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

Since day one in professional life, I was determined to make HR as my career. Offering multifaceted role and opportunity to impact organization and its various constituents like people, processes, systems, policies, procedures, values & culture, it convinced that by excelling in those roles, I can significantly add value to the organization and life of the people by optimizing their fullest potentials and helping them to lead a happy and successful life by coaching and mentoring to various touch points of interaction & working.

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, by reducing complexities of personal and professional life, HR can play a big role in reducing stress level of the employees.
In organization, HR has to create transparent and flexible work environment, open door policy, equal opportunity to growth, communication, participation in decision making, work flow design and right time feedback with appreciation and recognition for value creation. Such work environment reduces stress level a lot and at personal level HR has to play a role of mentor by showing empathy and concerns to issues of employees and helping them out in terms of genuine personal challenges.
This can be in form of continuously motivating and guiding for career and life choices of individuals and if required even for family members and closed one with support in times of need by creating health, safety and security net i.e. by offering psychological safety net.

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

To create value driven organization, we start our day with a prayer/song, ‘Itni Shakti Hamen Dena Data, Man Ka Viswas Kamjor Ho Na’. To create family like work environment, we celebrate all major festivals in our office like Ganesh Puja, Deepawali etc. with all local flavours and joy including dance, rangoli making, painting & traditional dress wearing. Employees are given flexibility to listen music at their workstation without disturbing others. Women’s day celebration is treated like a festival at HO and plant both by offering food and gifts to the staff.

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

Engaged employees are more loyal and productive in the organizations and are always looking for opportunity to scale up the growth of the company by continuously removing the obstacles without any monitoring or directions since they treat organization as their own.

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?

It is very much required since it will create a solid emotional bond between employees and organization. We are an integral part of employee’s families at the time of their happiness & sorrow moments. Employee’s kids are felicitated and recognised by us for their achievements in the fields of education, sports and music etc & most importantly at the time of health, sickness or medical emergency, we offer interest free loan facility to the staff apart from existing insurance benefits.

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

Will have to accept and appreciate the fact that employees have equally important responsibilities towards their personal life i.e. have to be more sensitive or empathise towards the personal needs of employees.

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

I am very fond of melody & bhajans and while commuting to office and home and sometimes at the time of leisure in office, enjoy music.

Any other thoughts you may want to share.

Always keep in mind, nothing is without purpose in life so it is vital to find out that purpose or cause and pursue it with whole heart and mind to materialise.