In this exclusive interview with CXO Media, Aseem Nath Tripathi, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Multiplier, shares his perspective on how HR is evolving in a fast-changing business environment.
He discusses building future-ready talent, leveraging technology to enhance HR processes, and maintaining compliance while supporting a large and diverse workforce. He also highlights the key HR trends shaping organisations in the years ahead.
What are your main priorities as Chief Human Resources Officer at Multiplier?
We operate in an environment shaped by rapid technological advancements, evolving labour laws, shifting client expectations, and the changing aspirations of newer generations, particularly Gen Z. Keeping up with the pace of these changes is the main priority for me. Being the custodian of culture and change at India’s leading tech-enabled field marketing solutions company, my key focus is to ensure that our people practices are in sync with the business strategy.
The pace of technological change—especially the transition towards an AI-driven, mobile-first world—has fundamentally altered how work is performed. This requires us to continuously re-evaluate policies, processes, and operating models to make them more efficient, agile, and future-ready.
As automation and AI increasingly take over routine and entry-level tasks, job roles are becoming more fluid and skill-oriented. Upskilling and reskilling are no longer optional; they are a business imperative. Preparing our workforce to remain relevant, adaptable, and future-fit is a key area of focus.
Equally important is responding to the evolving expectations of the workforce. Today’s employees seek purpose-driven careers, flexibility, autonomy, meaningful work, and a strong emphasis on health and well-being. Creating an engaging and inclusive work environment that motivates employees and aligns individual purpose with organizational goals is a priority for us.
From a compliance standpoint, with the introduction of the new labour codes—covering Wages, Social Security, OSH, and Industrial Relations—we are proactively aligning our salary structures and statutory processes. Given that we manage a large field force across India for our clients, ensuring end-to-end compliance at scale is both a responsibility and a core strength.
Finally, as a last-mile retail-focused organization, we operate close to the consumer. Rapidly changing consumer preferences directly impact our clients, and consequently, their expectations from partners like us. Staying ahead of these shifts and ensuring our workforce is equipped to meet evolving client demands remains a continuous challenge—and a key priority.
What are the biggest challenges in hiring talent today?
One of the most significant challenges in hiring today is identifying genuine, job-ready talent that combines the right skills with adaptability, learning agility, and cultural alignment. While technology has made talent more accessible, it has also made screening more complex. The widespread use of AI tools has led to near-perfect CVs, making it increasingly difficult to assess authenticity and real capabilities at the initial screening stage. As a result, deeper evaluation mechanisms—such as structured interviews, practical assessments, and robust background verification—have become critical to ensure credibility, integrity, and long-term fit.
Another challenge is the noticeable decline in commitment levels during the hiring lifecycle. Candidates often drop out at advanced stages, renegotiate terms post-offer, or join with short-term intent. This is particularly evident among Gen Z talent, whose expectations from employers are evolving rapidly. Today’s workforce looks beyond compensation—they seek flexibility, hybrid working models, meaningful and challenging job roles, rapid learning opportunities, and holistic benefits that support well-being. Aligning these expectations with business realities, while maintaining productivity and accountability, requires thoughtful workforce design, clear communication, and a strong employer value proposition.
What are the training and development opportunities at Multiplier for the skill enhancement of employees?
At Multiplier, learning is not viewed as a one-time intervention but as a continuous, immersive experience embedded into everyday work life. We actively promote a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing through multiple formal and informal platforms designed to address both functional excellence and holistic development.
One of our key internal initiatives is Quick Learning Moments (QLM)—monthly sessions where employees voluntarily share insights, best practices, and lessons learned from their day-to-day responsibilities. Complementing this is our cross-departmental internal training framework, where subject matter experts from within the organization conduct structured knowledge-sharing sessions throughout the year. These programs enable employees to gain exposure to diverse functions, strengthen cross-functional understanding, and build enterprise-wide capabilities.
To bring in fresh perspectives and external expertise, Multiplier also organizes a Guest Lecture Series on a regular basis. Industry experts and thought leaders are invited to conduct sessions on topics aligned with the professional interests and developmental needs of our workforce. These lectures are designed to inspire new thinking, provide insights into emerging industry trends, and help employees stay future-ready in an evolving business landscape.
Beyond conventional learning formats, we strongly believe in experiential and creative approaches to development. A unique initiative in this space is “Acting ki Pathshala,” led by the Multiplier Natya Mandali. As part of our fortnightly Living by Value townhall sessions, employees perform 30–40 minute skits that creatively depict real workplace scenarios. These performances address critical themes such as stress management, time management, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal effectiveness. By combining humour, storytelling, and real-life relevance, these skits make learning engaging, memorable, and deeply impactful, while also providing employees a platform to showcase their creative talents.
In addition to these initiatives, Multiplier is deeply committed to structured career growth. Our Career Development Policy, applicable to all employees who have completed six months with the organization across India, provides access to continuous learning and advancement opportunities. We have partnered with reputed academic institutions and universities, enabling employees to pursue higher education and certification programs at exclusive corporate rates.
Aligned with our leadership development roadmap, we also invest in targeted capability-building interventions focused on decision-making, people management, change leadership, and strategic thinking in key team members. Company-sponsored programs such as Management Development Programs (MDPs) and Executive Development Programs (EDPs) play a critical role in preparing our future leaders to take on expanded, cross-functional responsibilities.
What role does technology play in your HR processes?
Automation and digitisation are continuous processes at Multiplier. We regularly evaluate processes from hiring, onboarding, performance assessments, and engagement to find opportunities for automation wherever possible. Over the last few years, many of the HR Processes which were earlier manual have been automated.
Recently, we have automated our Employee’s Helpdesk, where all queries of our employees are resolved with a click on our WhatsApp Bot called M-Buddy. Employees have been empowered to fetch details related to PF, ESIC, Salary, Bank Account,t etc. Issuance of appointment letter and acceptance thereof, which used to happen on the employee self-service portal, has now moved to WhatsApp.
Key processes such as issuance and acceptance of appointment letters, which earlier required portal access, are now seamlessly managed through WhatsApp. Additionally, we regularly conduct pulse surveys and voice-of-the-employee feedback through our HR app and WhatsApp, allowing us to capture real-time insights and respond swiftly to employee suggestions, concerns, and feedback.
How do you ensure compliance while managing employees?
At Multiplier, compliance is not treated merely as a statutory requirement—it is deeply embedded in our organizational ethos and forms the foundation of our business model. We are committed to ensuring that every employee receives all legally mandated benefits, including minimum wages, statutory bonus, provident fund, ESIC, and other social security entitlements, especially given our responsibility of managing a large, geographically dispersed field force across India.
With the introduction of the new labour codes covering Wages, Social Security, Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions (OSH), and Industrial Relations, we have taken a proactive and structured approach to preparedness. This includes aligning our wage structures, reviewing salary components, strengthening statutory reporting mechanisms, and upgrading systems to ensure seamless compliance once the codes are fully implemented. Continuous audits, technology-enabled compliance tracking, and close collaboration with legal and statutory experts help us stay future-ready. For us, ensuring compliance at scale—right up to the last mile—is not just about risk mitigation, but about building trust with employees, clients, and regulators alike.
What HR trends should companies pay attention to in the next few years?
The HR landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation, and organizations must prepare for a future where agility, skills, and technology intersect. One of the most prominent trends will be the digitization of routine HR processes through Generative and Agentic AI, enabling HR teams to shift focus from transactional activities to strategic value creation. AI-driven tools will increasingly support recruitment, learning personalization, workforce analytics, and employee engagement.
Another critical trend is the growing emphasis on continuous skilling, upskilling, and reskilling across all levels of the organization. Job roles will continue to evolve, with a stronger focus on skills rather than fixed titles, leading to an increase in cross-functional and hybrid roles. The demand for multi-skilled, adaptable talent will rise, requiring organizations to rethink workforce planning and capability-building models.
HR will increasingly act as an enabler of change—supporting business transformation, cultural evolution, and leadership readiness. At the same time, employee engagement will be driven less by traditional incentives and more by organizational culture, values, flexibility, health, well-being, and the sense of purpose employees derive from their work. Companies that successfully integrate these elements into their people strategy will be better positioned to attract, retain, and inspire future talent.
