Vishal Garg, the founder of Better.com who became widely known after laying off more than 900 employees during a Zoom call in 2021, is seeking to return as CEO of Better Home & Finance after being removed from the position earlier this month. Better appointed Daniel Lewis as interim CEO on 3 August, shortly after he joined the company’s board. The company initially said Garg and the board had “mutually agreed” to the leadership transition. It later said the board, excluding Garg, had unanimously voted to terminate him, citing concerns over his judgement, temperament and credibility. Garg has disputed the…
Author: HRK News Bureau
ValueLabs has appointed Ipsita Mohanty as senior vice president – HR, effective July 2026. In her expanded role, Mohanty will lead HR initiatives, strengthen the company’s people strategy, and drive talent and organisational development to support business growth. Mohanty brings over 14 years of experience in human resources, with deep expertise in HR strategy, business partnering, talent management, employee engagement, and organisational development. Her elevation reflects ValueLabs’ focus on nurturing internal leadership to align people’s priorities with business objectives. Mohanty’s career graph highlights a steady progression within ValueLabs and across leading organisations. She began her journey as a senior associate…
A Coimbatore-based company has drawn attention for supporting an employee following the death of her father, offering more than four weeks of leave and contributing towards her father’s medical expenses. The details were shared by Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Vibin Babuurajan, who said his sister works for the company. According to his post, the employer covered 20 per cent of her father’s medical expenses and gave her 30 days of leave to deal with the loss. The company’s chairman also personally contacted the employee after her father’s death to check on her, according to Babuurajan. He did not disclose the company’s name…
Several former employees of digital news platform Newslaundry have come forward with allegations about workplace safety and the handling of harassment complaints. One former producer, who writes on X under the name Bhadra Mahapatra, alleged that she was regularly required to work late and travel home alone after midnight in private cabs. She said that during her first month at the organisation, she was asked to cover the JNU presidential elections and stayed at the venue until 11 pm. She left post informing her colleagues because she had to travel to Noida. However, she said her manager reprimanded her the…
Hubtown has appointed Anuj Nath Galgotia as its new chief human resources officer (CHRO), bringing more than three decades of experience across human resources, talent acquisition, organisation structuring and performance management, with a career spanning real estate, construction, retail and financial services. Galgotia joins Hubtown from DB Realty, where he served as group CHRO from September 2024. He had earlier been associated with DB Realty as vice president – human resources & administration between July 2010 and July 2013. Before returning to DB Realty, Galgotia was CHRO at Signature Global from December 2022 to August 2024. He also served as…
Topsoe has appointed Dr Sunaina Dutta as head HR – APAC & Middle East. In this new role. she will lead the HR agenda across the region, including talent, organisational effectiveness, culture and leadership development. She will partner with regional and global leadership teams on people strategy, organisation design, workforce planning, succession planning, performance management, employee engagement and change management across APAC and the Middle East. Dutta brings over 22 years of HR experience across manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, real estate and education. Before joining Topsoe, she served as head-HR at Hettich India for over a decade, from 2014 to 2025.…
Cognizant has launched its Talent Accelerator programme with 489 newly hired graduates from 58 business schools across 37 cities in India. The move comes as the company expands its focus on interdisciplinary talent for an AI-driven workplace. The cohort includes graduates from institutions such as IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, ISB Hyderabad, SPJIMR Mumbai, FMS University of Delhi and XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur. The two-week immersive onboarding programme is being conducted simultaneously across Cognizant’s facilities in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. It is designed to familiarise new hires with the company and its values while providing…
Mangal Electrical Industries has roped in Arun Singh for the role of chief human resources officer (CHRO). He has moved from Lalbaba Engineering where he was vice president-human resources, industrial relations and administration. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, Arun Singh was associated with Tata Steel for over nine years in the initial stage of his career journey. He joined the company as a graduate engineering trainee in 1997. Six months later, he was elevated to senior officer-operations and maintenance. From 1999 to 2000 he served as senior manager-operations and maintenance. January of 2001 saw him being promoted to supply chain…
Karnataka Chief Minister has announced plans to create one lakh new jobs, expand AI education and build technology hubs across the State as part of the government’s vision for a “Young Karnataka–New India”. Speaking at his Independence Day address in Bengaluru on 15 August, Shivakumar announced the Udyoga Sankalpa and Udyoga Nidhi schemes to boost employment and entrepreneurship. He revealed that the government is also working to fill 72,000 key vacancies, with notifications for these posts expected within six months. Under Udyoga Nidhi, entrepreneurs in 10 economically-backward districts will receive Rs 2,500 per month for every new job created, with…
Nokia is reportedly pulling back sharply from China, closing its Hangzhou research and development (R&D) centre and cutting around 1,600 jobs. The decision follows years of declining business in the country and comes less than a year after the company assumed full ownership of its joint venture, Nokia Shanghai Bell. Other sites in Beijing, Chengdu, Qingdao, and Shanghai are also reportedly under review for possible restructuring, signalling a broader retreat from the Chinese market. The company has dramatically increased its restructuring budget for 2026, raising guidance from €250 million to €800 million, with €350 million allocated specifically to China. Nokia…
Marking India’s 80th Independence Day, Vertex Group has announced ‘Vertex Mega Hiring Month’ with plans to onboard 2,000 professionals across Delhi-NCR, Gurgaon and Bengaluru within a month. The initiative is the first major step toward the Group’s pledge to create 1 million opportunities globally. The hiring drive is also Vertex’s largest single-month expansion to date. It coincides with the company completing 10 years in August 2026 and comes amid rising demand from leading Indian consumer brands. The company said the timing reflects its commitment to nation-building by generating jobs during a period of national importance. Vertex stated that it is…
Air India will resume its annual salary revision cycle from October 1, after deferring increments amid operational and financial pressures linked to the Middle East crisis. Campbell Wilson, CEO and managing director, announced the decision during a town hall with employees, according to NDTV. The airline had postponed its annual increment cycle as airspace disruptions, higher fuel costs and currency pressures weighed on operations and finances. Despite the challenges, Wilson said profitability remains a key focus while the airline continues to invest in fleet modernisation and its broader transformation programme. The return of annual salary revisions comes alongside continued expansion…
As the global hunt for AI and STEM talent heats up, Finland is doubling down on India. Through Business Finland’s Work in Finland unit, the country is rolling out clearer immigration routes and targeted opportunities for Indian professionals in high-growth sectors. The message to India: bring your skills, keep your language, and build in one of Europe’s most innovation-driven economies. Finland has introduced a fast-track residence permit service for specialists, startup founders, ICT leads, and senior managers. Applicants who meet the criteria — including family members — can expect a first decision within 14 days. Laura Lindeman of Business Finland…
Dubai’s Department of Government Human Resources (DGHR) has launched three initiatives aimed at strengthening employee wellbeing across the government workforce, with a focus on flexible working, financial security and the workplace environment. The initiatives are designed to address different aspects of employees’ working lives as part of Dubai Government’s wider efforts to improve employee experience and create a more sustainable work environment. As part of the programme, DGHR will review and develop flexible working policies, giving government entities greater scope to adopt work arrangements that respond to employees’ needs while ensuring operational requirements are met. The department is also introducing…
On International Youth Day, Vedanta Group underscored how India’s young workforce is reshaping resource-intensive industries with digital skills, data-driven thinking and new-age engineering. The conglomerate, present across metals, oil & gas, critical minerals, power and technology, said it onboarded 1,500+ young professionals this year through full-time roles and internships from 150+ premier campuses including IITs, IIMs and NITs. The intake achieved 50 per cent gender diversity, and 15 per cent of fresh hires came from the North-East, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and other regions, broadening access across geography and background. Vedanta Aluminium Metal now has an average employee age of…
Baroda BNP Paribas Asset Management India has appointed Madhu Nair as chief executive officer. The move signals the fund house’s intent to accelerate growth and build scale in India’s fast-growing mutual fund market. The appointment comes as the industry hits a new milestone, with AAUM (average assets under management) crossing ?86.33 lakh crore in July 2026. Baroda BNP Paribas Asset Management has also crossed ?57,000 crore in AAUM as of July 31, 2026. The company now aims to move from participating in growth to driving it. Nair succeeds Sanjay Kumar Grover, who was on deputation from Bank of Baroda and…
The Tripura Cabinet has removed the deadline for employees to exercise an option aimed at resolving pay anomalies between senior and junior government employees arising from financial upgradation under the Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS). Under the MACP Scheme, government employees become eligible for financial upgradation after 10, 17 and 25 years of continuous and satisfactory service without promotion, in accordance with the ROP Rules, 2017. The Finance Department said anomalies had arisen in cases where employees received MACP benefits between January 2 and July 1. Their date of annual increment was consequently deferred to January 1 of the…
The Andhra Pradesh Joint Action Committee (APJAC) Amaravati will hold an emergency meeting on 16 August to decide its next course of action over the pending demands of government employees. The meeting of the JAC’s State Secretariat and Agitation Action Committee will be held at 10 a.m. at Revenue Bhavan in Vijayawada. The meeting comes after the state government did not announce decisions on several issues raised by employee organisations. Key demands include the appointment of a Pay Revision Commission Chairman or PRC, interim relief, release of pending dearness allowance (DA), payment of arrears and restoration of the additional quantum…
Barclays is facing resistance from employees over plans to tighten its return-to-office requirements, with the UK lender set to increase mandatory office attendance from October. Under the revised policy, managing directors will be required to work from the office four days a week, while other employees will generally be expected to attend the office at least three days a week. The changes are expected to affect around half of Barclays’ 45,000 employees in the UK, including staff in operations and technology roles. The bank’s employee union, Unite, said it had received “significant feedback” from employees concerned about the proposed changes…
Wipro has granted 21,668 restricted stock units (RSUs) to an employee under its Employee Stock Options, Performance Stock Unit and Restricted Stock Unit Scheme 2024, even as the IT services company faces a labour complaint over delayed onboarding of more than 200 fresh hires. The RSU grant, effective 12 August 2026, was disclosed by Wipro in a regulatory filing with the stock exchanges. The allocation was approved under the company’s 2024 equity compensation framework and is subject to the applicable vesting and exercise conditions. The latest grant is part of Wipro’s broader use of equity-linked compensation to reward and retain…
Welspun Living has elevated Rakhi Shukla to deputy general manager – head HR for its Domestic Home Textile & Flooring Business, effective July 2026. Shukla joined Welspun in February 2024 as assistant general manager – lead sales HRBP and has taken on progressively broader responsibilities within the organisation over the past two years. In October 2024, her mandate expanded to include HR business partnering for enabling functions alongside sales. In April 2025, she took on an additional responsibility for talent acquisition, becoming AGM – lead HRBP and talent acquisition for the domestic business. Following her manager’s exit, Shukla was appointed…
Alkem Laboratories has appointed Abhijeet Jain as senior vice president – human resources. He will lead the company’s people agenda, focussing on organisational capability, talent development, employee engagement, and large-scale workforce transformation to support continued business growth. Jain brings more than three decades of HR leadership across complex, multi-location organisations. His career began in 1994 as an assistant coordinator – training at Samarthan – Centre for Development Support, where he conducted soft skills training for three years. He then moved into corporate HR with Ranutrol Industries as senior assistant – HR from 1997 to 1998, followed by a five-year stint…
After five years of association with Karix, a telecommunications firm, Uma Singh has been promoted to the position of senior director-human resources. Singh had joined the company back in 2021 as regional human resources partner. A year into this role, she was promoted to associate director-HR business partner. Two years later, in April of 2024, she was elevated once again and made director-HRBP, and now she has reached the level of senior director-HR. An alumna of Indian Institute of Business Management and Studies from where she completed an MBA in Human Resources Management, Singh was associated with Bharti AXA Life…
Omani employers will now have to give staff a full six months to turn things around before they can be let go for performance issues. The requirement is part of Oman’s new Labour Law, Royal Decree 53/2023, which came into effect in July 2023. Article 43 of the law says a worker cannot be dismissed solely for failing to meet efficiency targets unless the employer first identifies the specific areas of weakness and provides a six-month window to improve. If performance remains below standard after that period, termination may proceed. For Omani nationals, the company must then recruit another Omani…
India’s platform-based gig workforce could more than triple to 17-21 million by 2030 from more than six million currently, making gig work an increasingly important source of livelihood creation, according to a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants. The report examines the growth of platform-based work across delivery, ride-hailing and home services. Platform work is increasingly becoming an entry point into employment, particularly for people who were previously outside paid work. More than half, or 54 per cent, of surveyed gig workers were not in paid employment before joining a platform. First-time workers are expected to account for more than 30…
South African workers on unpredictable schedules could soon get stronger legal protections under new draft legislation released by the Department of Employment and Labour. Published for public comment until 28 March 2026, the Labour Laws Amendment Bill, 2025, proposes inserting Section 9B into the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. The clause is designed for “on-call”, zero-hours and min-max contracts that have left many in retail, security and hospitality without guaranteed income or warning. The Bill would require employers with 10 or more such staff to set terms in writing. That includes minimum guaranteed hours, maximum hours, set availability windows, and…