Rohit Bassi is the founder of In Learning, and is passionate about learning and development. Rohit has extensive years of international work experience in the UK, Ireland, France, Australia, USA, India, Africa and the Middle East. Apart form being the only Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway® Licensed Facilitator in the UAE, he has worked on projects with companies such as Cadbury Schweppes, PwC, British Airport Authority, Jumeirah, Harrods, Marriott and many more. Rohit strongly believes that our skills are our most vital assets. He says: "An organization's assets are its people."
Questions:
1. How do you like living and working in your country of employment?
I have been in Dubai since August 2006. I love this place. Every day is a surprise for me. Life is so much more energetic over here when compared to London, and the city is diverse and cosmopolitan. To me, Dubai is East-meets-West, the best of both worlds.
2. What is your average day at work like?
Running my own learning and development consultancy requires a lot of focus. When I am not at a client site, I typically carry out research to up-skill myself, follow-up on existing clients and work on building my sales pipeline. A lot of networking is required in developing a business.
3. What is your biggest professional challenge?
There are two challenges that I face on a regular basis. Firstly, it is unprofessional behaviour in terms of interacting with others. We all need to respect each others' perceptions and find common grounds to achieve common goals. Secondly, there is a lack of customer service towards both internal and external parties.
4. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires?
In my experience in the recruitment industry, one of the most important things to look for is the right attitude and commitment.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent?
I find a number of individuals whose technical skills are amazing, yet they lack the behavioural/soft skills to interact confidently and towards providing practical solutions.
6. What is your favorite part of your role?
I get to interact with people at all levels. So, I would say meeting people and looking at things from their unique perspective is the favourite part of my role. In fact, it’s amazing how the perception of individuals is greatly influenced by the organisation's behaviour towards them.
7. What has been the highlight of your career in HR?
Well it’s the ability to assist both individuals and organisations to excel in their performance. It is about allowing them to unleash their true potential so that they can better themselves. I am thankful that I worked with numerous well-known organisations such as PwC, DP World, Alshaya, Al Futtaim, Azadea, DEWA, Gerab, KPMG, Drake & Scull, Emirates NBD, Transport for London, Baskin Robbins, Bayt.com, and many more.
8. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments?
There are a variety of sources from which I pick up on what is happening in the industry. Some of these include LinkedIn groups, the Harvard Business Review, New Scientist, The Economist and Psychology Today.
9. What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR?
Before you get into HR, I would seriously advise you to have work experience in other departments. It could be in IT, sales, procurement, marketing, logistics or client services. The best people in HR in my experience are those who have come from such backgrounds as they comprehend that HR is not about policing but about people.
10. How do you see the Middle East evolve as a place to practice HR?
The Middle East has great potential, it has a lot to offer. HR is an ongoing practice and it is important for this region to be aware of and consider all the cultures that coexist here. Every culture brings something new and innovative to the region. So, we need to be open in our thinking in developing practices that will be fair to all cultures and at all levels.
11. If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall?
This would clearly be in learning and development. We are always “in learning” thanks to the many challenges we face on a day-to-day basis. Our ability to assimilate these learnings and apply them effectively determine our success. Learning and development never stop.
12. Anything else you'd like to share with the community of Bayt.com Employers?
With change being constant, "up-skilling" is a necessity. Invest in learning to keep your employees motivated while giving them a competitive edge. Apart from acquiring knowledge and new skills, providing training programs shows your employees that they are valued enough for you to invest in them and their development, and that you see a future for them in the organisation. This offers a stability which is much needed.
