The Shape of Work
The Shape of Work
#516: The Intersection of HR and AI with Samir Robert Bara
"HR is the tightrope walker, balancing employee needs for job satisfaction with business objectives for productivity and growth. The key is creating harmony where both employees and the business thrive together."
In this episode of The Shape of Work podcast, we showcase Mr. Samir Robert Bara, a distinguished MBA graduate with over 14 years of post-MBA experience in HR Business Partnering, Talent Management, Plant HR, and Recruitment. Join us to delve into Mr. Bara's insights on the evolving dynamics of human resources and industry, offering valuable perspectives on 'The Shape of Work' in today's corporate landscape
In this episode, Samir emphasized the importance of strategic thinking, empathy, and agility in HR roles. We delved into aligning worker aspirations with corporate objectives, addressing challenges and opportunities. The impact of digital transformation, AI, and employee well-being was discussed, with Samir offering valuable insights for navigating the evolving HR landscape.
Episode Highlight
- Explore the essential skills for success in an HR Business Partner role
- Explore strategies employed by HR professionals to balance the aspirations of employees with corporate objectives
- Challenges in the Trend Towards Hybrid Work
- Insights into strategies and approaches to uphold a cohesive organizational culture during shifts in the workplace
Follow Samir on Linkedin
Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast Host: Riddhi Agarwal
About Springworks:
Springworks is a fully-distributed HR technology organisation building tools and products to simplify recruitment, onboarding, employee engagement, and retention. The product stack from Springworks includes:
SpringVerify— B2B verification platform
EngageWith— employee recognition and rewards platform that enriches company culture
Trivia — a suite of real-time, fun, and interactive games platforms for remote/hybrid team-building
SpringRole — verified professional-profile platform backed by blockchain, and
Hello and welcome to the Shape of Work, a podcast series by Springworks. My name is Anoop and I am your host. Each week, we'll be talking to top people managers across the world on the future of work and how it's shaping our workplace. So sit back and get ready to find out more from these movers and shakers, as we have a no-holes bar. Anything goes. Conversation with them about their journey, their insights, their thoughts, most importantly, their ideas and vision for the workplace of the future. Join in on the conversation, leave a comment and don't forget to hit that subscribe button.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome to another episode of the Shape of Work podcast. Today I'm very delighted to welcome Sameer Bara, who worked as a human resource business partner at Bhopal Corporation. Welcome to the podcast, sameer. Thank you for coming and joining us today. How are you?
Speaker 3:I'm good Reddy. How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm great and it's pleasure having you here, sameer. So, sameer, just to set some context about you and what you do, can you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and your choreo journey till now?
Speaker 3:Sure Reddy. First of all, thank you for inviting me to this podcast. It's indeed an honour to share my journey and insights with you and your audience. My path in HR began after completing my MBA from a premier B school, a journey that now spans to approximately 15 years. This experience has been both enriching and varied, involving roles where the focus range from talent acquisition to employee welfare and organisational strategy. Each of the positions that I worked for challenged me to adapt and learn, whether it was implementing new HR technologies, crafting policies that reflect a diverse workforce, or navigating the complexities of change management. This journey has been less about linear progression and more about accumulating a tapestry of experiences that has deepened my understanding of HR's pivotal role in shaping both the company culture and business success. So that's about me, in short, reddy.
Speaker 2:I must say it's been quite a journey, hasn't it? Because you worked in different HR verticals talent acquisition, talent welfare and also worked as a human resource business partner.
Speaker 3:Absolutely Reddy.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So you know I am fascinated and I know many of our listeners are to understand a story behind HR professional like you. So, as someone who has worked in different HR verticals for a while now, I just wanted to know, like, what are some of the key skills that you think are necessary for success in HRBP role and how have you developed those skills in your career so far?
Speaker 3:Sure Reddy, I don't have a perfect answer, but obviously I'll give my take on your question. The role of a HR business partner is multi-dimensional and it demands a blend of diverse skills. The first one that comes to my mind is strategic thinking, which is like the number one. It's like being a chess player who anticipates moves ahead, aligning the HR strategies with the business goals. It could be both short term and long term.
Speaker 3:The second, which comes to my mind and which is probably core to HR and probably different from the other functions within the organization, this skill is empathy, which is the heart of HR, where you understand the employee needs and concerns, and this skill has been indispensable for me, especially in terms of organizational changes wherever I have worked. The third key piece, which I feel, is effective communication, and it acts as a bridge between the various HR initiatives and programs which it conducts with the workforce and it ensures a proper clarity and alignment. And lastly, I would say agility, which is essential in today's fast-paced business environment. This ability to swiftly adapt to new trends, and especially in today's times, such as shift towards remote working, is something that I have continuously developed, and these skills that I mentioned has been my personal compass and it guides me through the various HR landscapes that I've worked out for. That's from my side, riddhi, on this question.
Speaker 2:Definitely. I must say you have bought some great points talking about strategic thinking or effective communication and having an empathy towards the employee. Definitely, success as an HRBP means knowing in and out of how business works. So very well said, sameer. But again, we also see, sometimes, talking about the HR professionals, there are misalignment between the desires of workers and the goal of business leaders, which is a complex issue now. So I just wanted to ask you in your viewpoint, how does HR fit in the middle of these, with the misalignment between the workers and the corporate goals? How does HR manage these misalignments?
Speaker 3:Thank you, riddhi, for another deep-rooted question. My first take to it is I think the relationship between HR and employees and HR and business is similar to any relationships that we face in our lives. That could be human relationships and non-human relationships as well. So, in terms of my take, the answer to your question is it actually involves a dynamic interplay between the employee needs and the business objectives, and I would again like to emphasize that what we all work for in organizations, the key thing are the business objectives, so the HR plays a critical role of a mediator and a strategist.
Speaker 3:It's like being a tightrope walker, so you have to maintain balance between both the poles. At one side are the workers, who are seeking job satisfaction, fair policies and a supportive work environment. On the other side are equally important stakeholders, who are the business leaders, and their focus mainly is on productivity, profitability and business growth. Now HR's role is to create harmony between these two sides, and this simply involves implementing policies that reflect employee voices while also aligns with the business strategies. For example, a simple initiative like career development programs can serve both employee growth and would also fuel the business needs and business goals. And just to conclude, it's about creating an ecosystem where both employees and the business thrive together, and that's the role of HR.
Speaker 2:Definitely, I must say HR act as a mediator between the workers and the business leader, as you mentioned by giving the example, taking different programs like career development programs and many more. So definitely their roles and roles understanding the perspective of the employees and what the organization needs so that they can act as a mediator between these two. So we have talked about how the HR will manage these misalignments and, again, we are not stick to only one challenges we are seeing, but many more challenges in the current trends, for example, if we consider the trend towards the hybrid work which is now very prevalent and every organization is trying to shift to this hybrid workforce. I must say you will agree on this.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:So you can just give me an opinion on what is the opinion like? How the people excellent strategy addresses the challenges challenge of maintaining company culture, where we see the shift in their working style, say remote or in office space. So how the HR professional manages these challenges.
Speaker 3:A relevant question, riddhi, and I think it has come up very recently, in the last two to three years, especially during and post COVID. Yeah, so the main you can say challenge here, if I were to sum it up, is to have a cohesive company. Culture is irrespective of the location. So, to draw an analogy, it is akin to conducting an orchestra, where some musicians are in the room, that is, they are working from office, while others are joining virtually.
Speaker 3:Now the key is to ensuring that every member, no matter their location, feels an integral part of the team. So that is the key, and this involves more than just, you say, regular meetings. It's more about creating a space where people can share experiences. It encourages open dialogues and also builds bridges between different work environments, whether it's remote, it's in office or whether it's hybrid. Again, through various interventions, you have to keep emphasizing shared goals and values, regardless of whether the team members are in office or remote, and this helps in nurturing a unified culture. Regular feedback loops, inclusive decision making and overall fostering a sense of belonging are critical in this approach, and the overall aim just to conclude is to create an environment where every employee feels valued and connected, fostering a strong, resilient organizational culture. That's my take on this question, riddhi.
Speaker 2:Definitely I must say very great points brought up by you, sammi Definitely, organization can work towards maintaining a strong and integrated company culture whatever points you have mentioned so we can take an even in a hybrid work environment, they can maintain a strong culture. So, yes, as we are towards the end of our podcast, I just wanted to ask you what do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for HR professional in the coming years, because there are many trends which are following. So what do you see how HR professional will handle, or what are the challenges they will face?
Speaker 3:Thank you, riddhi, for that question. I think we are living in very exciting times. So that's my perspective. How do you look at the situation? And, as I see, towards the future, towards the horizon, hr professionals, I feel, face a landscape that is involving at an unprecedented pace, especially with the advent of digital transformation. On one side, it presents challenges. On the other side, it presents opportunities.
Speaker 3:On one hand, integrating AI and machine learning in HR processes offers efficiency and data-driven insights. On other hand, some skeptics would say it raises questions about maintaining the human touch in HR practices. Now, navigating this digital terrain requires a blend of technological saviness and also a deep understanding of human psychology. Another emerging area is the focus on the overall employee well-being and mental health. As compared to earlier times, this is no longer a peripheral HR concern, but it is central to the overall workplace strategy. Building a resilient, supportive work environment where mental health is prioritized will be the key for the future of work. The challenge here is to weave a well-being into the very fabric of the organizational culture and, embracing these changes, hr professionals have the opportunity to redefine the workplace, make it more human, efficient and adaptive to future challenges. So that's the take from my side, riddhi.
Speaker 2:Definitely. Very well said, sameer. From the way we communicate to the way we onboard our employees. Definitely, technologies and technologies constantly evolving and AI continues to impact our day-to-day decision making. So definitely it is very important for us, as a people leader and professionals, to stay top of the trends. So that makes a lot of sense, sameer, and I'm sure there's a lot of take away from the content you have shared today. So thank you for sharing this, and this brings us to the end of our conversation, but before we, can you tell our listeners where they can reach out to you?
Speaker 3:Sure, you can reach out to me on my LinkedIn profile and my credentials are there on the profile. In case you need any help, any support, please feel free to reach out.
Speaker 2:Thank you, sameer, it was really lovely hosting you today.
Speaker 3:Sameer pleasure as mine. Riddhi Take care.