View from the top: Q&A with Sharon Chan at Razer

Sharon Chan is the Director of Human Resources at Razer – the world leader in high-performing gaming hardware, software and systems. In this interview, the HR leader shares the key skills and personality traits she looks for her in her team. Her view on whether the increased use of technology undermines the human touch within HR and gives advice to budding HR talent.

What are the key skills and personality traits you look for in members of your HR team and are these requirements changing?

Can do attitude, proactiveness, tenacity, and being astute in assessing – and then stepping up and in to deliver. I believe in teaching the team to fish and not fish for them, hence if the team member is looking to be micro managed or to be readily give all the answers, then he/ she is not the right profile for us. The company is constantly innovating and building phenomenal products, so it is imperative that we have a HR team that is nimble and ready to take on any challenges swiftly and then deliver the right solutions. Another important requirement for me is learning to positively collaborate and have fun together as a team!

Do you believe that increased use of technology undermines the human touch within HR?

Technology is and will be a strong partner to HR in supporting us to deliver a more agile solution to our customers. We need to harness technology to better develop/ enhance our processes and thereby create operational excellence in the way we deliver. With the reduction in time in working through operations, it frees up time for us to focus on higher value work that is more strategic and consultative to the Company/ Business Leaders. 

Can you outline any initiatives you have been running within your business to improve HR’s credibility and what results have you seen from these?

Being authentic, clear and delivering what has been agreed on within the timelines – this is critical for us to improve our credibility. Drawing from feedback received from the business and engagement drivers, I developed a HR strategy to drive solutions to address issues. This has resulted in a major HR program launch for us and we are raring to see the positive results from this program. On a concurrent level, we are also getting back to basics to continue to enhance our existing programs and policies to ensure we remain competitive.

Finally, what advice would you give to budding HR talent?

Never shy away from rolling up your sleeves and working in the trenches. You will develop strong HR foundational knowledge in the process which allows you to troubleshoot and provide the right solutions easily. Be open and learn as much as possible not just from the HR leaders as from the Business leaders you partner with. You not only broaden your HR knowledge but also develop strong business acumen which will be invaluable to your Business leaders.