Shareholders of Walmart have voted against a proposal that called for greater disclosure on how the retail giant’s growing use of artificial intelligence and automation is affecting its workforce. The proposal was presented at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting and sought a detailed report on the impact of advanced technologies on jobs, compensation, training, and workplace equity. The resolution was filed by investor group United for Respect, which argued that Walmart’s expanding AI strategy warrants closer scrutiny given the company’s scale and influence. With approximately 1.6 million employees, Walmart remains the largest private-sector employer in the US, making its technology…
Author: HRK News Bureau
Amazon has elevated Preeti Tiwari to the role of HR leader for EU Prime & Marketing, marking another milestone in her nearly decade-long career with the e-commerce and technology giant. Tiwari announced the development through a LinkedIn post, sharing that she has transitioned from supporting Amazon’s Payments organisation to leading the people agenda for the company’s Prime and Marketing businesses in Europe. Based in Luxembourg, Tiwari currently serves as principal HR at Amazon and brings more than 20 years of experience across human resources, organisational development, talent strategy and workforce transformation. She has spent close to 10 years at Amazon,…
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) is making Hyderabad its next big tech bet, with plans to launch a Global Capability Centre (GCC) in the city from July. The move is set to create more than 2,000 jobs across banking technology, data analytics and financial services in the future according to Telangana government officials. The proposed centre comes as a part of CIBC’s broader strategy to strengthen its global technology and financial services operations. Officials are reported to have said that the Hyderabad facility will help the bank accelerate digital transformation, build in-house technical capabilities and reduce reliance on third-party…
The Karnataka government has approved a series of measures focused on employment generation and workforce development in its first cabinet meeting under Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The cabinet has cleared the recruitment for 56,000 vacant government positions. Authorities are expected to release a detailed hiring schedule soon. The move aims to address long-pending vacancies across departments and expand public-sector employment in the state. In the private sector, the government will set up an employment exchange platform to link trained youth with employers. The system is designed to allow companies to post workforce requirements and access candidates with relevant skills. Officials…
SalarySe, the 360° Indian financial benefits platform has appointed Sunita Cherian, HR leader, as advisor. Backed by almost three decades of experience at Wipro, Cherian was most recently serving as chief culture officer and senior vice president – human resources. Building people-first workplaces at scale is her forte. As an advisor at SalarySe, she will work in tandem with the leadership team across product strategy, employee experience design, and market positioning to help build more employee-centric and enterprise-relevant financial solutions. Sunita Cherian looks “forward to working closely with the SalarySe leadership in fuelling the company’s growth trajectory”. The role gives…
Sanofi has launched the 2026 edition of its global employee share ownership programme, extending the opportunity to around 75,000 employees across 52 countries as part of its efforts to deepen employee participation in the company’s long-term growth. The initiative, known as Action 2026, marks the 12th year of Sanofi’s employee share-purchase programme. The company said employee participation has continued to grow, with more than 31,000 employees, representing 44 per cent of its workforce, investing in the programme during 2025. Nearly 90,000 current and former employees now collectively hold about 2.93 per cent of the company’s share capital. The programme reflects…
A former employee of Wipro has alleged religious harassment, workplace discrimination and forced resignation, prompting a police complaint and drawing attention to the importance of effective grievance-handling mechanisms in organisations. The allegations were made during a press conference in Pune, where the former employee claimed she experienced harassment while working at the company’s Hinjawadi office. Following the allegations, a complaint was reportedly filed with the Hinjawadi Police Station, and a legal notice seeking compensation has been served on the company. According to the complaint, the former employee alleged that a colleague repeatedly pressured her to change her religion and interfered…
Amazon is facing renewed scrutiny over its workforce strategy as the company continues to invest heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) while reducing its corporate headcount. Over the past eight months, Amazon has reportedly eliminated around 30,000 corporate roles as part of CEO Andy Jassy’s efforts to simplify organisational structures, reduce layers of management and improve operational efficiency. The workforce reductions come as the company accelerates investments in AI infrastructure, including the expansion of data centres required to support advanced AI systems. The developments have sparked internal debate about the balance between technology investments and workforce impacts. Large technology companies are…
Meta Platforms has revised its employee-monitoring programme after facing internal criticism over privacy, surveillance and device performance concerns. The company has introduced new controls that give employees greater flexibility over how and when workplace activity data is collected. Under the updated policy, employees using Meta’s AI-training monitoring software can temporarily pause data collection for up to 30 minutes when handling personal matters. The company has also created a limited exemption process that will allow certain employees to opt out of the programme altogether under specific conditions. The changes come just months after Meta rolled out the monitoring initiative as part…
Uber Technologies has reduced nearly a quarter of the workforce within its People and Places division as part of a major restructuring of its HR organisation aimed at improving efficiency and strengthening alignment with business operations. The move affects 23 per cent of employees within the division, which oversees key people functions including human resources, talent acquisition, employee experience and workplace operations. While the company has not disclosed the exact number of affected employees, Uber said the cuts represent well under 1 per cent of its global workforce of about 34,000 employees. The restructuring comes shortly after Jill Hazelbaker assumed…
The abrupt shutdown of Thynk Technology India has left more than 700 employees, interns and fresh graduates without jobs, drawing attention to workplace governance, employee protection and recruitment practices in the startup ecosystem. According to police officials, the company allegedly ceased operations without prior notice, leaving employees unable to access the office premises, collect pending salaries or obtain clarity regarding their employment status. Many workers reportedly discovered the closure after finding the office locked and management unavailable for communication. The incident has resulted in legal action against the company’s leadership. Police in Pune have registered a case following complaints from…
A lawsuit filed by a former executive at Nippon Express USA has brought renewed attention to the critical role HR teams play in addressing workplace harassment complaints and safeguarding employee trust. The legal action was initiated by a former director who alleges that repeated concerns about workplace behaviour were not adequately addressed despite being raised through the company’s internal channels. According to the complaint, the concerns were escalated on multiple occasions, but meaningful intervention did not occur, allowing the alleged misconduct to continue over an extended period. The lawsuit also claims that the employee experienced retaliation after reporting the alleged…
The recently implemented India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ECPA) is expected to open new employment opportunities for Indian professionals and skilled workers as economic and business ties between the two countries deepen. A significant feature of the agreement allows Indian-owned and Indian-invested companies operating in Oman to hire Indian nationals in addition to meeting the country’s workforce localisation requirements under the Omanisation policy. The provision is expected to support Indian businesses looking to expand their operations in the Gulf nation while creating greater demand for Indian talent. The agreement marks an important step in facilitating workforce mobility between the two…
Uber Technologies has introduced spending limits on employee use of AI-powered coding tools, signalling a new phase in how organisations are managing the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace. The company has set a monthly budget of $1,500 per employee for each AI coding platform, including popular tools such as Claude Code and Cursor. Employees seeking additional access beyond the approved limits will require special authorisation, while new internal dashboards will allow workers to track their AI usage and associated costs. The decision follows reports that Uber exhausted its annual AI budget within the first four months of…
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) reduced both its permanent employee and worker strength during FY26 as the Indian fast-moving consumer goods company navigated a challenging demand environment marked by slower consumption growth. According to the company’s latest annual report, its permanent workforce declined by 8.6 per cent to 7,499 employees as of 31 March, 2026, compared to 8,202 employees a year earlier. The number of workers also fell by 5.3 per cent, dropping to 17,490 from 18,465 in the previous fiscal year. As reported by _The Economic Times_, the workforce reduction comes at a time when consumer goods companies are facing pressure…
In a move aimed at strengthening India’s rapidly- expanding aviation maintenance ecosystem, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya and Directorate General of Civil Aviation have announced a collaboration to modernise Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) education and create a stronger talent pipeline for the maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) industry. As part of the partnership, the two institutions will jointly develop a three-year Bachelor of Science programme in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. The curriculum is expected to combine academic learning with regulatory requirements and practical industry skills, ensuring that graduates are better equipped to meet the evolving needs of the aviation sector. The initiative is…
D E Shaw India, part of the DE Shaw Group, has appointed Piyush Raghuvanshi as associate director, talent acquisition, leading hiring for experienced technology roles. In this role, Raghuvanshi will spearhead technology-specific lateral, strategic, and leadership hiring, and help drive the integration of generative AI into the firm’s talent-acquisition workflows. Raghuvanshi, who reports to Chaitanya Gorrepati, managing director and a member of the Operating Committee at DE Shaw India, will lead a team of talent acquisition professionals based across the firm’s three offices in India. Raghuvanshi joins D E Shaw India after serving as chief human resources officer, apna, where…
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recorded its first decline in workforce strength in six years during calendar year 2025, even as employee-related expenditure increased sharply, reflecting higher pension and superannuation obligations. According to the RBI’s Annual Report 2025-26, the central bank’s employee count stood at 13,220 as of 31 December, 2025, compared to 13,520 a year earlier, representing a decline of 2.2 per cent. The drop comes after five consecutive years of workforce expansion, during which staffing levels had steadily risen from 12,276 employees in 2020 as the institution strengthened its regulatory, supervisory and technology capabilities. The composition of…
Walmart has reportedly introduced limits on employee use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, highlighting the growing challenge companies face in balancing AI adoption with escalating operational costs. The change comes as organisations increasingly assess the financial implications of large-scale AI deployment across their operations. According to a Bloomberg report, the retail giant has begun allocating a fixed number of tokens—units that measure AI computing usage—to employees using its internal AI coding assistant, Code Puppy. Previously, workers reportedly had unrestricted access to the tool. Code Puppy was launched as part of Walmart’s broader strategy to embed AI into daily workflows and…
A workplace dispute has drawn attention online after an employee claimed that a previously-approved period of paid time off (PTO) was unexpectedly cancelled following a colleague’s resignation, raising questions about employee rights and workplace expectations during staffing shortages. According to the employee’s account, they had secured written approval for four days of leave to attend to an important family matter. The plans were already in place when circumstances at work changed. A coworker reportedly submitted a two-week resignation notice, creating concerns about staffing levels within the team. Soon afterward, the employee was informed that their approved leave would no longer…
Amazon has discontinued an internal ranking system designed to encourage the use of artificial intelligence after some employees reportedly began generating unnecessary AI activity to improve their standings, leading to higher computing costs for the company. The decision, first reported by the _Financial Times_, highlights a growing challenge for organisations seeking to accelerate AI adoption while ensuring that usage delivers meaningful business value. As companies invest heavily in AI tools, many are discovering that measuring activity alone can create unintended incentives and increase operational expenses. The internal leaderboard, known as Kirorank, tracked employee engagement with Kiro, Amazon’s AI-powered software-development platform.…
The Uttar Pradesh government has initiated the migration of official mobile connections used by nearly 4,200 employees at the Lucknow Secretariat from Vodafone Idea to Bharat Sanchar Nigam. The move has triggered concerns among staff over the potential disruption of official communication channels. The transition affects employees across multiple departments and designations, including computer assistants, review officers, section officials and senior administrative personnel. As part of the process, BSNL has begun distributing new Closed User Group (CUG) SIM cards through the Secretariat’s Telephone Cell following the government’s decision to move its official telecom services to the state-owned operator. While the…
The Chhattisgarh High Court has ruled that a family member’s employment in a low-paid government job cannot automatically be used to deny another dependent a compassionate appointment. The decision came from a Division Bench led by Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, which upheld an earlier order granting relief to the petitioner. The case involved a man whose father, a sanitary worker with the Ambikapur Municipal Corporation, died while in service. The petitioner applied for compassionate appointment under state policy, but his request was rejected because his mother was already employed as a Safai Karmachari. He argued…
The US Department of Labour (DOL) has issued a directive asking employees to report colleagues’ activities linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Staff were told they could flag incidents dating back to 2023 and would be protected under whistleblower rules. It is pertinent to mention here that the month of June is celebrated as Pride month with major events and parades being organised across the US, especially in cities such as Chicago. The email, sent from a general DOL account, described DEI-related discrimination as actions in hiring, mentoring, or workplace events motivated by race, gender, or other protected traits.…
The Tamil Nadu government has made facial recognition-based attendance mandatory for employees of its Human Resources Management Department, marking another step in its broader digital governance and administrative modernisation agenda. The new system came into effect on 1 June and requires all officials and staff within the department to mark their attendance using Face ID technology integrated with the state’s Human Resource Management platform. The initiative is designed to improve the accuracy of attendance records, reduce dependence on manual processes and strengthen transparency in workforce administration. By linking attendance to facial authentication, the government aims to create a real-time and…
Meta has introduced a new internal system to monitor US employees’ computer use, drawing complaints over privacy and lack of choice. The tool, known as the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), records mouse movements, clicks, keystrokes, and takes regular screenshots on work laptops. It tracks usage across more than 200 apps and websites, including Gmail, Google Chat, coding software, and Meta’s AI assistant. Meta reportedly says the goal is to collect real examples of computer use to train AI agents for office tasks. The programme runs on company devices, with no option for employees to disable it. The decision has sparked…