My journey of meeting more and more people who are bringing in joy at work in different ways, overcoming obstacles in the most creative ways and those who hold themselves to the highest standards at all times led me to the unassuming, very charming, and an ever smiling Roohul Haq from TE Connectivity. Here is a deep dive into my conversation with him.

How did you get into HR and now L&D – chance or choice?

By Choice , as I have been passionate about people development very early in my career. When there was an opening for technical L&D Position in my current organization, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands!

How many years have you been in this space?

9 years (Dec 2010 – Nov 2019)

Now that you are here – what is the one thing you love most about what you do?

Serving the TE family with utmost dedication, Gurukul (training room) being my playground where I hone my skills, knowledge and make it collaborative/ transferable to our TE folks & community.

What has been your biggest challenge so far? Share how you overcame the same too.         

Having come from a technical (manufacturing operations) background, there are challenges of not having a core HR Experience per se. The high performing HR team at TE helped me to acclimatize with the nuances of HR in all domains. My managers and mentors over the years gave me cutting edge projects/assignments and coached me – hands on, which helped me to hone my skills considerably.

HR culture across organizations is different – based on scale and ownership – what are your thoughts on the same?
Culture is the character and personality of our organization. It’s what makes our business unique and is the sum of its values, traditions, beliefs, interactions, behaviors, and attitudes. Keep in mind that culture is always a work in progress. It can and will change. We have to make culture as important as our business strategy. It is too significant to ignore, and shaping it is one of our most important responsibilities as leaders and HR professionals. Therefore, the HR Culture is different across organizations, based on business strategy, managers & employees, ecosystem, cultural heritage & ethos of the community and country its based out of.

Can you recall a time when things went downhill in your organization and HR was called to rescue?

Many times – during labour issues and breakdowns, mergers and acquisitions, policy changes and communication, leadership changes, facility management, downsizing etc.

Do you believe working closely with employees and building a good professional relationship with them is important to their retention, productivity and team spirit?

Yes, these are the first principles of employee engagement and enablement.

Do you believe the employees and those associated with your organization deserve to be appreciated for their roles and what value they bring to the table?

Definitely Yes.

If yes, what are the current options you are engaging in to express appreciation and why?

Family day celebration – to bring in their families and recognize them with awards and rewards, so the entire family feels connected to the organization.
We give scholarships for children of employees who deliver exceptional results in Class X and XII in an academic year.

Birthday and anniversary wishes – through cards and gifts – Personalized Birthday cards from colleagues with their well wishes written on them. Personalized cake as well.

Festival gifting – Chocolate box gift wrapped during Dusshera.

Surprise bonus / incentive – project based – to recognize team contribution – Yes. Spot bonus in terms of accumulated points that can be redeemed as vouchers/experience based solutions. Travel / shopping vouchers – Ticket restaurant cards, Appreciate portal which has experience based gifting options.

What is your biggest challenge when you are looking at gifting options?

We look for all Tangible things (monetary, touch, feel) and ignore the intangible benefits (goodwill).

What is your memory of the best gift you’ve received to date and why?

The Certificate from IIM Bangalore – for having done an Executive 1-year course in Management at such a prestigious Institute.
Tangible Gift = Washing machine was gifted to me by my previous employer (Robert Bosch) in 2002 which I use it to this day.

What in your opinion is an effective way to de-stress a situation?

Just think that whatever is happening is not because of YOU. It brings a calming perspective to the situation.

Can you recall a moment when you/your team member were able to diffuse a tense situation at work? Elaborate.

These situations do arise sporadically in shop floors with labour force. Negotiate …Negotiate and assert, negotiate and discipline.

Three tips you would like to share with our readers – to bring in more joy at the workplace.

Learn everyday, grow everyday and have fun everyday.

The one person you look up to in life and why?

My Parents – Dad served the IAF for 33 years and worked dedicatedly and selflessly. Mom gave us the best all these years with lot of affection and care.

One thing you love about yourself – Self Discipline
Your favourite dress code to work – Formals
The quickest way for you to de-stress is – Read a book
You feel most grateful about – Being born Human

Roohul is currently serving as Senior Manager – Learning and Development, Human Resources at TE Connectivity India Pvt. Limited and is full of energy and enthusiasm and goes about his daily routine quite ritualistically, enjoying being in a creative problem-solving zone at most times. You can follow him on LinkedIn by clicking here

Leena Munot
Chief Editor @ HWP