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n ts humane.r@iimrohtak.ac.in HUMANE-R CLUB HR BULLETIN VOLUME 114
In such a scenario, can HR be left to its traditional practitioners or should it be open to a wider spectrum of professionals?
Human Resources (HR) has transformed from being an admin only function to a business partnering approach, encompassing talent attraction and operations. Operating with a 'People First' mindset, agility, data oriented approach, and driving for business growth with a multitude of generational diversity as priority will be the key to it in the transformed world after the pandemic.
Do engineers make good HR leaders?
“HR is a core business function today that heavily relies on insights, decision making, and people skills Engineers are trained for years to systematically analyse, reason, use frameworks and be innovative in problem solving
Engineers, particularly, have managed to build very successful careers in HR The technical skills that they bring onboard, their analytical skills and the value they see in getting to the root cause all helps on the job
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HR BULLETIN
With engineers increasingly filling HR roles across a range of industries, some of those who have made the transition successfully tell People Matters what it is like to “move away from understanding circuits to what wires people”.
An electronics and communication graduate, Amulya Kulkarni Kanade today heads People Operations at Bengaluru based advanced battery technology startup Log9 Materials
Also, as a technical person, you always think about automating routine or repetitive tasks, says Rajeswari. “You are trained to think of engineering solutions to every problem statement. You think about documenting the process for someone else to pick it up. Your risk assessment of projects really helps in applying the same to the situations that you are drawn in to resolve. And of course, the most important one, we will be better equipped to understand the organisation’s vision and help to align with that to accelerate the journey,” she contends. The transition, she says, is an ongoing journey
“It was easy and difficult at the same time Easy, given my experience of 23 years in the same organisation which provided enough insight to understand all the functions and the needs of the stakeholders Difficult because a lot of unlearning and learning had to be done to fit into the role Stakeholders expect you to be on top of matters, and the learning curve does not come to your rescue So, you need to run at a faster pace to stay ahead because we are dealing with the most valuable assets of the company our incredible talent,” she adds
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“You think about the root cause that needs to be fixed and not just about putting out the fire You believe that every task can be planned like a mini project You believe in stand ups and continuous feedback loops So, everything technical you learned, gets applied in some way or the other,” she says.
I’ve worked with some excellent HR practitioners over the years who are engineers by education and have built very successful careers in human resources based on their own strengths grounded in their engineering training,” says Bhavya Misra, director and head HR, Lenovo India. People Matters spoke to a few engineers turned HR leaders to know how big a leap it was in their career and how well their academic degree applies to the role as an HR professional.
“Given my background in engineering, it helped to make my career choice to pursue HR with technology giants across storage, hardware, and EVs Also, I did my Bachelors in Electronics and Communication, and was always keen to be part of the technology industry,” she says.
Having seen her colleagues, seniors and mentors transition between engineering/ business domains to HR has been a great learning for Kanade with perspectives being offered from both the sides
'Everything technical you learned, gets applied in some way' In her career, in addition to the technical/functional roles, Arathi Rajeswari, AVP & head of talent advancement and excellence, SunTec Business Solutions, has handled people management aspects as well. This included engaging with the team, mentoring, discussing career aspirations and providing guidance and sometimes inspiring individuals. And over time, she realised that this is her strength.
Read more at:https://www.peoplematters.in/article/strategic hr/do engineers make good hr leaders 35294 3
“When business priorities and people impact come together, it is a perfect recipe for a growing organisation,” she says
Kanade was conscious of having an understanding of industry/domain knowledge to help solve people's challenges for organisations as part of her career trajectory
Shifting from "understanding circuits to what wires people”
“I like tasks with lots of interaction be it actively engaging with our clients or with our associates. So, when this opportunity came up, I decided to go for it. My organisation has always provided the right platform to refine/redefine my career in line with the aspirations of the organisation's vision and therefore, I went ahead. The talent function is all about knowing your associates and inspiring them to be the best version of themselves. And that is something that excites me,” says Rajeswari
“When you move away from understanding circuits to what wires people, it does get fascinating. However, this definitely has helped apply a more strategic and quantitative lens and helped me build the HR Business partnering muscle. Applying first principles and getting to the root cause of understanding why what works has been a basic principle that I apply till date,” she notes.
The transition, however, was initially a bit challenging for Kanade .
The technical analysis skills have always come in handy to Rajeswari, who did her MS in Software Systems from BITS Pilani
Organisations will have to consider new steps to close the widening gap of wages, especially between people who make equal contributions in the same function or role. For change to happen, it must start with the leaders. Here are simple but impactful ways on how to continue the fight: Start talking with people
How to strive for equal pay for equal work
The same study showed female employees across the world make 23% less than what male employees make Worse, women of colour earn only half of white men’s wages Disparity in wages also continues as more and more women retire into poverty, which shows how women have been suffering pay discrimination throughout generations
Aside from women, the majority of people largely affected by the pay gap include LGBTQIA+ workers and people of colour.
Equal pay for equal work – the fight continues!
There are many who still deny the existence of gender pay inequalities Despite the data, they still believe that the gap is only made up Raising awareness is thus the first step towards bringing the pay gap to an end Start talking with more people and the community at large about the pay gap
Read more at:https://www.peoplematters.in/article/diversity/equal pay for equal work the fight continues 35324?media_type=article&subcat=strategic hr&title=equal-pay-for-equal-work-the-fight-continues&id=35324 4
Today, the world is observing International Equal Pay Day a reminder for all of us to continue the fight to end pay discrimination among employees.
A 2019 study by UN Women showed inequality between the salaries of men and women continues to persist despite global efforts to narrow the gap And with this gap, women tend to suffer more as they are usually limited to taking on more responsibilities in caring for their families and, as a result, sacrificing their careers
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Today is International Equal Pay Day. A pivotal moment for leaders to turn the tide on one of the most persistent problems of work: income inequality
In the present era, companies and their employees are constantly exploring a more contemporary working atmosphere. As a result, they are on a constant lookout for a clear, well reasoned, and comprehensible culture. According to Mercer's Global Talent Trends 2022 report, employees today anticipate their bosses to be equal participants in their more comprehensive personal needs, in addition to a paycheck. Indeed, according to a Workhuman survey conducted in the fall of 2021, 66% of employees wait to evaluate their firm's new benefit offerings before actually deciding whether to stick with their jobs or move on.
In the midst of all of this, ‘corporate dining’ has recently received a lot of attention After all, who doesn't appreciate a meal that has already been paid for? It may appear to be a minor detail, but today's employers should not underestimate the advantages of sponsored meals at work. Free food is more than just an incredible perk: it helps to establish a strong lunch tradition that encourages teamwork and creativity at work. In addition, it demonstrates that the company cares about its employees and that their everyday endeavours and contributions are honestly held in high esteem.
One cannot overlook food’s role as a unifier. ..
Let's take a quick look at some of the subtle advantages of free food at work for your company and its employees: A perfect employee retention magnet
Read more at:https://www.peoplematters.in/article/employee engagement/the importance-of-paid-meals-at-the-workplace-35295 5 H U M A N E R | V O L U M E 114
According to the data cited above, providing a competitive reward system can greatly enhance a company's success in both attracting and retaining top talent Benefits such as mental health counselling, an office gaming zone, yoga classes, an unlimited leave policy, and so on are some of the low cost perks employees tend to eye in an organisation
The importance of paid meals at the workplace
Employee engagement, such as shared meals, helps foster a collaborative atmosphere.
With C suite hiring on the rise, industry experts tell People Matters what drives a C suite leader's decision when considering new job opportunities in the post pandemic world.
“Given the slowdown of the technology sector, other core sectors such as FMCG, manufacturing, telecom, media, and consulting, as well as companies in the supply chain tech, EV manufacturing, etc, have shifted their focus to building new businesses and investing in stronger leadership teams. At the same time, tech companies that had set out to build new categories and verticals are also starting to pivot, leading to an unexpected influx of leadership talent from the tech sector in the market,” he contends…
“As the pandemic settles down, CXO hiring has experienced a record increase this year, with the highest demand for external CXO talent coming primarily from the software, fintech, e commerce, media, manufacturing, and healthcare and wellness industries Unexpected digitalisation and IT transformation has made it obvious for the leaders in technology functions as front runners accounting to almost 40% of the C suite job searches,” he says Varun Sarin, co founder, director at PeopleAsset, a boutique executive search and talent advisory firm, however, doesn’t find this rising trend surprising
Hiring a new C-suite leader? Here's how to attract them
The demand for C suite leaders, or the top level management positions in an organisation, has been witnessing a consistent spike over the past few months. Among this, the movement of CXOs was inevitable as companies began holding on to expansion plans from 2020 as Covid disrupted life and business, but markets began getting bolder from the middle of the year Kushhagr Agarrwal, founder of executive search firm KNR Management Consultants, says there has been an almost 70% spike seen in the year 2021 2022 in C suite job searches.
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/talent management/hiring 35263?media_type=article&subcat=leadership&title=hiringa-new-c-suite-leader-heres-how-to-attract-them- a new c suite leader heres how to attract them&id=35263 6 H U M A N E R | V O L U M E 114
For introverts, this means that they can overcome the negatives of being a little bit reclusive by silently making a positive impact at work.
But true and effective leadership does not really depend solely on the ability to talk out loud because there are many ways for a leader to inspire besides talking Sure, there are merits for being able to talk out loud, but studies show that both introverts and extroverts can be good leaders
How to thrive as an introverted leader
Make good use of active listening skills
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Being an introverted leader can be challenging as there are always expectations that leaders should be “loud and expressive” extroverts instead of “soft spoken” introverts
Although introverted people tend to keep their own company to themselves, they also make good listeners. This means that their attentive ears can give them an edge in discussions. to thrive as
Read more at:https://www.peoplematters.in/article/culture/how
How to thrive as an introverted leader
Good listeners make good leaders. Introverted people prefer to keep quiet most of the time..
The importance of introverted leadership at work Many big name leaders in the workplace admit to being introverted. In fact, almost 1 in 3 leaders are introverts. A study done by Harvard revealed that extroverted leaders excel at leading passive employees, while introverted leaders are great at making collaboration work through more proactive employees. This means that leadership roles can also suit introverted people as they’re usually empathetic, observant, and focused on work Their style of leadership can really help since they’re more open to suggestions Although introverted people tend to keep their own company to themselves, they also make good listeners This means that their attentive ears can give them an edge in discussions