What were the important developments in HR during 2007?

Nina: There have been a couple of pronounced developments — one is the attention of CEOs and Organisational Leadership on Human Resource Management as a tool and the need for their HR people to be proactive partners in their business strategy.

The second is that organisations are looking at new ways to compete for talent and to attract and retain talent. In doing this, they are moving away from best practice and looking at what is good for the culture in their organisation. I think this is a new independence born from the fast pace and huge volumes that sets apart the Indian experience of the last year from all other precedence in HR practice.

Kaipa: HR is becoming as important or more so than many other functions because of talent management issues. HR executives are paying more attention to leadership development as hyper-growth depends on having leaders who can take on more responsibility.

Were there any new trends in the administration of people policy?

Nina: The new trends are toward continued education and upskilling for HR practitioners and the way in which HR and organisations are approaching the skills gaps in their resource pools and their talent and leadership development efforts. This stems from the need to stop complaining about what needs to be done and the critical need to keep the business flowing.

Kaipa: More attention is being paid to people policy but I would not be able to comment on any new trends.

What are the policies employees can look forward to this year?

Nina: Employees can look for the opportunity to be partners with organisations in their development and in identifying the way in which they want to build their future. Along with that ownership comes the responsibility for employees to be willing to speak up on their own behalf and to take advantage of or ask for opportunities and project assignments that will help them build the skills and competencies they want and need to stay current and relevant at work. I think employees will need to speak up about what the quality of life means to them and be willing to be part of the solution for building success around balancing work and family needs.

Kaipa: Obviously more rewards, recognition, involvement, engagement and alignment with their own interests

Are there any international trends in HR that could have repercussions for Indian companies?

Nina: I think the biggest one will be that the world will be watching to see what Indian HR does to overcome obstacles they face in talent and leadership development. Indian practice will be looked upon as cutting edge. I also see greater focus on diversity management in the Indian context than has existed in the past. Again, I think that the way Indian businesses address diversity issues will set a new global best practice.

Kaipa: More attention and awareness of the potential of Indian employees. The glass ceiling seems to have been broken at last by Indians, with Vikram Pandit becoming CEO of Citicorp and Santanu Narayen becoming CEO of Adobe, in addition to Indra Nooyi (CEO, PepsiCo) and Arun Sarin (CEO, Vodafone Group), among others. That also means the expectations and importance of having people skills have become doubly relevant.

What are the employee concerns likely to be this year?

Nina: Employee concerns will shift to covering debt incurred in their push to become consumers, as they begin to use credit cards to get the things they want more quickly than saving for them will allow. I also think that Indian employees will be focused on trying to keep some quality of life along with working hard and achieving results.

Kaipa: Engagement, leadership development, appreciation for their contribution and making decisions that work for them as well as for the company. I have also noticed that many Indian IT companies over-commit which puts pressure on the younger, lower-ranked employees. That means, many IT engineers are working nights and weekends to deliver on the promises made by project managers and executives.

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