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Knots and Crosses

Knots and Crosses

The game evokes childhood memories and involuntary visions of the checkered box with the Xs and Os. As minds race forward with moves – marking an X, blocking with an O – the game is always about staying ahead.

 

It’s strange how this played out with a striking resemblance when the HR fraternity was drawn against new challenges in recent, unprecedented times.

 

The conventional HRBP role was about talent management, engagement, and paraphernalia until Covid-19 put us on the board of the Tic-Tac-Toe game.

 

Gazing into the crystal ball, attempting to figure out what came next, we preempted the needs of our employees and the business – forecasting moves and making contingency plans. “Urgent” and “critical” were the new buzzwords.

 

From being event managers, the HR Tribe changed their focus and strategy to organise oxygen cylinders, hospital beds, insurance covers, vaccination drives and enhanced focus on employee well-being – thinking one step ahead to stay in the game of life.

 

Being in knots with each other in the pre-pandemic era, we untangled ourselves and came together with the larger ecosystem to serve a higher purpose of saving lives.

 

Staying ahead in the game was critical as lives were at stake. It was no longer numbers; these were faces and names we recognised and had real connections with.

 

Just as the storm has started to pass, we look back at all we learned and lost. We chin up to the neo-normal and draw out the crisscross for a brand-new beginning, once again preempting the twists and turns the new plot of a hybrid work environment will bring. With WFH and remote working as a popular global trend, we are confronted with making bets on the next moves.

 

Let’s see who crosses first!

Sahil Nayar, Senior Associate Director – HR at KPMG, is a HR professional whose forte is building an employer brand that helps attract and leverage relevant talent.

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