For him, competition is an opportunity not to be missed. No matter the geography, the culture or the industry, an arena of sparring ideas draws him in. Just a speck of a workplace contest, messy or healthy, and he takes a plunge.

“Without competition, there is no learning,” says Manish Bhardwaj, who heads HR at Imaging Endpoints in Hyderabad, India. “I pick up new roles and challenges whenever a plateau closes in. The competition may be unhealthy, but it depends on how you react to situations.”

Continuous learning – from sources both within and outside the organization – has propelled his journey for more than 20 years now. “The HR is not just a people enabler, but a growth enabler too,” he avers.

It was an NCC (National Cadet Corps) camp that inspired confidence in him about managing people. As the food incharge at the camp, Mr. Manish discovered the people enabler in himself.

“Food is a sensitive issue. I managed it without grievances,” he recalls. So, management? Check. Later, during the MBA, the field of human resources captivated him.

HR as a bridge between employees and employers is widely acknowledged. “But HRs also help grow people and create leaders. This pulled me to it,” he reasons.

Early in his career, Mr. Manish realized that a people query took away the maximum time from a productive employee. He believes HR should be proactive, not let ‘trivia’ make people leave their workstations and approach the HR.

Does this mean the invisibility of HR? “It doesn’t,” he answers. “People should have trust in them that they have their back, and nothing will go wrong.”

Further, peers on LinkedIn have commended Mr. Manish for his professionalism and attention to detail. What drives these qualities?

“Mistakes,” he answers.

The fear of failure keeps him on the drawing board until the job is done.

“Sometimes, this irritates people,” says Mr. Manish, who stresses improvising along the way over reliance on rigid plans.

Dealing with issues around meals brought insights to Mr. Manish yet again. He learnt that securing credibility of employees could win you at least half the battle.

As a management trainee at a factory, he helped resolve employee complaints around food quality by heeding them and devising solutions based on the inputs. The factory replaced glass cups with thermoform ones, bought new kettles and fixed tea distribution routes to serve the huge compound.

The perception of HR among employees changed: They listen, act and review.

“Credibility is important for any function. Marketeers nurture it among customers. For HRs, employees are the customers,” says Mr. Manish, who received the chairperson’s award for his initiative.

To build credibility, HRs must be proactive, empathetic, consistent and touch people’s lives on a regular basis, he believes. “It is a gradual process,” he adds.

Books, astrology, mythology and working out – interests that Mr. Manish takes up after office but draws inspiration from. “These activities have made me more patient and look deeper at things,” he explains.

For instance, workouts have revealed to him the potential of stretching yourself. “If you like a workout, you stretch the session. Similarly, you may stretch a task at work if you like it,” he suggests.

“Whatever you do, you have to start liking it to pursue it long-term,” he adds. But how does Mr. Manish juggle the manager and the learner in him?

“I don’t claim to be a teacher,” he chuckles. “I ensure my junior peers are thrown in water, and I watch them swim out of it.” He only guides them to ensure they don’t fail.

As for competition, he says: “Even if there is unhealthy competition or you are demotivated, that doesn’t make you learn any less.”

Going ahead, three challenges stare at Mr. Manish:

• Combating the negative perception of HRs
• Identifying opinion makers and changing perception among them
• Staying motivated amid competition and trying to stay out of comfort zone to grow

Employees in the initial layers of the hierarchy may not be able to view the contribution of the HR, he explains. “They’d believe the manager to be the key decision maker for them. And thus, the undervaluing of the HR.”

To bring awareness among employees, Mr. Manish advises the leadership to hold sessions in the beginning of careers.

2000 – 2001
Senior Officer – ISMT Limited

2001 – 2002
Sales HR – Coca Cola, India

2002 – 2004
Manufacturing HR – HUL

2004 – 2005
Manager: HR – ABB

2005 – 2008
Senior Manager: Human Resources – Schneider Electric

2008 – 2013
Chief HR Officer – Spicei2i

2013 – 2015
DGM: HR – Mitsubishi Electric India Pvt. Ltd.

2015 – 2021
Director, Group HR Lead: APAC, Latin America and Africas –  Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories

2021 – 2022
Group HR Lead – Talent Management, Talent Acquistion and Performance Enablement  – Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories

2022 – Present
Head HR – Imaging Endpoints