Not many stories can make you sit up and wonder how this came to be. The journey of a genetic engineer who became a GPHR Certified Global HR Technology Professional is undoubtedly one of them.
In between a flurry of calls and meetings, Bharathi Ramamurthy shared her thoughts on her early definition of HR, her experience with Neeyamo, and the company’s transformation from a global HR services provider to a market leader in worldwide payroll and EOR solutions.
As the clock gets ready to strike 11 years on her time with Neeyamo, Bharathi candidly admits that her definition of HR was about recruitment as a college student. While that definition has evolved over the years, her unquenchable desire to learn is the only constant throughout it all. That is the foundational pillar of her journey, filled with fascinating twists and turns.
“Everyday learning is always a part of the work,” she says before adding that her journey helped equip her with the necessary skills to create training programs designed to assist someone coming into Neeyamo from a non-traditional background.
However, Bharathi quickly conceded that the journey didn’t get off to a great start. There were plenty of doubts in the first two years, and as intrigued as she was by the role and fascinated by the work she was doing, she said it was all getting to her at times.
“It was a learning experience. All of us were learning each process, irrespective of whether it was an MBA fresher or an engineering fresher like me, all of us were in the same boat, which helped me pull through to where I am right now,” notes Bharathi.
She also credits the management team’s support for helping her get through a tough start. There was also consistent support from another key person in her life, her husband, who was also an employee at Neeyamo.
“For ten years, Neeyamo was literally family and work. It was everything for us. Our exchange of thoughts and ideas added a lot of value.”
Working with her partner is just one of the many exciting aspects of her professional journey. Another must be the incredible variety of roles she has essayed since she swapped science for the service industry. Despite working under HRO for the last 11 years, Bharathi has put on several hats to enhance her understanding and ascertain a holistic picture of the industry and where Neeyamo is headed. Whether supporting HR technology and documentation or lending a hand in training and assisting with UI/UX team, her journey in the company has helped her expand her expertise and enriched her unquenching desire for learning.
That journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Arguably the most difficult was the switch to HR technology. While the transition was always going to be hard, making it more treacherous was her lack of tech expertise and the fact that she was returning from maternity leave.
So when I pressed her further about how she could juggle all these different responsibilities personally and professionally, her response was enlightening. It again returned to her support system, desire to learn, and particularly the evolution of her thought process. Her transition from being someone who never wanted to have her work questioned to understanding the value she was providing to the customer and how her solutions helped solve the problem.
Understanding terminology has remained an issue, admits Bharathi, but her comprehension of concepts and ability to provide solutions ensure that she continues to move forward. And with her hunger for knowledge undiminished, Bharathi hopes to help Neeyamo prosper in an incredibly competitive market that has witnessed an incredible transformation in the past few years.
“The world has completely changed its perspective on how they want to see the HR and payroll industry, and the recent emergence of competitors is evidence of that. Neeyamo’s constant desire to evolve will not only aid the company gain prominence in the industry but also enhance the working environment and make it easier to motivate my team and me,” she concludes.
They say it is not about the destination but rather the journey. In Bharathi’s case, the journey has been filled with many highlights that have driven her to where she is today. Irrespective of what the future holds, one thing is for sure: her story will only get more interesting.
