From astrophysics to people science: why perspective matters
Jay Ramanah’s career reads like a study in adaptability. Trained as a physicist and astrophysicist, Jay moved from research into teaching, then into leadership roles across banking, oil and gas, education and consulting. Today he leads MaxStaff.co, a consultancy focused on workforce mobilisation, talent scarcity and the adoption of technology in workplaces.
That scientific background still shapes Jay’s approach to people. He treats human systems like engineered systems: when the inputs, processes and measures are correct, outcomes follow. This view reframes people management as both an art and a repeatable science — a useful lens as organisations confront talent gaps, rapid technological change and shifting industrial relations rules.
Why HR needs to become the business
Jay argues there is no meaningful separation between general management and people management. The best CEOs and general managers are those who lead with people skills. Leadership that consistently recognises effort — even in small ways — builds trust and engagement. He recalls a CEO who finished each week by personally thanking every leadership team member. It cost nothing and delivered enormous cultural value.
In practical terms Jay suggests organisations stop treating HR as a separate support function. Instead, they should build people capability into every operational role. Job descriptions and recruitment should reflect this integration: leaders and operational managers must participate in hiring, onboarding, performance and reward decisions rather than outsourcing them entirely to HR.
Put your hard hats on and get in the field.
This simple injunction captures his core counsel: HR professionals must know the operation intimately. Shadowing frontline roles, spending time on site and understanding the day-to-day challenges gives HR the context to design meaningful people strategies.
The three urgent problems shaping Evolving HR
Jay identifies three interlinked challenges that are reshaping how HR must work.
- Skills shortages
A global and palpable shortage of talent is the primary issue. Organisations still advertise on the same platforms and expect active job seekers to fill highly specialised roles. When hiring becomes a bidding war, organisations end up “robbing Peter to pay Paul” — paying more without solving capability gaps. - AI and technology disruption
Artificial intelligence is no longer a novelty. It is already automating administrative HR tasks and reshaping the skills required for many roles. HR must learn to use AI strategically rather than merely copy tools. Understanding what technology can and cannot do is critical when designing future workforce models. - Changing industrial and legal frameworks
New workplace laws, casualisation debates, sham contracting and obligations around sexual harassment and workplace safety create compliance complexity. While partly local, these legal shifts demand closer alignment between HR, legal advisers and business leaders.
How organisations are responding — and where they fall short
Many organisations react to skills shortages by increasing pay or using external recruiters. Few invest consistently in learning and development that leads to measurable job outcomes. Outsourcing and offshoring provide short-term relief but do not always build sustainable capability.
On the technology front, much of the adoption is trial-and-error: organisations watch early adopters, try popular tools and rely on vendor solutions. That approach can work for basic augmentation but leaves organisations exposed when deeper system redesign or bespoke AI solutions are required.
Practical prescriptions for HR professionals
Jay offers clear, actionable steps for HR teams who want to remain relevant as their function evolves.
- Learn the operation: Shadow frontline roles, visit sites and spend time where value is created. This pays dividends in recruitment, performance management and culture design.
- Become a people partner, not a support unit: Embed people responsibilities into operational roles. Design job descriptions so managers own recruitment and performance conversations alongside HR.
- Develop transferable skill hiring: Define roles by tasks and competencies rather than industry pedigree. Look beyond industry norms for scheduling, logistics and systems skills that already exist elsewhere.
- Invest in meaningful L&D: Prioritise development pathways that demonstrably link to job outcomes. Courses and MBAs are useful, but the ROI comes from skills that translate to on-the-job performance.
- Understand and apply AI strategically: Treat AI as an enabler. Start with augmenting routine work, then build towards bespoke machine learning or systems where required. HR leaders should learn basic AI concepts so they can properly scope needs and manage vendors.
- Accept and manage risk: Hiring people from different industries or backgrounds involves risk. Measure that risk like any other business decision and weigh it against the opportunity. Often the downside is smaller than the missed upside of homogenous hiring.
Hiring for transferable skills: a practical approach
To recruit for transferable skills, begin with rigorous job analysis. Break the role into tasks and behaviours. Identify the core competencies and attitudes that predict success. When the requirements are clear, broaden the candidate pool to include people from industries where those competencies are already practised.
Examples Jay cites include scheduling expertise from travel and logistics industries and technical problem-solving skills from adjacent technology sectors. These “borrowed” capabilities can accelerate innovation and resilience in industries that traditionally hire in silos.
Final takeaway for people leaders
Evolving HR is not about replacing people with technology or retreating into compliance. It is about integrating people strategy with operational knowledge, using technology appropriately and getting creative about where talent comes from.
HR practitioners who want to lead in the next decade should move off the email list and onto the shop floor. They should learn the business, build relationships with frontline teams and design systems that produce predictable outcomes for people and organisation alike.
Parting thought: Wearing a hard hat is literal when you visit a site, but it is also metaphorical. HR that understands where work is done can design systems that actually work.
Recommended reading
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie — timeless principles of interpersonal influence and leadership.
- The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt — a practical introduction to the theory of constraints and operational improvement.
