New Delhi: The second and concluding day of SHRM India Annual Conference & Exposition 2017 started with a warm-up session, quite literally, with a yoga session. Technology came into play as celebrity yoga master, Vidya Malavade connected with the audience from a remote location. After the yoga session, what set the tone of the day was the key-note address by Sean McGrath, Vice president- HR of the World Bank Group. Mr. McGrath’s presentation captured the entire gamut of human resource best practices in World Bank. However, what caught the attention to a jam-packed room was World Bank’s commitment and special attention towards improving the living standards in India.
Mr. McGrath highlighted that Indian government spends $53 billion every year in health care but still, 1 in every 10 deaths in India is linked to poor sanitation. Talking about the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s, Swachh Bharat (clean India) campaign, he said that World Bank approved $1.5 billion project in 2015.
Other agendas for the day included an eclectic mix of special sessions, panel discussions, book launch, report launch, and knowledge sessions centered on the conference’s theme of winnability through HR practices.
The day saw some serious discussions and special talks around ways to build a winning culture such as, mitigating gender bias in the workplace, the future of the international employee during times of political nationalism and the confluence of HR and entrepreneurship.
A series of concurrent knowledge sessions also addressed myriad topics from diversity and inclusion, leveraging technology, employee benefits, wellness, and productivity, to creative leadership and effective collaboration. Eminent speakers from top leadership of corporates and industry experts shared insightful thoughts and ideas on the various panel discussion, special talks, and knowledge sessions. The common thread binding all these sessions together is the focus on building a winning culture and the role of HR in doing so.
Speaking about the conference Ms. Achal Khanna CEO, SHRM said, “SHRM India is pleased to deliver the region’s biggest and most coveted HR platform where top thought leaders from across the globe shared key insights and best practices concerning the business. The platform also facilitated interaction amongst the business community at large. We will continue building the platforms for more such interaction within the HR community and also recognize and reward excellence in the HR Domain”.
‘Demystifying Sales hiring’, report of a collaborative study between Mettl and SHRM India was also launched during the day. This report is the outcome of painstaking research undertaken to try and better understand the nature of sales across industries and experiences to identify key factors leading to success in various sales situations.
The top 10 companies with the best Employee Health & Wellness Initiatives for the year 2017 were also released. The rankings are arrived at through a collaborative assessment of the health and wellness initiatives of numerous companies to identify the best of the lot.
The day ended with a session on ‘Secrets of a Super Achiever’. Vikas Singh, Chief of Staff at AP Globale, recounts his life’s journey from a small farming village with no electricity and barely any infrastructure to bagging a full scholarship to pursue MBA and working with top global companies like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and now with AP Globale. The real life story is truly inspiring and highlights the strength of pure grit and determination.
