The chief executive officer of PanoTech Solutions was troubled by the escalating mental health crisis among employees in the IT industry, including severe cases such as suicide attempts and self-harm. Internally, his staff had voiced concerns over stress, heavy workloads, and work–life balance, issues that were exacerbating high attrition rates and the loss of top talent. To address such challenges in a cultural environment where mental health stigma remained high and only a fraction of those needing mental health care sought help, PanoTech was exploring options such as AI counselling through Wysa, Mental Health First Aid India’s educational programs, and suicide prevention training from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience. The firm was particularly interested in the potential of AI but needed to establish measurable key performance indicators that could gauge the success of the chosen interventions. The challenge lay in assessing the solution’s costs and effectiveness, and adapting it to suit a predominantly remote workforce. PanoTech’s decision revolved around selecting a solution that effectively addressed mental health concerns while considering cultural sensitivities and measurable outcomes for employee well-being.

Prakash Singhal is an intelligent, strategic, and hardworking technology integrations project lead at WinCorp. He has taken up this position after a successful tenure at a leading consulting firm and postgraduation at a top-tier Indian business school. An avid traveler and explorer, Singhal has been excited about the company policy of working from anywhere thrice a week and spending only two days a week in the physical office. He soon settles into his team and begins working with his supervisor Anurag Das and his direct report Vivek Joshi. He begins working on landing a huge technology transformation project with ABD Group, an Indian manufacturing conglomerate and prepares a proposal for them. The client is busy with some internal audit and asks the project team, at the very last minute, to present its proposal in its office. Though Singhal has been utilizing his work-from-anywhere days and travelling, he agrees to the meeting and decides to join virtually while Das and Joshi decide to attend in person. Due to some network issues at the client's location, Singhal is unable to participate, and Joshi takes the lead on the proposal. Singhal realizes that all the recognition for this win is being credited to Joshi since he was physically present at the client meeting. Singhal is disgruntled and upset over this and is now considering his future at WinCorp. He is also wondering if the hybrid working system will ever be a possibility in India.

In September 2021, the chief human resources officer of the video intelligence firm Wobot.ai saw a negative review on the online platform Glassdoor, which accused her of being a figurehead who achieved her leadership position only because she was the founder’s wife. Despite her numerous professional achievements, including being recognized as one of the 2019 “Shepreneurs: Women to Watch” by Entrepreneur India magazine, the chief human resources officer was shaken by the demeaning sexist remark in the glaringly public review that threatened her personal brand and the company’s reputation. The review had already deterred one potential applicant from joining the organization. The chief human resources officer considered the review a personal attack and wanted to defend her personal brand identity. She was also eager to call out offensive stereotypical remarks that could create a hostile workplace environment. However, the Wobot.ai leadership team was wondering which response strategy would be the best approach for the organization.

In September 2021, the chief human resources officer of the video intelligence firm Wobot.ai saw a negative review on the online platform Glassdoor, which accused her of being a figurehead who achieved her leadership position only because she was the founder's wife. Despite her numerous professional achievements, including being recognized as one of the 2019 "Shepreneurs: Women to Watch" by Entrepreneur India magazine, the chief human resources officer was shaken by the demeaning sexist remark in the glaringly public review that threatened her personal brand and the company's reputation. The review had already deterred one potential applicant from joining the organization. The chief human resources officer considered the review a personal attack and wanted to defend her personal brand identity. She was also eager to call out offensive stereotypical remarks that could create a hostile workplace environment. However, the Wobot.ai leadership team was wondering which response strategy would be the best approach for the organization.