Before switching to the banking sector, Reetu Nyachhyon first worked at the Chaudhary Group as a management trainee in their HR department.

After gaining experience as an HR professional, she joined Nepal SBI Bank in 2004 as its HR officer and the head of the department.

Nyachhyon also worked at Bank of Asia in 2007, where she  oversaw the hiring processes  at the then newly-established bank.

Since 2015, she has been with Janata Bank as its Head of Human Resources. In this interview with the Post’s Alisha Sijapati, Nyachhyon talks about the keys becoming a high-performing HR professional and some of her management mantras. Excerpts: 

How has the value of Human Resources management evolved in the banking sector in Nepal over the years?

Before joining the banking industry, I first worked at the Chaudhary Group, which had a well-established HR department.

However, I was surprised that there wasn’t a HR department when I joined the Nepal SBI Bank.

I had to start the department from scratch there. In many other banks too, it’s only been about 10 years that HR departments have been given the chance to be a part of the decision making processes.

Only a decade ago, you would struggle to find students who wanted to study HR Management, but now that the demand is slowly growing—it has emerged as a very promising career prospect.

The progress might be slow, but Nepal’s corporate eco-system is definitely moving in the right direction.

What kind of issues do HR departments come across regularly?

Leading an HR department is not an easy task; it has its own challenges. First, getting a right person for the right job is tough.

It is a challenge to get an experienced and a well-qualified person into the organisation. Although competition has increased dramatically in the past decade, many people still lack in-depth knowledge of their field. 

Also, it is difficult to retain talent—talented, smart people are wanted everywhere, which creates an acute retention problem.

In our bank, to overcome both these challenges, we focus more on solutions rather than problems.

We try to encourage and motivate our employees according to their capabilities and implement strategic plans to make the working environment harmonious.

Miscommunication can create havoc, so, we believe in effective communication. An organisation can churn profit and prosper only when the employees are satisfied. 

Maintaining a harmonious work environment is a key to HR management. How can one avoid conflict at a workplace?

Managing employees is the primary task of any HR department. Working for the betterment of people can be more stressful than working in any other departments.

Our job is to always resolve conflict and bring peace and prosperity to work and to create a consensual environment among co-workers.

It is a fact that not all employees working under the same roof will have mutual feelings towards one another.

Hence, to avoid further aggravations, it is essential for the HR department to draw a line with company guidelines.

However, to maintain peace at work and to avoid conflicts, regular and clear communication between co-workers is absolutely essential.

An organisation’s success depends on teamwork. Every employee working in any organisation should work for the common goal of the organisation as per its vision and mission.

At Janata, we focus more on contextual performance of the employees rather than their achieved targets and figures.

We believe in enhancing employee performance and wellbeing through leadership and support.

What are the keys to becoming a high-performing HR professional?

To become a high performing HR professional, the leader needs to be visionary. They need to have set goals and targets to lead in the right path. 

A leader must be able to position the HR Team according to the vision of the organisation and varied characteristics of the employees.

He/she should be proactive, well updated and smart about the changes and opportunities that could be available in not only the organisation but also the entire sector.

A high-performing HR professional should be a good listener and be adept in different ways of communicating. 

As an HR manager, what do you feel are the keys to keeping employees in big organisations motivated?

As an HR manager, I thoroughly believe and follow Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which are based on five components—psychological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualisation.

It is essential for everybody to look beyond monetary benefits. I have an understanding that if you are satisfied in your life emotionally than monetary benefits become less of a priority.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be applied everywhere but focusing on the organisation’s work environment, career path and most importantly, a healthy relationship with supervisors and vice versa is the key to successful motivation. 

What are some attributes that all HR leaders must possess? What mantras should they abide by?

All HR leaders, or any leader for that matter, must be trustworthy and credible. To become a good leader, one needs to become a good listener and be unbiased.

They need to be strategic and have a long-term plan and a vision to position their team successfully in the organisation.

The leader must possess the quality and a role of becoming a peacemaker. They should be the bridge between the employees and the management. 

How important are monetary benefits in keeping employees motivated?

I believe monetary benefits hold little value in comparison to psychological satisfaction, although, it is an important part in terms of motivation.

Don’t focus on making money but rather focus on maintaining a healthy professional relationship with your clients and colleagues and moving upwards in career. Once your goals are in place, monetary benefits too come along.