The document discusses the evolving role of HR in organizations, emphasizing the need for adaptability and the integration of technology to enhance employee engagement and retention. It highlights the importance of data-driven goals and proactive HR practices that focus on both organizational performance and individual employee well-being. Additionally, it underscores the necessity for continuous skill development and the alignment of personal aspirations with organizational culture to cultivate future leaders.

1. HR Content Samples
Sample 1
Thinking Micro and Employee of One
HR or Human Resource roles have undergone a sea change over the past decade or so. As with any
industry we have been expected to stay abreast with trends, adapt technology and evolve with changing
needs of times. However as our roles are primarily centered around the ‘Human’ aspect of an
organization we have been at the forefront of identifying and mitigating the ripple effect that any
organizational change would bring with it.
Starting from personnel management which was largely restricted to administrative tasks of ensuring
companies followed regulations, was in compliance with laws, determining wages, employee contracts
etc. we have come a long way where HR is instrumental in identifying, retaining and engaging
employees who will help organizations grow – not just in terms of revenue but culturally as well. HR is
required to set the tone and influence the organizational culture and internal-external ethos.
Concepts like YOLO (You only live once) , FOMO (Fear of missing Out) and similar are not limited to
social media but have precipitated in our personal lives. This has brought a sea change in the attitude of
the employee and the way he/she perceives the organization.
In times like these where the attitudes are changing and the expectations are shifting, it is important for
the HR to understand these indicators, predict future changes and remain fluid in responses.
Considering the recent pandemic example, organizations were forced to go remote and digital overnight
because of the lockdown. As HR it was impractical to continue our efforts in achieving the targets set at
the start of the year. As the situation evolved over time, it was necessary for the organization to shift
gears and keep working towards the shared goal of business improvement, revenue generation etc. but
it was equally important to look deeper and set agile goals that were more focused on organizational
well-being, health and wellness of the employees and building trust and transparency.
Data Driven Goals
I believe that organizations today need two sets of goals and performance indicators. One that is set at
the organizational or sectoral level and the other which focuses on the softer aspects and is more micro,
targeting a group of workers or even individuals where necessary. These are agile goals that are
determined based on the needs of the individual, team or cohort. Determining these can be possible
with performance analytics. Leveraging data to augment informed decisions is the need today. Similarly
predictive analytics can assess and deduce the success of employee retention, recruitment strategies
and more like wellness programs.

2. The reports can be an indication of not just what needs to be improved, but also about how it needs to
be improved. Eg: If the employee turnover rate is high in a particular year or quarter, use this as an
opportunity to dig deeper and identify if the team needs a skilling program, flexible work hours, does
the manager need a refresher course in soft skills and similar.
Similarly, instead of waiting for the yearly assessment, if the HR becomes proactive in terms of
employee engagement, growth and retention by utilizing micro analytics, the businesses can have not
just a productive workforce but a workforce that is proactive with leadership qualities.
Start by consolidating processes, developing future leaders and building a culture of recognition to
sustain employee morale, productivity and retention. This is possible only if the HR is engaging the
employees, not just in the offline model but hybrid or remote model as well.
Tech for driving Employee engagement
Today’s digital world needs tech driven solutions. The millennials that are joining the workforce are
technology natives and we need to adapt to this medium to stay in sync with their aspirations. Chat and
collaboration tools have become the new email and the conversations within the organizations too have
become easy going.
Leverage technology to have informal performance conversations. These conversations can be online,
over a cup of coffee or even during team building exercises. Employees today are more productive and
confident when they have frequent performance conversations with their managers. Developing this
culture is part of HR responsibility.
Hiring culture champions and not just skilled employees
Airbnb interviews included a round of culture and beliefs round. This was where the team gauged the
shared values that the organization and the seeker had and hired people with similar values. This helped
build a strong work culture that was in sync with the organizations vision. This is a great way to build a
strong culture within the organization. It is the prime responsibility of the HR to create opportunities to
develop culture champions within the organization. This will help in improving productivity and
employee retention.
Agile development Goals
We are moving towards a more lateral structure than a pyramidal one. As HR it is our prime
responsibility to identify the skill sets within an employee and prime them to take up greater
responsibilities in that area. The performance measurement is not limited to high achievers focused on
achieving a set target, but also considers the nuanced expertise like people skill, analytics, research etc.
which might not figure in the target but are important skills that will help the organization. Support for
skilling, online learning etc. will be seen as a differentiator by employees considering the organization.
Similarly lateral movement of employees will be important.

3. Sample 2
Sustainable Utilization of Resources for
Chemical and Mineral sector
We are at the cusp of innovation today. We are seeing the effects of climate change and can only
imagine the gravity going forward. Similarly, India is one of the most vulnerable countries, to be affected
by climate change as over half of its population is dependent of climate sensitive sectors for livelihood.
The complexity of our problem increase as we are also the second populous country with development
priorities of a vast majority of population yet to be achieved.
It is truly a Catch 22 situation as India balances between development and livelihood.
Chemical and Mineral sector have a lot at stake in the current narrative around sustainability. As a
sector – Chemical and Mineral have been in focus in the COP26 as well. We are blamed to be a core
reason for accelerated climate change and the onus is placed on us to reduce the emissions. While we
can argue about the merits of such assumptions, the fact is that as an industry it is beneficial for us in
the long run to invest in sustainable practices and here are a few reasons why.
Why is it necessary?
The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation announced the formation of a new
International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) at the COP26. With this businesses will be under
rigorous scrutiny for more comprehensive sustainability disclosures.
Similarly, EU has proposed a Climate Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) which would tax imported
goods produced by emissions-intensive processes that are not allowed under EU environmental
regulations. This will mean higher compliance costs and lower edge in terms of competitiveness.
Going forward sustainability disclosures will be a norm with various stakeholders expecting detailed
disclosures. The Carbon Disclosure Project’s Annual Report 2020 reported that in India, CDP witnessed a
nearly 17 per cent increase in corporate disclosure compared to 2019, with 220 Indian companies
disclosing to investors and customers.
There is pressure on the sector to achieve meaningful emission reduction, but at the same time the
country expects strong contributions from us for the development goals of India.
So what can we as a sector do to achieve a balance between the two?
We can look at this time as an opportunity for us to truly transform our industry and focus on renew and
reuse. Increasing renewable mix and reducing emissions intensity are the two core ways to go ahead.
 With India’s push for finance at the COP26, there have been announcements from countries like
UK for supporting India’s green growth. These public and private investments are targeted at

4. transforming the industries and pushing them towards green solutions. Leveraging these
finances, we need to look at green mining solutions that can reduce our carbon footprint.
 There needs to be greater investment in greener operating methods and emissions reduction
technologies to meet emissions targets and decarbonize, such as electrification and use of
hydrogen-powered technologies.
 Reducing water stress by recycling water, building water infrastructure, increasing water
percolation etc. need to be explored to mitigate the risks.
 Energy efficient processing and widespread recycling can help reduce pressure on virgin-ore
markets.
 It is important for us to work with premier research institutes in India and find effective
solutions for carbon capture. It is also important to invest in identifying sustainable processes
that can lower the impact of business on the environment.
 As an industry we need to brace for increased regulations and scrutiny. It is important that we
understand the expectations, study its impact and align our carbon pricing mechanisms under
Article 6.
Climate change is a tangible risk and the financial gains from mitigation are more evident than ever
before. It is time to rise to the challenge and adopt measures that are sustainable and beneficial for our
business in the long run.
Sample 3
Need for Skills, Are Skills enough or does
one need something more than Skills to
perform
Dictionary meaning of skill is the ability to do something well, expertise
However, I don’t think skill ends with that. This is something that I like to call the first level of
skilling. Cooking, Housekeeping, accounting, customer service, interviewing, email writing are
all skills. The first level skills are something that can be taught and are taught at various levels of
formal education.
Most of us know the basics of the above mentioned skills. Some of us might have grown
proficient in a couple of them over the years, but these are not something that will be enough
to perform and succeed.

5. So if you are in finance and you know accounting, you definitely know what is needed to
perform your daily duties, however if you dream of heading the finance department someday,
just accounting knowledge is not going to help.
I believe there are three levels to skilling
 Basic Skills
 Skills for Mastery
 Skills to Succeed
The first one is the beginner skill that gives you enough to start a job. The next level is where
you are skilling up to ensure that you are in sync with that is happening in your field, are
learning a few allied skills that will help you stay ahead or make you an expert in your domain
or ready you for your next career pivot. Finally there are a few skills that you will learn by
observation and by self-actualization. These skills are crucial to succeed and be a leader.
There are two kinds of people in this world. Some who believe that once the first level skilling is
done or they have attained proficiency in a particular field/skill there is nothing more to learn.
They grow complacent. At this stage the person will stop growing in knowledge and career.
They will reach a stagnation point and beyond that I suspect they will also lose the joy of
working.
Then there are others who will learn continuously. They will self-evaluate to understand their
strengths, needs of their profile and keep learning to improve on these strengths. They will
continue to acquire new skills that will take them to the next level or help them pivot to a
different goal. Always aim to be the second kind of people.
Are Skills Enough to Perform?
Let us start by accepting that skills are essential for any task. However are skills enough is a
question that needs dwelling upon. When we learn a skill, we need to be able to apply it. Only
after its application in the real world or your day to day business can you claim to be proficient
in it or be ready for the next position. The only way to know if you are ready to take on the next
role is by doing them proactively.
There is another way of looking at this. When you decide to learn a new skill, check your
readiness and the need for it in your current or next role. A skill that cannot be applied is
knowledge that is in cold storage. If you are in HR, learning to code might not really help you go
higher in your chosen career of HR, but if you are planning to be a coder and pivot your career
then it might be useful.

6. Finally there is the third level of skills that are behavioral or competency based. These latent
skills need to be harnessed and chiseled to form future leaders who will shape the organization.
These are also called soft skills by many.
Learnability, resilience, agility, empathy are the mark of a good leader. These attitudes, skills or
behaviors as you wish to call them are something that you can learn by observation and self-
assertion. Similarly, written and verbal communication, problem-solving, negotiation, creativity
are competencies that can be developed by formal and applied education.
To sum it up, are skills important – Yes, Can they be learnt – definitely, are skills enough –
Never.
I leave you with a very profound quote by John F Kennedy, "Leadership and learning are
indispensable to each other."
If you aim to be a leader, never stop learning and applying the knowledge that you gain in
training others, to help them grow.