An efficient HR team is vital to any organisation. More so, to an organisation as vast as ArcelorMittal, the world?s largest steelmaker, with operations in 61 countries and over 3.2 lakh employees worldwide. At a recent interaction with the media at ArcelorMittal?s Tubarao plant in Brazil, the head of Brazilian operations Jose Armando Campos was highlighting the company?s HR initiatives. The presentation went on and on. Just as he finished explaining a complex chart, an aide walked up to him and extended a large glass of water. Campos drank it, cleared his throat, and declared with a satisfied flourish, ?Now you know what I meant when I said we had an HR team that understands.? Campos then proceeded to thank his HR manager, who was all smiles. The presentation lasted another 90 minutes. But the part the audience couldn?t get out of their head was the thirst empathy moment.
Fine lives
Quick, which is the fastest growing age group in the world? Er, hmmmm, well… Okay, then, take your time. This deceptively simple question was posed to an audience by the top executive of a consultancy. Many in the audience promptly said, ?the youth?, but the executive had a surprise to offer. ?It?s the age group above 100 years,? he revealed, saying that there were more than three lakh people in the world in triple digits. He laid bare the basics of longevity to explain how demographics were vital for banks in planning their services. In India, for example, there are 560 million people under 25, and 270 million in their 20s. That?s a lot of lives, and with a loooong way to go.