National HR-IR Conference 2016

XLRI Jamshedpur

Dynamics of HR-IR: Realigning Skills,

Systems and Practices in the Face of Globalization
www.groupexcelindia.com
National HR-IR Conference 2016

3-4 December 2016

XLRI Jamshedpur

Dynamics of HR-IR: Realigning Skills,

Systems and Practices in the Face of Globalization

Conference Proceedings
(Abstracts)

EXCEL INDIA PUBLISHERS

NEW DELHI
First Impression: December 2016

XLRI-Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand

National HR-IR Conference 2016

ISBN: 978-93-85777-77-6

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 Contents
Message from the Director vii
Foreword viii
From FIRE@X Desk ix
Theme x
Panel Discussion I xi
Members of Panel I xii
Panel Discussion II ivx
Members of Panel II xv
Panel Discussion III xvii
Members of Panel III xviii

TRACK I: EMERGING METRICS TO TRACK WORKFORCE EFFECTIVENESS

1. Metric based Performance Management using 7-SF Methodology for
Workforce Effectiveness with Special Reference to Small, Medium Enterprises
(SME) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
R. Krishnaveni and D. Subhashini 5

2. Measuring Workforce Effectiveness through Metrics

Vaka Lakshmi Meghana and Akash Bhatia 5

3. Gamification in HR: When All Work is Play

Ritika Kohli and Kamal K. Jain 6

4. Emerging Trends in Motivation

Varshini Rajesh and Renuka Kumar 6

5. To Study the Impact of HR Analytics on Functioning of HR

Channpreet Kaur Bhatia 7

TRACK II: REWRITING THE ROLES-ADVANCING EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS IN WORK ENVIRONMENT

6. Understanding and Exploring Idiosyncratic Deals (I-Deals) as a Mechanism for
Customized Work Arrangements, Creating and Sustaining Win-win Negotiation
Solutions for Both Employees and the Organization
Vijay Kumar S. 13
7. Impact of Industrial Relations on Organizational PerformanceA Study of
Kerala based Rubber Products Manufacturing Industry
Latha K. and Roji George 13

8. Has India Reached Lewis Turning Point?

Guru Prakash Singh 14

9. Rethinking Industrial Relations: Relevance and Revival

Vinay Kumar 14
10. The Shifting Terrains of Employment Relations in India: A Travellers Guide
Amitabha Sengupta 15
vi Contents

11. Labour Law Reforms: Trade Union Perspective

Harsh Juneja 16

AUTHOR INDEX 18
Our Sponsors 19
About SAPPHIRE 20
About FIRE@X 21
Our Faculty Coordinators 23
Our EventsSapphire 24
Our EventsFIRE@X 25
Meet the TeamSapphire 27
Meet the TeamFIRE@X 28
 Message from the Director

Dear Readers,
It gives me immense pleasure to present the Conference Proceedings Edition (Abstracts), the
compilation of technical abstracts, to be presented during the 1st National Human Resources &
Industrial Relations Conference on 3rd-4th December, 2016 at XLRI Jamshedpur. This will be
the first ever conference that will be conducted jointly by SAPPHIRE and Fire@x teams.
This year the conference presents a platform for various burning HR-IR issues, revolving
around the theme Dynamics of HR-IR: Realigning Skills, Systems and Practices in the face
of Globalization. I am sure that this years conference will strengthen its role as a key
platform for academicians, practitioners and industry representatives to meet and explore
various contemporary IR issues in the country.
Wishing the SAPPHIRE & FIRE@X teams all the best in this effort and hoping they keep up the
good work in years to come.

Warm Regards,
Fr. E. Abraham S.J.
Director, XLRI

vii
 Foreword

The student bodies FIRE@X, The Forum for Industrial Relations at XLRI and SAPPHIRE, the
Students Association for the Promotion of Personnel Management, Human Resources and
Industrial Relations at XLRI, have been actively propagating the knowledge of Industrial
Relations and Human Resources within and outside XLRI. This year, FIRE@X and SAPPHIRE
are jointly organizing the National HR-IR conference. The National Conference would be
conducted annually, starting this year and would witness the participation of eminent
personalities and professionals in the field of both HR and IR, shedding light on present trends
in the two fields and also providing invaluable insights in to various issues faced by the
industry, government and the labour. The conference would also see participation of
academicians and HR-IR practitioners, who present cutting-edge research and best practices
being followed in the industry in the form of paper presentations.
This year, papers were invited under the following two tracks:
1. Emerging Metrics to Track Workforce Effectiveness
2. Rewriting the Roles: Advancing Employment Relations in Work Environment
From numerous papers submitted, few papers have been selected to be presented at the
conference, abstracts of which are being published in this document to contain the conference
proceedings. These papers represent the best research being undertaken in India in the ever-
changing fields of HR and IR. It brings to the fore diverse viewpoints of different stakeholders
on various issues, and I am sure that their ground-breaking insight will prove very useful to
academicians and practitioners alike.
I am pleased to see that the FIRE@X and SAPPHIRE teams have put in huge efforts to bring
good quality research to be presented in the conference and make it a resounding success. It is
crucial that both the teams continue their efforts to promote HR and IR among all their
stakeholders. I congratulate the teams for the work done and wish them success in all their
future endeavours.

Warm Regards,
Ashis K. Pani
Dean Academics, XLRI

viii
 From the Editors Desk
Dear Readers,
Warm Greetings! India faces interesting times ahead with so many changes happening and
waiting to happen. As the conference provides a platform for various stakeholders to voice
their opinion and express their concerns via Panel Discussions. The paper presentations on the
other hand brings forth critical trends in the field of Human Resources & Industrial Relations
in this country. It gives us immense pleasure to present the Conference Proceedings
(Abstracts) for the National Human Resources and Industrial Relations Conference, held on
3rd-4th December, 2016 organized by SAPPHIRE & FIRE@X at XLRI Jamshedpur.
As part of the paper presentations, various research scholars, academicians and professors
from across the country had sent in their research papers under 2 tracks. All the submitted
papers went through peer preview by a panel consisting of experts in this field. The selected
paper presenters who cleared the peer review are invited for presentation during the
conference. The abstracts of those selected papers are published here as conference
proceedings.
We, on behalf of teams SAPPHIRE & FIRE@X, thank all our collaborators who presented papers
at the conference to make it a grand success. We hope you enjoy this small endeavor.

Warm Regards,
Pratyaksh Sindhwani Geoffrey Dominic
Secretary, Team FIRE@X Secretary, Team SAPPHIRE

ix
 Theme
Dynamics of HR-IR: Realigning skills,
Systems and Practices in the Face of Globalization

Over the last decade, various industries have undergone massive changes. Technological
changes, generational changes and most importantly changes in the mindset of employees and
employers have rendered the existing skills and systems in place archaic and somewhat
obsolete. The challenge that HR-IR professionals now face is to redevelop, redesign and realign
these systems and practices to combat these changes.
Apart from the above, there have been other factors that have contributed to the challenges
that have changed the HR-IR scenario. One of the effects of globalization has been the so-called
age of digitization. We are currently in an era where anyone has access to loads of information:
from open sources in the public domain to paid data from research firms. The field of analytics
has also advances leaps and bounds with people analytics being delved into with fervour.
All these changes are gathering momentum and are affecting the strategies of various
companies: the way the business is conducted and ultimately performance across industries.
There will be discussions regarding the various methods HR-IR professionals have used to ride
through and adapt to these changes. We will have talks from various dignitaries from the
industry regarding how they have changed their approach to adapt to the changes in their
fields. In addition to this, we will have paper presentations on various tracks, which will be
considered for publication in XLRIs esteemed journal, Management and Labor Studies (MLS),
subject to rigorous scholarly view.

x
 Event Details
Panel Discussion I: Change in Technology and its Effect on HR

The rapidness of technology evolution has asserted itself on businesses in multiple areas,
whether they be global in nature or domestic. The adjustments organizations have had to
make in their workforce which demand remote and mobile career tracks, mean that human
resources have to be quick to react and adapt to the technological movement taking place. If
the human resources department wants to ensure it remains viable and valid in this current
age, it must embrace technology as a core principle instead of just as an extension of its current
body. With millennials, also called digital natives, becoming half of the existing workforce and
growing every day (projected to be 75% in 2020), there is an essential need to advance
technological aspects to meet both employee and business requirements and benchmarks.
Big Data and Cloud have become keywords in todays workplace that seek to establish itself at
the forefront of business capabilities and ensuring employees are able to not only access, but
effectively utilize these resources is an aspect HR needs to be able to introduce and control.
The dark side of technological misuse must also be monitored, so as to ensure the company
only benefits through technology and does not suffer from side-effects that come from
improper integration into the strategy and mission of the organization.
In this context, well have a discussion on the latest technological trends entering the market
and how human resources management can empower the employees through proper
integration into the existing workplace. The following key issues will be deliberated in detail:
the technological divide, data analytics, cloud storage and the pitfalls of technology misuse. The
discussion would address both the pros and cons of technological introduction and integration
in existing HR processes. Can HR effectively utilize technology to provide a competitive edge to
the organizations? How do you address the generational divide between the digital immigrants
and digital natives?

xi
 Members of Panel I
Chairperson
Prof. Gloryson R.B. Chalil,
Professor, XLRI, Jamshedpur
(E-mail: gloryson@xlri.ac.in)
Dr. Gloryson Chalil, a Fellow from IIM Bangalore teaches electives such as
Strategic HRM, Organizational Change and Development, and other core courses
at XLRI. He worked in three different sectors (Agriculture, Manufacturing and IT)
as the in charge of HR department and is also involved in various consulting
assignments with government and corporate sectors. His current research
interests include linkages between HR and organizational performance, human
resource architecture, attrition management and engagement initiatives. Right
now he is also serving as the coordinator for Organizational Behaviour area in
XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Dr. Shio Kumar Singh
Chief Capability Development, Tata Steel Ltd India
(E-mail: shio.singh@tatasteel.com)
Dr. Shio Kumar Singh is an engineering graduate in both Electrical and Electronics
branches. He has done his M.Sc. (Engg.) from National Institute of Technology
(NIT), Jamshedpur and Ph.D. under Electronics & Communication Department
from Vinoba Bhave University. He has also completed "Executive Post Graduate
Diploma in International Business" from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT),
New Delhi. Dr. Singh is attached to various technical and educational institutions
and was Chairman of The Institution of Engineers (India), Jamshedpur Local
Centre. He is a Chartered Engineer and also a Fellow Member (FIE) of The
Institution of Engineers (India). Presently, he is Chairman of Indian Society for
Training and Development (ISTD), Jamshedpur Chapter, Executive Committee
Member of Jamshedpur Management Association (JMA). He is also representing as
member in The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India i.e.
ASSOCHAM's National Council on Labour Affairs and Skill Development and
member in Eastern Region Sub Committee on Education & Skill Development of
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
Neeraj Sanan
CMO, Spire Technologies
(E-mail: neeraj.sanan@spire2grow.com)
Neeraj Sanan is the CMO at Spire Technologies. Neeraj is an avid marketer and has
over two decades of international marketing experience across various industries.
He started his career in 1995 with the Indian multinational Asian Paints and
subsequently worked in a host of global companies including Americas News
Corp, New Britains erstwhile corporate titan Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI),
Spains Agrolimen, Indias ayurvedic giant Dabur and F7 Broadcast Private Ltd., a
media company which he helped set up in 2014. Marketing campaigns designed
by Neeraj have won awards at prestigious platforms such as Effies, Emvies, ENBA
and Asian advertising forums. Neeraj himself has won several accolades including
the recognition of Media Person of the Year at the World Brand Congress in 2011.
He is a regular speaker at numerous marketing forums and has been invited to
teach MBA students at IIM, Bangalore since the last four years.

xii
George Thomas
Vice President-Corporate HR & Admin at MSP Steel & Power Ltd.
(E-mail: george.thomas@mspsteel.com)
An HR Professional with more than 15 years of experience in the field of Human
Resources, he is the current Vice President-Corporate HR & Admin at MSP Steel &
Power Ltd. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards including TIMES OF
INDIA Award for Innovative Talent Management & Succession Planning for the
year 2012, Genius HR Excellence Award for Innovation in Recruitment in 2014,
Genius HR Excellence Award for Innovative Talent Management & Succession
Planning in 2015 and Genius HR Excellence Award 2015 for HR LEADER OF THE YEAR.

Prakash Rao
Founding Member, Vice President and Business Head-MpHRO
(Multi Process HR Outsourcing)People Strong HR Services
(E-mail: prakash.rao@peoplestrong.com)
An expert in the field of HR Transformation, Prakash has led the transformation of
Human Resources for various leading organisations of India. He has special
expertise in the field of HR Shared Services and has led the implementation of HR
and Recruitment Shared Services for clients across industries. With a rich
experience of over 16 years, he manages some of the top customers at
PeopleStrong. He drives a team of 275+ HR professionals across the country to
deliver a superlative customer experience and meet PeopleStrongs commitment
of #SimplyfyWorklife. Prakash strongly advocates leveraging technology in a big
way as key in driving change in HR.

xiii
 Panel Discussion II: Skill IndiaThe Road Ahead

Skill India, a campaign launched by the Modi Government, aims at training over 40 crore
people in India in different skills by 2022. Several initiatives like the National Skill
Development Mission, National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana and the Skill Loan Scheme have been introduced
under the campaign.
The Government, through the campaign, is trying its best to provide ample number of
opportunities and skilling solutions across sectors, across geographies, across rural, semi-
urban and urban locations. However, the need of the hour is a focused and determined push by
both the Government and the private sector to reach out to the farthest corners of the country
in order to spread the message of skilling.
While launching the campaign, PM Narendra Modi announced that India, rich with highly
capable people, should aspire to emerge as the global HR capital. While a proper framework
has not been mentioned to achieve the goals, the Government believes that skilling the
workforce is the best way forward.
In this context, we will have a discussion on the challenges and opportunities that the initiative
would provide for the workforce in the country. How can private sector accelerate skill
development in India? How can the benefits of Skill India be propagated to the masses? How is
Skill India different from the previous skill development policies?

xiv
 Members of Panel II
Chairperson
Prof. Pranabesh Ray
Professor, HRM Area at XLRI
(E-mail: pray@xlri.ac.in)
A life member of the Indian Industrial Relations Association and widely published
in the area of industrial relations and labour laws, he is an authority on all IR
issues at XLRI where he has been teaching the course for over 26 years. His cases
are used prominently in multiple management institutes to gain insight into the
ground realities of the shop floor. He has also conducted in company training
programs for CESC and DRDO among other noted organizations. His case study on
Orissa power reforms was sponsored by the World Bank.

Indranil Aich
Director, Aich Group of Companies
(E-mail: indranilaich@aichappraisers.com)
An award-winning distinction holder chartered engineer and a certified valuer of
Plant & Machinery with more than Sixteen years of verifiable experience in
achieving revenue and business growth in the field of mining, construction
infrastructure industry in India and abroad and construction growth.
He possesses expertise in providing hands on leadership and direction for new
business development, startup ventures, drawing up long term & short term
strategic plans and execution of the plans for top line and bottom line growth of
multiple segments of products and services in marketing, sales, customer support,
servicing and channel management, business appraisal, valuation of assets and
companies nationally and internationally.

Dr. Shio Kumar Singh

Chief Capability Development, Tata Steel Ltd. India
(E-mail: shio.singh@tatasteel.com)
Dr. Shio Kumar Singh is an engineering graduate in both Electrical and Electronics
branches. He has done his M.Sc. (Engg.) from National Institute of Technology
(NIT), Jamshedpur and Ph.D. under Electronics & Communication Department
from Vinoba Bhave University. He has also completed "Executive Post Graduate
Diploma in International Business" from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT),
New Delhi. Dr. Singh is attached to various technical and educational institutions
and was Chairman of The Institution of Engineers (India), Jamshedpur Local
Centre. He is a Chartered Engineers and also a Fellow Member (FIE) of The
Institution of Engineers (India). Presently, he is Chairman of Indian Society for
Training and Development (ISTD), Jamshedpur Chapter, Executive Committee
Member of Jamshedpur Management Association (JMA). He is also representing as
member in The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India i.e.
ASSOCHAM's National Council on Labor Affairs and Skill Development and
member in Eastern Region Sub Committee on Education & Skill Development of
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

xv
Sanjay Singhvi
General Secretary, Trade Union Center of India
(E-mail: xsanjayx@gmail.com)
Educated at the University of Mumbai, Mr. Sanghvi boasts tremendous experience
in dealing with Trade Union matters. He is the General Secretary of TUCI. Trade
Union Centre of India is a national central trade union organization in India. It is
linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)
Vinod Behari
Chief Executive Officer at Power Sector Skill Council
(E-mail: ceo@psscindia.org)
An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, he earlier held the position of Executive
Director, Human Resources at Rural Electrification Corporation, New Delhi.
Power Sector Skill Council that came into existence recently has been mandated
to take initiatives towards development of required skill sets for power sector
focused to the specific needs of the industry and is one of the thirty seven sector
specific skill councils that are already operational in the country. He is responsible
for development of policies, strategies and action agenda to address skill and
capabilities related concerns of Power Industry (consisting of Power Generation,
Transmission, Distribution, Renewable Sector and Power Equipment
Manufacturing Sector) at cutting edge and operations level.

Saurabh Prasad
Head, Human Resources (Human Development Coordinator) Commercial
Vehicles India (METALSAProeza Group)
(E-mail: saurabh.prasad@metalsa.com)
A graduate of IIM Kozhikode, he currently heads the Human Resources (Human
Development Coordinator) Commercial Vehicles India at METALSA. An
incremental Innovation Champion for METALSA: he uses Matrix based
Recruitment & Decision Making (The Analytic Hierarchy Methodology)/ AHP
Methodology & Growth Development System-Implementation, Effectiveness &
Financial Impact. He has led the Green Field HR Department ISO TS 16979
Certification in India plant & Supported ISO 14001 & 18001.

xvi
 Panel Discussion III: Impact of Globalization on Labour Markets

Earnings from the labour represent the main source of income for a great majority of residents
of the developing nations. Globalization has a lot of implications on the labour markets and
hence, on the economy of such nations.
Globalization is dealt with mixed opinions worldwide. It is a general belief that while
consumers are the ones benefitting from trade, globalization can have severe consequences on
job security. However, the positive effects of globalization are not limited to the consumers.
The increased capability of the developing countries to create new opportunities for work and
production following the alleviation of price distortions is one of the positive effects. Moreover,
it also gives an opportunity to the developing nations to adapt and master the imported
technologies. However, large scale technological developments inevitably reduce the demand
for unskilled labour. The same theory can also be used to explain the wage inequality between
skilled and unskilled labour in the developing economies.
In this context, we will have a discussion on the socio-economic and political implications of
globalization on the labour markets. The following key issues would be interrogated in detail:
cross-border labour mobility, price effects in terms of wage inequalities, quantity effects in the
form of within-country employment shifts and changing nature of the work itself.
The discussion would also address the need and the role of labour market policies. Can these
policies help in mitigating the negative effects of globalization? Would these policies also have
important side effects on efficiency?

xvii
 Members of Panel III
Chairperson
Prof. Jerome Joseph
Professor, IIM Ahmedabad (Visiting Professor, XLRI)
(E-mail: jerome@xlri.ac.in)
An Industrial sociologist by training with about 15 years of teaching, research,
and consulting experience in industrial relations. His areas of interest include
strategic industrial relations management, collective bargaining and industrial
relations, negotiating strategies and skills, and trade unionism. He has authored a
book on strategic industrial relations management and has published several
papers in reputed journals.

Sumit Neogi
Head Business HRCorporate Functions at Cipla Ltd.
(E-mail: sumit.neogi@cipla.com)
A Human Resource Professional with more than 13+ years of experience in the
industry, he is a graduate of MANIT Bhopal and XLRI Jamshedpur. He is currently
the HR Leader for 24 corporate functions spread across global locations of Cipla.
He leads the team of HRBPs & Leads from Talent Acquisition, L&D, HR Ops and
Employee Relations to deliver HR Transformation. He is also part of the HR
Leadership Team that is creating the One Cipla of future. He was named one of the
top 25 HR Leaders in 2013 by People Matters.

Dr. Siddhartha Pandey

Vice President, Group H.R at EMC Limited
(E-mail: spandey@emcpower.com)
An MBA-HR, P.G.-Corporate Governance, Masters in Science-Counseling&
Psychotherapy and Doctorate in Management, he is currently the V.P, Group HR at
EMC Ltd. Prior to EMC Ltd, Dr. Pandey has successfully leaded the HR Department
for Companies like Electrosteel Ltd., Adhunik Ltd., Simplex Infrastructure and Shristi
Infrastructure Limited. He was awarded The Youngest Successful
HR Professional at the India Leadership Summit 2012 by BCCI and EIILM on
1st February 2012 A joint initiative by The Bengal Chamber of Commerce &
Industry and Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management.

E.M. Rao
Professor, HR/IR at Xavier Institute of Management
(E-mail: emrao.vf@xlri.ac.in)
D . Rao was the Dean-Academics (2001-04), XLRI & Professor-Personnel
Management and Industrial Relations (1997-2010), and Chairperson (MDP and
Consultancy) (2005-08), XLRI, Jamshedpur. Dr. Rao had designed and directed in-
company training programmes for several organisations on different aspects of
Personnel and Industrial Relations Management and Labour Law. His clients
include Shriram Honda, Raymond Synthetics, Hindalco, IOC, NTPC, Oil India,
Bharat Electronics, HPCL, Tata Cummins, Tata Motors, Ranbaxy, ONGC, ITC, Goa
Shipyard, Eicher Motors, ISRO, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Dr. Reddy
Laboratories, Sasken Technologies, Hero Honda, etc. E-mail id: emrao12@gmail.com

xviii
Dr. Rao has published more than 20 papers in reputed academic journals. A life
member of NIPM, IIRA, NLLA and NHRD Network, Dr. Rao was associated, as a
Chief Consultant / Consultant, with HPCL, Allahabad Bank, EPFO, HCL, Sixth Pay
Commission (GOI), NPCIL and Tourism Finance Corporation of India, on various
consultancy assignments. He authored the book titled Industrial Jurisprudence: A
Critical Commentary (2008), which is the first work of its kind in the world, apart
from editing the famous treatise of OP Malhotra, The Law of Industrial Disputes
(2004), both published by Lexis-Nexis Butterworths.

Chandraprakash Singh
State President at INTUC
(E-mail: chandraprakash.intuc@yahoo.com)
Shri Chandraprakash Singh, part-time non-official Director assumed charge on
22nd September 2011. He is a Science Graduate and T.A. in offset printing and
holding Diploma in Management and PMCD for WEI from Israel. He is an eminent
Trade Union Leader. He is President of INTUC in the State of Bihar and is also
working as National Secretary INTUC. He participated in various Industrial and
educational forums held at Moscow, Ukraine, Italy, Indonesia, Israel, Japan,
Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangkok, Switzerland(Geneva), South Africa,
UAE, Angola, France and various other countries, for raising the skill
development. He had been nominated for 2nd term of 4 years as member of
Employee State Insurance Corporation by Ministry of Labour, Government of
India. He was the first Trade Union Leader being nominated as Member of Bihar
State Child Labour Commission. He has been working in labour field especially
for unorganized & untouched workers for improving their economic condition as
well as bringing them under social security net for cashless medical treatment/
insurance/ accidental benefits & pension for their dependent/ widow & disabled
workers.

Vasant Kumar N. Hittanagi

HR Consultant, Retired Joint Labour Commissioner, KARBWWB
(E-mail: vasantkumarh56@gmail.com)
A M.L.I. Sc. in University of Delhi with 2nd rank, he has worked as Joint Labour
Commissioner & C.E.O. of the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers
Welfare Board. He framed 12 welfare cash benefit schemes for construction
workers viz. pension, health care, marriage, educational benefits, maternity
benefits, accident compensation, housing etc. Also, worked on deputation to the
Mysore Paper Mills, Bhadravati as General Manager [HRD & ADMN]. After serving
the Karnataka Govt. loyally for 32 years, he retired in 2012 and has been involved
in conducting workshops on Labour Laws for employer & trade unions to spread
awareness.

xix
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 1

Paper Presentation Track I

Emerging Metrics to Track Workforce Effectiveness

One of the major factors that enable an organization to be ahead of its competitors and make it an
efficient powerhouse is a capable, highly motivated and flexible workforce. To accomplish business
objectives, the organization need to be able to steer through the complexities, uncertainties and
dynamics of the externalities in the environment by being better, faster and more innovative than their
rivals. The human capital of any organization forms the backbone of their operations that ensure they
achieve these business objectives, and thus require monitoring to ensure productive output is obtained.
Building such a workforce to leverage their special talents requires thought and processes that are
robust in nature and quantifiable. This can be approached at through various channels but the core
principle to be followed is to ensure the metrics to be used are thoroughly capable of assessment and
do not entertain blind spots that lead to difficulties in the long term prospects of monitoring and
tracking. This is crucial as proper implementation of these metrics will ensure alignment of the internal
organization with respect to leadership, structure, work processes including technological capabilities
and human resource management practices to complement execution of strategy.
The approach to this topic is multi-fold and diverse in nature, without restricting itself to the questions
presented here only. You can look at it in any manner that answers the core issues in a comprehensive
and effective manner in your research paper.
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 1

Selected Abstracts
for
Presentation
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 5

Metric based Performance Management using 7-SF

Methodology for Workforce Effectiveness with Special
Reference to Small, Medium Enterprises (SME)
in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Dr. R. Krishnaveni1
and D. Subhashini2
1Professor, PSGIM, Coimbatore
2Ph.D. Research Scholar, PSGIM, Coimbatore

Today world is moving towards Evidence Based Decision Making in all areas including Human
Resource Management by leveraging metrics for enhancing workforce effectiveness. With the
tremendous growth in Information Technology, organizations are opting quantitative decisions even in
HR area which was heavily dependent on qualitative decision making. Quite a few research studies are
available which suggest metrics based decision making for effective workforce management.
This paper shares the experiences of the authors by way of an interesting case study which was done in
a Small, Medium Enterprise (SME) situated in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu. The focus of the study was to fit
HR metrics into 7SF model for taking handy decisions for workforce effectiveness. The model was
arrived in a two stage process. At the first stage based on the literature backup and relevancy to the
industry, a set of 55 metrics were identified.
The authors tried all the HR Metrics using the data of previous year 20152016, then they discussed
the same with the Directors and Managers of that company about its impact on the performance of
their employees and their views were obtained.
In the second stage the final set of metrics which were identified during stage 1, was clustered in to a
leaf-like model of Value Domain Tree by applying 7SF methodology. This article establishes how the
identified metrics are the drivers that help the HR practitioners to adopt and measure the effectiveness
of workforce in organization.
Keywords: HR Metrics, Workforce Effectiveness, Performance Management System, Evidence Based
Decision Making

Measuring Workforce Effectiveness

through Metrics
Vaka Lakshmi Meghana
and Akash Bhatia
MHRM, IIT, Kharagpur

In view of the contemporary challenges faced by the employee productivity, this article delineates the
process through which workforce effectiveness is enhanced. Against this backdrop, a new HR metric
has been formulated, comprising of four parameters, namely coverage, quality, accomplishment and
satisfaction. The article postulates that the new HR metric aims at aligning and integrating the
parameters to assess and improve workforce effectiveness. The predominant notion of workforce
effectiveness has focused on quantity of output. In the new HR metric, we attempt to provide a model
that focuses not only on the tangible gains made by the workforce but also the quality of those gains. To
achieve this, the model recalibrates the usage of six sigma, total quality management, and workforce
tracking. At the end, the article discusses the contributions and challenges in using the model.
Keywords: Conversion Number, Winning Number, ROIC, Six Sigma, Fill Rate, OFP (Organizational
Financial Performance)
6 National HR-IR Conference 2016

Gamification in HR: When All Work is Play

Ritika Kohli1 and
Prof. Kamal K. Jain2
1Integrated Programme in Management,
IIM Indore
2Professor, IIM Indore

This paper seeks to delve into the concept of gamification by consolidating the views of gamification
experts from the industry and the existing theoretical concepts on the use of gamification as an HR
strategy. Gamification as an area of research is still in its infancy but is attracting a lot of researchers to
explore the concept mainly due to its growing hype as a coming of age strategy to influence human
behaviour and productivity. The gap between theory and practise is easy to see since theory has not
touched upon ground realities of implementation and the industry fails to read the warning sign that
theory has been raising with regard to the hype and conditional success of gamification. The paper also
touches upon the limitations of gamification with respect to its application in the industry.
Keywords: Gamification, Games, Employee Engagement, Human Resources

Emerging Trends in Motivation

Varshini Rajesh and
Renuka Kumar
Student, SCMS, Pune

Employees are one of the most important factors behind the efficient functioning of any organization.
Many a times, the employees of an organization are what make the organization profitable. To
understand these employees better and ensure maintenance of performance levels at work, it is
important to understand how the employees achieve their work goals and what makes them strive
towards better performance. Motivation of an employee plays a major role in this process and this
papers aims at understanding the factors that motivate workers and how these factors have evolved
and changed over the years. Various trends in the field of motivation are also studied in order to
understand the needs of the changing demography.
Data for this study was collected by way of a questionnaire. Around 90 responses were recorded and all
the data so collected was analyzed to understand the emerging trends in this field. Various other
sources have been relied upon for getting a better insight into the motivational practices already in
existence in different organizations.
Different kinds of motivators, like increments in salary, paid business trips, recognition through
mention in the Company newsletter etc., were looked at and analyzed. Employees from different
organizations were asked to give a feedback on the kind of motivator that, per them, was most effective.
It was surprising to find that most employees today prefer non-financial motivators over financial
incentives as opposed to the trends in previous years. The millennial generation is a generation that
follows the ideology of self-actualization and development, rather than training at workplace. In such a
scenario, every individual employee has a diverse set of expectations from his/her organization. To
retain such a heterogenous group of employees and such diverse talent, it is important for
organizations to find out common motivating factors and apply these to the workplace to achieve good
or even superior performance from their workforce. Hence, it is important to study the emerging
trends in motivation to survive and succeed in this VUCA World.
Keywords: Increments, Incentives, VUCA
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 7

To Study the Impact of HR Analytics on

Functioning of HR
Prof. Channpreet Kaur Bhatia
Asst. Professor, GNIMS

In todays global competitive world, scanning the environment and acquiring accurate information
plays a vital role for business sustainability. However it does not end here, identifying the relevant
information and analyzing it to support decision making is raging with prominence. If the application of
information is not correct, then the organization gets restricted to being a data warehouse, still
struggling to find time for performing strategic roles. At this point, the role of analytics is what
organizations are looking forward to for the strategic application of information to augment their
business performances. Human Resource is a department loaded with information and needs to take
crucial decisions to ensure effective measurement of workforce thus contributing as a strategic
business partner. In this paper the researcher has studied the impact of HR Analytics on functioning of
HR. The researcher has used secondary sources and primary source viz. interview schedule method to
gather data from select HR stalwarts who have given their insights on the same. The researcher has
also attempted to conceptualize a model by suggesting strategies like gamification, cloud computing
and design thinking that will enhance the impact of HR analytics and contribute to triple bottom profit
in long run.
Keywords: HR Analytics, Strategic Business Partner, Cloud Computing, Gamification, Design Thinking,
Triple Bottom Profit
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 5

Paper Presentation Track II

Rewriting the Roles-advancing Employment Relations
in Work Environment

New labour law reforms aimed at increasing the ease of doing business, coupled with changing
workforce aspirations, decreasing influence of unions in various industries and several other factors,
are testaments to the fact that employment relations in our country have changed drastically. Union
membership is decreasing and in many industries, unionization is completely absent. Collective
bargaining is losing its relevance in many industries as workers aspirations are more individualistic.
Expectations from union leadership have also changed, collective bargaining has fallen out of favour as
a tool of negotiation. As a result, all the stakeholders have had to adapt with times.
Moreover, changing business environment due to economic, technological, political and social aspects
has put increased pressure and demands on the companies and their workforce to respond to these
rapid changes, which cause stress and tensions at times among the parties to the industrial relations.
The workers, the trade union and the management are the basic parties to it and then it finds its most
important application in the case of industrial disputes.
These are an indicative list of questions that can be answered in your research paper, you can approach
any other topic which seems relevant as well.
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 1

Selected Abstracts
for
Presentation
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 13

Understanding and Exploring Idiosyncratic Deals

(I-Deals) as a Mechanism for Customized Work
Arrangements, Creating and Sustaining Win-win
Negotiation Solutions for Both Employees and
the Organization
Vijay Kumar S.
Doc. Student,
IIM, Kozhikode

Organizations in the current situation need to stretch beyond the traditional incentives and inducements
to attract and retain valued employees. Flexible work arrangements are not new in workplace contexts
and are influenced by societal trends, but have not largely reflected on how organizations could possibly
be benefitted, especially when collective bargaining and role of unions in organizations have decreased.
This paper looks at idiosyncratic deals (I-deals) as a mechanism of creating win-win strategy. I-deals are
defined as Idiosyncratic employment arrangements that are special terms of employment negotiated
between individual workers and their employers (present or prospective) that satisfy both parties
needs (Rousseau, Ho, & Greenberg, 2006, p. 977). The paper provides an overview of I-deals and a new
model is proposed to understand the process of I-deals from 3 parties. a) Successfully negotiated
employees, b) employees who attempted negotiation but failed c) co-workers as third parties. The paper
also takes a firm stance that I-deals are dynamic in nature unlike the description in the existing literature.
Lastly, a new model is proposed to understand the consequences of failure to successfully negotiate I-
deals by exploring organizational dissent and ingratiation.
Keywords: Idiosyncratic Deals, Win-win Negotiations, Flexible Work Arrangements, Ingratiation and
Organizational Dissent

Impact of Industrial Relations on Organizational

PerformanceA Study of Kerala based Rubber
Products Manufacturing Industry
Dr. Latha K.1
and Dr. Roji George2
1Asst. Professor,

Saintgits Insitute of Management

2Dean & Professor,

Saintgits Institute of Management

Do industrial relations affect organizational performance in the manufacturing sector of Kerala? This
question remains as a fundamental one in the field of industrial relations for both academicians as well
as practitioners because of its relevance in present economic scenario of the state. This study attempts
to address this question in three ways using a unique body of firm level data. They are 1) What are the
relevant factors of industrial relations which affect the performance of organizations and is there any
significant difference in the relative importance of various factors among various industrial
undertakings? 2) What is the relationship between the factors of industrial relations and organizational
performance and is there any significant impact of the relevant factors of industrial relations on
organizational performance? 3) Is there any the variation in the perception level of various actors in the
industrial relations system on the status of industrial relations? In summary, the study brought out the
14 National HR-IR Conference 2016

evidence that the industrial relations factors have significant impact on organizational performance.
These positive industrial relations-organizational performance effects were obtained across all the
manufacturing units. Of the eight variables of industrial relations, the variable, working conditions, is
emerged as the most prominent one, which influences the organizational performance, to a greater
extent. The results presented here relate to industrial relations factors as a whole to organizational
performance and hence established the link between these two factors in the selected industry.
Keywords: Industrial Relations, Organizational Performance, Rubber Products Manufacturing Industry

Has India Reached Lewis Turning Point?

Guru Prakash Singh
Ph.D Scholar from CSEP/SSS

Continuously, rising migration in urban sector and labour shortages in rural area have raised questions
about whether the era of rural labour surplus is over in India or has India reached Lewis Turning Point.
The Lewis turning point states that as economic growth take place in a developing country, workers
will move from the agriculture sector to the industrial sector and after a certain period of time The
Lewis turning point arises, at this point surplus labour in the agriculture sector will be declined
sharply and this will lead to increased wages. Using national sample survey (NSS) 68th round data, this
paper examines the wage trend and rural-urban migration, and empirically assesses whether India has
touch Lewis Turning point at which expansion of labour demand exceeds that of labour supply and, as a
result, the wage rate of workers commences to rise. Our results reveal that India has not reached Lewis
turning point till 2012. This finding suggests that since 2012 India has faced at least young and skilled
labour shortage in agriculture sector. As a result, the scarcity of labour compels agriculture sector to
compete for workers. In the near future India could face labour shortage in rural area with the current
trend of migration and expansion of both rural and urban sectors. The paper concludes that
sustainability of economic growth in India requires an upgrading of labour market to accommodate the
merging of the agriculture and construction sector. Therefore, India needs to unleash of labour through
mechanization and productivity in agriculture sector and effective labour market coordination.
Keywords: Lewis Turning Point, Wage Rate, Non-farm Sector, Indian Labour Market

Rethinking Industrial Relations:

Relevance and Revival
Vinay Kumar
Ph.D Political Science,
ISEC Bangalore, Tata Steel Ltd.

Employment after 1990 can be observed two types of trends as fixed term employment for skill and
knowledge workers in new formal economy (IT and ITes) and contractual employment for low skilled
and manual workers in existing formal economy and informal sectors. Both trends have reduced scope
for industrial relations. Human resource strategies look influential for knowledge workers and
delegating responsibilities to contractors regarding contract workers. Trade unionism as crucial part of
industrial relations looks failure along with government indifferent in both types of employment. This
paper analyses these trends along with several issues related to industrial relations to enquire
relevance and scope of revival in contemporary era.
A solution for labour problems in USA, industrial relations considered as middle path between laissez-
faire capitalism and socialist revolution in early decades of 20th century. After the Second World War, it
gained popularity and contributed by several scholars. This paper acquaints these along with Indian
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 15

version of industrial relations, where state has been paramount role. Mainly based on secondary
sources and participant observant, the paper concludes that with reduced relevance emerging
circumstances as dissatisfaction of knowledge workers with HR strategies and intensified movement of
contract workers has scope for its revival.
Keywords: Industrial Relations, Human Resource Management, Contractual Employment

The Shifting Terrains of Employment Relations in India:

A Travellers Guide
Prof. Amitabha Sengupta
Professor, KJSIMSER

A time traveller, travelling through the 50 years post-independence till the 1990s, would be astounded
by the changes over time. The example of one enterprise which could illustrate the rapid evolution of
employment relations due to tectonic shifts of the economic, technological, political and global
contextual factors. Let us say he chooses to visit the new Joint Venture of Maruti Suzuki in 1980s, what
would he find? He would be impressed by the harmony, the unitary spirit of management and labour,
the active role played by the government, the relaxed market place. He could notice a long queue of
Personnel professionals trying to understand the secrets behind the hugely successful employee
participation processes particularly the Suggestion Schemes. In the canteen, he would find the
integration of classes-workmen and executives in their same blue uniforms, eating the same meal by
paying the same price. Imagine the consternation of the same traveller when he passes through the
times between 2000 and 2014 in the same organization. A dark, somber, Kafkaesque workplace,
fractured by labour management stand-offs, often leading to locked gates, angry demonstrations,
murder and mayhem and even imprisonment of large number of employees. Many changes have been
happening since the decade of 1990s which had turned the architecture of employment relations on its
head. The changes do not always follow a pattern; there are some commonalities, but there are
considerable divergences also across units and across states. Some organizations have created magic
harmony in their workplaces (TVS Motors lauded for being a model employer), in the same sector
others preferred adversarial relations leading to loss of production, market share and even of lives.
To demystify the term, an employment relation occurs between an employer and an employee as and
when the latter starts to work for the former in lieu of payment of wages. Such a relationship can be on
individual levels, between one employer and multiple employees, or multiple employers dealing with
multiple employees. The various actors or groups in employment relations have been categorized into
three clustersprimary, secondary and tertiary. The employer and the employees constitute the
primary parties. The secondary level comprises of the management and trade unions, who represent
the primary parties (Farnham). The tertiary parties are primary agents of state, who attempt to
mediate between different sets of primary and secondary parties, provide stable employment relations
and prescribe floors of employment standards. (Farnham-Employee Relations in context. Chartered
Institute of Personnel & Development; 2000)).
The traditional employment relationship, taking shape since the Industrial Revolution, was
characterized by the hierarchical power ( of employers over employees), which had three subsets
directional power (the power to allocate work, and to issue instructions / directives to employees; (ii)
control power (the power to check the performance of allotted work and fulfilment of the orders; and
(iii) the disciplinary power to take action, reward or punishment, on the basis of acceptable or
unacceptable performance. According to Dr. Tim Baker (2009.The new employment relationship
model. Organization Development Journal), traditional employment relations has specific attributes
like: specialized employment, conformity to organizational policies and practices, mobilization of work
around functions, reward linked to performance, acquisition of technical skills, limited information
diffusion, loyalty to the organization and job security. Major shifts in employment relations started
emerging resulting from contextual changes, starting slowly in the 1980s, but gathering momentum in
the 1990s. The contextual factors include globalization, economic reforms, technology adoption & up
gradation, and certain social, political and legal factors. Other key factors in the dance of change were:
16 National HR-IR Conference 2016

changing beliefs/values of professional managers due to isomorphic pressures exerted by Consultants,

business publications et al, and the paradigm shift in the practices of HR functions. Added to these
factors, there is a growing managerial awareness for communication, empowerment and collaboration.
Finally, a shift in the labour-capital power equilibrium is clearly visible. It is reflected in the aggressive
stance taken by employers in creating non-union workplaces.
The profile of emergent new employment relations is still opaque: there are convergences and
divergences across business units, across industries, across regions and across countries. However,
there are some common features: flexible deployment in workplaces, customer focus, and structuring
work around projects, rather than according to functions, meaningful work, mutual commitment from
employer and employees, focus on employee development and learning, and dissemination of
information. In India, the management system that evolved, shaped by a combination of social,
economic, religious and political factors, is a unique highcontext culture where work relationships are
personalized rather than contractual (Sinha. Patterns of Work Culture: Cases and Strategies for Culture
Building, Sage, New Delhi.2000). The managerial style mirrors manifold influences of authoritarian
practices within the family, the educational system, society's hierarchical structure, and religious
institutions to create a strong sense of dependence (Dayal, I. 1999, and Can Organizations Develop
Leaders? A Study of Effective Leaders, Mittal Publication, New Delhi). Many employers show a district
preference for nonunionized unions, some pursue deliberate policy of confronting the union relations,
some have adopted cutting edge global HR practices targeted at growth of individual employees, and
some have fostered islands of harmony, where new progressive platform for employercollective co-
operations are being scripted. The way ahead for the actors in the new employment relations would be
to create synergy and co-operation by adopting the unitary approach. The actors need to evolve a two-
pronged strategy: accelerating for growth of the economy while catching the headwinds of economic
reforms and globalization, and at the same time taking the initiative to build what International Labour
Organization has categorized as decent workplaces. The government has a critical role: introduce
reforms to fuel growth, create social security umbrella for the worker to mitigate hardship, persuade
both the capital and labour to build decent workplaces, slowly dismantle the litigative practices by
withdrawing its role as the guardian of employment relations, and foster resolution of conflicts through
mutually agreed arbitration.
Keywords: Employment Relation, Arbitration

Labour Law Reforms: Trade Union Perspective

Harsh Juneja

The Government of India has launched a series of reforms over the past two years to make the Make in
India campaign a success. At present India holds 130th position in the World Banks annual business
doing ranking, which is definitely not at par with the Governments current planning and expectations.
Hence this poor ranking requires India to work on multiple factors such as improving its position while
acquiring construction permits, electricity permits, credit, property registration, taxpaying, enforcing
contracts, and resolving insolvency. This call to spur economic growth has also led to initiation of
reforms, in labour laws as well.
Employers, who have been looking for very long towards deregulation of labour market in order to
respond rapidly to international competition and technological changes, have welcomed amendments
which have been made in some States. Employers have demanded flexibility in regard to number of
workers employed and working timings as it will increase the employment in industry. They demanded
an effective and efficient governance to get a facilitative environment free of intimidated monitoring
and inspector raj to set a high growth trajectory.
Although, demand for simplification of labour laws has been in discussions since Second Labour
Commission (2002) where all stakeholders had given their consent on rationalization of labour laws.
Multiple definitions of workers and wages create unnecessary confusions, and also leading to
enhancement in the cost of administration. Even the laws on social security differ in scope, there is
huge overlap in their coverage of ESI, Maternity benefit and Employee Compensation Act. All these laws
were in demand for integration and comprehensive legislation since long time.
 National HR-IR Conference 2016 17

The process finally got initiated in 2014, with consolidation of 44 laws under four codes named as
Labour code on Industrial Relations Bill, Labour Code on Wage Bill, Social Security, Welfare, Safety and
Working Conditions. Along with these there are other proposed bills also like Small Factories Bill,
Factories Bill and others. The Government has also made amendment in Apprentice Act 2015, Labour
Law (Exemptions from filing returns and Maintaining Registers) 2014, Payment of Bonus Act 2014.
In regard to some of the bills like Small Factories Bill, Labour code on Industrial Relations Bill etc
consultation with stakeholders have been also done. However, the Government has made some recent
changes only at sectoral and state level through different interventions such as forming advisory
councils, through notifications or by making policies in different States. These provisions could clearly
prevent consultations with stakeholders. In the introduction of Self Certification of Labour laws the
Department of Industrial Policy has been involved besides Ministry of Labour and Employment. The
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has also come up with State Business Reform Action
PlanImplementation guide for states. India has adopted cooperative as well as competitive federalism
where states are competing to invite investments as well as making reforms in accordance with current
demand for better business environment.
On the other side, Trade unions have shown discontentment about changes that are not in favor of
workers, for instance decline of inspector raj and heavy reliance on self-declarations and deemed
approvals to please the employers. As already employers are taking advantage of poor enforcement of
laws which has led to increase in informality in formal sector. The interconnectedness of economies
under global value chains have reported challenging working conditions in terms of safety, social and
employment security. Fragmented productions have led to increase in small factories and most of the
proposed reforms like Small Factories Bill are shifting major workforce out of any protective
legislation. Also, startups have been given facility of self-certification for three years. That is why Trade
unions are not using the term labour law reform as they are not protecting the rights of workers and
are business friendly.
However, there are some other proposed amendments which impact the fundamental rights of trade
unions. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the impact of proposed changes and challenges on the
workers. The analysis drawn in this paper is based on face to face interviews with the employers and
workers of the central organization and major reports prepared by the sources of government.
This paper is divided in three parts. The first section covers the reform process, the interactions of
unions and workers with government over the last two years and interventions used by the
government in different states to introduce amendments. The second section will evaluate some major
amendments which are the concerns of workers in terms of flexibility, etc. and it also covers some
major state level amendments. The third and the last section will cover the demands of unions and
different strategies used by the trade unions for realization of these demands. Trade unions have often
used strike as an effective tool for Industrial action against employers to put their demands. This article
however attempts to analyses the additional tools which are now used by trade unions such as
international machinery, dialogues, consultations, dialogues with all the central as well state
government bodies and international bodies etc. to enhance the effectiveness of industrial action going
beyond the traditional methods of protest.
Keywords: Make in India, Labour Commission, Reforms, Amendments, Unions
 Author Index
Bhatia, Akash, 5 Kumar, Vijay S., 13
Bhatia, Channpreet Kaur, 7 Kumar, Vinay, 14

George, Roji, 13 Latha, K., 13

Jain, Kamal K., 6 Meghana, Vaka Lakshmi, 5
Juneja, Harsh, 16 Rajesh, Varshini, 6
Kohli, Ritika, 6 Sengupta, Amitabha, 15
Krishnaveni, R., 5 Singh, Guru Prakash, 14
Kumar, Renuka, 6 Subhashini, D., 5
 19

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Official Partners

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Knowledge Partner F & B Partner Media Partner Research Partner

20

About SAPPHIRE

Providing a strong thrust to the domain of human resources and industrial relations knowledge at XLRI
is SAPPHIRE, the Students Association for the Promotion of Personnel Management, Human Resources
and Industrial Relations at XLRI. SAPPHIRE is a student body aiming to integrate the experiences of
practitioners with the theoretical knowledge of academicians in the area of human resource
development.
SAPPHIRE'S Mission: To enable development of world class, well-rounded HR Professionals who are
capable of delivering and creating value in the emerging business environment and make meaningful
contributions to the field of Human Resources.
Central to this mission is the unshaken belief that continuous interaction with industry is needed to
give a well-rounded, practical business perspective that adds to the quality of management education.
It provides students at XLRI with a deeper understanding on real issues and the actuality of corporate
existence.
One of the oldest committees on campus, SAPPHIRE over the years, has acted as an interface between
the industry and the academia and provided a forum for discussion and debate on the prevalent HR
concepts and best practices. Since its inception in 1989, SAPPHIRE has organized a consortium of
events, which have served as platforms for debating and discussing state-of-the-art HR and Industrial
Relations practices.

CONTACT US

E-mail: saphhire@xlri.ac.in | Like us on https://www.facebook.com/SAPPHIRExlri/

 21

About FIRE@X

The Forum for Industrial Relations at XLRI-FIRE@X is the committee for promotion of industrial
relations at XLRI. It was founded as a discussion forum in 1996, which served as a platform for the
dissemination of ideas and learning in the field of industrial relations, thus advancing and satisfying the
needs of students. Overtime, it took shape and has organized itself into the formal society that it is
today.
FIRE@X is the hub of all IR related activities in XLRI campus. It serves as a platform for sharing ideas
and discussing key aspects of Employee Relations/ Industrial Relations. It helps the students foray into
the dynamic world of industrial disputes, resolutions, collective bargaining and agreements. FIRE@X
organizes acclaimed events throughout the academic year, such as industry interface, live projects/case
studies, intra college events, e-newsletter. All the activities of FIRE@X are designed with the same
purpose in mind: spreading awareness and enthusiasm about the field of Industrial Relations and
Labour Law in new and interesting ways.
Our mission is "To bring about a greater level of interaction between students, faculty and the industry
and to create awareness and passion about the field of Industrial Relations and Labour Law".

CONTACT US

E-mail: fire@xlri.ac.in | Like us on https://www.facebook.com/fireax.xlri/

 23

Our Faculty Coordinators

Pranabesh Ray
L Gurunathan
PGDPM & IR (XLRI),
MBA, Fellow (IIM-A)
Fellow (IIM-A)

Pramod Kumar
M.G. Jomon Padhi
M. Phil, PGDCA, Fellow LL.B. Berhampur,
XLRI-AHRD L.L.M. Cochin, Ph.D.
Berhampur

Santanu Sarkar K.R. ShyamSundar

MA, DAVV MA
Ph.D., DAVV Indore Ph.D., Economics
24

Our EventsSapphire

Battle HRoyale: National Level HR Quiz League Chaos: The Ice Breaker Event

War of Wits: Ensemble 2016 BizWiz Consulting Workshop

7th National HR Conference

 25

Our EventsFIRE@X

Trial by Fire: National Level IR Quiz Cease Fire: The Ice Breaker Event
League

Strike or Yield: Ensemble 2016 ITC Munger Trip

7th National IR Conference

 27

Meet the TeamSapphire

Top Row Left to Right: J. Ravi Kiran, Gowtham Mahesh Balina, Karthik J., Nidhi Nagpal, Aritra Santra,
Suraj Kumar Swathirajan
Middle Row Left to Right: Deepak Prateek Singh, Sameer Sharma, Mehul Mittal, Malika Raj Saxena,
Parul Sharma, Avishek Chatterjee
Bottom Row Left to Right: Srishti Ranjan, Monica Thukral, Snigdha Kakkar, Geoffrey Dominic, Deepthi,
Anusha Garg, Colin Koshy Panicker

Contact Details
Name E-mail Id Contact No.
Geoffrey Dominic h15083@astra.xlri.ac.in 7600510473
Mehul Mittal h15034@astra.xlri.ac.in 7840081867
Aritra Santra h15131@astra.xlri.ac.in 8743925441
Avishek Chatterjee h15075@astra.xlri.ac.in 9523413296
Deepak Prateek Singh h15020@astra.xlri.ac.in 8971107617
Gowtham Mahesh Balina h15024@astra.xlri.ac.in 9618971777
J. Ravi Kiran h15026@astra.xlri.ac.in 9752354169
Karthik J. h15028@astra.xlri.ac.in 8098961985
Parul Sharma h15039@astra.xlri.ac.in 9990303405
28

Meet the TeamFIRE@X

Top Row Left to Right: Anish Mohan Chennamraj, Nishanth M., Nishtha Khanna, Gaurav Jain,
Rishika Tandon, Akshay Verandani, Shailaja Chaganty
Middle Row Left to Right: Dennies Davis, BharathSibbula, AlokSheth, Anushree Nalgundwar,
Megha Asawa, Varun Pahuja
Bottom Row Left to Right: Srishti Bhatia, Ravleen Kaur, Ritesh Kumar, Pratyaksh Sindhwani,
Leston Rayner, Snehi Pathak

Contact Details
Name E-mail Id Contact No.
Pratyaksh Sindhwani h15101@astra.xlri.ac.in 7257895128
Nishanth M. h15037@astra.xlri.ac.in 7257895115
Chennamraj Anish h15138@astra.xlri.ac.in 8884244363
Gaurav Jain h15022@astra.xlri.ac.in 7260066551
Nishtha Khanna h15038@astra.xlri.ac.in 7257828747
Ravleen Kaur h15045@astra.xlri.ac.in 7257828721
Rishika Tandon h15166@astra.xlri.ac.in 9523413315
Srishti Bhatia h15116@astra.xlri.ac.in 9949900577
Varun Pahuja h15179@astra.xlri.ac.in 9810368989