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

I hail from a family of doctors, teachers and army personnel. As a result, my exposure to and interactions with different thought processes of people from varied walks of life has been enriching. Engineering gave me the analytical approach and business school sensitized me to the importance of people, processes, capital and costs. I knew I had to mix all the above into doing something meaningful. Working with Human capital was a natural progression.

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 today’s world of technology, automation, artificial intelligence, cost pressures etc, what is massively neglected is that the best machine ever made is possibly the human brain. Business goals are driven towards success by people with the right skillset, drive and motivation. Engaging with the employees and ensuring that they have a healthy (physiological and psychological) atmosphere to operate in is of prime importance. HR is a function which works in the closest proximity with all of the above. It is rightly placed to incorporate goals, drivers and motivations into the value system of the organisation so that it works as one cohesive unit. HR is techno-commercial function which today uses elements of human-centred behaviour design into its interventions. The interventions can be aimed at addressing short, medium and long-term engagement needs of an organisation and individual. All of the above cannot be imbibed into the DNA of an organisation without the involvement of the employers and the HR.

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 am a firm believer in the importance of simple things which lead to life’s greatest pleasures. Customisation of engagement initiatives has been important for me.  My favourite engagement initiatives are: Fashion shows, Organising celebration events in Unilever field services, Sundowners all through, Cricket matches, Walkathon, Bay decoration and Rangoli making competition to name a few.

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

“Life is an indivisible whole.” This is an age-old adage by Mahatma Gandhi. A happy mind is always more productive. There are ample number of researches which can justify and substantiate this claim. Engagement has an impact on productivity, ownership, innovation, retention, and overall performance. The world today is moving towards use of gamification in workflow design to ensure that engagement and right behaviours are driven. The rationale behind all of this is economic. Engagement does have a direct and indirect cost associated with it, but it should be seen as investments which do yield multi-fold returns.

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?

Social and support structures in today’s world are guiding factors if not dominant in the decision-making process of humans. I believe that it’s important to involve families so that employees get connected to the families. Insurance cover, Mediclaim policies, education support for children, maternity and paternity leaves have all helped employers in the same. In my current organisation we encourage bringing children to work. Tuition fee waiver of up to 50% is provided. Apart from this, annual family gatherings, parties, etc are conducted regularly.

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

I think a no-disturbance policy after work hours and on holidays will be a big step forward. (unless it is an emergency situation).

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

While food and fashion attract me, I ensure that I go on trekking trips regularly and let my hair loose whenever I have the opportunity to.

Any other thoughts you may want to share?

That the demand of workforce, their needs and expectations from an organisation are continuously evolving. So, it’s going to be fascinating and interesting times ahead for the HR function. Clearly what brought us here won’t get us to the dynamic THERE.