HR’s Role Has Evolved And Is Far More Strategic Now

The role of HR has evolved over the years from doing administrative jobs to executing strategies, building policies for the organization. This was unanimously agreed during a Panel Discussion on ‘What is required to become the most Managers of Today’s Corporate World?’ chaired by Dr. Waqar Ahmed Fahad, Editor-BW Education.

Rajendra Mehta, Chief People Officer, DHFL said, “Human Resource is a very grey zone domain. It’s incidental that the financial structure of the organization gets reported to SEBI or governmental or regulatory authorities. There are no dashboards which actually get reported about the organization and its people specifically. Because there is no benchmark of what is typically expected out from an HR, there is so much ambiguity. Some people who continue to manage the maintenance part of human resources also get defined as ‘human resource’. But to my mind, I think it is a passé if somebody says that maintenance is all about HR. To my mind, it is a far more strategic role that contributes to the overall organization.”

Prof. R. Venkatraman, Dean, Institution Building, ICFAI Business School, Gurgaon said, “Although we don’t have HR as a core stream (in our institute), I would still like to dwell on the role of an HR (professional) today. Firstly, it is no more administrative and is definitely becoming increasingly strategic because HR is no more expected to maintain payroll or employee benefits or things like that. He (or she) is more into predicting outcomes today of at all any business is being taken up. Secondly, he needs to diagnose whatever problems that arise from taking up that job or work or enterprise. And thirdly, what types of decisions need to be relevant solutions. These are the three important characteristics of any CHRO today. So what we do is train our students to develop all these skills in these particular aspects.”

Shikha Taneja, State Head- Human Resource, Reliance Jio said, “The Role of HR from personnel administration to managing people to strategic HR has totally transformed today.  It has totally transformed from the time when I started working for an organization when I realized that Hr is critical because they manage my salaries and they manage my attendance. But is that all or not even necessary? It is super critical to the system and anyone who works in the organization. As a leader in my organization when I have to recruit people, what I look for in people who are change agents and who actually can make sure that our workplace is changing, needs of the business are changing. They can be transformative leaders in the organization and manage that change. Because at the end of the day, we are no more a personnel and administrative department (but) are a business partner in the company. At Jio when we say that, we really mean it. HR today is the strongest pillar in the organization and that is why the huge workforce today which Jio is sitting on, a lakh of employees pan India and Delhi is 6,000 people, we would not have been able to survive without having a very strong HR leadership.”