Cognizant has announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud to facilitate the fast adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) around the world. As part of this partnership, around 25,000 Cognizant professionals will be educated on Google Cloud AI technologies at the upcoming Cognizant Google Cloud AI University. The university will offer a range of courses, including introductory and advanced courses on AI fundamentals, Google Cloud’s solutions, and specific cases where AI can be used. Additionally, Cognizant will open Google Cloud AI Innovation hubs in Bangalore, London, and San Francisco. These centres will serve as spaces for Cognizant experts, Google Cloud experts,…
Author: HRK News Bureau
The Andhra Pradesh government has given a boost to the morale of its workers by increasing the house rent allowance (HRA) for employees working in the administrative centres of newly established districts. This decision is expected to provide financial support to government employees and encourage them to work harder for the growth of the state. The government’s decision to hike HRA from 12 percent to 16 percent is a welcome move for government employees working in district offices in Parvathipuram, Paderu, Amalapuram, Bapatla, Rajahmundry, Bhimavaram, Narasaraopeta, Puttaparthi, and Rayachoti. It will help them cope with the high cost of living,…
Amidst protests by doctors across Kerala, following the murder of a young female surgeon at the Kottarakkara Taluk hospital, in Kollam district, the State government has decided to issue an ordinance for the safety of medical professionals. The ordinance will amend the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012. The ordinance will be put forward in the next cabinet meeting. Additionally, it has been decided that police outposts will be established at all major hospitals across the State. Vandana Das, the young house surgeon who was stabbed to death by…
After almost three years of association with the Jakson Group, Radhika Arora has been elevated to the position of chief people officer. Till recently, she was serving as the CHRO at the solar power company. After specialising in human resources and marketing from the MS Ramaiah Institute of Management, Arora worked as a consultant – IT talent acquisition, for Spectrum Placements. Her first major break came with her appointment as deputy manager, HR – organisation development (OD) and recruitment, at Bharat Heavy Electricals, in 2004. Based out of Delhi, she administered the performance management system for BHEL’s 12000-strong workforce. She…
The evolution of AI can transform the way managers work by providing them with real-time insights and predictive analytics to aid decision-making. AI can boost employee engagement and productivity by analysing employee data and identifying areas where additional training or support is necessary. Additionally, AI can help managers identify employees who are at risk of leaving the company, enabling them to take proactive steps to retain them. However, AI has the potential to displace jobs. The World Economic Forum’s recent report predicts that AI could displace 75 million jobs by 2022 but could also create 133 million new jobs over…
As financial uncertainties clouds the biotech sector, Novavax, announced on Tuesday that it will cut its worldwide workforce by 25 per cent. This is another big job cut news in the biotech industry as the sector is still trying to tackle the lukewarm demand for its COVID-19 vaccines. As per the company’s recent regulatory filings, Novavax’s decision to lay off employees is part of its continued cost-saving initiatives. This move will affect around 498 jobs out of the 1,992 full-time employees it had as of February 21. In the first quarter, Novavax posted a net loss of $293.9 million, in…
Remote, a company that specialises in creating, managing, and supporting global distributed workforces, has recently welcomed Barbara Matthews as its new chief people officer. In her new role, Matthews is going to be responsible for the company’s distributed teams strategic planning, implementation, and scalability. Matthews has an extensive background in human resources, starting her career as a staff trainer and HR assistant at Super Value for almost 2 years. She then spent 12 years at Google, where she worked her way up from recruitment coordinator to the position of HR business partner, Google for Work. Prior to joining Remote, Matthews…
Tangedco has finally consented to the 6 per cent salary hike for its employees after a prolonged deadlock. The wage revisions and negotiations were made official by the electricity minister, V Senthil Balaji, on Wednesday. If media reports are to be believed, the new wage revision will be advantageous for a total of 75,978 employees, and service weightage will benefit 62,548 employees. As per media reports, the long four hour meeting involved many senior officials from Tangedco’s management along with its chief managing director (CMD), Rajesh Lakhani. Along with the six per cent increase in wages, the representatives have also…
Hiring workers from third party agencies on contract to work for the government is a growing trend in Maharashtra. These agencies, such as Aksentt Tech Services, CMS IT Services, Innowave IT Infrastructure, Krystal Integrated Services, S2 Infotech International, Sainik Intelligence Security, and Urmila International Services, provide workers for various government departments, including project coordinators, engineers, teachers, content writers, clerks, librarians, telephone operators, drivers, carpenters, gardeners, lift operators, sweepers, and peons. This policy is not new. In 2014, the government awarded a similar tender to Brisk Facilities and Krystal Integrated Services for three years, and their contract was extended after it…
Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals has named Dr D Prasanth Nair as its new chief human resources officer. Nair brings with him over two decades of experience and will be strengthening the company’s overall employee experience, including talent management as well as the diversity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Prior to joining Crompton Greaves, Nair has worked with many leading Indian and multinational companies, including the RPG Group. He has also headed the HR function for Thomas Cook and Cipla. Nair’s expertise lies in talent development, change management, coaching, counselling as well as embedding technology in HR. Over the years, he has helped…
HP Inc. has announced the appointment of Glenn Williams as its new chief diversity officer. Williams moves from Qualcomm where he was VP – HR and chief diversity officer since November 2021. An alumnus of Harvard Law School, Williams served as senior legal specialist in the US Army for four years, from 2004 to 2008. He also served as senior manager, NATO, based out of the Netherlands Law Centre, for two years. Having pursued human relations at the University of Oklahoma, Williams was associated with ExxonMobil as HR business partner and compliance (GSF), based out of Texas from 2014 to…
With an aim to invest in long-term opportunity, Microsoft is trying to align its spending with revenue and customer demand. As part of this exercise, the tech major has decided that no salary hikes will be granted to its employees who are on the rolls this year. However, the contract staff or hourly wagers may receive hikes. Additionally, the company is also cutting down its budget for bonuses and stock awards. As reported by Business Insider, Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft, sent an e-mail to the workforce mentioning how the company had invested heavily in compensation last year, based on the…
On May 9, 2023, HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector bank by assets, allotted 4,561,966 equity shares of Rs 1 each to eligible employees under the Employee Stock Option Scheme. The bank’s paid-up share capital will increase from Rs. 5,583,443,980 to Rs. 5,588,005,946. The stock options were granted at market price, as per the SEBI (Share Based Employees Benefits and Sweat Equity) Regulations, 2021. HDFC Bank has announced an increase in its marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR) by 5-15 basis points (bps) across various loan tenures effective from May 8, 2023. The bank’s MCLR for different loan tenures…
The employees of the Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMFL) ended their indefinite strike today in Thiruvananthapuram, which brought relief to the dairy farmers of the State. The strike was organised by the trade unions, demanding necessary benefits such as such as pension and welfare fund for the employees. The indefinite strike has had a deep impact on the dairy industry in Kerala as Milma, the major cooperative dairy company, handles a significant portion of milk procurement and distribution across Kerala. In the meantime, dairy farmers in Kozhikode and Palakkad districts had no option but to dispose of large amounts…
Given the pressure from industry challenges, Paramount Media Networks is downsizing its staff by 25 per cent and closing a few of its popular divisions. According to an internal memo viewed by Variety, the media house is shutting down MTV News, which was introduced in the 1980s, along with Show Time. The decision will affect a quarter of the workforce based in US for all the divisions. In a memo to employees, Paramount Media Networks’ President, Chris McCarthy, stated that senior leaders, in conjunction with HR, have been collaborating over the last few months to establish the best organisational structure…
A federal judge in California has dismissed a lawsuit against Twitter that accused the company of discriminating against disabled workers by requiring them to work in the office and put in long hours at high intensity. The lawsuit was filed by Dmitry Borodaenko, a former Twitter engineering manager who claims that he was fired by the company when he refused to stop working remotely. Borodaenko, who is a cancer survivor, proposed the lawsuit as a class action, alleging that Twitter’s policies disproportionately impacted disabled workers. US District Judge Haywood Gilliam has rejected the claims made by Dmitry Borodaenko, a former…
The financial crisis faced by Go First airline, which initiated insolvency resolution proceedings in the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) last week, has left its employees feeling uncertain about their future. As per the media reports, the airline’s Air Operators Certificate (AOC) may be terminated depending on their response to the notice, which must be submitted within 15 days. On Monday, May 8, the DGCA also issued a show cause notice to Go First mentioning that the airline is uncertain about operating further. As per the last notice given to employees, all of them were supposed to serve a notice…
Ganapthi Subramanian, formerly head – HR of Sundaram Home Finance, has now been elevated to chief human resources officer (CHRO). He had joined the financial services company in 2020, for a second stint, moving from Lucas Indian Service, where he was head – HR for over a year. From September 2014 to April 2019, Subramanian had served as head – HR at Sundaram Finance, based out of Chennai. Reporting to the MD, he managed end-to-end HR strategy and execution for almost five years, before he moved to Lucas Indian Service. Subramanian, who is an alumnus of Bharathidasan University, was associated…
The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) in Chennai, India, made a significant ruling recently. The bench held that remuneration paid to consultant doctors is not considered salary and thus not subjected to tax deduction at source (TDS). The appeal was filed by the revenue against the order of the commissioner of income tax (Appeals) CIT(A) in response to an issue arising from the assessee. The case dealt with the classification of payments made to consultant doctors by a healthcare establishment. The question before the tribunal was whether such payments were considered salary or professional fees, as the two are treated…
The review posted by the current Niantic employee on Glassdoor provides a candid and detailed insight into the company’s internal operations and culture. It reveals that while Niantic may have some strengths in terms of individual contributors and engineers’ technical expertise, it is seriously lacking in leadership and direction. The review highlights that the company seems to prioritise solutions over purposes, which can lead to a lack of focus and a scattergun approach. It suggests that this approach may be due to the influence of mid-management, who are described as ‘an epic joke’. Specifically, the review mentions that the tech…
As per a new judgement passed by the Supreme Court, an employee can’t be denied pension just because his/her employer made any wrong deductions on their part. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Rajesh Bindal dismissed an appeal filed by the Calcutta State Transport Corporation and others. The appeal was made against the High Court’s division bench decision of March 5, 2021, directing the employer to release the pension of the employee Ashit Chakraborty and others. In its appeal, the corporation argued that the employee’s salary underwent routine deductions for the contributory provident fund and that he received…
As tech layoffs persist without restraint, the chipmaker giant, Intel, confirms its intention to reduce its workforce as a means of cutting expenses and navigating a tough macroeconomic climate. The company didn’t reveal the number of job cuts, however, many roles are expected to get affected by the decision. This comes after Intel had revealed in October 2022, its goal of cutting expenses by $3 billion in the current year. As reported by a USA daily, the company is planning to give a boost to its overall company strategy, while coping with the unexpected market and economic conditions. One spokesperson…
Last week, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) members abandoned their writing tools and went to the protest lines stating their pay doesn’t reflect the profits earned in this streaming era. For the first time since 2008, over 11,000 writers in the film and television industry have initiated a strike. They are not only advocating for increased compensation and residuals, but new regulations that would necessitate studios to employ a specific number of writers for a certain time period when staffing television shows. Additionally, WGA is also seeking payment throughout the entirety of the preproduction, production, and postproduction process. Presently,…
Cuemath, a Bangalore based edtech startup focussed on Math learning, has announced that it will be reducing its workforce as it grapples with mounting losses and seeks to cut expenses in the face of a funding winter. The decision to cut jobs will impact around 100 employees across various functions, according to a company spokesperson. The spokesperson also confirmed that the layoffs are part of a wider restructuring plan aimed at streamlining operations and strengthening the company’s focus on building a great learning and consumer experience (LCX). Manan Khurma, founder & chairman, Cuemath, has declared in a LinkedIn post that…
Pernod Ricard India, a multinational alcohol beverage company, has partnered with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to launch the ‘Livelihood Creation’ project. The project aims to provide skill training to 240 transgenders in Mumbai, enabling them to become future-ready and employable, and integrate smoothly into society. The project’s dual objective is to bridge the gender-based skill gap through employment-oriented training and address the stigma, abuse, and discrimination against transgenders. In addition, the project aims to increase stakeholder awareness and establish sustainable livelihood approaches and capacity-building programs for holistic development. According to the Census 2011 report, limited livelihood options are…
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn, the employment-focussed social-media network, has revealed its plans to axe about 716 roles. Additionally, it has decided to withdraw its local jobs app in China, gradually, in stages. Called InCareer, this local job app will be completely withdrawn over the next three months. Interestingly, the professional social-media networking platform, which has a workforce strength of about 20,000, has witnessed revenue growth each quarter over the last year. However, amidst the uncertain economic conditions and stiff competition, globally, LinkedIn too has decided to reduce its workforce, just as so many other tech majors. This move is part of the…