The Times of India, 03 May 2004 — "HR Outsourcing: New Mantra for Indian Companies" · Interview with Anil Mahajane, Talent Hunt Private Limited · Published via Press Trust of India (PTI)
Publication Details
A New Outsourcing Revolution Taking Shape at Home
At a time when India was rapidly becoming the global hub for IT and business process outsourcing, another revolution was beginning to take shape much closer to home. Indian organisations were starting to explore whether specialised Human Resources functions — recruitment, payroll, training and administration — could themselves be outsourced to external experts.
A Hewitt Associates survey, "Outsourcing in the Asia-Pacific", confirmed the situation: many companies in the region were either unfamiliar with HR outsourcing processes or unaware of the players operating in the space. Anil Mahajane was one of the few practitioners speaking publicly about what the industry would need to overcome.
Observations from Anil Mahajane
Why Indian Companies Were Still Hesitant
The article identified several factors hampering the growth of HR outsourcing in India beyond cost and awareness:
- Fear of job losses — internal HR teams were understandably resistant to outsourcing their own functions
- Confidentiality concerns — losing control over employee data was a significant deterrent
- Quality uncertainty — companies were unsure what they would receive from vendors
- Pricing inconsistency — without benchmarks, vendor quotes varied widely, eroding confidence
- Security and ethics — concerns about data breaches and outsourcing vendor accountability
Despite these headwinds, the article noted that the industry was entering a transition phase as the economic climate improved and awareness grew.
The "New Mantra" That Became a Business Necessity
What was described in 2004 as a "new mantra" is today an integral element of how organisations manage their workforce. Modern businesses of all sizes rely on specialised HR partners for:
This Times of India article is among the earliest mainstream discussions on HR outsourcing in India, capturing a critical moment in the industry's evolution — and demonstrating Anil Mahajane's early grasp of the structural shifts ahead.