How Strategic HR Can Fuel Long-Term Growth

HCLTech's dedication to innovation and excellence in human resources has earned it the title of ‘Best HR Strategy’ at the BW People HR Excellence Awards 2024. In an exclusive interview, Shaily Rampal, Associate Vice President of HR at HCLTech, shares insights into the key elements of an HR strategy that set the company apart, the challenges faced in its implementation, and how a well-defined HR strategy can drive employee engagement, satisfaction and overall business success. 

What key elements of an HR strategy you believe can set a company apart from others?

A standout HR strategy aligns with the organisation’s business objectives, is relevant to its industry context, addresses key challenges and leverages the organisation’s core strengths for a competitive advantage. Additionally, the strategy must be viable in terms of execution and scalability.

What are some challenges that HR team faces while developing and implementing these strategies and how to overcome them?

Challenges can arise at various stages of designing and implementing an HR strategy. To overcome these, it’s crucial to thoroughly analyse the current state and clearly envision the desired future state during the design phase. Developing a detailed plan with specific tasks, responsibilities and timelines helps prevent execution issues. Efficient resource allocation and incorporating change management practices can ensure smooth transitions. Early and on-going stakeholder engagement can help in managing change and driving adoption. Setting performance standards and OKRs, along with regular reviews and adjustments based on progress and feedback can enable continuous improvement.

How can HR strategy impact employee engagement and satisfaction within the company? Are there any specific metrics or feedback that highlight this impact?

A well-defined and executed HR strategy can significantly enhance employee engagement and satisfaction. Some of the metrics that indicate this impact are attrition rates, employee satisfaction survey scores, performance levels, productivity and innovation.

In what ways can HR strategy contribute to the overall success and growth of the company?

An effective HR strategy can provide distinct competitive advantage to the company and contribute significantly to its long-term success and growth, making it future-ready. It can enhance organisation’s ability to attract, retain and grow top talent, boost employee engagement and satisfaction and encourage culture of continuous learning.

Looking ahead, how do you plan to continue evolving your HR strategy to maintain this level of excellence and address future workforce trends and challenges?

HCLTech’s vision of bringing together the best of technology and people to supercharge progress will continue to drive our ambition and efforts to continuously evolve our HR Strategy. We aim to stay ahead of future workforce trends and challenges by proactively identifying them and remaining adaptable.