He is simple to look, has vision to profession, knowledge to acknowledge and passion to perform; a true multifaceted hr professional MR. Chandra Sekhar Boda, Manager, HRD, at INTOTO, a leading product development company on network security software platforms and toolkits for unified threat management (UTM) Security Appliances and Secure Business Gateways.

Mr. Chandrasekhar Boda has done his Masters in Human Resource Management from GITAM a reputed Institute from Vizag, a beautiful sand city of Andhra Pradesh, India. A true global practitioner, who has started his career at Caribbean islands with a world bank funded NGO. Mr. Chandra became Exemplary HR persona with his rich experience of working in US. He returned to India 4yrs back and joined Intoto as Asst Manager, HRD. His neutral approach, People-Person made him as Manager HR in no time.

It’s the pleasure and privilege of SCOOP to have Mr.Chandra on to the board as PEOPLE-PERSON for this edition. SCOOP has some precious moments with him during the rendezvous where his passion towards profession remained unconquered; here is the tête-à-tête for you.

Q 1: The profession of hr is much talked about in the growing gamut of its profile and is being considered as the most core valued services of any organization. What made companies to give a change to their thought process and hr team as apple of company’s eye?

Ans: Its true. The phenomenal shift of the profession hr from personal management days to this day had come from many evolutions for good reasons. This focus shift and the time shift had made HR to work in the closer quarters of proximity with the employee by meeting more than his basic needs and thereby making HR to attain the state of neutrality in the eyes of organisation. The attained neutrality had been catalytist in synergizing the performance of employee and organization being more accessible than ever.

This accessibility made each day look better with HR initiating and working closely to link up and sync up with all the departments in one particular length making it as the core valued services of any organization.

2. How much of process change has taken place in the profile of HR with Authoritative to Supportive to Adaptive roles?

Ans: HR Profile has changed in a manner where profile has moved from transaction –based role, reporting to an administrative officer, to being a member of senior management and participating in the executive decision-making. HR Profile has always played an array of roles of being authoritative, supportive or adaptive roles and evolved to a stage of being a multifaceted with a single face , ie HR.

Q 3: We are known for our IT tech brains and had many entrepreneurial successes to the list. How much hr professionals did or prepared from India had made their mark globally?

Ans: Indian IT tech brains had won many accolades for the entrepreneurial successes on par with IT tech brains and Indian Hr professionals making a mark – it’s the manner in which we have to look about the way HR function is undergoing transformation globally – tiding over senior executives who view HR function as common sense applied to people management decisions ,moreover, HR functions being headed by executives without deep expertise in the HR area.That situation is not likely the case in other areas like finance,marketing, IT,law, etc there is a level of expertise that the senior leader should possess and that expertise has decision influence at the executive level .But with the realization that has set in, that organization key success rest in its human resources and there is compelling evidence to have high standard of practices in employee selection , performance management, talent management or change managament ,diversity,leadership, etc and to have them in place to make it work as process ,so as to achieve organization success its recognized to have HR experts leading the HR verticals – with Hr being independent vertical achieved – HR as an independent successful entrepreneurial is going to be a next trend of which professionals from India would also be at the forefront of achieving the entrepreneurial success.

Q 4: The investments to build hr systems are on a raise in India. What are the new organizational objectives these improvised hr systems aimed at to deliver at this cost?

Ans:The reason is so simple that HR is process driven and needs a standard of measurement for a bigger human role and human capital management, to integrate with rest of the modules. These investments are aimed to build high-end process systems for great accessibility and accountability to the relative size of the organization.

Q 5: How do people management practices in India vary with the global Practices?

Ans. Very much. The question boils downs to the point where there is an immediate call for fair and competitive HR practices like
a. Equal employment opportunities
b. Defining, Performing, Practicing of the Concept.
c. Neutrality of HR
It’s the department of HR who needs to drive the point to the management for greater scope of conceptual practice of People Management.

Q 6: Unarguably the biggest task of concern for all companies both IT and BPO, is to reduce the growing attrition rate. What are latest Suggestions for the need of the hour?

Ans. Its agreed and the numbers are scary about attrition. Irrespective of the reason stated over an exit interview and in house surveys, the real reason remains a million dollar question.

My suggestion to reduce attrition roots back to the very interview process and structure where vice versa clarity is badly missing with both employee and employer, expectations have to be clearly understood by both and should be committed for its fulfillment of these expectations. For existing employees, an acceptable and a periodical counseling system should serve more answers than questions. I believe only a 3 year period of service in one organization can be qualifying period to pursue for a break. In detail, the first year is more of an incubate period irrespective of experience, and second and third years to be productive and proactive. This 3-year period is apt to decide whether to continue or move ahead.

Q 7: Employee self services is the veins of today’s HR system that connects all employees. Will this Employee self services are going to replace the HR system in total in the near future? Your comments…

Ans. Certainly a notion. This reminds me the saga when computers were just entering into our work lives in late 80’s and early 90’s. Trade Union leaders and other social activists carried this opinion with an unknown statistical basis of replacing human to computer at 10:1 ratio and many opposed computers for the same.

But today, Computers are our valuable associates who share our work with increased efficiency saving us time and providing us scope to make better managerial decisions. The same principle applies to current Employee-Self services systems also.

The systems are put in place to provide more dynamic ways for the HR practitioners and increases demand for the HR professionals to embrace the concept and to device efficient systems with analysis and implementation skills.

Q.8: What are simple ways to manage work-stress. What efforts did INTOTO make?

Ans. An important concept to look in. The simple ways to manage work stress is one, Practice a disciplined life with all life things. Two, Set yourself to a rhythm with your work routines. Three, can share and exchange with the HR and dear ones. Four, Never consider counseling a taboo to identify ways to ease out stress.

Q 9: It’s for certain women are scaling the careers in hr and what sign does it indicate to the future people management trends?

Ans. Its for all and the profession strives to serve the concept of ‘equal opportunities “to its best.

Q 9: Which areas you wish to advice the passionate future hr professionals?

Ans. The aspirants are always welcome to the profession. Apart from the academic learning and individual skills, I suggest them to grow and understand the business practices and organizational concepts which can be of greater advantage as the opportunities are spread across the globe.
Team SCOOP

B.Chandra Sekhar

Intoto Software (I) Pvt Ltd.
Uma Plaza, Nagarjuna hills,
Panjagutta, Hyderabad.
PIN:500 082, INDIA.
Tel: +91-40-2335-8927/8928/8434.
Fax: +91-40-2335-8933.
email:chandrab@intoto.com
www.intoto.com