The Telangana government is introducing cashless health insurance targeting government employees, their families and pensioners covered by the Employees Health Scheme (EHS). To facilitate the implementation of the plan, the government has established an Employee Health Care Trust (EHCT). The employees will make their monthly contributions to the EHCT, with deductions directly from their salaries or pension disbursements. The state government will also make equivalent contribution to this trust on a monthly basis. The state government will also soon announce a board of Trustees for the EHCT that will play a significant role in formulating policy recommendations. A healthcare programme…
Author: HRK News Bureau
The 17th edition of Wipro’s ‘Spirit of Wipro’ (SOW) run saw an overwhelming participation of almost 40,000 across 140 locations, globally. The annual run is part of the ‘Ambitions Realised’ theme, which offers an opportunity for employees and their families to get together along with the technology and consulting services firm’s partners and clients. Since this kind of event demanding physical participation has happened after a long gap post the pandemic, the company organised five global anchor runs in Bengaluru, Dubai, London, New York/New Jersey and Mountain View, California. These anchor runs around the globe are reflective of the true…
Brave Software In an effort to reduce operational cost, Brave Software has downsized its workforce by nine per cent. The move comes as the developer of the brave browser navigates through the difficult economic climate. As per media reports, the layoffs will impact multiple departments, but no specific details have been disclosed yet. Brave Software is a technology company founded in 2015 by Brendan Eich and Brian Bondy. Known for its privacy-centric innovations, the company’s flagship product is the Brave web browser, built on the Chromium engine, which offers enhanced privacy through default ad and tracker blocking. In a community call held in July…
Citigroup is in the midst of its most significant reorganisation in decades, and management is currently assessing its workforce to determine who will be retained, reassigned, or let go by November 2023. A global memo sent on 4 October, 2023, by Sara Wechter, chief human resources officer, Citigroup, outlined this process. While some roles will undergo changes and new positions may emerge, roles that no longer align with the company’s new structure will be phased out. Further details of this upcoming transformation will be revealed in November. The impacted employees will have the opportunity to apply for other roles within…
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), the American global-investment company is all set to hire about 150 people for its Gurugram office. The hiring will be done by early 2024. The firm is looking for talent in technology, finance, operations and human capital. Nisha Awasthi is presently managing the office as the managing director, while Gaurav Trehan, who was the chief executive officer, India operations, KKR, has now been promoted and will head private-equity operations in the Asia-Pacific. With the opening of this office, KKR has followed in the footsteps of Apollog Global Management and Citel Securities that have also…
Of the about 99,000 women employed by the Railways, a couple of thousands work in the engineering, mechanical and electrical departments. Some of these women who are working as track maintainers and assistant loco pilots will now have the option to apply for a change of job category if they so wish. In other words, the Ministry of Railways may begin considering their application for change of role. This will be a big relief to those who have been finding the work too demanding or taxing, especially during pregnancy. Women find it very challenging to discharge their duties given the…
According to a report by ET, Bizongo has laid off approximately 15 per cent of its workforce, that is, about 50 employees. Officially, this is the company’s second round of layoffs in the past three years. In June 2020, it had let go of approximately 160 staff members. However, there were also reports of layoffs in early 2023, although the exact number of employees affected remains unverified. The company did not provide any comments on the previous layoffs. The e-commerce-centric packaging firm, Bizongo, has decided to lay off some of its employees shortly after announcing a successful $50 million funding…
After spending 15 successful years at ABB, Neha Ahluwalia has moved on to Hitachi Energy India where she assumes the role of head – HR. An alumna of ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad and IMD, Ahluwalia began her professional journey as a project trainee at Sierra Atlantic, in 2004. A year later, she joined HCL Technologies, where she served as HR business partner till 2008. Since May 2008, she has been associated with ABB, the multinational automation company, in various capacities. She started off as HR business partner for process automation for a little over two years. In 2010, she was…
Flexport, a US-based logistics startup plans to cut 30 per cent roles by the end of October. The planned cuts will reportedly affect 1000 out of its 3,300 members of its staff. However, the company is yet to confirm the actual numbers. The move has reportedly been anticipated ever since a change took place in the company’s senior-executive level in September. It is also a part of the company’s efforts to stabilise its financial situation, restoring its profitability, in response to a significant drop in revenue. The company is currently focusing on safeguarding its customer-service quality and maintaining the company’s…
On 3 October 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated a series of development projects valued at Rs 26,000 crore in Jagdalpur, situated in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. Simultaneously, he inaugurated the NMDC Steel plant located in Nagarnar. The newly established steel plant is expected to create employment opportunities for approximately 50,000 individuals. During his address in Bastar, PM Modi stressed the critical importance of physical, digital and social infrastructure in the journey towards a developed nation. He highlighted Chhattisgarh’s distinguished position in steel manufacturing and underscored the government’s unwavering commitment to infrastructure development. Furthermore, the Prime Minister also discussed the electrification of…
Being insensitive to his employee’s menopausal symptoms landed a boss in deep trouble. Jim Clark, under whom Karen Farquharso was working at Scottish engineering firm, Thistle Marine, had the least idea that a remark that he thought was harmless would land him in a lawsuit. The former employee, Farquharso, was awarded a compensation of 37,000 pounds (equivalent to 37.5 lakh rupees). The court ruled that Clark had falsely accused Farquharso of using menopause as an excuse to stay away from work. Farquharsonwas employed with the firm since 1935. In August 2021, she reported to her supervisor, Clark, that she was…
Starting 1 October 2023, the hourly minimum wage in Canada has gone up in six provinces. In Ontario, minimum wage has gone up to $16.55 per hour from $15.50. People in Manitoba can expect minimum hourly wage of $15.30 compared to the earlier $14.15. Saskatchewan province has increased hourly wage rate from $13 to $14. Nova Scotia, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador have hiked minimum hourly wage from $14.50 to $15. A similar hike has been implemented in Prince Edward Island too. In June, British Columbia had increased minimum wage to $16.75 per hour, while New Brunswick had increased…
Smucker, a Ohio-based company that manufactures jams has managed to bring its 1,300 employees back to office and that too willingly. How? Well, the company expects its employees to be in office during 22 ‘core weeks’ in a year. That means, the employees are free to work from anywhere in the US provided they bring themselves to the office six days a month, that is, 25 per cent of their duty time in a year, reported The Wall Street Journal. The firm, of course, encourages them to be present during the core weeks. Unlike a hybrid model being followed throughout…
Invest India has named Amulya Sah as its senior vice president and chief human resources officer (CHRO). Sah brings an impressive track record to the role, boasting 25 years of global HR expertise. A multi-talented professional, encompassing roles as an architect, coach, facilitator and the ethical compass of organisations, Sah’s career journey began in 1995, when he assumed the role of HR manager at HCL Technologies. After seven years and four months at HCL, he transitioned to Birlasoft as the deputy general manager. In 2009, he returned to HCL as the head of HR for the sales, services and emerging…
On 5 October, 2023, Minister of School Education Anbil Mahesh declared an increase in salaries for 10,359 part-time teachers in Tamil Nadu, raising their pay from Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,500. Additionally, the government is set to introduce a medical insurance scheme offering coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh. Mahesh has also revealed the formation of a three-member committee to assess the demands of secondary teachers who are currently agitating. The committee will make recommendations to the government within three months, and a report will be submitted. However, the protesting teachers have declared their intention to continue their protest.…
Centre is most likely to announce a raise in the dearness allowance (DA) of government employees and pensioners. In the midst of government staff eagerly anticipating a salary increase with the festive season round the corner, the media reports by DNA indicated that there is a possibility that the Centre may announce the raise on Wednesday, October 4th. The decision is yet to be announced. It was reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to seek cabinet approval for the DA hike during an upcoming meeting, where the Union Cabinet and the Economic Affairs Committee were also present. Central government employees and retirees…
With a focus on capacity building, Tata Motors, the Indian automobile manufacturer, is doing its bit to develop a future-ready workforce equipped with the skills required for electric vehicles (EVs) and other new-age technologies. The company will equip 50 per cent of its workforce with new-age auto tech capabilities within five years. In a media briefing today, the company revealed that its employees had invested over 3,40,000 hours in specialised training and development. The training will be delivered in various forms and formats. The company has curated training modules to address the requisite developmental needs of all — from shopfloor…
After serving as senior vice president and head – HR, Shiprocket, Saumya Khati has been elevated to the post of group chief human resources officer. An alumna of the Indian School of Business, Khati also holds an MBA in human resources from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad. Khati’s first brush with HR came when she handled performance management and employee engagement at the Tata Group from 2005 to 2007. She moved to Perfetti Van Melle, where she handled talent acquisition and HR operations for two years, based out of Gurugram. Her next stop was Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages where she…
The Central Administrative Tribunal has recently ruled that government employees do not possess the privilege to stay stationed at their preferred location. The tribunal further clarified that the employees can be relocated as per the administrative requirements. The petition was filed by an employee, dissatisfied with a directive mandating transfer from Government High School Warnow, Lolab, Jammu and Kashmir to Government Boys Higher Secondary School Teetwal, Karnah, Jammu and Kashmir with immediate effect. In response, the tribunal stated that the employer holds the right to deploy an employee’s services wherever they see fit. Additionally, reassignments are a natural part of…
The video-streaming platform, Twitch, has reportedly laid off 400 employees recently. The cuts were first reported by an X user, ‘Zach Bussey’, who revealed that this round of job cuts was smaller than the one in March. Earlier, the company laid off over 400 employees when its parent company, Amazon let go of 9,000 staff members during its March job cuts. It is suggested that the recent job cuts were limited to the company’s customer-experience department. The company is said to be considering outsourcing these responsibilities to third-party vendors instead of retaining them as in-house positions. However, the company hasn’t…
Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) has recently taken a significant step in its efforts to reshape its labour force composition by terminating the employment contracts of more than 800 expatriate workers. A significant proportion of these expatriates belonged to Arab nations. The affected individuals have been provided a one-month window to wrap up their current employment commitments and make necessary arrangements. This strategic move is in alignment with the government’s ‘Kuwaitisation’ plan. Kuwait has long been committed to addressing the issue of unemployment among its nationals and encouraging them to actively participate in both the public and private sectors. This…
The Ministry of Manpower (MoM), Singapore, has imposed fines and even issued stop-work notices to 435 establishments that were found to have violated workplace safety norms. The non-compliance issues were reported post two months of inspection and investigations focusing on workplace accidents / mishaps including slips, trips and falls (STF) undertaken during the period 26 June to 25 August. Over 700 inspections were conducted across the construction, manufacturing, transportation and storage, wholesale and retail trade and services space. A total of 1,491 enforcement actions were taken, including three stop-work notices and 89 composition fines worth $186,050. These establishments were penalized…
Dunzo, with backing from Reliance Retail and Google, has unveiled plans to address its financial obligations to former employees over the next three months while simultaneously working on stabilising the salary disbursements for its current workforce. In light of recent developments, Davlir Suri, co-founder has chosen to depart from the company, while the other Mukund Jha, co-founder is set to continue as a vital member of the strategic leadership team. In June, the company successfully cleared the pending salaries for 85 per cent of its employees. However, salary payments for the month of July are currently pending, although salaries for the subsequent…
Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has finally announced the grant of 4.8 per cent dearness allowance (DA) to its employees. The same had been pending since July of 2023. The DA will be paid to the employees along with their October salary. This was the last of the nine pending DA instalments that were sanctioned since 2019. The announcement regarding the DA grant was made by VC Sajjanar, managing director, TSRTC. Sajjanar acknowledged the hard work of the TSRTC staff and the crucial role they play in transporting passengers safely. Early last month, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan had approved…
On 4 October 2023, Godrej Industries announced its employee stock grant scheme, 2011 (ESGS 11). The nomination and remuneration committee of the board of directors of the company granted approval for the allotment of 1,452 equity shares with a face value of Re 1 each under this scheme. These shares were issued at an exercise price of Re 1 per equity share and are considered fully paid-up. Godrej Industries serves as the flagship holding entity within the Godrej Group, overseeing a diverse portfolio of investments in various sectors. This includes substantial involvement in consumer products, real estate, agriculture, chemicals, and…
Shalimar Paints has announced a significant step in its journey of transformation with strategic enhancements to its leadership team. The company has appointed accomplished leaders with a wealth of industry expertise and vision across marketing, finance, HR, technology, and manufacturing domains. This strategic transformation underscores the company’s commitment to reinforce its efforts for market dominance and reaffirms its dedication to innovation, customer satisfaction, and unparalleled quality. Building on their new vision, the company has on boarded Kuldip Raina, director, sales and marketing, Sanjeev Gupta as director, research and development and Rakesh Gupta as director of manufacturing, and Harcharan Singh as…