Farina Banu brings over two decades of diverse experience in human resources, spanning various sectors such as education, banking, aviation, hospitality, international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), and the IT-AI sector. Currently serving as Head of Talent – Nepal and Global Head of Talent Acquisition at CloudFactory, her career journey has equipped her with comprehensive insights into management, policy formulation, and strategy execution.
Banu has a proven track record in addressing individual and organisational needs through effective workforce planning, staffing, recruitment, induction processes, and designing competency frameworks. Her expertise extends to capacity assessment, gap analysis, capacity building, training, competencies development, and performance management. Notably, she excels in driving change initiatives, modelling positive behaviours, and implementing effective succession planning strategies. Her focus on employee engagement and retention, coupled with robust compensation and benefits systems, underscores her commitment to organisational excellence.
Additionally, she has crafted compelling value propositions and successfully implemented Human Resources Systems to enhance overall organisational effectiveness. Her adeptness in policy formulation and strategic implementation further highlights her exceptional leadership in the field of human resources. The HRM Nepal caught up with Banu to learn about different aspects of human resources management. Excerpts:
Q. You have extensive experience of working as a human resources and organisational development professional in national and international companies. Could you please share your experience on HR management and organisational development?
A. My experience in HR management and organisational development for over two decades has been both rewarding and enlightening. I believe a combination of right HR planning, strategies, process, systems, compliance with motivated employees, building interpersonal trust, sense of belongingness, cooperation, and effective means of communication help the organisation thrive to achieve its desired outcome.
Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of collaborating with a wealth of talented professionals, each bringing a unique set of skills to the table. Human Resource Management transcends the traditional tasks of recruitment, onboarding, and record-keeping. It encompasses a strategic approach that fosters a positive work environment, cultivates employee engagement, and ultimately drives organisational success. This multifaceted approach is characterised by practices like strategic alignment, employee development, performance management, and talent acquisition and retention. Competitive compensation and benefits, effective communication, ethical and legal compliance, data-driven decision making, and continuous improvement round out this essential function.
Organisational development takes a holistic approach to enhancing an organisation’s effectiveness, efficiency, and adaptability. This comprehensive strategy allows organisations to flourish in a dynamic and competitive business landscape. Key components of organisational development include conducting a thorough SWOT analysis, designing and implementing targeted interventions, facilitating smooth transitions through change initiatives, and cultivating a strong culture. Investing in leadership and team development, establishing clear performance expectations, and ensuring structures support strategic objectives are all crucial aspects. Evaluation and feedback are essential for continuous improvement, ensuring both HR and OD empower individuals and teams to thrive within an organisation that values their contributions and fosters their growth.
Q. How do HR policies play a pivotal role in shaping a company’s sustainability and growth?
A. HR policies are instrumental in shaping a company’s sustainability and growth by attracting and retaining talent, enhancing productivity and engagement, fostering learning and development, promoting diversity and inclusion, and ensuring compliance and risk management. HR policies are important because they promote consistency, fairness, compliance with laws, guidance for employees, organisational culture, conflict resolution, risk management, support for decision-making, and employee trust and satisfaction. By establishing and implementing effective policies, organisations create a structured and supportive environment that fosters productivity, innovation, and long-term success.
Q. Some argue that continuous learning and skill development are essential for successful HR practices. This ensures employees can adapt to ever-changing industry trends and technologies. Do you believe this approach is being implemented effectively in Nepal’s HR landscape?
A. Certainly. In Nepal, organisations’ commitment to continuous learning and skill development for employees varies widely. Factors such as industry sector, organisational size, and economic conditions significantly influence these investments. However, promising trends in Nepal highlight the growing recognition of continuous learning within HR practices. Structured training programmes, professional certification initiatives, tailored education courses, government policies, and industry networks all contribute to fostering a culture of learning. Providing the right platform for development is crucial for individual success and retention. Organisations that prioritise continuous learning empower their employees and stay competitive in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Q. Despite playing a critical role in building an organisation’s future success, Human Resource Management often doesn’t receive the level of priority it deserves. Why do you think this happens?
A. The perceived lack of priority given to Human Resource Management (HRM) as the future of organisations can stem from several factors such as traditional view of HR historically been viewed as primarily administrative and transactional, short-term financial results and operational efficiency over long-term investments in HRM, leadership perception and awareness, unlike financial metrics, which are often more straightforward to measure. The impact of HRM practices on organisational outcomes, skill gaps and competency where HR professionals may themselves face challenges in adapting to evolving business environments, technologies, and strategic demands and external factors such as economic uncertainties, regulatory changes, and competitive pressures can influence organisational priorities, sometimes overshadowing long-term investments in HRM.
To address these challenges and elevate HRM as a priority for organisations’ futures, there needs to be a shift towards recognising HR as a strategic partner that drives innovation, agility, and sustainable growth. This includes fostering a culture where HR is empowered to lead initiatives in talent development, organisational design, employee experience, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptability. It also requires educating organisational leaders on the strategic importance of HR and aligning HR practices with overall business goals and objectives. By investing in HRM as a critical enabler of organisational success, companies can better position themselves to navigate future challenges and capitalise on opportunities in a rapidly changing global landscape.
Q. CloudFactory operates in a fascinating environment. Can you tell me a bit about your approach to managing people in such a dynamic workplace?
A. Here at CloudFactory, we prioritise a people-centric approach when making decisions. We embrace a distributed-first approach to our employees’ work modalities, allowing them to determine the most productive methods for themselves. We focus on building relationships and encourage employees to connect in formal and informal ways.
Our vision is ‘HR exists to be a strategic partner and catalyst for organisational mission, fostering a culture of excellence’. As a strategic partner we are actively involved in driving business objectives and decision-making, as a catalyst for organisational mission we facilitate change and have a tangible impact on the organisation’s performance and outcomes and we build a culture of excellence where employees are engaged, supported in their growth and development, and inspired to achieve excellence.
Q. CloudFactory tackles a significant challenge for Nepal, talent drain, through a unique mission: connecting one million talented individuals with meaningful work. This mission emphasises ‘earning, learning, and serving.’ Can you elaborate on this mission and how CloudFactory facilitates these connections?
A. CloudFactory is unique and it works with a margin and also with a mission ‘to connect one million talented people to meaningful work where together we can earn, learn and serve our way to becoming leaders’ worth following’.
We not only work together for a shared mission but also make every effort to give back to communities through Community Service Projects (CSPs), Tolis (i.e., groups of 8-10 employees gathering for learning, growth and building relationships), and other events.
As for how we create meaningful work, we are focused on unlocking the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence (AI) by making unusable data, usable. We do this through a novel combination of both technology and talent – including our amazing team here in Nepal – that enables reliable and trustworthy business outcomes, at scale, for our clients around the world. Definitely retaining the best talent in the country has been a bigger concern.
We work in a distributed first model, and connect talents through recruitment and outreach, skills matching, training and development, technology and platform, community engagement.
Overall, CloudFactory’s mission aims to create a positive impact by providing meaningful work opportunities that not only benefit the individuals involved but also contribute to broader societal goals of economic empowerment and skill development.
Q. At CloudFactory, how do you translate key results into measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
A. We have Annual Company Goals with clear KPIs and we cascade those through Functional Goals and Individual Goals. We use quarterly OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to align with top priorities for the quarter at global level.
Q. What are the predominant factors that build the readiness of companies to adopt technology-based and future-focused interactive/learning practices?
A. The readiness of companies to adopt technology-based and future-focused interactive learning practices is influenced by several key factors. Leaders who champion innovation and prioritise continuous learning create a culture where adopting new technologies and practices is encouraged. An open and adaptable organisational culture fosters experimentation and learning. Companies that value creativity, collaboration, and risk-taking are more likely to embrace new technologies and interactive learning practices. Adequate investment in technology infrastructure, such as robust IT systems and digital tools, is essential. Prioritising employee skill development and upskilling initiatives prepares the workforce to embrace new technologies and interactive learning methods.
Training programmes that focus on digital literacy and technology proficiency are crucial. Technology adoption should align with the company’s strategic objectives and long-term goals. When new learning practices contribute to achieving business outcomes, there is greater motivation to adopt them. Industry trends, competitive pressures, and regulatory requirements can also influence readiness. Emphasising user experience and ensuring that new learning technologies are intuitive and engaging enhances adoption rates. Leveraging data analytics to assess the effectiveness of learning practices and technologies helps companies make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement.
Overall, companies that prioritise leadership commitment, foster a supportive culture, invest in infrastructure and skills, align with strategic goals, and remain adaptable are better prepared to adopt technology-based and future-focused interactive learning practices successfully.
Q. Building strong teams is crucial for success. How important do you find team-building activities, horizontal discussions, and vertical discussion in fostering a collaborative and effective team environment?
A. Team building activities, horizontal discussions (among peers), and vertical discussions (between different hierarchical levels) play crucial roles in fostering a healthy and productive work environment. Team building activities encourage collaboration among team members, helping them understand each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and working styles; build trust, improve communications and boost morale.
Horizontal discussions (peer-to-peer) can be really helpful in building relationships where peers can share insights, experiences, and best practices with each other, leading to mutual learning and skill enhancement. Collaborative discussions among peers allow for brainstorming and problem-solving from different perspectives, leading to innovative solutions. Peers can provide support and constructive feedback to each other, helping improve individual and collective performance and horizontal discussions strengthen the social fabric of the team, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.
Vertical discussions (between hierarchical levels) can be fruitful ensuring alignment between different levels of the organisation regarding goals, strategies, and expectations. Senior leaders can share insights and strategic direction at all levels, while frontline employees can provide ground-level insights to inform decision-making at higher levels. Vertical discussions provide opportunities for leadership development and mentorship. It establishes a feedback loop where concerns, ideas, and suggestions can flow upward and downward, fostering continuous improvement and adaptation.
Q. How effective are work culture and work ethics in shaping a successful and fulfilling work environment, and what specific obligations do employers and leaders have in fostering a culture that promotes both ethical behaviour and a sense of purpose within their institutions?
A. The effectiveness of work culture and work ethics in companies depends largely on how well they are cultivated and upheld by both employers and leaders.
Employers and leaders can foster a work culture where ethics and values prevail, creating prudent and noble institutions that not only achieve business success but also contribute positively to society as a whole. This can be achieved by setting clear values and expectations, leaders lead by example, promoting transparency and open communication where information is shared openly, and employees feel comfortable expressing concerns or raising ethical issues. Leaders ensure fair treatment of all employees, regardless of their background, ensuring equal opportunities for growth and advancement based on merit.
Implementing ethical policies and procedures that uphold ethical standards, such as codes of conduct, whistleblower protections, and anti-discrimination policies is crucial. Promote a healthy work-life balance and prioritise employee well-being, recognising that sustainable performance requires attention to physical, mental, and emotional health. Employers must hold individuals accountable for unethical behaviour or violations of company policies; this includes fair and consistent enforcement of disciplinary measures when necessary. Adapting to changing norms and expectations, engaging with stakeholders and contributing positively to the communities in which they operate, demonstrating social responsibility and ethical citizenship.
Q. In your experience, have you encountered any unconventional or creative approaches to people management that have been particularly effective in driving results? If so, could you share a brief example?
A. Managing people and delivering results often involves implementing unique practices tailored to the organisation’s culture and objectives. Companies are adopting unique practices to address the demand of changing environment and people evolving needs and I had a privilege to witness some of them listed below;
- Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE): Some organisations implement a ROWE, where employees are evaluated based solely on their output and results rather than traditional metrics like hours worked or time spent in the office. This practice focuses on autonomy and accountability, allowing employees flexibility in how and when they work as long as they meet agreed-upon objectives.
- Holacracy: Holacracy is a non-traditional organisational structure where authority and decision-making are distributed among self-managing teams or circles rather than being centralised in a hierarchy. This practice aims to empower employees, promote innovation, and increase agility by reducing bureaucracy and enabling faster decision-making.
- Agile Methodologies: Originally used in software development, Agile methodologies are increasingly applied across various industries to manage projects and teams. Agile emphasises iterative development, continuous feedback, and collaboration among cross-functional teams, enabling organisations to adapt quickly to changes in requirements or market conditions.
- Remote Work and Virtual Teams: With the rise of remote work, many companies have adopted unique practices to manage virtual teams effectively. This includes leveraging digital collaboration tools, implementing flexible work policies, and fostering a strong virtual team culture through regular communication and virtual team-building activities.
- Employee Sabbaticals and Development Leaves: Offering extended periods of paid or unpaid leave for personal development, travel, or volunteering can rejuvenate employees, boost morale, and encourage continuous learning and skill development.
These practices illustrate how innovative approaches to managing people and delivering results can align with modern workplace trends, enhance employee satisfaction and productivity, and ultimately contribute to organisational success.
