Essential Features of a future Smart Truck..!!

In today’s world everything is transiting from being ordinary to smart, few examples of the transition are Smart-TVs, Smart-Phones, Smart-Watches and Smart-Cars. 

Its an era of change and we are loving this transition, aren’t we?

Humans are making progress in all walks & sectors of life and one big sector to watch for is Automobile & Transportation.
Today we have Super/Smart Cars and Bikes but with time we have felt the need to have a smart vehicle which can cause a revolution in the transportation industry and that can certainly be a Smart Truck.

The road transportation industry is growing at a great pace, with improved road infrastructure and rising domestic consumption, the transportation market is expected to boom at a significant rate.
To sustain this boom it is very important to modernize the most important means of transportation in India, Trucks.

                                                          Credits - Here

So let’s focus on the major factors/features that can convert an ordinary truck into a smart truck, which is the need of the hour.

1. FuelSmart -:
In India where everyday there are millions of vehicles running on the road, there are high chances of traffic jams. In such situations you have to drive at a snail's pace, which in turn has a negative effect on the mileage.

Also the load of the cargo is big and the distance to be covered is huge, so for the Indian roads and conditions a truck needs to be FuelSmart which is the topmost requirement for a Smart Truck.

In current times Mahindra Blazo has brought a smart new technology, present in form of 3 switches which provides unbeatable mileage without compromising on the power which certainly brings it closer to be called a Smart Truck.

2. Powerful Engine -:
A Smart truck has to travel through rough terrains, climb inclined roads and carry heavy loads over long distances. To achieve the above conditions and also fulfill all the business needs it is necessary for the truck to have a powerful engine.
If we see the current fleet of trucks available in the market, Mahindra Trucks lead the race with their world renowned m-POWER engines which are among the most powerful engines in the HCV segment in India.

These m-POWER engines deliver maximum power, improved responsiveness and fuel economy and their unique modular engines ensures lower maintenance & repair costs.

3. Driver’s Heaven
Any automobile can’t be called smart until it is a driver’s heaven.
Air conditioning, comfortable seats, enough leg space, chemical toilet and automatic driving are few of the most important features a Smart Truck should possess.

4. Safety Features
In India it is really disappointing to find that least importance is given to the safety of people while building automobiles.
For example the traditional trucks still doesn’t have sensors (that signals a warning when a driver is fatigued or when there is some obstacle head & the driver is not slowing down), rear view camera (for taking reverse) and airbags.
The above safety features and many more like them should definitely be present in a Smart Truck.

The traditional truck industry needs lot of technological advancements to fulfill the dream of building the first Smart Truck in India. Companies like Mahindra and Tata Motors are the pioneers in this initiative and I hope that they will succeed soon in their mission.


I’m writing this blog post for the MTBD #SmartTrucking activity at BlogAdda.  

SkyWatch - Tuesday

                  A bright start to the day with a bright blue sky

Red Day : Women Heart Disease Awareness Day

February 5 is celebrated as "Red Day" in USA.
On this day American Heart Association asks everyone to wear red in order to raise awareness for heart disease in women. 
Created back in 2004, it was designed to promote healthier lives for women of all ages.

Tata Consultancy Services in collaboration with Bank of America follows it every year.

"Red Day" @office through pics

When North meets South in USA

"When North meets South in USA" is a comedy series which depicts the daily fun filled and dramatic confrontations of a North Indian guy who lives with his South Indian roommates in USA.

Take it with a pinch of humour. There are absolutely no intentions to defame or offend anyone.
I hope you guys will enjoy it.


                                    First day at grocery
            North Indian goes to bring common grocery for all..!!

LakeView @ Office

              
      Merrill Lynch offices are know for great infrastructure, location and natural beauty around.

BirdWatch - Friday

                                                                   
         They are free, they are united, searching for their prey as a team, they are all over the sky

Relevance of Corporate Recognition Programs in Workplace

What is Employee recognition?
Acknowledging or appreciating the work, efforts, performance, contributions and behavior of an employee is termed as employee recognition.  An employee is recognized when he/she achieves predetermined set of targets or goals on or before the deadline that contribute to organizational success.
Recognition can be on a yearly, half yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly or day-to-day basis.
It can be in form of money, company shares, gifts, verbal or written appreciation, improved quality of life at workplace, trophies, certificates, parties etc.

Why Employee recognition is necessary?
Everyone likes to be appreciated, motivated and recognized for their efforts.
Recognition is not limited to the corporate world but is applicable across all walks of life, whether it is recognition by parents at home, some friend at a party, your partner in a relationship or by a teacher in school.

On a corporate level employees need to be recognized for the following reasons -:

1. To boost their morale and make them feel part of the company’s success.
2. Whenever they achieve more than what is expected, an appreciation creates an environment of  
    respect and gives them a sense of responsibility and belonging in their workplace.
3. To higher the employee productivity which is beneficial for the company.
4. To make the employee more loyal and attached to the company.
5. To decrease the attrition rate.
6. And finally to retain the middle & high performers and make them feel different from the low
    performers.

                                                                 Credit - Here

Employee Recognition Programs
Employee Recognition Programs are part of organization’s compensation and reward system.
These programs reflect the cultural value of an organization.

An effective recognition program consist of frequent communication, impartiality, management support, consistency and a balanced approach with all the possible & popular award choices.
It supports behaviors that improve individual and team performance, align with organizational values and result in better overall company performance.

Some of the key characteristics of such programs are

1. They are built to cover the largest number of employees across functions, departments and
     hierarchies.

2. They are structured in such a way that they effectively deal with different situations and different
    kinds of needs of the employees.
3. There is always generosity and human touch in the way they function.
4. They are aligned with the values, strategy, culture and goals of the organization and also pull the
    employees in the same direction to achieve the best possible outcome.

Relevance of Employee recognition programs
According to a study in 1990 it was argued that rewards and recognition programs boosts morale of employees, maintain high spirits among them and keep them motivated & satisfied.

Another study conducted by the Society for incentive and travel executives found that properly constructed reward programs can boost employee performance by 44%.

Most of the organizations that were analyzed across various studies have shown to made significant progress by implementing a well balanced rewards and recognition programs for employees which in turn impacted their motivation and motivation has a direct effect on the innovation in an organization.

Ways to recognize employee accomplishments
There are different ways to reward and recognize the efforts and achievements of employees -:

The Traditional one includes -
1. Promotions mainly based on the experience.
2. Assured annual salary.
3. Annual increase in compensation based on the year round performance.
4. Bonus to those who have given exceptional performance.
5. Stake in the company in form of stocks to the people at higher positions.
6. Verbal recognition in front of the public or in person.
7. Appreciation mails from higher management to those employees or team who have done
    outstanding work.
8. Various awards on a monthly/quarterly/half-yearly or yearly basis, like best team award, star of
    the month award, star of the quarter award etc.
9. Trophies, certificates and cash rewards.

Nowadays there are many other innovative ways to appreciate the talent -:
1. Celebrating birthday and anniversary of employees by sending them gifts, chocolates and flowers.
2. Including names of those employees on the Hall of Fame, who have given some brilliant out of the
    box ideas, saved big bucks for the company or revolutionized the way a process works making
    their employer stand tall in the market.

3. Distribution of movie/match tickets, dinner vouchers and shopping cards to employees on special
    occasions.
4. Hand written notes for the employees from CEOs or MDs for their outstanding performance.
5. Fully sponsored travel trips for the employees and their family.
6. Periodic contests, quizzes and events, rewarding employees for their outstanding contribution.
7. Providing extra leaves.
8. Stock purchases program which enables employees to purchase shares of the company at a good
    discount.

How Employee recognition programs are improving quality of life at workplace?
Survey done by SHRM showed that employers with recognition & reward programs had more value based employee engagement, increased employee happiness, improved employee relationships and augmented humanity at the workplace.
They feel more motivated, satisfied, worthy and oriented than those employees who are not part of such programs.

The best part of such programs are both the employees and employee enjoy the win-win situation.

Leader in Quality of Life Services
Sodexo is the world leader when it comes to Quality of Life Services.
It is the only company that offers integrated Quality of Life services to its clients through On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services in 80 countries around the world.

On-site Services -:
Sodexo enhance the health and well-being of employees, students, patients and doctors, through a wide range of services from construction to reception, sterilization of medical equipment, cleaning and foodservices.

Benefits and Rewards Services -:
Sodexo provides innovative responses to ease daily life and also design customized tools to recognize hard work and accomplishments to improve individuals’ quality of life.
From gym memberships to theater tickets or from meal vouchers to incentive and recognition programs, Sodexo opens the doors to healthier lifestyles, a more satisfying work-life balance, an improved standard of living and greater access to culture that directly impact individuals’ engagement.

Personal and Home Services
Sodexo’s personalized services respond to key trends currently impacting the society. As more women enter or re-enter the workforce, Sodexo eases the transition by providing flexible, affordable and reliable Childcare Services. As society ages, Sodexo’s In-Home Services allow seniors to remain safely in their own.