Pankaj Kumar Kalass - I Believe an HR Professional Should Be Good at Assuring Colleagues That the Organization Has Their Back (Head - Field HR, Delihivery)

 

I feel having a good work culture is critical for attracting and retaining good talent. It's essential to build a culture in the organization where everyone feels respected, good performance is recognized and diversity is valued.

1. Tell us about your background, upbringing and journey.

I spent most of my childhood in Panipat, Haryana where my father was stationed for work. I was raised in a simple middle class family with a lot of focus on education and being respectful to everyone. My interest in engineering took me to Delhi where I studied Computer engineering at Delhi College of Engineering. That gave me a good platform to build a strong network with like minded people, many of whom I am still in touch with and have acted as sounding boards throughout my career. My time at IIM Indore during my MBA expanded that network and broadened my understanding of operating in the corporate world.

 

2. When & how did you narrow down on what you wanted to do?

4 years down my career path I got interested in e-commerce and joined Myntra which was my first experience of working in a fast paced startup environment. People management was a big part of my role there and I found that it was something I enjoyed. As I grew in the e-commerce space across organizations such as Delhivery and Amazon that interest developed further and it was during my tenure in Amazon that I formally moved over to the HR space.

3. What is the most important quality one must have in order to be a successful HR person?

I believe an HR professional should be good at assuring colleagues that the organization has their back. He/she should be a good listener and should have the ability to empathize and make people feel heard. The individual should also possess strong business acumen and should be able to take unbiased decisions with long term focus.

Qapita helps founders, CFOs and CHROs to organize their equity ownership record at one place making it the single source of truth. You can use Qapita to run scenarios, issue ESOPs and communicate their value to employees, run buyback or liquidity programs and engage with your employees effectively. Do click here for a demo. 

4. What according to you is the role of ESOPs in building a large and an impactful venture?

ESOP's are becoming more and more relevant in current times, it’s a good instrument which gives employees a great sense of ownership in the organization. In a large, fast paced and impactful venture ESOPs add pivotal value in rewarding and retaining the talent.

5. How do you communicate the value of your ESOPs with your employees today?

 

We do communication on valuation and growth to our employees in our regular employee townhalls, for employees who are eligible for grants they are communicated by their managers during regular appraisal cycles.

6. How important is building a culture in an organization and what is your view on hybrid working?

I feel having a good work culture is critical for attracting and retaining good talent. It's essential to build a culture in the organization where everyone feels respected, good performance is recognized and diversity is valued.

I think hybrid working is the way forward although the applicability and effectiveness would depend on the industry and nature of work. I don't think there would be a one size fits all model and organizations would have to experiment, adapt and make tweaks as they mature in this style of working. I feel that the pandemic has questioned some pre-existing notions on how we can work effectively and it will be interesting to see organizations evolve and come up with models that work both for them as well as employees.

7. Which is your favourite book and why?

I recently read Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia, it touched a chord, Ikgai essentially is a Japanese concept and refers to giving your life worth, meaning or purpose. I enjoyed the lessons it had around healthy living, learning something new everyday and being passionate about what you do. These are things that I am working on imbibing in my day to day life.