In Conversation with Babu Thomas, CHRO and Operations Head of the Group, Shalby Ltd.

"The Next Decade Will Be Employer's Market"

 

Babu Thomas is Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Operations Head of the group at Shalby Ltd. He joined the company in May 2017. Babu brings 29 years of experience to Shalby that employs over 1500 employees. He loves to read management books when he is not donning his CHRO cap.

 

Q: What has your HR journey been like and what influenced you the most to have a positive impact on your career?

Babu Thomas: My professional journey for the last three decades was momentous. Passion for people and helping them to explore their potential were the motivation behind this. In my childhood, I witnessed many exceptional talents getting wasted in rural parts of Kerala, India and how exposure to an opportunity made many of them excel. This influenced me largely to focus on People Management Strategy and to become an HR Professional.   

Q: What were your challenges during the early days of your career? What are those today?

Babu Thomas: Absence of a good mentor from the domain, lack of clarity in HR concepts and its application, tendency to utilize HR resources for administrative/operational work were major challenges in the early period of my career. 

When I started my job with Bank of Baroda, an organization that always considered HR function dearly, I got the opportunity to work with and trained under great HR leaders and was able to evolve myself.
 

Today, when I look at the challenges; recruiting, retaining millennials, perception management in social media, fast adoption of evolving technology and managing the value proposition of HR for various stakeholders etc. are the points coming to the top of my mind.     

Q: How do you see workplace culture evolving over the years?

Babu Thomas: Work culture has been evolving to suit the new generation of knowledge workers, who are not looking at lifetime engagement and are ready to take challenges frequently. Last decades have taught entrepreneurs to set their work culture involving empowerment, creativity, challenges and fun to attract talent. New technology and innovations made it possible for companies to make it happen too.  

Q: Can you share the top three learnings/insights from the challenges you faced?

Babu Thomas: 

• Treat every human being with respect, even when you need to take adverse decisions against them.
• Analyze your data first and then take decisions. Clarity on your data and right inferences are your strengths.
• Track, measure and evaluate all processes that you manage periodically to ensure their health and alert you when needed.   

Q: Where do you draw inspiration from? What do you have to say to those who are still struggling to find a place in the boardroom?

Babu Thomas: Undoubtedly, my family is my inspiration. 

Every HR professional should ask themselves the value that they bring to the table and how far their actions can positively influence business outcomes. HR professionals need to master the business they are part of, to enable them to correlate and contribute from the function to business. The HR Heads, who champion the business processes, are closer to their CEOs and board. Attitude and applied commonsense are huge supporting factors to drive someone to the top.  

Q: Where do you draw the line when it comes to work-life balance?

Babu Thomas: What is important is to find quality time for self and dear ones. There is no need to plan for work-life balance; remain sincere and committed, while pursuing your passion.  

Q: What fundamental change, in terms of culture, have you brought into your company?

Babu Thomas: Many interventions to enhance employees’ trust and engagement index has been successfully implemented. I have been able to give a great fillip to the Employer Branding of the company by effectively representing the company and also utilizing the social media platforms.

Q: What are some major changes you see affecting HR within the next few years?

Babu Thomas: 

• The last decade was the employees’ market; in the upcoming employment scenario, it may take a reverse turn in the near future.
• Digital platforms will be used more for interactions and learning like never before.
• Innovation and technology will help optimize resource utilization.
• Tougher time ahead for less competent and mediocre candidates.

 

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