HR functionality is much more than hiring. It is the spine of any organization that creates a culture where employees thrive and companies succeed. Whether it's adopting new work culture or technology or building relationships with employees, their role is critical and deeper beyond the usually defined descriptions. Creating a positive work environment is no ordinary job but needs leaders who can drive the department from the front and become the organization's steering wheel in on boarding the right talent that their firm needs. Their trait of looking ahead the walls has found them a place on the board of their organization. In our quest of recognizing strategically winning women HRs, we found Richa Kaur – a bold lady with remarkable attributes to communicate an inspiring vision and lead the team into a high-performing family. Currently, Richa is heading the HR function at EpikIndifi as the HR Manager and leading the brand towards the zenith with her result-driven HR strategies.

Kindly peruse the snippet of the exclusive conversation between Women Entrepreneur India and Richa Kaur.

Walk us through your educational and professional background. Throughout this journey, what factors motivated you to venture into the field of hr strategies?

I am a double MBA, the first from Pune University in 2012 and recently completed the second from XLRI, Jamshedpur. I have more than a decade of work experience with 7 years of strong experience in HR Strategies, Change Management, Talent Management, and Talent Development.

I started my career by working in BPO operations wherein I realized how challenging it is to deal with people, managing their problems, and yet bringing out the best in them. It has since then motivated me to make my career in Human Resources. It is also through HR that I want to create an impact in society through various mediums – the right jobs, employee career management, and catalyzing their learning and growth.

What different roles have you been undertaking at Epikindifi?

At EpikIndifi, I am responsible for Developing and Implementing HR Strategies aligned with the overall Business Strategy. It is my job to ensure our people are aligned to the business goals and working towards the same. I am needed to wear multiple hats of each HR Function to meet business demands - Capability Building, Organization Development, Managing Performance, Employee Development, Employee Engagement, and Handling Employee Relations as well.

“A true and successful leader is not someone who is known for his money or power, but for his influence and impact on people’s lives”

Today, HR has become one of the most crucial functions in any organization because it has to create an institution by enabling its people to win in the market, and I and my team are exactly trying to achieve that through the above initiatives. Our work is aimed at ensuring that employees are skilled, competent as well as engaged to achieve a business goal.

How did your hr models transform Epikindifi, in terms of work culture and client relationships?

Any Organisation like EpikIndifi needs multiple resources and tools to “Scale-up” and one of the most important aspects in this process is its people. I am here to ensure that I can support the business by creating a Strong People Pillar. Along with getting the right talent, I am working towards nurturing a culture where our people breathe “Innovation and Performance”. To achieve this goal, we are breeding a culture of continuous Learning and Development. We use different forms such as Learning Modules, Certifications, Participation in External Forums, Workshops, On-the-Job Learning, Job Autonomy, and Leadership Development.

Additionally, our Performance Management system has undergone a transformation wherein, a mechanism of Continuous feedback is laid down to manage performance. The managers are constantly reviewing their team members’ performance and giving them feedback and coaching them. Further, I am working towards customized and personalized Employee Engagement Practices that would be exactly suited for our business and would motivate our employees as well.

With all above practices, focus is on enhanced communication and employee experience.

How do you see opportunities and the HR market evolving in India?

This pandemic has proved the importance of a strong HR function in any organization. It has become very essential to manage business continuity through a balanced talent experience.

The expectations from HR have seen a shift from a personnel manager to a business driver.

HRs, now, are expected to know the company’s balance sheet, its company strategies, its clients, it's external as well as internal stakeholders. It is then they can become the enablers of performance in the organization.

Today, especially during the pandemic, companies have to be highly agile and accept change. HRs need to be able to create an environment for their people to accept the agility with a positive attitude and work towards organizational goals.

What advice would you like to give to the young hr(s) in India and what would tell them to expect in their journey?

Focus on Business Success: Today’s HR needs to move from a mindset of being a transactional role to being a strategic one. They have to be proactive to understand customer needs to create an organization that wins in the market.

Customization: Any initiative that you are doing or plan to introduce should be planned as per your organization's needs. I have seen some of the HRs introducing any initiative simply because it was implemented in some of the peer organizations. One needs to know your people as well as your business well to be able to implement any engagement initiative. Employee Engagement is more of an “A-la-Carte” Experience.

While driving the business, do not forget employee experiences: HR is also about creating impact in people lives, whether it is through jobs, making them feel a part of the organization, about employees’ development and growth, or even touching employees’ families by acknowledging the kind of support they extend.

Richa Kaur, HR Manager, Epikindifi

Richa is focusing on challenging the status quo and nurturing a culture of high performance and innovation through rewarding career experiences and growth. She envisions building EpikIndifi – an employer of choice for all those individuals who are passionate about innovation and ambition.