Evolution of HR Fraternity in the ‘New Normal’
Kaustubh Sonalkar feels that “This is the new normal and I was just listening to Dr. Batra, and he has taken away all my points. I don’t know what to add but I will attempt. He went on to say, "These are unprecedented times and as HR I think we are fortunate to be part of this human crisis, we have always been part of a financial crisis but why I say it is fortunate is because this is the real-time when HR has to, had to come out of their shells and be visible. It was always a function that was important, it was a function that always stayed around the periphery. This gave us an absolute time and absolute opportunity to be at the forefront and show us what it was. I think this was HR’s time."
He felt that the HR role has evolved over time. "From being a back-office payroll, policies, leave, personal management kind of things to a tech-savvy head HR who is a brand ambassador, a marketer, a super communicator, and a data analyst. Classic behavioral expert and a shrewd negotiator. Having moved away from transactions to transformations delivering value behind a builder, motivator, collaborator, and a key business enabler. These are things that we have achieved over some time. A transition has happened over the last decade or 2. Whatever said and done, HR was never at the center stage of business decisions. Many may not agree but we were always important and people will always core to any business, HR was always getting that kind of importance here, but never took center stage. These unprecedented times changed the whole game. A serious move over manufacturing, customer, and even sales, HR again was important above all these in this period. HR got its rightly deserved place."
Getting people ready for the new normal HR was one key element of making sure that people are not only connected and also are well aligned and engaged in the new process. Employee trust was and is very important. Making sure that the business runs as normal HR became the central aspect of the CEO's discussions.
