Introduction As Human Resource function is becoming more and more important for the organizations, there has emerged

a set of issues and challenges from both internal and external environment. Thus, it has become crucial for the organizations to categorically identify the major issues of concern and create policies and measures to overcome those issues. In addition to this there are certain key skills that industries feel that HR managers should have. The onus is on the B schools that have Human Resource Management as a specialized course to keep in mind the requirements of the present day industry and design the curriculum accordingly. We identified 42 current HR issues that are of concern to the HR managers and 63 skills required by future HR manager. Then we administered a questionnaire on HR managers of different organization asking them to rate every skill and issue on a five point scale. The industries chosen were from PSUs, manufacturing sectors, consulting and banking. The survey was administered across the hierarchy of managers who were both in generalist as well as specialized role. Upon identifying the key skills which were given a high priority by the organizations, we benchmarked the skills and knowledge in the HR curriculum of XLRI with the HR curriculum of three Indian and three international B schools.

Profiles of HR professionals Respondent 1 Name: Neeti Shrivastava Industry: Engineering Ownership of the organization: Public Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian Number of Employees: Less than 5000 Present Level of Management: Lower HR Specialist/Generalist: Specialist Predominant HR role: Building workforce Years of HR experience: 3.5 years Years of Non HR experience: Nil Gender: Female Educational Qualification: MBA (HR) Field in which career started: HR Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 2 Name: Vineeta Singh Industry: Consulting Ownership of the organization: Private Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian Number of Employees: Less than 500 Present Level of Management: Senior HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Helping line managers Years of HR experience: 4 years Years of Non HR experience: Nil Gender: Female Educational Qualification: PGDM Field in which career started: Operations Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 3 Name: Aboli Deshpande Industry: Retail Ownership of the organization: Private Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian MNC Number of Employees: 10000 and above Present Level of Management: Middle HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Establishing HR agenda Years of HR experience: 3.5 years Years of Non HR experience: Nil Gender: Female Educational Qualification: HR qualification Field in which career started: HR Level in which career started: Supervisory

Respondent 4 Name: Shivani Shekhar Industry: Banking Ownership of the organization: Private Sector Geographic Orientation: Foreign MNC Number of Employees: less than 10000 Present Level of Management: Middle HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Helping line managers Years of HR experience: 4.5 years Years of Non HR experience: Nil Gender: Female Educational Qualification: MBA HR Field in which career started: HR Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 5 Name: Umesh Tendulkar Industry: Engineering Ownership of the organization: Private Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian MNC Number of Employees: 10000 and above Present Level of Management: Senior HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Helping line managers Years of HR experience: 14 years Years of Non HR experience: Nil Gender: Male Educational Qualification: MHRM Field in which career started: HR Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 6 Name: Neelesh Walwadikar Industry: Petrochemicals Ownership of the organization: Public Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian Number of Employees: 10000 and above Present Level of Management: Middle HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Maintaining Employees relations Years of HR experience: 8 years Years of Non HR experience: 8 years Gender: Male Educational Qualification: Engineering Field in which career started: Operations Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 7 Name: Tapas Kumar Chattopadhyay Industry: Petrochemicals Ownership of the organization: Public Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian Number of Employees: less than 5000 Present Level of Management: Senior HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Establishing agenda for HR Years of HR experience: 25 years Years of Non HR experience: Nil Gender: Male Educational Qualification: Engineering Field in which career started: Operations Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 8 Name: Manish Reshamiya Industry: Manufacturing Ownership of the organization: Public Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian Number of Employees: less than 5000 Present Level of Management: Middle HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Maintaining Employee relations Years of HR experience: 2 years Years of Non HR experience: 14 Gender: Male Educational Qualification: Engineering Field in which career started: Operations Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 9 Name: Anjani Kumar Industry: Others Ownership of the organization: Public Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian Number of Employees: 10000 and above Present Level of Management: Middle HR Specialist/Generalist: Specialist Predominant HR role: Designing and delivering HR programs Years of HR experience: 18 years Years of Non HR experience: Nil Gender: Male Educational Qualification: Engineering Field in which career started: HR Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 10 Name: Hrishikesh Roychowdhary Industry: Manufacturing Ownership of the organization: Private Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian Number of Employees: Less than 5000 Present Level of Management: Senior HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Establishing HR agenda Years of HR experience: 3 years Years of Non HR experience: 3 year Gender: Male Educational Qualification: BA Field in which career started: Operations Level in which career started: Executive

Respondent 11 Name: Tripti Rajdev Industry: ITES Ownership of the organization: Private Sector Geographic Orientation: Indian Number of Employees: Less than 500 Present Level of Management: Senior HR Specialist/Generalist: Generalist Predominant HR role: Establishing HR agenda Years of HR experience: 5 years Years of Non HR experience: Nil Gender: Female Educational Qualification: HR qualification Field in which career started: IT/ITES Level in which career started: Executive

Important HR issues for the organizations Based on the result of our survey, we identified 20 HR issues out of 42 which organizations think are important. Work Life Balance: In the fast moving life, there are many pressures that new-age couples have to deal with- running a home, doing daily chores like cooking/cleaning, raising children and handle the tight deadlines at work! Thus, work life balance problem is an issue that employees in an organisations face because of which they have to provide their employees facilities that will help them maintain their work life balance. Career Plateauing: Employees, especially those who continue to work for the same organization for a long time and those who belong to the core of an organization, often reach career plateaus. To people working in human resources jobs, they present a special class of challenge that is hard to tackle without active cooperation from the affected person. However, more often than not, an employee stuck on a career plateau refuses to recognize that he or she has been trapped by a career barrier and will refuse help at its very mention. Therefore, the challenge becomes even tougher for the organisations to help employees improve their efficiencies. Deployment/Redeployment of employees: As the work environment and the job market continue to feel pressure from the many unknown factors facing the world economy, corporations must find innovative ways to not only locate and hire talent quickly but also deploy internal talent as necessary to meet business needs.Redeployment of displaced employees either out of the company (through separation, redundancy or retirement) or internally through retraining, internal recruitment and flexible working schemes is an emotive and complex issue that demands careful management. Employees displaced should be viewed as assets, not liabilities, and managed accordingly otherwise valuable human capital will be lost to the business which could otherwise be utilized to create value and offset future recruitment and training costs. Discpline Management: Managing discipline is very essential in organisations as only with discipline can the output of organisations increase. As we are moving towards knowledge centric economies, it is very important to keep human resources in discipline so that all the resources are utilized to their optimum abilities. Employee quits: Attrition is a very serious problem that has plagued the industry. Talent retention is becoming more and more important for the organisation. They need to stay on

their toes to ensure that the key talents do not leave the organisation as huge expenses are borne by the organisations in training and development of the employees. Managing Change: In the age of globalization, changes happen at a very fast pace. Thus, onus of managing this rapid change is upon the HR managers as they act as change agents. At the time of any mergers and acquisitions cross cultural changes happen to which employees might find very difficult to adjust. It is here when the HR managers come into picture and facilitate smooth transition. Managing Diversity: Managing diversity well provides a distinct advantage in an era when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness. An organization needs to be flexible and adaptable to meet new customer needs. With effective management of diversity, the organisation develops a reputation as an employer of choice. Not only will you have the ability to attract the best talent from a shrinking labor pool, you can save time and money in recruitment and turnover costs. Managing High talented personnel: When an organisation has many high talented personnels, it becomes imperative for the organisations to manage them carefully as a dearth of talent in the market could lead to these talented personnel hop jobs. Employee relations Employee Relations involves the body of work concerned with maintaining employer-employee relationships that contribute to satisfactory productivity, motivation, and morale. Essentially, Employee Relations is concerned with preventing and resolving problems involving individuals which arise out of or affect work situations. Advice is provided to supervisors on how to correct poor performance and employee misconduct. In such instances, progressive discipline and regulatory and other requirements must be considered in effecting disciplinary actions and in resolving employee grievances and appeals. Information is provided to employees to promote a better understanding of management's goals and policies. Information is also provided to employees to assist them in correcting poor performance, on or off duty misconduct, and/or to address personal issues that affect them in the workplace. Employees are advised about applicable regulations, legislation, and bargaining agreements. Employees are also advised about their grievance and appeal rights and discrimination and whistleblower protections. Flexible working hours/workdays A system of flexible working hours gives employees some choice over the actual times they work their contracted hours. Such a system can be a good way of recruiting and retaining staff -

since it provides an opportunity for employees to work hours consistent with their other commitments (e.g. child care). Most flexible working hours schemes have a period during the day when employees must be present. This is known as "core time". A typical core time would be 10 00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Other than the core time, employees may choose when they start and finish work within flexible bands at the beginning and end of each day. These bands are typically 08:0010:00 and 16:0018:000. However, there is wide scope for variation depending on the core time, the hours the work place is open and the nature of the business. Some schemes also have a flexible band during the middle of the day so that employees have some choice over the time they take their lunch break. Contracted hours (the total hours an employee must work according to their employment contract) are achieved by employees working the core time plus hours of their choice during the flexible bands over an agreed period. This period is known as the accounting period and is typically four weeks long. Some schemes allow for an excess or deficit (within set limits) to be carried over to the next accounting period. Hours are credited for absences such as sickness or holidays. How to introduce a flexible working hours scheme The introduction of a flexible working hours scheme requires care and needs to be carefully planned by all those likely to be affected. Experience suggests that a joint "working party" comprising representatives of management and employees is usually the best approach and any recognised trade union should be fully involved. The working party should consider: Whether the scheme is to be voluntary or compulsory What type of recording system should be used (eg manual, clocking or computerised) How flexibility should be built into the bands How sickness, absence and late attendance should be treated Arrangements for managing and monitoring the scheme (e.g. monitoring the effect on production or customer service levels) When the details have been agreed there should be a trial period of, perhaps, three months to help identify and eliminate any problems. Advantages of flexible working hours Employees have greater freedom Can make traveling easier (e.g. avoiding commuting during the normal rush-hour) Improved morale and reducing absence and lateness Reduction in overtime and less lost time since long lunch breaks or late arrivals are not recorded as time worked

Disadvantages of flexible working hours Costs involved in administering the scheme If the premises are open longer, there may be increased costs for lighting and heating Employees will not be in work at certain times and therefore it may not be suitable for organisations where continuous cover is necessary.

Global markets and competition Globalization is doing business with a worldwide focus rather than doing business in an international market with the focus from a home-country viewpoint-Lawrason Thomas. Navigating global waters successfully and establishing direction to guide the firm in an increasingly turbulent world environment is a key challenge facing today's managers. To date, this has largely been perceived as the purview of large multinationals with diverse far-flung operations in all parts of the global market. Of key importance is the need to remain responsive to local markets, while at the same time achieving global efficiency through integrating and coordinating operations across world markets and allowing for the transfer of learning from operations in one part of the world to another.

Handling Employee Grievance Grievance may be any genuine or imaginary feeling of dissatisfaction or injustice which an employee experiences about his job and its nature, about the management policies and procedures. It must be expressed by the employee and brought to the notice of the management and the organization. Grievances take the form of collective disputes when they are not resolved. Also they will then lower the morale and efficiency of the employees. Unattended grievances result in frustration, dissatisfaction, low productivity, lack of interest in work, absenteeism, etc. In short, grievance arises when employees expectations are not fulfilled from the organization as a result of which a feeling of discontentment and dissatisfaction arises. This dissatisfaction must crop up from employment issues and not from personal issues.

Human resource planning The HR plan needs to be flexible enough to meet short-term staffing challenges, while adapting to changing conditions in the business and environment over the longer term. Human resource planning is also a continuous process. The ongoing process of systematic planning to achieve optimum use of an organization's most valuable asset - its human resources. The objective of human resource (HR) planning is to ensure the best fit between employees and jobs, while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses. The three key elements of the HR planning process are forecasting labor demand, analyzing present labor supply, and balancing projected labor demand and supply. Human Resource /Workforce Planning Process Review Business Goals and Objectives Conduct Environmental Scan Conduct Gap Analysis of Workforce Set HR Priorities and Develop Strategies Implement and Evaluate Strategies Motivating Employees: Keeping employees motivated is the key to maintaining a productive, successful business. Managers must find ways to motivate employees and make them want to live up to their full potential. To do this effectively, managers need to understand what motivates employees within the context of their respective roles. Motivating employees can be one of your biggest challenges as an employer. Constant pressure to increase productivity, profitability, and revenue growth can often overshadow the importance of how an unengaged workforce can negatively affect corporate performance.

Recruitment: Human Resources (HR) and recruitment are increasingly viewed as distinct industries with related areas of work. Both are growing considerably and have seen significant changes over the past ten years. These changes have helped HR to shed its common previous image as a welfare or administrative role, and it is now widely recognised as a key function in driving business forward and influencing business strategy. As companies become more aware of the value and importance of their HR functions and the need to recruit and retain the best workforce, more organisations are employing graduates with key skills into HR roles, although this remains a popular and competitive sector. Recruitment roles may be based either in-house, managing the recruitment needs of an organisation, or in a consultancy, handling recruitment

for a range of different clients. Executive recruitment consultancies typically operate in specialist areas sourcing candidates for senior appointments. They often approach individuals directly rather than advertising openly - hence the term headhunting, which is sometimes used to describe the role. Recruitment is a large and growing business and recruitment consultancies are becoming an increasingly significant source of graduate employment. Selection of employees: Employee Selection is the process of putting right men on right job. It is a procedure of matching organizational requirements with the skills and qualifications of people. Effective selection can be done only when there is effective matching. By selecting best candidate for the required job, the organization will get quality performance of employees. Moreover, organization will face less of absenteeism and employee turnover problems. Training and development: In the field of human resource management, training and development is the field which is concerned with organizational activity aimed at bettering the performance of individuals and groups in organizational settings. It has been known by several names, including employee development, human resource development, and learning and development. Training: This activity is both focused upon, and evaluated against, the job that an individual currently holds. Education: This activity focuses upon the jobs that an individual may potentially hold in the future, and is evaluated against those jobs. Development: This activity focuses upon the activities that the organization employing the individual, or that the individual is part of, may partake in the future, and is almost impossible to evaluate.

Women in workforce: Until modern industrialized times, legal and cultural practices, combined with the inertia of longstanding religious and educational traditions, had restricted women's entry and participation in the workforce. Economic dependency upon men, and consequently the poor socio-economic status of women had also restricted their entry into the workforce. Particularly as occupations have become professionalized over the 19th and 20th centuries, women's access to higher education had effectively excluded them from the practice of wellpaid and high status occupations. Entry of women into the higher professions like law and medicine was delayed in most countries due to women being denied entry to universities and qualification for degrees. The addition of women into the workforce was one of the key factors that has decreased social mobility over the last 50 years. Female children of the middle and upper classes had increased access to higher education, and thanks to job equality, were able to attain higher-paying and higher-prestige jobs than ever before. Due to the dramatic increase in availability of birth

control, these high status women were able to delay marriage and child-bearing until they had completed their education and advanced their careers to their desired positions.

Benchmarking Skills and Knowledge in the curriculum of XLRI with that of different B schools We benchmarked the curriculum of XLRI with three international colleges and three Indian colleges. The international universities that we selected were: 1. New York University 2. Purdue University 3. Cornell University The Indian B schools that we selected were: 1. Tata Institute of Social Sciences 2. Management Development Institute (HR) 3. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (HR)

1.New York University:

Skills
Recruiting Skills Interviewing Skills Conduct training needs assessment Conduct training programmes Conduct training evaluation Offered Offered Offered

Subject Offered

Offered

Communication Skills for the Human Resource proffesion Foundation of human resourse management, Research process and methodology Research Process and methodology, Foundation of coaching and coachi theory (concentrated), executive coaching and small business coaching (concentrated) Research Process and methodology, Foundation of coaching and coachi theory (concentrated), executive coaching and small business coaching (concentrated)

Design performance appraisal system Handle employee grievances

Thorough knowledge of legal aspects of HR/IR Insure legal compliance Develop overall HR polices Develop strategic HR plan Knowledge management Verbal Communication skills Written communication skills

Offered

Advanced Labour relation and employment Law

Offered

Advanced Labour relation and employment Law

Offered Offered Offered Offered

Business strategy and ethics, Strategic benefits planning (elective), compensation strategy and practise Organizational assessment and analysis Communication skills for the Human Resource proffesion (concentrated) Communication skills for the Human Resource proffesion (concentrated)

Interpersonal skills Analytical skills Decision making skills Results orientation Conflict resolution skills Negotiation skills Problem solving skills Integrity Knowledge of corporate social responsibility

Offered Offered

Communication skills for the Human Resource proffesion (concentrated) Quantitative models for desecion makers, Organization assessment and analysis.

Offered

Dispute resolution and conflict management.

2. Purdue University
Knowledge & Skills Recruiting Skills Interviewing Skills Conduct training needs assessment Conduct training programmes Conduct training evaluation Design performance appraisal system Handle employee grievances Thorough knowledge of legal aspects of HR/IR Insure legal compliance Develop overall HR polices Develop strategic HR plan Knowledge management Verbal Communication skills Written communication skills Interpersonal skills Analytical skills Decision making skills Results orientation Conflict resolution skills Negotiation skills Problem solving skills Integrity Knowledge of corporate social responsibility Offered Courses Offered Staffing tools, Staffing Systems

Offered Offered Offered

Training (elective) Training (elective) Training (elective)

Offered

Employment Law (elective)

Offered

Employment Law (elective)

Offered

Strategic management (elective)

Offered

Managerial Communication Skills

Offered

Managerial Communication Skills

Offered Offered Offered

Managerial Communication Skills Business Analytics Leadership and Ethics

3. Cornell University
Knowledge & Skills Courses Offered Recruiting Skills Interviewing Skills Conduct training needs assessment Conduct training programmes Conduct training evaluation Design performance appraisal system Handle employee grievances Thorough knowledge of legal aspects of HR/IR Insure legal compliance Develop overall HR polices Develop strategic HR plan Knowledge management Verbal Communication skills Written communication skills Interpersonal skills Analytical skills Decision making skills Results orientation Conflict resolution skills Negotiation skills Problem solving skills Integrity Knowledge of corporate social responsibility

Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered

Effective Interviewing Coaching for Performance (elective) Coaching for Performance (elective) Coaching for Performance (elective) Performance Management and Appraisal Building and Managing Employee Relations Human Resources and the Law, Legal Issues in the Workplace Human Resources and the Law, Legal Issues in the Workplace Mastering the role of HR Business Partner

Offered

Offered

Consulting skills for Business Results (elective)

4. Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Knowledge & Skills Courses offered Recruiting Skills Interviewing Skills Conduct training needs assessment Conduct training programmes Conduct training evaluation Design performance appraisal system Handle employee grievances Thorough knowledge of legal aspects of HR/IR Insure legal compliance Develop overall HR polices Develop strategic HR plan Knowledge management Verbal Communication skills Written communication skills Interpersonal skills Analytical skills Decision making skills Results orientation Conflict resolution skills Negotiation skills Problem solving skills Integrity Knowledge of corporate social responsibility Offered Offered Offered Offered Business communication and presentation skills Learning and Development, Training Process delivery and effectiveness (elective) Learning and Development, Training Process delivery and effectiveness (elective) Learning and Development, Training Process delivery and effectiveness (elective)

Offered

Employment Law-I, Employment Law-II

Offered Offered Offered

Employment Law-I, Employment Law-II Organization Theory and Design, Sociology of Organization Business Strategy and Stregic Human Resource Management

Offered Offered Offered

Business Communication and Presentation Skills Business Communication and Presentation Skills Business Communication and Presentation Skills

Offered Offered Offered

Conflict Management and Building Collaborations Negotiation Skills and Collective Bargaining Corporate Governance and Business Ethics (Elective)

5. Management Development Institute (Gurgaon)

Knowledge & Skills Recruiting Skills Interviewing Skills Conduct training needs assessment Conduct training programmes Conduct training evaluation Design performance appraisal system Handle employee grievances Thorough knowledge of legal aspects of HR/IR Insure legal compliance Develop overall HR polices Develop strategic HR plan Knowledge management Verbal Communication skills Written communication skills Interpersonal skills Analytical skills Decision making skills Results orientation Conflict resolution skills Negotiation skills Problem solving skills Offered Courses Offered Recruitment and Selection (elective)

Offered

Performance Management

Offered

Employment Law-I, Employment Law- II

Offered Offered Offered

Employment Law-I, Employment Law- II Human Resource Planning Business Strategy Formulation and Implementation, Strategic challenges in Marketing for HR professionals.

Offered

Oral Communication and Presentation Skills

Offered

Written Analysis and Communication

Offered

Employee Relations- Emerging Contours

Offered

Negotiating Skills and Collective Bargaining

6. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies

Knowledge & Skills Recruiting Skills Interviewing Skills Conduct training needs assessment Conduct training programmes Conduct training evaluation Design performance appraisal system Handle employee grievances Thorough knowledge of legal aspects of HR/IR Insure legal compliance Develop overall HR polices Develop strategic HR plan Knowledge management Verbal Communication skills Written communication skills Interpersonal skills Analytical skills Decision making skills Results orientation Conflict resolution skills Negotiation skills Problem solving skills Integrity Knowledge of corporate social responsibility Offered Offered Offered Courses Offered Recruitment and Selection Learning and Development Learning and Development

Offered

Performance Management

Offered

Employee Realtions and Labour Law

Offered Offered Offered

Employee Realtions and Labour Law Cgange management and Organizational Development Strategic HRM

Offered

Employee Realtions

7. XLRI
Knowledge & Skills Recruiting Skills Interviewing Skills Conduct training needs assessment Conduct training programmes Conduct training evaluation Design performance appraisal system Handle employee grievances Thorough knowledge of legal aspects of HR/IR Insure legal compliance Develop overall HR polices Develop strategic HR plan Knowledge management Verbal Communication skills Written communication skills Interpersonal skills Analytical skills Decision making skills Results orientation Conflict resolution skills Negotiation skills Courses Offered Fundamentals of HR Managerial Communication Training and Development Training and Development

Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered

Performance Management and Appraisal Grievance Resolution (elective) Fundamentals of HR and Labour Laws Fundamentals of HR and Labour Laws Fundamentals of HR Strategic Management, Strategic Game Theory for Managers (elective), Role of HR in Knowledge Management Managerial Communication

Offered Offered Offered

Offered Offered

Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered

Managerial Communication Managerial Communication Quantitative Techniques for HRM Analysis for Managerial Decision Making (elective) Measuring HR (elective)

Offered

Collective Bargaining and Negotiation Process (elective), Fundamentals of Industrial Relations

Problem solving skills Integrity

Offered Offered Business Ethics and Corporate social Responsibility

Knowledge of corporate social responsibility

Offered

Business Ethics and Corporate social Responsibility