In the episode, Mr. Mussarat Hussain talks about the earlier times when HR was considered a secondary function. With the trend of outsourcing jobs in the entire corporate world, many companies planned to outsource the recruitment and HR processes. However, a phase came with the advancement in the IT industry where people or employees became a key differentiator. And that was the time when people management and employees became a crucial resource for the organizations.

Mr. Hussain also highlights how Maruti has evolved from being a public sector enterprise to a Joint Venture with the government and ultimately has become a Japanese Multinational. Throughout these stages, the HR division has steered the organization in the appropriate direction by staying alongside the top management and advising them on aspects of people management. The significant contribution included:

And how these collaborative approaches also came in handy while dealing with the work-from-home scenario.

In the episode, Ms. Mona Yang defines host children in the tourism industry. She also throws more light on the fact that these children don’t come under the purview of child labour even though they undergo the same physical, mental, and social risks while working in the industry. She further provides details on how her research in Cambodia highlights this issue and how friendly nature from tourists can induce positivity in the lives of these host children.

In the episode, Ms. Shweta Mani elaborates how storytelling is very different from routine communications and business communications. There are four various components of narrating a story that sets it apart from other forms of communication. One of them is the simplicity that storytelling provides and hence successfully garners more audience compared to other communication types.

Ms. Shweta also talks about how individuals and businesses can use different narratives to their benefit. A strategic narrative allows the businesses to study the consumer journey from a different perspective and then use it to create a connection with potential consumers.

In the episode, Mr. Vishwesh J. Nair explains each and every detail of lactose intolerance and how the human body slowly loses its capacity to digest lactose, a protein found in milk and related dairy products. The indigestion of the protein may have different results, but the most common of all is acidity. A similar phenomenon is true for animals, and he busts the myth that cats should be fed milk.

Mr. Nair also highlights how he always had an entrepreneurial approach to dealing with problems even when he was holding a job. However, the idea of MilkinOats gave him a push towards fulfilling his dream of starting his venture.

In the Milestone, i.e., 20th episode of V-POD, the Business Cluster of IIM Visakhapatnam brings you the opportunity to listen to Mr Satyakki Bhattacharjee, Managing Partner at Growthsqapes, wherein he handles Strategic Practice Division which offers capability solutions to organizations. In his experience of nearly three decades, he has been associated with organizations like IBM and ABP News Network Private Ltd.

In the episode, Mr Satyakki Bhattacharjee throws light on ‘The Great Resignation’ and explains that pandemic is not the only factor driving this phenomenon. Further adding to it, he says that the career philosophy of working professionals have changed, and they don’t want to stick to their organization for a long period. It is because their priority has changed from earning to learning.

Mr Bhattacharjee also highlights how managing people and people processes is not only the HR manager's job, but every manager or executive should be adept at people management.

In the episode, Mr Sridhar Ramanathan explains how one needs to have an open mind, be willing to accept changes in an optimistic fashion, and understand the process of influencing people to change with dynamic situations. He also talks about how diagnosing can help overcome mental blocks that hinder the ability to think.

Mr Ramanathan highlights how crucial it is to distinguish ideas, creativity, and innovation clearly. Most people don't know the precise definition of these three and hence cannot think of the right solution.

R Balaji is currently acting as the Associate Director of Talent Partnerships at Pollen. They have been in the Digital Marketing and Influencer marketing industry for eight years. They have promoted gender fluidity on various public forums like The logical Indian, The Times of India, The Quint, Business Insider, Humans of Bombay, Humans of Hyderabad, etc. Apart from this, R Balaji has been invited as a keynote speaker at various institutes like BITS Pilani, Narsee Monjee, etc.

In the episode, Mr Manish Shah explains why he entered the teaching domain even after doing great in his previous role. The thought process behind this decision was to do something that would add value to society while also allowing him to use his existing set of skills in aptitude and reasoning. Further, he talks about the growing trend and needs for online education. However, while emphasizing competitive exams, he highlights how offline experience develops an ecosystem starting from the ambience of a competitive environment to the regular mentorship.

In the episode, Mr. Rakesh Godhwani talks about the uncertainty of our decisions in the future. He highlights that one should be daring enough to take up the arduous road as these experiences never go in vain. He elaborates on how decisions can lead to regrets only when compared with any other person. We need to learn from our mistakes rather than feel bad about them as one success story comprises of ‘n’ number of failures.

In the episode, Taanya talks about how her journey of becoming an entrepreneur started. She highlights how starting as an entrepreneur allowed her to work with freedom and take up things virtually, which was impossible in a formal corporate setup. She talks about the problem-solving approach which an entrepreneur must possess. According to her, the success of any business lies in the fact that it should focus on sustainability.