Pumba Online Connection

While enough has been said about the importance of HR and the various aspects of HR than one can look at for one's career, let me now throw some light on the other side of the coin.

HR is not for the faint-hearted. Gone are the days when people who weren't good at anything else were shunted into 'personnel' because it was the simplest function and because they couldn't do much damage there. No more is the HR function a place where you can kick back and relax without having too much to do (I'm not sure if this was ever the case, but most people NOT in HR still seem to think so...). Nor is HR all about organizing fun and games and chatting with your colleagues at the coffee machine.

You have to be tough to be in HR. You have to be able to take lots of criticism and snide remarks and pressure and more criticism, and still manage to be friendly and understanding and open-minded and offer a shoulder to cry on. Sensitive egos have no place in HR, and while deliverables are set, they are not always well-defined, so you cannot define your achievements through readily measurable means.

The biggest challenge in HR is not to turn cynical because you've not been appreciated for all the hours you've slogged. If you can't take that, HR might not be for you.

Now, having said all that scary stuff, HR can be tremendously fulfilling too. You get to meet lots of people in your organization, more people than you would meet in any other function. You get the opportunity to build great workplace relationships, and have people remember you for your help even long after you've left the place. And finally, you get to make a difference to the quality of people's lives. I'd like to say, though, that all this is not because you're in the HR function, but because of the kind of person you are. Personal relationships at work are always more effective than going through 'proper channels', and that's how HR works.

All the best!

Irfan

Deputy Manager-Corporate Communications

Dr Reddy's Laboratories

PUMBA Class of 2002

Dear HR aspirants @ PUMBA,

Good to know that you intend taking HR as your Major Specialisations.  I feel sorry for those who tell you that "HR" is not for Men... Either you are taking advice from the wrong people or those giving you advice are Uninformed of the trends in HR.

HR is very much a Man's Domain as a Woman's!!! There is a dearth of good HR Professionals in India, be it Males or Females.  There is a gamut of specializations within HR, be it Recruitments, Learning & Development, Organizational Development, Employee Relations or Industrial Relations and none of these are Gender Specific to be successful in them. 

Gone are the days of "Generalist HR Professionals".  Today's corporates need "Specialists in HR'.  More often than not, many HR Professionals begin their careers as generalists, but 3-4 yrs later they get into specialist roles. 

In Today's booming Economy, all organisations are "UpSizing" their employee strength.  Not just the IT or ITES Sector, but even the Manufacturing Sector is on Hiring Mode.  The entry of just 1 Auto Giant BMW has seen creation of thousands of Jobs in this sector.  There are many more such giants setting up manufacturing units in India in the Near Future.   Apart from Banking and Telecom, the new sectors recruiting Big-time are the Retail and Biotech Industry.

The reason I am re-stating all this information is because I would like to emphasize on the fact that "WITHOUT HR THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE". 

1. Thus there is a Need for "Staffing (Recruitment) Specialists" to get the right people on-board. 
2. There is a Need for "Learning & Development (L&D) Specialists" to impart the necessary skills and groom the employees to achieve Organizational Goals. 
3. There is a Need for "Organizational Development (OD) Specialists" to improve productivity through change management, in today's world where most corporates take the Inorganic Growth Route through Mergers and Acquisitions, OD Specialists play a very important role in integrating the culture and enabling smooth transition.
4. There is a Need for "Employee Relation(ER) Specialists" because organisations understand that their Employees are their biggest strength, and Attrition levels sky-rocketing, it is extremely essential to constantly nurture your employees, and take care of all their concerns related to work so that they can be 100% productive.  In Marketing the term "Customer Delight" has become a Jargon, similarly organisations are now understanding the need to Delight their "Internal Customers (employees) too".  All this is taken care of by "Employee Relation Specialists".
5. There is a need for "Industrial Relations (IR) Specialists" in the Manufacturing industry where employees (Blue Collar) believe in "Collective Bargaining", "Trade Unions" etc. An IR Specialist has to also be well versed with labour laws.

Now which part of these HR Profiles do you think is not suited for MEN??? Or which of these are more Suited for Women???   HR as a specialisation is equally suited for Males just the way Marketing is equally suited for Females. 

There is a school of thought (ancient) which believes that Marketing is a Masculine Career and HR is a Feminine.   Those who belong to this school of thought and still follow these theories should retire from their careers, as they will either be in the 50+ age group or they are just not updated with the requisite information needed to succeed in today's "Corporate World".  

What does it take to be successful in HR?

1. Excellent Communication Skills – There are no 2 ways about this.  This is of utmost importance to be a successful HR Person. 
2. Creativity – Yes, creativity is not just needed in Marketing but HR as well.  Especially if you intend to specialize in Learning & Development or Organizational Development.
3. Ability to Understand People – Yes, you need to understand your employees.  You need to understand her psyche. You need to understand if s/he is the "Right Fit" for your Organisation.   You need to Understand if s/he will be an asset to your organisation and not just quit after gaining the requisite knowledge and experience.
4. You need not be a People's Person – The term "People's Person" could be interpreted in whatever way one would like to.  Generally a people's person is one who makes friends easily, very loving and one who gets along with others easily.   Now just imagine a People's Person in the Recruitment Team.  Hummm.. How would an HR Manager who is termed as a peoples person, deal with issues like Firing an Employee, Taking Disciplinary Action against an Employee or conducting Performance Appraisals of Employees.   Yes in Employee Relations person should behave like a Peoples Person when the need arises.

Well that's all I can think of at the moment.   To cut this whole discussion short, HR as a specialisation does not discriminate between Male & Female, neither do Corporates.  If you truly "LOVE" HR and would like to spend the next 20-30 yrs of your career in Human Resources, go ahead and specialize in it, believe me, you will surely not regret making that decision!!!

Warm Regards,

Melwin Mascarenhas

PUMBA Class Of 2006 - (HR + Finance)

CONSULTANT- Ma Foi Management Consultants Ltd.

Hi Pradnya,