Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Tuesday 14 June 2016

How To Improve Work-Life Balance ?


How  To  Improve  Work-Life  Balance  ?

Last week , TOYOTA company announced that it is planning to introduce a " tele commute " system , which will allow some 25,000 employees ( more than one - third of its work force ) , to do most of their work from home

This plan will cover employees working in following functional areas :
*     Human Resource  /  Accounts  /  Sales  /  Research & Development  /  Engineering
And will embrace :
*     Those who have been working for TOYOTA for over 5 years
*     Those working in Company's headquarters
Methodology being adopted :
*     TOYOTA is negotiating the plan with Trade Unions ( - negotiate  to make employees happy  ?  )

REASON  ?
*     TOYOTA management believes that tele-commuting will improve work-life balance of concerned employees

Coming from TOYOTA , this ( reasoning ) is  NOT  a surprise  !  It is totally believable  !

In support of my belief , I reproduce below , a part of a letter that I sent to 7500 employees of  L&T ( individual copies in English and in Marathi ) , on 21  Feb  1985  ( titled , " Instant Industrial Relations ? " ) :

"........what a sharp contrast to  know that two personnel managers of Toyota company
began a pilgrimage in 1952, to  talk with employees in small discussion-groups, at  their homes,  after work-hours,  in an attempt to re-establish mutual dialogue.

On an average,  they made three  visits a night,  coming home after nine o'clock,  six days a week  ...... The two managers had to  continue their itenerary  for ten years,  before they were convinced that their mission was finally completed

Ten years / 9000 families / one  hour with each family - all to re-establish mutual dialogue !

Is it any wonder that the country with the  least labour-laws has the most harmonious IR climate ?

In the enclosed article on              

"Industrial Relations in Japan" ,

you will come across  many examples of  the Japanese tenacity when it comes to  building trust between  groups of employees - by whatever name called.

A few  months back,  MR. MISU, one-time  director of  HITACHI, said,

"As individuals, Japanese people  are not very brilliant.  We have won only  4 Nobel-prizes in all  these years against 109 won  by  the   Americans. 

But   when  it  comes  to  working collectively as a team, we are almost unbeatable ! "


At a point in time when Governments ( Central + States ) are crying hoarse about urgent need for " Labour Reforms " , it is time to sit back and ask :

"  How urgently do we need some MANAGEMENT ATTITUDE REFORMS ?

Or , has WORKER  PARTICIPATION  IN  MANAGEMENT , become an obsolete concept  ?


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14  June  2016

www.hemenparekh.in > Letters to L&T Employees

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Make    Yourself    Heard

Dear Visitor :

It is time for YOU to speak up - and demand that YOU are heard

By emailing this suggestion - incorporating your OWN improvements - to the following Policy Makers

(  Just multiple copy all the following Email IDs into the Recipient column of your Outlook and Copy / paste this suggestion in the Message Box ) :










hemen  parekh


Marol , Mumbai , India


( M ) +91 - 98,67,55,08,08

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