It is time that line managers took upon themselves the responsibility to keep employees motivated, acting as the interface between employees and the organisation, rather than leave this crucial function to HR personnel.
It is time that line managers took upon themselves the responsibility to keep employees motivated, acting as the interface between employees and the organisation, rather leave this crucial function to HR (human resources) personnel, said a panel of industry captains at a discussion organised by Hindustan Times.
The dialogue and the ensuing discussion focussed on whether companies, in their pursuit of profitability, have lost sight of the Human in human resources.
Moderated by Gautam Chikermane, executive editor — business, HT, the panelists comprised of Vineet Nayar, vice-chairman and CEO, HCL Technologies; CS Verma, chairman, SAIL; Sanjay Kapoor, CEO Bharti Airtel and Kamal Karanth, MD, Kelly Services India.
Drawing a parallel between the structures of a family with an organisation, Nayar stressed upon the need for organisations to shift from a command and control system to collaborative structures. “Families have become more democratic now, yet the official corridors of an organisation function in an autocratic manner. This needs to change,” Nayar said.
The panellists also agreed that HR processes should be transparent and (importantly) demonstrate transparency. “One size does not fit all and we need to understand the lives and aspirations of our employees better, especially the youth,” said Sanjay Kapoor.
Karanth said that thanks to the economic prosperity, talented individuals today have plenty of choices and in such situations HR professionals need to be more agile.
Panelists also stressed upon the fact that senior management personnel was the interface between organisation and employee. “The fairness of dealing with each employee is very important,” said Verma.
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