International HR Day: CHROs share the biggest workplace shifts employees must prepare for

The modern workplace is becoming harder to predict and far less linear.

Across sectors, HR leaders say employees are navigating a work environment shaped by AI adoption, changing business models, faster execution cycles and rising expectations around flexibility, wellbeing and career growth. 

What makes this shift notable is that companies are no longer discussing transformation as a future possibility. Most believe it is already underway.

This International HR Day, conversations with CHROs and HR heads across technology, logistics, hospitality, retail and financial services revealed a common pattern emerging inside organisations: employers are increasingly prioritising adaptability, continuous learning and human judgement alongside technical capability.

“In today’s environment of constant disruption, empowering people to lead with confidence requires a strong culture of continuous learning, adaptability, and trust,” said Richard Lobo, Chief People Officer at Tech Mahindra.

That pressure to continuously adapt is now visible across industries.

In fintech, speed and execution are becoming major workforce differentiators. Gaurav Sharma, CHRO at True Balance, said AI-led transformation is reshaping hiring expectations and increasing demand for employees who demonstrate agility and adaptability.

“The key differentiator here for any company would be speed and execution,” Sharma said. “The AI skills are becoming more and more important due to speed requirements.”

The logistics sector is witnessing a similar shift. According to Beena Mathen Jacob, CHRO at Blue Dart, organisations are looking for professionals who are “adaptable, digitally confident, and capable of navigating increasingly technology-driven environments.”

But companies are also recognising that employee expectations themselves are changing.

Jacob noted that workers increasingly want “meaningful growth, continuous learning, and a stronger sense of wellbeing and purpose at work,” adding that upskilling and reskilling are becoming business priorities rather than standalone HR initiatives.

Human skills are becoming more valuable, not less

While AI continues to dominate workplace conversations, many HR leaders stressed that automation is increasing the importance of human capabilities rather than replacing them entirely.

“The conversation around AI in the workplace often focuses on automation and productivity, but the more meaningful shift is happening at a human level,” said Chandrashekar, Regional Director – People & Talent at Harness.

He added that employees now expect “clarity, trust, and opportunities to grow alongside these new systems,” while organisations that succeed will be those that treat AI “as a capability enhancer rather than a replacement strategy.”

That balance between digital fluency and human understanding is becoming especially important in sectors serving regional and semi-urban markets.

At Saarathi Finance, Head of Human Resources Sangita Majumdar described hiring for what she called “ground intelligence”.

“We are hiring for what I call 'ground intelligence': an understanding of informal income patterns, local trust dynamics, and semi-urban business cycles. No MBA program teaches that,” she said.

Majumdar added that while AI is changing lending operations “from underwriting to onboarding”, the company still views technology as “a support layer, not a replacement.”

“The human still has to walk in through the door,” she said.

That emphasis on human-centric leadership surfaced repeatedly across conversations this year.

“The ability to lead with compassion, listen with patience, and create spaces where people feel valued has become more important than ever,” said Saurabh Mangrulkar, Founder and CEO of Beep App.

Companies are rethinking workforce strategy

Beyond hiring priorities, organisations are also reworking how they build and retain talent ecosystems.

In retail, employers are placing greater emphasis on emotional intelligence, customer-first thinking and adaptability as automation becomes more integrated into operations.

According to Chetana Parashar, Head – HR at 7-Eleven Global Solution Center, organisations are increasingly looking beyond traditional skill sets while investing more heavily in inclusive leadership and continuous learning cultures.

Hospitality companies are also reshaping workforce strategies as expansion moves beyond major cities.

“People have always remained at the heart of the hospitality industry,” said Dhinakaran K, Associate VP, HR at Tamara Leisure Experiences.

He pointed to growing investment in local talent ecosystems, regional hiring and structured learning initiatives. Nearly 50% of the company’s workforce is hired locally across its portfolio, alongside programmes focused on internal mobility, wellness initiatives and women returning to the workforce.

Meanwhile, leaders across sectors repeatedly highlighted:

• continuous learning
• cross-functional collaboration
• digital capability
• adaptability
• leadership resilience

as skills becoming increasingly critical inside modern workplaces.

At Aptech Limited, Chief Human Resources Officer Shourya K. Chakravarty said organisations that combine “technology with adaptability, continuous learning, and human capability” will shape the next phase of workplace innovation.

Workplace expectations are shifting on both sides

The broader shift emerging from HR leaders is not simply technological.

Companies are redefining employability. Employees are redefining what they expect from employers. Both are happening simultaneously.

According to Lulu Khandeshi, CHRO at ManpowerGroup, organisations are increasingly moving toward “skills-first talent models” while also responding to employee expectations around transparency, empathy, flexibility and purpose-driven cultures.

At Ascent HR Technologies, CHRO Murali Santhanam said organisations are focusing on building “agile, future-ready workforces” while balancing automation with collaboration, empathy and innovation.

The result is a workplace that is evolving faster than traditional career structures were designed for.

For employees, the message from HR leaders this year was relatively consistent: technical skills still matter, but learning agility, resilience and human judgement may increasingly define long-term career relevance.