Human Resources Management

Companies talk about the importance of mental But most just do that "talk" They really don't actually give a sh*t   Because if they did, there would be more budget allocated towards workplace mental health support But there isn't   What if mental wellbeing was treated like any other business risk. Monitored, resourced, and reviewed.   We budget for cyber risk and financial risk, we run scenarios, buy insurance, train teams. Human risk deserves the same seriousness, because stress, burnout and attrition are not random, they follow patterns we can measure and change.   A practical model: → Workload that matches capacity, → Role clarity that leaves room for judgement, → Managers trained for hard conversations with support behind them, → Access to qualified help, confidential and quick, → Fair flexibility, measured by outcomes, not chair time, → Clear progression, so staying makes sense.   Add governance so it lasts: → Set quarterly reviews with HR and leaders, look at absence, turnover, workload signals, and internal moves. → Publish what you will change, and by when. → Give managers a simple playbook for tricky moments, and a person they can call. → Resource it like it matters, not only during a crisis.   None of this sits with HR alone. It needs leadership ownership, budgets, and time. When that happens, you see fewer preventable exits, steadier teams, better decisions under pressure.   Treat people risk with the same respect you give every other risk. Your culture, and your numbers, will reflect it.   Start somewhere small this week, and build from there.

“Is unlimited PTO a green flag? Does it mean the company is great?” A CareerWareer client asked me this recently. A few years ago, I would have said yes. I worked at a company with unlimited PTO and took more time off than most companies in Asia typically offer (usually 14-21 days). You may have also seen people share stories of extended globetrotting holidays during off-peak seasons, made possible by unlimited PTO - and thought, “That must be a great place to work.” But after some time of seeing (and hearing) dynamics in various organizations, I’m now more nuanced. Here’s why unlimited PTO isn’t always a green flag: 1) Unlimited PTO can come with unlimited expectations: When there are no set guidelines, people can feel unsure about what’s acceptable and hesitate, especially if no one else is taking time off. In high-performance cultures, unlimited PTO can quietly morph into no PTO, because rest can feel like a risk when work never stops. 2) Managers can make or break it: Your ability to take meaningful time off depends less on company policy and more on your direct manager. If your boss respects boundaries and encourages unplugging, you’ll likely feel safe taking leave. If they send Slack messages on weekends and make comments like “wow, it must be nice to take a break,” that same policy can feel like a trap. 3) Culture eats policy for breakfast: This is very true! It doesn’t matter how generous the policy is if the culture doesn’t support it. If leaders model non-stop hustle and subtly reward those who “push through,” you will quickly learn that rest is frowned upon, even if it’s not said outright. PTO becomes a theoretical versus practical benefit. If you are interviewing at a company with unlimited PTO and wondering if this is a perk, here are 3 questions I would recommend asking: 1) Do leaders and managers here take visible time off themselves? How many days off do people actually take here on average? 2) What’s your team’s approach to covering for one another when someone’s away? 3) Can you share an example of someone taking PTO and how was that supported? Unlimited PTO can be a wonderful perk, but only when the culture, leadership, and operations support it. Don’t just ask what the policy is but ask how it lives in practice (or not).

I've been working on something exciting - Eunomia HR is relaunching with a sharper, simpler focus (and some freebies). Every HR leader I speak to says the same thing: “We know AI is coming fast… but we don’t know how to get a grip on it.” The blockers? - Legal & compliance uncertainty (Legislation like the EU AI Act, GDPR/UK GDPR, Data Use Act 2025). - Fear of bias, discrimination, or bad data. - Lack of clear policies, governance, or oversight. So from today, Eunomia HR is focused on two core services: 1) AI in HR Risk Assessments: Uncovering risks across your AI systems, processes, and policies. 2) Fractional AI Governance: Ongoing support as your “AI Policy & Ethics Partner”, without the full-time headcount. And because so many HR teams are starting from scratch, I’m also open-sourcing part of my IP: - AI Recruitment Vendor Scorecard - a structured tool to compare suppliers against compliance & ethics criteria. - AI Usage Policy Template for HR - ready-to-customise starter policy covering governance, risk, and compliance. - Universal Framework for AI in HR - a practical, six-principle governance model that helps HR leaders adopt AI responsibly. - QuickScore™ Self-Assessment – a 12-question quiz to benchmark your AI readiness. If you’re an HR leader worried about AI adoption but want to get a grip on risk, governance, and compliance, this relaunch is for you. The message is simple: AI in HR doesn’t have to be chaotic, risky, or overwhelming. With the right structures in place, you can adopt AI responsibly and with confidence.

India’s recycling economy relies on the hard work of 4 million waste pickers, yet their vital contributions remain unrecognized. True sustainability goes beyond waste management. It’s about valuing and respecting those who make it possible. These workers are not ‘Ragpickers’, they are professionals who endure long hours, unsafe conditions, and minimal pay, despite being the backbone of India’s recycling industry. It’s time for change. We must acknowledge their efforts and ensure they are fairly compensated for the value they create. To build a truly sustainable system, waste pickers need to be integrated into formal processes, paid directly, and protected from exploitation by middlemen who profit off their labor. Let’s create a recycling ecosystem that values the people behind it, ensuring fairness and dignity for all. #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #WasteManagement

I had almost 100 days of accumulated leave sitting in my HR record. It was one of my earlier jobs. I would rarely take time off. The work was exciting, fast paced, slog day after day, riding the high of another high-stakes meeting, the adrenaline of the next milestone. Your body learns to cope. Your mind never truly leaves the job. Then, during an M&A as part of due diligence, I saw a different approach. One of the western companies we were acquiring, had a hard rule: use your leave or lose it. No encashment, no carry-over. At first I thought, why? If I’m allowed the days, why shouldn’t I decide how to use them? Here’s what the evidence says: ↳ Employees who fully disconnect and actually take vacation return more productive and report better work quality, in one large survey 58% said they were more productive after a vacation. ↳ Time off reduces burnout: working during vacation and taking fewer vacation days are associated with higher burnout rates (data from a large physician study). ↳ Access to paid leave strongly reduces turnover risk, research shows offering PTO lowered the odds someone would quit by ~35%. That’s retention you can measure. ↳ Vacations also boost creativity and cognitive recovery: longitudinal studies show recovery experiences during time off improve post-vacation creativity and mental performance. What such policy does is simple but powerful: it elevates time off from a perk to a norm. It forces the organization to signal, loudly and structurally, that rest matters. That message matters more than you think, not just for wellbeing, but for performance, retention and creativity. So this isn’t just feel-good HR language. It’s organizational design: If leaders truly want high sustained performance, they must treat rest as a strategic resource, not a negotiable luxury. Policies that mandate or nudge time off (use-it-or-lose-it, blackout-free weeks, manager-enforced vacation) are a practical way to flip cultural incentives. The most important signal: leaders must actually take the time themselves and explicitly protect their teams’ time away. If you’re hoarding leave because you worry about being judged, worry about work or want to encash? you’re not alone, but the data is clear: taking time off helps you do your job better, stay longer, and think more creatively. Leaders → normalize it. HR → design for it. Colleagues → encourage it. Your company’s next big win might depend on someone taking a proper break. #Leadership #Mindset #Break #Culture ------------------- I write regularly on People | Leadership | Transformation | Sustainability. Follow Surya Sharma.

𝗧𝗢𝗫𝗜𝗖 𝗩𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 When did time off become such a hassle in the US?  Most US workers use about half of their paid time off.  One in three say they would take a pay cut to get unlimited time off.  However, other research shows that in organizations with unlimited PTO employees take less time off compared to workplaces that do not have that policy.  Last month in one of my newsletters, I shared this strip from my comic strip hobby: Cres: Mondays are the worst. Gwen: Nope. Days off. Cres: Explain.  Gwen: Monday is bad on Monday. Cres: And time off? Gwen: You pay before, during, and after. That is the American reality.  There is a strong workaholism vibe.  It’s driven both by our Protestant work ethic background and deteriorating economic realities that require more hours or jobs per person to make ends meet.  Professionals fear missing work will be viewed as a lack of dedication.  Many managers who don’t take enough time off themselves apply pressure resulting in employees who feel discouraged or looked down upon if they take time off.  People believe it will impact their performance reviews and future opportunities.        At a minimum, those who take time off experience a unique form of professional dread before, during, and after.  Before they leave, they stress about getting ahead, making sure others can properly cover them, and dealing with the comments or glances they are receiving from others.  During their time away, most are told not to untether, to stay reachable, and often to overtly do work while away from the office.  When they return, they find an inevitable pile up of work waiting for them to dig through. What used to be a chance to smile and recharge has become quite the opposite.  What results is guilt, worry, resentment, and ever creeping stress that pushes too many towards burnout.  So, what can be done about this? There are some good best practices for companies that care.  Leaders can openly take their vacation and encourage the same from others.  Unplugging when away should be normalized.  It’s easy to automate the process of ensuring people don’t work when they’re away.  I’ve even seen penalties for violating this rule.  Projects can initiate formal stopping points when key people step away so all constituents know about it, know who to call if needed, know when the relevant person will be back at work, and so on.  Formal tracking of PTO used and balances remaining should be communicated regularly to encourage use.  Mandatory minimums and rollover of unused time help.  Some even use incentives (including extra time off) if PTO is schedule early in the year.  I’m fascinated by business and how we can do business better… vacation should be fun time off!  What do you think?  Please speak up and share: What’s your view and what’s it like where you work regarding the use of PTO? #PTO #worklife #motivation #stress #leadership

Stand at Mawlynnong in Meghalaya and something becomes immediately clear— cleanliness isn’t enforced there… it’s embraced. Civic sense is culture, not instruction. Then look at New Delhi— a capital with more funds, more infrastructure, more manpower— yet struggling every day with choked drains, plastic-clogged streets, and a permanently grey sky. This contrast isn’t geographical. It’s behavioural. Mawlynnong proves that when people care, systems follow. Delhi proves that when people stop caring, even the best systems fail. So why is Meghalaya succeeding while Delhi is failing? ✔ Community ownership: every resident treats cleanliness as personal responsibility. ✘ Delhi: most people assume “someone else will clean it.” ✔ Zero-litter culture: waste goes into bins, not streets. ✘ Delhi: drains become dustbins, markets overflow, festivals end in dumps. ✔ Respect for nature: plastic use is limited, composting is common. ✘ Delhi: waste management collapses under volume + apathy. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: Delhi doesn’t lack resources. It lacks responsibility. But it doesn’t have to stay this way. Here’s what actually works: 🌱 1. Localised waste management — each colony managing its own dry, wet & hazardous waste. 🌱 2. Strict bin infrastructure — not symbolic, but placed, monitored, and maintained. 🌱 3. Community-led cleanups — because participation builds ownership. 🌱 4. Reduce single-use plastic — markets & RWAs enforcing alternatives. 🌱 5. Behavioural change campaigns — not lectures, but incentives and accountability. 🌱 6. Celebrate civic champions — make responsibility aspirational. A small village stayed clean because its people decided it should. A capital city became polluted because its people assumed it wasn’t their job. The difference isn't a border. It’s a mindset. If Meghalaya can build a culture of care, Delhi can build a culture of accountability. And maybe it starts with a simple question: What if we stopped waiting for the city to change… and started changing the way we treat the city? #CleanIndia #CivicSense #Sustainability #Delhi #Meghalaya #UrbanDevelopment #BehaviourChange #Environment #MayankAgarwal #EcoAwareness #Leadership

The Cost of Ignorance, The Power of Responsibility When we buy a vehicle, we ensure it doesn’t pollute. We care about mileage, emissions, and environment-friendly features. Then why do we ignore solid and liquid waste management in our most valuable investments — our homes and properties? We care about air quality, environment, climate change, food, and water... But when it comes to waste, we: ❌ Dump it ❌ Burn it ❌ Pollute water bodies ❌ Ignore it A Reality Check * India generates over 1.6 lakh+ tonnes of solid waste daily. * Only ~25% is scientifically processed. The rest? Landfills, open dumping, or drains. Bulk Waste Generators produce 30–40% of urban waste but most don't treat it at source. * Only 37% of wastewater is treated in India. And our rivers and groundwater are choking with untreated sewage. The solution lies in Decentralized Waste Management: * Compost wet waste at source * Install STPs that reuse 70%+ water * Recycle dry waste * Educate, segregate, and regenerate– build a circular mindset For Planners : ✔ Design infrastructure with on-site STPs, composters, recycling units. ✔ Avoid central systems that stress ULBs. ✔ Decentralized systems reduce costs, add resale value, and help earn environmental compliance. Beauty isn't just landscaping. True design respects soil, water, air, and health. For Societies & Citizens: ✔ Segregate at source (wet/dry/hazardous). ✔ Compost within premises — it's easy, cost-saving, and rewarding. ✔ STPs reuse 70%+ water for flushing, gardens, and cooling. ✔ Save thousands in water costs. You manage electricity, water, security — why not your own waste too? Why this matters for all: * Burning waste pollutes the air we breathe * Untreated sewage poisons our water sources * Open dumping destroys soil health and public hygiene * More educated = more consumption = more waste *Let’s prove that education brings responsibility, not just convenience. Decentralised Solid & Liquid Waste Management is not a luxury — it’s a necessity. * Prevents disease outbreaks * Reduces municipal burden * Empowers communities * Saves money * Preserves natural resources * Builds Aatmanirbhar Bharat through sustainable practices It’s Our Waste. It’s Our Duty. # Let’s design, build, and manage our spaces with awareness and accountability. Because this isn’t just an environmental issue — # It’s about our health, our dignity, our children’s future. # Let’s not make cleanliness just a campaign. # Let’s make it our culture. # Because waste isn’t someone else’s problem. # It’s ours — and so is the solution. Follow for more: Bawyeos Media Hub #MyWasteMyResponsibility #DecentralisedWasteManagement #STP #SWM #SBM #UrbanDesign #GreenDevelopment #CircularEconomy #SmartSociety #SustainableIndia #ArchitectsForChange #DevelopersResponsibility #RWALeadership #SwachhBharat #WasteToResource #ULB #India2030 #ourresponsibility #prideforchange #yimby #ahmedabad #gujarat #india

CFO: We lost 12 people last month. Why? HR: 3 reasons: no growth, no recognition, and rigid work. CFO: Not pay? HR: All within comp band. They felt stuck. CFO: What’s the damage? HR: 1.5x salary per person. Fast add-up. CFO: We cut $400K from engagement last quarter. Did that cost us? HR: Yes. Saved $400K, lost $1.2M. Plus slower work and burned-out teams. CFO: So engagement is risk management. HR: And retention. And cost control. CFO: What actually works? HR: Career tracks, real recognition, and flexible policies with accountability. When we did that, attrition dropped. CFO: Engaged teams perform 20% better. That’s margin. HR: Keeping people isn’t a perk. It’s a cost of business. CFO: And ignoring it already hits our P&L. BOTTOM LINE Unmet employee needs are a business risk. Ignore them, and you lose time, momentum, and profit.

If you’re not tracking Manager Risk, you’re not managing People Risk. Most organizations measure performance. But very few measure managerial damage, until it costs them their best people, their culture, and millions in silent losses. We hear and read about toxic managers. We know the quote: “People don’t leave jobs,they leave managers.” But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Most companies still don’t know how to measure this. And so the damage continues, quiet, compounding, and expensive. I see a lot of fluff posts about leadership toxicity. But this isn’t about calling out bad behaviour. This is about calling in HR to rethink how we capture risk. Not by adding more work. But by being more strategic with what we’re already seeing. That’s where the Manager Impact Loss™ (MIL) metric comes in. This isn’t just another HR framework. It’s a financial and cultural lens that lets you calculate the hidden cost of poor leadership. What are you really paying for? - High-performing employees walking out quietly - Teams disengaging under pressure - Absenteeism and burnout going unaddressed - Innovation lost to fear, silence, and survival mode All of this has a price tag. And yes, you can calculate it. How? Here’s the simple formula: MIL = (Turnover × Replacement Cost) + (Engagement Drop % × Lost Output) This gives HR and Finance a shared language,to name what’s often ignored and to act before the damage is permanent. What should you be tracking? - Manager Impact Loss (MIL) - Engagement Drop by Team - Manager Transfer Avoidance - Leadership Risk Alerts from HRBPs These are not soft signals. They are leading indicators of retention, risk, and readiness. What do great HR teams do? ✅ Make “Manager Quality” a metric ✅ Track impact at the leadership level ✅ Reward retention, engagement shifts, and feedback culture ✅ Build accountability into dashboards, not just feedback sessions Here's my thought: One bad manager can quietly undo what five great employees are trying to build. And if you’re not measuring it, you’re letting it scale. MIL isn’t just a metric. It’s a mirror. And it’s time we all looked a little closer. I’m actively building this out into a robust diagnostic and strategic tool. If you’re working on culture, retention, manager effectiveness, or HR analytics and want to collaborate, test, or help refine the MIL model, I’d love to connect. Kindly DM Let’s turn this from insight into impact.