Sakshi Arora - Connecting, Understanding, Empathising With People and Nurturing Relationships Have Always Been My Core Strength (Head of Talent Acquisition and HRBP - CLIX Capital)

This pandemic has forced all of us to transform ourselves digitally and adapt ourselves to the new digital era. Unfortunately, millions were impacted by this pandemic and multiple companies underwent difficult times. The only companies that were successful were the ones where employee wellbeing was made a priority. 

1. Tell us about your background upbringing and journey.

I was born and brought up in Delhi. I did my graduation from Sri Venkateswara College (Delhi University) and started working right after college. I have 12+yrs of total experience in the field of Human Resources. 

I started my career with Bank of America, later moved to Deutsche Bank and currently working with Clix Capital (Erstwhile known as GE Money). In my overall career trajectory, I have spent the majority of my time in talent acquisition and have been performing a dual role between heading talent acquisition and HR business partnering.

2. When and how did you narrow down what you wanted to do

Honestly, I was not sure until I finished college. But one thing I was sure of was that I wanted to make an impact on the lives of people. Connecting, understanding, empathising with people and nurturing relationships have always been my core strength. 

That’s when I zeroed down to take up Human Resources as a profession. I was fortunate enough to have landed myself a job in Bank of America during the time when the economy had crashed due to Lehman brothers. 

That was the beginning of my Human Resources career as a recruiter and that helped me create an impact in somebody’s life by offering them a job. I am passionate about my work and I'd love to continue in the same field.

3. What is the most important quality one must have in order to be a successful HR person?

As per me, one of the most important qualities a successful HR should have is being able to connect and empathise with people and the larger audience. No matter how much tech-savvy companies become, the human touch with employees should never be ignored. 

This pandemic has forced all of us to transform ourselves digitally and adapt ourselves to the new digital era. Unfortunately, millions were impacted by this pandemic and multiple companies underwent difficult times. The only companies that were successful were the ones where employee wellbeing was made a priority. 

Companies where employees were prioritized over the business. This requires HRs to connect and give comfort to their employees. A strong network is another quality one needs to have. The third most important thing is the understanding of the market and industry. One needs to understand multiple traits of the entire human resources lifecycle.

4. What according to you is the role of ESOPs in building a large and impactful venture?

ESOPs play an integral role in retaining and creating wealth for employees. There is a saying, People who become rich are rich because of stock options and not because of their salaries. ESOPs act as a great pull factor to help attract talent especially for startups. It has a great impact on both employers and employees.

5. How do you communicate the value of your ESOPs with your employees today?

The value of ESOPs is derived on the basis of the valuation of the company. ESOPs are a part of  the  long term vision and strategy of the organization. As an employee, you get the benefit of getting stock options at a much cheaper and discounted prices. 

One has to be patient to reap its benefits as it is a slow and steady process but it definitely grows with companies growth over time. You need to explain the math behind how ESOPs work. ESOPs are vested over a period of time and every organisation has a different policy.

Qapita helps founders, CFOs and CHROs to organize their equity ownership record at one place making it the single source of truth. You can use Qapita to run scenarios, issue ESOPs and communicate their value to employees, run buyback or liquidity programs and engage with your employees effectively. Do click here for a demo. 

6. How important is building a culture in an organization and what is your view on hybrid working?

Culture is vital to any organisation. It puts your company's soul on display and tells the world who you are as a brand. When you define culture, you're also defining your company's values and goals. These will contribute to your company's mission and show your employees and the public what is most important to the brand. 

It shapes your corporate identity and therefore your growth, paving the way for success and a lasting legacy. A strong culture is an acknowledgement that people are the most critical asset a company holds and that protecting its people is the surest way to continued success.

In my view, Hybrid working has always existed, but its prevalence has been turbocharged by the pandemic and subsequent remote working experiments. There isn't yet a definitive definition, but at its core, it's an arrangement in which an individual, team or organisation work part of their time at the workplace and part remotely. 

This has given a lot of flexibility to employees and much of the research indicates that remote workers are more productive than on-site workers as well. It's probable that, between the higher engagement and increased productivity of remote work, off-site workers offer leaders the greatest gains in business outcomes. And those outcomes are significant. I think Hybrid Working is here to stay for long.

 

7. Which is your favourite book and why?

My favourite book is “The Power of People”. This is a book written by Nigel Guenole, Jonathan Ferrar & Sheri Feinzig. They are all respected consultants in HR strategy, workforce analytics, and organizational transformation. 

I like this book because it talks about how Successful Organizations use workforce analytics to improve business performance. It covers the entire lifecycle of Human Resources with real examples touching upon challenges and solutions.

Brief Bio: 

HR Professional offering 12yrs of rich experience in the entire gamut of Human Resource Management and several high impact projects in BFSI sector. Strategic Thinker, Client Oriented and Thought Leadership with multifarious experience in Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partnering, Coaching, Resource Planning, Organization Development, Talent Management, Performance Management, Diversity & Inclusion and Employee Relations with Leading Global Banks and a Start-up. Top performer & fast tracker YOY with an analytical mind and ability to influence & coach team members and lead teams successfully.

 Interviewed by - Vanshika Jain