The management of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has appealed to employee unions to avoid going on a planned 72-hour strike and instead engage in negotiations to address their demands. The U.P. Vidyut Karmchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti had called for the strike from midnight on March 16 to demand the implementation of the December 3 agreement. In a statement, UPPCL Chairman M Devraj urged employees to consider the impact of their actions on consumers and energy corporations, and to come to the negotiating table to resolve their issues. Devraj emphasised that the corporation is currently facing a financial crisis,…
Author: HRK News Bureau
2022 was a volatile year for HR & workforce In these highly unpredictable times, organisations as well as employees are clearly taking a near-term view. The Great Resignation was a result of reprioritisation on the part of employees. Many of them decided to take opportunities that were less demanding and / or allowed them to work remotely. We saw quiet quitting, moonlighting and massive layoffs as well. I believe the work-worker-workplace equation is pivoting to find a new balance. Employees are seeking balance between purpose, fulfilment and growth. On the other hand, with renewed fear of COVID and global recession,…
Given the fact that many startups have their accounts in Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the latter’s collapse will soon render them incapable of paying salaries to their employees. Y Combinator, the American tech startup accelerator has invested in thousands of startups and fears that over one lakh jobs may be impacted if the US government fails to intervene and provide relief. A petition by Garry Tan, CEO & president, Y Combinator, has managed to gather signatures from over 3,500 co-founders, CEOs and over two lakh employees of startups and small businesses, including Indian firms such as SaveIN, PayO and SalaryBook.…
After laying off about a hundred people from the sales team in December 2022, Adobe is now committed to growth. Gloria Chen, chief people officer (CPO), Adobe has said in an interview that there will be no mass layoffs at the Company in 2023, and that hiring for various critical roles will continue. The Company, which is all set to post its quarterly earnings report for the first quarter has, in fact, opened its fourth office recently, in California’s San Jose. This office will accommodate 3,000 people. In Q4 of 2022, it posted a revenue of $4.53 trillion, achieving 10…
Skincare company Glowbar announced the appointment of Allison Ginsberg as VP – people following a USD 10 million growth investment round at the start of 2023. With the company’s intentions to expand, the appointment of Ginsberg will sure them up on the people front. She joins the company with nearly two decades worth of experience on her resume. Prior to her appointment at the New York based skincare company, Ginsberg was senior director, HRBP for North America at Kate Spade New York for close to four years, her longest term. She has worked in the HR function at many organisations…
General Motors has announced its plans to provide voluntary buyouts to its 58,000 US white-collar employees. The move comes as the company plans to reduce its structural costs by $2 billion over the next two years. As reported by Reuters, Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors informed all the employees about this move through a letter on Thursday. The letter stated that all the employees (US salaried) will be eligible for the Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) as of June 30. Additionally, the plan will be available for workers who have spent a good five years with the company. US employees who…
An industrial dispute case is filed against BYJU’s management by the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU). The case was filed because the company allegedly forced employees to resign. The company laid off a significant number of employees to improve its financial situation in October 2022. According to KITU leaders, the laid-off employees were coerced into signing pre-typed resignation letters by HR. The union leader reported that the employees were promised one month’s pay as compensation, which has yet to be paid. Nine former employees approached KITU to file a complaint with the labour commissioner. In one case, a 31-year-old…
2022 was a volatile year for HR & workforce The pandemic changed the dynamics of several industries and economies alike. After months of being ravaged with Covid-19, the markets were on the path to recovery. Employees wanted to maximise the higher demand than supply of talent, especially for niche roles. In the six to eight quarters building up to 2022, most companies had not witnessed increments, layoffs, or salary cuts (or all three together) owing to the pandemic and uncertainty that came along with it. This encouraged employees to explore opportunities where there is more value given to their talent.…
Pristyn Care, a healthcare unicorn, has also reportedly laid off approximately 350 employees across various departments, including tech, product, and sales teams. However, according to a statement from Pristyn Care given to the startup news website Inc42, only around 45 employees were fired based on their performance. The company explained that they have a comprehensive performance evaluation process that allows them to assess the efficiency levels of all employees. During a regular review, they identified around 45 employees who were not meeting expectations and had to let them go. Pristyn Care, based in Gurugram, India, has achieved unicorn status in…
After successfully serving as vice president- inclusion, diversity, equity & accessibility (IDEA), Twitter, for over three years, James Loduca has now been roped in to head – diversity at Nike. In the initial years of his career, Loduca served as vice president / account supervisor at Ketchum. There, he spearheaded public affairs strategies for a range of Fortune 500 clients, for four years, from 1999 to 2003. He then moved to Gilead Sciences as senior manager for the next five years, helping launch the world’s first single-tablet regimen for HIV treatment. He also led the company’s community engagement on access…
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has given its approval to 13 new professions that can be taken up by domestic labour. What is even better is that these professions can be taken up by women too. In fact, KSA has allowed women to be hired as drivers. This is clearly a step in the right direction. Interestingly, as per data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), women’s labour participation in the KSA has touched a record 37 per cent. The Ministry has brought out a list of 13 new jobs available to domestic job seekers,…
Luxoft, a subsidiary of DXC Technology Company, has recently opened a new office in Pune, India, with plans to enhance its services and capabilities for global clients. With over 120 professionals on board, the company is looking to expand further in the years to come, aligning with its strategic growth vision for the region. The new office will serve not only as flexible office space for employees in the western part of India but also as one of DXC Luxoft’s Global Delivery Centers (GDC). Madhusudan Deshpande, managing director for India & APAC, DXC Luxoft, expressed their confidence in the new…
According to reports on pay equity in the UK and Ireland, women working for Meta, formerly known as Facebook, are paid substantially less than their male counterparts. This applies to both hourly workers and salaried employees. The company also hands out smaller bonuses to women. While most of Meta’s employees are in the United States, where pay gap disclosures are not required, the company has around 3,000 workers in Ireland and about 5,000 in the UK, making up approximately 10 per cent of its current global workforce. However, a new round of layoffs is expected soon. In Ireland, the most…
West Bengal government has warned employee unions / associations that strict action will be taken against those who remain absent from work. The employee associations in the State have been threatening to go on strike today, 10 March 2023 — despite requests to cancel the protest — if their demand for increase in dearness allowance (DA) is not met. The strike call by the Joint Forum of State Government Employees will see participation by staff across the State, including government offices, schools and colleges. However, on 9 March 2023, the Finance Department had made it very clear in its circular…
In a bid to counter the impacts of surging inflation, Italy’s major automotive companies, headed by Stellantis, the producer of Fiat, signed a deal with unions on March 8, 2023, for a 6.5 per cent salary increase for their Italian employees from this month onwards. Furthermore, beginning in January next year, wages will rise by an additional 4.5 per cent. According to the UILM and FIM-CISL unions, who outlined the agreement, workers will also receive a one-time payment of €600 ($632), inclusive of benefits, distributed in three instalments throughout the year. After the discussion that began at the end of…
Amid worries that simply encouraging British citizens to return to work won’t suffice to fill the gaps, the UK government is working to develop strategies to relax immigration regulations in order to address long-standing shortages in the construction sector. A person familiar with the issue stated that the Migration Advisory Committee has recommended to the UK government to add tradespeople, including carpenters, bricklayers, and roofers, to the list of shortage occupations. The committee’s recommendations are being considered by government officials, who are contemplating the possibility of allowing foreign workers with salaries below the standard “skilled worker” level to be employed…
Employees of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) are planning to go on strike in response to the government’s decision to pay their salaries in instalments. The employees’ union, KST Employees Sangh (BMS), is seeking support from other organisations to form a united front for the strike. Talks between the union and Transport Minister Antony Raju were unsuccessful in reaching a resolution, and a final decision on the strike will be made after further discussions with other unions. The BMS and the Transport Democratic Federation (TDF) have expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to hold separate talks with different…
2022 was a volatile year for HR & workforce It is difficult to predict with utmost certainty what the future of HR will be in 2023. The future of HR depends on a variety of factors such as technological advancements, changes in the workforce, and the overall economy. However, technology will likely continue to play a larger role in HR, with the use of artificial intelligence and automation increasing in areas such as recruitment, performance evaluation, and training. Additionally, there will be a greater emphasis on employee well-being, diversity and inclusion, hybrid and remote work. HR professionals will continue to…
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) does it again, for the eight successive year. It is a Top Employer in the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and South Africa for the year 2023, in addition to being Global Top Employer for 2023, as declared by the Top Employers Institute. Thanks to its ability to provide career opportunities to its employees, the Indian software multinational has been recognised for its ongoing investments in establishing a diverse workforce and developing the next generation of tech talent in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. With a 9,000-strong global workforce, TCS has employees from 35…
With the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) requiring pensioners to submit several documents and proofs in order to claim higher pension, it is believed that employees may be discouraged from claiming the benefit. The employees claiming higher pension need to upload the option exercised by them under paragraph 26.6 of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) scheme. Not all pensioners will have a copy of the option in their possession. And unless they submit this option (upload) the system will not accept the remaining documents. Those employees who have already withdrawn the provident fund in the form of loans to pay…
When Haraldur Thorleifsson, a director at Twitter suddenly lost access to his systems, he had no clue what was happening. When he did not get any explanation or clarification for a week or so from the HR department either, he decided to ask Elon Musk, CEO, Twitter, himself whether he was still an employee of the company or not. He tagged Musk in a series of tweets expecting some explanation or clarification. Musk not only failed to give any concrete answer, but also commented rudely implying that people who did not do any work at all anyway cannot be fired!…
Siemens Energy has appointed Sarah Tabet as the new head of Human Resources for the Middle East. Tabet announced her new role on social Media (LinkedIn), stating that she is excited to embark on a new career journey by leading Siemens Energy as its head HR for the Middle East Zone. Tabet’s work will be based in Dubai. Tabet has over ten years of experience in the Middle East and around the world. Before joining Siemens Energy, she has worked with companies like Schneider Electric and British American Tobacco. In her last stint, she was associated with Schneider Electric, as…
Google has notified its employees that the number of promotions to higher positions this year will be lower than in previous years. Google has also introduced a new performance review system called Google Reviews and Development (GRAD), which will lead to more low performance ratings and fewer high marks. The move also comes in place as the company plans to ensure that the number of people in leadership positions grows proportionally to the company’s overall growth. Similar to other major tech firms, Google has a significant number of middle managers. This has affected the company’s ability to effectively launch products,…
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is planning to cut thousands of jobs in order to meet their financial targets, according to Bloomberg. The company has already cut 13 per cent of its workforce, but is expected to let go of more employees as soon as this week. Sources have revealed that the upcoming round of Meta layoffs will impact thousands of people and jobs, and is set to take place this week. The announcement of these job cuts has been anticipated for some time, as Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Meta, has made statements about the need to “flatten” the organisation…
Atlassian has announced that it will be laying off 5 per cent of its workforce, approximately 500 employees from different departments. The decision comes after a restructuring that took place a month prior at the software productions company to align with the challenges of an evolving and challenging macroeconomic climate. In a statement released on March 6, 2023, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, co-founders and co-CEOs, Atlassian, clarified to the employees about their decision and how it should not be perceived as an indication of the company’s financial performance. While the tech firm’s overall revenue has increased in recent years,…
Google has been going through a phase of restructuring and realigning its workforce in response to its changing business priorities and economic cycles. In January 2023, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs globally as a part of a company-wide restructuring effort. The initial wave of layoffs impacted workers in the US, while additional rounds of layoffs have since occurred in other countries, including India, Singapore, and China. The current round of layoffs in China has mainly impacted high-paid senior employees “in an effort to reset the salary standard and improve overall work efficiency” as stated by…