In an exclusive interaction with SCIKEY, Heera speaks about his journey from working with MNC’s to start your Consultancy, shared some advice for fresh graduates who are looking for Jobs & much more.

1. How has the journey been since the pandemic started for Heera training and Management Consultant? How did you manage? Were there any challenges, and how you overcome them?

We have, like all training consultants been badly hit by the Pandemic as face-to-face training was and is currently not allowed. Hence we had to switch to virtual training. As it was new, we had to undergo training in the use of the software, which was not easy. It was also not easy to adapt to the new platform, as certain training activities could not be carried virtually. In that context, it has been a difficult journey indeed. Secondly, although virtual training was possible, there were two major issues. Firstly, many companies are still not comfortable with it and hence have not conducted any training using this platform. Secondly, because of the Pandemic, many companies were cutting costs, and training budgets were the first ones to be cut.

These were major challenges indeed. In my case, because of the slack time, I took the initiative to write a book entitled, ‘The Art of Brilliant Presentations’. At the same time, I took the opportunity to upgrade and rejuvenate my course content.

2. What made your decision to shift from working with MNC’s to start your Consultancy?

This decision was not something that came by design. Firstly, when I was working as an HR director, I used to write articles on HR and Management in the mainstream media. The response was very good as I received many requests for me to conduct training on the subject matter I wrote about. Secondly, I used to lecture in MBA and Diploma courses in the HR modules. Again the response was very positive and many of my participants asked if I conducted training too. And this was how the roots of my departure from being employed to being an entrepreneur came about. After about a year of writing and lecturing part-time, I made up my decision to leave the corporate world to form up my own company. And as they say, the rest is history, and I am very happy that I can do something that I am passionate about as a career.

3. During Pandemic, how was your experience moving from primarily “classroom” to mostly e-learning?

It was very difficult to move from face-to-face training to virtual training. The platform is completely different and I had to change my course and presentation content to take into account these differences. For example, during face-to-face, you are more ‘intimate’ with your participants as you can see and observe their faces and body language. Hence you could make spontaneous decisions or conduct activities to suit the ‘mood’ of the participants.  However, during virtual training, you can’t even see their faces unless you scroll. Secondly, some participants switch off their videos, meaning you only see their profile photos. Hence that extra ‘human touch’ is missing and it is difficult to be enthusiastic or emotional when you are speaking to a group of photos. It was very difficult initially, but with time, I have improved and have used different activities to disseminate my course or presentation content.

4. What do teams need to help them stay engaged, motivated, and grow?

Firstly, all teams need good leadership. This is a critical aspect and if this is there, then the engagement, motivation, and growth of the team will be very much easier. Secondly, all teams need goals that could be short-term or long-term. A simple example could be the HR department in a Company. They can have a goal of “providing the best HR services to assist the Company in achieving its strategic objectives”. Once this goal is set, it is then taken to be the yardstick to measure the HR team’s performance. Not only will team members be clear about what they are supposed to do, but they will also be motivated to the fact that they are playing a key role in assisting the Company to achieve its strategic objectives.

5. As per your experience, What does the future of work look like?

I think artificial intelligence and technology will play a great role in the future of work. Many jobs done by humans at present will be replaced with AI or technology. For example, in industries where the work is laborious, repetitive, or hazardous, then machines and robots will take over.

I also think that organizations will have more part-time, contract, or freelance employees, who come and go on a project basis. In this way, organizations retain flexibility and agility to change or to move in different strategic directions. Most people will also be given the freedom to be working remotely or at the office.

6. What will be your advice for fresh graduates who are looking for Jobs?

My advice would be the following:

1. Don’t be fussy about your initial jobs or the pay. Take any job in companies where you know you can grow. Even if they pay you very little, they are developing you and that is critical. Always be aware that once you are inside a Company and you can show your potential, then higher pay and growth will surely follow.
   
   
2. Be open and agile to change. The workplace is undergoing vast changes and Companies want employees who are flexible and are agile enough to change with the changing times.
   
   
3. Be like a sponge and learn, learn, learn. You don’t know what your real skills and talents are until you experience various jobs and tasks. If you are willing to learn, then answers to what you want to do for the rest of your life as a career becomes a little bit clearer.

7. You have written a book entitled ‘Human Resource Documentation’. What inspired you to write this book?

When I was practicing HR Management (HRM), I realized that documentation is a critical aspect of managing effectively. This was amplified when I used to go to HR blogs where people in the HR fraternity would always request certain documents from others in the blog. These people lacked the knowledge about certain aspects of HRM or else they did not have the language skills to create effective documents. The roots of my inspiration to write the book were laid here.

In HRM, effective documentation is critical as every facet of an employee has to be documented from the offer letter when he joins a company to warning letters when disciplinary issues occur to performance appraisals to validate and measure his performance. If there is no documentation, you leave yourself open to future conflict situations with the employee. Worse still if for any reason, the employee takes the Company to court, then documentation will be critical to proving that the Company had taken concerted and correct action in regards to the actions of the employee.

In this book, there are over three hundred and fifty sample of documents used in HRM. All a person needs to do is to go to the particular document required and then make the appropriate changes. In that sense, it will save HR practitioners a lot of time and effort.

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