Public Sector Veterans × Privatisation Gurus × Beachwear × New HR Wisdom

The second morning in Thailand was supposed to be “Rest & Relax.”

But of course, HR people being HR people… they turned the poolside into a confession couch.

A bunch of the old PSU stalwarts were sprawled on loungers — sunglasses on, mocktails in hand — legs dipped in the pool, reminiscing like long-lost hostel friends who suddenly discovered free WiFi and good karma.

And the conversation started exactly the way you'd expect:

“Arre yaar… agar yeh sab pehle pata hota na… toh hum log privatize hi nahi hote!”

Everyone burst out laughing — because the truth always arrives wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

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Scene 1: The Realisation Hits… But Softly

One senior leader, Mr. I-Know-Everyone-in-Delhi, said:

“You know boys… when they explained Employer Branding yesterday,

I felt like all these years we were selling a Ferrari with an Ambassador brochure.”

Another chimed in:

“True yaar… hum ‘Cost-Per-Hire’ par ladte reh gaye…

aur duniya ‘Quality of Hire’ ke peeche bhaag rahi thi!”

A third added:

“We thought Talent Acquisition matlab Recruitment 2.0…

But bro… this is like comparing Doordarshan to Netflix.”

Everyone laughed again — but this time with a pinch of “ouch.”

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Scene 2: The Emotional Flashback

When the Private Company experts had explained the Dos & Don’ts,

the old PSU guards understood something painfully funny:

They weren’t inefficient —

they were just playing in an old stadium with outdated rules.

One of them sighed dramatically:

“Humne life bhar ‘order taking’ ko professionalism samjha…

And these kids are out here doing talent forecasting like astrologers with APIs.”

Another one nodded:

“Hum toh sahi candidate mil gaya toh ladoo baant dete the…

Aaj kal toh passive candidates ko bhi courting chalu rehta hai.”

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Scene 3: The Gyan + Comedy Combo

By the second hour, the conversation became both deep and hilarious.

Someone said:

“Honestly, our biggest DON’T was assuming HR is a ‘support function’.

Baaki duniya toh kab se HR ko ‘Strategic Weapon’ bol rahi thi!”

Another one laughed:

“Humne Employer Branding ka matlab samjha —

‘put a recruitment ad in the newspaper before annual hiring’.

In logon ne Insta Reels bana rakhe hain bhai!”

The senior-most guy — white beard, gold chain, and the wisdom of a retired philosopher — finally declared:

“Dekho… humme lagta tha hum log modern hain…

Par ab lag raha hai hum Opera House mein pagdi pehenke EDM sunne aa gaye the.”

Poolside erupted again.

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Scene 4: The New Hope

Finally, after all the laughter, nostalgia, and gentle self-roasting,

the mood shifted to something warm and quietly proud.

One of the seniors said softly:

“You know… I’m actually glad we are learning this now.

At least we will not be the reason the next generation feels stuck.”

Another smiled:

“Privatization saved the company…

But this trip saved us. Seriously. I feel 10 years younger.”

And the last punchline came from the guy holding a coconut with a straw:

“Bas ek request… next time HR training Thailand mein ho…

Recruitment ki jagah toh hum log Talent Acquisition ko gale laga lenge!”

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Final Takeaway (Their Words, Not Mine)

Sitting by that pool, under the Thai sun, all of them agreed on one final truth:

“Old HR taught us how to manage people. New HR is teaching us how to understand them.”

That line hits different, doesn’t it?