Ufone: Senior Management Hiring

Mr. Arsalan Zuberi, Manager – Recruitment at Ufone, sat on his desk wondering how to resolve the
recruitment issues of senior management of Ufone. For a couple of years now, the biggest challenge the
posed at him was the hiring of the senior management. He had been unable to find timely and suitable
replacements for employees working at senior position in Ufone. Even if he did find a replacement, it was
usually the backup option or someone loosely fit for the role, who they had to hire eventually, being
unable to lock their first option. Now having been asked by senior management on how to tackle this
issue, he had to come up with a solution, really quick.

History

About Ufone

Ufone is a Pakistani Telecom Company with its presence in all the major cities of Pakistan along with a
comprehensive coverage across all major towns, villages and tehsil headquarters of the country. The
company employs more than 3,850 people and operates with a network of more than 320 franchises and
company-owned customer service centers along with a distribution network of 150,000 outlets
nationwide.

Company Profile

Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pakistan Telecommunication
Company Limited (PTCL) that started its operations in January 2001 under the brand name 'Ufone'. As a
result of PTCL's privatization, Ufone became a part of the Emirates Telecommunication Corporation
Group (Etisalat) in 2006.

Since its inception, Ufone has focused on the people of Pakistan, empowering them with the most
relevant communication modes and services that enable them to do a lot more than just talk, at a price that
suits them the most. Along with the claim of lowest call rates, clear sound and best network, Ufone offers
its customers simplified tariffs with no hidden charges. With a strong and uniquely humorous
communication direction that has now become Ufone's signature across all advertising media, Ufone
gives its customers many reasons to smile.

This customer focus and best offering has allowed Ufone to build a subscriber base of over 24 million in
less than a decade. Ufone has network coverage in 10,000 locations and across all major highways of
Pakistan. Ufone currently caters for International Roaming to more than 288 live operators in more than
160 countries. Ufone also offers Pakistan's fastest growing 3G network, and BlackBerry Roaming
coverage available with more than 200 Live Operators across 122 countries. Ufone has also become a
focused and intensive leader in VAS, constantly introducing innovative services, which have been the first
of their kind in the Pakistani cellular industry.

As the world of telecommunications advances, Ufone promises its customers to stay ahead, developing
and evolving, to go beyond their expectations, because at Ufone, it's all about U.

Mission Statement

To be the best cellular option for U.

Story of Our Brand

At Ufone, it's always about you. In order to evolve with our customers and to keep pace with your needs,
we rejuvenated and revamped our image by changing our visual identity

At Ufone we understand the value of words and the need to communicate effectively and efficiently at all
levels of society, which is why our primary focus is on U, our valued customers bring strength to our
company.

With a fresher look than is accepted and appreciated across the board by people of all ages, we aim to
connect with you and provide you state of the art services. No matter who you are, where you are, what
you want to say, how you want to say it or how you feel, you are our focus. Because at Ufone, it's all
about U!

Coverage

We are, where you want to be. At Ufone we aim to provide you with wider coverage, superior
connectivity, clear signals & voice quality.

Covering several key destinations your Ufone is the ultimate means to stay connected wherever your
business takes you allowing seamless roaming through the network providing the best nationwide
coverage.

Ufone, being one of the leading cellular service providers, has recently launched its service in many new
cities. Keeping up with its pace it is rapidly expanding its network.

Ufone keeps on adding new cities with same superior network that continues to expand. Ufone covers all
major cities of Pakistan. Now you can enjoy comprehensive coverage in areas like the GT Road, Super
Highway & Motorway etc. So wherever you are in Pakistan, Ufone keeps you connected.
Values at Ufone:

We see ourselves as responsible individuals and believe that trust forms the foundation of every strong
relationship. Every day, we aim to further strengthen this trust by living our values, and following through
on our commitment to succeed together. We believe in an empowered workforce, where our people have
the freedom to make their decision in light of our culture and values. These values are the building blocks
of our daily interactions between us, our stakeholders and our customers. Our core values are the pillars
upon which our organizational culture and business practices are based. We call this the Ufone Way, and it
is all about translating our basic cultural ingredients into our lifestyle.

Our values are:

1. Leadership with Passion

We believe in leading by example, and taking responsibility for our mistakes. We aim to stay
accessible and helpful, using dialogue as influence and not authority.
2. Teamwork & Innovation
We encourage open communication and interaction, and recognize team members for their
contributions. We acknowledge ideas without prejudice and share knowledge freely across
functional boundaries.
3. Entrepreneurship, Freedom with Responsibility
We help each other in refining ideas, by asking questions and taking everyone's point of view.
This helps us in understanding our customers better, and in understanding how our individual
roles contribute towards organizational success.
4. Humility in Relationships
We respect each other and are always there to help. We believe in ourselves and care about what
is important to each one of us, always being there with support where needed.
5. Commitment with Fun
We stay calm under pressure and celebrate our successes, no matter how tiny they may be. We are
proactive and enthusiastic, and face every challenge with a smile. Each one of us brings
something special to Ufone, and that is what defines our culture.

To safeguard our reputation and our brand, we hold ourselves at the highest standards of ethical behavior
that go hand in hand with the highest of accountabilities.
Products:

Recruitment Process at Ufone

Recruitment at Ufone has been directly handled by the company’s human resources department. Positions
have been advertised initially by the recruitment team on rozee.pk, and then there was a shift to
LinkedIn.com. Currently LinkedIn.com is the only platform being used for this purpose. All vacant
positions of Ufone are posted at this platform along with brief job description and job specifications.
Positions are kept open until a sufficient number of applications have been received. Then recruitment
team shortlists candidates whose profiles are relevant to the position. Shortlisted candidates are then
called upon for interviews. Candidates are further narrowed down after interviews, and the ranked in an
order of preference. The top preferred candidate is made an offer, and in case of acceptance the said
candidate is brought on board and formally, made a part of the company. In case the first candidate
refuses the offer, the second preferred candidate is made a formal offer. The process goes on until a
candidate is locked and is completed with the onboarding of a candidate.

The Telecom Sector of Pakistan

The telecom sector of Pakistan is marked with four companies namely (they are ranked in their order of
performance):

1. Jazz
2. Telenor
3. Zong
4. Ufone

Keeping this in mind, it is clear to see that Ufone can be clearly seen as the least performing telecom
company out of all. Similarly, this has been represented in the brand image and employer brand as well.
Mr. Arsalan Zuberi knew that until and unless the brand image improved, the situation wouldn’t improve
at all. Prospective employees would be hard to come by.
Possible Solutions:

Arsalan was faced with multiple solutions but he didn’t know which one to choose:

A. First solution that he could possibly chose was to get help of head-hunters to secure good candidates.
But this solution had both its pros and cons. First, head hunters were a pricey solution to all these
problems. The cost attached with them would subsequently increase the cost of hiring many fold. This
would make matters worse in these trying times. But it would get them what they need in short amount of
time without wasting time and effort in other places.

B. Second solution was to have Increased and Lucrative Compensation for senior management positions.
This could tempt individuals to join Ufone, as these factors are huge in deciding how things work in these
matters. But, again this would increase the cost of hiring and recruitment many fold.

C. Retention of Employees was the third and final option for the company, offering them higher
compensation than before or equating whatever offer they have. This helped retain home grown talent but
could again increase the human resource cost of the company.
Appendix:

Mobile Cellular Revenues

2015 2016 2017 3 Year Revenues

CMPak 47.75 52.40 65.95 166.106

Telenor Pakistan 85.27 93.81 101.51 280.90

Jazz 94.30 122.70 144.04 361.04

Ufone 49.38 51.27 50.98 151.64

Total 276.7 320.18 362.48 959.69

 Teaching Notes

Synopsis

This case study offers an intriguing scenario for aspiring human resource professionals where they get to
analyze which course of action should the company adopt. Ufone’s Recruitment Manager is posed with a
serious challenge where he needs to decide how to tackle the challenge of hiring for senior management
positions. This case offers a complete detail of how things are i.e. the challenge faced by the company,
company’s description, its values and probable solutions.

Case Objectives and Target Audience

This case is best suited for business graduates who want to further develop their understanding in the field
of human resources and recruitment and selection. The main objectives of the case are:

 To introduce real-time issues faced a by telecom sector company in Asia

 To help students understand issues faced by companies in developing countries

Teaching Plan

This case can be best taught in a class of 25-30 students, while dividing them into groups where each
group comes up with a solution to these challenges.

Assignment Questions

Q. If you were in Arsalan Zuberi’s position, which option would you chose and why?

Q. Would you be comfortable increasing the HR costs of the company?

Q. Perform a cost-benefit analysis of all the options provided.