"Focussing on employee experience helps us make every employee a brand ambassador of the organization": Abhisek Nag | SpringRole HR Leader in-focus

What do you do? How did you end up in this role?

I enable the business by driving the people strategy for the organization. Having done a variety of stints in IT, education and healthcare domains and in different functions, I have realized that the way people act in any organization defines how successful the organization becomes. I focus on building a high impact team and purpose-driven culture to ensure business success. 

I've worked on different facets of HR and this seemed to be the natural progression.

Tell us about your recent HR initiatives in your company (if not your own, feel free to share an effective initiative that you came across recently).

I have introduced a host of initiatives that cumulatively yield the intended results. However, the most effective ones are -

?  Focus on the ‘Employee Experience’: Every interaction with the candidate helps them build an impression about the organization. Our focus has been to create an experience that has a personal touch. Focussing on employee experience helps us make every employee a brand ambassador of the organization. Touchpoint analysis and usage of design thinking principles to create an employee lifecycle journey help making it a better experience.

?  Use of technology: We are in the process of revamping our transactional process to be more tech-enabled leaving us to be more employee focused. We also intend to use it for better decision making. Having been part of technology journeys for organizations in the past, I have seen challenges in adoption and therefore we are taking a very different approach to increase the adoption. 

How are you leveraging social media (other than LinkedIn) to hire the right kind of talent for your organization?

We use Facebook and Workplace to highlight the organizational culture and connect with the alumni. The social media presence helps to provide a sneak peek into the organizational culture and thereby connect to it. It helps in getting referrals and driving better conversion rates.

What are the HR tools you use on a daily basis?

Most of the tools that we use are internally developed. However, we’re an Office 365 subscriber and hence use a few of the MS tools like Teams, Yammer or Sharepoint for varied purposes. We also use the Workplace by Facebook.

What are the productivity tools that you swear by and would recommend to other professionals?

I use Microsoft OneNote for making notes and Swipe for to-do lists. It helps me stay organized and also makes the retrieval of information faster. If you’re using MS Office Suite, MS One Note is a must use.

What according to you are the recent trends in HR that you see important?

?  Use of Technologies like AI/ML and Blockchain in Hiring, Performance Management, Learning and Development, and transactional HR.

?  Usage of Design Thinking Principles in HR process design 

?  Focus on Total Rewards strategy to look at compensation and benefits holistically.

What are your thoughts on the impact of new technologies like Blockchain when it comes to HR practices?

I think Blockchain is going to find its way into a plethora of HR functions where the veracity of transaction is needed. Although it is in the nascent stage, I believe the blockchain will proliferate soon. Today it is used for validating profiles. But it can be used in managing performance, approvals of workflows, learning, and development and if used holistically, it can change the way HR operates today.

What advice would you give to a student about to enter the professional world?

I think the world is changing fast and the skills required to be successful in the future aren’t known today. Therefore, it is important to Stay Inquisitive and keep learning always so that you’re always ready, whenever opportunity knocks. Last but not least, Work Hard and Smart and Be Humble.

What would be your two quick tips to ace an interview?

-  Show a positive attitude and an open mindset

-  Be respectful but be assertive. Don’t beg for a job. Show you’re worthy of it.

What are the key daily habits that you've developed in the recent past?

-  Planning on Sunday for the week. Earlier I used to plan at the beginning of each day. 

-  Clean up my inbox by end of the day and categorizing my emails without fail.

What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

It is not one but two - Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I believe in Ayn Rand’s philosophy of being true to one’s self. It is very important to do things that you believe in. It makes you give your complete heart and soul into it increases the chances of success. These two books have shaped my life and many others that I know. Although a lengthy and difficult read, I still recommend it to everyone. 

Apart from those two books, I would also recommend Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

Do you stick to some values or guiding thoughts? How do you actually think that people should develop these or stick to those?

Values are something to me that I truly believe in and wouldn’t compromise them even when the stakes are high. I don’t know if there’s any way to develop them, but it is identifying one’s own core beliefs. 

-  Trust: I value my word of mouth a lot and live by them. Trust takes time to build and moments to break. Therefore, I would do everything in my capacity to be trustworthy. 

-  Transparency: It is just easier to be transparent. No hidden agenda. No lies. Makes life simple. 

-  Integrity: According to me, it is doing the right thing even when no one is watching you.

I am not a very strong opinionated person as I believe the premise on which I think keep changing and we operate with bounded rationality. Therefore, it is important to understand these limitations and not get hassled by what’s happening around. I would rather focus on what I’m doing or intended to do and make that successful. I believe every drop in the ocean counts, just make it a colored drop.

About SpringRole

SpringRole is using the blockchain for building a trusted verification
and attestation platform. Our vision is to enable every professional to
have a #VerifiedProfessionalProfile on the Blockchain.

Know more about us at: https://springrole.com/