Shaheen S hails from Hyderabad, India. Hyderabad is a beautiful city and famous for its heritage and biriyani (a mixed rice dish made with spices, rice, and meat [usually chicken, goat, lamb, prawn, fish or beef], or eggs or vegetables, such as potatoes, in certain regional varieties). She completed her bachelor’s in commerce and earned an MBA from Osmania University. Giving back to the community has always been an important part of her life, and she’s worked with nonprofit organizations for the past ten years during her free time, working mainly in programs for children. She also loves the outdoors, enjoys gardening, and her family is dear to her. Shaheen has been working with CloudQ since 2017. Let’s get to know her more through a fun-filled conversation.
What do you enjoy most about working with CloudQ?
CloudQ has a very positive work environment, and the leadership we have is great. CloudQ takes good care of its employees. I enjoy a great work-life balance and amazing work culture.
How do you prefer to start your day?
I get up very early in the morning and set everything up for the family. Then I log in for work and browse through my emails. I prepare my to-do list—which helps me keep track of projects I am working on and helps me prioritize work. The to-do list also helps me complete my tasks easily and set priorities for the day.
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
My go-to productivity trick would be to tackle complicated and urgent projects earlier in the morning, and this makes the rest of the day manageable. I make sure to give more time and prioritize work depending on urgency and importance.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I am both. I am mostly an early bird. I love to start work early with a fresh mind. Sometimes, some projects, due to their urgent nature and time sensitivity, require me to work late into the night to meet deadlines. So, I can be both when I need to finish tasks at hand.
What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
I attribute my success to my strong sense of DETERMINATION AND DEDICATION to my work. Also, I feel I need to keep learning new skills and keep broadening my area of expertise. I love to take up new challenges at work.
What was your first job?
I worked for a non-profit as an office-bearer, focusing on projects that deal with programs for upliftment of youth.
What energizes you at work?
The job satisfaction I get after resolving complicated employee issues, or when I complete a project, energizes me at work.
What’s one thing that surprised you about working at CloudQ?
The quick pace at which CloudQ has grown is trend setting, which speaks volumes about the amazing leadership quality of the company. It motivates the team as a whole and proves the teams’ hard work. This steady and fast pace, and the flexibility the company offers its employees, has always surprised me.
Would you mind giving a brief overview of your job here at CloudQ?
My primary job role is assisting in executing client contracts and handling employee relations and grievances. I also assist in onboarding, payroll, and employee benefits.
You’ve been at this company for a while. What keeps you motivated?
I am motivated by the tremendous learning opportunities available when collaborating with many cross-functional teams, especially with offshore teams. I get to learn and use new platforms and technologies, which helps bring efficiency into our company processes and helps me to grow my skills. Also, by assisting in the timely delivery of projects to clients, and contributing towards the accomplishment of company goals, offers me a sense of achievement. All these keep me motivated and satisfied with my work.
As an HR Manager, how will [you] drive results?
To achieve company goals, it’s important to have good relationships with clients and have a thriving workforce. A thriving workforce represents a good company culture, and it contributes towards a collaborative work environment. By helping the employees enjoy a positive work environment during their tenure, we can ensure we complete client projects within our deadlines. This, in turn, ensures good client relations, contributing towards achieving the long-term and short-term goals of the company.
What trends will shape Human Resource departments over the next five years?
The field of Human Resources is evolving at a rapid pace. Cloud-based HR tech, Cyber Security, Virtual Work Environment, Social Media Recruiting, Automation, AI, and inclusivity of diverse pools of employees from different phases of life will be the major trends in HR.
Do you have any advice for aspiring HR professionals?
Human Resources is a strategic role in any company. One needs to be able to pull off a multitude of roles, help nurse a thriving workforce, be a team player in collaboration with different teams, have the ability to maintain good client relationships, and be able to complete tasks in a time-sensitive manner.
How do you prefer to end your day?
Before logging out for the day, I review my checklist, make notes of completed tasks, and flag unfinished work. This helps me prepare for the next day. Also, I unwind by spending time with my beautiful family.
Thank you, Shaheen, for giving us your time today! We’ve enjoyed getting to know you, and we’re sure everyone else will enjoy it as well.
If you’d like to know more about our “Get to Know” project, where employees learn more about the people they work with, check out some of our previous interviews.
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