Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO of Tata Play Ltd, recently sparked a social media debate with his controversial statement about hiring practices. In a LinkedIn post, Nagpal discussed the importance of embracing employees' unique beliefs and attitudes, urging companies to "rent people" instead of focusing on building employees' careers within their organization. He wrote, “Don’t build careers. Rent people. This isn’t their first job. They won’t retire here.” Nagpal's opening remark, encouraging companies to "rent people," immediately caught the attention of social media users. While some applauded his fresh perspective on talent acquisition, others were left puzzled by his choice of words. The phrase sparked a mixed response, with many questioning the implications behind the seemingly transactional term. In his post, Nagpal, however, shared the importance of recognizing and respecting employees' diverse backgrounds and experiences. He encouraged employers to shift their mindset away from expecting long-term loyalty and instead focus on creating an environment where individuals can thrive and grow in their own unique ways. By urging companies to "rent people," Nagpal challenged the conventional notion of hiring for a long-term commitment. He pointed out the reality that most employees today do not stay with one company for the entirety of their careers and that organizations need to adapt to this new dynamic. Nagpal's message ultimately centered around the idea of fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth within the workplace. By allowing employees the freedom to explore their own paths and interests, companies can create a more innovative and dynamic environment that adapts to the ever-changing needs of both employees and the business. An individual commented on his post, “Your perspective on empowering employees is inspiring, but I respectfully disagree with the “rent people” analogy. While it’s true that employees may not stay with one company forever, treating the relationship as purely transactional undermines the importance of long-term investment in individuals.” #startuppedia #startup #hiring #job #talent
Tata used to be a place where people could spend their whole career from fresher to retirement. Any such establishment should be a benchmark. Otherwise, just like the company which doesn't want to build solid relationship with employees, the employees also won't give a damn about the company and its existence. Soon, customers will also not give a damn about the company.
Harit Nagpal's perspective encourages us to rethink the employer-employee dynamic in today’s fast-paced world. While "renting people" may sound transactional, it highlights the need for workplaces that balance career adaptability with a genuine commitment to employee growth and well-being.
Strongly agreed ✅ Well, I have seen many companies that only hires people but no work is actually done. Employees are underpaid Work isn’t done. Why to hire? Instead, the ceo can get a freelancer and get the work done . Profit margin will be high for the ceo, The freelancer gets what he charges along with an experience. Temporary Freelancer > full time employee
May be a good experiment. Another idea or thought aligned to a long journey for the enterprises would be ‘A purpose built contract’ that would engage a squad for a fixed period of time and is bound by a realisable value proposition that favors both the contractors and the enterprises.
Better work culture and career development can make the job more rewarding for company and employees. If company fulfills, no employee wants to leave the company in short term.
Very open and forward looking thought where Freedom of choice for employees is an option , this is one side and there are other leaders where company sign bonds forcing employees to serve them for specific period of time. Rent people will give opportunity to many to be on their own terms , this also opens up opportunities for small nitche players to be engage with big companies .
This kind of words should not come from a person who is part of Tata Group. It seems the perspectives are changing. Tata group always treated their employees as part of family. And now well renowned person is going to rent the family members.
It takes two to tango, the employees want short term focus and now employers also want to focus short term. However, someone should ask the CEO about notice period and he will still say 90 days or more. Maybe the time has come for less than a month notice period and free flow of talent.
Process and Manufacturing Engineer
2dI actually rent employers. I work on a project and do justice. Once that is complete I take a break and then rent another employer. Believe me it is fun. You also learn a lot. After all I should be the pilot of my career. If employee rethinks their strategy we can control our employers. Just sit back and think about it without the usual knee jerk comment.