IIM Trichy organized the 4th annual HR Conclave on 5th November, 2016 at The Westin Chennai. The event brought together eminent professionals from the industry on a common stage where they shared their experiences and knowledge pertaining to the evolving role of Human Resources Management (HRM) in organisations. The Conclave, which saw over 150 participants, provided a platform for HR professionals to interact with the panelists and exchange experiences and best practices in the field of HRM.
Addressing the Conclave, the Dean of Accounts and Administration at IIM Trichy, Prof. V. Gopal said that the Conclave is more about identifying problems in the field of HR and asking probing questions. He added that the myths surrounding HR need to be busted. The perception of HR is moving from being a purely qualitative domain to an analytical one.
The event was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Mr. Suresh Kumar R., Operations Director at Vodafone India Ltd. In his keynote address he highlighted how rapid changes in technology are influencing both the people and their workplaces. He mentioned how the field of HR has substantially evolved with time and has embraced technology for day-to-day activities of recruiting, skill development of employees and performance reviews. He further talked about the rising role of analytics in HR and how an overwhelming amount of effort goes into collation of data. He emphasised on importance of utilisation of this data for arriving at useful insights.
The first panel discussion was on ‘People Analytics – The Human Equation’. The panelists were Mr. Asim Rizvi, Senior Director- Human Resources at CallidusCloud India Ltd., Ms. Debolina Dutta, Director HR- APAC and India at VF Corporation, Mr. Rajan Sethuraman, Chief People Officer at LatentView Analytics, Ms. Vasudha Nandal, VP and Head of Human Capital Management at Sulekha.com.
The panel discussion revolved around the uses of analytics in real life business situations. The panel deliberated upon how analytics has helped in tackling problems of recruitment renegotiations, attrition, improving efficacy of induction programs and overall productivity. The discussion was followed by a question-and-answer round where discussions revolved around handling of inaccuracies and gaps in data collection, and the subjective nature of qualitative data collected. The discussion was moderated by Professor Vijaya V.
The second panel discussed ‘Happiness Factor in Organisational Sustainability’. The panel consisted of Ms. Chitra Byregowda, Head of Sustainability and Diversity at Mindtree Ltd., Ms. Richa Pande, Chief People Officer at Inatech, and Mr. Sandeep Tyagi, Director HR- Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. Capt. J Raghuram, Management Consultant and Leadership Coach was the moderator for the discussion. Major topics of discussion were how assessing happiness quotient aids sustainable organisations and why employee happiness has a high significance today. The panellists further discussed the important parameters that help improve employee engagement, measurement of happiness index, effectiveness of employee engagement surveys, and cultural inclusivity within organisations.
The panel discussions were followed by a boardroom simulation game organised by LearnBiz Simulations. The simulation game tested and reinforced management education by creating a real-time simulated competitive environment.
The event ended with a vote of thanks proposed by Professor Abhishek Totawar.