Rajita Singh: Has Employee Engagement Outgrown Its Traditional Model?

Is the traditional employee engagement model still relevant? What do you believe will matter most to employees in the next two to three years, and how should CHROs rethink engagement?

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Responding to this, Rajita Singh, Chief People Officer (India) & Global Delivery HR Leader at Kyndryl, said:

Employee engagement is still important, but what keeps employees engaged is changing. People continue to value recognition, support and meaningful work, but they also want opportunities to learn, grow and prepare for the future.

This makes continuous learning an important part of engagement over the next two to three years. As AI, cloud and cybersecurity reshape roles, skills and experience are becoming as important as traditional qualifications.

At the same time, technology roles are becoming more complex and increasingly require a combination of technical expertise, problem-solving, adaptability and the ability to work with new technologies. This makes it important for organisations to look beyond traditional qualifications and focus on the skills people have and can develop.

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A skills-first approach therefore can help organisations access a wider talent pool while giving employees more opportunities to build careers around their capabilities.

At Kyndryl, this approach helps us respond to changing technology and business needs. AI has also made the gap between technology adoption and workforce readiness more visible.

Our Kyndryl People Readiness Report further highlights that while 56% of Indian organisations say AI is already broadly deployed or embedded in core business processes, only 25% say their workforce is fully ready for AI. For CHROs, closing this gap will be critical not just by introducing new technology, but by giving employees the skills, confidence and opportunities to use it effectively.

This calls for a shift in how organisations think about engagement and leadership. Engagement cannot be a standalone HR initiative; it needs to be part of the everyday employee experience. Leaders must build trust, encourage shared ownership and create opportunities for people to learn and adapt.

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The future of engagement is therefore more personalised creating a workplace where employees can see a clear path forward and feel supported in achieving it.