In today’s globalized economy, the key to one’s success lies in being able to communicate effectively. Communication has evolved with technology. Hence, learning to use the various tools available in an effective way becomes crucial.

Effective communication is an art that can be learnt. So, what is it that sets you apart? It is by practicing, that you truly master the art of effective communication.

To start off with, here are the first five tips in a series of fifteen tips that you could put to use in your day-to-day communication:

1. Listen, Listen, Listen! You may be surprised to know that a key to being an effective communicator also lies in being an effective listener!

2. Brevity is the Soul of Wit: Say what you have to say in clear, short and simple sentences. Don’t try to complicate it by using unnecessary jargon.

3. Be Focused: What you say must be clear, precise and to the point. ‘Beating around the bush’ will not result in a productive conversation.

4. Be assertive: It is important to be assertive and never get into unnecessary arguments. Always try to seek common ground. Have a win-win approach!

5. Being Objective: While in the process of communicating, try to be as objective as possible which means not jumping to conclusions or having preconceived notions. Pay attention to facts and ask questions to check your understanding. Your judgment should be unbiased and with out prejudice.

Watch out this space for more tips from us to communicate effectively!

This Monday morning turned out to be a break from the usual Monday blues. The colourful festival of Holi came to life with a difference. Splashing colours at each other would have been fun if we were kids and all we had to think about was enjoying ourselves. But being at work, we found a more subtle way to experience festival of colours. Apart from the challenge to come dressed in one’s most colourful attire, the other festive activities were Face Painting & Flower Arrangement which set the celebration mood in action.

Since colour and contrast play an essential role in face painting and flower arrangement they were chosen in tune with the festival.

The artistically designed hues created patterns on one’s face, camouflaging the facial features; in some cases tactfully using these to enhance the overall picture. The artist bearing the materials and the one having their face painted were worth watching as the art took form. The winning entry was themed ‘Donate your organs’. For those with a talent to arrange flowers in an aesthetic fashion, flower arrangement proved a fitting challenge. This event unlike face painting was carried out in teams. The floral arrangement under the caption ‘Nature at its best’ was awarded the first place.

Ajuba captured these festivities through snapshots. Each team’s comic expressions were frozen in time.  The entire office was decorated with streamers and the enthusiasm of the employees. Here’s looking forward to another fun day at Ajuba.

Monday, March 8th turned out to be a different sort of Monday; to begin with its the day marked as International Women’s Day and we at Ajuba had a small activity for the ladies of Ajuba. If you are wondering what we did, well its wasn’t much of what we did, but more of gathering women and celebrating their team spirit.

The participant was required to place a bindi on the tittle of the Sakthi logo while being blind-folded. Though only women employees could participate, the entire team joined in directing the participant to the target. The participants were not only blind-folded but they were also swirled to confuse their sense of direction. This increased the fun exponentially.

No activity is complete without its set of bloopers. One particular participant confused with the directions placed the bindi on the hosts forehead. Another team purposefully directed their participant in the direction bang opposite to the target, almost out the door. One of teams go into a deal with the participant that she shares the gift if she wins. And guess what that’s just what she did. The gift from the goody bag turned out to be nail enamel and the men of the team were not mighty happy about having their nails painted. One participant was showed her trust in her team members directions by walking straight into the target BANG!

So long till the next one.

At the recently held Jaya Trophy Milestone Tournament Ajuba won the runner up trophy. The tournament saw the participation of 24 teams and was conducted over a span of 2 weeks. The tournament organized by Jaya group of institutions and Srinivasa Institute of colleges was graced by the honorable Minister of Information Technology, Ponmathi.

Ajuba’s first victory was against CSS, who scored 93 runs in 10 overs; Ajuba chased this target and won the match in 5.2 overs. Kandeepan took three wickets in 2 overs. In the quarter finals match on February 14th, Ajuba played against iSteel and won the match in 6 overs. Karthick was titled the man of the match with 40 runs. KLA Tencor was battled against in the semi finals which resulted in a tie of 95 runs, the match progressed to a super over  where Ajuba was declared the winner. Shakthivel did a commendable job by taking three wickets and also hitting two sixes.

The final match was played against Verizon. Abu Dhahir was titled best fielder of the tournament. Naveen Kumar also took this opportunity to share a few words about Ajuba with the audience. Kudos to the team!

This is a brief article on selection of mutual funds which also provide tax benefits.

Equity linked Savings scheme, commonly referred to as ELSS are widely marketed as a good tax saving tool.  Often marketed as providing tax benefit upto Rs. 30,000/- and giving returns over 30%.  Ever looked into the fine print and rationale behind the glossy words?

3 points to bear in mind when choosing an investment (investment or investment scheme)

1. Never invest just for tax benefit – It should be an add-on benefit.  Invest to secure cash flow for your future.  What investment you choose should be driven by how long you wish to have the investment and what you intend to use the invested money (education, marriage, retirement etc.).

2. Read, ask and learn on how the returns will be achieved – it is possible that you may end up with significant loss on the ELSS investment.  You should see where your money goes.  All mutual funds will have something known as a prospectus (available on their website).  This will list broadly where they will invest your money.  Be sure to read these.  You don’t have to be a finance expert to know that you are taking a bigger risk if all your money is going to real estate than if it were spread between real estate, infrastructure, bio-technology etc.

3. What happens if you suddenly need the money – if it is a tax saving instrument it is likely to have a minimum of 3 year lock-in.  For other investments, you can technically get your money any time, but you will need to be sure that you can make a return on an early exit.  One good way is to always choose mutual fund schemes that have a huge corpus size.  What this means? – assuming you earn Rs 20,000 a month, you borrow Rs1,000/- from the bank and lend it to a friend.  If your friend does not pay up on time, you can probably repay the bank from your 20,000 salary.  But assuming you had borrowed Rs.18,000/- and lent it your friend who does not pay up,  you will find it difficult to repay the bank loan.   Same with mutual funds; the bigger the size of the fund, the lower the chances of them having a liquidity problem as they will be able to rotate their fund.

Its your money that you are investing.  So be sure you understand where your money goes.  This was you will both get returns and secure your money.

The fast paced lifestyle of corporates pose health issues. Corporate employees face issues ranging from obesity, stress, blood pressure, high cholesterol etc. In order to address these, Ajuba has come up with various initiatives to care for its employees’ health. One such initiative is ‘Svasth’. The word stands for ‘Health’ in Sanskrit. Some of its activities include educating the employees on topics such as the necessity to maintain a healthy diet and proper food habits, stress management tips, etc. This program is run through workshops, posters campaigns, quiz contests, e-mailers and special camps. Some of the special camps addressed issues relating to Eye Care, Dental Hygiene, Diabetes, Obesity, etc.

The employees were largely benefited by the above mentioned initiatives which went a long way in reducing absenteeism. It also ensures that the employees stay healthy, fit, and help in maintaining a work life balance. They can also avail discount on charges at Lister Laboratories. Yoga for leaders and the presence of a doctor in all the three facilities for free consultation are Ajuba’s ongoing initiatives to care for its employees.

Helping employees achieve wellness and healthy lifestyle are the key objectives for Svasth and the Svasth team strives to design programs that help achieve these objectives for our employees. These  initiatives were also instrumental in Ajuba winning the award for MANAGING HEALTH AT WORK  at the Employer Branding Awards 2009-10 held in Hyderabad organized by the World HRD Congress. This is the second time Ajuba won this award. The Employer Branding Awards focuses on the importance of attracting and engaging the employees and creating a positive brand experience with focus and care.

Remember the days when you had to wait for your interview call, now those days are long gone. Ajuba has come with an innovative interview model with an online test for the first time in the industry. Your first step to the interview process awaits you at www.ajubacareers.com.

The website not only has the online test but also contains information a job seeker needs. An up-to-date list of positions open, the eligibility criteria for each of the positions, interview details as well as an option for online job application is available. This model has eased out the recruitment process for potential candidates. Clearing the test would amount to clearing the first level of our interview process.

If you are seeking for a stable job in the healthcare industry, Ajuba is your answer.

To know more about Ajuba Careers, check out our website www.ajubacareers.com. Click here to take the online test http://www.ajubacareers.com/startup.aspx

With the market currently upbeat with jobs, Ajuba’s recruitment process is gathering momentum and it’s once again time for Ajuba to step into the colleges of Chennai.

Ajuba reaches out to potential talent in colleges through ACE, Ajuba’s Campus Engagement program. The recruitment process this year kicked off with the ACE team visiting SDNB College of Arts & Sciences. Some of the other colleges the ACE team has covered so far includes Vivek ananda College of Arts & Sciences, Gurunanak College of Arts & Sciences, Hindustan College of Arts & Sciences, Alpha College of Arts & Sciences, KRMMC College of Arts & Sciences and Apollo College of Arts & Sciences.

Knowing that the healthcare industry is one of the most stable industry, the final year students awaited Ajuba’s campus recruitment to commence. This was apparent with over 2500 students applying for various positions in Ajuba. Students who successfully cleared all levels were given offer letters on the very same day. Each time an offer letter was given away the ACE team applauded the students.

Ajuba’s Campus Engagement doesn’t end with recruitment; they keep in touch with the selected candidates. The candidates are taken through induction and also given a tour of the facilities; and thus begin their career at Ajuba.

 In the coming days the team will also be visiting MGR Janaki college, Asan Memorial, D G Vaishnav,  A M Jain, D B Jain,  JBAS and SRM College of Arts & Sciences. Watch out for more posts on ACE.

The BPO industry has always been an area of hesitation for women employees, especially when it includes night shift. In spite of this obstacle it’s noteworthy that Ajuba has one of the highest percentages of women in the workforce.  With 42% of women in the workforce, Ajuba ensures a caring, safe and secure environment.

A woman employee usually forgoes her career either due to security concerns, family commitments or due to health issues. The anti-harassment policy, flexi timing and telecommuting, self-defence training programs, ‘no first pick up, no last drop’ policy, extended maternity leave and ‘one2one’ meeting with the Director HR assures our women employees their safety within the office as well as when they are on their own. The availability of a general physician and a gynecologist at workplace, Poshan (nutritive snacks for pregnant employees) and women’s lounge ensures the women employees are in the pink of health.  Shakti – our women’s forum, enables our women employees to carry out discussions, share information and seek solutions.

All these initiatives go into maintaining a gender inclusive work environment and were recognized with the NASSCOM Gender Inclusivity Award 2008. We believe this is a testament to our efforts at having created an employer brand that is perceived by existing as well as potential women employees as highly women-friendly.

Gender inclusivity has always been at the heart of Ajuba’s efforts at providing a work environment that is fair and meritocratic in its approach. Look forward to the forth coming posts to know more about the privileges that the ladies of Ajuba enjoy.