Are Longer Working-Hours Reforms Sliding into Worker Fatigue? - - Several states are advancing labour-law reforms to relax daily working-hour caps and raise overtime limits for certain sectors. Governments and employers promote these changes as steps toward greater flexibility, competitiveness (China+1), and ease of doing business. However, this push has ignited sharp criticism over the overshadowed consequences-escalating fatigue, health hazards, safety risks, and the erosio

A practical guide for professionals — and the managers who support them - - Most of us are told we should “have a development plan.” Performance management systems force us to put something! Too often, development plans become lists of training programs, generic competencies are ticked - annual HR paperwork that quietly dies after the appraisal cycle. Real development doesn’t work that way. Unfortunately, few are shown how to build a development plan that actually accelerates

What the rise of contract labour reveals about the health of India’s factories — and the future of India Inc. The latest Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) for 2023–24 carries a statistic that should stop every business leader in their tracks: 42% of the workforce in India’s organised manufacturing sector is now on contract. This is the highest level ever recorded — and it’s a number that will almost certainly grow in the years ahead. Yet, despite its significance, this govern

The streaks of grey in my unshaven face made me smile. A voice within bantered with me. It said, "Those whites are reminders of a lifetime you spent in the corporate world. Tell me what you have learned." If there's one learning I am sure about, it's this — real progress begins with openness. Fresh ideas are born in unexpected places. Progress happens when we listen more, judge less. This mindset creates fairer systems, knowledge flow, and collective success. In today's inter

Developing future leaders is a priority for most organizations. In fact, almost every competency framework includes “developing subordinates,” “building successors,” or “nurturing the next generation of leaders.” Leaders at every level emphasize its importance, and companies invest significantly in leadership development efforts. These investments usually include defining leadership competency models, running assessment centers to identify high potentials, partnering with con

Trust is the bedrock of any relationship, and this holds true even in a professional setup. The emotional and professional needs of...