My first Magazine HRegatta_Edition 8 | Page 28

The HR & OB Society Q. What have been your key learnings from the rich and diverse experience working in the HR domain for so long? In my opinion it is very important to keep yourself updated from the day the day happenings around the world and update your skills explicitly by undertaking the many e courses available online for example, a very niche and upcoming area in HR domain is HR analytics, so it is beneficial to keep oneself in the know-how of the area and employ it in the work. Other examples could be courses on negotiation skills, or communication skills. The other thing that goes a long way in this career to be engaged in many group projects that companies offer at the regional or international level right from the initial phase of culture because it exposes the nuances of the business and provides unparalleled exposure. In HR primarily the HR data comprises of the employee data and it is absolutely important to manage it to perfection and that data must be updated regularly. The quality of data greatly affects the results of all the HR initiatives that you will take. Don’t restrict yourself to basic HRA, go out explore and learn as much as possible. Even as HR manager, the function is to enable businesses and that requires constant learning and developing the business understanding Q. People have a lot of misconceptions regarding the domain of human resources and as an HR and OB society, we feel we must be tackling those and lay down a clear perception concerning the domain, what would be your advice in this regards? Yes, there are many misconceptions around the HR domain, the popular ones being that HR people do not have a good understanding of business, that they do not have much work to do apart from organizing birthdays or making rangolis and lastly that they do not get paid well. One way to tackle this is to bring in more HR professionals to college and hold interactions with them. People who have actively worked in this sector will be able to share their experiences and convey better what the HR domain offers. It should not be seen as just a hiring-firing job but a business enabler. The primary function is to manage the entire employee cycle from hiring the best employee talent and then retaining them. To tackle with the various doubts lingering in the mind of aspirants can be solved by arranging the Q&A session with HR professionals and faculty members, the HR conclaves and seminars or have people route their sessions through the HR&OB Society. HR domain has a lot to offer but people need to have a clarity about where they wish to contribute because it uses sharp skills like the HRM and MPP. Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi 28