Vritaanta August 2014

White Collar
7
You specialised in Personnel Management, but the
economy is now turning to be knowledge-driven.
What is the impact on the field of HR? How much has
the field really been changed?
The whole approach has changed. When you go into
an organisation in the Human Resource function and
you start working with your employees, you realise
that every employee has a unique need, every employee
has a unique issue.
I think that is what has changed. Even over a period of
time, from 1999 when I started work upto today, the
workforce has constantly changed, workforce motivation
has changed, and the Gen Y concept has come in.
Earlier, when I joined the corporate workforce, work
was an end in itself. It was a part of your identity. Today,
it’s become a means to an end. I want to do
something, hence I work. And that whole change has
happened in the workforce, which HR professionals
need to understand.
In an article with IndiaInfoLine, you’ve referred to
insurance as a people-driven business. But isn’t that
largely true of all sectors, nowadays? Or is it truer
for insurance?
No, I think it’s true of every organisation. You can
have the best strategy on paper, but it is only your
people who can deliver and make it happen. So the
success of the strategy depends on how good your
people are, how well they understand the strategy,
and how well they execute it in order to make it happen.
So it is always a people-driven agenda.
You’ve written an article on “The missing link – Flexible
Work Arrangements”. Isn’t it more important to
get everyone together in the workplace, to engage
better with each other and the organisation?
Flexible work arrangements are important because
you have to understand that work and personal life
have, to a large extent, integrated. The tools have
changed. Earlier, you would go into the office and you
would have a desktop and you would have to work on
that. Today you have laptops, you carry your own devices,
you have smartphones, and you can access information
from anywhere. So that boundary between
work and personal space is kind of greyed out. We’re
moving towards work-life integration, rather than
work-life balance. We’re looking at how to integrate
work and personal life.
Where do you see Human Resources, as a field, in
five years’ time?
I see it changing dramatically! I think the challenges
will only increase. I think the people focus in every organisation
will increase. I also think that it’s going to
become more challenging – and the challenge will become
the interesting part of the job.
It’s going to be all about the value you bring to the
table. That has become critical. Yes, you will be invited
as the HR person, for a meeting. But it’s the value
you bring to that table, the understanding of the business
that you have, for you to be able to link the organisational
agenda to the people agenda.
We have a batch of soon-to-be HR professionals.
What would be the key attributes of an HR professional,
in today’s market?
First, to understand your business. Second is to build
relationships. Thirdly, be cognisant or aware of the
changes happening in the HR function – you should
know about the changes that are happening. And
fourth and most important, I think, is having courage
and conviction to do the right thing. Because you are
the custodian of values and culture of an organisation.
How important is employee engagement with the
organisation?
It is absolutely essential. When someone comes into
work, they don’t just come to work − they bring their
whole selves. They also bring their personal issues.
Similarly, when they go home, work also impacts personal
life. It’s an integration where you bring your
whole self. So employee engagement is very, very
critical.
What is the one piece of advice you would give our
HR students, both seniors and juniors?
Study hard and play hard. Study hard because this is
your time to learn your fundamentals. And play hard
because these days will never come back again.