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100+ scientists quit ISRO. The government's fix? A ban on resignations. That is not retention. That is panic. And it is a lesson every HR leader needs to read before it becomes their story.
In This Edition We Cover
What is happening at ISRO
Why scientists are actually leaving
What the government got wrong
What HR should take from this
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1️⃣ What Is Happening
Over 100 ISRO scientists have resigned in recent months. Not junior employees. The Project Director of LVM3. The Project Director of SpaDeX. The simulation lead for Chandrayaan-3.
80 resignations from Bengaluru's URSC alone. Another 20 from VSSC in Thiruvananthapuram. Over 1,600 vacancies still unfilled.
The government's response: a July 14 memo banning scientists on Gaganyaan and flagship missions from resigning without Department of Space clearance.
🔖HR Playbook 8.0 speaker sneak peek 👀
An award-winning HR leader, executive coach, and board advisor—Dr. GP Rao brings decades of leadership wisdom to the Playbook stage.
Surabhi Sanchita (CHRO, Stanza Living) — Top 50 HR Leaders to Follow 2025, and our org-transformation wiz
Sirshendu Mookherjee (Group CHRO, Narayana Health) — 20 years untangling people problems at Tata, Nokia & Danaher
Neetu Singh (CHRO & India Site Leader, Naviga) — scaled HR across global tech & media for two decades, now taking on our AI debate
Rahul Maitra (Head HR, Amneal Pharmaceuticals) — rebuilt HR at Tata Motors, Merck & Ambuja Cement, also a board-level Independent Director
Latha Iyer (CHRO, Zaggle) — took Zaggle through its IPO while tripling the workforce
More will be revealed next week! Stay tuned.
2️⃣ Why They Are Leaving
💰 Private space firms offer higher salaries, stock options and ESOPs
📈 Startups give leadership roles years before ISRO's seniority ladder does
⚡ Private firms move fast. Government timelines do not
👥 Former ISRO officials are now founding the companies pulling talent out
ISRO built the ecosystem that is now competing with it. And it had no retention strategy ready.
3️⃣ What the Government Got Wrong
Restricting exits is an administrative solution to a compensation and culture problem.
As National Herald puts it, stricter exit rules do not fix pay, progression or flexibility. They just make government service less attractive to the next generation choosing between ISRO and Agnikul.
The Week says it plainly: the exit route was frozen. What is driving people toward it was not.
You cannot memo your way out of a retention problem.
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4️⃣ What HR Should Take From This
🔍 Audit exit data — are your top performers leaving for the same reasons? Pay, growth speed, flexibility and challenge are universal
💰 Benchmark against the right market — ISRO compared itself to other government agencies, not to its private competitors
📈 Build faster growth tracks — startups offer leadership roles 5 years earlier. Seniority ladders are a retention risk
💬 Run stay interviews — ISRO found out too late. You do not have to
🚫 Never restrict exits — it signals the offer is not good enough. That signal spreads fast
🎉 What’s Coming Up!
TSOW HR Meetup in Chandigarh | July 25
An interactive session for HRs who want less theory and more “this worked for us.” Seats are limited save yours now!
TSOW HR Meetup in Indore | July 25
An HR meetup for meaningful dialogue and shared learning.
Get your seat while spots last.TSOW HR Meetup in Kochi | July 25
Join fellow HR professionals in Kochi for an evening of networking, practical insights, and meaningful conversations. Reserve your spot today!
💬Is your organisation benchmarking retention against the right market? Drop it in #general-q&a — our leaders are ready to answer. 🙌
The TSOW HR Newsletter lands every Tuesday. Got something to share? You know where to find us.
