In the recent interaction with BW People, Atul Joshi, Vice President - HR & Admin, Mahindra Finance discussed and presented his valuable insights upon the outlook of the future of work; the digitization of HR as a function, and things that make him happy and keep his morale up.

What are those three things that make you happy and keeps you going?

A Family like atmosphere at the workplace is the hallmark of the culture at Mahindra Finance. That provides employees with tremendous psychological safety. We strongly believe that the disruption caused by the pandemic will change the way of working, but everything is unlikely to change completely. The current situation is temporary, maybe for a year. But the future is bright. Empathy and compassion demonstrated by the senior leaders has strengthened the bond of the employees with the organization. That has enhanced the confidence of the employees. The belief that the organization has stood by all in the hour of need, is pushing the team to give their best despite some inconveniences. There is a visible commitment of the employees to move the organization to the next growth curve.

According to you, how is the future of work going to look like?

The pandemic has forced us to change the way we work and the way we look at how people work. Most employees, particularly working in metros and large cities, craved for Work from Home (WFH) options even before the pandemic, primarily to avoid spending disproportionately higher time on the road in traffic, and also for better work-life balance. Although some new-age companies could afford to allow their employees WFH options, at least partially, not many companies believed the WFH was possible without significant downside to productivity. The pandemic forced everyone to WFH on all the days for several weeks at a stretch. Is that what people wanted? The answer is No. They wanted flexibility and convenience. So, what is likely to emerge post-pandemic is a hybrid model. There could be one day in a week when everyone would WFH. Out of the balance days, people would choose to go to the office 2-3 days a week. Managing work remotely would be the new normal and managers are unlikely to expect their team to be in their line of sight every day in office. Further, WFH would provide opportunities to the currently untapped workforce in Tier II and Tier III towns to join the mainstream. As it would to women providing Flexi working options, while also promoting better Diversity and Inclusion. WFH is also likely to give the Gig economy a boost.

Technology has been the enabler. How would you see the HR function transforming, utilizing technology?

Technology is and will continue to play a major role in transforming the HR function in multiple ways. First, Digitization will force every process in the employee life cycle to be re-engineered to make it more efficient. Second, it will improve the Employee Experience through convenient and customized solutions. Third, it will seamlessly integrate all the HR processes like PMS, Talent Management, Succession Planning, and Capability Building. Fourth, people's decisions will become more data-driven rather than just based on judgment, perception. And, the fifth, digital adoption will enable organizations to drive agility.

You as the people leader can observe and experience some differences in expectations of employees from their leaders. What are those top 3 things that people would expect from any leader in the Post-COVID era?

During the times of disruption and uncertainty, most people look up to their leaders to lead from the front. I believe that in the post-pandemic era, people would expect the following from their leaders.
First and foremost, approachability and demonstrated empathy through personal connections.
Second, honest and transparent two-way communication about the status of the business and a clear narrative about the way forward.
Third, clarity about what is expected from the employees, particularly when things are uncertain and dynamic.

How have you been most efficient in taking care of your people?

In these unprecedented times of the pandemic, what people need is psychological support and constant reassurance. We managed to provide that successfully through a set of consistent actions we have continued to take since the lockdown started. First, we continued our practice of monthly webcast wherein the senior leadership team communicates directly with all the employees across the country in the first 2-3 days of every month. We ensured that the communication from the top leadership was transparent and clear, giving the employees the true picture of the business environment and the organization's performance while constantly reassuring employees and tackling doubts regarding possible cost reduction measures. Second, apart from the mass communication which is largely top-down, we ensured bottom-up communication with the business leaders and the business HR connecting with field employees in small groups or one to one. This ensured that we continuously listened to our employees and understood their issues for immediate action. Third, HR took the lead in organizing various engagement activities particularly during the initial period of the lockdown involving not just the employees but even their family members. And the fourth action was that as the unlocking started and branches started opening, we empowered the local team to decide on whether to open the branch and how to operate it based on the local conditions following the overall guidelines we had issued.

Which are the top three skills that will be more in demand in the New Normal?

The pandemic has broken the myth that WFH is not effective. The new way of working demands new mindsets and skillsets to succeed. WFH demands managing remote teams thus making it imperative that one builds relationship and trust. Uncertainty, a need to sense the change and react swiftly are the characteristics of the new normal. Thus, an ability to live with ambiguity and adaptability is the second skill one must possess. As Digitization becomes the key driver of the business, data-based decision-making and digital skills will demand a premium in the New Normal.