When I look back at the journey of building organizations from scratch; recent one is a white label media outlet in Film City, Noida. I realize the passion that drove me was never just about HR entrepreneurship. It was about people. From the very first steps of setting up these organization’s core i.e. people; my vision was to build not simply a workplace, but a community of professionals who are inspired, collaborative, and committed to growth.
Many Leaders Ask: What are the Best HR Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team?
To me, the answer lies not in policies, but in culture. Yes, HR systems matter, but they succeed only when they nurture meaning, energy, and connection. In today’s era, especially with a workforce dominated by millennials and Gen Z, “retention” is no longer about monetary benefits. It’s about designing environments where people enjoy working, believe in the mission, and willingly contribute beyond their job descriptions.
This is the story of how I built workplaces with international standards, where employees not only achieve their KRAs but also choose to collaborate cross-functionally, volunteer ideas, and unlock their deepest potential.
The New-Age Workforce: What Drives Them
We often hear that younger generations “job-hop.” But in my experience, they don’t leave organizations because they want variety—they leave because something vital is missing: purpose, recognition, or opportunity to grow.
Unlike older workforce models that centered around job security and steady paychecks, today’s employees want experiences. They want freedom, creativity, learning opportunities, and the feeling of being valued.
Therefore, any effective HR practice today must evolve around a central question: How do we create a workplace people feel proud and excited to belong to? And I use five foundations to cook desired recipe.
- Psychological Safety as the First Piller of Foundation
The first HR principle we embedded was psychological safety. In our organization, every individual is encouraged to voice opinions without hesitation, share diverse perspectives, and even challenge ideas respectfully—even if it means questioning processes, policies or anything we can think of “why it was being used from ages”.
This practice emerged when an editorial team member once pointed out an unnoticed process bias in traditional policy document we were about to release. Instead of reprimanding, we applauded the courage and insight. This moment reinforced a culture where everyone knows their voice matters.
Because employees feel heard and respected, they are motivated to stay longer and engage more deeply. Trust becomes the strongest retention strategy.
- Moving Beyond KRAs: The Power of Volunteer Collaboration
One of the most distinctive aspects of our culture has been encouraging employees to step outside their silos. Traditionally, most companies bind workers within Key Result Areas (KRAs). While KRAs are important for accountability, they can also restrict innovation.
In our model, employees are free to volunteer for projects outside their defined roles. A graphic designer might collaborate with the editorial team to shape a campaign’s narrative. A finance associate may brainstorm with marketing colleagues on how budgets impact consumer targeting.
This cross-pollination of skills and perspectives achieves two things:
- It allows employees to explore untapped talents and learn beyond their job role.
- It creates a powerful sense of team ownership—work isn’t “mine or yours,” it’s “ours.”
The result is both higher engagement and stronger retention. People feel excited to collaborate because contribution goes beyond KRAs; it taps into passion.
- Building International Standards in Workplace Experience
It would have been easy to rent a functional office and get started. But we wanted more—we wanted an environment with international sensibilities. The workspace was designed to be ergonomic, tech-enabled, and visually inspiring. Discussion cafe, creative walls, collaborative pods—each element was curated to send a message: work can be enjoyable.
A physical space deeply affects energy. When employees come to an office where comfort, design, and innovation are visible, they naturally feel prouder about their workplace. Pride, in turn, translates into retention.
- Recognition: Celebrating Effort, Not Just Results
One of the traps traditional organizations fall into is recognizing only outcomes—“top performer of the month,” “sales star,” and so on. But what about those who brought creativity, supported a colleague, or simply displayed relentless effort?
In our HR approach, we ensure recognition is daily, informal, and inclusive. Whether through a quick shoutout in a team huddle, a thank-you note from leadership, or peer-to-peer appreciation platforms, employees feel regularly acknowledged.
This kind of recognition validates not just the achievers, but also the thinkers, collaborators, and contributors—creating a culture of belonging and loyalty.
- Growth Pathways That Inspire Loyalty
Career development has to evolve beyond the traditional ladder. Today’s workforce is less interested in “titles” and more interested in skills, exposure, and leadership opportunities.
Every employee in our organization is given access to:
- Mentorship from senior colleagues and international experts.
- Skill-building workshops aligned to both professional and personal interests.
- Global exposure through knowledge-sharing sessions on international media trends.
Employees see their time here not just as a job, but as an investment in their future. This perception is crucial for retaining ambitious young talent who refuse to stay stagnant.
- Culture, Not Policy, as Retention Strategy
The best HR practices are not tactical but cultural. For us, retention has never been about imposing rules or dangling perks. Instead, it flows naturally because of the culture we nurtured:
- Trust and inclusion—everyone feels safe to contribute ideas.
- Collaboration over silos—teams engage voluntarily across functions.
- Shared ownership—successes are celebrated collectively.
- Continuous learning—growth is constant and personalized.
Because of this, teams don’t just “work here”—they want to work here.
- A Day in This Culture
To put it simply, here’s how a day often looks in our office:
A producer brainstorms with a designer who isn’t assigned to the project but contributes because she’s passionate about the campaign. At lunch, a casual discussion about global streaming trends sparks a new product idea. Later in the evening, discussion café celebrates not just the anchor who brought in a big story, but also the backend technician who worked tirelessly to make the broadcast flawless.
What you witness here is not fragmented output – it’s a self-sustaining ecosystem of ownership, pride, and joy.
The Passion of Building Great Teams
Building an organization is less about business plans and more about people plans. My deepest passion has always been assembling teams that thrive not because they “have to” but because they “want to.” In my view, the best HR practices are not checklists to follow but values to embody. When you create psychological safety, foster voluntary collaboration, design great workspaces, recognize passion as much as performance, and open the door to career growth – you create a workplace that retains employees naturally.
At our newly built organization, retention never been any struggle because teams feel more than employed – they feel empowered, respected, and inspired. They see themselves as co-creators of an organization with international standards, where work is joy and collaboration is voluntary yet wholehearted. The experience speaks; therefore, eyes have started are popping up on our culture.
And in the end, this is the most powerful HR practice of all: Build a workplace people don’t want to leave.
