‘People Over Work’ Approach Key To Excel In HR: Experts

People management has been at the forefront of human resources (HR). Once considered an administrative function, the chief human resources officer (CHRO) role has evolved into a trusted advisor who aims to bridge the gap between the management and employees. The profession has changed majorly, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating a shift towards ‘people over work’ approach. 

Recently, there has been a shift towards getting the employees ready to tackle real-life scenarios. Highlighting the emerging priorities of the profession, Ayaskant Sarangi, CHRO, Mphasis, stated, “One massive focus area is shifting from learning to the application of learning. That’s one major area because, fundamentally when one looks at the principles of learning, it's about knowledge, skills and attitude. So, therefore as an organisation, how does one create an environment where one is able to teach people, its employees how to apply that learning in real-life scenarios.”

Taking about the growing need to align the employees with the purpose of the organisation, Sarangi said, “The whole aspect of aligning employees with the purpose of the organisation in a hybrid framework is a major challenge.”

Chhavi Anand, Vice President and Zonal Head HR, Tata AIG General Insurance mentioned, “Fully understanding the organisation or business metrics and understanding what the business is into is the foremost requirement for any HR leader. It is also about the people analytics that can be used as it empowers the HR leader to make impactful decisions. The communication has to be clear, consistent and mostly come from the top-down when it comes to aligning with business priorities.”

The experts highlighted the importance of employee well-being, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.  Shedding light on the lack of initiative in the Indian work culture towards employee well-being, Anand stated, “When it comes to employee well-being, we already used to have certain policies in place which were never used. For example, we all talk about sabbatical leaves but the moment any employee applies for a sabbatical, hue and cry come over. What is the need for the person to go on sabbatical? What will happen to the role now? The position will go vacant. So, the mindset has shifted but not where it is required.  Personalised well-being programmes are also very important”

“There must be a space for revisiting, recrafting and rethinking on our policies. They have to be progressive and forward-looking,” Amarpreet Kaur Ahuja, Country Head-HR, AstraZeneca India, mentioned.

Focussing on ways in which human resource departments can deal with the top management of an organisation and how it can excel in leadership HR, Ahuja stated, “When we talk about leaders, the flip side of the story is that there is a journey that people have traversed, there’s a mindset that gets shaped over the years. When people come with decades of experience, there is a certain baggage you carry. The only method that works beautifully is a scenario where you are able to have a consultative approach. Being a coach to that business leader and allowing that person to be able to see where the mirror is. It works like magic.”

While speaking at the session themed, ‘The CHRO Agenda: Reimagining Leadership and Talent Management for Tomorrow,’ the session chair Harbinder Narula, chief executive officer (CEO), BW Healthcare & Wellbeing World, highlighted the need for a more people-centric approach. He mentioned, “Post the pandemic, people became a priority over work. All our strategies need to be aligned with the business goals for which the employees have been employed. We have to build a team of people who are able to adapt themselves for whatever changes that we are experiencing.”