"HRs Are Business Leaders And Not Just HR Leaders"

Being HR in today’s time is precisely about driving a balance and keeping equal importance on both sides. On one end HR Leaders needs to be extremely empathetic, open and able to understand the people of the organization and on the other side leaders also have to maintain the business equilibrium and continuity. This role of HR Leader at Johnson & Johnson gave her the first-hand experience to appreciate the need for establishing standardized processes and driving collaborations to achieve optimal business outcomes.

Khare is focused on the effectiveness of already functioning initiatives to get the most out of it. Remembering the contributions she mentioned that drove efficiencies through the above by lowering the overall manpower cost by 10 per cent in 2019 and increased business profitability; Enhanced candidate experience of new joiners through a robust approach on connecting, communication, enablement, assimilation and accommodation; lead a robust talent agenda to create a strong internal talent pipeline for critical roles and carving career trajectories by leveraging the enterprise at Johnson & Johnson.

As Khare joined Janssen, the pharmaceutical business of Johnson & Johnson, as an HR business partner in 2018. Since then, her focus has been on supporting our employees to adapt to the ever-evolving external health care environment and develop the right capabilities to enhance access to our innovative medicines for our patients. 

HRs are the torchbearers for the organization and the recent pandemic has proved this. Khare asserts, “I believe, as an HR community, we have evolved exponentially, from operations administration and employee champions to becoming the strategic advisors to the business. We are business leaders and not just HR leaders, and as I reflect on my career journey, the multitude of learnings reinforces this point for me.”

Creating a performing culture, high accountability, innovation mindset, collaboration and team spirit is a continuous endeavor for the company and hence, shaping the culture of the organization along with the leadership team is an imperative of HR Leader’s role at Janssen.

 “Our people are our biggest assets, and we are committed to create the best employee experience through various interventions which I could contribute to,” says Khare.

The current pandemic-induced lockdown restrictions have further elevated the role of HR within organizations as business leaders are leaning on our leadership for shaping internal policies, driving appropriate communication and employee engagement, and demonstrating agility in the responses. The way Johnson & Johnson respond during such difficult times says a lot about the organizational culture. As an HR business partner for the Pharmaceutical sector at J&J, enabling our talent to quickly adapt to the changing external innovative market space, enhance access for our patients and be the best scientific partner of choice has been a critical focus for us.