Every day is a surprise to me

— Ashnita describes a typical day.

When people hear the words Human Resources (HR), they generally think of someone responsible for hiring and firing employees— if not, managing conflicts within the office premises.  It is a common misconception for most of us but actually, a career in HR is so much more than that. It is as challenging as it is rewarding, and each day is as distinct as the next as per Ashnita.

Before becoming the Human Resource Manager of Greymouse Fiji, Ashnita started as an attaché of the accounts department. She used to help the department by running errands then, as the business grew, she later got promoted to being an HR Manager. She worked her way up with the help of Marisa and also studied more too.

The staff newsletter, recruitment, induction, and employee engagement initiatives started to come her way as her role developed and duties become more crucial— which she deems “ideal” as she is open to changes and new challenges.

Aside from looking into HR-related issues that need to be addressed and ensuring the office is always shipshape, she also:

– manages properties;
– makes certain that rents are received when expected;
– ensures that bills are paid on time and;
– makes sure that the properties insurance and registrations are updated

???????’s role with Greymouse is hectic with her main responsibility including providing support to staff members on queries related to their employment or career as well as finding and recruiting potential candidates for the job.

As an HR, you need to understand what the clients need and make sure that those are met when recruiting new positions. She is also responsible for training HR in the Philippines. Her other responsibilities include:

– Induction process
– Processing payroll;
– Conducting disciplinary actions;
– Updating policies;
– Maintaining and updating employee records;
– Conducting benefit analysis;
– Processing paperwork;
– Ensuring that bills are paid on time and;
– Updating insurance and registrations and more

Time flies so fast!

Ashnita turned 9 years in service on the last 26th of March, 2021.

It’s been almost one decade since she started working in Greymouse. She has stood with us through all ups and downs.

Self-motivated, disciplined and focused. These three words aren’t enough to describe Ashnita. She has a positive attitude towards work that inspires everyone to give their best.

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak that led to some staff members from Greymouse transitioning to working from home, she has been doing her best to make sure that everyone is doing well and the team is well-informed that she is available for communication when needed.

HR is an exciting field where areas to specialise in can depend on which piques your interests. Furthermore, you also have the opportunity to undertake roles that explore all its aspects.

“It’s a very wide and broad field where you are unlikely to be pigeonholed into one area,” Ashnita stated. “You can remain a generalist if you like variety or you can advance and specialise. It’s a good area to study,” she said.

When asked what the best part of working at Greymouse is, Ashnita answered that it is “being part of such an amazing team and being able to share the same purpose as Kelvin and Marisa.”

Her favourite thing about the job is the recruitment process where she gets to meet people with different perspectives and personalities. She thinks that celebrating even the smallest wins with a good job or a simple thank you will keep the motivation going!

“The best way to end a day would be by making sure you have completed your tasks for the day without leaving anything unfinished.” She thinks that if nothing else is left pending, you will be able to relax and have a good rest in preparation for the following day.

She also believes in the power of not being afraid of failures and being able to speak out as soon as possible so you won’t regret not asking later. After all, it’s true— learning from your mistakes and accepting them will give you an idea of what to do next time to avoid it from happening again. She considers these the skills essential for someone in the same field as her.

The last piece of advice Ashnita gave us was that “the most important thing when making any decision is to foresee the outcome and how it will affect you and the others. When you know what your goal is, you can start working towards it after weighing the options and alternatives available.”

It is common knowledge that many businesses were gravely affected by this pandemic, but Ashnita considers the team fortunate because Greymouse was able to withstand it all. It is securing for her to know that the company will continue to thrive in providing services for its clients.

She ends the interview by saying, we hire for character and train for skill.