Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 20: HROne, India’s leading HR software, in association with NHRD – Kolkata Chapter and HR Commune, hosted the Kolkata Chapter of HROne PROPEL, continuing its national movement to create a space where HRs don’t whisper, but speak up.
Anchored in the theme “Reimagining Work: Where AI Ends and HR Begins,” the evening featured a compelling keynote by Ranjan Banerjee, Group Head – Human Resources, Berger Paints India, followed by a powerful panel discussion on empathy, judgment, and the real limits of artificial intelligence at work. Together, the sessions tackled a question HR leader across industries are actively grappling with: Is AI a hype, help, or a headache?
After impactful chapters across India, HROne PROPEL– India’s most unconventional HR leadership movement arrived in Kolkata, bringing together senior HR leaders, CHROs, and people practitioners. The focus was clear: not just what AI can do for HR, but what it never should and where human judgment, empathy, and responsibility must take the lead.
Ranjan Banerjee Cuts Through the AI Noise to Reveal What HR Must Own
Taking centre stage, Ranjan Banerjee delivered the keynote session “The Real Impact of AI on HR: Hype, Help or Headache?” cutting through the noise surrounding AI adoption with grounded, real-world insight.
Drawing from lived leadership experience, he spoke candidly about where AI genuinely adds value for HR- driving efficiency, insights, and scale and where unchecked dependence on algorithms can quietly erode trust, fairness, and context.
He urged HR leaders to move beyond both fascination and fear, asking sharper, more responsible questions: Who does this decision affect? What context is missing? And who owns the outcome when an algorithm gets it wrong?
The session left the room with a clear reminder: AI may accelerate processes, but accountability still rests with people.
Powerful Panel Experienced HRs Discovers What AI Can Measure, and What It Can’t Understand
The conversation deepened with a panel discussion titled “What AI Can’t Feel: Why Empathy Still Runs the Workplace.”
Featuring Barnendu Das, Rashmita Parija, and Vineeta Mehta, the panel brought together diverse perspectives on leadership, culture, and employee experience. The discussion explored moments where empathy outweighs efficiency- difficult conversations, transitions, burnout, inclusion, and trust-building.
Panelists reflected the growing responsibility of HR leaders to balance data-driven decision-making with emotional intelligence, especially in times of uncertainty and change. The consensus was unmistakable: while AI can inform decisions, it cannot replace the human ability to listen, sense nuance, and respond with care.
HR Commune Ignites Collective Thinking and Honest Dialogue at PROPEL Kolkata
The HR Commune booth, powered by HROne, became a space for unfiltered dialogue. HR leaders exchanged stories, debated AI’s role in people’s decisions, and explored the People’s Playbook Collection, including AI in HR, Gen Z Management, The HRBP’s Guide, and How to Buy HR Tech.
HR Commune continues to grow as one of India’s boldest HR communities (6000+ HRs) built not around titles, but shared realities. Its purpose remains simple yet radical: to give HRs a space where their voice matters and their lived experience counts.
PROPEL Kolkata Sends a Strong Signal on the Future of AI in HR
The HROne PROPEL – Kolkata Chapter reflected HR’s evolving responsibility in an AI-powered world. From Ranjan Banerjee’s grounded keynote to the panel’s honest conversations on empathy, the evening reinforced a singular truth: technology can assist, but leadership still requires human judgment.
With every city, PROPEL sharpens HROne’s mission not to make HR louder, but clearer; not just faster, but more thoughtful through community, courage, and clarity, not technology alone.
“AI will continue to change how work gets done, but it can’t decide what is right, fair, or humane. That responsibility will always belong to people. PROPEL Kolkata was about giving HR leaders the confidence to own that responsibility and the voice to act on it.”
– Karan Jain, Founder, HROne
With Kolkata, HROne PROPEL now spans 16+ cities, 4,000+ attendees, and 70+ featured speakers, making it one of India’s most consistent and trusted HR leadership platforms. Each chapter resists replication, bringing new themes, local perspectives, and real conversations that keep the movement relevant.
The Next Big HR Conversation Is Coming with HROne’s Virtual AI Summit
Building on this momentum, HROne will be hosting its the World’s Largest Virtual AI Summit on 12th– 13th February 2026, a two-day global gathering focused on the real, lived impact of AI on HR. Dr.T .V. Rao, Harjeet Khanduja, Dieter Veldsman, Vikas Dua, Reetu Raina, Gauri Das, Vivek Jain along with 30+ speakers will be sharing their wisdom live in 12+ online sessions.
As HROne continues to build India’s simplest, AI-supercharged HCM software, PROPEL carries its parallel mission: to remind the world that while technology executes, humans decide. Together, they reflect a unified vision- to elevate HR from a support role to a strategic voice shaping culture, choices, and the future of work.
About HROne
HROne is the World’s Simplest, Al-supercharged HR software built to empower HR teams to work smarter, faster, and more human. From hire to retire, HROne automates processes across 10+ powerful modules covering recruitment, payroll, performance, attendance, and everything in between so your HR team can stop chasing tasks and start driving impact.
At the heart of HROne is the One Al Suite-featuring India’s first voice-enabled, execution-first Al Agent. Just say the task, and it’s done. It also brings you InboxForHR™, an ROI dashboard, and an award-winning mobile app-designed to cut through everyday HR clutter and give your team valuable time back.
HROne HR software is trusted by 2000+ leading brands and loved by over 10 lakh daily users, HROne has been ranked #1 for Customer Satisfaction in the HCM Software category at G2’s Best Software Awards and as Gartner’s Voice of Customer.
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