Mr. Kushal Bhat’s Take On Evolving As An HRBP!
Headsup Corporation conducted a session on Human Resources Business Partners and the world they have to navigate. Three gems of the HR fraternity, Abhishek De from BrowserStack, Kushal Bhat from Myntra, and Ramasubramanian K from Swiggy were invited to discuss the topic. Here’s what Mr. Kushal Bhat, Deputy Director, HRBP Myntra had to say about the role of an HRBP and how it has evolved. He also spoke about the challenges and priorities they need to focus on to cope up with these unprecedented times:
Here’s what he thinks about it:
“Human Resources Business Partners focus on using human resources to help the business succeed. They deal with hiring, executives, business unit leaders and develop a process to recruit people. Human Resources Business Partners before were only expected to be a jack of all trades but with time this has changed significantly. Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs) went from being just an enabler to being proper partners. HRBPs need to know the entire software development life cycle, business and cater to their audience along with being a jack of all trades, to do well. They need to customize solutions for their team.”
“In the last 6 years, HRBPs have evolved from just being executioners in terms of performance management policy to providing a customized solution for the business they are supporting. They need to learn how their organization functions, what the main functions are, and how the units interact with each other. Being familiar with the business is important.
In today’s world, companies are mushrooming every day. We are in a digital industrial revolution, the pandemic has taken the world online. Every industry needs engineers to go digital. Being proficient in digital tools and decision support, data visualization, and business intelligence is a must for an HRBP. If the HRBPs know how to use artificial intelligence, they can use it to assess the productivity and performance of employees. Data analysis will help in strategic planning. They should be able to understand the HR lingo. People in technology challenge the status quo, they will ask difficult questions.”
“The pandemic is an extended journey for companies, now they are competing with global companies as anybody can work from anywhere. HRBPs should have a sense of cultural awareness, understand labor laws, compensation structures, and business practices.”
“People are getting lured by the idea companies are trying to push nowadays. People also follow leaders, it depends on how engaging one’s leadership is. People are looking at interviews and how impactful they are. HRBPs should be able to develop leaders within an organization and also outside an organization. The leaders should be chosen based on their expertise and the capability to align with the company’s objectives. HRBPs also need to be comfortable with these leaders, build a good relationship. Leaders when comfortable will share confidential and sensitive information about operations and performance with HRBPs. The HRBPs must maintain confidentiality for their networks to grow. Apart from building relationships with these leaders, HRBPs also need to build a rapport with other HR professionals, ask for advice when needed and add value to their company.”
“At last, HRBPs need to be prompt with their communication. They must be able to communicate effectively in different situations including negotiations and crises. Communications skills also include the ability to say no to executives when needed. This will come in handy while evaluating job candidates.”
“The Tech industry is a very open industry. Demand is at a peak, supply needs to match. Things will become challenging with time. Learning the above skills will help the HRBPs to excel.”
Can you relate to his thoughts? We’d love to hear what you’ve got to say. Feel free to share your views in the comments section.