Possessing a thorough idea/exposure about the grass roots of the HR and L&D domains certainly help in playing a commendable role for any organization.
My career started as a Management Trainee; I worked on different HR domains like; HR, Operations, Special HR Projects – HR Audit, Compensation and Benefits, Contract Manpower Management and of course the icing on the cake was my stint in Learning and Development – where I was tasked with developing an online learning tool for the Company’s employees – to train them on a real time basis, way back in 2009.
All these experiences have added significant value in fortifying my career in HR and also gave me an idea of my capabilities in different domains of HR, which led me to choose certain domains in HR like; L&D and HR Business Partnering.
One of the biggest disservices I believe that a budding HR professional could do to his/her career is to be redundant or get redundant quite early.
The moment one feels that he/she is getting redundant at work, he/she may speak to the respective manager/HOD to give him/her work or assign a different domain in HR. Idea is to gain maximum exposure in the early stages of one’s career. In today’s highly dynamic and volatile business scenario, an employee undergoes multiple challenges and overcoming them and moving on quickly is the best way to gain valuable exposure and insight.
The world currently is going through a turbulent change than ever before. Be it Geo-political or Socio –economic, all these macro factors are affecting global economies instantly.
If companies hire in a split second today, they also fire at the same pace. A human resource/ capital are a commodity that is dispensable. Hence, the whole concept of job security, stability and loyalty become a myth. The job market has become highly transactional with business factors taking precedence over human emotions. Being relevant by adding value to the business is the bottom line which most companies expect today from their workforce.
This also brings in additional challenge: Employee Retention, i.e., it should not be a surprise to any company that a 21st century employee is opportunistic and will shift base at the drop of a hat.
Companies come and go; business volumes increase or decrease but change is constant and is an undisputable and undeniable fact nowadays. Therefore, we as professionals need to be quick to learn, grasp, adjust and adapt to varied situations. A high Learning Agility is of paramount importance to upskill or else become redundant and get replaced.
With the advent of new age technologies like AI, Machine Learning, etc. the HR/L&D professionals must prepare themselves and embrace these technologies.
They should be able to use these technologies to their advantage as and when the need arises to help an organisation’s employees further their career interests and contribute more.
Ans. My career graph has been steep in the last 11 odd years in HR, thanks to the varied experience that I have had across multiple industry domains.
From being a HR Operations Specialist to becoming a Learning & Development specialist to Heading HR, Administration, Security and Corporate Social Responsibility, to now being a Senior HR Business Partner, my career is full of enriching experiences.
I have had the opportunity to work for MNCs, Promoter driven organisations to managing HR for new age start-ups.
Ans. Balancing people centricity with business imperatives always works.
Ans. The answer is a Yes and a No, depending upon the work that HR professionals engage in.