At what point in your life did you decide to take up HR as your career? What were the guiding / motivating factors?

After completing graduation in B Sc (Math and Physics) as specialisation I decided to pursue MBA in HR as I had great interest in HR area. HR is responsible to centralize multiple human resource functions like benefits administration and performance, change management, payroll, talent acquisition, training and development, operations, reward and recognition and data analytics.

Some motivating factors were as follows:

Influential position - An HR professional always brings a distinctive perspective to the business. 
Ability to alter people’s lives – HR professionals can have a positive impact on the employees they will be hiring for the company.
Resolving employee issues - Spotting the problem before anyone else can see it and taking measures to minimize its impact is the main objective of HR professionals. Going out of their way to solve issues can make employees feel less frustrated. HR professionals devise strategies that help in developing communication between the employees and managers.
HR acts as an organisation brand ambassador - HR professionals work with new people almost every day. They have numerous interactions with candidates while leading job interviews and with employees while addressing their questions and complaints.
HR career involves interacting with many different people and striving for their development. Hence, if you like working with people and always want to make new connections, I believe HR is the best career option.
 

HR is one practice that touches human lives directly. Do you think employers and specially HR Professional can play role in reducing stress levels of employees through various employee engagement initiatives?

Yes, I agree that HR professional can definitely reduce stress levels of employees through various employee engagement initiatives.
Workplace environment – 
A workplace environment can be a large source of stress for many. It can affect employee attitudes, performance and stress. It can be corrected with allowing employees to have personal items in their working area. Similarly, an organised and uncluttered setting also will help relieve stress as employees can work fluidly with easy access to the tools or material they may need.
Open door policy or fun Fridays – 
An HR team needs to be available to help employees when needed, this is where an open door and open ear policy can be of immense benefit. Ensuring employees have someone they can openly talk to with a thoughtful and caring ear. Employees, especially in times of stress, look to HR for advice and resolutions. Companies realise that they can’t achieve their goals if their people are too stressed to work to their best abilities.

Employee Wellness Programme – 
In the current environment, work is an area where many employees experience their greatest sense of stress. Whether large or small, basic or intricate, an employee wellness program will help in this. These programs can include stress-reducing initiatives such as exercises, meditation, healthy eating, mental well-being. Such programs provide a wealth of benefits to staff and employers alike.

Flexible work timing options –
A significant stress inducer for many employees in the workplace is rigorous working hours. Allowing employees to work remotely, or even on a flexi-time basis is shown to be good for the spirit of staff and profitability for the business.
 

What are some of the most important employee engagement initiatives related to Music, Art, Dance or Sports that you have taken in your career?

I have been an active participant in employee engagement initiatives like Ring Toss, Food Carnival, Summer Day, Snacks corner, Family day, All indoor and outdoor games, Networking day, Diversity day, Women’s day, Self-defence training, Marathon, Cultural programme.

Do you think time and cost for employee engagements are an investment for the organisation and can help in multi-fold returns?

Yes, I agree and fully support employee engagement activities as an investment for the Organisation.

Do you feel there is a need even to reach out to the family of employees so that they get better connected to the company? Have you undertaken any such initiative in your past or current organization?

Yes, I was actively involved in family day event which was organised to connect with employee and their family members.

What is the one change that you would like to bring in HR practice that has potential to boost employees work-life balance?

It’s no easy task achieving work-life balance in today’s unpredictable and fast-paced business world. See below points that Sungard has implemented for work life balance.

a.    Encourage time off
b.    Implement short breaks
c.    Offer flexible working
d.    Don’t expect overtime / long hours from employees regularly
e.    Allocate proper and equal responsible task to all employees (don’t overload)  
 

What are your personal interests in Music, Art, Dance or Sports and how do you continue to pursue it?

Music is my interest area.

Any other thoughts you may want to share.

If you notice people are struggling to find work-life balance, then find out what changes they think would improve their situation. Collaborating with teams will provide more insights into the way they think and feel.
To help facilitate these discussions, consider having regularly scheduled meetings, or implement real time feedback programs. This way you can accurately gauge how your people are feeling and adjust to ensure they have the right balance.