India Today HR Insights | Reimagining the way we work

The world of business is getting increasingly complex, largely owing to technological disruptions. Globally, organisations are re-examining how they run their businesses so that they can cater to the growing needs of the digital era. India has already entered this phase, and has an ambitious target of growing into a $1 trillion digital economy by 2028. The Centre has approved a Rs 10,000 crore artificial intelligence (AI) mission to set up cutting-edge, scalable AI computing infrastructure.These developments will create new challenges in dealing with the workforce. It becomes necessary not only to hire and retain talent that can deal with the changing aspirations of customers, but to also tackle emerging issues on the employee front—matters related to staff burnout, lack of appreciation, or employee development. The hybrid work pattern, where employees juggle between working remotely and being at the office, adds to the complexity.The INDIA TODAY HR Insights in Bengaluru brought together some of the top human resources (HR) executives in the country for a brainstorming event on ‘The Future of Work’.SCALING AT SPEED: THRIVING IN THE DIGITAL AGE THROUGH BETTER PEOPLE STRATEGIES Richard Lobo, Chief People Officer, Tech Mahindra; (Photo: Hemant Mishra) “Many of our processes are some 20-30 years old and we hang on to them for various reasons.... So I think we have to now rethink... the only way to go forward is to break some of these things. If we don’t consciously break them, we won’t move forward”.preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Richard Lobo, Chief People Officer, Tech Mahindra; (Photo: Hemant Mishra)TAKEAWAYSIndia is poised to become one of the best sources of manpower, technical talent and innovationAs businesses become more process-driven, it is essential to make workplaces more human. We need to discard old business processes that cause frictionMEETING THE TALENT DEMAND Dr John Bruce, Dean, Placements and Corporate Affairs, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology; (Photo: Hemant Mishra) “To fill the skill gap, we look for companies to set up their centres of excellence....We find out from companies what they look for and train (students)...and design our own curriculum to match corporate expectations”Dr John Bruce, Dean, Placements and Corporate Affairs, Sathyabama Institute of Science and TechnologyTAKEAWAYSDemand-supply gap for talent is an ongoing challengeAt least 30 per cent of technical jobs cannot find the right fit, given the gap between the skills in demand and those on offerBUILDING TALENT PIPELINE, BRIDGING THE SKILL GAP (L-R) Ashutosh Anshu, CHRO, Hitachi India; Asit Kumar, CHRO, Lendingkart; Prem Anand K., Head, Talent Acquisition, Narayana Health; Shakshar Guha, Senior General Manager HR and Head of Employee Relations, Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting “We always cultivate a culture of learning in the organisation. It’s very important for us. That’s how we mobilise and retain talent”Ashutosh Anshu, CHRO, Hitachi India“We look at ‘hunger’. An employee can always be upskilled. If a person has willingness, he or she will learn. [While hiring] we try to look at a level junior...if we are looking at X level, we try to find a person operating at X minus one level”Asit Kumar, CHRO, Lendingkart“When it comes to technology intervention and skills required for the job, there have been a lot of strides in the last couple of years.... we have our own app for doctors and nurses...we are technologically far ahead in the game and have upskilled our people”Prem Anand K., Head, Talent Acquisition, Narayana Health“Money is not the only pull for the new generation. Their aspirations are changing. They also see the brand’s purpose... purposeful brands have a lot of meaning for today’s generation”Shakshar Guha, Senior General Manager HR and Head of Employee Relations, Wipro Consumer Care and LightingTAKEAWAYSFor the younger generation, salary is not the only pull factorAspirations are changing and they look for brands with purpose; ecosystems in which they can evolveIn sectors like healthcare, supply of skilled professionals is limited compared to market demandUpskilling is key to retaining talent via training programmes for first-line managers and key position-holdersDigital is an important focus area for upskilling reskillingMANAGING A HYBRID WORKPLACE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES (L-R) Deepa Ravinder, Representative, Client Service, Cisco; Aditya Mishra, MD and CEO, CIEL HR; Anil Kumar Ethanur, Co-founder, Xpheno; Shilpa Vaid, CHRO, Diageo India “We enabled all our people with technology, with the opportunity of going into different workplaces within the same location or a different location that probably was closer to where they lived”Deepa Ravinder, Representative, Client Service, CiscoWe see that a lot of people today are valuing flexibility as a clear expectation from their employers.... Employers who are not able to provide flexibility tend to score a little less on the attractiveness index”Aditya Mishra, MD and CEO, CIEL HR“Now, most of the companies are moving to hybrid. It is a reality; we can’t avoid it”Anil Kumar Ethanur, Co-founder, Xpheno“After the pandemic...it just compelled us to think systematically about what flexibility means. We tried to make sure that employees retained the flexibility in a consistent manner to do their best work, while at the same time ensuring that the sense of corporate community that we built over the years was not diluted”Shilpa Vaid, CHRO, Diageo IndiaTAKEAWAYSFlexibility is high on the attractiveness index for employeesMost companies typically recommend three days a week at the officeFor freshersyoung managers, working with teams at the office provides a better learning curveEmployers are concerned about culture dilution without on-site presenceIn hybrid jobs, making the best use of office time by active collaboration with colleagues is critical- EndsPublished By: Aditya Mohan WigPublished On: Jul 5, 2024Tune InMust Watch

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India Today HR Insights | Reimagining the way we work

Top HR executives discussed ways to align the workforce to the challenges of the digital era at the 'India Today HR Insights: The Future of Work' event held in Bengaluru on June 27

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