The Inspiring Journey of Sajitha Nair

The woman who has seen it all- Workplace gender bias, unappreciative superiors, unbendable employees and a constant push from the world to give more than 100% to the work yet devote maximum time to home because she’s a mother- This is the story of Ms Sajitha Nair, defying odds and currently changing lives at Antra Pvt Ltd as its Head HR.

The word “currently” holds special importance here. Not because our protagonist is exploring other options, but rather to let the future unfold the next leg of her journey- As the primary education provider of the underprivileged.

A B.com graduate, Sajitha’s career graph began taking shape after she started working as an Admin Executive in a Bengaluru company. Infamous for multitasking, she would often be found filling in for several others at work. “Sajitha would never say ‘No’ to anything” is how her ex-colleagues defined her. She would call every task a learning opportunity, an experience that could boost her confidence and stay with her whichever path she chose next.

The Turning Point – How it all Began

Her zeal for learning and being a people person was identified early on by her then company’s Head HR. Like any other day, Sajitha was busy filling in for a receptionist who was on maternity leave. Passing by the reception was the Head HR, confused seeing Sajitha answer calls, attend to people and more. Upon asking the reason, she said that she did not want the daily office activities to be hampered and volunteered to do it.

Though the HR did not react to it, little did Sajitha know that her answer was going to change her professional journey for good.

Soon, she was appointed as an HR and began her stance in the Human Resources world.

The Learning Curve 

With an undying thirst for knowledge, Sajitha kept switching between different roles within the HR department in multiple companies and finally got into payroll. Considered to be the payroll wizard, she was trusted with single-handedly processing the payroll of 2000 employees for over 9 years. Post her payroll tenure, she moved into rewards and recognition. She completed her MBA shortly after- all while already working as an HR manager.

And she did great, because for Sajitha, the HR field was a perfect fit being a people person. Talking and connecting with people fast came naturally to her. The employees who got irritated when she newly joined the company, now started seeing her as a confidant, a friend, someone they feel comfortable with.

An Acknowledgement for Years of Hard Work – The Shakti Sutra Award

She eventually climbed up the ladder to win the Shakti Sutra award for being a woman of substance. Rightly so, because unlike the traditional world, Sajitha believes in becoming the master of all, and jack of none. She believes in owning every field you enter, knowing the insides out of any concept, because according to her, only then do you succeed at it- With your complete heart and soul devoted to doing the job.

Sajitha’s definition of Human Resources is no different. She says being an HR means to be a human and treat everyone equally with humanity, irrespective of their hierarchical levels. Respect and dignity are virtues that all deserve as pride and arrogance do
no one good.

Fueled with the passion of serving people, Sajitha intends to take a break and be a school teacher for the knowledge-deprived.