro#ess involved sprayin
paint on the partially assembled toys. &his operation was staffed entirely by women. &he
toys were #ut! sanded and partially assembled in the wood room. &hen they were dipped
into shella#! followin whi#h they were painted. &he toys were predominantly two
#oloured: a few were made in more than two #olours. 5a#h #olour re(uired an additional
trip throuh the paint room.
;or a number of years! produ#tion of these toys had been entirely and wor". 3owever! to
meet the tremendously in#rease in demand! the paintin operation had re#ently been re$
enineered so that the eiht operators (all women) who did the paintin sat in a line by an
endless #hain of hoo"s. &hose hoo"s were in #ontinuous motion! past the line of operators
and into a lon hori<ontal oven. 5a#h woman sat at her own paintin booth so desined
as to #arry away fumes and to ba#"stop e%#ess paint. &he operator would ta"e a toy from
the tray beside her! position it in a /i inside the paintin #ubi#le! spray on the #olour
a##ordin to a pattern! then release the toy and hand it to the hoo" passin by. &he rate at
whi#h the hoo"s moved has been #al#ulated by the enineers so that ea#h hoo" before it
passed beyond her rea#h.
&he operators wor"in in the pain room were on a roup bonus plan. Sin#e the operation
was new to them! they were! re#eivin a learnin bonus! whi#h de#reased by reular
amounts ea#h month. &he learnin bonus was s#heduled to vanish in si% months! by
whi#h time it was e%pe#ted that they would be on their own! that is! able to meet the
standard and to earn a roup bonus when they e%#eeded it.
By the se#ond month of the trainin period. &rouble had developed. &he employees
learned more slowly than had been anti#ipated! and it bean to loo" as thouh their
produ#tion would stabili<e far below what was planned for. Many of the hoo"s were
oin by empty. &he women #omplained that they were oin by too fast! and that the
time study man had set the rates wron. A few women (uit and had to be repla#ed with
new operators! whi#h further aravated the learnin problem. &he team spirit that the
manaement had e%pe#ted to develop automati#ally throuh the roup bonus was not in
eviden#e e%#ept as an e%pression of what the enineers #alled =resistan#e8. -ne woman
whom the roup rearded as its $leader (and the manaement rearded as the rin$leader)
was outspo"en by voi#in the various #omplaints of the roup before the foreman: the /ob
was messy one! the hoo"s moved too fast! the in#entive pay was not bein #orre#tly
#al#ulated! and it was too hot wor"in so #lose to the dryin oven.
A #onsultant who was brouht into this pi#ture wor"ed entirely with and throuh the
foreman. After many #onversations with him! the foreman felt that the first step should be
to et the employees toether for a eneral dis#ussion of the wor"in #onditions. 3e too"
this step with some hesitation! but he too" on his own volition.
&he first meetin! held immediately after the shift was over at four o'#lo#" in the
afternoon was attended by all the eiht operators. &hey voi#ed the same #omplaints
aain> the hoo" sent by too fast! the /ob was too dirty! the room was hot and poorly
ventilated. ;or some reason! it was this last item that they #omplained of most. &he
foreman promised to dis#uss the problem of ventilation and temperature with the
enineers! and he s#heduled a se#ond meetin to report ba#" to the employees. )n the
ne%t few days the foreman had several tal"s with the enineers. &hey and the
superintendent felt that this was really a trumped$up #omplaint! and that e%pense of any
effe#tive #orre#tive measure would be prohibitively hih.
&he foreman #ame to the se#ond meetin with some apprehensions. &he operators!
however! did not seem to be mu#h put out! perhaps be#ause they had a proposal of their
own to ma"e. &hey felt that if several lare fans were set up so as to #ir#ulate the air
around their feet! they would be mu#h more #omfortable. After some dis#ussion! the
foreman areed that the idea miht be tried out. &he foreman and the #onsultant dis#ussed
the (uestion of the fans with the superintendent! and three lare propeller$type fans were
pur#hased.
&he fans were brouht in. &he women were /ubilant. ;or several days the fans were
moved about in various positions until they were pla#ed to the satisfa#tion of the roup.
&he operators seemed #ompletely satisfied with the results! and the relations between
them and the foreman improved visibly.
&he foreman! after this en#ourain episode: de#ided that further meetins miht also be
profitable. 3e as"ed the operators if they would li"e to meet and dis#uss other aspe#t of
the wor" situation. &hey were eaer to do this. &he meetin was held! and the dis#ussion
(ui#"ly #entered on the speed of the hoo"s.
&he operators maintained that the time study man had them at an unreasonably fast speed
and that they would never be able to rea#h the oal of fillin enouh of them to ma"e a
bonus. &he turnin point of the dis#ussion #ame when the roup's leader fran"ly
e%plained that the point wasn't that they #ouldn't wor" fast enouh to "eep up with the
hoo"s! but they #ouldn't wor" at that pa#e all the day lon.
&he foreman e%plored the point. &he employees were unanimous in their opinion that
they #ould "eep up with the belt for short periods if they wanted to. But they didn't want
be#ause if they showed they #ould do this for short periods they would be e%pe#ted to do
it all day lon. &he meetin ended with an unpre#edented re(uest> 8Let us ad/ust the
speed of the belt faster or slower dependin on how we feel8. &he foreman areed to
dis#uss this with the superintendent and the enineers.
&he rea#tion of the enineers to the suestion was neative. 3owever! after several
meetins it was ranted that there was some latitude within whi#h variations in the speed
of the hoo"s would not affe#t the finished produ#t. After #onsiderable arument with the
enineers! it was areed to tryout the operators' idea. .ith misivin?! the foreman had a
#ontrol with a dial mar"ed 'low! medium! fast' installed at the booth of the roup leader:
she #ould now ad/ust the speed of the belt anywhere between the lower and upper limits
that the enineers had set.
&he operators were delihted and spent many lun#h hours de#idin how the speed of the
belt should be varied from hour to hour throuhout the day. .ithin a wee" the pattern had
settle down to one whi#h the first half$hour of the shift was run on what the operators
#alled a 'medium' speed (a dial settin slihtly above the point mar"ed 'medium'). &he
ne%t two$and$a$half hours were run at 'hih' speed the half$hour before lun#h and half
hour after lun#h were run at 'low' speed. &he rest of the afternoon was run at 'hih speed'
with the e%#eption of the last @5 minutes of the shift! whi#h was run at 'medium'.
)n view of the operators' reports of satisfa#tion and ease in wor"! it is interestin to note
that the #onstant speed at whi#h !the enineers has oriinally set the belt was slihtly
below medium on the dial of the #ontro that had been iven to the women. &he averae
speed at whi#h they were runnin the belt was on the hih side of the dial. ;ew! if any
empty hoo"s entered the oven! and inspe#tion showed no in#rease of re/e#ts from the
paint room.
Produ#tion in#reased! and within 1 wee"s (some 1 months before the s#heduled endin of
the learnin bonus) the operators were operatin at A+ to 5+ per #ent above the level that
had been e%pe#ted under the oriinal arranement. 4aturally their earnins were
#orrespondinly hiher than anti#ipated. &hey were #olle#tin their base pay! a
#onsiderable pie#e$rate bonus! and the learnin bonus whi#h! it will be remembered! had
been set to de#rease with time and not as a fun#tion of #urrent produ#tivity. &he operators
were earnin more than many s"illed wor"ers in other parts of the plant.
Questions
1. ;rom the anle of /ob 5nri#hment! whi#h #ore /ob dimension or /ob #hara#teristi# was
most influen#ed by new system of roup reulated speed0 5valuate the reported su##ess
of the #ase aainst the prin#iples of Bob 5nri#hment.
1. 6omment on the method of payment to the operators. 3ow ood do you thin" su#h a
system is0
A. .ould you #onsider the initial dis#ontent of the operators as a ?rievan#eC0.hy or
why not0
@. 3ow would you #hara#teri<e the involvement of the operators after the introdu#tion of
roup$reulated speed0
5. 9eview your understandin of the #hara#teristi#s of effe#tive wor"ers: parti#ipation
aainst the ba#"drop of the #ase.
CASE STUDY-IV
OLD ORDER CHANETH!
Modern )ndustries Limited (M)L) in Banalore is an automobile an#illary industry. &he
#ompany started manufa#turin automotive #omponents over two de#ades ao in a small
way and has rown steadily over the years! employin over @!+++ persons at present with
the turnover e%#eedin 9s.1++ #rores. )ts produ#ts are sellin well and earnin a si<eable
amount of profits.
&he #ompany is #ontrolled and manaed by an industrialist family. "nown for their
shrewdness and business a#umen. &hey are amon the first eneration industrialists who
started their industrial ventures in a modest way! durin the early phase of
industrialisation in the #ountry and alon with the rowth of automotive industry! M)L
also rew up.
&he present 6hairman! Mr. Suresh Shah had been with the #ompany riht from it's
in#eption: 3e started his #areer as an enineer trainee! rose to the position of the
Manain 2ire#tor and in 1D7A be#ame the #ompany's 6hairman. As a result! he is
a#(uainted with every minute detail and also with every employee who has been in the
#ompany for lon. 3e #ontinues to "eep in #lose tou#h with them and is easily a##essible
to all of them! overrulin hierar#hy. A hih premium is pla#ed on their loyalty and their
lon servi#es are valued. &he 6hairman of the #ompany firmly believes that ea#h one of
them has #ontributed sinifi#antly towards the rowth of the #ompany. )n the liht of the
fa#t that the #ompany maintained a 8stron utilitarian #ulture8 all alon! the #ontribution
of ea#h and every employee had to be substantial and they were rewarded a##ordinly. At
the same time! there were many instan#es! where the servi#es were terminated due to
inade(uate performan#e.
Mr. Banardhan &ha"ur /oined M)L as a trainin instru#tor! over two de#ades ao. Prior to
that! he served as an instru#tor at an )ndustrial &rainin )nstitute. 3e had himself obtained
the #raft instru#tors' #ertifi#ate from )&). 3e was A5 years old and his main tas" was to
re#ruit youn persons as trainees! either under the Apprenti#es A#t or as #ompany trainees
and then train them as #raftsmen. Most of these trainees were absorbed to meet the
rowin needs of the #ompany! and Mr. Shah used to personally involve himself in the
pro#ess of re#ruitment and trainin of #raftsmen. Mr. &ha"ur was dire#tly reportin to
Mr. Shah! despite the vast ap in the hierar#hy. Mr. &ha"ur was promoted to the ran" of
trainin Superintendent in 1D7+! thouh there was not mu#h #hane in his /ob #ontent.
&he rowin phase of the #ompany was pra#ti#ally over by that time! and the Apprenti#e
trainin be#ame a mere statutory a#tivity. &he #ompany did not have the va#an#ies to
absorb the trained apprenti#es! and therefore! Me. Shah's involvement in apprenti#eship
trainin also re#eded. &he trainin a#tivity be#ame a subsidiary a#tivity and was not
iven mu#h importan#e.
&he winds of #hane were blowin throuh M)L also. Mr. Anil Shah! the son of the
founder industrialist too" over as the Manain 2ire#tor of M)L in 1D7A! whereas Mr.
9amesh Shah #ontinued to be the 6hairman of the #ompany.
&he youn M2 was full of new ideas. 3e wanted to revitalise the #ompany from all
aspe#ts and diversify into hih te#hnoloy areas. 3e wanted to modernise the present
plant and #hane the manaement style from the traditional dire#t #ontrol approa#h to a
systems #ontrolled approa#h. A modern #omputer was bouht and #omputerisation was
introdu#ed.
&he #ompany had to fa#e many problems while introdu#in these #hanes. -ne of the
ma/or hurdles was the problem of a number of senior employees! who were not
ade(uately (ualified or developed! but had rown into senior positions. 5arlier the
tou#hstone was loyalty and hard wor" rather than #ompeten#e. )n the liht of this
situation! new #ompetent professionals had to be hired to introdu#e the #hanes.
M)L was well$"nown for its aressive personnel poli#ies. Anyone who /oined the
#ompany had to strule hard for his survival as the #ompany was ruthless in sa#"in
those who were not meetin the re(uirements. )t was parti#ularly so in #ase of the new
appointees! whi#h in turn ne#essitated them to be ruthless in their wor" &he older
employees felt threatened and resented the #hanes and the #onse(uent pressures.
&herefore! they #olle#tively approa#hed the 6hairman and re(uested him to intervene and
safeuard their interests. &he 6hairman! who was not himself happy with all the #hanes!
issued instru#tions to the M2! to the effe#t that no old employee be dislo#ated. &he new
M2 had no other option but to #omply with the order.
&he M2 was interested in tryin out the 392 approa#hes to train all the employees!
parti#ularly employees who were turnin out to be deadwoods. 3e hired Mr. Eumar in
1D7@ as a &rainin Manaer. Mr. Eumar was basi#ally an enineer but had #onsiderable
e%perien#e with a multinational #ompany in the field of 392! parti#ularly in &rainin
and Manaement 2evelopment. 3e reoranised the trainin set up by indu#tin two
Assistant Manaers. Mr. &ha"ur was ne%t to the Assistant Manaers in the hierar#hy 'and
reported to Mr. Eumar dire#tly and #ontinued to manae the affairs related to
apprenti#eship trainin.
Fntil Mr. Eumar #ame alon! Mr. &ha"ur had en/oyed the position of the head of the
trainin division! thouh there was no other trainin a#tivity apart from apprenti#eship
trainin. 3e was operatin independently and was reportin dire#tly to the M2. 3e
#ontinued to do so even after the oranisation had rown in proportion. Mr. &ha"ur felt
demoted in the new set up. ;ie lost his position and individuality in the oranisation! and
his pride was seriously hurt. 3e was not prepared to a##ept Mr.Eumar as his boss .and he
started behavin in an irrational manner. 3e resented the vast ap #reated between him
and the top man in the new stru#ture.
Mr. Eumar tolerated him with the hope that Mr. &ha"ur would re#on#ile himself to the
#hanes! in time. Fnfortunately! he #ontinued to behave in the same way and there was
no improvement even after one year. .hen Mr. Eumar tried to #ounsel him! Mr. &ha"ur
demanded to be promoted to the level of Assistant Manaer! as he happened to be the
senior most person in the department.
Eumar promised to loo" into his demand. -n a #areful analysis of the personal do#"et of
Mr. &ha"ur and all the previous do#uments! he found out that Mr. &ha"ur was over
promoted and also over paid for the /ob that he was doin. Leave alone bein entitled for
further promotion! Mr. &ha"ur was not even fit for his present position.
&he #ompany did not have a formal performan#e appraisal system. )t's produ#ts were
sellin well! the profitability was ood and a##ordinly all the employees were rewarded
well. Promotions and e%tra in#rements were iven arbitrarily based on the personal li"es
and disli"es of the top man! rather than on any ob/e#tive analysis of performan#e or
potential of an individual. 4o formal manpower plannin or oranisational plannin
e%isted. 4o efforts were made to fore#ast impli#ations of su#h a system in future. -n the
whole! the #ompany did not have any formal pro/e#tion for the future.
&he #ompany followed the pra#ti#e of ivin lon servi#e .#ertifi#ates and awards to all
those who had #ompleted 1+ years of servi#e in the #ompany. Mr. &ha"ur had ot his
#ertifi#ate only re#ently. &here were several employees belonin to Mr. &ha"ur's
#ateory. All of them united and met both formally and informally to dis#uss their
strateies and demands. &hey used to put up their rievan#es to the manaement
#olle#tively. &hey had established a very stron rapport with the 6hairman! Mr. Shah. Mr.
Eumar presented all the fa#ts to Mr. &ha"ur to #onvin#e him that his promotion was not
possible. As the latter was not used to the "ind of loi# presented by Mr. Eumar! he
dismissed all his aruments as sophisti#ated /aron! irrelevant to the #onte%t of his
#ompany. 3e was parti#ularly bitter about the fa#t that his promotion was turned down
whereas there were several people with similar ba#"round who have ot their
promotions. &herefore! there was further deterioration in his behaviour. 3e started
inorin the dire#tions of Mr. Eumar and wor"ed as per his own whims and fan#ies!
behavin arroantly. 3e even went to the e%tent of #hallenin Mr. Eumar that he #ould
neither promote him nor demote him in the prevailin situation. So lon as he was
prote#ted by the 6hairman of the #ompany! there was nothin for him to worry about and
his /ob was pra#ti#ally se#ure.
Mr. Eumar optimisti#ally hoped that Mr. &ha"ur #ould over#ome his frustration and
aner over a period of time. Fnfortunately! even after another si% months there was no
sin of any proress. )n fa#t! the situation deteriorated further with Mr. &ha"ur be#omin
more #onfident in his belief that' Mr. Eumar was powerless to deal with him. 3e turned
out to be a dra in the department! purposely #reatin problems for Mr. Eumar.
)n M)L the annual in#rements and eneral raises were iven as a poli#y to every
employee whi#h is termed as. the 8Banata raise8 Mr. &ha"ur was (uite sure that he would
et his Banata raise and re#on#iled himself to that. Mr. Eumar tried to stop this raise but
#ould not do so. &here were several bullies belonin to Mr. &ha"ur's #ateory in the
oranisation and one of the tas"s of the &rainin Manaer was to handle su#h people.
&houh he had oranised a few trainin wor"shops in the behavioural areas! it had not
brouht about the re(uired attitudinal #hanes. 9iht under his nose he had a person
whose behaviour he was not able to amend. Mr. Eumar realised that the desired #hanes
were not possible! so lon as the 8flat se#urity8 was there.
2ue to a #hane in the overnmental poli#y! there were several new #ompetitors to M)L
and the M2 felt there was a stron need and uren#y to brin in #hanes in the
oranisation! to ma"e it more dynami# and #ompetitive. )t was no loner possible to #arry
on the oranisational dead woods. Mr. Eumar was under reat pressure to loo" into all
su#h #ases in the oranisation! on a priority basis. .hen he e%plained his diffi#ulties! the
M2 suested that he should approa#h the 6hairman to apprise him of the fa#ts.
Mr. Eumar met the 6hairman and apprised him of the situation parti#ularly #itin the
e%ample of Mr. &ha"ur. &he 6hairman! in turn attributed the blame to Mr. Eumar
himself! (uestionin him as to why a faithful and normal employee had turned into a
problemati# #ase under Mr. Eumar within one year.
Mr. Eumar is now left with no alternative but to inore Mr. &ha"ur and #ontinue in his
efforts to #hane the other diffi#ult employees. 3owever! he will not have the moral riht
to intervene in su#h #ases.
Alternatively he #ould simply promote Me. &ha"ur and buy pea#e irrespe#tive of whether
he deserves it or not.
Questions
1. )s it riht on the part of the 6hairman to prote#t the senior employees! thereby #ausin
problem to the new M20
1. )s the 6hairman not over$rewardin lon servi#e0
A. Are the senior employees too sensitive and over rea#tin to the #hanes0
@. 2id the M2 ade(uately prepare the round for introdu#in the #hanes0 .as he too
hasty0
5. .ould it not have been wise for Mr. Eumar to promote Mr. &ha"ur without botherin
about the loi# whi#h is not appli#able in M)L0
G. )s the assumption of the &rainin Manaer that '-ver prote#tion is the root #ause of
trouble' riht0
CASE STUDY - V
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR" RAM LAL
9am Lal was re#ruited dire#tly by the Eanpur &e%tile Mills as a temporary spinnin
supervisor in Buly 1DGG. At the time of his appointment! he was iven a salary of 9s. A++
whi#h in#luded basi# pay and other allowan#es. 3e was then 1H years old! a ba#helor
with no dependants. 3e had a smart and pleasant personality. 3e had passed his
matri#ulation e%amination from a lo#al 3ih S#hool and had about one year's e%perien#e
as a spinnin supervisor in a similar te%tile mill in the same #ity. )n the present /ob! he
had to wor" under the Assistant Spinnin Master and to supervise about 1++ wor"ers in
the mills. &he mills operated three shifts a day #hanin on#e a wee" in anti$#lo#"wise
dire#tion. 9am Lal's performan#e in the beinnin as a spinnin supervisor as found to be
uniformly effi#ient. 3is attitude towards the mills! superiors and #o$supervisors was
reported to be favourable. 3e was held in hih esteem by his superiors! fellow$
supervisors and wor"ers. Sometimes he used to initiate informal parties and et$toethers
in the #anteen of the mills. -n the re#ommendation of his superiors the manaement
#onfirmed him in the /ob on 1st -#tober! 1DGH.
)n Banuary! 1DG7 there was a va#an#y in the spinnin department be#ause of the
resination of another supervisor. *irdhari who was wor"in in a neihbourin mill at a
salary of 9s. AA+! applied for this position. &he Assistant Spinnin Master who "new him
personally re#ommended to the ;a#tory Manaer that *irdhari was a hihly s"illed
supervisor and that he miht be #onsidered for the /ob. -n his re#ommendation the
;a#tory Manaer hired him at a salary of 9s. A5+. A##ordin to the ;a#tory Manaer!
9am Lal was unhappy over the appointment of *irdhari. 6onse(uently! he started to
interfere in the smooth fun#tionin of *irdhari' s department.
)t was noted in 2e#ember 1DG7 that the output of 9am Lal's shift was mar"edly below the
standard of the mills. 3e was fre(uently found to be late in attendin the mills.
Sometimes! he applied for leave while stayin at home without any prior permission. 3is
attitude was des#ribed by the manaement as 'pro$labour'.
-n#e *irdhari visited the Assistant Spinnin Master (A.S.M.) and the followin
#onversation too" pla#e>
*irdhari > *ood mornin! Sir.
A.S.M. > *ood mornin! Mr. *irdhari. 3ow are you0
*irdhari > &han" you Sir! ) am (uite well.
A.S.M. > ,our output is e%#ellent in the mills. ) don't "now what has happened to 9am
Lal. ) remain #onstantly worried about the output from his department. 2o you "now why
that output is so mu#h below the standard0
*irdhari> .hy not! SirI &hat is "nown to everyone in the mills. ;or e%ample! Ealu!
Badish and Eirti who are supposed to be wor"in under him! do not a#tually do any
wor" for the mills thouh they re#eive their full salary from the mills.
A.S.M.> 3ow is that possible0
*irdhari > Sir!9am Lal sends these men to their homes and their time #ards are always
turned to indi#ate a full day's wor". )n another #ase! Manohar was #onstantly absent in
9am Lal's department for a lon period of time. 9am Lal pun#hed his time #ard at
intervals so as to retain his employment in the mills. &here is more to it than this! Sir. 3e
lea"s out #ertain #onfidential information to the wor"ers. 3e is very #lever. 3e wants to
win their #onfiden#e and #reate a ood impression of himself on them.
A.S.M.> .hat sort of #onfidential information has been lea"ed out0
*irdhari > 3e has told ea#h of his men that Banwari! one of my men! is oin to win a
#ash reward of 9s. 1++ as the most effi#ient wor"er of the mills this year. &his is a
mis#hievous move. 3e #laims that the manaement is showin favouritism! as Banwari
really stands nowhere.
A.S.M. > -.E.! ) shall ta"e #are of him.
&he Assistant Spinnin Master visited 9am Lal's department on the same day in the
afternoon but he #ould find nothin wron in his department with the e%#eption that 9am
Lal was #hattin with a few wor"ers. &he Assistant Spinnin Master informed the
;a#tory Manaer on the same day that 9am Lal was enaed in ossipin with a roup of
wor"ers at many times durin a day. -n the basis of several informal reports of the
Assistant Spinnin Master! the manaement formed the opinion that 9am Lal did not
#ooperate with his superiors and #o$supervisors in the mills. A##ordin to the
manaement! 9am Lal be#ame an 8un#onvin#in! lethari# and arroant8 man.
&he Assistant Spinnin Master informed the ;a#tory Manaer on 1+th Auust! 1DH+ that
in spite of his repeated verbal warnins! 9am Lal did not #are to improve his behaviour.
After one wee" 9am Lal re#eived the followin letter from the ;a#tory Manaer.
2ated> 1Hth Auust! 1DH+
6onfidential
&o!
Shri 9am Lal!
Spinnin Supervisor
1. ,ou were iven perfe#t doff$#ontrol settin as seen by the Assistant Spinnin Master
and the ;a#tory Manaer whi#h has not been maintained.
1. 9easons for brea"aes should have been investiated as the same frames numbers H! 7
and D were in perfe#t runnin #ondition in the earlier and the ne%t shifts.
A. ,ou have left 1++ spindles idle for no e%pli#able reason! as reported by the supervisor
who has ta"en #hare from you.
@. 5vidently the wor" was not #ontrolled by you.
5. ,ou should be able to dete#t! if at all! there is any delin(uen#e on the part of those who
are responsible for spoilin the wor". &he responsibility of the proper runnin of the
department is solely yours.
G. )t has been found that you are not reular in your attendan#e and are in the habit of
applyin for leave while sittin at home without any prior intimation andCor permission.
H. )t has been brouht to my noti#e that you are allowin some of !your men to en/oy
leave unauthorisedly.
7. )t has been reported that you are in the habit of divulin se#ret and #onfidential
information of the manaement to various unauthorised persons.
)n future! you are e%pe#ted to maintain satisfa#tory performan#e and proper dis#ipline in
the department.
S.P. .adhawa
;a#tory Manaer
Fnfortunately! 9am Lal did not respond positively to the above warnins. -n the other
hand! the manaement was fed up with his arroant behavioral patterns but did not "now
how to sa#" him.
5vidently! he be#ame a problem$employee. 3is behaviour did not improve despite
repeated #ounsellin by his superiors. &he manaement finally de#ided to serve him with
a #hare$sheet as follows>
-#tober 1G! 1DH+
6onfidential
&o
Mr! 9am Lal!
Spinnin Supervisor
;ollowin are the #hares aainst you and you are as"ed to submit your e%planation
within @7 hours of the re#eipt of the #hare$sheet failin whi#h dis#iplinary a#tion will be
ta"en aainst you.
1. Produ#tion in your shift on 5th! 7th! 11th and 15th instant has been very low in spite of
repeated verbal and written warnins
1. )n spite of repeated warnins you #ontinue to be unpun#tual in your attendan#e and
also #ontinue to handle the operations of the department in a 6asual and indifferent way!
2etail as follows >
(a) -n 1+th instant the reelin department was handed over without belts for si% reels and
thin bobbins a##umulated near the #onditionin tan".$
(b) -n l1th instant! the spinnin department was handed over in a very bad #ondition with
overlappin and many rin frames were not aited properly.
(#) -n 15th instant while you were handin over the #hare of the spinnin department! it
was also found that two rin frames were stopped without aitin and seven rin frames
were not aited properly and also there was heavy overlappin.
(d) ,ou attended to your shift duties on 11
th
! 15th and 1G
th
instant very late thereby
#ausin dislo#ation in the arranement of the shift.
(e) )n spite of repeated warnins and advi#e you failed to maintain proper dis#ipline in
the department.
)n view of the above it is #lear that as a responsible employee of the mills you have
neither improved your pun#tuality nor wor" effi#ien#y. Moreover! you have also failed to
maintain dis#ipline in the department. ,ou are therefore re(uired to submit your
e%planation within the aforesaid time limit as to why dis#iplinary a#tion should not be
ta"en aainst you whi#h may even in#lude termination of your servi#es from the mills.
S.P. .adhawa
;a#tory Manaer
9am Lal replied to the above #hare$sheet as follows>
2ated> -#tober 1H. 1DH+
&o
&he ;a#tory Manaer
9ef. > ,our letter dated -#tober 1G. 1DH+.
9espe#ted Sir!
-n -#tober 15! 1DH+ ) aree that ) #ould not hand over the #hare of spinnin department
in a proper manner be#ause ) #ould not manae the wor" of the department due to various
domesti# reasons. ) assure you Sir that ) will hand over the #hare of the department in a
proper manner in future. ) also assure you that ) shall maintain my produ#tion hih in
future. 3owever! ) am surprised to "now from your letter that ) do not maintain dis#ipline
in the department and lea"$out #onfidential information to wor"ers. ) am sure you will
aree with me that whenever ) do any ood wor"! other supervisors feel /ealous and
report to you stealthily aainst me. Please do not pay heed to these rumours. Sin#e ) am
the senior supervisor in the mills! ) re(uest you to "indly ive me an opportunity to prove
my #apability in the future. ) also assure you! Sir! that ) shall maintain dis#ipline in the
department. &han"in you and assurin you of my sin#ere servi#es always.
,ours faithfully!
(9am Lal)
Spinnin Supervisor
&he manaement observed that in spite of his above assuran#e! he neither maintained the
produ#tion standard nor enfor#ed dis#ipline in the department. 3e #ould not also improve
his behavioural patterns in the mills.
Questions
1. .hat is the #entral problem in this #ase0
1. .hat #orre#tive measures do you propose to solve this problem0
A. Prepare a systemati# report for the manaement as a #onsultant psy#holoist analysin
the pros and #ons in detail.
CASE STUDY - VI
LOSIN A OOD MAN
Sundar Steel Limited was a medium$si<ed steel #ompany manufa#turin spe#ial steels of
various types and rades. )t employed 5!+++ wor"ers and @5+ e%e#utives.
Fnder the *eneral Manaer (Produ#tion)! there were operation! maintenan#e! and
servi#es roups! ea#h headed by a #hief. &he 6hief of Maintenan#e was Shu"la and under
him Mu"her/ee was wor"in as the Maintenan#e 5nineer. &he total strenth of
Maintenan#e was 5++ wor"ers! 15 e%e#utives! and 5+ supervisors.
6hatter/ee was wor"in in Maintenan#e as a wor"er for three years. 3e was effi#ient. 3e
had initiative and drive. 3e performed his duties in a near perfe#t manner. 3e was a man
of proven te#hni#al ability with utmost drive and dash. 3e was promoted as Supervisor.
6hatter/ee! now a Supervisor! was one day passin throuh the Maintenan#e Shop on his
routine inspe#tion. 3e found a #ertain wor"er sittin idle. 3e pulled him up for this. &he
wor"er retaliated by abusin him with filthy words. .ith a rim fa#e and utter frustration!
6hatter/ee reported the matter to Mu"her/ee. &he wor"er who insulted 6hatter/ee was a
8notorious #hara#ter8! and no supervisor dared to #onfront him. Mu"her/ee too" a serious
view of the in#ident and served a stron warnin letter to the wor"er.
4othin very parti#ular about 6hatter/ee or from him #ame to the "nowlede of
Mu"her/ee. &hins were movin smoothly. 6hatter/ee was ettin alon well with others.
But after about three years! another serious in#ident too" pla#e. A wor"er #ame drun" to
duty! bean playin #ards! and usin very filthy lanuae. .hen 6hatter/ee stronly
ob/e#ted to this! the wor"er ot up and slapped 6hatter/ee. Later! the wor"er went to his
union and reported that 6hatter/ee had assaulted him while he was performin his duties.
6hatter/ee had no idea that the situation would ta"e su#h a turn. 3e! therefore! never
bothered to report the matter to his boss or #olle#t eviden#e in support of his #ase.
&he union too" the #ase to Shu"la and prevailed over him to ta"e stern a#tion aainst
6hatter/ee. Shu"la instru#ted Mu"her/ee to demote 6hatter/ee to the ran" of a wor"er.
Mu"her/ee e%pressed his apprehension that in su#h a #ase 6hatter/ee will be of no use to
the department! and the demotion would affe#t adversely the morale of all sin#ere and
effi#ient supervisors. But 6hatter/ee was demoted.
6hatter/ee #ontinued wor"in in the oranisation with all his effi#ien#y! #ompeten#e! and
ability for two months. &hen he resined statin that he had se#ured better employment
else where. Mu"her/ee was perturbed at this turn of events. .hile pla#in 6hatter/ee's
resination letter before Shu"la! he e%pressed deep #on#ern at this development.
Shu"la #alled 6hief of Personnel for advi#e on this deli#ate issue. &he 6hief of Personnel
said! 8) thin" the in#ident should help us to appre#iate the essential (ualifi#ation re(uired
for a su##essful supervisor. An honest and hardwor"in man need not ne#essarily prove
to be an effe#tive supervisor. Somethin more is re(uired for this as he has to et thins
done rather than do himself.8
Mu"her/ee said!8 ) have a hih opinion of 6hatter/ee. 3e proved his te#hni#al
#ompeten#e and was sin#ere at his wor". *iven some uidan#e on how to deal with the
type of persons he had to wor" with! the sad situation #ould have been avoided.8
Shu"la said! 8) am really sorry to lose 6hatter/ee. 3e was very Jhonest and pain$sta"in
in his wor". But ) do not "now how ) #ould have helped him. ) wonder how he always
manaed to et into trouble with wor"ers. .e "now they are illiterates and some of them
are touh. But a supervisor must have the ability and presen#e of mind to deal with su#h
men. ) have numerous supervisors! but ) never had to tea#h anybody how to supervise his
men.8

Questions
1. .hat is the main problem in the #ase0
1. 2o you thin" the de#ision ta"en by Shu"la is in "eepin with the faith! trust and
#reatin developmental #limate in the oranisation! #riti#ally evaluate0
A. .hat would you have done! if you were in pla#e of Shu"la0
@. 2o you aree with what 6hief of Personnel has said0 .hat is he pointin towards
sayin that somethin more is re(uired to be an effe#tive supervisor! e%plain0
5. Mu"her/ee is pointin towards 8uidan#e8 )s he indi#atin' towards enhan#in
#ompeten#ies of the employees to perform their /ob more effe#tively. 2o you aree0
G. 2o you thin" #ounsellinCmentorin may help improvin rouh and ) touh
employees0
H. )s the present situation li"ely to affe#t the wor" motivation0 392 systems have reat
relevan#e to employee motivation. As *.M. what developmental interventions would you
re#ommend to improve wor" motivation and dyadi# relationship.
CASE STUDY VII
SHARMA ASSAULTS MAHTO
Bharat Steel Stru#tures Limited was a lare publi# se#tor underta"in havin @+!+++
employees. )tKs ;abri#ation Shop fabri#ated stru#tures and paired various e(uipments.
&he shop was headed by the 2eputy .or"s manaer (Me#hani#al)! who reported to the
.or"s Manaer (Me#hani#al)! who in turn reported to the *eneral Manaer (.or"s).
Sharma /oined the #ompany in 1D7+ as a ;abri#ator *rade ))! whi#h was a s"illed /ob. 3is
/ob was to fabri#ate and repair different e(uipments under his supervisor's uidan#e.
)nitially Sharma was sin#ere! well behaved! and dedi#ated. Soon he be#ame one of the
best wor"ers in the shop. After some time! however! Sharma started losin interest in his
/ob and radually be#ame indifferent.
;re(uently he pi#"ed up (uarrels with his fellow wor"ers on trivial issues. Mahto!
Supervisor of Sharma's shift! reported aainst him to the ) 2eputy .or"s Manaer. Mahto
#omplained that most of the time Sharma was not available at his wor" pla#e! and even
when he was available he was found ossipin with other wor"ers. &he 2eputy .or"s
Manaer orally warned Sharma and told him to improve his performan#e: otherwise
suitable a#tion would be ta"en aainst him.
-n Bune 17! Sharma and Mahto were in the mornin shift (G a.m. to 1 p.m.). At 11.A+
p.m. Mahto left the shop and went to the Administration Buildin! whi#h was outside the
plant premises to en(uire about a file. Mahto informed the 2eputy .or"s Manaer before
leavin the shop. At 11.@+ p.m. Mahto was assaulted and manhandled on the road /ust
outside the main ate. Mahto was ta"en to the hospital by some wor"ers. Mahto loded a
#omplaint that Sharma had assaulted him.
Sharma was subse(uently #hare$sheeted by the 2eputy .or"s Manaer for mis#ondu#t
and was as"ed to reply within seven days. &he #hare$sheet said>
1. 8-n Bune 17 at 11.@5 p.m. you assaulted Mahto on the road outside the main ate while
he was oin out of the plant. 2urin the previous wee" he had reported about your la#"
of interest in wor" and fre(uent absen#e from wor" pla#e without permission. )nstead of
improvin your performan#e! you assaulted him! apparently be#ause he had #omplained
aainst you.8
1. 8,ou were absent from your duty without permission between 11.A+ p.m. and 1.@+
p.m. on Bune 17.8
)n his reply of Bune 1D (within seven days as re(uired) Sharma alleed that the 2eputy
.or"s Manaer had #ertain mali#e aainst him as he had not oblied him by
manufa#turin and supplyin a #upboard for his household use. &he manaer had
#on#o#ted the #ase to vi#timi<e him. Moreover! he #laimed that he and Mahto were
present on their duty up to 1.@5 p.m. 3en#e! the (uestion of his assaultin Mahto did not
arise. 3e further stated that he was on ood terms with Mahto. &he .or"s Manaer did
not find the reply to be satisfa#tory and #onstituted an en(uiry #ommittee #onsistin of
the Senior Manaer (&rainin) and the Senior Personnel -ffi#er. Sharma fully
parti#ipated in the en(uiry and was assisted by a #owor"er.
&he #ommittee held Sharma uilty of the mis#ondu#ts mentioned in the #hare$sheet.
&he .or"s Manaer was thin"in about the a#tion to be ta"en aainst Sharma and how to
avoid su#h situations in future.
Questions
1. )dentify the problem in the #ase.
1. 3ow do you see the a#t of Sharma0 6riti#ally evaluate with referen#e to his reply to
the en(uiry #ommittee.
A. 3ow would you ta#"le the problem to avoid re#urren#e of su#h in#idents! if you were
the .or"s Manaer0
@. 2o you see any role of orani<ational #limate as a fa#tor0 6omment.
CASE STUDY - VIII
NATIONAL MANUFACTURIN COMPANY LIMITED
4ational Manufa#turin 6ompany is a publi# limited #on#ern havin its fa#tory at
,amunanaar with its reistered offi#e in 2elhi. )t employs 1!1++ wor"men! who are
oranised into a union #alled the 84ational
Manufa#turin 6ompany Ma<door Fnion8. 9am/as! a fitter in the enineerin
department! is the president of the union! and he #ommands #onsiderable .respe#t amon
the wor"men.
-n A+th April 1D7A! about 1+ employees of the #ompany led by 9am/as met the wor"s
manaer and as"ed him that May ) be de#lared a holiday. &he wor"s manaer e%pressed
his inability to oblie the union. &hen the situation too" an uly turn. &here was e%#hane
of hot words. 9am/as a##used the wor"s manaer of bein anti$wor"in #lass and a
#allous despot.
&he same evenin! 9am/as addressed a ate meetin. 3e as"ed the wor"ers to observe
May 2ay in a fittin manner. A resolution #ondemnin the attitude of the wor"s manaer
was also adopted at the meetin.
At the start of the shift at 7>++ a.m. the ne%t day! i.e. May 2ay! 9am/as went to the
fa#tory! #olle#ted a number of wor"men! in#ludin several offi#e$bearers of the .union!
and went from department to department urin the wor"men to stop wor". .ithin a
short time a lare number of wor"men left their8 wor" pla#e and streamed out. A fla
hoistin #eremony was held outside the fa#tory ate. 9am/as e%horted the wor"ers to /oin
the May 2ay rally later in the evenin. &he fa#tory did not wor" for the rest of the day.
&he manaement issued a #hare$sheet to 9am/as on Ard May 1D7A ivin details of the
#hares and stated that those a#ts amounted to ross mis#ondu#t! under Standin -rders
1@(a)! (#)! ()! (")! (p). (;or te%t of
the Standin -rders see Anne%ure 1). 9am/as was re(uired to submit his e%planation in
the followin lanuae>
,ou are hereby re(uired to submit your e%planation to the above said a#ts of mis#ondu#t
within 1@ hours of the re#eipt hereof as to why you should not be dismissed from the
servi#e of the #ompany. (;or #hare$sheet see Anne%ure )))
)t was stated in the #hare$sheet that Shri P.6. *upta! the leal advisor of the #ompany!
would hold the en(uiry on the #hare$sheet at 11.++ a.m. on 1+th May! 1D7A in the
6onferen#e 9oom of the fa#tory.
9am/as refused to a##ept the #hare$sheet. &herefore! it was sent to him by reistered
post on the same day and a #opy thereof was displayed on the noti#e$board of the
#ompany. &he reistered #over was re#eived ba#" with the remar"s 8refused to a##ept8.
9am/as! however! appeared for the en(uiry and as"ed in writin that he be permitted to
be defended by a lawyer or alternatively by Pritam Sinh! the *eneral Se#retary of the
union! who was not an employee of the #ompany. &he re(uest of Shri 9am/as was turned
down by the en(uiry offi#er. 9am/as wal"ed out from the en(uiry room statin that he
#ould not e%pe#t /usti#e from the leal adviser of the #ompany who was biased in favour
of the manaement and that he was not bein iven proper opportunity to defend himself.
&he en(uiry offi#er re#orded the statements of the manaement witnesses and #on#luded
the en(uiry pro#eedins. 3e found 9am/as uilty of all the #hares levelled aainst him.
3e submitted his findins to the wor"s manaer. &he wor"s manaer referred the same to
the se#retary of the #ompany at the head offi#e for advi#e. &he se#retary wrote ba#" that
9am/as should be dismissed. A##ordinly! the wor"s manaer issued a letter to 9am/as
terminatin his servi#es with immediate effe#t statin that all the #hares levelled aainst
him were found proved and that he was uilty of mis#ondu#t for whi#h dismissal was the
proper punishment.
&he punishment infli#ted upon 9am/as was assailed by the union on the followin
rounds>
1. &he #hare of insubordination and subversive of dis#ipline in passin resolution
#ondemnin the wor"s manaer was not a mis#ondu#t and! as su#h! no en(uiry #ould be
held aainst him.
1. &he #hare$sheet was invalid inasmu#h as the manaement bein biased aainst him
had already made up its mind to dismiss him and that holdin of the en(uiry was /ust a
leal formality.
A. 4o opportunity was iven to him to defend ?imself.
@. &he pro#eedins of the en(uiry re#orded in his absen#e were not bindin on him and
no punishment #ould be awarded on the basis of the same.
5. &he appointment of the leal adviser of the #ompany as the en(uiry offi#er was illeal
and aainst the prin#iples of natural /usti#e.
G. &he wor"s manaer! bein himself involved in the in#ident! was interested in the
out#ome of the en(uiry and #ould not a#t as the punishin authority.
H. &he wor"s manaer in the #ir#umstan#es #ould not and did not apply his mind
independently in de#idin the (uantum of punishment.
7. 3e was vi#timi<ed for his trade union a#tivities and for bein the president of the
union.
A445LF95 )
1@. (a) .ilful insubordination or disobedien#e alone or in #ombination with another or
others of any lawful and reasonable order of a superior.
(#) Stri"in wor" or in#itin others to stri"e in #ontravention of the provisions of any
statute or the standin orders.
() 5nterin or leavin or attemptin to enter or leave the fa#tory e%#ept in a##ordan#e
with these standin orders.
(") &hreatenin or intimidatin any offi#er or employee on the fa#tory premises.
(p) 2eliberately ma"in false! vi#ious! or mali#ious statements! publi# or otherwise!
aainst any offi#er or employee of the #ompany.
A445LF95 ))
&o!
Shri 9am/as!
;itter! 5nineerin 2epartment!
&o"en 4o. 1HG+
.hereas on A+th April 1D7A you alon with other 1+ of your #olleaues went to the
offi#e of the wor"s manaer Shri 9andhir Sinh and on his de#linin your re(uest to
de#lare 1st May 1D7A as a eneral holiday! you entered into heated aruments and used
undesirable lanuae aainst him!
and whereas on the evenin of the same day! i.e.! A+th April! 1D7A! you oranised and
spo"e at a meetin outside the fa#tory premises where a resolution #ondemnin the wor"s
manaer was passed.
. .hereas on the mornin of 1st May! 1D7A you alon with other wor"men of the fa#tory
moved from department to department and in#ited the wor"ers to stop wor". &his resulted
in wor"men wal"in out of the fa#tory premises for the day. &he above a#ts of omission
and #ommission on your part amount to mis#ondu#t under Se#tion 1@(a)! (#)! ()! (")! and
(p) of the Standin -rders.
,ou are hereby re(uired to submit your e%planation to the above said a#ts of mis#ondu#t
within 1@ hours of the re#eipt hereof as to why you should not be dismissed from the
servi#e of the #ompany.
Please ta"e note that an en(uiry under the provisions of the Standin -rders in the
matters of the above #hare$sheet will be held by Shri P.6. *upta! Leal Adviser of the
6ompany! at 11>++ a.m. on 1+th May 1D7A in the 6onferen#e 9oom of the fa#tory.
,ou are hereby re(uired to present yourself for the en(uiry on the aforesaid date! time!
and pla#e.
)n view of the ravity of the mis#ondu#t mentioned above! you are also hereby pla#ed
under suspension with immediate effe#t.
Questions
1. .as 9am/as /ustified in raisin the demand for May$2ay holiday on the A+th April!
and ettin the wor" stopped on 1st May0
1. .as manaement /ustified in ta"in dis#iplinary a#tion aainst 9am/as. )f so! was the
#haresheet drafted and served on him properly0
A. .as the en(uiry #ondu#ted in #onformity with prin#iples of 4atural Busti#e0 )f not! on
what rounds it #an be de#lared vitiated.
@. )s the punishment of dismissal in proportion to the offen#e #ommitted0 .hat is the
possibility of its bein set aside or redu#ed by the Labour 6ourt! or the hiher #ourt.
CASE STUDY -I#
A DEFIANT $OR%ER
Mr. L aed 15! who had been wor"in in a lare s#ale te%tile unit in Madurai was
referred to the So#ial .or"er by the Labour 9elations 2epartment for a so#ial
investiation of the defiant behaviour e%hibited by him in the wor" pla#e. 3e had
absented from wor" many a time due to #ertain disturbin habits.
Mr. L had #ommitted serious a#ts of mis#ondu#t! riotous and disorderly behaviour durin
wor"in hours on 1+$1$1D71 as (1) he #ame to the Mill in a drun"en state and (uarrelled
with his #o$wor"ers and
(1) Abused the supervisor usin foul lanuae.
-n a #ursory perusal of the past re#ords of the deviant wor"er! the so#ial wor"er #ame to
"now that Mr. L had absented himself #ontinually for 1HGM days durin 1D71. )n
addition! he had availed himself of 11 days' medi#al leave and 11 days' #asual leave. As a
result of his indis#iplined behaviour! the #ompany had ta"en the followin dis#iplinary
a#tion aainst him>
(1) 3e was suspended three times for A+ days by the Labour 9elations 2epartment for
absentin himself from wor" for more than si% #onse#utive days on two o##asions and
on#e for #ommittin a serious a#t of mis#ondu#t.
(1) 3e was suspended as many as 5 times for bein absent from the wor"spot.
(A) -n#e he was fined half of his salary ma%imum for #arelessly allowin the #otton to
wrap on the #ylinder roll.
(@) 3e was iven a final warnin on 1H$7$1D71 reardin his habitual absen#e.
2urin the preliminary interview the So#ial .or"er had with Mr. L! he #ame to "now
that Mr. L was married and had studied upto G
th
standard. 3e had been drawin a salary
of 9s. 7++ and had put in si% years of servi#e as a '.or"er' in the Blow Se#tion. As to the
family ba#"round! Mr. L is the younest son of his parents. 3e lost his father and
mother when he was H years old. Sin#e then his eldest brother had been loo"in after him.
)n order to "now more about the so#io$#ultural ba#"round of Mr. L! the fa#tors whi#h
had driven him to indule in al#oholism and the #auses for his indis#iplined behaviour in
the wor" pla#e! the So#ial .or"er paid visits to his house many a time and #onferred with
his family members. )n the #ourse of an interview he had with the eldest brother of Mr. L!
the So#ial .or"er athered information about Mr. L's life history riht from the
s#hoolin. &his revealed that Mr. L! was never interested in s#hoolin and fre(uently
absented from the #lass. 3e was asso#iated with a an of friends who used to ta"e him
to films reularly 'when Mr. L was in the fifth standard.
2urin his youth! Mr. L seemed to ta"e a#tive interest in politi#s and ultimately fell
under the influen#e of ansters! throuh whom he had developed #ertain vi#es su#h as
#onsumin al#ohol! an/a and amblin.
Seein the deterioratin moral and so#ial life of Mr. L his brother pro#ured a /ob for him
'in the lo#al te%tile unit so that Mr. L #ould settle down and assume #ertain
responsibilities in life. As years rolled by! Mr. L ot married but in #ourse of time he
started developin a feelin of hatred towards his wife in as mu#h as he did not li"e her
physi#al appearan#e. 3is marital life lasted only for three months after whi#h the nuptial
bondae had bro"en! on#e and for all. 2issatisfied with the "ind of life he was leadin!
Mr. L bean to #onsume al#ohol reularly only to be#ome an addi#t. 3e started playin
du#"s and dra"es with all his savins and the in#ome derived from his land too. 3is
brother bean to re/e#t him for he was beyond redemption and finally drove him out of
the house.
Mr. L's supervisor! while interviewed by the So#ial .or"er! stated that Mr. L's
relationship with him and #o$wor"ers had been unsatisfa#tory. 3e was not effi#ient in his
wor". -ften times! he (uarrelled with the Supervisor and other wor"ers when he #ame to
the wor"spot under the influen#e of al#ohol. &he Supervisor was of the view that thouh
Mr. L has been #ounselled and punished on many o##asions! he has not repented for the
a#ts of mis#ondu#t he had #ommitted.
Fnderstandably! the fa#tors #ontributin to the deviant behaviour that Mr. L miht be the
la#" of parental #are durin his #hildhood! his asso#iation with ansters! marital
disareement due to dissatisfa#tion in his se%ual relations! failure on the part of the
manaement to dis#over the problem at an early stae and #ontrol the same! et#.! and this
miht lead us to assume that Mr. L had developed disturbin habits su#h as al#oholi#
addi#tion and #hroni# absenteeism owin to very fa#tors indi#ated above. .hen the
So#ial .or"er pleaded with the Labour -ffi#er to rant pardon to Mr. L for the repeated
deviant a#ts e%hibited by him! the -ffi#er e%plained that thouh Mr. L was iven the
absolute final warnin! the latter had absented himself for about @5 days even after
re#eivin the same and therefore! he asserted! that he had no other option but to dismiss
Mr. L from servi#e.
Questions
1. )s it not the moral and ethi#al responsibility of the employer to be #on#erned about the
(uality of life of the deviant wor"er0
1. 3ow #ould the misbehaviour of the wor"er be #onstru#tively #orre#ted without
penalty0
A. Suppose the deviant wor"er had been #ounselled by the SupervisorC Manaer rather
than proressively penali<ed! would he have been dismissed from servi#e0
@. )s the pro#edure adopted by the oranisation for dis#iplinin the errant behaviour of the
wor"er /ustifiable0
5. 6ould the termination of the defiant wor"er's servi#es have been avoided0
G. .hat rehabilitative measures #ould be adopted for preventin and #orre#tin the
deviant behaviour of wor"ers whu had e%hibited habit disturban#es in the wor" pla#e0
CASE STUDY -#
SARVODAYA STRUCTURALS LIMITED
Sarvodaya Stru#turals Limited was enaed in the fabri#ation of heavy stru#turals. &he
#ompany had si% shops besides enineerin! a##ounts! personnel! sales! and
administrative departments. )t employed H!+++ men. &he #hief e%e#utive of the #ompany
was the *eneral Manaer.
)n one of the shops employin 1!+++ men! D++ tons of stru#turals were fabri#ated every
month. &he day$to$day manaement of the shop was entrusted to the Manaer! who was
assisted by the Senior ;oreman. &he three main se#tions of the shop were Preparation!
Mar"in! and ;inishin.
)n the Mar"in and ;inishin Se#tions! the wor" was supervised by two foremen ea#h.
&he Preparation Se#tion was under the dire#t supervision of the Senior ;oreman! who! in
addition! planned and #oordinated the wor" of all the three se#tions. &he Preparation
Se#tion was responsible for the #olle#tion and. #lassifi#ation of wor"s orders! for readin
intri#ate ma#hine and stru#tural drawins! determination of priorities for e%e#ution of
orders! #he#"in bills of materials! and pro#essin raw materials for fabri#ation. &his
se#tion had 1++ men on the rolls.
)n 1DG1 the shop started re#eivin heavy orders! and as the wor"load in#reased
#onsiderably! the Senior ;oreman was unable to #ope with it. -n the Manaer's
re#ommendation! the *eneral Manaer san#tioned two new posts of foremen for the
Preparation Se#tion. &wo Proress )n#hares atta#hed to the Senior ;oreman were thus
rendered surplus and their prin#ipal wor"! namely! reportin proress of wor" in the shop!
was transferred to the Produ#tion Plannin 2epartment. &his a#tion of the *eneral
Manaer had the #on#urren#e of the Manaer. &he )n$#hares themselves were not
transferred to the Produ#tion Plannin 2epartment! as this had its own departmental men
to ta"e #are of this wor". &hey #ontinued on the rolls of the shop! awaitin orders for
transfer to va#an#ies of e(uivalent rade in other shops.
&he minimum (ualifi#ations for the re#ently #reated posts of foremen! pres#ribed by a
Boint 6ommittee! were a diploma in enineerin and five years' e%perien#e in a stru#tural
shop. &he posts were advertised for in the orani<ation but none of the appli#ants was
found suitable for appointment. &he )n$#hares #on#erned! who were non$matri#ulates!
did not apply! as they did not possess the pres#ribed (ualifi#ations. &he posts were!
therefore! advertised in the press. &hree outside #andidates applied. -nly one appeared
for the interview and he was not #onsidered suitable for appointment.
&he #ase of the two surplus )n$#hares did not #ome within the purview of the rievan#e
pro#edure in operation in the #ompany! as it involved a #hane in the minimum
(ualifi#ations pres#ribed for the post of ;oreman. As! however! they were powerful
members of the Fnion e%e#utive! the Se#retary of the re#oni<ed trade union too" up
their #ase for appointment as foremen with the *eneral Manaer. &he Fnion Se#retary
arued that they had been doin part of the foremen's /ob before the posts were #reated
and! in the absen#e of suitable #andidates they should be preferred for promotion.
&he *eneral Manaer maintained that the men #on#erned were not (ualified for the posts
and did not posses the te#hni#al ba#"round re(uired to perform the ;oreman's duties.
&he written /ob$des#riptions of the posts of Proress )n$#hare and ;oreman prepared by
the Boint 6ommittee indi#ated that the /ob #ontent of the former was only about 15 per
#ent of that of a foreman! and only! on the administrative side. &hey did not supervise the
wor" of the Preparation Se#tion in any way! where there were mistries in line for
promotion. &he latter! thouh ood in their own area! #ould not be promoted as they were
not te#hni#ally (ualified to hold the hiher position.
After proloned dis#ussion! the *eneral Manaer #on#eded that in the #ir#umstan#es! the
)n$#hares would be iven an opportunity to prove their fitness for the /ob. )t was also
areed that in the first pla#e! test spe#ifi#ations for the posts of ;oreman would be
wor"ed out by a Boint 6ommittee and iven to the men #on#erned. )f they wished! they
would also be iven uidan#e for a period of three months! to learn the /ob. &hey would
then be sub/e#ted to a test by the &rainin -ffi#er! and if .they passed the test! they would
be promoted to foremen.
&he Manaer #ommuni#ated this de#ision to the Senior ;oreman in the presen#e of the
two men. 3e readily areed to ive them the ne#essary uidan#e whenever they re(uested
it. 3owever! they maintained that 8the de#ision was not only to ive them uidan#e when
as"ed for! but full$time trainin and uidan#e in order to enable them to pass the test8. -n
hearin this! the Senior ;oreman remar"ed> 8) have no one to spare primarily for the
purpose of trainin them to pass the test. 8
Questions
1. .hat is the main problem in the #ase0
1. )dentify and dis#uss the stae and a#tion re(uired to ta#"le the problem before it
be#ame a rievan#e. 6omment on the role of the manaement.
A. 6riti#ally evaluate the rievan#e and the follow$up a#tion. 5valuate the union$
manaement #ompromise and its possible #onse(uen#es with your own point of view! in
detail.
@. )f you were the manaer of the 8shop8! how would you handle the problem! after the
senior foreman's remar" about sparin the 8in$#hares8 for three months0