The Future Of HR Is Poised For Significant Evolution
Can you share a brief overview of your career journey in the field of HR, highlighting key milestones and achievements that led to your recognition?
Over the last 13+ years, I’ve worked across various industries like banking, media and real estate as an HR professional & leader. While there have been numerous career milestones, a few close to my heart include being the Chair for Employee Network for Disability Smart at Natwest, in addition to my current role where I head the Specialist support teams on HR Policy Advisory. My previous stints include leading HRBP support across education business and print revenue business within the Media sector. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of multiple Women Leadership development programs through the years at Natwest which have sharpened my leadership acumen and have given me a wonderful opportunity to contribute outside my BAU. Additionally, I am SHRM-SCP Certified which has helped me stay abreast with latest HR practices.
What innovative HR practices or strategies have you implemented in your organisation/ career that you believe contributed to your success?
I’d love to share one which I am extremely proud of - At Natwest Group India, in our endeavour to create a more inclusive workplace where we enable colleagues thrive, I was able to spearhead and launch the 'Health & Advisory’ Support for People with Disabilities and Neurodiverse colleagues where we curated a bespoke proposition with specialist partners:
Did you face any challenges in the formative years of your career and how did you overcome them?th What valuable lessons have you learned along the way that you think could benefit others in the HR community?
Oh yes, I suppose all of us face our fair share of challenges and curve balls, don’t we? Especially for a lot many of us who are working mothers! For me there are 3 things that have particularly helped me: a) Building resilience has been key to overcoming any challenges – embracing setbacks as opportunities, flexing or adapting your approach as needed. b) Maintaining perspective while keeping focus on the larger picture helps one step out of the ‘moment’ which may seem daunting. c) Communicating effectively – that could mean clarifying expectations, asking for help, voicing challenges, hearing others out – it always paves way for creative problem solving.
Looking ahead, how do you see the future of HR evolving and what role do you envision young professionals playing in shaping the industry?
These are exciting times, the future of HR is poised for a significant evolution driven by unprecedented tech disruptions – while we have seen growth in HR Tech markets, digital transformations through AI integration across various HR practices – be it recruitment, development, engagement, wellness - will be imperative to manage and enable an agile & remote workforce and in lines with evolving organisational needs. We’re already seeing Virtual and Augmented reality creating some very unique and personalised experiences for the workforce.
The responsibilities with the young HR professionals are massive with all that we’re seeing – ensuring that colleague experience remains at the heart of all the technological advancements; being attuned to issues of diversity, equity and social justice; and making intelligent commercial decisions while looking at ways of mitigating any risks of cyber threats or data breaches – all this while being truly purpose aligned.
