[santiago]

A great thread and great posts....

My two cents......
Most junta writing CAT/XAT only want to escape the monotony of their work . Whats the escape route? An MBA ! Stories of 1 crore salaries abound!! So write CAT/XAT and get into a general MBA , follow the crowd , the money trail and be out with a degree and a good job. Its exactly like an Engg Degree. Junta take engg or branches based on popularity, not on interest. So when forced to choose a particular field to do an MBA , most choose Fin , Marketing etc because of the glamour associated with it. All the myths busted above are reasons given by ppl not to take HR not because they have any idea of HR, but because thay have heard it from somewhere. As someone who had a lot of doubts regardsing HR myself, after sufficient discussions with bugs and others I have come to the following conclusions..

1. Introspect why you want to do an MBA ?
2. What interests you?
3. What are your priorities ? Is it money , job profile , area of interest?
4. Look at the opportunities in your fieldof interest.
5. MOST IMP: One you think that you are interested in a certain field, DO NOT let considerations like the other field will fetch me 12 lakh pa , while mine will fetch me 10 lakh pa deter you.

As someone said
Life - Dreams = Job

Sadly this is a reality for most . Please try to think what you truly want to do instead of blindly follwoing the crowd. If it is HR so be it......

PS: Sorry for the long and rambling post, but I was bugged up with ppl asking me why I am taking up HR, a 'female oriented ' MBA !!!!

[anvesh23]

I happened to stumble upon this thread and it has provided me some great insight .

Thanks a lot Sumit !

Even I am interested in HR and I faced the same questions raised in this thread about HR . This thread goes a long way in answering those doubts . Great work Sumit - your research and effort involved in this shows your genuine interest in HR and I am sure you are on your way to being a great HR manager ! The best way to find out is get in touch with HR folks in the Industry and it seems you have done that - kudos !

If you guys have read Dave Ulrich's book on HR - he talks about HR being a strategic business partner in organisations .

I got this from Wiki :

Source : Human resource management - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One widely used scheme to describe the role of HRM, developed by Dave Ulrich, defines 4 fields for the HRM function :

• Strategic business partner
• Change agent
• Employee champion
• Administration

However, many HR functions these days struggle to get beyond the roles of administration and employee champion, and are seen rather as reactive than strategically proactive partners for the top management. In addition, HR organizations also have the difficulty in proving how their activities and processes add value to the company. Only in the recent years HR scholars and HR professionals are focusing to develop models that can measure if HR adds value .

I think today HR has changed from what it was a few years back and it continues to evolve and gain importance . It is playing a strategic role today and is not confined to administrative tasks . Also organisations today can underrate the importance of HR at their peril because the key differentiator today for companies and businesses is people and HR .

[sumitrocks]

Rohit bhai, Anvesh, Santiago, Monsty, Harshad, Ashu, Beta , PSL, bubu...and anyone I've inadvertently missed out..thanks a ton for enriching the discussion with further info, questions and discussions.

I have scheduled meetings with some senior HR folks that I know, and I'll try my best to get their views, ideas and opinions. So, please keep the discussions going.

[alagati]

Hmmm..I was reading " Winning.." by Jack Welch and he was clearly in the opinion that ur HR Director is the next imp position to that of a CEO..!!!
Wise words frm the horses' mouth indeed..!!

Apart from the gyaan, its really encouraging to find so many dynamic ppl interested in HR...the future of HR and companies in general looks bright..!!

As to compensation comes, the packages offered to TISS and XLRI students are as good as any investment banker..!!

Just had one thing which I want to confirm whether its a myth or not...sumit maybe u can help..!!

We all know that IB guys work round the clock n end up earning big bucks and suffer a couple depressions every year...!!

Whereas most ppl say HR is a 9-6 job with fixed working hours and hence you can maintain a balance btwn work and family...in fact that cud be one of the reasons why we find so many women in HR..!!

Just let me know if the above is a myth or there's an iota of truth in it ??!!

[rpradeephere]

Originally Posted by estranged_gnrs

IMHO, i would rather have a person who loves doing all this but his brainwave is not bound by what he has learned during his course in MBA -HR.

If anyone, can explain me, how a person equipped with MBA-HR degree , can be helpful for a startup like us or various many others floating around?
This is a question, which has been there in my mind for a long time, and solutions to this will be highly appreciated.

These are my thoughts: (I am also working in a start-up and we are facing similar issues in recruiting etc).

- Usually, a typical MBA, is not good for start-ups. The typical MBA is the types whom you would find in a large no. in PG. (I, myself, may end up being one or is already one!). They like intellectual discussions, they just love it. The "What If" analysis. The hypothetical discussions etc. But the actual impact at work may be lesser. These traits are okay for established companies. In the sense, the trade-off can be adjusted for the perceived benefits. But for a start-up I think the "just do it" attitude is more important. I would go as far as saying a "typical MBA" is a concept and the person need not even be an MBA. Though one may probably find more MBA's in that category.

- Usually an average MBA is more expensive than a good engineer. We started recruiting really good engineers instead of average MBA's and though there were a few hic-cups, the guys started doing an amazing job by putting in more hard work. This works well for start-ups. Mind you, the engineers don't do engineering work. The company is into proper management consulting right from market entry, turning companies around and all the typical stuff which MBA's learn during an MBA.

- If I were in a position as you, I would recruit a person who is experienced in HR and has solved similar industry problems (irrespective of whether he is an MBA or not) and in case the firm is cash rich, can employ MBA HR's as juniors to that experienced individual. Will make the job of the experienced HR guy easy.

My point is there is a trade off in terms of money in recruiting an MBA. A start-up must rightly judge at which time it can afford to recruit an MBA and whether the benefits by recruiting one is more than the cost. A well established cash rich firm need not do such an in depth analysis. The mistake would not close the firm definitely. For a start-up, it definitely is important.

Our firm finally decided recruiting intelligent and sensible IITians with 2 yrs experience costs 50-60% of what it would cost to recruit tier-2 MBA's. (The IIT guys are the ones who usually are fed up working in some software company but are actually bright dudes who want a good job profile and they definitely take a salary cut). The IIT/NIT guys are recruited because its important in Mgmt consulting to show a pedigree to the clients, at the same time manage the firm with a lean budget. These guys are not the perfect fits but then, they are also less expensive. The firm will eventually move to the SPJAIN/MDI/XLRI/I/K MBA's when it establishes itself and becomes comfortable with cash inflows.

My 2 cents. I hope it was relevant. Sorry if it was not so.

Pradeep

[sumitrocks]

Originally Posted by alagati

We all know that IB guys work round the clock n end up earning big bucks and suffer a couple depressions every year...!!

Whereas most ppl say HR is a 9-6 job with fixed working hours and hence you can maintain a balance btwn work and family...in fact that cud be one of the reasons why we find so many women in HR..!!

Just let me know if the above is a myth or there's an iota of truth in it ??!!

That's a total myth. Having worked for the training function of HR for nearly 3 years, I can vouch for that. My boss would be in office from 9 am to 6 pm, on most days, but I'd still get emails from him at 11 pm, many times. He had a wife and two kids, and spent a lot of time with them, but he didn't work any less than the others.

See, if an organization is handing you a fat paycheck, obviously, you'd be expected to earn it! And as far as work-life balance is concerned, that's something you'll have to strive to maintain, irrespective of your field.

As I said earlier, the number of women is higher primarily because of the way HR was perceived earlier. Although, I must concede that functions like Hiring and Recruitment have a higher percentage of women, because of the timings. (Most organizations hire only during normal working hours.)

A work-life balance also depends on the way an organization's policies are structured. With flexi-work and telecommuting policies becoming common, things look positive (for almost any job).

[monsterkartik]

Originally Posted by alagati

As to compensation comes, the packages offered to TISS and XLRI students are as good as any investment banker..!!

Just had one thing which I want to confirm whether its a myth or not...sumit maybe u can help..!!

We all know that IB guys work round the clock n end up earning big bucks and suffer a couple depressions every year...!!

Whereas most ppl say HR is a 9-6 job with fixed working hours and hence you can maintain a balance btwn work and family...in fact that cud be one of the reasons why we find so many women in HR..!!

Just let me know if the above is a myth or there's an iota of truth in it ??!!

Its not about HR function having a 9-6 Job. All the support functions ie the functions which are not directly related to earning the revenue are generally have such working timings. Functions like HR, Admin, FInance (accounts & taxation) are perfect examples.

The revenue generating functions have to work hard to complete their targets and the same is the case is with functions like HR n Finance also. When such functions have their deadlines people belonging to such functions also slog to meet the deadlines.

Also more number of women are generally at the lower acdre in HR function , and as u go high up in the ranks you will find a very high number of men in the HR function.

Regarding salary structures, i think we should rather not compare salaries of an investment banker to a HR person, as both the roles are totally unconnected and the returns cant be compared. U can still compare the salary figures with Other functions but not with Invesmtent Banker.

Cheers

MK

[amit.ahlawat]

Hi puys!
Though i m a fresher, still i believe that owing to my natural inclination towards HRD, i have indeed developed the basic understanding of the role of HR in life in general and industry in particular.

It is HR that enables the employees develop and maintain the right frame of mind and approach towards their assigned work. A mental picture is developed as to how any day at the company should be like.
A sense of belongingness, responsibility, comradeship and familiarity is inculcated which gives the employee a strong base to begin his/her relation with the company. a REASSURING ENVIRONMENT is provided to the employee, that everyone is there to back him in his endeavor of giving benefit to the company and getting benefited himself in return, and also backing his comrades in return.....

ALL THIS HAS A DIRECT BEARING ON THE QUALITY OF TIME SPENT BY THE EMPLOYEE IN THE COMPANY. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY ACHIEVE SET TARGETS RATHER THAN FAKE ACHIEVEMENTS. START (AND ENJOY) DELIVERING FROM THE DAY ONE.

[estranged_gnrs]

Originally Posted by amit.ahlawat

Hi puys!
Though i m a fresher, still i believe that owing to my natural inclination towards HRD, i have indeed developed the basic understanding of the role of HR in life in general and industry in particular.

It is HR that enables the employees develop and maintain the right frame of mind and approach towards their assigned work. A mental picture is developed as to how any day at the company should be like.
A sense of belongingness, responsibility, comradeship and familiarity is inculcated which gives the employee a strong base to begin his/her relation with the company. a REASSURING ENVIRONMENT is provided to the employee, that everyone is there to back him in his endeavor of giving benefit to the company and getting benefited himself in return, and also backing his comrades in return.....

ALL THIS HAS A DIRECT BEARING ON THE QUALITY OF TIME SPENT BY THE EMPLOYEE IN THE COMPANY. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY ACHIEVE SET TARGETS RATHER THAN FAKE ACHIEVEMENTS. START (AND ENJOY) DELIVERING FROM THE DAY ONE.

tch...good words and I so wish it was in real.I would really like to know few companies which actually "believe" in this and implement this, and yes, first hand INDIAN experiences only please.NO posts like "I have a friend in whose company this....".
May be we will learn few things from there..But may be out of the scope of this thread.

As far as putting in number of hours is concerned, I think it is more a function of how well you plan your day and utilize your time in office. If there are too many urgent/adhoc things coming up on regular basis, either you are working for Police or Fire Brigade department or you dont know how to say a NO and tell your superior that your basket is already full.

Even though what I do is something i really really love, but I am sure that if am putting in long hours on continued basis, I will have a burn out and the cost of it will be more.

I think in this age of working from home,employees not directly under the supervising eyes, technology breaking barriers of communication , the curriculum of HR course should be ready to adopt to this. The better accountability processes they can innovate, the more they will be recognised in the industry.I think it is a very exciting time for people who want to innovate in HR and may be reinvent the wheel.

Cheers,
Rohit

[Mahip]

Start ups online communities which are user driven, like PaGaLGuY.com, need two kind of HR managers - Online and Offline. One for the office/PG HQ and the other for maintaining the forum which is done by moderators. I have been interacting with users for around two years now and have realized that the moderators need to be very good 'people managers' and help in maintaining a healthy online working culture. This is required to maintain the quality of discussions and also making the members feel at home. I gave a presentation on managing online communities in my first year, you all can go through it (attached file) and get the specific of the role which a virtual HR manager or a moderator has to perfom.

For the offline thing, well retention is one of the key problem in this sector. Any HR MBA can throw some more light on this I guess..