The panelists were Mr. P.K Sinha, GM, Corporate HR, Raymonds, Ms. Gauri Sarin, President, Approach international, Dr. Sunil Abrol, Director General, Consultancy Development Centre, and Mr. T Venkateshwara, Director, Track Resources. The panel was chaired by Prof. K Mamkoottam and Dr. Tanuja Agarwala, eminent faculty members in the area of Human Resource Management at FMS.
Prof. J.K.Mitra, Dean, FMS delivered an inspiring Key Note Address remarking that the World is theirs for those who are willing to improve and grow everyday. He added that in today’s corporate world, the value you bring to the table is more important than anything else.
The first panel focused on the Manufacturing Sector. Mr.P.K.Sinha made an interesting observation that the dynamic workforce is changing the rules of the game; he quoted instances of increase in practices such as working from home, flexitime and so on, as well as changing office layouts to incorporate more ‘parking places’. Ms. Gauri Sarin observed that movement across sectors requires unlearning and then learning afresh. She also remarked that increasingly, executives are looking for cross functional exposure.
In the second discussion the panelists focused on the Services Sector which is experiencing many HR challenges due to the rapid pace of its growth. Dr. Sunil Abrol stressed the importance of firstly, attracting the right kind of talent and then ensuring its retention. Mr. Venkateshwara compared recruitment and retention to marriage; he opined that organizations must concentrate on the first fifteen days when an employee joins to make him feel valued, otherwise discontent that starts building can impose heavy costs to the company at a much later stage.
Enthusiastic participation from the students, academicians as well as human resource practitioners ensured that FMS Human Resource Conclave 2007 was a resounding success.