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

It was during my graduation, when one of my cousins who was employed in the industry mentioned to me about the various welfare benefits offered to employees and the prevailing practices. And coincidentally, my University at Orissa offered a course in MSW. Given my personal interest, this felt like a great profession to be in, touching lives of people and being able to bring a difference to their growth journeys and career aspirations.

There is no other stream which can provide such a vast opportunity, further my keenness towards teaching, social welfare and public speaking complemented this choice.

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?

On an average, every employee spends about half their time at work. Hence it is very important for the organisation to take care of their employees professional as well as personal well-being. Research mentions, that happiness results in a 12% spike in employee productivity.

At our organisation too, we believe in the Work Hard, Party Harder! philosophy. Employee engagement initiatives ensure that employees get a refreshing time away from work at work. The focus on driving engagement has gained importance over the last few years and the avenues to have fun, learn, contribute and grow.

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

At Magicbricks, our team organises a monthly “Different Strokes” initiative to bring in varied flavours of engagement across interest areas. With a diverse employee population, it is imperative that we provide an assortment of activities. Some of the events conducted are Musical rock bands, Ghazal evenings, Stand-up comedy show, Indoor chess and carrom competitions, cricket and football leagues for men and women.

Food festivals are organised to celebrate the rich culture of every region and state.

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

Highly engaged teams are known to be more productive and have higher retention than those with low engagement. Employees are the best brand ambassadors any organisation can have, and we have reaped the results of investing in our employees.

Word of mouth is a great way to attract talent, and the same done by engaged and motivated employees proves to be a successful investment. Better productivity, greater team collaboration, enhanced ownership, passion for excellence are some of the larger outcomes of an engaged workforce.

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 important to involve the families of employees in the organisation’s growth journey, as their continuous support becomes the pillar of strength for our employees. With this intent, we have introduced many benefits and policies which enable employees to maintain a balance between their work and home.

We organise events at the workplace, especially for family members to participate, Children’s fest, best picture competition as drawn by family members. 

As part of the Performance Management process, the letters of promotions are addressed to the 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?

I strongly believe, there is no such thing as work life balance that exists nowadays. Work is life, provided the work is interesting. Employees these days are looking for beyond work life balance, they look for an environment that is meaningful, enriching, enjoyable, and provides opportunities to learn and grow. On a side note, HR needs to ensure that we create more jobs that cater to the employee needs, provide flexible working hours. At MB, we have designed a range of policies beyond statutory benefits and leaves. These create an ecosystem of benefits, which can be availed by the employees at a required time.

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

There is clearly allocated time for work, family and self. 5 days are dedicated towards the organisation, Saturdays are for exploring my interests along with peers. This time is utilised for interactions within my communities, attending workshops, unwinding with friends. 

Sundays are completely dedicated to the family. We like to travel together, watch movies and games and of course enjoy our Sunday meals together!