The BluWheelz HR is playing a key role in the overall governance of the processes that drive key business metrics, prevent leakages, and enhance revenues. In an exclusive conversation with CXO News and APAC News Network, Pranay Prakash, CHRO, BluWheelz argues that leveraging AI/M tools in HR helps optimize the workforce in the nascent EV industry.
How are emerging technologies, such as AI and machine learning, influencing HR practices at BluWheelz, particularly in talent management and recruitment?
Early-stage companies face two critical problems – limited resources and the need to scale up fast. And AI / ML-based tools help in automating repetitive tasks, enhancing recruitment outcomes, and improving employee as well as candidate experience. They also enable data-based decisions which otherwise would be a time-consuming and error-prone activity. The most critical use case is for planning and optimizing the workforce.
With the rapid evolution of the EV industry, how do you ensure that your workforce stays current with the latest technological advancements and industry trends?
Constant and frequent training is the key. However, in a geographically diverse workforce, getting key messages across and on time often becomes a challenge. Also, the attention span of today’s workforce is way too short. So to ensure that the workforce stays abreast of the latest technological advancements and industry trends, developing bite-sized content that can be accessed on a mobile device, sharing with them key updates in a simplified manner, and using the Managers as master trainers (by using the daily sync-up calls, etc) can be some of the very effective tools.
What are the biggest HR challenges you face in the EV and overall automotive sector compared to other industries, and how do you address them?
The automotive sector has been existing for a while and has already reached a certain degree of maturity, and hence availability of trained experts is not that big a challenge. The EV industry, on the other hand, is still in a very nascent stage, and with newer developments and innovations coming up frequently, the availability of skilled talent is still a challenge.
How does BluWheelz leverage data analytics in HR decision-making? Can you provide examples of how data has driven strategic initiatives within your department?
At BluWheelz, the HR team uses data extensively to drive key business metrics, prevent leakages, and enhance revenues. We work closely with multiple teams, including Operations, to drive some of these metrics by identifying the areas where we need to focus more.
The EV market is highly competitive. And that often leads to employees switching between companies. What specific strategies does BluWheelz employ to attract and retain top talent in such a fast-evolving industry? What is the current attrition rate and what’s your target to reduce it?
At BluWheelz, we hire people not for skill but for intent, and hence what they find lucrative is not the money but the kind of work we do and what we are building. Our hiring process focuses on identifying candidates who are in the game for the long run and are driven by the purpose and the vision of creating something futuristic as well as impactful. The voluntary attrition rate is too low for us to worry about right now.
In what ways is BluWheelz integrating sustainability into its HR practices, and how does this align with the company’s overall mission and goals?
The entire organization is committed to developing a solution that is both forward-thinking and sustainable, ensuring sustainability in fuel use, environmental impact, and economic viability. The HR team draws its purpose from this larger vision and hence every process and policy that we create are for the long term – not for 200 people but for 2,000 people.
Further, HR team members also play a key role in the overall governance of the processes that drive key business metrics. Our talent acquisition processes focus not just on hiring when needs arise but are built to create a sustainable pipeline of roles that we will need to expand rapidly. And, we also follow a paperless organizational system which helps drive organizational sustainability.
The rise of remote work and flexible arrangements has affected many industries. How has BluWheelz adapted its HR policies to address these changes, especially in a sector that often requires hands-on work?
We operate in an ecosystem where remote or hybrid work is not the most efficient way. Most of our team members have client-facing roles, and hence their physical and on-site presence cannot be dispensed with. Having said so, we do have empathy at the core of all policies that govern our teams, and take a need-based call in case they require support.
How do you see the role of HR evolving in the context of rapid technological advancements and the push towards digital transformation in the EV industry?
I believe that the HR team members across industries need to get out of their expertise-centric roles and get more involved with the businesses they support. While keeping the overall governance framework intact, none of the HR metrics, good or bad, have any meaning if they do not have a measurable positive impact on the business they are built to support. They need to get access to the same metrics and dashboards that are available to the business heads and enable innovations to improve upon those metrics.
What are the key skills and competencies that are becoming increasingly important for HR professionals working in the EV sector?
The EV sector is in a very nascent stage, and rapidly evolving. The HR professionals aspiring to be a part of this industry need to be equally agile and open to rapid changes. They should be willing to unlearn and be able to restart so that they can adapt to the changes. Additionally, HR professionals need to be adept at change management, both at pace and scale.
Rajneesh De & Swapnil Mishra, APAC News Network
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