The COVID-19 lockdown compelled managers to lead teams from their homes, sparking initial anxiety. Yet, employees swiftly adapted to this new working model. While remote work became the norm for many companies, some, such as Dell, initiated a return-to-office policy in March, stirring controversy. Allegedly, Dell conveyed through corporate memos that only employees opting for hybrid or remote arrangements would face restrictions on promotions and role changes, setting off a debate. While this announcement may seem discriminatory on the surface, it sheds light on broader challenges remote workers may face. These are issues that are already subtly present in many…
Author: HRK News Bureau
Levi Strauss, also called Levi’s, is implementing job cuts at its European headquarters in Michelin, Belgium. As reported by a daily, the decision follows the earlier announcement made by the US fashion brand about slashing 10 to 15 per cent of its global workforce in January 2024. The European headquarters will bid farewell to 42 employees out of its approximately 250-strong workforce. The retail staff, however, will remain unaffected by the restructuring. According to a staff member, the initial phase of the Renault Act procedure—a Belgian labour law governing mass layoffs—has already been executed last week. These developments coincide with…
ExlService Holdings, a US-based digital services provider, is undergoing restructuring, resulting in the layoff of approximately 800 employees. The decision will impact about two percent of its workforce in both the US and India. The move comes as the company is adapting its operations to meet the growing demand for generative artificial intelligence among its customer base, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Of the 800 affected employees, 400 will be terminated from their positions, while the remaining 400 will be given the opportunity to seek re-employment elsewhere within the company. Primarily, the junior staff members working in data…
Hemika Tanwar has been appointed chief people officer, Invest4Edu. About two years ago, Tanwar was briefly associated with Invest Value Fintech and Invest4Edu for seven months, in 2022, as lead human resources, based out of Gurugram. Tanwar, who holds an MBA in human resources and service operations, from ITM Group of Institutions, began her professional journey with IIFL as a human resource coordinator in 2013. By March 2015, she had been elevated to the position of human resource manager-recruitment and employee engagement. For the next one year and ten months, she was handling business HR for the retail broking business,…
About 680 people will be rendered jobless at Novartis’ offices in the US and Switzerland. While 440 roles will be eliminated in Switzerland over the next couple of years, 240 roles will be axed in the US. The Swiss pharmaceuticals firm is looking to trim its development organisation by about 14 per cent. The development division, which is presently 12,500 strong, is responsible for supplying its drugs to the market and also looking after quality assurance, drug regulations and so on. About 3,000 members of the development division are presently working out of Switzerland, while 2,000 are based out of…
On 13 April 2024, Tata Electronics is planning to hold a roadshow in Hsinchu, a county in Taiwan. The Group is establishing a plant in India to manufacture semiconductors and chips, for which it is seeking quality talent from Taiwan. Given the fact that Taiwan’s supplies meet the demand for chips and semiconductors for over half of the world, finding talent from there should not be difficult. As per a Moneycontrol report, the Tata Group is looking for Taiwanese professionals— including equipment engineers, yield engineers and automation engineers—with at least five years of experience. Candidates with up to 16 years…
Nimrata Randhawa Kapoor has taken on the role of chief human resources officer (CHRO), Plaksha University. Prior to this, Kapoor was running her own HR advisory for over nine years. An alumna of XLRI Jamshedpur, Kapoor holds a BA (Hons) degree in Math from MMV, Banaras Hindu University. Kapoor began her career at Reliance Industries as an HR generalist, in the year 1998. For two years at Reliance, she managed 400 people in treasury, finance, excise and procurement functions. In 1999, she was elevated to the role of executive assistant-HR and reported to Mukesh Ambani, till May 2000. She joined…
Nisha Popli has been appointed as the new head-human resources, at Tata Trusts, effective 1 April 2024. Prior to this, she was associated with Cuemath, an online learning platform, as its chief human resources officer (CHRO). She joined Cuemath in the year 2021. In the initial years of her career, Popli worked as the executive-HR with EY, based out of New Delhi. Three years into this role, in 2006, she moved to Grand Thornton India, as manager-HR. In this capacity, she spearheaded the company’s strategic and functional responsibilities for all the HR disciplines across India. Her key responsibilities include policy…
After a successful tenure of over two and a half years, as head of human resources, at Arcolab, Priyanka Kulkarni has now joined Kraft Heinz as HR head. Having completed MSc in Psychology from Annamalai University, in 2009, Kulkarni obtained an MBA in e-business and human resources, from Welingkar Institute of Management before beginning her professional journey with Piramal Enterprises, as manager-HR. In 2007, she joined BIGAnimation as manager-HR for a year and four months. Her next stop was Credit Suisse, where she was HR business advisor, for a little less than two years, based out of Pune. The year…
Google’s once freewheeling internal message board, Memegen, is undergoing a change. The platform, a haven for employee memes and commentary for over a decade, is being reshaped in response to rising tensions, particularly surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This was reported by The New York Times. The most notable change is the removal of the thumbs-down button. Previously, memes garnered visibility through upvotes, while downvotes relegated them to obscurity. This system, according to Google, fostered a ‘bullying tactic’ of coordinated downvoting. Additionally, popularity metrics tracking meme performance are also being discarded. Google maintains these changes stem from employee feedback. The company…
Novo Nordisk Global Business Services (GBS) is implementing two initiatives aimed at enhancing employee well-being: The Flamingo Programme and the WECare Flexible Benefits Programme. These programmes underscore the company’s commitment to fostering a supportive and holistic work environment. The Flamingo Programme caters specifically to new mothers, offering extended maternity leave options, personalised transportation solutions, mentorship through the Amigo programme, and a well-equipped lactation room. The WECare programme, on the other hand, empowers employees to curate their own well-being journeys. With an annual budget of Rs 50,000 per employee, the programme offers a diverse selection of benefits including fitness memberships, work-from-home…
Cognizant, a leading global IT services provider, has pushed back its annual salary increases for this year by four months. The latest salary raise will be implemented in August, which were last granted in April. The delay aligns with a period of subdued demand in the software services industry, attributed to budget constraints among clients amidst macroeconomic uncertainties. However, the company expressed its commitment to recognise its employees’ efforts through merit increases and bonuses. The company highlighted that the majority of associates have received four merit increases within three years, with the most recent cycle in April 2023. The company…
The Edtech firm, Byju’s has finally initiated salary payments after a two-month delay. The decision comes amidst hurdles faced by the company in accessing funds from a recent rights issue. In a message addressed to its employees, the company informed them about the salary disbursement. It also revealed that the same will be completed over the next 10 days. The conflict over Byju’s rights issue stems from a directive by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). It mandated the company to place the proceeds from the rights issue in an escrow account until the resolution of a plea filed by…
Nestlé Bangladesh has appointed Loma Hosne-Ara as its new human resource director. She has moved to this Swiss nutrition, health and wellness company, after spending over two and a half years with Novartis Bangladesh, as country head, people and organisation. Armed with an MBA in finance from IBA, University of Dhaka, Hosne-Ara began her professional journey as a management trainee with Unilever Bangladesh, for the toilet soaps division before being appointed as brand manager, Lifebuoy, in 2000. In April 2002, she was elevated to senior brand manager, Household Care and Lifebuoy portfolio. Three years and seven months into this role, she…
Singularity 6, a Los-Angeles- based game studio, has announced a significant reduction in its workforce, with approximately one third of its staff being laid off. The decision will impact 35 per cent of its workforce. The studio explained that this decision was made after a careful evaluation of the support required for the Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO). Despite the layoffs, the company has said it will assist all its departing employees through this transition. The company is committed to offering them severance packages, assistance with job placement and career guidance, and allowing them to retain all equipment provided by the…
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that an employee cannot dictate their employment terms to their employer. In a recent case (M/s Bharti Airtel Limited v. A.S. Raghavendra), the Court emphasised that the employer’s competent authority holds final say regarding appraisals and ratings. Employee resignation deemed not forced The case centred on an employee (Raghavendra) who resigned from Bharti Airtel, later claiming the resignation was involuntary. The Karnataka High Court had partially upheld Raghavendra’s claim, but the Supreme Court overturned this decision. The Court analysed Raghavendra’s resignation letter, noting it lacked evidence of coercion. While Raghavendra expressed dissatisfaction with…
Dejected students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi seem to be relying on off-campus modes to land good jobs. Many have been left without any satisfactory offers this placement season. Does that mean a simple BTech degree will not suffice anymore? Do these students need to take the common admission test or CAT exam, or apply for specialised courses to make their CV more attractive? These are the questions plaguing the disappointed students. Although students do admit that the undergraduate placements were better than the postgraduate and PhD placements, the pressure has mounted on them to bag attractive…
A marathon negotiation session brokered by the state mediator has averted a large-scale strike in Norway and set a potentially inflationary benchmark for upcoming wage settlements. The Federation of Norwegian Industries (Norsk Industri) reached agreements with both the Fellesforbundet and Parat trade unions, securing a 5.2 per cent pay rise for workers across various industries. This outcome surpasses the central bank’s forecast of 4.9 per cent annual wage growth and is likely to push back anticipated reductions in Norway’s current 4.5 per cent policy rate, initially expected for autumn 2024. Economists at Danske Bank believe this wage deal might even…
Nadine Ahn, chief financial officer (CFO), Royal Bank of Canada, was terminated from service for carrying on in a personal, close and secret relationship with another employee of the Bank. This was in violation of the Bank’s code of conduct, and hence, the Bank resorted to strict and immediate action by firing her. Katherine Gibson has been appointed in her place as interim CFO. The Bank does not encourage such relationships because they may result in bias or partiality during promotions and increments, which is what happened in this case with the other employee involved in the relationship. However, it…
STEER World, an engineering innovation firm that specialises in materials transformation, has announced the appointment of Ajay Bhasin as its group chief human resource officer (CHRO). Bhasin has moved to STEER from Tata Coffee, where he was heading HR for the firm’s Instant Coffee Division, since 2017. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, Bhasin spent the initial four years of his career with FCC-CCL Joint Venture, as site lead-HR. In 2005, he joined Panacea Biotech as plant HR, where he was an active member of the green field project team, and responsible for manpower planning and mass recruitment. A year later,…
A recent survey has revealed that the average salary in the UAE is projected to rise by four per cent this year, in contrast to a 2.3 per cent increase in inflation. The survey disclosed that 53 per cent of companies are looking to raise employee salaries in 2024. Among these, 39 per cent are planning increases of up to five per cent, around one in ten anticipate raises between 6 to 9 per cent, and five per cent are gearing up for increases of 10 per cent or more. For many individuals, particularly those belonging to mid-to-low income brackets,…
In Japan, where hay fever significantly impacts workforce productivity, innovative solutions are emerging to combat this seasonal challenge. Companies are now offering allergy-stricken employees a unique remedy: subsidised ‘tropical escapes’ to regions with lower pollen counts. This initiative aims to alleviate symptoms and enhance worker efficiency during the dreaded hay fever season, as reported by The Washington Post. An alarming 80 per cent of Japanese hay fever sufferers report a significant reduction in productivity. Recognising this challenge, approximately 20 per cent of workplaces are now allowing remote work during hay fever season, with some even covering associated costs, according to…
Following the creation of 1,50,000 direct jobs within a span of two and a half years, the Apple ecosystem is now pivoting towards addressing the residential needs of factory workers. The initiative aims to erect more than 78,000 housing units, with Tamil Nadu slated to receive the lion’s share of 58,000 units. The initiative specifically aims to bolster efficiency and provide security, particularly for migrant women employees, a significant portion of whom belong to the 19-24 age bracket. Presently, most employees reside in rented accommodations and endure lengthy bus commutes to reach their workplaces. Officials highlighted that given the substantial…
In an effort to cut costs and streamline its operations, Zee Entertainment is set to undergo a significant restructuring. The decision will impact an estimated 15 per cent of its workforce, as part of a move towards a leaner management approach, led by Punit Goenka, MD and CEO, Zee Entertainment. The proposed restructuring, unveiled on Friday, 5 April, aims to establish a more cost-efficient operational model focused on driving higher growth through enhanced performance and profitability. About 500 employees out of a total of 3,437 permanent staff are expected to be affected by the layoffs. This announcement follows closely on…
New Zealand has implemented significant changes to its Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme in response to a near-record surge in migration last year. The government deems this rapid influx unsustainable and aims to prioritise both New Zealand citizens and highly skilled migrants. The revised programme introduces stricter requirements for low-skilled job seekers. Applicants must now demonstrate English language proficiency and meet minimum skills and work experience thresholds. Additionally, the maximum continuous stay for most low-skilled roles has been reduced from five to three years. “The Government is focused on attracting and retaining the highly skilled migrants such as secondary…
In a memo to the employees, Campbell Wilson, CEO, Air India, has informed employees that the counting, auditing, approving and reporting process is on; and that they will soon receive news of annual appraisal. Wilson shared that Air India is in the process of compiling numbers, and the annual appraisal will come in retrospective effect from 1 April 2024. The company, according to Wilson, is tallying its yearly financial figures and also working on the appraisal cycle. Therefore, he has requested the employees to be a bit patient and wait for the process to be completed. The official mail also…