Ironically, the IR function has been viewed as inferior and a mechanism to be used only in crisis. But investing in the development of IR professionals and raising the profile of the function within HR can attract talent and ensure that organisations have the expertise they need to navigate complex...
Human Resources Management
The year concluded with a clear message: progress without justice will not last. The policies and corporate decisions this year will influence the employment landscape for many years. For HR professionals in India and South Asia, the opportunity is vast: to help develop workplaces that are...
People begin to see their job as a burden rather than an opportunity. Just as a country cannot sustain business growth without infrastructure, an organization cannot sustain innovation without cultural safety.
If I look at the journey organisations are on, the first thing HR leaders must do is reposition emotional intelligence from being "nice to have" to "non-negotiable." When leaders hear HR framing EI as a performance driver rather than a personality trait, the mindset begins to shift.
Human Resources Management
Organisations Must Shift from Passive Value Statements to Active Value Demonstration
Employee experience must feel personal, not procedural. Flexibility is no longer about remote or on-site alone. It's about trusting talent, empowering autonomy, and measuring outcomes instead of hours.
2026 marks the definitive shift from the “Digital Transition” to the “Agentic Era,” making it the Year of Human Reinvention. The driving force is no longer just generative AI, but Agentic AI-systems capable of autonomous planning and execution. This demands we reinvent the...
The need of the hour is for us to learn, unlearn and relearn continuously. The pace of evolution has dramatically increased the rate of obsolescence. Titles and positions are not an indication of relevance or value addition.
These shifts - from control to empowerment, from uniformity to inclusion, from efficiency to wellbeing - will define organisations that are resilient, future-ready, and powerfully human.
To complement digital systems, HR professionals will need to strengthen emotional intelligence skills such as empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution. These human capabilities will also support the creation of personalised employee experiences, where data-driven insights guide decisions...
When I think about 2026, I don't just see AI and automation transforming work; I see the human side of that change becoming more complex than ever. In my own experience, every big shift - whether it was hybrid work or automation - brought unexpected ER and IR challenges.
