Captain’s Thoughts

As we race through 2025, I can’t help but smile at how the HR world has gone from debating “should we use AI?” to “are we even relevant without AI?” Having been part of HR transformations across MNCs, Indian conglomerates, promoter-led firms, and startups, I’ve seen firsthand that technology is no longer an enabler—it’s now the bedrock of smart talent management and employee engagement. Here’s my take on the top HR tech trends of 2025 and how companies can stop admiring them from afar and actually leverage them. ________________________________________      1. AI-Powered People Analytics: Know Before They Go We’re no longer just measuring attrition; we’re predicting it. Smart companies are using AI to identify flight risks, engagement dips, and even productivity patterns—well before HR hears about them at the coffee machine (or worse, on LinkedIn after someone’s notice period!). Captain’s Tip : Build predictive dashboards but keep the “H” in HR: human conversations stil...

  In boardrooms across India, the word “productivity” is whispered like a mantra—and shouted like a KPI. We've equated late hours with loyalty, and "hustle" with high performance. But in today’s fast-evolving world of work, we must ask: Are we chasing the right outcomes, or just clocking more hours? Recently, Narayana Murthy stirred public debate when he suggested Indian youth should work 70 hours a week to lift the nation. This sentiment, though rooted in patriotism and passion, opens up a Pandora’s box. Where do we draw the line between dedication and deterioration ? It’s time we address the elephant in the boardroom: India’s unhealthy relationship with work . The Culture of Constant Connectivity From Mumbai’s towering finance firms to Bengaluru’s buzzing tech startups, a silent epidemic is brewing— the ‘always-on’ culture . Our inboxes never sleep. Our phones never rest. And unfortunately, neither do we. In India’s IT sector, working across time zones is s...

Are we truly hiring the best, or are we just playing the numbers game to flex on social media? Let’s dive headfirst into the electrified muck of diversity hiring—this time with a laser focus on Corporate India, where the paradox of merit versus quotas is a slow-burn crisis, not just a government saga. On one side, you’ve got the corporate meritocrats—CEOs and HR honchos—swearing by talent, competence, and bottom lines. On the other, a rising clamour for caste-based reservations in the private sector, echoing India’s decades-old public quota playbook, is now fueled by political muscle and DEI buzz. Donald Trump’s 2025 merit-or-bust crusade in the U.S. adds a global twist, but India’s corporate DEI dance is a beast of its own—tangled in caste, class, and capitalism. Are we building inclusive powerhouses or just slapping diversity stickers on profit machines? Let’s unpack this mess, spotlight the government-corporate divide, and throw some wild fixes at both - the suits and the ne...