The HR & OB Society
T he N ew A ge HR
I
n my daily life, I frequently come across this innocuous question: 'What do you
do?'. The answer to which invariably remains the same. While I cringe internally in
anticipation when I respond, the inevitable chuckle followed by a lame Rangoli joke
or about the time when I walk into the office always follows. I internally simmer with hot
bubbling anger at yet, I end up smiling through my teeth with a cursory nod. But once in a
while, after too many of these jokes, I am not proud to say this, but I feel the need to defend
my profession. And that's when it gets ugly because when a HR tries to make a point, we make
sure we drive it home.
Gone are the days when HR used to sit and process file after file, register after register of
employee data. With payroll, on-boarding, selection, entire performance management,
termination, leaves and policies, all being handled by the next-gen sophisticated Human
Resource Management Systems, the traditional transactional roles that a HR used to play is
now close to extinction. A couple of system administrators have taken over that job, paving
way for more tactical and strategic roles.
Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi
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