Author: Liji Narayan | HRKatha

Germany’s automotive sector is facing a serious crisis as companies reduce investments and jobs domestically while moving resources abroad. A survey by the VDA automotive association shows that 72 per cent of firms plan to cut back on investments in Germany. Of these, 28 per cent are shifting investments overseas, 25 per cent are postponing them, and 19 per cent are cancelling them altogether. The survey covered 124 companies, including suppliers and mid-sized manufacturers of trailers and buses. It revealed widespread workforce reductions: nearly two-thirds of firms cut jobs in Germany last year, with 87 per cent citing competitive disadvantages.…

An employee in the US lost a promised salary hike after discussing pay with a co-worker, sparking widespread debate about workplace transparency and retaliation. The worker had been verbally assured of a 21 per cent raise, which would have increased yearly pay from $ 60,000 to $ 73,000. However, the fact that he had casually shared this information with a colleague reportedly reached human resources. Soon after, the employee was informed that the raise would be reduced to $67,500, cutting $5,500 from the original offer. The incident quickly went viral online, with many criticising both the co-worker’s actions and the…

Telstra, the Australian telecom company, is cutting 209 jobs from its $700 million data and AI joint venture with Accenture, with part of the work being offshored to India. The joint venture, launched last year, is one of the biggest AI investments by an Australian firm and is 60 per cent owned by Accenture and 40 per cent by Telstra. The restructuring is aimed at using Accenture’s global expertise and its specialist hub in India to accelerate Telstra’s AI roadmap. By moving roles to India, the JV expects to achieve cost efficiencies and deliver improved customer experiences. The changes involve…

The government has proposed upgrading Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) under the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme. The plan will be carried out through industry-led Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). To select industry partners, companies must submit a Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) in response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs). So far, 12 States and Union Territories have issued RFPs to invite industry participation. Funds for upgrading ITIs or setting up National Centres of Excellence (NCoEs) will only be released after SIP approval. As per information shared in the Lok Sabha by…

The market for artificial intelligence in HR is growing at nearly 25 per cent annually. Platforms such as Workday, SAP Joule and Microsoft Copilot promise to collapse silos across hiring, learning, performance and workforce planning. On the surface, momentum appears undeniable. Beneath it, something more troubling is emerging. According to AIHR’s HR Priorities 2026 report, 98 per cent of organisations say urgency around AI has increased. Fifty-nine per cent must demonstrate measurable impact within the next 12 months. Yet 91 per cent admit they are not fully prepared to build an AI-enabled culture. This is not a gap. It is…

Target has announced plans to cut about 500 jobs across its regional offices and distribution sites in the US. Executives explained that the move will allow the retailer to redirect resources toward its stores, boosting staffing and improving customer service. The decision was shared with employees in an internal email, which also outlined a reorganisation of store districts to add labour and hours where they are most needed. This is one of the first major steps taken by new CEO Michael Fiddelke, who took charge last year as the company struggled with more than four years of stagnant sales. The…

IDFC First Bharat, a wholly owned subsidiary of IDFC FIRST Bank, has elevated Chandra Mouli S to national manager-HRBP & talent management. Mouli was earlier lead-talent acquisition and talent management, HR technology and HRIS. A commerce graduate, Chandra Mouli went on to obtain a PGD in Human Resource Management from Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning. He also completed a PGD in Banking and Finance from the same institution. He served GE Money as business support executive for three years before joining AIG Consumer Finance in a similar capacity in 2008. His next stop was Equitas Small Finance Bank where he…

A nationwide strike has been called for February 12, 2026, by a joint platform of 10 central trade unions. They expect participation from not less than 30 crore workers across India. The strike is meant to oppose what unions describe as anti-worker, anti-farmer, and pro-corporate policies of the central government. Preparations have been made at district and block levels, and the strike is expected to affect around 600 districts, which is more than the 550 districts impacted during the last major protest in July 2025. The immediate demands include scrapping the four labour codes, withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill,…

What are anti-perks? Anti-perks are benefits that sound appealing but turn out to be useless, inconvenient, or even harmful. They look impressive in job adverts but don’t actually improve daily work life—and sometimes make it worse. Examples include ping-pong tables nobody has time to use, “unlimited” holiday policies that make people feel guilty about taking time off, or free meals that encourage longer hours at the office. Whilst these are meant to signal a fun culture, employees often see them as distractions from what really matters—fair pay, career growth, and work-life balance. What use are free snacks if employees just…

Zensar Technologies has appointed Mithun Mukherjee as director-talent acquisition. Mukherjee has moved from Wipro where he served for over 16 years, having joined as senior executive in 2009. Just over a year and a half into this role, he was elevated to assistant manager-talent acquisition. Three and a half years later, in December of 2014, he was promoted to manager-talent acquisition. Another promotion four years later put him in the position of senior manager-talent acquisition-apps and data analytics. By June of 2024 he had climbed to the position of group head-data analytics and AI, digital experience. An alumnus of Bangalore…

India’s age-based retirement model was created for a very different reality—one of shorter lifespans, largely standardised roles and tenure-driven career progression. Today, as longevity increases and skill scarcity becomes a structural business risk, the conventional wisdom of forcing capable professionals to exit at 60 is being challenged. The question is no longer simply about fairness to ageing employees—it’s about whether organisations can afford to lose decades of institutional memory, judgment and specialised expertise in an era when replacing such knowledge has become extraordinarily difficult. Yet the counter-pressure is real: cost structures, upward mobility for younger talent, and the practical limits…

Falling for human depth Looking back at her first HR role, Babita Basak was most surprised by how deeply the job touched people’s sense of purpose and identity. She had entered the profession expecting structure—processes, policies, hiring, performance reviews, compensation frameworks. What she didn’t expect was the sheer human depth of the work. She noticed early on that work is more than a paycheck. For many, it’s where confidence is built, where belonging is felt, and where ambition is tested. A promotion wasn’t just a new title; it was validation. A difficult conversation wasn’t just feedback; it was a turning…

Company: Pinnacle Consulting (fictitious), a strategy and public policy advisory firm with 1,200 employees and clients across government, corporate, and social sectors. Background Pinnacle Consulting has built its reputation on being “apolitical, evidence-based, and trusted by all sides.” The firm advises state governments, multinational corporations, and NGOs—often on the same policy issues from different angles. Neutrality isn’t just a value. It’s a business necessity. Ministers and mining executives sit in Pinnacle’s waiting room on the same day. The firm’s currency is credibility—the belief that its analysis is untainted by ideology or allegiance. The situation Raghav Singhania, a senior manager in…

After four years of successfully serving Dr Reddy’s Laboratories as director-human resources, Ranjeeta Bhat has moved to Premier Energies. She will be playing vice president-corporate HR at the company that offers end-to-end solutions for solar- energy projects across 30 countries globally. Bhat is backed by over two decades of work experience, having started off as an HR associate with Scope International, Citibank, in June of 2003. She spent two years as team lead at Azure Technologies before joining 3i Infotech as manager-human resources business partner. Two years later, in 2007, she moved to Bank of America as manager, employee relations…

After serving Practus for over five years, Aditi Nair has moved to APAC Financial Services to take up the role of chief people officer (CPO). This alumna of Mumbai University from where she completed an MBA in Human Resources, served as HR relationship manager at Kotak Mahindra Bank in the initial years of her career. She was soon elevated to associated vice president-corporate HR, in May of 2007. From April 2016 to November 2020 Aditi Nair worked with Indostar Capital Finance as vice president-human capital management. Among other responsibilities, she led talent acquisition, onboarding, and post-merger integration. She designed compensation…

Somewhere between ambition and execution lies a chasm that is swallowing corporate HR’s AI investments whole. Nearly nine in ten organisations (88 per cent) expect to increase spending on artificial intelligence over the next 12 months, with more than half planning significant investment. Yet, when asked how far they have progressed, 51 per cent admit they remain stuck in the exploratory phase—assessing use cases, running pilots, building foundational understanding. Only 5 per cent report using AI for strategic advantage. A mere 3 per cent describe it as central to their competitive strategy. This is not cautious experimentation. It is expensive…

The Uttar Pradesh government has held back the salaries of 68,236 employees, causing widespread concern across departments. Why? The action was taken because these employees failed to submit their mandatory asset declaration forms. The state has a total of about 8.9 lakh government employees, all of whom were instructed to upload details of their movable and immovable assets on the Human Contract Portal by 31 January. Those who did not comply will have their salaries withheld until further notice. Most of the affected staff belong to Category III, comprising 34,926 individuals. Category IV has 22,624 employees impacted, Category II has…

Come April, and many employees will start leaving T-Mobile. The American telecom giant is cutting 393 jobs in Washington as part of a new round of workforce reductions, according to a filing with the state’s Employment Security Department. The company explained that the cuts are due to changing business needs but clarified that no facilities are being closed. The layoffs are not linked to relocation or outsourcing, though some of the work may eventually be reassigned. The layoffs affect more than 200 different job titles, including analysts, engineers, technicians, directors, and managers. Nearly 210 senior- and director-level employees are impacted,…

OpenAI, valued at around USD 500 billion, is undergoing a major strategic shift as it faces growing competition from Google and Anthropic. According to the Financial Times, the company has redirected resources away from long-term experimental research to concentrate on developing and improving the large language models that power its flagship product, ChatGPT. This change has triggered a wave of resignations among senior staff. It is reported that the notable departures include a vice-president of research, a model policy researcher, and an economist. Few existing and former employees have reportedly confirmed that the reallocation of resources has squeezed space for…

After serving Unisys India as director-HR for over three years, Prajwal UI has moved to AHEAD to take up the role of director-people and operations. Prajwal brings to the table about 24 years of experience, having begun his professional journey in 2002, as analyst-quality assurance, at Excel Par Electronics. He then joined Comat Technologies as executive-business logistics, in 2003. His next stop was SAP India where he took up the role of consulting associate-HCM practice, in April of 2007. Infosys Technologies appointed him business partner-HR in November of 2007.  After three years of handling employee engagement, employee onboarding, performance management,…

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently announced a new facility allowing state government employees to draw their salaries in advance when needed. The announcement was made at Lok Sewa Bhawan, Dispur, during the launch of the Swagat Satirtha Portal 2.0. Under this scheme, employees can request their salary in advance and repay it either in one go or through instalments within a year. The repayment will involve a small interest charge to the bank. If repayment is made immediately after the regular salary is credited, the interest will be lower, while instalment-based repayment will carry a slightly higher rate.…

An employee shared on Reddit that they were asked to continue working on a demanding project just before their engagement, despite informing managers about their marriage plans two months earlier. The post described the workplace as highly stressful, where every task is treated as urgent without proper planning. Multiple managers issue instructions but avoid responsibility, leading to constant micro-management, endless Zoom calls, hourly updates, and a lack of trust. The employee explained that the company had recently introduced geo-fencing rules, preventing staff from working beyond 120 kilometres from the base location. They criticised project leads as ineffective and more focused…

After a long and successful tenure with Kellogg Company, lasting over 13 years, Ankush Raisinghani has moved to Mars, a food and beverage manufacturing company, to play senior vice president-global human resources. An alumnus of St Stephen’s College, Delhi, Raisinghani went on to obtain an MBA in HR from XLRI Jamshedpur. He joined Procter & Gamble in 1999, as associate manager, compensation and benefits, India. After playing this role for almost two years, working out of Mumbai, he relocated to Singapore with a promotion. He served as manager, Singapore site HR for two years before relocating to Manila, as manager,…

Who are antifragile workers? Antifragile workers do not just cope with change—they use it for self-growth. Such workers adapt quickly, learn from disruption, and emerge more capable than before. The idea of antifragility was introduced by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his 2012 book Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder. Antifragile is not the same as resilient. Whilst resilience means bouncing back to the original state after stress, antifragile describes systems, people, or organisations that actually grow stronger when exposed to volatility, shocks, or uncertainty. Simply put: fragile things break under pressure, resilient things survive, antifragile things become even better. History…

Cipla will now have a new global chief people officer, as Arun Kakatkar has been chosen for the role, effective 17 March. Kakatkar moves to the multinational pharmaceutical firm from Microsoft where he joined as human resources leader  in February 2024. Before Microsoft, Kakatkar was associated with Kalyani Group, as president and chief of strategy and organisation. Kakatkar, who holds an MBA in Operations Management and Human Resources from Savitribai Phule Pune University, served as HR manager at Black & Decker, from 1996 to 1999. He then moved to Foseco in a similar capacity, in January of 1999. Over two…

Many German cities and towns are expected to face major disruptions in public transport today, that is, 2 February, 2026, after the labour union Ver.di called for workers to go on strike. The union, which represents almost one lakh employees in 150 municipal transport and bus companies, is demanding better working conditions. Public transport staff are reportedly under heavy strain due to long and irregular working hours, constant shift work, and high time pressure. According to Ver.di these conditions are resulting in high staff turnover and making it difficult to attract skilled workers. The union is negotiating across all 16…