Japuria Institute of Management, Jaipur recently hosted its annual HR conclave on the theme- ‘HR challenges in the turbulent economy’. Given the relevance of the topic to present times it turned out to be a huge learning experience for students. Here are a few snippets from the session that made it so astoundingly interesting:

Prof. Sandeep Sancheti, VC, Sikkim Manipal University, brought an engineer’s perspective to HR. He said, “When the economy is turbulent, HR will be more stable and we should believe in the philosophy of ‘learning by doing’. A crisis should be looked at as an opportunity, because it gives you a chance to showcase your talent.”

After his positive spin on difficult situations, it was the turn of Dr. Prateem Tambholi, Director, Fortis Escorts, Jaipur to speak. He stressed on the philosophy, “Keep it simple and seize the opportunity. The role of HR is not just to minimise cost, but to improve the organisation in the present and the future.”

Prof. Pankaj Gupta, Director General, Jaipuria Institutes of Management, urged students to learn more about themselves, because that’s where real knowledge comes from, according to him. He also talked about the importance of Passionate Ownership, which struck a chord with the audience.

Mr. Nehal Jain put things into a global perspective as far as turbulent market situations are concerned and spoke about the X-factor that is required by any professional to be able to survive in the professional environment today.

After the fruitful first session, the audience was looking forward to the session on ‘Developing right skills required in current market scenario’, and they were not to be disappointed. Nikita Shirley Thomas, a student of the 2012-14 batch, introduced the theme for the discussion and set the ball rolling. Dr. B. D. Singh, Dean-MDP, Jaipuria Institute of Management and the chair of the session, then took over and said, “HR might be an easy subject to study, but is very difficult to practice. Every employee is an asset to an organisation and the job of HR is to develop the hidden potential of every employee.”

The panel then talked about qualities and traits one should possess to be a successful HR professional. Defining goals, core skills, discipline, integrity, perseverance, team work, ownership of the job, communication and presentation skills, competencies and confidence were some of the elements of HR that students learned about through the discussion.

Eminent industry personalities like Mr. Kapil Mahajan, GM-HR of Gravita India Ltd., Ms. Aditi Gupta, Manager HR from MICO BOSCH, Jaipur, Mr.Vikas Pareek, Chief Executive, Propellor and Navigator, and Mr. Ajay Mathur, AGM, Genus, made valuable contributions to the session. They shared their experiences and helped students get an insight into the world of HR.

Mr. Vikas Kalra, GM-HR, Jaipuria Institutes of Management, concluded the session by saying, “Bad times can suddenly crop up in life, but we should always be ready to face them. Even if nothing works, don’t lose hope. Keep your head high; you are not bad, it’s the time which is difficult.”

Encouraged by the talk, the audience then transitioned into the third session buzzing with high energy. The theme this time was ‘Challenges for aspiring managers during recession’, and it seemed extremely relevant for students. Mr. Rishiraj, Head – Corporate Relations, Jaipuria Institutes of Management, was the chair for this session and he started talking about recession and what it actually means. “Its definition differs from person to person; some call it bad, others a time for course correction. Technically, it means negative growth for 2-3 consecutive quarters.”

He was of the opinion that recession only happens to people whose abilities are below acceptable levels. He also offered a way to avoid the difficult situation by saying, “Simply follow the rule of thinking out of the box. Management graduates’ perception of the skill set required by industry today is blurred, and so they get easily bogged down by situations prevailing in the depressed economy of the country,” he added.

Ms. Praneeta Mathur from Naukri.com stressed on correct work etiquette for professionals today as she said, “The candidate’s attitude and job must match to be productive for the company. One should keep one’s ego and work separate. Being lethargic is one of the most common reasons for those who fall victim to difficult scenarios.”

Prof. (Dr.) Anvay Bhargava, Mr. Jayendra Chaturvedi, Head HR of Paayas Milk and Ms. Kiranpreet Kaur, HR manager from the Clarks Group, were the other dignitaries who left a lasting impression during the session. Overall, it turned out to be an exciting and enriching outing for the audience, as they learned a lot from the experienced professionals. And that is what made the conclave a resounding success.