If HR had a group chat about 2026, this would be it.
From messy exits to performance myths to AI-powered decisions, nothing’s off the table.
The Shape of Work: HR Playbook 6.0 is not about templates or trends. It’s about pausing the defaults and examining how work is actually changing:
How exits shape employer trust and risk
How performance systems reward theatre over growth
Where policy intent diverges from lived experience
How AI and humans now coexist inside organisations
This six-hour virtual gathering brings together senior HR leaders, practitioners, founders, and thinkers for grounded conversations, practical workshops, and honest debate.
Agenda Highlights
1️⃣ The Last Mile of Employment: Exits, Gratuity, F&F, and Compliance
12:00 – 1:00 PM | Panel Discussion
Exits are often treated as administrative afterthoughts — but this is where risk, trust, and reputation quietly compound.
This panel explores:
Gratuity and full-and-final settlements
Compliance gaps and legal exposure
The employee experience of leaving
Handling separations at scale
Expect grounded insights from leaders who’ve managed exits in complex environments. More panelists to be announced.
2️⃣ Using Psychometric Surveys for Organisational Understanding
1:00 – 1:45 PM | Conversation + Live Demo
Part of the Centenary Commemoration of Udai Pareek
This session introduces psychometric surveys — grounded in Dr. Pareek’s work — as tools for diagnosis rather than decoration.
Participants will:
Explore culture and leadership diagnostics
Experience a live tool walkthrough
Learn how to use survey data meaningfully — not just display it in dashboards
This session blends conceptual grounding with practical application.
3️⃣ Reimagining Performance Appraisals from First Principles
2:15 – 3:00 PM | Ideation Lab
If we scrapped the annual performance review entirely — what would we build instead?
This structured working session invites senior HR leaders into a design lab conversation to unpack:
What performance should truly measure
How growth actually happens
What systems create accountability without performance theatre
Expect live ideation, reframing, and honest disagreement.
4️⃣When Background Checks Start Thinking: AI, Automation, and Human Judgment in BGV
3:00 – 3:30 PM | Conversation + Live Demo
Background verification is evolving from a static check into a dynamic operational system.
This session explores:
How AI and automation are reshaping BGV workflows
Implications for onboarding speed and risk management
Improving candidate experience through better process design
A live demonstration of emerging approaches
5️⃣ When Progressive Policies Meet the Workplace
3:30 – 4:30 PM | Panel Discussion
Progressive policies often sound perfect on paper. Implementation is messier.
This panel examines:
Menstruation leave
Caregiver and family leave
Mental health policies
Flexible work arrangements
Inclusion frameworks
Return-to-office exceptions
Where does intent collide with lived experience? What works? What quietly fails — and why?
6️⃣ The Manager Role in an AI-Enabled Workplace
4:30 – 5:15 PM | Conversation
As AI embeds itself into everyday work, the manager’s role is quietly but fundamentally shifting.
This session explores:
Where human judgment still matters most
Balancing data with discretion
What leadership looks like when algorithms are always in the room
7️⃣ Interviews Are Stories. Assessments Are Signals.
5:15 – 6:00 PM | Conversation
Interviews reveal narratives. Assessments provide evidence.
This closing conversation explores:
Building assessment-led hiring without losing humanity
Improving fairness and decision quality
Designing the future hiring stack
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Why This Edition Matters
Work is changing — not in headlines, but in day-to-day practice.
HR Playbook 6.0 is designed for leaders who want to question assumptions, rethink systems, and shape organisations deliberately rather than reactively.
Join us for six hours of grounded thinking, structured dialogue, and practical takeaways.
We look forward to welcoming you.
-Team TSOW
