Soft words and hard arguments at fifth consecutive HR debate

Monday, 9 June 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Edition Five of the Great HR Debate will be held at the annual National HR Conference (NHRC) 2014. The conference, organised by the Sri Lanka’s leader in HR, the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) is acclaimed as the biggest HR event in South Asia. The Great HR Debate is a much loved event of the conference and as the day of this much sought-after happening draws near, the entire HR fraternity of the country awaits it with much fervor and bated breath – so much of excitement and expectation fills the air!

Commenting on this year’s debate, The Great HR Debate Chairman Bhatiya Hettiarachchi states that every year the enthusiasm for the debate has grown since its inception in 2009. According to him the ‘Great HR Debate’ has reached an almost iconic state – cherished and prized by both participants and the audience who are riveted by all what it entails! The initial rounds of debate are held prior to the day of the conference and the final round is held at the conference itself. This year it is scheduled for the first day of the conference, i.e. 18 June; the National HR Conference will be held on the 18 and 19 of June. As many as 15 teams had registered for the debate out of which eight teams had qualified for the second round through several knock-out sessions. The IPM records its gratitude to Commercial Bank, the sponsors of the ‘Great HR Debate 2014’ who have done so for the past three consecutive years: “Thank You Commercial Bank – we are truly grateful!” The moot-points are related to current issues, contemporary concepts of Human Resource Management & Development, present-day controversies and HR-and national related-interests. Elaborating on the ‘how and why’ the debate element was introduced to the conference, the chairman states that it encourages diverse perspectives and concepts of HR to be ventilated. The debate also provides a platform for boosting individual, as well as, team performance, encourages team-work and showcases talent, hitherto lying latent! A platform provided only by IPM, the Great HR Debate, is a splendid opportunity for young managers to hone their communication and debating skills. It is a national level debate and thus the recognition the participants receive are of immeasurable value. According to the chairman all participants are winners: the effort, amount of researching, studying, passion and moxie that goes in to the preparation for each debate itself is awe inspiring!