Skill Enhancement Policy 2024

Version 3.0 [Effective 1st Jan 2024]

McKinley Rice Skill Enhancement Policy 2024

We find ourselves in an ever-evolving world, marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). In this dynamic landscape, survival and success hinge on heightened awareness and advanced skills. In 2024, the imperative remains for individuals across all domains to continually replenish their knowledge and cultivate new skills to excel in their roles.

As we venture into new territories, the role of leaders extends beyond their titles; they are perpetual learners who recognize the value of constant learning, upskilling, and even re-skilling. The Skill Enhancement Policy 2024 is founded on the understanding that the quest for knowledge knows no bounds; it is a journey that transcends age, position, and past achievements. Should any member ever feel stagnant in their current position, it signals an opportune moment to adopt a new perspective — one that is often broader and more encompassing.

The policy entails

1. Scope of the Policy
2. What do we mean by “Skills”?
3. Understanding the Training Needs
4. Personal Development Plan (PDP) for everyone!
5. Standard Operating Procedure for Creating and Submitting a PDP
6. Non-Compliance of PDP Submission Deadlines
7. Resubmission and Amendments to a submitted PDP
8. Documentation & Proof of Skill Enhancement
9. Methods of Skill Enhancement
10. Skill Enhancement Evaluation Methodology
11. Maintaining the Skill Enhancement Tracker (For Company Leads)
12. Skill Enhancement Tracker Template
13. Audit and discrepancies in SET documentation
14. Skill Enhancement Allowance Initiatives 2023
15. Performance Improvement Plan
16. Implementational Roles and Responsibilities

1. Scope of the Policy

This policy is for permanent full-time McKinley Rice Community members only. Temporary/short-term contract members are not eligible for Skill Enhancement opportunities but may attend training(s) and webinars at their Lead’s discretion. This policy excludes supplementary members such as contractors, freelancers, or consultants.

2. What do we mean by “Skills”?

Skills go beyond domain knowledge or technical expertise; they include a broad range of competencies crucial for effective job performance. For example, a Company Lead must excel not only in technical skills but also in communication, understanding situations, and taking necessary actions. A Company Lead is more than just a technologist; they must be an exceptional communicator, mentor, and leader.

The Skill Enhancement Policy 2024 aims to establish a supportive environment by creating and offering the necessary infrastructure, encouragement, and guidance, and fostering a culture of continuous learning.

3. Understanding the Training Needs

To identify the individual, and the Employers’/ Project’s training needs, the Learning and Development Coach (LDC) will conduct a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) at several levels:

• Individual Needs: This can be shared by an individual during the onboarding program (for new joiners), a member’s appraisal, as well as through a survey conducted by the LDC/Community HR team.
• Department/ Domain Needs: In this, the Company Leads and Project Leads play an important role in reaching out to the LDC for specific training needs.
• Community Needs: This requires a community-wide survey to understand the amount and types of learning needed overall to ensure all members have the right knowledge skills and attitudes.

4. A Personal Development Plan (PDP) for everyone!

Firstly, let’s understand: What is a Personal Development Plan?

A Personal Development Plan (PDP) is a documented strategy detailing a member’s goals, existing strengths, necessary changes for goal attainment, and the skills they need to enhance in areas of weakness.

A PDP allows a member to set clear, detailed, and achievable goals. It helps a member prioritize the objectives that matter the most, or that will deliver the biggest benefits to their career. Personal Development Planning helps bring their vision into reality.

Each member’s need to create a PDP can be entirely different. The need to create a PDP can be filtered down to three broad categories:

• Upskilling: Learning new skills that are needed currently on the job; or skills that will help them to prepare for the next role.
• Reskilling: Revision and polishing one’s skills that are in dire need currently. For example, an engineer might have certified themselves in Python, but now it has been 1 year since they have put it to use and they need a revision to apply it in the current project.
• Pursuing a degree course: A member might be pursuing a degree course from a university while working with us. We provide financial assistance as the member complete their assessments/exams. (T&C as per clause 8). Also, refer to the Performance Evaluation Policy 2024 to learn about our Member Loan Program which can assist you in your learning.

4. A. Standard Operating Procedure for Creating and Submitting a PDP

1. A member’s PDP will be created once they complete 1 month of probation with us. The premise here is that the focus for the 1st month should be on understanding their core roles and responsibilities and getting adjusted to a new working environment.
2. It is the Company Leads (and Project Leads) responsibility to guide each learner under them on the areas they need to focus on. This can depend on, and is not limited to:

• The skills that the Lead feels they are lacking and must work on. (Soft and/or hard skills)
• Guide them to the best way to learn certain skill sets, from their experience in the domain.
• Recommend skills of the future, as per their understanding of the projects in hand and the roles they see their team members growing into
• Suggest skills that need a refresher and are needed for the project

3. To initiate the PDP Submission process, the LDC will first conduct a PDP Session. The session will:

• Aid the members to introspect on their strengths and areas of growth. ( Individual TNA).
• Discuss the procedures involved and the timeline to research and submit their PDP.
• Explain the approval and submission procedure for the PDP.

4. Post the PDP session, each individual is given 7 days to connect with their peers and leads and conduct their (evidence-based) research on the skills they should develop to enhance themselves.

5. Once they have formalized a PDP, all members need to submit the plan for approval to their company leads and respective employer POCs (if applicable). The Global Management Consultants (GMC) will aid in pushing the approval as required.

6. A Google Form, with an integrated approval system, will be shared with the members to submit for approval to their CL and employer POC.

7. Please note, that a PDP is considered submitted only when they have approval from the Company Lead, the Employer’s side, and the LDC. In the case of members working in internal or product teams, like Operations, Marketing, Design team, etc, only approval from their reporting Lead would be required.

8. In case of no response from the Employer’s end for three days from the date of submission of the Google form for approval, the GMC and the CL can suggest moving ahead without the Employer’s approval.

9. In case a PDP is not submitted within 10 days of the PDP Session, the member will be marked as “Not Interested in Skill Enhancement”(NISE). (Check clause 4B to understand the implications of non-compliance)

10. Ideally, a PDP should plan for the next 6 months. PDPs having a short-term plan may be rejected. The Community wants to encourage each individual to make long-term plans for themselves to the best of their ability.

Further Note- In case an individual has opted for a course before they have joined McKinley Rice, they will need to get special approval from their Company Lead and Client POC for the reimbursement. This will be handled on a case-to-case basis.

4. B. Non-Compliance with PDP Submission Deadlines:

The LDC will nudge a member to submit their PDP at max three times. He will also assist the member in any form required and even nudge the GMC to hasten the process of approval. However, post three nudges and a total of 10 days have passed since the PDP Session, the member will be marked as “Not Interested in Skill Enhancement”.

Please note that in such a case, the member is still eligible to submit their PDP, but they will not be nudged by the LDC to do so. We request all members to connect and express their concerns and queries during the submission process. In case of any genuine cases, if a date extension is required, it can be provided on approval from the Company Lead and LDC.

The repercussion of being marked as “Not Interested in Skill Enhancement” can result in a loss of 20% of one’s total Performance Evaluation as per the Performance Evaluation Policy 2024.

4. C. Resubmission and Amendments to a submitted PDP:

One might require to edit their PDP owing to varied reasons from changes in skills required in their project, unavailability of the course, or the course being too time-intensive. Whatever the case, one must follow the following steps to make amendments to their existing PDP:

1. Once the changes are decided, the member must send it to their Company Lead for Approval using Google’s Approval Feature.
2. Once agreed upon, send an email to your Company Lead, with the LDC in CC, informing the reasons for the change.
3. Once the Company Lead approves, the changes will be updated in the Skill Enhancement repository and the member can resume their learning.

Please Note- The same process would be followed in case a member requires to ADD an additional course to their already approved PDP.

Link to the standard PDP Template to be used. All members can download and use this template to create their PDP.

4.D. Documentation & Proof of Skill Enhancement

In order to ensure that a member has documented their learning in an efficient manner, consider the following:

During approval of the PDP: A member must come to a common ground with their Company Lead and the employer POC who would be responsible for approving their PDP on the methodology through which they can prove the up-gradation of skills.

Finally, the PDP will be approved by the LDC. The PDP can be sent back for corrections in case of any discrepancies or queries by the LDC.

During Performance Evaluation: In order to verify the learning, the LDC or Company Lead/Project Lead might ask for a collated document listing the learnings gained, screenshots, methodology of learning, reviewer details, reports generated, submission details, and if needed, a demo of what they have learned.

Important Note: A PDP is an important document that can act as a reference point during Skill Enhancement Evaluations. An approved PDP is also a vital document required for course reimbursements. Please refer to Clause 6 for Skill Enhancement Evaluation Methodology.

5. Methods of Skill Enhancement

Each individual has their own learning preferences and learning style, as well as some skills require a unique approach.

One can upskill themselves through several means. The nonexclusive list of methods is mentioned below-

• Through courses and certifications
• Through books, scientific literature, official documentation
• On-the-job training (OJT)
• Through online tutorials, videos, blogs, podcasts, books, etc.
• Job shadowing
• Coaching and mentoring (by seniors or colleagues)
• Attending conferences, webinars, or workshops.
• Reading from paid subscriptions (job-related), etc.

Whatever the mode of upskilling, one must ensure that it has realistic applications at work.

6. Skill Enhancement Evaluation Methodology

To reiterate, Skill Enhancement carries a weightage of 20% on a member’s total Performance Evaluation.

To ensure one’s learning progress is mapped fairly and consistently, the Company Leads are given the responsibility to motivate, track and document the progress of their team members. Let us understand how the evaluation methodology will depend on the way an individual has opted for learning. Here are a few examples:

• If a member opts for a course that furnishes a completion certificate, that stands as concrete proof of Skill Enhancement and no evaluation is required. However, it is up to the Company Leads discretion if they still want to conduct a demo on the members’ learning.
• If they have taken an offline class, they can still opt for a completion certificate or give a demo of their learning to their Company Lead.
• In case a member has opted for learning on their own; either by purchasing books, YouTube Videos, open-source materials, etc. they will have to create a report and present it to their Company Lead as proof of their learning.

If, for example, someone is learning a programming language from open sources, they can create a project and give a technical demo.*

*Note: In case of a technical demo, other than the Company Lead, there must be more than one cross-functional Company Leads present in the demo. A report or an email declaring the results should be submitted to the LDC to take note of course completion.

7. Maintaining the Skill Enhancement Tracker (For Company Leads)

7. A. Skill Enhancement Tracker

For the Company-Leads and Project-Leads, there is a standard “Skill Enhancement Tracker” that has to be used to update and track the progress of the skill enhancement of their team members.

Link to the standard format for Tech and Project Leads: Skill Enhancement Tracker (SET)Template (Accessible to Leads only)

While updating the Skill Enhancement Tracker, the Company Lead should adhere to the following:

1. The CLs must ensure to verify and document the actual progress of the Skill Enhancement of their team members. For any deviations found, the Company Lead would be held responsible to explain the cause of the lapse.
2. Ensure to follow the following statuses only, which are available as a drop-down against each month:
3. Star Learner: The member is going beyond his PDP’s schedule and is learning and growing fast.
4. On Track: The member can learn as per their PDP as scheduled.
5. Lagging behind: The member is unable to keep up, not able to commit to learning every week as per their PDP. ( can be owing to multiple reasons)
6. No Progress: The member is unable to commit to learning and upskilling, not following their PDP
7. Not Interested in Skill Enhancement: In case they have not made any progress in the last 2 months or they have not submitted their PDP even after several reminders. This can be marked by the LDC as well.
8. New Joiner: This status will be marked by the LDC in the month the member joins the community and is yet to create their PDP. (which will be done after 1 month)

Note: The LDC will collect the SE Status for all employees at the end of each month, this collation will be clubbed with the Monthly scores schedule as per the Performance Evaluation Policy 2024. (ideally in the last week of the month)

In case a member shows “No Progress” for 2 consecutive months, without citing any genuine reasons which can be considered; or at the discretion of the LDC, they will be marked as “Not Interested in Skill Enhancement”(NISE) on the 3rd month by the LDC.

Please Note: If it is found that a member has plagiarized any work displayed in the technical demo/presentation, it will lead to a direct zero score for their Skill Enhancement. Similarly, if any course completion certificate is found to be forged, it would be treated as financial fraud and necessary action will be taken against the member.

7.B. Audit and discrepancies in SET documentation

The LDC will conduct monthly random audits as per the data mentioned in the SET and ask for proof from the concerned member or the Company Leads of the progress mentioned if required. The members must submit proofs as required, within the timeline mentioned by the LDC. They can be in the form of screenshots, certifications, reports or even sharing the screen on a call to clarify doubts.

In case discrepancies are found in the SET for the team, action will be taken as per the severity of the deviation.

8. Skill Enhancement Allowance Initiatives 2023

This allowance would be given out as a part of the SEP 2023 to further the aim of upskilling and/or reskilling the team continually and would be governed by the following principles-

1. The member should upskill based on the approved PDP Only. The skills targeted or the course chosen should be approved before commencement through the mandated procedure explained above for one to claim the allowance.
2. The SE allowance can only be claimed after the successful completion of the probation period within the community.
3. The SE allowance would be capped at ₹ 1,00,000 per annum (January- January Cycle) based on the assigned expense policy on the HRMS portal. The SE Allowance per quarter would be one-fourth of the amount permissible under the policy. The SE allowance per quarter will be calculated from the day a member joins the organisation.
4. Any SE allowance, if unclaimed, would not be carried forward to the next year.
5. To avail of reimbursement, a completion certificate/ pass certificate or an exam is mandatorily required to be submitted. ( or a demo to be provided as explained in the Skill Evaluation Methodology)
6. Please note that in case a member pursues a course that is not approved by the Company Lead and the LDC, the reimbursement will not be processed. In case there are changes needed in the PDP, please contact the LDC if you are in any doubt but do not make changes without approval.
7. In the case of Termination and Resignation, the following will be taken into consideration:

During the Probation Period- In case of resignation or termination, No S.E. reimbursements would be given.

After Probation Period-

• In the case of Resignation or Termination, where an individual would be in their notice period, they would only be liable for reimbursement for the courses completed 100% (with proofs submitted).
• Also, the individual would not be eligible for reimbursement of new courses started in their Notice Period.

9. Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

Purpose:

The Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is designed to provide a structured framework within the SEP 24 for members who are not meeting performance expectations.

This policy aims to support members in improving their performance, contributing to their professional development, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals.

Scope:

This policy applies to all members of McKinley Rice who are experiencing performance issues that warrant intervention and improvement. An individual can be put on a PIP on request of the reporting Lead after a fair warning has been shared about their performance.

Responsibility

• Reporting Leadership

It is the responsibility of the lead to identify specific performance issues, communicate expectations clearly, and initiate the PIP process when necessary after a minimum observation of 1 month. The timeline can be changed from case to case basis.

The leadership can check the member’s track record and DEFCON raised to understand the performance issues for clarity.

• Learning and Development Coach (LDC)

The L&D Coach will provide guidance and support throughout the PIP process, ensuring fairness, consistency, and compliance with applicable policies.

The LDC will help with Specific Skill development and training; be it pertaining to email health, verbal communication, client communication, task ownership, documentation and interpersonal behaviour.

• Department of Member Experience.

The DOME will explain the brevity of the situation to the member and help initiate the PIP with the help of the reporting leadership and LDC.On completion of the the PIP period with significant improvement or on non-compliance, the DOME will take further action as per the severity of the situation.

Initiation of PIP

The PIP will be initiated when a member’s performance falls below the established expectations. The expectations must be communicated to the individual(s) before their work is initiated.

Prior to implementing a PIP, supervisors and managers are encouraged to engage in open communication with the employee to discuss performance concerns, provide constructive feedback, and explore opportunities for improvement.

The above must be documented in an email with the DOME in CC, this is treated as a request to initiate a PIP for the concerned individual member(s).

Components of PIP

The PIP, ideally will be divided equally into:

1. Skill Development and Training
2. Adherence to KPIs

There can be an addition to the above as per the requirement of the department.

1. Clear Expectations: The leadership and the LDC must set clear expectations and set specific performance goals for the period of the PIP.
2. Before initiating the PIP, an email laying out the areas of improvement will be sent to the concerned employee with their Lead and DOME in Loop.
3. This email should mention the timelines of the PIP as well as the processes mentioned below in 2, 3 and 4 that would be expected from the member.
4. Timeline: The standard timeline for a PIP is 1 month. This can be subject to change if recommended by the reporting leadership or DOME.

Support & Resources:

1. SEP 24: The individual has full access to the Skill Enhancement Policy to focus on their learning at this time. They can instantly submit a PDP specifically for the PIP, needing only the reporting leads approval.
2. Consulting and Coaching: The LDC can coach the individual for their communication skills- written,oral and even presentation skills if it has been laid out by their reporting leader. Also, if there are specific soft-skill issues that need addressing, the LDC can have weekly calls with the individual to help them in their progress and share feedback.
3. Benchmarking: The leader can submit sample Industry gold standards or the best work from their team as comparison for benchmarking.
4. Regular Check-ins:The individual must report on their progress at the end of each week on Friday EOD to the leadership and the LDC.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

If, after the specified period, the member does not demonstrate satisfactory improvement in their performance, further actions, including potential disciplinary measures, demotion or even termination, may be considered.The severity of consequences will be determined on a case-by-case basis, considering the nature and impact of the performance issues.

Confidentiality

All discussions and documents related to the PIP process will be treated confidentially, ensuring privacy for the member involved.

Appeals

Every Member have the right to appeal decisions related to the PIP process. Appeals should be submitted in writing to the Leadership and LDC within a specified timeframe.

10. Implementational Roles and Responsibilities

Learning and Development Coach (LDC):

• To publish and implement the Skill Enhancement Policy company-wide
• Address queries from the members
• Maintain the Master Tracker, containing the skill enhancement details for all members at McKinley & Rice.
• Conduct an in-depth Training Needs Analysis as required.
• Ensure that all the data related to the skill enhancement viz. initiatives taken, Personal development plans, courses taken, etc. are organized and maintained by respective parties.
• Coordinate with all the Leads to ensure all data related to their learners is maintained and updated periodically..

Company Leads (CLs)

• To understand the Skill Enhancement policy and motivate their team to learn continually.
• To maintain the Skill Enhancement Tracker for their team, with utmost vigil and honesty.
• To understand the Standard Operating Procedure for Skill Enhancement.
• Suggest Evidence-based improvements in the Process.

Global Management Consultants (GMC):

• Specific to the case of Second Office teams, the GMC must aid the member in obtaining approvals for their Personal Development Plans.
• They would act as the mediator to nudge and push the client to approve the PDP on time so that learning can start as soon as possible.
• They can also take the call of going ahead without approval from the employer’s end in case of delays or any unforeseen circumstances.

All members:

• To share responsibility for their personal development, including suggesting webinars/seminars and attending relevant and mandatory training events and conferences. (Contact the LDC!)
• To seek appropriate authorization to attend training events from their CL/PL in case there are events during working hours.

“The key to pursuing excellence is to embrace an organic, long-term learning process, and not to live in a shell of static, safe mediocrity. Usually, growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety.”

— Josh Waitzkin