How do we humans perceive machines and robots? Either we see them as big threats or as great friends that will make our lives easier. There is no dearth of films and science fiction blockbusters that portray technology as either a destroyer or a great friend of humanity. This is also the hottest topic of debate in these times when organisations are moving towards automation and digitalisation, and people are apprehensive about the impact of the same on jobs. The report of the World Economic Forum, ‘Future of Jobs 2020’ states that by 2030, automation will displace 85 million jobs…
Author: Kartikay Kashyap | HRKatha
Kartikay Kashyap | HRKatha
A mass communication graduate Kartikay is a quick learner. A fresh bake, yet a prolific writer, he is always keen to learn and discover new things. He is an easy going gallivanted and just likes to chill out when he is not chasing news. He loves watching movies as well.
When it comes to driving automation and digitalisation in an organisation, the HR plays a pivotal role in the whole process. Since automation is not just about technology but also about the culture, mindset and organisational capabilities, the HR plays a key role in driving automation from the people’s point of view. “Customisation of technology offering as per the cultural dynamics and also integration of two different technologies are some challenges which are still there” Pallavi Poddar, senior HR Leader The fourth session of Automation.NXT, the conference organised by HRKatha witnessed HR experts discussing, ‘What it takes for HR to…
Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, the electrical equipment company with more than 4000 employees, has initiated a new capability-development programme for its employees called ‘Edge.’ An organisational-level programme, Edge has been devised as part of the Company’s long-term learning and development (L&D) strategy. “Organisational development is one of the key pillars of our five-year business plan. The Edge programme at Crompton will cater to its capability-development needs,” shares Satyajit Mohanty, CHRO, Crompton. As per Mohanty, Edge has been designed to enhance the capabilities of the people at Crompton so as to give an edge to the Company in the competitive Indian…
Page Industries, the Indian manufacturer and retailer of innerwear, loungewear and socks, which is also an exclusive licensee of Jockey International in India, has close to 90 per cent women working at its shop floor. Speaking to HRKatha, Ravi Kumar, chief people officer, Page Industries, confirms that the Company has around 89 per cent of women working at the shop floor and across its warehouses in India. Of the Company’s total workforce of around 28,000, about 3,000 are corporate employees and the remaining 25,000 are working at the factories and warehouses. As per Kumar, at the shop floor where all…
Jayant Kumar has taken charge as the new CHRO for ACC and Ambuja Cement, which is now part of the Adani Group of companies. Jai Khurana, who was the CEO for South ports at Adani Ports & SEZ has stepped into the shoes of Kumar as the head-HR for Adani Ports & SEZ, sources close to the development tell HRKatha. Kumar will take up his responsibilities as CHRO for ACC & Ambuja Cement business at Adani starting today, that is, 1 October, 2022. This appointment follows close on the heels of the acquisition of ACC & Ambuja Cement by the…
One of the main reasons for attrition is the lack of professional development and growth. Stagnation is a situation that employees are in a hurry to get out of, especially in the middle management level. Talking to HRKatha, Jorgen Wengel, director – global HR and operations, Sennheiser Electronic, shares that the Company is introducing programmes and initiatives which can facilitate the horizontal development of its people. The focus of these initiatives will be to make employees better at what they do and transform them into subject-matter experts in their areas of work. But it all depends on what the employees…
Spinny, a full-stack used car marketplace, which recently turned unicorn, has appointed Payal Nambiar as its new head-HR, to spearhead the HR function. Talking to HRKatha, Nambiar describes that she is humbled to join Spinny at this pivotal time when the Company is planning to invest in its customers and employees to meet the evolving business demands of today. “After the several rounds of funding received last year, the Company is focused on expanding its retail footprint to take on competition. They are working to get on board the right capabilities that can further build the brand and connect deeper…
Attracting quality talent has always been a challenge for companies. However, now, with the influx of opportunities in the market, the even bigger challenge is how to retain talent. Attrition rate across sectors is on the rise. A recent study by a consulting firm projects the overall attrition rate at 19 per cent in India, which is 6.9 per cent higher than the previous year. Furthermore, sectors such as BFSI, IT & ITeS, pharma and healthcare will witness the highest attrition rate pegged at 30 to 31 per cent. Talking to HRKatha, Priyank Parakh, director – HR, Haleon, shares that…
The term ‘quite quitting’ is trending on social media these days. In fact, there have been numerous articles in the global media about the same. Given the way the media and the industry leaders have portrayed this phenomenon, ‘quiet quitting’ has has come to acquire a negative connotation. Leaders have been talking about how harmful the phenomenon can be for the careers of the employees and for the overall culture of an organisation. There is talk of about quiet quitting can disturb the ecosystem and take away the zeal to win and stay in the lead. For those who are…
Many of the big conglomerates and IT giants have made it clear that they want their employees to return to office. Some companies have mandated that their staff come in to work thrice or twice a week, while others have resumed a full-time work-from-office culture. However, DXC Technology is following a different path. The Company has adopted a virtual-first model, allowing employees to work remotely. Lokendra Sethi, VP – India HR lead, DXC Technology, reveals that the Company has about 43,000 employees in India and at any given time, not more than 1000 employees are visiting or working from the…
A tweet by Prashant Pitti, co-founder, EaseMyTrip.Com, has grabbed eyeballs on social media. It has triggered off a debate over hiring malpractices. Pitti’s tweet referred to an incident where a candidate who had been selected for a senior role declines the job offer at the last minute. What makes this even more unacceptable is that the candidate was to be onboarded at a VP level and would have eventually gone on to a CXO role in the future! Without mentioning the name of the candidate, Pitti shares a screenshot of a WhattsApp message where the said candidate expresses his/her inability…
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has adopted a hybrid work model for its 60,000+ employees, globally. ‘Old news’ you may say, for HRKatha had earlier reported of the ‘Edge-to-Work’ programme at HPE India, talking about how the technology firm had redesigned its physical office spaces to suit the dynamics of a hybrid work culture. While the design of the offices allows maximum flexibility to employees — with its open spaces, corners and hubs for collaborations, socialising and team meetings —it also has work stations for people who will be required to come to the office every day. Yes, the changes it…
Dilip Sinha has joined Vedanta Aluminium as the CHRO. In this role, Sinha would be responsible for heading the entire gamut of HR responsibilities at Vedanta Aluminium. Talking to HRKatha, Sinha shares that post joining as the CHRO, his focus would be on “people practices and building a proactive and progressive work culture through organisational development and various other HR initiatives with emphasis on organisational building, organisation development and digitalisation,” says Sinha. Sinha joins Vedanta from JSW Steel, where he was the SVP & Head HR & led a number of transformation projects and digitalisation. Sinha carries more than two…
There has always been a debate on build vs buy, when it comes to talent management in an organisation. However, UNO MINDA, a global manufacturer of automobile components in India is very clear with its approach. In an exclusive chat with HRKatha, Rajiv Kapoor, executive director – group head HR, UNO MINDA shares that back in 2017, while the firm was setting up its group-level goals, it also involved HR goals for the firm. These goals stated that UNO MINDA will focus on developing internal talent rather than hiring people from outside. “It was decided that we will bring down…
The biggest business sectors of Mahindra and Mahindra, farm and auto, have moved away from the rating part of the performance-management system. Starting this year, the Company has embraced a feedback-based performance management system (PMS), shares Manish Sinha, SVP & CHRO, Mahindra & Mahindra Automotive Business, with HRKatha. Earlier, Mahindra & Mahindra followed the traditional performance-management system for many years. This included following the bell curve and point rating scale for evaluating performance. To bring about more objectivity and remove any bias and subjectivity in the process of evaluating the employees, Mahindra & Mahindra decided to do away with the…
The compensation framework reduces conflicts between the trade unions and the management ELGi Equipment, a global manufacturer of air compressors has adopted a scientific way of calculating the compensation for its more than 370 blue-collared employees in India. The Company’s compensation framework takes into account the needs and aspirations of blue-collared employees. First and foremost, the representatives of the HR and the blue-collared employees come together to decide the ‘cost of living basket’. This cost is then reviewed against an ‘affordability value’, which is a pre-defined share of the Company’s revenue. Talking to HRKatha, Jairam Varadaraj, managing director, ELGi Equipments,…
The term ‘quiet quitting’ or ‘silent quitting’ has become a hot topic of discussion on social media these days. Many TikTokers such as Clayton Farris, with 48,000 followers and Zaid Khan, with more than 10,000 followers have talked about the act of ‘quiet quitting.’ So, what exactly is it? It is simply an act of doing the bare minimum at one’s job. That means, refusing to go an extra mile at work, and sticking only to tasks for which one is hire and compensated for. Therefore, taking up some extra work if another employee is absent, will be a ‘no’…
The leave policy of a company depicts its philosophy. BharatPe’s leave policy revolves around its strategy to support employees in all aspects and milestones of their lives. While some leaves have been in existence for a while now, some have been introduced recently. Let’s see how the new leave policy framework looks like at BharatPe. Talking to HRKatha, Smriti Handa, CHRO, BharatPe, states that there are so many milestones in the life of an employee — from getting married to having kids and raising and taking care of a family. She points out that till a couple of decades ago,…
Hero Housing Finance has launched a new learning platform for its more than 1300-strong workforce, most of which comprises field personnel working as sales representatives. The Company calls this learning platform ‘ILAA’, which is short for ‘I Learn Anytime Anywhere’. The success story of this learning platform is rather remarkable. It has only been three to four weeks since the launch of this learning platform, and it is already witnessing almost 90 per cent adoption rate. “The platform has been loved and received really well by our employees. Just within a month of its launch, almost 90 per cent employees…
Bizongo, a B2B platform for made-to-order products in India has introduced an interesting policy for its over 300-strong workforce. The startup has empowered all its employees to create new or amend existing HR polices in the company! Talking to HRKatha, Aarfa Shaikh, associate director-people success, Bizongo, shares that the firm decided to implement this practice a year back. As a result, a couple of policies have been successfully amended at Bizongo in the last one year. The firm’s tech team has a culture of inviting users from different backgrounds to give their feedback on the tech product. This helps the…
‘Moonlighting’ in the tech industry has been a hot topic of debate. However, the debate has gathered steam after the tweet of Rishad Premji, chairman, Wipro. His ideas on moonlighting in the IT and tech services sector have led to working professionals discussing the topic on social media and seeking opinions of their fellow colleagues on the same. “There is a lot of chatter about people moonlighting in the tech industry. This is cheating — plain and simple,” tweeted Premji sparking off a whole new debate around the issue. It all started when Swiggy created a buzz by introducing a…
Not everyone in an organisation or a team has a fancy designation to flaunt. However, that doesn’t keep them from commanding respect. In fact, more often, such people are held in high esteem and respected by most people in the organisation. They are known to be helpful, knowledgeable and experienced, and therefore, very dependable. These leaders may be without titles, but know more about the working of the organisation than anyone else. While speaking with HRKatha, Chandrasekhar Mukherjee, CHRO, Bhilosa Industries, recalls his stint at Bennett Coleman & CO (BCCL), wherein he got to interact with many people without titles.…
In the initial phase of his career, Rajeev was fortunate enough to join a media firm that was on a growth trajectory. Given his capability and hard work, he did very well in every project that came his way, developing each one single-handedly and ensuring success. He managed to win his CEO’s trust and was inundated with projects. In a span of about 14 years, Rajeev was able to build many new intellectual properties for the company and develop new revenue pipelines. With time, he became the head of digital and strategic alliances at the firm with several people working…
As most professionals will confirm, discussions on political and social issues at the workplace are largely discouraged. It is like an unwritten rule or a policy that team members are expected to refrain from debating on controversial issues during work or even during water cooler conversations. Organisations think it is right to discourage unnecessary debates and discussions that are not related to their line of work of the company and may create disharmony amongst the people. However, that doesn’t mean such debates do not take place at all. They do. As per the India Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2022,…
It is common knowledge that the role of a talent-acquisition (TA) leader is to craft a talent-acquisition strategy for the company. That means, creating a talent source pipeline and getting the best talent from the market. However, with layoffs now rampant across the globe and even in India, it would be interesting to observe the role played by a TA leader amidst downsizing. During mass layoffs in a company, it is generally assumed that there will be a slowdown in hiring. So, what happens to the role of a TA leader? Does it change? What are the challenges that emerge?…
Flash back to 2020, when the pandemic had struck and lockdowns were imposed all over the world. The period had witnessed a tech boom. With most companies working remotely, the need for digitisation of processes for the continuity of the business was felt by one and all. While there were some instances of layoffs in some sectors, many companies managed to sail through the pandemic more or less by cutting people’s salaries. While some sectors struggled to make ends meet, others flourished. The information technology (IT) and tech products sector saw a major boom and the focus on growth plans…