After successfully serving Acer as senior manager-human resources (Talent transformation head) for well over three years, Indu Rashmi has been elevated to the position of head-human resources. This is her repeat stint with Acer. Earlier, she has served the ICT company as manager-human resources before she moved to Capco in January 2021. Rashmi, who has completed an MBA in human-resource management from PES University, began her professional journey with Kyocera International as a project trainee in 2007. She also interned with Symphony Teleca as a trainee before joining Acer as a management trainee-human resources, in 2008. Within a year she…
Author: HRK News Bureau
Nextiva, the Unified Customer Experience Management (Unified-CXM) company, is all set to launch a 35,000-square-feet innovation hub in Bengaluru as part of its global expansion plans. Having managed to more than double its headcount in India to 300 in over a year, Nextiva is now rapidly trying to hire at least 150 more people in the country, to support its next wave of global product innovation. The new facility is Nextiva’s largest outside the US, reinforcing India’s role as a core engine of the company’s global product and technology strategy. The hub will serve as a centre of excellence, driving…
Taking its employees’ safety very seriously, Vedanta has embraced a range of technologies rooted in predictive and inclusive safety. The global natural resources company has deployed leading-edge technologies including artificial intelligence or AI-led monitoring systems, drones, fatigue-detection systems, smart helmets, and tele-remote operations, which are transforming industrial safety across its operations. Vedanta believes that by leveraging AI, smart systems, and people-first leadership, “it is not just responding to risks but anticipating and preventing them.” The company is trying “to create workplaces that are not only productive, but deeply safe, healthy and future ready.” The theme of World Day for Safety…
Gensol Electric Vehicles, the electric vehicle arm of Gensol Engineering, is set to wind up its operations by 30 April, 2025. The decision follows an ongoing investigation by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which is looking into allegations of financial irregularities within the parent company. The company recently laid off its remaining employees as part of the shutdown process. Around 100 staff members have been impacted, with earlier layoffs affecting about 50 more. Gensol EV had been working on producing two-seater electric cars but has now halted all plans as scrutiny over its financial dealings intensifies. SEBI’s…
Meta has initiated a new round of layoffs within its Reality Labs division, as the company continues to streamline operations and concentrate resources on its vision for mixed reality. The latest job cuts have impacted teams within Oculus Studios, the arm responsible for developing virtual and augmented reality content for the Meta Quest headsets. Though the exact number of employees affected remains unclear, the restructuring appears to be part of a broader effort to improve efficiency and manage spiralling costs. This move comes after earlier layoffs across Meta in 2024, which included the dismissal of 5 per cent of its…
Amazon India has unveiled a major health initiative aimed at supporting the well-being of over 80,000 of its delivery associates and partners across the country. The company will organise free medical camps at its last-mile delivery stations by the end of 2025, offering preventive healthcare services where they’re needed most—on the ground. The programme, already launched in Tamil Nadu and the Delhi NCR region, brings essential health services to the doorstep of delivery workers. These camps are being set up in partnership with Marsh and Care Insurance and provide services such as eye and dental check-ups, BMI assessments, and consultations…
Xiaomi, the Chinese tech firm, is facing mounting criticism after reports surfaced alleging an unspoken rule of excessive working hours across its departments. The issue came to light through a viral post on Maimai, a professional networking platform. The post claimed that employees are expected to work at least 11.5 hours daily. Numerous internal revelations have been made ever since. Employees from different Xiaomi divisions have shared similar concerns, stating that while these overtime expectations aren’t officially documented, they are enforced through verbal instructions. Furthermore, workers say departments have their own benchmarks—ranging from 10.5 to as much as 15 hours…
Venus Remedies, a global pharmaceutical company, has introduced a comprehensive Family Medical Insurance Policy for all employees as part of its employee wellbeing initiative, Venus Care. The objective is to create a secure, supportive and empowering work environment, with the policy offering medical coverage to over 856 employees and will cover insurance for new joiners from the very first day of their employment. The company is investing about Rs 74 lacs on this initiative, in line with its people-first philosophy and recognition of healthcare as a core pillar of employee security and satisfaction. The policy includes each employee’s spouse and…
With the US pulling back funding, the World Health Organisation has found itself facing a budget gap and income reduction. It is left with no option but to scale down operations and reduce headcount. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, has reportedly conveyed that the organisation has been working out an emergency plan to deal with the ‘no funding from the US’ situation. It is pertinent to mention here that the largest donation to WHO used to come from the US and this is likely to be stopped altogether in a year’s time. That means WHO will…
Looks like Google is becoming more and more serious about in-person collaboration and has mandated that all remote workers should work from the physical office at least thrice a week. In fact, Googlers across some divisions have been warned that they may lose their jobs if they do not return to office for a minimum of three days of in-person work. The employees have been told to work from the nearest Google office on a hybrid schedule. Members of Google’s technical services unit have been told that their relocation expenses will be covered via a one-time payment provided they relocate…
Honasa Consumer, the personal care and beauty brand house—known for popular brands such as Mamaearth, The Derma Co., Aqualogica, Bblunt, Dr. Sheth’s, and Staze Beauty—has announced the elevation of two key leaders within its organisation. While Karan Bajwa, who was serving as senior vice president–human resources till now, has been promoted to the role of chief human resources Officer (CHRO), Avinash Dhagat, who served as senior vice president-supply chain, has been elevated to chief supply chain officer (CSCO). An alumnus of Punjab University and the Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development, Karan Bajwa began his professional journey as…
Microsoft has made three key leadership appointments across India and South Asia. Nitin Mittal has joined as industry leader, Digital Natives, India & South Asia, while Himani Agrawal has been elevated to chief operating officer (COO), Microsoft India & South Asia. Aparna Kondaboina is head-human resources, Microsoft Customers and Partners Solutions (MCAPS), India and South Asia. Nitin Mittal comes with over 24 years of experience, and a strong track record of building digital platforms across sectors including finance, retail, e-commerce, and media. He has held leadership roles at Zee Entertainment, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and Unique Identification Authority…
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has upheld the government’s decision to refix the salaries of a group of Class-IV employees in the Jal Shakti Department but barred the recovery of excess payments already made. The ruling comes after a long-standing dispute over pay scales granted by mistake due to misinterpretation of a withdrawn government order. The petitioners, who were initially daily wagers and later regularised, were first placed in a lower pay band but later moves up to a higher pay scale retrospectively. This promotion was based on departmental circulars referencing SRO 59 of 1990. However, the government later…
Microsoft has given employees a five-day deadline to accept its newly introduced performance management policy or opt for a voluntary exit. This is the company’s strategy to promote high performance and accountability across teams. The updated policy, announced internally by Amy Coleman, chief people officer, introduces stricter performance benchmarks and consequences. At the core of the overhaul is a globally consistent Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), which offers underperforming employees a choice: meet defined performance goals within a specific timeline or exit the company through a voluntary separation package. Employees flagged with poor performance ratings—categorised as zero or 60 per cent…
It has barely been two months since Anurag Sharma joined Axiscades as chief growth officer, and now he has been appointed as CEO of its subsidiary, add solution GmbH. Sharma, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, started his professional journey as a senior engineer with Larsen & Toubro, in Surat, Gujarat, way back in 1995. Over five years later, he moved to ANSYS, India as regional manager- West India. Three years later, he moved to Axiscades as business development manager, working out of Pune. Soon after he switched to Altair Engineering, as national head-engineering services, relocating to…
Boeing is undertaking a major cultural reset after internal findings revealed a sharp decline in employee morale and pride in the organisation. The move follows the results of a company-wide survey, the first of its kind in five years, which showed that only 67 per cent of employees felt proud to work at Boeing—a steep drop from 91 per cent recorded in a 2013 survey. As a rectification measure, the company has launched initiatives aimed at redefining its core values and workplace culture. A dedicated working group has been formed to guide this transformation. The leadership has also conducted several…
In this candid conversation with HRKatha, Girish Rowjee, co-founder and CEO, and Sayeed Anjum, Co-founder and CTO of greytHR, share insights on building a comprehensive HR platform that now serves 27,000+ businesses across 25+ countries. With their technical expertise and vision for simplifying HR, they’ve created not just software but an entire ecosystem supporting HR professionals. HRKatha: Take us back to the beginning. What specific gap in the HR technology market did you see that inspired you to start greytHR? How has your initial vision transformed? Girish: When we started, we identified a clear gap in the HR tech market…
Jindal Stainless, the Indian stainless-steel manufacturer, has launched a new Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that places people at the core of its success story. The EVP, introduced through a powerful video campaign, highlights the company’s journey of doubling its turnover from USD 2.4 billion to USD 4.7 billion in just three years—crediting its workforce as the driving force behind this growth. The video brings to life five key EVP pillars: learning opportunities, leadership development, industry exposure, community spirit, and freedom to experiment. Through stories of real employees, from young professionals in leadership roles to women in manufacturing and tech innovators…
Shobit Malhotra has taken on the role of CEO-international business, iD Fresh Food. He moves from Colgate-Palmolive where he spent the last 17 years. A physics graduate from St Stephen’s College, Shobit Malhotra completed a master’s degree in international business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, in 1999. Malhotra joined Unilever in 1999, as a management trainee. Over a year later, he was promoted to area sales manager. Three years into this role came another promotion that made him brand manager/senior brand manager. After six years with Unilever, he moved to PepsiCo in 2005, as marketing manager. October of…
Livguard, the Indian energy storage and solar solutions brand under the SAR Group, has appointed Sameer Nagpal as its new managing director (MD) & chief executive officer (CEO). An alumnus of Delhi College of Engineering and IIM-Calcutta, Nagpal spent the initial 15 years of his career with Carrier Corporation. He held various positions from 1991 to 2007. By the time he moved on from Carrier, in June of 2007, he had reached the position of director-building systems and services, India. Sameer Nagpal joined ZICOM Electronic Security Systems, as chief executive officer, in 2007. For well over two and a half…
Nipun Aggarwal will be the new chairman of Air India Express. He will take over from Campbell Wilson who has been occupying this position since 2022. Aggarwal has been playing chief commercial officer, Air India, till now and was already a member of the board of Air India Express. He will continue to shoulder the responsibilities of chief commercial and transformation officer along with the chairmanship. He played a significant role in the acquisition of Air India by Tata Sons. Aggarwal came to be associated with Air India in January 2022 and has since successfully strategised the airline’s finances and…
With an aim to allow its employees to become shareholders and create personal wealth, Hearzap, the brand that provides complete hearing care solutions in India has announced its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The company is gearing to expand to 250 stores by FY26, and 500 stores thereafter targeting two-fold growth in the next three years. The ESOP programme will see eligible employees being granted stock options worth about Rs 8 crore. Hearzap believes in a journey of collective growth and success. Eligible employees will grow with the company and be part of Hearzap’s long-term vision of making hearing care…
A new study has revealed the deep cultural impact of layoffs, reporting an alarming 216 per cent drop in employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)—from 2.78 to -3.23. It draws attention to the fact that workforce reductions, when handled without empathy and transparency, can severely damage trust, morale, and long-term employee engagement within organisations. eNPS is a key indicator of how likely employees are to recommend their workplace to others. This score helps measure employee satisfaction and emotional commitment. A negative score signals a worrying shift—from dissatisfaction to outright disengagement. The report by CultureMonkey, an AI-powered employee- engagement platform, draws insights…
To strengthen India’s gig economy, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has tied up with Rapido, an Indian bike taxi platform. The collaboration aims to equip those looking for gig jobs with technical, behavioural, and safety skills, ensuring they are job-ready. The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to train, skill and employ a growing workforce in the mobility sector. While NSDC will leverage its pan-India skilling infrastructure to identify and train candidates, Rapido will integrate these trained individuals into its growing fleet of bike and auto captains. This partnership will create part-time and full-time job opportunities with…
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that the state government is justified in withholding back wages of employees who are absent from duty due to criminal proceedings, even if those individuals are later acquitted. As per the ruling, acquittal alone does not create an automatic entitlement to salaries for the period of absence. The court clarified that unless a criminal case is initiated by the department itself or at its behest, an employee’s reinstatement following acquittal does not necessarily include salary benefits for the time spent out of service. The decision was made while addressing a petition filed…
A professional’s experience at a new workplace has sparked widespread discussion after they shared their story on the subreddit Indian Workplace. The individual resigned after spending just one day at work, citing major red flags that pointed to a deeply outdated and rigid work culture. From the moment he joined, the employee felt a stark mismatch between expectations and the company’s operations. Having worked in fast-paced startup environments before, the individual was used to some level of chaos. But the organisational structure encountered was not just disorganised but felt stuck in the past. Processes were heavily reliant on paper. Reports…