A video from HCL Group’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Chennai has gone viral after a section of employees was heard chanting “We want hike” as CEO C Vijayakumar walked onto the stage. The clip has sparked widespread discussion on social media about employee compensation, workplace culture and the appropriateness of raising salary concerns during a corporate celebration. The incident took place during a private event organised exclusively for HCL employees as part of the company’s golden jubilee celebrations. The Chennai event was one of several programmes being held across cities to mark the company’s 50-year milestone and featured a live…
Author: HRK News Bureau
As more organisations continue bringing employees back to the office, workplace politics appears to be becoming more visible. A recent survey of over 1,000 employees in the US suggests that office-based work may be reviving behaviours such as blame-shifting, backstabbing and career-driven sabotage. The survey, conducted by Resume Now, found that 40 per cent of respondents admitted to sabotaging a colleague at some point to improve their own career prospects. The findings point to growing concerns around trust and collaboration as organisations encourage greater in-person interaction. The study also revealed that many employees have experienced being on the receiving end…
Krutrim, India’s first artificial intelligence unicorn, has reportedly laid off around 20 to 25 employees in another round of workforce reductions as it sharpens its focus on AI infrastructure and cloud services. According to The Economic Times, the latest layoffs have impacted employees across the product and engineering functions. This marks the company’s second round of job cuts this year. Earlier, Krutrim had reportedly reduced headcount in its sales, go-to-market and business operations teams as part of an organisational restructuring. Responding to media reports, the company did not confirm the number of employees affected. It stated that it periodically reviews…
Global insurance brokerage firm Lockton has named Shuchi Nihalani as head of human capital consulting for Singapore and Malaysia, effective July 2026. She will be responsible for expanding the firm’s people and organisation practice and delivering strategic HR solutions to clients in the region. She moved to Lockton from Autodesk, where she worked between 2023 to 2026 as the senior people business partner, acting as a strategic advisor to senior leaders on organisation transformation, succession planning, and global HR programme adoption. From November 2021 to November 2023 she served as senior people consultant, coaching managers and driving the rollout of…
Uber India has been given three weeks to deposit welfare contributions for gig workers with the Karnataka High Court registry after the court agreed to hear its plea against the state’s 2025 gig workers law alongside other pending petitions. On 28th July, 2026, Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued notice to the Union government, Karnataka government, and the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Welfare Board. The case will be linked to WP 19746/2026 and connected matters challenging the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025. Uber argued it approached the court after the 24 July compliance date fixed in an…
Kajaria Ceramics has announced the resignation of Ashish Goel from the position of chief human resources officer (CHRO), effective 27 July, 2026. Goel, who joined the company on 13 February, 2026, served for nearly five months before stepping down. According to the company’s regulatory disclosure, he resigned due to personal and health reasons. The Board of Directors has accepted his resignation, bringing his tenure as a member of the senior management team to an end. A seasoned HR professional with over 26 years of experience, Goel has led people functions across industries including media, telecommunications, automotive, education, manufacturing, and industrial…
Suzlon Energy has appointed Anjali Byce as its group chief human resources officer (CHRO), strengthening its leadership team with an HR professional who brings close to three decades of experience across the manufacturing, automotive, industrial, engineering, technology and financial services sectors. Before joining Suzlon, Byce served as CHRO at Tata Motors, where she led the people agenda for Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles. Prior to that, she spent over six years as group CHRO at Sterlite Technologies (STL), starting from 2019-2025, driving the company’s global people strategy during a phase of business growth and transformation. Earlier in her career, Byce held…
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has recommended Manepalli Sridhar for the post of director (HR) at Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL). The recommendation was made following interviews with 11 candidates held on 28 July, 2026. Sridhar is currently serving as executive director (HR) at BHEL’s corporate office in New Delhi. A BHEL veteran with more than 34 years of experience, he joined the public sector engineering major in 1990 as an engineer trainee and has spent his entire career with the organisation. Over the years, he has held several key positions across the company’s human resources function, including general manager…
The Ministry of Textiles has rolled out new guidelines under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) to strengthen education and skills in technical textiles. The initiative is designed to widen the reach of technical textile courses across India, covering both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. So far, 59 courses have been introduced, and 47 institutions have received approval to upgrade their labs and train faculty, supported by grants worth ?216.6 crore. From an HR perspective, this is significant because it directly addresses the growing demand for specialised skills in technical textiles—a sector that blends innovation with industrial application. The guidelines are…
Instamart has appointed Nandita Sinha as its new chief executive officer. She will assume charge on 3 August, succeeding Amitesh Jha, the company announced today. Sinha joins Instamart from Myntra, where she served as CEO and steered the fashion e-commerce platform to market leadership. Under her leadership, Myntra turned EBITDA profitable in 2024 and continued to expand its share in a crowded market. Sriharsha Majety, managing director and group CEO of Swiggy, Instamart’s parent company, described Sinha as one of India’s most accomplished consumer internet leaders and said the team was excited about the vision, customer focus, and operational discipline…
Visa has announced plans to cut about seven per cent of its global workforce, which equals roughly 2,600 jobs. The layoffs will mainly affect staff in technology and product teams. The move is part of a broader push to make the company more efficient and to redirect resources toward areas with higher growth potential. This decision comes just months after Mastercard reduced four per cent of its workforce and other fintech firms such as Block also made large cuts. The trend reflects how big payment companies are reshaping operations to stay competitive, with artificial intelligence playing a growing role in…
The India Today Group has reportedly laid off around 120 employees as part of a restructuring exercise carried out between 20 July and 24 July. According to a report by Newslaundry, the job cuts were implemented without prior notice and affected employees across multiple editorial and support functions. The largest impact is said to have been on the group’s Hindi digital platform. Employees from departments including camera operations, video editing, graphics, fact-checking, the data intelligence unit, Aaj Tak Radio and other teams were also among those affected. As per the report, several employees were informed about the decision only minutes…
A former senior executive at Netflix has filed a lawsuit against the streaming company, alleging that he was dismissed after sharing details of his mental-health treatment during a company retreat. The case has drawn attention to how organisations handle personal disclosures made during workplace trust-building sessions. Kevin Baillie, who previously served as vice president and head of creative at Eyeline Studios, Netflix’s visual effects division, claims he spoke about undergoing physician-supervised ketamine therapy for depression during a “vulnerability-trust” exercise at a company retreat held at a Netflix-owned property in California earlier this year. According to court filings cited by international…
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the technology company of deliberately targeting one of its senior executives in violation of her employment agreement. The legal dispute centres on the departure of a top marketing executive and allegations of aggressive hiring practices. According to a report by Variety, the lawsuit concerns Pia Barlow, the former Senior Vice President of Originals Marketing at HBO Max. Amazon reportedly recruited Barlow for a newly created position as Head of Original Series Marketing, with her expected to begin the role on August 3. In its complaint, WBD alleges that Amazon…
The Central government has clarified that civilian employees who retired between 1 January, 2006 and 31 August, 2008 will not be eligible for benefits under the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) Scheme, as the scheme was not in force during that period. The clarification was given in the Rajya Sabha in response to a question raised by MP Sanjay Singh on 23 July, 2026. The query sought to know why employees who retired during the implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission had not been granted MACP benefits. The government accepted the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendation to introduce the MACP…
State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) has confirmed a cybersecurity incident involving the compromise of an employee’s email account that resulted in unauthorised access to certain data. In a statement posted on X, the bank said the incident was identified promptly and immediate containment measures were implemented. Bank of Baroda clarified that its core banking systems were not breached and continue to remain secure. The bank said it has launched a forensic investigation into the incident and is working closely with the relevant authorities in line with regulatory requirements. “The Bank remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of information security…
Cryptocurrency trading platform Uphold has laid off 17 per cent of its global workforce as the company shifts its focus towards expanding its enterprise business. The restructuring has affected 85 employees, including both permanent staff and contractors. In a statement, the New York City-based company said the decision is part of a broader strategy to invest more heavily in services for institutional clients. The move also comes as retail cryptocurrency trading activity has slowed amid continued weakness in the digital asset market. Founded in 2015, Uphold operates a multi-asset trading platform that allows users to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies…
Coal India has assigned Mukesh Choudhary, the company’s director (marketing), the additional charge of director (human resource) on its Board, effective 28 July, 2026. The appointment has been approved by the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, and will remain in effect for an initial period of three months or until a regular director is appointed, whichever is earlier. Choudhary will continue to serve as director (marketing) while taking on the additional responsibility of leading the company’s human resources function. A Mechanical Engineering graduate from Engineering College Kota, Choudhary also holds a Master of Financial Analysis degree and an MBA.…
HSBC is doubling down on Singapore, announcing plans to add 200 new roles in the city-state as it ramps up both artificial intelligence and wealth-management capabilities. The UK lender stated it will hire more than 100 AI specialists for a new global Centre of Excellence set to launch in Singapore in H2 2026. At the same time, it will bring on 100 additional relationship managers for its premier and private banking units to tap rising demand from affluent clients in Asia. The AI hub will report to David Rice, HSBC’s first chief AI officer, and work closely with wealth and…
Rajendra Mehta has stepped down as president and group chief human resources officer (CHRO) at Suzlon Group, concluding a tenure of nearly three years with the renewable energy company. An official announcement from Suzlon regarding his departure is awaited. Mehta joined Suzlon in December 2022 to lead the company’s human resources function and drive its people strategy during a period of business transformation and growth. In this role, he was responsible for strengthening talent management, organisational culture, leadership development, and overall organisational effectiveness. A seasoned HR leader with over 30 years of experience, Mehta has built expertise across strategic human…
A seven-month special registration drive by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation has added significant numbers to India’s formal workforce, with 1.38 lakh new employers and 1.12 crore workers brought under ESIC coverage. Data from the Ministry of Labour & Employment shows the initiative focussed on voluntary enrolment, encouraging businesses to come forward without fear of penalties or retrospective inspections. Maharashtra recorded the strongest participation. The state saw 18,515 companies register along with 15.99 lakh workers — the highest in the country. Tamil Nadu was next, with 12,683 employers and 12.65 lakh employees joining the scheme. Haryana reported 7,211 firms and…
OpenAI plans to more than triple the size of its European headquarters in Dublin, expanding its workforce to around 350 employees as it strengthens its presence in the region. The ChatGPT maker announced that it has leased 8,000 square metres (88,000 square feet) of office space in Dublin’s Silicon Docks area to support its growth plans. The company currently employs more than 100 people at its Dublin office, which opened in 2023. Over the next two years, it plans to hire 250 additional employees across engineering and support operations, taking the total headcount to approximately 350. The expansion reflects OpenAI’s…
Infosys has been fined €175,000 by French labour authority DRIEETS Île-de-France over shortcomings in its employee working time recording system, the IT services company disclosed in a filing with the BSE. According to the regulatory filing, Infosys received the communication from the French authority on 24 July, 2026, at 3:30 pm IST. The authority found that the company’s working time-recording system did not fully comply with French labour regulations, citing deficiencies in its reliability, auditability and monitoring capabilities for certain categories of employees. “The authority found that Infosys’ working time-recording system did not fully comply with French legal requirements, citing…
Varun Beverages has announced the appointment of Sarabjeet Singh Gujral as chief human resources officer, effective immediately. Gujral brings nearly 20 years of experience in human resources, with deep expertise in organisational transformation, industrial relations, talent management, and leadership development. He is expected to drive people strategies that support VBL’s continued growth across manufacturing, sales and corporate operations. Prior to VBL, Sarabjeet Singh Gujral was head-HR and VP- HR at Shriram Farm Solutions, part of DCM Shriram, from January 2022. Over four years and 7 months in the role based in Gurugram, he led HR for the agri-business, focusing on…
Sanitation workers in Punjab have called off their nearly three-week strike after the state government agreed to increase their monthly salary to ?20,500 from 1 August, 2026. The decision followed talks between the government and representatives of the sanitation workers’ unions. The strike, which began on 8 July, had disrupted garbage collection and waste disposal across the state. Workers were demanding higher wages, regular jobs for outsourced staff and restoration of the old pension scheme. The growing pile-up of waste prompted concern from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which warned of a possible public-health crisis and sought details of…
When Shailesh Singh, Chief People Officer at Axis Max Life Insurance, talks about capability building, he does not begin with training programmes. He begins with culture. “If it is not consciously anchored,” he says, invoking a Rajiv Gandhi quote on corruption to make his point, “you only have 15 paisa reaching the branches and stations.” Singh uses the analogy to explain why capability building must be anchored in culture if it is to scale consistently across the organisation. In the inaugural episode of The CHRO Playbook, HRKatha’s new 12-part video podcast series powered by enParadigm, Singh joins host Prajjal Saha…