What has been your journey like as an HR professional?
A. When I was just out of college, I had the choice of either joining a large Indian business house as a Management Trainee or work for a small factory that would give me hands on employee relations experience. I choose to work for a small factory and now I can say with pride that the experience I gained out of that first job helped me immensely in shaping my career.
Since then I have worked for Indian and multinational companies in the manufacturing and service sector rising up the ranks. The last 20 years of experience at PepsiCo have been the hallmark of my career. My previous experience combined with my learning agility helped me get varied assignments within PepsiCo both in India and overseas first as the Head of HR for Vietnam and later for a cluster of countries in the ASEAN region. I have handled various aspects of the HR business partnering, from developing and executing a Talent strategy for an emerging economy like Vietnam to managing the M&A and establishing a Joint venture.
PepsiCo has always been very supportive and encouraged me to build on my experiences. It also provided me with the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in HR through an Advanced HR Management program from the Ross Business School at the Michigan University.
I was recognized by PepsiCo with the highest honor of the Chairman’s Award on two occasions and was also the recipient of the Harvey Russell Award for Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. This was not just for my role in HR but also for my work in Corporate Social Responsibility as a part of PepsiCo’s Performance with Purpose philosophy.
Q. What were the biggest challenges you faced?
A. I have faced different challenges at different points in my career. As you grow into the profession, it is important to keep yourself updated, with the latest trends. That can be challenging. The assignment in Vietnam was challenging from the point of view of both the task at hand and the cultural adjustments required. Lately it has been challenging trying to understand and engage with the Gen Y. Personally too I’ve had challenges – the biggest being trying to strike a balance between my personal life and my career. In today’s context the lines between personal and work life are becoming thinner and I would like to thank my family and my organization for being very understanding and accepting.
Q. What are the challenges HR faces in the new era of the ‘digital age’?
A. HR is both a science and an art. Today, we have the tools that help us to be more scientific in managing people. We should learn to be more analytical and data based and leverage the digital era much more. Also, we should remember that the workforce of today – both executives and blue collared are digitally savvy and they know how to leverage the social network like never before and we need to keep pace with them. If we do not do this we will perish.
The flip side of the digital age is around engagement – and it is changing the way we connect with our employees and our teams. We are moving away from ‘high touch’ to ‘right touch’. The challenge lies in deciphering what is the ‘right touch’ for our employees.
Q. Any advice you would like to give on how to manage people/teams as the workforce becomes more diverse, as the ways of working change.
A. I would like to share my experience in PepsiCo. I had the opportunity to work with virtual teams during my Vietnam M&A project. I also had the opportunity to work with a very diverse and new set of team members during my ‘PepsiCorps’ (a CSR initiative to build leadership) project in Ghana. Both these projects taught me how important it is to be more inclusive – both in the doing and being domain. Both these assignments taught me the importance of learning to work with virtual teams and practice more mindfulness while dealing with others.
As leaders, nothing will replace setting the ‘right tone at the top’. A single and focused approach to help achieve the vision of the organization goes a long way in managing a diverse work force.
Q. How effective and how important are rewards and recognitions in strengthening employee engagement and retention?
A. We all need recognition and rewards from time to time. The nature and intensity will vary depending on the individual’s life cycle. Understand what works for the population you are dealing with. Use a variety of ways to reward and recognize.
Also remember that all rewards need not always be monetary. Do not mix rewards and recognitions with career growth or increments and promotions. Be consistent in sending the message across that career is not a one day game. It is a journey and it is important to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
Q. How can a company attract the best people?
A. Build your brand and let the world know what you stand for. Values and ethics play a very important role in today’s context. More and more people like to work for ethical companies. They are willing to pay a premium. In today’s world employees choose the company, they decide where to work and where not to. They treat work like a contract. Best employees do not stay in the organization only for money. Invest in capability and talent development if you want to attract the best talent.
Q. What is the secret to hiring the right candidate?
A. Spend time to hire the right candidate. Today we do not spend much time, instead we out-source to a third party. Functional skills are what you can see above the line and which can be assessed. What you need to see is the candidate’s attitude and his/her interest and willingness to learn. That said it is really not easy to assess everything in one interview. Honestly, there is no secret, no magic wand when it comes to finding the right candidate.
Q. What advice would you give young candidates if they want to stand out and get noticed during an interview?
A. Be natural and be yourself. Be candid and let the interviewer know you. Write a neat and clear resume. A long resume does not necessarily mean the right resume. Create the curiosity in the interviewer and compel him to ask more questions and know more about you. Look out for great experience and not just designations and roles. This will help you and benefit you in the long run.
