Malaysia and Microsoft are teaming up to boost digital skills, especially in artificial intelligence. Scheduled for 14 May, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Microsoft, aims to foster a digitally-adept workforce, particularly in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence (AI). By leveraging Microsoft’s existing resources, MCMC seeks to educate Malaysians on AI and related competencies. This development follows closely on the heels of Microsoft’s pledge to inject a staggering US$2.2 billion (RM10.5 billion) into Malaysia’s digital infrastructure and AI advancements over the next four years. The investment encompasses initiatives such as erecting…
Author: HRK News Bureau
Simpl, the buy-now-pay-later startup, has initiated a significant round of layoffs. The recent layoffs have affected over 100 employees across various departments. The announcement came during a Townhall session led by Nitya Sharma, CEO, and co-founder, Simpl, this Wednesday, 8 May, at 9 am, as per media reports. Reports also disclosed that some employees were even disconnected from their Slack accounts before the Townhall commenced. The layoffs, which included personnel from diverse verticals, notably impacted high-ranking employees as well. Although promises of severance were made, the exact terms remain undisclosed. Addressing the situation, Ashish Kulshrestha, head-corporate communications, Simpl, stated, “As…
In a recent wave of disturbing revelations, the Indian financial sector finds itself under scrutiny for fostering toxic work environments, particularly within sales and target-driven departments. Two videos capturing instances of employee harassment have gone viral, shedding light on the intense pressure faced by junior staff members. The first video, circulated on April 24, captures a chilling scene at Bandhan Bank, where an officer identified as Kunal Bhardwaj launches into a tirade against a junior employee who allegedly failed to meet monthly targets. Bhardwaj’s aggressive demeanour, punctuated by foul language, underscores the hostile atmosphere within the institution. In the footage,…
Prerna Arora has joined RupeeRedee, a division of Digital Finance International (Finstar Financial Group), as head of human resources. In this assignment, she will “focus on driving organisational success by harnessing global human resources expertise”, she says in her social-media post. She moves from Unlimit —a company that offers a simple financial interface to enable payments to flow freely and invisibly across borders—where she honed her skills in key account management, employee relations and strategic HR initiatives. This commerce graduate from Delhi University, who also holds an MBA in human resource management and financial management, began her professional journey as…
Tata-owned Air India Express has been hit by a wave of flight cancellations stemming from a cabin crew protest. Citing grievances over alleged mismanagement and unequal treatment by HR, over 200 cabin crew members have reported sick since May 7th, significantly disrupting operations. The airline has been forced to cancel around 80 flights across key Indian airports, including Kochi, Calicut, and Bangalore. While Air India Express claims to be working with the crew to understand the situation and minimise passenger inconvenience, offering full refunds or rescheduling options to impacted travellers, the incident exposes deeper tensions within the airline. Discontent amongst…
While employers have gradually accepted casual wear at work over the past decade or so, no employer has ever asked employees to turn up in unironed clothes. However, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has actually asked its workforce to turn up in wrinkled clothes every Monday. Why? Because it saves energy. Apparently, ironing a set of clothes can emit 200 grams of carbon dioxide. Therefore, by not ironing one’s clothes one can prevent emission of a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the environment. This surely has to be a first. And the campaign to promote the…
Renu Vijayanand will now be a strategic part of the India people team at TIAA, as chief human resource officer. She moves from MUFG—short for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group—where she served as global co-head, human resources business partners (HRBP). An alumna of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, Vijayanand graduated in economics from the University of Mumbai. In 1994, she joined Lakme as a management trainee for a year. Then, she moved to Larsen & Toubro as HRD officer in 1995 for two years, during which she was an active member of the corporate training team. Her next stop…
Amazon has ramped up its robotic workforce in fulfilment centres, asserting itself as the world’s largest industrial robot manufacturer. Business Insider’s report reveals a surge in robot numbers from 3.5 lakh in 2021 to 7.5 lakh by mid-2023. Various robots, including Robin and Sparrow, streamline operations at Amazon’s Robotics Innovation Hub near Boston. Robin, described as one of Amazon’s most complex stationary robot arm systems, aids in scanning and sorting packages, while Sparrow optimises the fulfillment process. Similarly, Proteus and Hercules handle container movement, while the Sequoia system sorts and shifts containers to lessen strain on human workers. Amazon claims…
IBM, the tech giant, is undergoing significant internal restructuring, as revealed in its recent quarterly conference call with Wall Street analysts. During the call, IBM’s CFO, Martin Schroeter disclosed a $200 million charge for what the company terms ‘workforce rebalancing’. This corporate jargon is a veil for actions that involve shifting and shedding employees, a process that includes layoffs but also encompasses retraining and reallocating staff to growth areas such as cloud computing and analytics. Schroeter hinted at the magnitude of this reorganisation, mentioning the hiring of over 2,000 incremental resources in mobility practices. Furthermore, he indicated a possible shift…
In a significant partnership announcement, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship (TLDA) revealed a strategic collaboration with global professional services and solutions giant, Genpact. This alliance aims to bolster the Ministry of Education’s apprenticeship programme by offering employment opportunities to over 5,000 graduate apprentices. By providing aspiring professionals with hands-on training and supervision, the partnership aims to equip them with the necessary skills to thrive in demanding environments and carve out successful careers. In an exclusive conversation with HRKatha, Ritu Bhatia, global hiring leader & SVP-HR, Genpact revealed that this apprenticeship programme isn’t just about temporary skills for specific jobs; it’s about instilling…
Aimed at supporting individuals with health conditions, the UK government has unveild a groundbreaking £64 million scheme dubbed ‘WorkWell’. It will help employees decide to either stay in or reintegrate into the workforce. Set to launch in October, this initiative will span 15 regions across England, including prominent areas such as Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and Cornwall. The programme will link an estimated 59,000 individuals with vital local services such as physiotherapy and counseling. The ultimate objective is to curtail the number of individuals exiting the workforce due to health-related reasons, thereby fostering a more inclusive and resilient labour market.…
The Sous les écrans la dèche (Broke Behind the Screens) collective representing freelance workers associated with the Cannes Film Festival are calling for a strike. Why? It is because, the collective has been trying to draw attention to the fact that freelance festival workers are at a loss because of the short-term nature of their contracts and the fact that they are not eligible for unemployment benefits. Yes, the French labour reforms do not consider many festival workers for the unemployment insurance programme. Some of the workers are facing a lot of instability and uncertainty as they are not eligible…
Thanks to the system of keeping track of attendance using fingerprints, the Education Ministry of Kuwait has been able to identify a major loophole. The Ministry had been paying salaries to some employees who had left about six years ago! This reminds us of a similar oversight that was discovered back in March 2018 in India, when it was found that the Delhi division of the northern zone had been generating bills towards allowances for overtime, night duty and travel to employees who did not work for them. It is reported that this disbursement of payments to non-existent staff drained…
As per the US Labour Board ruling, tech firm, Apple did indeed question its employees regarding union activities and also prevented them from placing union flyers in the break room. Back in 2022, it was found that employees—who had placed flyers on a table in the break room within the office at the World Trade Centre store in New York City—had been interrogated about their actions. The flyers were also taken possession of. Last year, Judge Lauren Esposito had ruled that Apple’s actions were illegal, as the employees were indulging in “protected concerned activity”. Apple was directed to refrain from…
Big trouble is brewing right before the big fancy Met Gala party! The union representing employees of Vogue and other Condé Nast publications signals readiness to walk off the job on Monday, 6 May, 2024. The people working for these magazines have been trying to get better deals for over a year now. They want to make sure they can’t be fired for no reason, and they want to stop some of their friends from losing their jobs. The group comprises about 540 people, who are part of this union. Apart from advocating for a just cause as the basis…
Global hiring at IT giants Cognizant and Capgemini took a sharp downturn in 2023, shedding a combined total of 1,51,607 employees compared to the previous year. In India alone, where they collectively employ about 4,00,000 people, the numbers took a hit, as per a report by Economic Times (ET) citing regulatory filings. In 2022, Cognizant brought on board 1,32,000 employees, while Capgemini recruited 1,40,789, excluding acquisitions. However, in 2023, Cognizant’s hires plummeted to just over 60,000, and Capgemini’s dropped to around 61,182. This indicates a decline of 72,000 for Cognizant and 79,607 for Capgemini from the previous year. The trend…
In response to a string of high-profile cyberattacks in recent times, Microsoft has announced a major overhaul of its security processes, declaring security as its utmost priority. Satya Nadella, CEO, emphasised this shift in a memo to over 2,00,000 employees, urging a collective effort towards fortifying the company’s defenses. The initiative, dubbed Secure Future Initiative (SFI), aims to embed security into every aspect of Microsoft’s operations, following three core principles: Secure by Design, Secure by Default, and Secure Operations. These principles will guide every aspect of SFI’s pillars, focusing on protecting identities and secrets, tenants, production systems, networks, engineering systems,…
A recent survey conducted by LinkedIn has unveiled a concerning trend among Gen Z workers in the UK: one in five of them have not engaged in direct conversations with colleagues over 50 in the past year. Additionally, they exhibit the least confidence when it comes to interacting with other generations in the workplace. As per the report, while only 17 per cent of the 1000 British workers surveyed admit to feeling unsure about approaching colleagues of different age groups, the reasons behind Gen Z’s struggle remain unclear. However, previous analysis suggests that without shared life experiences such as marriage,…
The tech industry is grappling with a wave of layoffs as more than 80,000 employees have been let go in the first four months of this year alone. According to the latest data from layoff.fyi, a platform monitoring job cuts in the tech sector, a staggering 80,230 employees have been axed by 279 tech companies worldwide as of 3 May, 2024. This downturn follows a grim trajectory from the previous years, where tech companies shed over 4,25,000 jobs globally amidst a slowdown in the IT/tech and startup domains in 2022 and 2023. In the most recent layoffs, Sprinklr, a US-based…
As per the revised immigration rules of New Zealand, on obtaining a job in the country, the employee can stay for up to five years only on the basis of their income/salary, the level of the job as per the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), and the time of application of their first Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). The AEWV allows a person to work in New Zealand for an accredited employer who has offered at least 30 hours of work a week. If the employee is paid less than the median wage or is employed…
What exactly did Andy Jassy, CEO, Amazon, say that has resulted in him being accused of labour law violation? Well, in various interviews in the past, Jassy said that by unionising, employees at Amazon will be compromising their own empowerment. His comments indicated that unionisation would slow down things. According to the court ruling, Jassy’s comments—made a couple of years ago, in 2022— clearly suggested that the employees would fare better without a union; that they could expect improvements at a faster pace at work and with less hurdles in terms of bureaucracy if they are not part of a…
Samsung Electronics has promoted Rishabh Nagpal to the position of chief people officer. He has been associated with the company since September 2014, having already served as senior director-HR for over nine years. An alumnus of Delhi School of Economics, Nagpal began his career as an executive-HR, with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, in 1999. A year into this role, he moved to Dell Perot Systems, as manager-corporate HR, head-global C&B and global HR operations. In 2007, he moved on from Dell to join Tech Mahindra as senior manager-recruitment. This stint lasted only about seven months. September of 2007 saw…
JSW, a part of the OP Jindal Group—that operates across various sectors including steel, energy, minerals, port, infrastructure and cement in India, the US, South America and Africa—has roped in Vijay Sinha to take on the role of executive vice president-human resources (new businesses). Backed by over three decades of experience, Vijay Sinha moves to JSW from Adani Power, where he had been serving as joint president-HR since Feb 2023, based out of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Sinha began his professional journey with Steel Authority of India (SAIL) as manager-HR, in 1993. After a long and successful stint of almost 12 years…
Pranay Prakash, who was chief human resources officer (CHRO), Baazi Games, has moved to Bluwheelz as head of human resources. Having started his professional journey with Adecco in 2006, as group account manager, this alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur has come a long way. He joined Reliance Retail as HRBP for a short stint of over a year, before moving to AHA (Air Hostess Academy) as deputy manager for another short stint in 2007. He served as business HR for Videocon Telecommunications for a little over a year and a half before switching to Sara International as manager-HR and admin, in…
After months of negotiations, Deutsche Bank’s management has finally reached a pay agreement with unions representing thousands of workers at its Postbank division. The deal, announced on Thursday, 2 April, by both parties, puts an end to the prolonged wage dispute. Under the terms of the agreement, employees will receive a two-step raise totaling 11.5 per cent, which falls short of the 15.5 per cent initially demanded by the unions. However, in a significant concession, Deutsche Bank has committed to refraining from forced layoffs until December 2027, providing a measure of job security for its workforce. This agreement marks a…
Byju’s, the embattled edtech company, is expected to disburse April salaries to its employees this week. In a recent development, Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO, procured a private debt of approximately Rs 30 crore to meet the March payroll obligations. However, sources have revealed a delay in the disbursement of April salaries, citing the funds from a recent rights issue being held in a separate account due to an ongoing dispute with investors. Legal conflicts with investors at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) led to hearings being postponed until 6 June, impacting Byju’s financial capabilities. Originally, the company intended…