2012, it was, to say the least, an intensive year. Issues of labor violence, skill deficit, increasing inequitable growth, generational gaps, effects of technology and social media in the workplace, all came forward in an environment of global and domestic uncertainty. The low economic sentiment in the first half of the year forced organizations to strike the balance between long-term people investment and short-term business pressures. Over the last few months, the decision to shrug off policy paralysis and increase the investment cap to attract foreign capital have had a positive impact and painted a brighter start for 2013.

The first issue of People Matters in 2012, ‘Top Trends for 2012’ compiled the views of 60 senior professionals on what were the game changers in HR for the year. Social media, talent analytics, technology, RPO, diversity and inclusion were the trending themes that materialized during the year.

At People Matters, 2012 has been a year of enhancing the relationship with the community, increasing our reach and embracing new topics for our editorial. From the story of entrepreneurs in the HR space (‘HR Entrepreneurs’ – February), to why should organizations turn social (‘Adding madness to method’ – March), to investment in learning, skilling and executive education (April, June & October) and the focus of the CEO on matters related to people and organizations (Monster.com - People Matters Study on ‘CEO as the Chief Talent Officer’ 2012 - May), to exploring the implication of the economic uncertainty and political reforms (‘Let’s not waste a good crisis’ – July & ‘The FDI promise’ – November); we have focused on a wide spectrum of topics and strived to keep ourselves current. A very important issue this year was the paradigm shift we saw in Industrial Relations, from an HR issue to a business agenda (‘Shame – Labor violence, a blot on modern India’ – August). The feedback we got for the August story and the increase in public voice, spearheaded by the professional associations, reflects that businesses are taking responsibility for changing this situation.

In 2012, People Matters in partnership with DDI, created a platform for identifying and recognizing young leaders in the HR profession. ‘Are You in the List’ will reveal 25 young HR leaders in early 2013.

Like we do every year, People Matters participated and covered events across the board, from NHRDN, as the official magazine partner for their annual conference, to NASSCOM, CII, NIPM, ISTD, AIMA, EFI, TIE, MTHR, Institute of HRD, and many others. It is our endeavor to keep contributing and strengthening the community.

We would like to thank all our partners, contributors and well-wishers for supporting us to contribute meaningfully to the HR, leadership and management community. And most importantly, we thank our readers for giving their attention to the magazine and website, and engaging with us in the form of feedback, praise, suggestions and criticism.

For a great year ahead, we wish you a very Happy New Year!

Ester Martinez