From survival to significance: Partha Neog on reinventing employee engagement

Vantage Circle wasn’t born overnight. As Partha recalled, ‘It took us five years to figure it out.’ Initially conceived as a corporate deals platform, its close interactions with HR and employee engagement teams revealed deeper opportunities.

“While talking to engagement teams, we realised they needed more than perks, they needed a way to recognise, engage, and understand employees better,” Partha shared. The platform began to expand its scope, adding modules for rewards and recognition, wellness, sentiment analysis, and employee benefits, all under one integrated digital ecosystem.

For nearly a decade, Vantage Circle was a story of persistence. No venture capital, no shortcuts. Just relentless execution. “Constraints made us creative,” Partha says. “If we had money, we’d have spent it on ads. Since we didn’t, we built through the content and it compounded beautifully.”

By 2022, Vantage Circle had grown to over 1.5 million organic visitors a month, earned global recognition, and became one of the only two companies worldwide to be named a Gartner Customer Choice in its category.

The human side of recognition

Recognition, Partha emphasised, isn’t about rewards: it’s about meaning. “No one starts a recognition program to give someone INR 100 or a gift card,” he noted. “It’s about encouraging behaviours, building a culture, and making people feel seen.”

In an era where social media ‘likes’ and comments have redefined validation, employees today crave recognition that feels authentic and visible. Partha calls it a societal shift in expectations: “If you can post on Instagram and get instant appreciation, you’ll expect the same acknowledgment at work.”

Vantage Circle’s model focuses on real-time, peer-to-peer, and manager-led recognition, allowing companies to reinforce behaviours that align with their values: like ownership, responsiveness, or innovation. As he described, “Recognition needs to move from annual town halls to everyday culture.”

Employee engagement: A moving goalpost

For Partha, employee engagement is not a static concept, it’s a moving goalpost. “Ten years ago, engagement meant food in the canteen and office transport,” he said. “Now, it’s about purpose, flexibility, recognition and well-being.” 

He believes wellness is no longer limited to yoga sessions or health checkups, it’s about how employees feel. “When people wake up excited to come to work, that’s real wellness,” he added. Being recognised, having autonomy, or feeling part of a mission are all wellness factors that drive engagement. “Recognition is the new currency people want to be seen, appreciated, and celebrated.” He likens it to our social media behavior: “Every like or comment is recognition. The same psychology applies at work.” 

Building trust, beyond borders

Expanding to markets like the U.S. and UAE wasn’t easy. Partha was warned that the HR tech market there was ‘too crowded.’ But he went anyway. “Every market looks saturated until a new player succeeds,” he says with a grin. “In B2B, people don’t just buy a product, they buy trust. Sometimes I’d fly across continents just to tell a client, ‘I’ll personally make sure it works.’ That’s what makes the difference.”

Lessons from the marathon

Looking back, Partha admits he wouldn’t change much except perhaps one thing. “I wish I had planned with a 10-year lens earlier. We kept firefighting year after year. But then again, maybe the struggle was necessary. You learn to fly only by breaking the cocoon.”

Partha often compares his entrepreneurial philosophy to running in ‘rabbit mode’ , always agile, alert, and fighting for survival. “When you’re bootstrapped, you can’t afford to be complacent,” he said.

The bootstrapped years, he says, shaped Vantage Circle’s DNA. Looking back, he’s grateful they didn’t raise large rounds of capital early on. “If we had raised money, we might not have survived nine years,” he reflected. “Constraints made us creative, when you don’t have money, you think harder.”

The future of engagement: Purpose, tech, and personalisation

Looking ahead, Partha predicts three major shifts in engagement:

1. Technology-Driven Personalisation – Tools like AI will help tailor engagement to individuals, identifying what truly motivates each employee.

2. Segmented Engagement Strategies – With remote and multi-generational workforces, one-size-fits-all approaches will fade. Engagement will become contextual and cultural.

3. From Retention to Connection – “We shouldn’t design engagement programs just to cut attrition,” he said. “The goal is to make people love their time with you while they’re here.”

Partha’s reflections are refreshingly grounded. “You can’t build a company without remembering where you started,” he says. “And you must always pass it on, help others the way people helped you.”

For him, success isn’t about valuation; it’s about endurance, empathy, and evolution. “We’ve survived,” he says, “and now, we’re building for significance.”

The full conversation is rich with insights about entrepreneurship, trust, culture, and the future of engagement. From stories of early rejections to lessons on global expansion and leadership, this Humanscope episode captures the essence of building something meaningful.

Watch the full episode of Humanscope Season 2: The Entrepreneurial Journey of Partha Neog on People Matters’ YouTube Channel.  Discover how one man’s quiet conviction built one of India’s most respected HR tech companies and what it truly takes to go from survival to significance.