CHENNAI: The southern hall of The Grand by GRT was filled with Human Resources (HR) personnel from different stages in their careers.
The HR students of MOP Vaishnav College for Women took part in Spectra HR Conclave on Saturday, organised by the college. Edward Burleson, management officer at the US Consulate of Chennai, was the chief guest.
During the inaugural session, Burleson spoke about avoiding revealing too much personal information on the resume. He also explained a few ways of tackling problems at the workplace.
“It can be solved by setting policies and holding HR info sessions to spread the word,” he said. Speaking about the stereotypes in the HR field, he said, “We at the US Consulate ensure that there is an equal employment opportunity for everyone as per the law.”
Post-lunch, the technical session was conducted by MP Pattabiraman, head - HR of a leading MNC. The students listened to his speech on the implications of gig economy with rapt attention.
The huddle session was hosted by Subasri Vasudevan, vice-president, Citibank. She narrated her experiences in dealing with a multi-generational workforce.
“In this day and age if someone comes for an interview in complete formals down to the blazer, I would be sure that they wouldn’t fit into my workplace,” she said while speaking about change in work culture. “Every generation has a specific unifying characteristic. In an official environment, you need to have a good mix to have a healthy functioning team,” she said.
The final session was a panel discussion on HR agility vs employee experience moderated by Malini Saravanan, deputy general manager - HR, The New Indian Express.
The panelists were Rajini Sriraman, head HR, Malladi Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, and Lavanya Kannairam, India TA Team lead, resource industries segment, Caterpillar. When asked how an HR personnel can identify problems before they turn unpleasant, Sriraman said, “You must understand the sentiments of the employees.
For that you will have to maintain a level of trust with them at all times. Depending on the nature of complaints you can foresee potential de-stabilisers.”