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

Management drives business, Business drives Economy and Economy involves society at large. This attracted me to take management after my graduation. Machines seldom excited me & hence there was no chance of being an engineer. Taking up HR in Management was a choice since it involves people, interpersonal relationships & dynamics and much more. I have always been intrigued by the myriad hues of human personality & relationships.  HR as a profession allowed me to be nearest to that.

During student days, I was into writing poems and stories in Odia and English. Stories & poems again are woven mostly around people as characters. On the other hand, Corporate life revolves around people with different thinking skills, logic, priorities, working style etc. It is the relationship between subordinates, supervisors, mentors and partners that makes a work place a world in itself & made the writer in me feel at home taking up the role of a HR professional.

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?

In HR, it’s our duty to maintain harmonious relationship between all individuals through “sam, dam, dand, bhed” & help the organisational juggernaut running. Keeping in the mind every individual expectation, the motivational factors can differ from one to another. Different factors can be money, glory, good relationship, job satisfaction, power or any other driving factor. This should be understood well, and employees should be treated accordingly.

A HR professional’s crucial role is to be a balancing force between the Manager and the Employees. They must contribute in helping the team and have clear communication to avoid any difference. If this is done well, then automatically conflict & resultant stress levels will reduce and enhance smooth working. At times, due to work pressure or family issues an employee gets stressed up and is not able to give his or her 100%. In such a situation, HR must take an initiative to help the employee. 

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

Music, Art, Dance and Sports add the necessary fun at work activities. In my previous and current organizations, we have conducted Intra - department and Inter - department matches of various sports like Cricket, Chess, Carrom, Tennis, etc.
We also organize the Annual Event where our employees participate in various competitions like Dance, Music, Rangoli, Face Painting, MasterChef, Tug of War etc. 
Sometimes, to avoid the monotony at office, we organize Flash Mob too.

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

Yes, employee engagement is vital for both employee and the organization, to de-stress & increase team bonding & retention.

Over & above the fun activities, what we need are objective & transparent communication between the Manager & Team members, giving clear objectives to the team and helping them to achieve the targets, which can do wonders in driving the team to excellence.

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, the family is one’s wealth for life. In my previous company as well as in Karvy, in case of emergency we visit the family of our employee either at hospital or at home.

In the current company, we invite our employees with their family members to award ceremonies (Karvy Idol event) & organise dinner with the top-management, where they get a chance to meet and interact with each-other as well. 

I strongly believe family plays an important role in motivating an employee to give the best & in increasing organisational connect.
 

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

When you give a target to the employee you should explain him the rationality of arriving at the target & whats there in it for him. They must be guided about how the outcome can be achieved and need to be instantaneously appreciated for a job well done. That’s when a person doesn't feel burdened about the target & takes it in his/her stride.  In other words, when one enjoys his/her work, they don’t feel burdened and tired. This makes them to look forward to coming to office & this is where an HR professional can play a significant role by facilitating it.

I  would strive to ever increase the frequency & objectivity of positive conversation between the CEO, Managers and Frontline Resources, make idea sharing a natural habit & increase the interdependency in a team so much that we start to value “we” viz-a-viz “me”, which would solve half of the workplace problems. 

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

I have been drawn to stories & poems. I used to pen poems and stories. I am thickly glued to current affairs across socio-political & scientific arena. 

Any other thoughts you may want to share.

Life is a journey; during which you meet different people and you start talking to them randomly. Bonding is created when you catch the positive vibes, else you feel distracted or repulsed. We should try to ignore the negative ones, since none is perfect. HR and the senior management must strive to appreciate the positive side of the employees ignoring their shortcomings, which can turn teams to well-knit families with a common goal.