What it is being in HR

This year flew very fast and the past few days have been a lot of introspection, a lot of learning and lot of beautiful experiences. And as I sat down and thought about something that is closer to my heart and something that defines me and my experiences, I said to myself, I will write about What it is being in HR.  

A function that I love so much and relate to and that, which has made me what I am today. It’s beautiful how an effective HR can leverage the opportunity to inspire people, develop, and encourage them, to outdo themselves. So, here are some of the best things about being in HR and to be a Leader.

Being an Expert in your field: Most often than not, you are consulted on a variety of topics. You are constantly balancing the right and left side of the brain, to make sure you not only make those decisions, but also enable others to think. You have more information (than others), most of the times, and so the approach to understanding the situation, using your skills and leveraging it becomes all the more important. Not to mention the partnerships that you establish in this process. The practices that you create, the guidelines that you make, will all have a bearing on yourself and your employees. You will know you have made a difference to others when employees, (can be employees from your previous companies too), call you to wish, to ask a question or to generally thank you for the practices you created. The feeling is immense and very deep.

Being the conscience of the organisation: In the words of Thomas Jefferson, Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom and when you learn to be it, life becomes very easy. Respectable, disciplined and admirable behavior is the key. It feels so good to be a role model, for others to observe and practice.

Leadership Presence: What ever be the situation, employees will look to the HR to provide relief. I see this as a great opportunity to exhibit confidence, I have learnt from some of the best HR professionals that balancing a friendly presence with empathy, while being totally in control of a situation and having a brilliant alignment with the company practices, helps run things smoothly. You may have to support and take decisions which will be a short-term pain for long term gain, how ever, when you make your stance clear, communicate the philosophy and explain, employees will definitely support you.

Problem Solver: Being a Psychologist, I have been taught to help identify problems and to find solutions. The complex the problem, the greater is the feeling of satisfaction once we accomplish it. HR field provides ample opportunities to solve - starting from simple ones, such as being an active listener to someone who wants to vent,  to complex ones involving people decision in times of merger or acquisition. Most often than not, talking to individuals, seeking information, partnering with them and working together can solve the biggest of problems.

Communication: Being in HR, you have a green field of opportunities to create various forums to communicate, to inspire and help different groups of employees. In fact, communicating well with the audience, has its own personal benefits too. The other day, I was talking to a group of 25-30 women in the organisation, the session was filled with laughter, learning, role plays and towards the end of the session, I not only felt a sense of accomplishment but felt energized and totally rejuvenated, talking to these young women. It’s one of the best perks of being in HR, to meet and talk to people.

I can go on and on and the list will be endless. I think, to summarize, it’s important to stay curious, to learn, to love what you do, to stay empathetic to employees, to establish credibility, to balance and to make a difference in every aspect of HR practice. And yes, to do all of this with a seemingly effortless energy and with a smile, is the KEY!