BT Group, Britain’s broadband and mobile provider, announced its plan to trim its workforce by laying off up to 55,000 employees post launching of its fibre-optic broadband and 5G network and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). The company is altering policies to build a national fibre network as its rolling out high-speed 5G mobile services, which won’t need much human labour in building and maintenance. The company, which was earlier called British Telecom, is working on automating its business by relying on AI technology and simplifying its structure to shrink costs. The Broadband company reported pro forma revenue and core…
Author: HRK News Bureau
On Wednesday, 17 May, information and technology (IT) firm Wipro announced the allotment of approximately 3,98,733 shares to its eligible employees as stock options, through an exchange filing. Around 3,96,893 shares were given under the ADS Restricted Stock Unit Plan 2004, while 1840 were allocated under the Restricted Stock Unit Plan 2007. Earlier, Wipro’s competitor, tech company Infosys, had also allotted more than 5.11 lakh equity shares to its key contributors to appreciate employees’ efforts and expand their ownership. In the past six months, Wipro offered bonuses and promotions to its employees across all bands. The tech giant rolled out…
Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer, is celebrating the International Day of Families by hosting employees’ families through its ‘Proud Families’ initiative. Family members from different parts of India are visiting the company’s operations in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. They will have the opportunity to witness the production of high-quality aluminium at world-class complexes, explore the facilities provided for their loved ones, and enjoy various fun-filled activities. These exclusive visits are organised for the parents of Vedanta Aluminium employees at locations such as the alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, Odisha, one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters in Jharsuguda, Odisha, and BALCO,…
HEC (Heavy Engineering Corporation) is one of India’s oldest public sector units, with its headquarters located in Ranchi, Jharkhand. It is a prominent supplier of equipment to major steel plants across the country. However, for the past few months many employees are facing a salary delay from the authorities. As per media reports, approximately 2,700 workmen and 450 executives have not received their salaries for over a year now. As of April 2023, officer grade workers were paid for the month of February 2022. On the other hand, workmen received only half of their pay for May 2022. The affected…
Information technology service company, Infosys has reduced its variable payout for Q4FY23 to 60 per cent, its lowest ever. In the first quarter of FY203, the tech firm had lowered the variable pay to 70 per cent and then in Q2 to about 65 per cent. Wipro, on the other hand, had shelled out 87 per cent variable pay for the third quarter of 2022 across all units and 100 per cent in the second quarter. Infosys has reportedly informed its employees, through email that even though FY23 had witnessed “strong performance” on the whole, the last quarter was adversely…
Companies globally are placing greater emphasis on the welfare of their staff and implementing measures to safeguard against physical and mental exhaustion. However, at Nutrition Solutions, their dedication to employee welfare manifests in a distinctive manner – providing extra remuneration for engaging in physical exercise. Nutrition Solutions offers employees the opportunity to exercise early in the day, allowing them to optimise their time outside of work. The company’s commitment to employee well-being is evident through their compensation for exercise, showcasing a culture that prioritises holistic wellness. Additionally, the company also motivates its employees to participate in free exercise classes every…
To ensure the right placement of employees and prioritise work-life balance, the government of Andhra Pradesh has revoked the restriction on the transfers of employees working for the state government. The move is believed to boost optimum productivity among the employees for further govt development objectives. This decision supersedes two previous orders that imposed the transfer ban. The State Government issued new guidelines and principles for transfers and postings for the year 2023 through a Government Order (GO Ms. No.71). As per the instructions provided by the chief secretary, the employees who have served at a single location for more…
Many tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta have recommenced recruiting foreign workers shortly after announcing substantial layoffs. Following the downsizing initiatives that began in late 2022, the companies are now facing scrutiny as they opt to hire low-paid foreign employees to fulfil their technical roles. The recent hiring practices highlight a paradoxical situation where thousands of H1-B visa holders, including those from India, have been directly affected by layoffs in the United States. These employees have either lost their jobs or are at risk of losing their right to stay in the country. Meanwhile, the same companies…
Government employees in West Bengal are opposing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s statements regarding job losses and demands for dearness allowance (DA). The chief minister claimed that 36,000 teachers lost their jobs due to the movement of government employees, rather than a court order. She also stated that job seekers from Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporter families would not receive favours in employment due to coordination committee members being in the Public Service Commission. In response, Biswajit Gupta Choudhury, convenor of Joutho Manch, the largest organisation representing state government employees, emphasised their demands for fair evaluation based on merit, not political connections.…
The Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K) has launched its Centre for Employment Relations and Labour Studies (CERLS). This think tank will help workers from economically weaker sections move from the informal to the formal economy, and also work closely with relevant bodies to maintain fair labour practices. The Centre will be lead by Manoranjan Dhal, professor, human resource management, IIM Kozhikode. The core team will comprise experts from the various HR domains, including labour economics, labour laws and people management. The objective of setting up this Centre was to bridge the gap that has emerged in terms of the…
In Britain, members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) are prepping for a strike yet again on 2 June to protest against the inadequate pay and working conditions. Additionally, at least 20,000 employees including station staff, train mangers as well as catering staff will be boycotting work on 31 May and 2 and 3 June, 2023, under the aegis of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), another union. This will only lead to more disruption causing more inconvenience to people than before coming at a time when there are several music concerts,…
Ahead, a Chicago-based enterprise, has recently entered the Indian market by establishing its inaugural service delivery office in Gurugram. This expansion marks an important milestone for the company as it extends its operations into India. Looking ahead, the company has set its sights on hiring over 750 employees in India by the year 2025. This strategic move highlights Ahead’s commitment to growth and its confidence in the opportunities presented by the Indian market. This strategic move reflects the company’s enthusiasm for the opportunities presented by India and its commitment to delivering exceptional results for clients. Praveen Grover, vice president and…
It has hardly been a year since cloud company, Oracle, acquired Cerner, the electronic healthcare records firm, and already 3,000 employees have been laid off from the latter. Employees in the engineering, accounting, marketing, product and legal departments have been impacted. Oracle has reportedly imposed a pause on increments and promotions too. In fact, Insider reports that employees at the company were told that they shouldn’t expect any promotions or hikes this year. Oracle had acquired Cerner with the aim of trying to replace the time spent by clinicians in performing administrative tasks with more detailed interactions with patients, so…
On May 16, 2023, as part of his US tour, KT Rama Rao, Telangana industries and IT minister, met with Alexandra Carter, senior vice president of finance at Warner Bros. Discovery. The discussions emphasised a shared vision between both parties to foster growth and innovation in the media and entertainment industry. Warner Bros. Discovery, a prominent global media and entertainment conglomerate, boasts an impressive portfolio of renowned brands, including HBO, HBO Max, CNN, TLC, Discovery, Discovery Plus, WB, Eurosport, Animal Planet, Cinemax, Pogo, HGTV, Cartoon Network, and Quest. Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to set up an office in Hyderabad demonstrates…
After being high on the layoff spree, Twitter is now planning to bring back a portion of the previously laid-off staff members. In an interview, Elon Musk stated that letting go of so many employees wasn’t a wise decision and that he regretted terminating so many employees and acknowledged that the layoffs were mishandled. Musk admitted that the choice to downsize and lay off certain employees in the previous year was erroneous, emphasising that some individuals should not have been terminated. He justified his decision by stating that the layoffs were a desperate action taken to secure Twitter’s financial stability.…
In a recent podcast, YouTuber Riddhi Dutta interviewed Arideep Dutta, who has formerly worked with TCS and Amazon. Dutta was amongst the 18000 employees who lost their jobs earlier this year in a lay-off drive by the e-commerce giant. During the interview, he revealed how he landed up getting a job with a 30 per cent hike in salary, despite these being tough times for job seekers. According to Dutta, even though he had already anticipated what lay ahead, the news of being laid off still came as a shock to him. In his tweet, he mentions how he was laid…
The age when employees used to settle for whatever their employers offered is long past now. Today’s employees are actively seeking better pay and benefits from their employers. They are not ones to be satisfied with anything less than what they deserve. Is there a visible divide between employees’ preferences in terms of benefits and pay? For some, money is more important because it gives them the power to make their own choices. For others, the benefits that come with their pay are more important. This is because, these benefits provide additional support in their time of need, and helps…
In a distressing incident, a job seeker in Mumbai became the target of an intricate scam, falling victim to a substantial loss of Rs 3.47 lakh while believing she had secured a job at Netflix. The entire deception unfolded through an Instagram page that falsely advertised job opportunities at the popular streaming platform. The victim, Mihika Ghiyani, stumbled upon the deceptive Instagram page in April, which claimed to represent Netflix’s recruitment process. Filled with excitement, she reached out to the provided contact number, unknowingly stepping into a meticulously orchestrated fraud. The person on the other end of the line identified…
Employees at a beverage company located in eastern Germany, known for producing popular drinks like vita cola, recently initiated a strike. Their primary grievance stems from the stark salary disparity that persists even after more than 30 years since the reunification of Germany. Compared to their counterparts working for the parent company in western Germany, the eastern German employees continue to receive significantly lower wages. The strike occurred at Waldquelle in Schmalkalden, situated in Thuringia. Around seventy workers participated, effectively halting the production of various beverages, including mineral waters, lemonades, and vita cola, which bears a resemblance to coca-cola. A…
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced that the state government has decided on a four per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA) for employees and in dearness relief (DR) for pensioners as per the 7th Pay Commission. This increment will come into effect retrospectively from 1 April 2023, and the employees will be paid the arrears accordingly. Earlier, the employees as well as the pensioners of the Tamil Nadu government were receiving a dearness allowance of 38 per cent. With this increment, they will now avail DA and DR of 42 per cent. With the beneficiaries (about 16…
Ensono Technologies, under the leadership of CEO Jeff VonDeylen, is strategically expanding its workforce in India. The company plans to increase its employee strength from approximately 1,384 to 1,500 by 2023. With a global presence, Ensono operates not only in India but also in the United States and Europe. India and Poland serve as the company’s main delivery centres, with India hosting a significant portion of its workforce. Ensono specialises in providing mainframe services to prominent sectors such as banks, insurance companies, and government agencies. Its client base primarily resides in the US and Europe, where Ensono delivers essential technological…
Fintech unicorn Zepz is implementing a workforce reduction and is going to lay off 26% per cent of its workforce. As per the media sources, the job cuts will majorly happen in its customer care and engineering teams, affecting 420 roles. The decision came after the Fintech firm decided to undertake “workforce optimisation” to address duplicated roles resulting from its merger of Sendwave and WorldRemit. Additionally, the company has also started informing the affected employees about the news. Mark Lenhard, CEO, Zepz, described the decision as a crucial and essential measure in the company’s transition from two separate and extensive…
In an attempt to prolong its financial stability, Toothsi, a dental technology start up, has recently terminated the employment of around 20 to 30 staff members. As per some media reports, the company is currently facing challenges in securing new funding, making it crucial for them to overcome this funding shortfall. In May 2022, Toothsi successfully secured $40 million in funding from various investors, including several prominent figures such as veteran banker Aditya Puri, Eight Roads Ventures, Paramark, and IIFL. Furthermore, the company obtained an additional $9 million through a venture debt round from Stride Ventures earlier this year. In…
Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital has appointed Ramanathan V as chief human resources officer. Ramanthan has moved from United Breweries, a Heineken Group Company, where he was head – talent management and commercial HR for over a year. An alumnus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Ramanathan is also an engineering graduate from Bharath Institute of Science and Technology, from where he studied electronics and communication. At the start of his career, Ramanathan worked as a software engineer with Thinksoft Global Services in 2004, for less than a year. He then interned with Deutsche Bank, before being absorbed as a…
A Supreme Court (SC) bench led by justice AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli, on 12 May, addressed the issue of sexual harassment of women at the workplace and found major lapses in the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, commonly known as the PoSH Act. Enacted in 2013, the Act was meant to safeguard women from sexual abuse. The main goal of the Act is to prevent, prohibit and redress sexual harassment at the workplace. Usually, women hesitate to register their complaints and quit their jobs instead, which results in lower women’s…
Air India Express, the budget international airline, has been hiring recently. In fact, it has already brought on board about 280 pilots and 250 cabin crew, via recruitment drives across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. The carrier, which will soon be integrating AirAsia into it, has received a huge response from candidates. Over the past few days, recruitment drives have taken place across Kozhikode in Kerala, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Imphal in Manipur, Guwahati in Assam, Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat and even Mangalore in Karnataka in addition to all the metros. With Go First having collapsed, many pilots and crew…