As workplaces chase growth, digital agility, and Gen Z engagement, one quiet truth is rising to the surface: wellness doesn’t begin with HR—it begins with leadership.
In this compelling episode of Wellness at Work India, two experienced HR voices from different worlds come together to deliver a grounded, inside-out view of what it really takes to build cultures of trust, belonging, and emotional well-being.
Both guests agree: mental wellness isn’t an initiative—it’s an outcome of leadership behavior. You can’t outsource empathy or coach trust through policies alone. In fact, culture isn’t crafted in HR meetings—it’s shaped in 1:1s, team huddles, and how managers react when people fail.
Hardip shares lessons from scaling people systems in startup and MNC settings—where the absence of structure, or too much of it, can break trust. Kaushal goes deep into how long-term thinking, not just hitting KRAs, creates lasting engagement and prevents burnout.
Their shared view? Leadership coaching is the missing link in most wellness strategies. Managers must be trained, not just informed—and conversations should shift from performance to purpose.
While most organizations talk about agility, inclusivity, and innovation, both Kaushal and Hardip point out the gap between what’s printed and what’s practiced. From Gen Z’s demand for meaning at work, to returnship support for women post-career breaks, they cover the nuances of inclusion that can’t be solved with checklists.
They emphasize:
“If your people can’t speak freely to their manager, no amount of wellness programs will matter.”
This episode is a must-listen for HR professionals, founders, and people managers looking to build human-first organizations that don’t burn out their best people.
Head of Talent Management at Bajaj Consumer Care, brings deep expertise in performance, engagement, and long-term organizational culture.
An HR transformation leader and engineer-turned-people champion, brings a unique lens from startups, brownfield transitions, and people systems built from the ground up.
