The HR Conclave brings together industry veterans from the HR domain who have leveraged their vast experience to help evolve and shape modern HR practices from an Indian and a global perspective. The conclave has always paid key attention to and helped address the key HR matters at present and this year was no different with the central theme being an amalgamation of two burning issues namely Gen X vs Gen Y and to choose between the devil and the deep sea.

The event began with an enriching opening address from the Director of the institute, Prof. Janat Shah who educated the audience regarding the three guiding pillars of the institutes momentous growth which are namely -education , research and making a difference to the surrounding local communities through increased interactions. He also stressed the relevance of the HR conclave as helping the students understand the domain and the various issues facing it. Prof. Shah’s address was followed by the lamp lighting ceremony with Prof. Shah inviting all the guests to be a part of it.

The ceremony was followed by addresses from the first panel which focused on the differences between Gen X and Gen Y. The first address was from Mr. Jatinder Salwan, Sr. VP – HR, Société Générale & Vous, an ex-Indian army personnel and an avid backpacker and traveler who spoke about the segregation and the mindsets encompassing three generations. He also emphasized on the importance to facilitate knowledge transfer between generations through new processes and procedures. The next speaker to grace the dias was industry veteran, Mr. Mukund Vyas, CLO, Tata Motors. Dr. Vyas spoke about the challenge organizations face in order to adapt to a work environment having employees spanning across three generations. He stressed upon the fact that every business leader needs to be humble and be grounded to understand the present day demands of the society. He also stressed the importance of research and how the corporate and the academic world have to bridge the gap to ensure cohesive work on research.

Mr. Pradeep Mehrotra, GM- Promotions and Recruitment, State Bank of India, an exemplary academician and industry veteran, graced our stage and provided interesting insights about how organizations are being competitive in today’s world by speaking in the language of the newer generation and communicating through channels in which the current generation can be approached. Mr. Sujitesh Das, VP – Strategic HR, Microland focused on the principles of Microland and how they have been developed as a result of meeting demands of the generations. He also delineated that all generations have peripheral differences for preferences but fundamental similarities in terms of needs and hence stressed that each individual has inherent characteristics spanning generations.

The first panel discussion with “Gen-X v/s Gen-Y” as the central theme has commenced at Spandan IIMU. The necessity of incorporating changes within organizations to make it a hospitable environment for all generations was also discussed. The panelists focused on the alteration of the career ladder and organizational loyalty in generations. They also focused on how talent retention is a major issue and how they have been developed as a result of meeting demands of the generations. He also delineated that all generations have peripheral differences for preferences but fundamental similarities in terms of needs and hence stressed that each individual has inherent characteristics spanning generations and it is of primeval importance to sense the aspirations of the incoming generations.

The post lunch session proceeded with the extremely relevant theme of choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. The first speaker on the topic was Ms. Indu Kapoor, VP HR – Global HR Head of Finance and Accounting Vertical, EXL. Ms. Indu spoke about the challenges involved in maintaining a good work-life balance. She commented that the walls between an organization and homes are crumbling seamlessly nowadays and that it is essential to have an integrated work life by involving and consulting everyone to develop such an approach. Mr. Paritosh Shukla, Global head of HR, Vuclip was the next speaker. Mr. Shukla was of the view that one should not brand people as the devil or the deep sea and instead embrace both of them. Also, he stated that it is essential to understand the basics by investing in networking as one is able to get a holistic idea about the business environment. He concluded by emphasizing that success always depends heavily on how one goes about the process of unlearning and relearning.

Mr. Piyush Dutt, Chief HR Officer at TPG Wholesale Pvt Ltd advised the students on how businesses and people should never be viewed as adversaries or at loggerheads. He emphasized that businesses will only succeed if people succeed and that both businesses and people are a zero sum game i.e. a win-win situation and hence the HR domain is extremely relevant to enhance an organization’s output through people management. The final speaker for the day was Ms. Manu Narang, VP / Head HR Transformation & Capabilities – American Express International. Ms. Narang advised the students to be analytically strong as numbers drive one’s credibility in an organization. Also, she emphasized that nowadays there are no boundaries between different verticals in an organization and that cross functional versatility is a critical competency.

The addresses were followed by a panel discussion and a questionnaire session with the students. The panel discussion helped provide insights on how the topic of discussion was an extremely relevant matter and that understanding and bridging the differences between the devil( business) and the deep blue sea( people).  The panelists discussed on how HR managers in today’s world must be honest in the decisions they make and hire as per the requirement . They also spoke as to how an organization should set necessary ground rules based on the practicality of their businesses. An important takeaway was that a proper middle ground between these two aspects is of the extreme importance.

The summit was hence an extremely enriching experience for everyone present. The key aspects of HR i.e. talent management practices, talent acquisition and retention were provided insights into and it helped us understand how the needs , aspirations and characteristics of the previous generation have percolated down to the present generation. It helped us understand how multiple generations can exist harmoniously within organizations and helped debunk the myth as to how the concept of a work life balance has gradually accumulated into embracing a culture with no boundaries between the two. The summit hence was an extremely amazing experience for everyone present and certainly helped the summit be a grand success. The grand scale and distinguished list of speakers will certainly help the college prove credence to its rise and help foster industry interactions.