Loss Of A Great HR Professional - Roy J George

Dear All,

You must have all been aware of the sad incident:

http://coimbatorelive.blogspot.com/2009/09/top-company-official-injured-in-attack.html (this was last morning news)

Workers kill company VP in Coimbatore - India - NEWS - The Times of India

The Hindu: Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News: Pricol official dies

Being an ex-employee of Pricol, I am deeply worried about the incident. I must say - such a lovely place & group to work with. Unnecessary forces have caused such a ruthless action... It cost a person's life. I wish every workforce understands that the need for a solution does not require violence.

We all prayed last morning that his condition gets better and some miracle should take place that he gets back to life. But....

Truly, the HR industry has lost a very important person. To see his profile, please visit Roy.J.George Roy. J.George - LinkedIn

I have not had the chance to work under him, but I have heard that he is a person whom anyone in the field of HR would want to work with.

I pray that his soul rests in peace.

Yeah, Asha... I heard the news this morning; it was a shocking one, really spine-chilling news. I haven't heard about him, but it shocked me as it is a matter of life. We all have to join our hands and show our opposition to such a barbaric act.

Yes, Chum. People get angry at HR even for their own faults.

All these kinds of fraudulent activities—people who submit false documents, false salary slips, show their ignorant attitude by not giving respect to their work, and try justifying their acts by proving that they are still right. For all this, people expect to be "forgiven" and taken back to work for whatever indiscipline?

Violence is not the solution. I urge every HR professional to educate the workforce that if they have any grievances, it needs to be sorted out in the proper manner. What benefit will they get from violence? Nothing - forever they will be identified as wrongdoers, and their family will also never be respected.

Recently, one such candidate who got rejected in an interview posted a bad review of the HR of the company online—by stating his name, company, and designation. What a fool! The reason why he was not selected is clearly justified.

Dear Asha,

Yes, I agree — indeed a very sad incident. But I must say that HR professionals getting beaten up and killed in their place of work is not new to me. Such incidents often happen in jute mills in Kolkata. But I must say that reading and hearing about such incidents really makes me wonder: do HR professionals really deserve this? They have the most difficult and unthankful job at hand. It's always a very tough balance of pleasing the management and the employees/unions at the same time, with your own job hanging in the balance. I have seen my own uncle go through such trauma leading to his death at a very early age, and now it's my turn to face the music. We are only doing our job, but the line of judgment is so thin that it really takes a heavy toll on us at times.

One last thing — I personally feel (having worked for quite a long tenure in an MNC manufacturing unit) that this is what you call real HR. A person losing his life for the sake of his company means he was really good at his work, for which the union had to take extreme measures to bring matters under their control. It proves that he was winning the long-drawn battle hands down, which ultimately led to foul play by the union.

My salute to Mr. George. May his soul rest in peace.

Regards

Dear Awvik,

Well said... "A person losing his life for the sake of his company means he was really good at his work, for which the union had to take extreme measures to bring matters under their control. It proves that he was winning the long-drawn battle hands down, which ultimately led to the foul play by the union."

You are right in those lines...

Dear Friends,

I just came to know about this incident by seeing your postings. It's too bad. People are not performing, and they are taking revenge by these methods for the punishments. It's condemnable. Each and every person who is working for the companies has to think as if it is their own company; only then will they work willingly and with full potential.

These types of incidents are happening quite frequently in our industries. Most of the time, it is happening by union persons only with political support. This trend has to be changed.

Jeeva

Dear All,

I pray that Mr. Roy George's soul may rest in peace. It is really a very sad thing to have happened to a young and promising professional. What surprises me is that the management, in spite of such a great loss and sacrifice by Mr. George, has decided to keep the plant running and not go in for a lockout or closure. This also proves that HR is a "thankless job," and other management functionaries just ridicule the position by saying that this is a job hazard. The right thing to do for the management was to declare a lockout and open the plant only after the intervention of state labor department machinery and taking individual undertakings from the workmen for good conduct and discipline.

Praful Joshi

Dear Ash,

I pray to God for his soul to rest in peace. He fell prey to the games of the Pricol Management, like any HR Executive in the Coimbatore Industrial arena. If Pricol Management was worthy of your praise, then you should have continued there. If the industries in Coimbatore had followed good HR practices, by now, Chennai could be nowhere near Coimbatore.

I have known industries like Pricol for more than a decade. When it was started, it came with color, but in course of time, it started acting as a typical Coimbatore industry. I really pity George's family. May God give them the courage to bear this irreparable loss.

This is a great shock. Yeah, there were problems in Pricol for the past two years, which may also be continuing yet. But problems should be only within the company and its policies and not with people. These problems shouldn't have resulted in the loss of a life. Murder is always a shame on mankind. Imagine how pathetic this situation is, a Human Resource professional of a company being killed by the very same human resources. Not just as an HR student, but as a human being, I greatly condemn this brutal act.

Let Mr. George's soul rest in peace. Let's hope nothing of this kind will happen anymore.

Dear Asha Madam,

I want to thank you for making all of us aware of this incident. I have visited the links you forwarded. I was not aware of it. I also read articles posted by Mr. Roy J. George; he was a great person. It is very sad that we have lost such a great individual.

I request all the CiteHR members to please visit all the links sent by Asha Madam; the articles written by Mr. Roy J. George are really nice and motivational.

I am new to the HR profession, and I feel proud to be in such a profession because I have great seniors like Mr. Roy J. George.

I want to salute Mr. Roy J. George on behalf of all HR professionals.

Dear Ash,

I met him in a CII Session on Workplace Issues held in the month of June, and he presented a case study on Downsizing. We had discussed many employee issues.

Yesterday, it was a big shock for us that we have missed such a good professional.

Yes, Ash, no problem can be solved by violence.

We pray for Mr. Roy J George. May his soul rest in peace.

Regards,
Jayanthi

Dear All,
You must have all been aware of the sad incident:

http://coimbatorelive.blogspot.com/2009/09/top-company-official-injured-in-attack.html (this was last morning news)
Workers kill company VP in Coimbatore - India - NEWS - The Times of India
The Hindu: Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News: Pricol official dies

Being an ex-employee of Pricol, I am deeply worried about the incident. I must say it was such a lovely place and group to work with. Unnecessary forces have caused such a ruthless action, costing a person's life. I wish every workforce understands that the need for a solution does not require violence.

We all prayed last morning that his condition gets better and some miracle should take place that he gets back to life. But...

Truly, the HR industry has lost a very important person. To see his profile, please visit Roy.J.George on Blogspot and LinkedIn.

I have not had the chance to work under him, but I have heard that he is a person who anyone in the field of HR would want to work with.

I pray that his soul rests in peace.

HR is indeed a thankless job. We face such situations where HR becomes sandwiched between the management and the union. May his soul rest in peace. It's very disturbing. May God give courage to his family.

Kamal

Must be condemned by all HR community. Such act prohibits lending out of way helping hand at times of real need with workmen. It compell us to have a re-thinking on welfare aspects.

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Must be condemned by all HR community. Such acts prohibit the lending out of a helping hand at times of real need with workmen. It compels us to have a rethinking on welfare aspects.

Below mentioned are the numbers related to Mr. Roy George.

I tried to reach, but both are not reachable. Please, if anyone happened to get the line, kindly convey our wholehearted condolences.

Residence: 0422 323 2722

Mobile: +91 98947 99771

Dear Asha,

When I read the news today, it was too shocking & hard to believe that a HR head has been killed by his factory workers. Very strange occurrence. In a factory environment, it is normally the management and production side people only will face such threats and physical assault only when the person is very active in union and talking for the management.

Knowing Pricol and the influence they have with government authorities and political connection, I doubt whether even the investigation would be carried out to get the facts. Now the company will do anything to get good name with the workers by reinstating the dismissed persons.

Thanks for sharing his blog information. In one of his posting, he has mentioned … I still have faith in Indian constitution and the Indian laws. Nobody is above the law. The legal fight is not yet over but just a beginning. The copy of the judgement is attachedbelow.Regards,Roy.J.George9840356207

Let us hope and pray that what he believed in brings out the truth. Let God give his family the courage and strength to overcome this unfortunate loss.

Dear Mathew,

It's really sad news for all HR professionals. Yes, we have a thankless job. HR professionals are often becoming targets/victims of the rising IR issues in this region. Incidents such as putting up derogatory posters and attacking HR professionals have become increasingly frequent nowadays. Some of the unions with extremist ideologies are behind these incidents.

So what are we all going to do? In the future, could it happen to us? How will we protect our professionals? Unions engaging in such activities - no one speaks up. It's like terrorism. We must urge the government to ban these kinds of unions. Will the government wait for more serious consequences?

I am requesting everyone to wake up and appeal to the government. I pray that his soul rests in peace.

Sankar

Dear Matthew,

It's really sad news for all HR professionals. Yes, we have a thankless job. HR professionals are often becoming targets or victims of the rising IR issues in this region. Incidents such as putting up derogatory posters and attacking HR professionals have become frequent nowadays. Some unions with extremist ideologies are behind these incidents.

So, what are we all going to do? In the future, it may happen to us. How are we going to protect our professionals? These unions are engaging in such actions, and no one is speaking up. It is akin to terrorism. We must urge the government to ban these kinds of unions. Should the government wait for more serious consequences?

I urge everyone to wake up and appeal to the government. I pray that his soul rests in peace.

Sankar

Yes indeed, HR is always caught in the middle of two parties: management and workers. Safeguarding the interests of both and maintaining balance in conflict situations is the most difficult part of HR.

It is a great loss for the HR community to lose such an excellent, kind-hearted person to ruthless, blind unionism.

Sundeep

Dear Asha,

I was very much disturbed to see the news today about the killing of the HR Head of the company. It is indeed shocking to note that work was not stopped even after the loss of the precious life of a committed individual of the organization. What respect for the HR Head! Let us all pray for his soul to rest in peace. Our condolences to the family of Mr. George.

Although I don't know him, I have just read his blogs. It's really a tragic incident that has happened. We miss such a great person. :(

I have heard from my seniors that these kinds of incidents are common with manufacturing units, but is there really no other way to get through these rough situations?

I have interacted with Mr. Roy George in a few ISTD meetings. I have known him as a wonderful, charismatic personality right from the days he was working with Sathyam Cinemas. I used to wonder why he left for this Coimbatore job at all. The sorrow of losing a friend is very deep in my heart, and I am unable to express my feelings.

Yesterday, I was sharing the event with my students. I have this empty feeling - why be a trainer at all? He would have arranged for so many training programs, educating the employees on commitment, hard work, passion, drive, success - all for nothing!

I have no other forum to express my sorrow, anguish, anger, and also guilt. No amount of education has been able to stop this violence. Are people becoming more impatient, more greedy, more violent? For less work, they expect more?? Words like employee engagement, participative management, appraisal, HR development are losing their momentum.

Tears swell when I think about Roy's two young daughters and his family as a whole. He lived, breathed, and died for HR. Such a charismatic personality!! The last posting in HR Innovators, which he founded - his article was "What is the Purpose of Life?"

Praying to the almighty on behalf of all our fraternity. May his soul rest in peace. May his family be endowed with the courage to overcome this irreparable tragedy.

Arun Davay

That was a quick post on the sad demise of Roy George. Though I didn't know him, I am sure he was a committed HR person. It is unfortunate that hooliganism has crept into our trade union movement, and the consequences, as we now see, are fatal. Thanks, Asha, for keeping his memory alive through your post.

Really, it is very sad news. The management should take some steps to avoid such happenings inside the premises. Now the result is loss of life – do the HR is handling the people well or is HR in danger. All of us should pray for his soul to rest in peace. The management should take the responsibility of entire care for his family and children's education.

Dear Asha
Yesterday the Coimbatore Chapter of NIPM called for a Special Meeting to condole the death of Mr.Roy J George and to condemn the barbaric act of the disgruntled & misguided workmen. We are also submitting a memorandum to the
- Local District Magistrate
- Superintendent of Police
- DIG of Police
- IG of Police
- DGP
- The District Labour Officer, Coimbatore
- Dy.Commissioner of Labour, Coimbatore
- Joint Commissioner of Labour, Coimbatore
- The Special Dy.Commissioner of Labour, Chennai
- Commissioner of Labour, Chennai
- Secretary to Govt.,Department of Labour & Employment, Chennai
- Hon’ble Minister for Labour, Govt. of Tamilnadu
- Hon’ble Chief Minister
And aslo decided to arrange a peace procession in this regard and to make a representation to government authorities.
Dhanuskodi Renugopal
This is for information

Dear Lawraa,

Blaming the management is not a solution here. Since I have earlier worked with Pricol (their group company - Pricol Corporate Services), I very well know the measures the management takes to avoid any such occurrences. This was a planned activity. External influence has led to this kind of an act... The problem here is "Why do people think that violence is a solution?"

Dear All,

Really a very sad incident. Let's pray for his soul to rest in peace.

These kinds of incidents happen just because of trade unions which function keeping in mind their own benefits, not the employees, and also the inefficiency of local administration like police and the labor department, which always support the trade unions and employees to save their skin. The government should take strong steps to control the trade union activities which result in violence and closure of industries. But one thing is right, as everybody said, an HR job is a thankless job. HR people work for both management and staff, but we only get abuse and tension in return.

Thanks.
Shiv Kumar

It is a cowardly act by the employees who are involved in this brutal, barbaric act. Those who are involved in this killing will repent one day and understand our profession. We should all unite at this point in time to condemn the killing.

I pray to God to give his family members courage and strength to fill the gap created by this act.

LET US UNITE.

Regards, Krishnaraj P R +91 9840355204 Chennai.

Some information from you from the papers:
The link no longer exists. Investigation is ongoing, and more information is yet to be revealed.

Dear Asha, thanks for posting this.

It is indeed a very sad and shameful incident. I read that the people were 'instigated' by 'outsiders'. I strongly oppose this kind of blame shifting and talking about 'being instigated'. After all, the doers have their own will, because of which they went to the extent of taking a life! I hope they are punished severely, no matter what instigated them.

May Mr. Roy J. George's soul rest in peace.

Regards,
Shikha

Yesterday, I read it in The Times. It was really shocking, and I don't know why people are acting so harshly. May Roy's soul rest in peace.

I pray that his soul rests in peace.

It is sad that one of our professional colleagues had to lay down his life for his organisation. We should condemn this militant action by the workers' group to the strongest extent possible. Whoever is at fault, the industrial area will remain a black spot for upcoming industries and professionals.

It will be good to know the follow-up action taken by the management of Pricol to ensure that the HR functions are performed undeterred.

It is really a sad incident. I do feel sometimes that we HR professionals are always in tough times playing the role of a mediator between Management and employees. People also feel that HR individuals do not need respect; it is their job to handle every matter politely, even if it is regarding their individualism as an employee or hurting them as a person.

I also came across one such incident when an employee shouted at HR over the phone. When HR tried to resolve the matter on a personal level, that person brought up other issues. At the end of the day, Management concluded that HR should not behave in this way. What does it mean? HR is not an employee of the organization. HR professionals should not expect professional behavior from others.

Whatever happened to Mr. Roy G George is a truly shocking incident for the HR society. May his soul rest in peace.

Regards,
Neesu

Dear HR fraternity,

It is shocking news for the HR Fraternity. Things are turning violent to the extent that senior management has run for their life. Earlier it was L K Chaudhary at Noida and now Roy J George. It is high time that concerned industrial/judicial machinery should take a call and ensure that stern action is being taken against the erring labourers, which shall send a strong message across the classes that this is no way of dealing with the labor problems. The associations who are in a position to influence the Govt shall take up the issue with the Govt to amend the Trade Union Act of 1926 with regard to sections 18 & 19, which has given the false impression to the union that their actions are immune from civil suits as well as criminal cases.

Thanks & Regards,

S R Shivrayan

Dear Asha,

I am deeply saddened and shocked by this brutal and sudden tragic death of a very talented, bright young HR professional in the prime of his career.

May God give us all and the government the wisdom and direction to guide and act with firmness so that such incidents never happen again.

Our hearts reach out to his beloved family, and our prayers are that God gives them the courage and fortitude to bear this tragic loss with faith and belief that humaneness does not get diluted by such cowardly, misdirected acts. We stand by them and are there for whatever support they may require at any time.

It was sad news for HR professionals.

The present labor problem has been persisting for the last 2.5 years, and I am worried about the management not focusing much on this with the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Almost all the HR persons working with Precol have left in a year. This itself is a bad indication of the management.

However, I pray that the almighty takes care of his family and lets his soul rest in peace.

Regards,

R. Palaniswamy

Dear Asha,

I did read the news in the morning times, but after going through Mr. Roy's profile and your text, I certainly feel that it's a loss to the HR community. It's high time when one must understand the value of human life and should try to resolve the issues without indulging in any type of violence. The complete episode has resulted in nothing but the loss of a person, due to which his family will suffer throughout their lives.

May the departed soul rest in peace.

We are deeply aggrieved to learn about the sad demise of Mr. George. We pray to the Almighty to give courage and strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.

We pray that God gives strength to his family and near and dear ones to bear this loss.

Wishing all HR personnel the strength to cope and move forward,

With kind regards,
Technical Associates Ltd.

It was really shocking that a very senior and respectable person has been killed by some illiterate workers (I would prefer to call them illiterate). I don't know him personally, but he was definitely a good HR professional who died for his company and for his profession. May his soul rest in peace.

Regards,
Hari Divakaran

I request all the members to observe two minutes of silence on the 25th morning at 10:00 AM to pray for Almighty to give the family the strength to move on in life. May his soul rest in peace.

K. Ramachandran

This is a very shocking and shameful act. All issues can be solved without violence. May his soul rest in peace.

Dear All,

It was very sad news and unfortunate. The experience shared by Awvik reveals that many HR professionals are under great pressure, balancing it for the well-being of both employees and employers. Let us all wish his family and kids to have more strength and courage to face the reality of irreversible loss they had in their life and to have better days ahead.

Dear Ash,

It was really shocking news. Let's all do something about it. The HR professionals in the factory domain face a lot of problems like this because of unions. Let's do something and stop incidents like this in the future.

May his soul rest in peace.

Regards,
Priya R

May the soul of Mr. Roy J. George rest in peace.

May God comfort all his near and dear ones.

Regards,
Linu

Hi all,

I feel we should all observe a one-minute silence in condolence for Mr. Roy J. George and his family, wherever we are. May God give his family the strength to overcome this sad incident.

Dear Friends,

The senseless killing of an HR professional is indeed unfortunate. I join this forum in praying for the eternal peace of the departed soul. May God grant strength to his family to bear the irreparable loss.

The question we need to ask now is: are the guilty being brought to task or not? Violence in the workplace cannot be condoned. I do hope that the government and the company are doing the needful to bring the guilty of this heinous crime to book.

We have lost Mr. Roy J. George, which is very sad indeed. But if the guilty go unpunished, that would be another tragedy. The message of the rule of law has to go out loud and clear.

Regards,
Sanjib.

It's indeed a senseless act. I pray for the soul of Mr. Roy George and express my condolences to his bereaved family.

Sara

Hi Asha,

It was very unfortunate news. It's rightly said in the earlier post that HR people are being blamed for firing even though the mistake might be with ABC or XYZ people. I wish those guys could have thought for a few minutes before taking things into their hands. There is always an option in life. I pray to the Lord that his soul may rest in peace. Praise the Lord!

Regards,
Prax

Dear Asha,

I read the news, and it was very shocking. I am not very old in this profession, but in these three years, this is the second such incident I have come across. May his soul rest in peace.

Regards,
Anshul Garg

It is indeed a shocking incident. Senseless act. After all, they are not aware of the fact that whether it be the VP, Director, GM, etc., of HR, is also an employee. In their own language, we can say that HR is also a worker. He/she may be working and sitting in an office and may be getting paid a little more than a worker. They are the bridge between the management and the workers. Tomorrow, if anything goes wrong, the same management may throw the HR out like any other worker. In such a scenario, how do these workers dare to assault and kill one of their own, a fellow worker?

I pray for the soul of Mr. Roy George and express my condolences to his bereaved family.

Regards, S. Kumarasubramanian

Indeed, it's a shameful act. Whoever is involved in such an insane act and has taken the law into their hands should have thought for once about his family and children. If grievances are resolved in such a heinous way, I think it would be very difficult for any HR to function and address any grievance.

I pray to God so that his soul rests in peace.

Regards,
Binay

I just came to know about this incident. I deplore such barbaric acts. It's an unbearable act. Words are not sufficient to console the bereaved family. How can they take revenge by these methods for the punishments? It's condemnable. Each and every person who is working for the companies has to think as if it is their own company, then only they will work willingly and with full potential.

These types of incidents are happening quite frequently in our industries. Most of the time, it is happening by Union persons only with political support. Please don't recruit those company workers anywhere in India. What is the protection of HR professionals in industries? They will be a sandwich between management and workers.

This trend has to be changed. All HR professionals in the world should react to this and bring it to the notice of the government and people to stop such barbaric acts in the future.

Srirao

Hi Friends,

I was shocked to hear the news of the death of Mr. Roy George. Such barbaric acts by workers should not be allowed anymore, and the culprits have to be brought before the law. I pray to the almighty to give courage to his family members, and may his soul rest in peace.

S. Lakshminaryanan

Hi Friends,

It's a very sad incident which exposes the risks associated with the HR profession. NHRD Hosur Chapter has arranged a condolence meeting yesterday where members assembled, condemned the barbaric act, and prayed for the departed soul. May God give his family the strength to overcome the grief.

N. Sekar
Joint Secretary, NHRD Hosur Chapter

I too am shocked to learn of such a barbaric incident. It is sad but has also made me very angry. People take HR for a ride. They consider HR professionals to be soft, which is not a fact and should not be one. We always talk about development, but when we mention development, we mean make-believe people development. HR should not work under pressure or fear but should allow people to believe in discipline. There should be no compromise on discipline. Firm leadership with strict policy implementation should be the focus after this incident. I am too angry to stop my rage.

This incident should also serve as a case study for us and should be a challenge to handle IR problems/issues. We need to focus on the Industrial Relations front with more application of our thoughts, minds, and with utmost courage and boldness so that the union or anybody should never dare to think of causing any physical harm to any HR professionals.

Let us pray for the departed soul of George and vow together to give fitting replies to such incidents without fear.

Bishu

Dear friends,

Don't blame the city or its culture. Coimbatore is the pioneer in setting standards for Tamil Nadu in HR. The management of Pricol had adopted some bad practices which have led to this situation. Basically, being in India, you have to live with certain discrepancies, and anything cannot be changed overnight. If a meaningful dialogue with the union could have taken place, things would have been better.

Let us all pray for the departed soul to rest in peace.

May his soul rest in peace.

We may also pray for the speedy recovery of the other injured persons.

Are the other injured persons also HR persons? What is their present status? Does anybody know about that?

P Kannan

Hi Kannan,

Yes, the others who were injured are people from the HR department. The VP's cabin is just close to the HR people's place. It was after lunch, a few HR members were also with him in his cabin discussing certain issues when these people walked in and tried hitting him. Others tried to stop them and, in the process, got hit. However, their target was Roy George.

[QUOTE=Ash Mathew;890033]Hi Kannan,

Yes, the others who were injured are people from the HR department. The VP's cabin is located close to the HR area. It was after lunch when a few HR members were in his cabin discussing certain issues. When these individuals entered and attempted to harm him, others intervened, resulting in them also getting hurt. However, their target was Roy George.

I fully agree that the death of Mr. Roy George is a loss to the entire HR fraternity. It is a very sad incident, and as a student of MBA (HR), this issue is a hot topic in our lectures, with students becoming concerned.

The discussions so far have raised many questions: If HR personnel were leaving Pricol within one year of joining, why didn't the management take any action? If the union problem had persisted for the last 2.5 years, why did the management need such a gruesome incident to take notice? Even after many days since the incident, what is the government doing, and what actions is the management taking? These are the burning issues that require answers.

Regards,
Parul

Corrected and formatted for clarity and readability.