„The HR leaders are important because they are the key link between the management and the employee workforce.“ - Questers

„The HR leaders are important because they are the key link between the management and the employee workforce.“

The HR professional' role is a crucial to the success of every company because they manage the heart of the business - its employees. That's why, on The International Human Resources Day, we will highlight their efforts and bring them to the forefront to thank them for their devoted work.

To celebrate this day, we have invited Hristina Valchanova, HR Business Partner @ Questers, to share her insights on the HR profession. With more than 10 years of experience in the HR field, Hristina has spent most of her career in the IT sector. She is a proud mother of two, a vocalist in the "Abagar" Quartet, and a passionate music and animal lover who enjoys taking long walks.

Join us in delving into the world of HR.

Hi Hristina! Take us back to the time when you decided to pursue a career in the field of HR. What made you choose this path?

Well, to be honest, an HR career wasn’t something I was planning when graduating from high school. Actually, I had a few disciplines at the university that opened my eyes to this field and I decided to take an internship while studying. It was supposed to take just a few months. It’s actually been 10 years now.

What's the biggest challenge you've faced? What have you learned (so far)?

I am facing challenges every day. For me, being a human and working with human beings is quite a challenge itself.

How did you start working at Questers?

Questers as a company is an employer of choice for me. I’ve known the company for years now. A friend of mine sent me the job ad for my current position and I decided to apply. I knew that was my place on the very first meetings with my current team.

What is on your whiteboard planner right now? 

Our team has just started a long-term wellness campaign for our employees and I am actively working on it. I am currently onboarding two new Questers’ clients and have a lot of work, related to the annual performance reviews of our employees. And I am constantly having a dozen of regular tasks and an endless to-do list to take care of. :)

Why are HR leaders so important in helping organizations prepare for the future?

The HR leaders are important because they are the key link between the management and the employee workforce. If the connection gets lost, the future of the company becomes uncertain. Our role as human resource professionals is to plan and create different initiatives and events, implement best practices, introduce and refine procedures which keep this connection alive and the colleagues productive.  

HR departments are becoming increasingly important in maintaining a healthy company culture. In what ways should HR change to meet new demands?

The HR role and the way it functions have changed a lot in the last couple of years. We used to meet people in person and talk to them on a daily basis. Now, most of our employees are working remotely and it is a challenge to achieve the strong bonds we used to have with them before. It is much more difficult to have an objective view of the relationship between managers and employees and take timely actions when necessary. We no longer have opportunities for small talks and non-formal conversations just because we don’t meet each other in the office. So, we had to change our approach – now we organise more events, initiatives and regular in-person catch-ups, trying to gather people, socialise, get to know each other better – both managers and employees and observe their relations. The IT sector has changed, the world has changed and we have to be adaptive in order to make things work.