Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow recently organized its National HR Summit that brought dignitaries from industry and academia together. The summit, held on 17th October, had “Attracting and Retaining Millennials: Opportunities & Challenges” as its theme and it shed light on important issues in the world of human resources. Thus, the institute managed to create a highly relevant and useful learning experience for the students through this much talked about summit.

Given the magnitude of the event, it was not surprising to see big names make their presence felt at the summit. These names included: Mr. A. K. Mathur, Secretary, Lucknow Management Association, AIMA, Mr. Prashant Srivastava, Head (HR), Orient Electric, CK Birla Group, Mr. Anshumal Dikshit, VP (HR), Arvato Bertelsmann (India), Mr. Sumant Pai, Head (HR), Yash Papers Ltd, Ms. Debyani Sinha, DGM (HR), NEC Technologies; Mr. Harshit Malviya, Regional Head – HR, Mahindra Finance, Mr. Mayank Chandra, Managing Partner, Antal International Network, and Ms. Neena Dayal, Capability Building Specialist, Mental Resilience Coach and writer.

Dr. M. Ashraf Rizvi, Director, Jaipuria, Lucknow started off the proceedings with his welcome speech after the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. His talk reflected on the differences between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials. He also discussed the efforts taken by companies to attract and retain Millennials. On this topic, Mr. Mathur drew on the example of Google, saying, “There is a paradigm shift in the corporate world and the government sector in India is not able to tap into the potential of its talented work force.” Prof. Mirza Saiyadain, the Chairperson of the summit, then compared the present recruitment scenario with the past and opened the floor for further discussions.

Thus began Technical Session 1 that focussed on “Attracting and Retaining Millennials”. Sharing his experiences, Mr. Srivastava talked about the new dimension the Millennials have added to the corporate world, saying, “Real time feedback, honesty, transparency, innovation and strong social conscience are some of the aspects that Millennials value a lot.” Mr. Dixit added to this point, and suggested that in today’s world there is more emphasis on a diversified work culture, which leads to a broadened mindset of employees. Mr. Pai looked at the Millennials closely when he said, “They are a lot of ideas, but they will not become great until they are implemented. A company will only give what is put into it.”

Technical Session II took the discussion further by emphasizing on the issue of “Challenges in retaining Millennials”. Mr. Chandra Shekhar explained important elements needed to retain members of this generation, saying, “Instant gratification, a flexible life style, safety, an attractive work environment, a larger perspective, diversity and collaboration, brand loyalty and a culture of appreciations is the key. Millennials want to get assessed on quality and quantity, but managers agree on punctuality and career progression, which is a gap that needs to be addressed.” Ms. Shalini Naagar believes that the Millennials are concerned about society and prefer enhancing themselves, friends and environment, rather than gaining prestigious positions in organizations.

Mr. Indrajit Gupta also made a strong statement when he said, “No business can succeed unless Millennials are attracted, engaged and retained in their job, as they are soon to become more than 50% of the workforce, a percentage which cannot be ignored.” After the invigorating discussion, Ms. Nikita Srivastava and Ms. Pallavi Tiwari, students of the 2016 batch, made a PowerPoint presentation on ‘Exploring Candidate Expectations’. Students Mr. Syed Ahmed Bilal, Ms. Jahnvi Singh, Mr. Alok Verma, Mr. Ashraf Asif Siddiqui, and Mr. Ali Taabish Noorani then took part in a panel discussion on “Millennials: A New Generation with New Expectations”, which made several interesting points that were embraced by the gathering.

“Meeting the career expectations of the Millennials: Attraction and Retention” was the final panel discussion for the day. It had Mr. Anshumal Dikshit, Ms. Debyani Sinha, Mr. Harshit Malviya, Mr. Mayank Chandra and Ms. Neena Dayal making valuable contributions that had the students in the gathering enthralled. The good news for the students was that they also had an opportunity to ask questions and interact with the dignitaries on the panel. The leading lights took the time to answer all the doubts students had in their minds, thus ensuring that the summit had achieved its objective and was a fruitful experience for all.

So what does it take to become a successful HR professional? Are there any particular skills and qualities you need to embody to be at the top of your game in the field? What is the industry looking for from HR managers of tomorrow? These and some other relevant questions were answered for the benefit of students by experts in the field at the “Attracting and Retaining Millennials: Opportunities & Challenges” themed HR Summit organized by Jaipuria, Lucknow.

While the leading names enlightened the audience with different perspectives on the topic of the summit, they also took time to answer questions that could offer valuable insight to the students. Mr. Sumant Pai, Head (HR), Yash Papers Ltd summed up the experience for the speakers at the summit when he said, “It was a highly knowledgeable crowd and there was healthy interaction from both sides of the stage. The motive of the summit was to direct the force of generation Y towards a prosperous future and I think we managed to do that.”

One of the speakers for the day was Ms. Debyani Sinha, an alumnus of the institute and the DGM (HR), NEC Technologies India Ltd. She drew comparisons between the present day environment and the days when she was a student: “I see a sea change here and that is good news for all of you. I feel there are tremendous opportunities ahead of you and it’s good to see that culture of change as compared to the times when I was a student here.” She further urged students to have a positive attitude, be open to learning and make sure they are presentable and well mannered.

Mr. Prashant Srivastava, Head (HR), Orient Electric, CK Birla Group Co., is a renowned name in the industry and understands how the corporate world functions. When asked about the qualities recruiters look for in candidates, he replied, “Firstly, you should have a strong understanding of your concepts. You also need to be open-minded and have an opinion on any subject that you are not scared to express.” Mr. Harshit Malviya, Regional Head – HR, Mahindra Finance elaborated on the subject: “I want my candidates to be witty. They should be aware of the basics and adaptable to work in different environments.”

Mr. Chandra Shekhar, Zonal HR Head – North, Ultra Tech Cement, focused on the seriousness of the candidates and their knowledge: “I like them to have substance besides being able to present themselves well. Their exposure to the corporate world through interactions with professionals also helps.” Now that’s something this HR summit and several other initiatives taken on by the institute have managed to achieve. The professionals present on the day also offered students advice on how to further their careers after gaining a foothold in the industry.

The leading names from the industry thus offered a peek into the corporate world for students who went back home knowing more about the field. The engaging session also served as an inspiration for those interested in making a career in HR.