“GIC Re executives were asked questions relevant to call centres by consultant’

By Venkatachari Jagannathan

Chennai, Sep 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) What is the purpose of asking reinsurance officials about their proposed action on a hypothetical situation if employed in a hospitality or other sectors, fumes officials of General Insurance Corporation of India Ltd (GIC Re).

In a letter to the Board of GIC Re and its Chairman and Managing Director Devesh Srivastava, five unions have told: "KPMG questionnaires were mostly applicable for a BPO/call centre employees and we are dead sure that they lack competence in our industry."

"The employees were asked to respond to a questionnaire on a designated system. The software belonged to KPMG. The questions were not related to reinsurance," a senior official of GIC Re told IANS preferring anonymity.

"The questionnaire was not like a psychometric test. The questions asked were unrelated to reinsurance business," the official added.

The GIC Re is the national reinsurer with about 470 employees.

According to the officials, if KPMG's recommendations are implemented the work-life balance of employees will be adversely affected.

"KPMG has proposed a Phone Application which will be installed in every employee's handset which will inform one's performance 24/7 thus further deteriorating work life balance," the Unions have told the GIC Re management.

An official said KPMG was hired in September 2021.

According to an official, the GIC Re human resources team had held a meeting with the unions to discuss the implementation phase of project Parivartan on September 5.

The Unions had told the GIC Re management and the Central government that their question on whether a similar exercise was initiated and completed in any other public sector undertaking (PSU) and its success rate remained unanswered at the meeting held on September 5.

"We also demanded the consultant's preliminary report with SWOT analysis and final preimplementation report which has not been provided till date," the letter written by the Unions notes.

"Be it known to all that the recent transfers, Retransfers and Retro transfers fiasco and the various departments which have mushroomed overnight were based on KPMG's report which

is not even approved by the management nor has our board's sanctity. Hence, it does not adhere to the current transfer policy. This is akin to clinical trials," the letter adds.

According to the Unions, quality parameters are totally ignored, and all the employees will be judged on quantity and what the Phone App reflects.

Only 10 per cent of the employees will be considered for all rewards and 90 per cent employees are ignored, they said.

"No mention was made for the incorporation of the existing constitutional benefits extended to our SC & ST brethren in the new scheme of things," the Unions said.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

Source: IANS