Travel for Work: What’s Bhavna’s UK Story? [And how she toured London like a local]

Bhavna Doultani
Senior HR Executive

Hometown: Ahmedabad, Gujarat

College: Gujarat Law Society

What I do: I joined QX 3 years ago and started off with an interesting project of handling HR back-office work for one of our clients. It’s only after joining that I realised – outsourcing HR services to clients started with us – me and my team of two colleagues.

Right now, I handle something different but equally interesting – it’s called employee relations. I carry out one-on-ones with employees; find out about their experiences at QX; their accomplishments; struggles and breakthroughs and guide them whenever they need help.

I think of myself as the ‘buffer’ between the company and the employees.

A work-trip to remember: It’s been a year but it still feels like it happened yesterday. I went to the UK for a project with a client and those were the most memorable 15-days of my career.

I made sure to make the most out of it. I’d wrap up all the work by 5 and head out to explore the city. I loved checking out the beautiful outdoor cafes which they called ‘Copas’ and restaurants with some authentic British breakfast – beans, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, egg whites and avocado toast. However, with all that said – I started craving for homemade Indian food within a few days of going to the UK. I’d stop by the asian grocery store every now and then to pick up some Chai powder so that I can make some homemade chai for myself in the morning.

I stayed in Central London and I soon fell in love with it. I already had a few friends who lived around the area and together we visited all the new and old attractions in town – the Piccadilly Circus; the Casinos; the Buckingham Palace; Madam Tussauds’ – you name it and I’ve seen it.

I was a regular at the local Nandos and some weekend shopping at the nearby Zara was a must. I’d find time to go out for brunches with friends every now and then but one evening, our country-head, Pom Chakravarti, took us out to dinner on the 32^nd floor of ‘the Shard’ building!

In the weekend, I travelled to the London countryside and stumbled upon the idyllic, Mudchute Farms. I loved petting the pigs and enjoyed a proper British breakfast at the Farms. I think that’s enough for now but to be honest, there are so many more stories to tell!

Something British I’ve picked up: The British are very composed and compliant. They wouldn’t burst into a series of slurs if a car was overtaking theirs or if someone cut the line. They always abide by their manners and rules.

In fact, sometimes I felt as if they were happier in their lives by looking at their sense of generosity and kindness. My clients would send me gourmet chocolates every now and then; they’d look after my stay and conveniences to make sure I felt at home – it was a really kind gesture.

A travel tip when travelling on business: I’d just recommend carrying comfortable shoes. Nothing beats being in comfortable shoes when you’re on a trip to an unknown place. You feel more anxious when there’s so much newness around – and I think this are some of the little things we can do to still be in our comfort zone.

What do I like about working at QX: I think I’ve gotten way more than I thought I’d get. I interviewed for a recruitment-operations position but got hired for HR. They could’ve just sent me back when I didn’t fit into the role I interviewed for but they identified my strengths and directed me toward where I excelled at. I love this personable-ness, this zeal to go an extra mile for employees.

I love my work and I think, it’s safe to say, that I do a good job at it too but if I ever end up in a soup, I know QX will have my back.

Work with Bhavna >>