Role of HR: Pre & post

COVID world
In the gigantic universe of corporate organizations and workplaces, employees have an
irreplaceable stance. For decades, the people management function at workplaces has held
prime importance. To ensure the company’s operations are optimized and driven towards its
goals, Human Resource (HR) professionals play a supreme role at the apex of any
organizational hierarchy. However, today, we’re at the crossroads of HR management in the
current plot. 
Pre-COVID Landscape
The HR department is at the heart of all employee-centric needs of any organization. HR
professionals are the people-friendly ones, who know how to manage the workflow of the
company by ensuring every single person is working seamlessly and the company’s policies are
regularly updated. Traditionally, this role involved in-person interactions with all the employees,
throughout the day. HRs have been instrumental in talent acquisition, upskilling, and
development of employees and conflict resolution within teams working together. 
Over time, the sphere of HR has evolved from being limited to employee satisfaction, to have a
larger impact on the company’s overall growth. The influence of technology has brought several
changes and has made HR a vital enabler for any workplace. Today, about 75% of the HRs
around the world use recruiting software efficiently. 
The fortunate partnership of digitization and HR ushered in several advantageous outcomes like
effective resource planning, requirement forecasting, talent sourcing, and recruitment
assessments. The integration of resource management software within HR teams has given rise
to smart HR programs and effective leadership. 
Post-COVID Scenario
The COVID-19 pandemic hit all organizations and industries with the same magnitude but the
repercussions are varied. While some companies found it easy to transform digitally and revive
their operations without a glitch, others are still having a tough time switching to the digital mode
of working. This asymmetry has been a function of several factors including the digital
capabilities of businesses and the management tactics being used to connect people digitally.
Remote Working
The fancy idea of remote working has become indispensable now and HRs have novel
responsibilities to address. They have to establish a common ground for all the employees
together from diverse geographical and socio-economic backgrounds, especially for employees
staying in interior areas. The need for automation and flexible collaboration tools has grown even
more now. As a sincere effort to strengthen employees living in Tier-2 cities, many renowned
companies have made significant efforts in the past few months to facilitate them with the
necessary infrastructure, thus making remote-working smooth for them. 
Remote assistance extends to the aspect of health as well. The circumstances have made health
and safety a sensitive issue for all employees and HR has to ensure every person is able to avail
of any and all benefits. HR can share physical well-being measures and important policies or
health support packages to alleviate the concerns of the employees.
‘Human’ in HR
Have you ever wondered what lies in the soul of the function of HR? 67% of the working
professionals believe respectful treatment for people at all levels is of utmost importance for job
satisfaction. Interestingly, the most important fact about human resources that we often forget, is
that we’re all humans first. The pandemic has played its card to demonstrate that we can be
resources only if we’re humane enough. As the consequences of the pandemic kicked in, HR
professionals welcomed new battles to fight for. 
When businesses encounter adversity, it is the people that make victory possible. But in the case
of this worldwide threat, people themselves are at their weakest points. Communication plays a
pivotal role for any remote working team and HR has the power to harness the maximum
potential out of effective communication. 
Productivity and Collaboration
In the areas of talent acquisition and management, HRs had to make some tough decisions.
Drying up revenues and difficult team management calls for reduced team sizes and strategic
talent sourcing. As a result, with the sky-rocketing layoff figures and increased freelancer intakes,
employees are more uncertain than ever.
The HR role is not limited to the retention or removal of employees only. If HRs were to acquire
new employees or train existing ones, 77% of them would choose the latter. For any HR team,
the prime concern lies in setting up work continuity and handling the daily tasks with the best
possible outputs from the employees. Diminishing employee productivity is a serious roadblock
for remote-working teams and effective collaboration is the only way out. The onus is on HR to
revitalize the work environment and make it conducive for the employees to deliver their best. 
70% of the survey respondents acknowledged that their company needs to do more to prevent
employee burnout. To address the grave issue of employee mental health and insecurity, some
of the companies tried some unconventional ideas. They conducted various motivational speaker
sessions and keynote talks to maintain the energy and vibe amongst the workforce. Several
connect-fun sessions were held on a periodic basis to rejuvenate the teams burning the midnight
oil to meet business targets. 
The magical world of digitization that was embraced as a ‘good-to-have’, turned out to be a
saviour for organizations across the globe. But it is now required to be equipped with the element
of empathy, human touch, and work culture. The amalgamation of the humane HR function and
digital solutions sustains the post-COVID era.
Future of HR 
Things might never be the same again, but human beings can be the masters of change. Current
situations call for thoughtful initiatives that help settle the chaos and resume work in the best
possible manner. It’s high time to pay heed to learning and development for the digital times.
Businesses stay in the same competitive world but the geographies have dismantled. Thus,
judicious planning for workforce enhancement is imperative. The crisis might resolve soon but
the lessons are to stay with us at our workplaces forever. This transformation of HR is to
empower digital workplaces in the times ahead.
Decoding the Financial Analyst Profile
Who is a Financial Analyst?
Financial analysts examine financial data and use their findings to help companies make
business decisions. Often, their analysis is meant to inform the investing decisions of
companies.

More specifically, financial analysts research macroeconomic and microeconomic

conditions along with company fundamentals to make predictions about businesses,
sectors, and industries. They also often recommend a course of action, such as buying or
selling a company's stock based upon its overall performance and outlook.

An analyst must be aware of current developments in the field in which they specialize,
as well as in preparing financial models to predict future economic conditions for any
number of variables.

Not all financial analysts analyze the stock or bond markets or help their employers
make investments. Companies may also hire an analyst to use numerical data to
pinpoint the efficacy of various marketing techniques relative to cost. Businesses that
utilize the franchise model often have financial analysts who are responsible for
tracking individual franchises or groups of franchises within a geographic region. The
analysts determine where the strengths and weaknesses lie and make profit and loss
forecasts.

Analysts, therefore, have many duties and responsibilities, depending on the

organization they work for, the industry they are in, and their seniority. Below is a list of
the most common things they do:

1. Gather Information and Data

The work of a financial analyst starts with gathering data and information about
whatever they need to analyze. Examples include historical financial reports, accounting
data from the general ledger, stock price information, statistics and macroeconomic
data, industry research, and just about any other type of quantitative data. The
information will be gathered from sources such as the company’s internal databases,
third-party providers such as Bloomberg or Capital IQ, and government agencies.

2. Organize Data
Once the data is gathered it’s typically entered into Excel or some other type of
database. Once the input is done, the next task is to organize it, clean it up, and get it into
a format which makes sense and is informative in nature. This typically means sorting
the numbers by data, or by category, adding formulas and functions to make sure it’s
dynamic, and using consistent formatting styles so that it’s easy to read and understand.

3. Analyze Financial Results

With the data all cleaned up and organized in Excel, it’s time for the financial analyst to
start analyzing past information and historical results. This typically includes looking at
ratios and metrics like gross margin, net margin, fixed vs. variable costs, year-over-year
(YoY) growth rates, return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA), debt/equity ratio,
earnings per share (EPS), and many others. The analyst will look for trends and
benchmark the performance against other companies in the same industry.

4. Making Forecasts and Projections

Now that historical information has been analyzed, it’s time to make projections and
forecasts about how the company will perform in the future. This is an amalgamation of
both art and science resulting in prediction of how a company will perform, including
assumptions and even leaps of faith that have to be made. Common forecasting methods
include regression analysis, year-over-year growth rates, as well as bottom-up and top-
down approaches.

5. Develop Recommendations
A good financial analyst is not only good with numbers but actually generates insights
and recommendations on how to improve the operations of a business. Examples of
helpful recommendations and insights include ways to cut costs, opportunities to
grow revenue, ways to increase market share, operational efficiencies, customer
satisfaction, and much more. This is what truly separates a world-class financial
analyst from the rest. These recommendations will be presented to the CEO, the CFO,
other executives, and/or the board of directors.

6. Build Excel Models

For analysts working in investment banking, equity research, corporate development,
financial planning & analysis (FP&A), and other areas of corporate finance, financial
modelling will be a big part of the job. These models typically start by linking financial
statements and then layering on more advanced types of financial models such as
discounted cash flow analysis (DCF models), internal planning models, and more arcane
models such as LBO models and M&A models.

So If we go for a ‘Birds-Eye-View’ of the Job description of a Financial Analyst, it can be

laid down as:

1. Perform financial forecasting, reporting, and operational metrics tracking

2. Analyze financial data and create financial models for decision support
3. Report on financial performance and prepare for regular leadership reviews
4. Analyze past results, perform variance analysis, identify trends, and make
recommendations for improvements
5. Work closely with the accounting team to ensure accurate financial reporting
6. Evaluate financial performance by comparing and analyzing actual results with
plans and forecasts
7. Guide the cost analysis process by establishing and enforcing policies and
procedures
8. Provide analysis of trends and forecasts and recommend actions for optimization
9. Recommend actions by analyzing and interpreting data and making comparative
analyses; study proposed changes in methods and materials
10. Identify and drive process improvements, including the creation of standard and
ad-hoc reports, tools, and Excel dashboards
11. Increase productivity by developing automated reporting/forecasting tools
12. Perform market research, data mining, business intelligence, and valuation
comps
 13. Maintain a strong financial analysis foundation creating forecasts and models
14. Proficiency with Microsoft Excel is mentioned in virtually any financial analyst
job description; familiarity with data query/data management tools is extremely
helpful (Access, SQL, Business Objects etc.)

Technical/Hard Skills that you need to Project

1. Hands-on business finance or other relevant experience or expertise – through
projects, OJTs or Internships
2. High proficiency in financial modelling techniques
3. Strong fluency with Excel formulas and functions
4. Strong analytical and data gathering skills
5. Good business acumen
6. MBA in Finance as a Specialization
7. Knowledge of Statistics

Personality Traits/Soft Skills that you need to Project

1. Ability to streamline functions and passion to learn and grow
2. Strong interpersonal skills, including written and oral communication skills
3. Comfortable in dealing with ambiguity and the ability to work independently as
well as in a team.
4. Excellent communication and presentation skills; being comfortable in
interacting with senior/executive-level management
5. Analytical bent of mind
6. Orientation towards Research and Development
7. Going into the details
8. An eye for information and keeping in tune with the business world

Companies which you can research to further understand the profile of Financial
Analyst
Amazon, S&P Global, Galleon Consultants, Mastercard, American Express, Philips,
Unisys, CRISIL Limited, Xoriant, Accenture, Oracle India Pvt. Ltd., D.E. Shaw Group, FIS
Global, Gartner India Research and Advisory Services, Parexel International (India) Pvt.
Ltd., MCube Advisors India Pvt. Ltd, PayPal, Motorola Solutions, Fiddich Consulting and
many more…there are approximately more than 33184 openings in India as of now
when this article is going to be published.