Start Here: How to Use This Book

Every chapter opens with a statement of what it covers and why it matters in interviews. Each numbered section then follows the same pattern: a side panel with a short summary and the key terms to recall, followed by the explanation (definition, underlying principle, how it works, examples, and limitations or best practice). Tables are used for comparisons, formulas and worked examples.

Two kinds of note appear in the text. Correction marks a point where the compendium is wrong or outdated. India gives Indian law, practice or data.

Each chapter ends with interview questions answered in full sentences. They are model reasoning, not scripts: answer in your own words.

Using the Notes. Each section of a Notes chapter has the section title and recall terms in the left column and condensed notes on the right. Cover the right side and try to explain each term; fold the page at the dashed line beneath a question to test yourself before reading the answer.

Three structures cover most questions. For concepts: definition, why it matters, example, limitation; the limitation is what distinguishes an understood answer from a memorised one. For scenarios: clarify, diagnose, act, measure. For opinions: position, reasons, counter-argument, balanced recommendation.

Use business language. Connect HR answers to cost, productivity, risk, customers or growth. “This would reduce regretted attrition among process engineers, each of whom costs several months of salary to replace” is stronger than “this would improve morale”.

1. The four Labour Codes (Wages 2019; Industrial Relations, Social Security, and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions 2020) came into force on 21 November 2025, replacing 29 central laws. Final central rules were notified on 8 May 2026; states are notifying their own rules at different speeds (Chapters 10 and 11).
2. “Wages” now has one definition: basic pay, dearness allowance and retaining allowance. If excluded allowances exceed 50% of total remuneration, the excess counts as wages for PF, gratuity and bonus, which led many companies to restructure salaries (Chapter 2).
3. Fixed-term employees receive the same pay and benefits as permanent staff and become eligible for gratuity after one year (Chapters 2, 10, 11).
4. Government permission for lay-off, retrenchment and closure is now required only at 300 or more workers (previously 100), standing orders apply at 300, and a reskilling fund of 15 days’ wages is paid for each retrenched worker (Chapter 10).
5. Strike and lockout notice rules now apply to all industrial establishments, and mass casual leave by half or more of the workers counts as a strike (Chapter 10).
6. Gig and platform workers are recognised for social security for the first time, funded by aggregator contributions; aggregators must register workers on the e-Shram portal, and benefits require 90 days with one aggregator or 120 days across several (Chapter 11).
7. The EPF wage ceiling rose from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 a month from 17 September 2026, the first change since 2014; the ESI ceiling remains ₹21,000 (Chapters 2 and 11).
8. The DPDP Rules were notified on 13 November 2025 and phase in over 18 months; employers may process employee data for employment purposes without consent but must protect it and report breaches within 72 hours (Chapter 9).
9. Women may work night shifts in all establishments with written consent and safeguards such as transport and CCTV (Chapter 11).
10. AI is reshaping work: TCS reduced about 12,000 roles in 2025 while still hiring freshers, and companies are redesigning entry-level work and reskilling at scale (Chapters 4, 6, 9 and 12).