Author: Liji Narayan | HRKatha

Working professionals in India who are much too comfortable with remote and hybrid work should probably start considering returning to office full time. Why? KPMG’s CEO Outlook Report reveals that 89 per cent CEOs in India are likely to reward employees with promotions and bonuses if they make the effort to come in to office. Globally, only 87 per cent of their counterparts are likely to do the same. That means, Indian CEOs still prefer the traditional in-office mode of working. This clearly shows that CEOs and organisations worldwide are willing to offer incentives to bring employees back to office…

We all know that generative artificial intelligence (AI), driven by neural networks and machine learning (ML), can generate human-like content, including text, images and even code. Debates have been on for a while on whether generative AI — given its ability to transform the nature of work— will displace humans. However, there are even bigger concerns that are preventing senior leaders from embracing the technology says a survey report. Chief executive officers in India are concerned about the ethical issues that may arise if generative AI is adopted in their organisations. They are wary of the risks that come with…

Are more job seekers lying in their resumes than before? Yes, says a report, which reveals that 85 per cent jobseekers lie in their resumes, as compared to 65 per cent about ten years ago. Not surprisingly, only one per cent of recruiters rely on resumes 100 per cent. However, as per the survey, 24 per cent of recruiters admitted to relying mostly on the resumes of jobseekers. A majority (70 per cent) admitted to going through the resumes but relying mostly on interviews and candidate interactions. Only five per cent said they did not trust the resumes and relied…

If you are thinking that only women seek flexibility and remote-working jobs, a recent survey will tell you that you are wrong. Flexibility is sought after by men too in corporate America. In fact, both men and women rank ‘flexibility’ amongst the top three employee benefits. This much-appreciated flexibility comes from remote or hybrid work models, as well as work options that allow professionals to set their own convenient work hours. When it comes to working mothers, ‘flexibility’ encompasses not just the location they work from but also the hours they devote to work and the time of the day…

An alarming 78 per cent of women who face microaggressions self-shield at work. That means, they alter or adjust their appearance or conduct in order to safeguard themselves. That is rather worrisome when globally people are waking up to the fact that women are finally finding their place in the board rooms. If women feel the need to change who they are in order to feel included, then women have not been empowered in the true sense of the word, have they? A recent report, ‘Women in the workplace 2023’, by McKinsey, reveals that one per cent of all women…

Did you know that 31 per cent Indians attribute work pressure as a primary reason for mental health issues? About 50 per cent of Millennials believe that lack of work-life balance leads to mental health issues. Gen Z, on the other hand, is more worried about career decisions. In fact, 57 per cent of this cohort is concerned about their career-related decisions. A whopping 87 per cent of those who admitted to being stressed at the workplace look forward to better work-life balance policies. These interesting data emerged from a survey by ITC’s Feel Good with Fiama Mental Wellbeing. The…

In 2019, seven out of 10 women wanted to be promoted to the next level. In about four years, this figure has improved with about eight women wanting to be promoted to the next level in 2023. Clearly, the pandemic has not affected their energy or enthusiasm. The Women in the Workplace 2023 report by McKinsey says that at every stage of the organizational hierarchy, the commitment of women to their careers is as strong as that of men in corporate America. Women in the US are equally keen to be promoted as their male counterparts. The study also found…

Women ,in general, have been underrepresented over the past nine years, that is, between 2015 and 2023. It is a hard truth that women of colour in American are still highly underrepresented in the corporate world. However, not all is lost. There has definitely been some improvement, according to the Women in the Workplace 2023 report by McKinsey. There has been an increase in the number of women in the C-suite in the past nine years. From 17 per cent in 2015, they now form 28 per cent of the C-suite. Their presence in VP and SVP roles has also…

Over a third of employees in Asia have admitted that it is becoming challenging for them to focus on work. Compared to 2022, almost 50 per cent of Asian employees admit to feeling mental and physical exhaustion by the end of their work hours. Over 50 per cent have felt more stressed in the last one year. It is worrisome that 45 per cent employees in Asia admit that their productivity has been adversely affected because of their mental health. What is more worrisome is the fact that 54 per cent Asian workers would be concerned that their career options…

We all know that empathy is the ability to understand and share others’ feelings. At the workplace, empathy is the ability to understand colleagues and be sensitive to their ideas, unique perspectives and working styles. Therefore, empathetic leaders manage to create an environment that fosters respect, trust and loyalty. When leaders are genuinely understanding of the needs of their employees, they are more likely to inspire their team and gain their complete support. But how many leaders are genuinely empathetic? According to the OC Tanner Global Culture Report, 47 per cent employees feel that their leaders hardly follow through when…

India is only second to China when it comes to jobs in the hydropower space. While China accounts for 35 per cent of hydropower employment, globally, India accounts for 19 per cent. The four main players in this space are China, Brazil, Canada and the US. According to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), about 2.49 million individuals were directly employed in the sector in 2022. This is 2.3 per cent higher than in 2021. Consistent with earlier findings, two thirds of the direct jobs are in the area of operations and maintenance (O&M), while 30 per…

Mansi Mehta has been recently appointed as the head of human resources, Gypsy Moth, an agency for fashion and lifestyle brands. Mehta will play a transformative role, spearheading all HR initiatives, systems and strategies at the company. Her duties will primarily include supervising HR staff, ensuring compliance with internal policies and legal standards, addressing grievances and taking disciplinary action when necessary. She will also anticipate and resolve litigation risks, report to senior management through data analysis and HR metrics, and formulate corporate plans for various HR areas, including compensation, benefits, health and safety, among others. With a career spanning 12…

If you are wondering what makes India the first choice for global firms wishing to set up their global capability centres (GCCs) in the country, here are some mind-blowing statistics. India’s tech talent pool has grown 1.2 times since 2018. In fact, there were two million digitally-skilled people in India as on March 2023. At least two million new STEM graduates are added to this pool every year! Amongst the core skills available in this pool are application development & maintenance, software testing, infrastructure and database management and web development. Amongst the digital skills available are, blockchain, augemented reality (A)/virtual…

Hollywood’s writers, represented by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), have been on strike for about 115 days now. They received support from Hollywood’s actors with the , Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joining them in the strike July onwards. Negotiations are still on with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios and production companies of Hollywood, including Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Warner Bros and Apple. According to the writers’ union, the studios are still not offering adequate protection to writers from the threats that led to the…

As per the Future of Work Report, more LinkedIn members around the globe are acquiring artificial intelligence (AI) skills to enrich their resumes than ever before. The AI Skills Index data from 25 countries shows that the number of members who acquired artificial intelligence skills was nine times more than in January 2016. According to the data, Singapore, Finland, Ireland, India and Canada are exhibiting the fastest rate of AI skills diffusion. That is not all. Artificial intelligence is being embraced not only in the technology space, but also in education, financial services, retail and many other industries. The highest…

Are employees in Indian organisations thriving at work? Apparently no, if recent reports are to be believed. According to the survey report, most of the employees in Indian organizations are not just dissatisfied but also stressed at work, and therefore, not thriving. In fact, only 24 per cent of employees experience wellbeing at the workplace. That means, over three-fourth of all the employees working in organisations across the country are experiencing low levels of wellbeing. Of those who admitted to thriving at the workplace, a whopping 93 per cent revealed that their managers were empathetic leaders who practised what they…

If those in technology roles in small startups have received a pay hike of at least 15 per cent, it has come after a lot of strategic planning and resource optimisation, reveals a report. Techies in early-stage startups are witnessing wage hikes in the range of eight to 12 per cent, whereas, on the whole, salary increment patterns are showing signs of a dip in the tech space. Small startups with less than 40 techies in their team have given 15 to 20 per cent increments to their entry- and mid-level techies, basis the requirements of the organisation. They have…

By the end of this year, QwikSkills, the skill-development platform, is looking to expand its workforce by 300 trained people. The cloud certification and skilling platform, founded in 2020, aims to equip people with the latest and in-demand skills that will help them be more employable. Presently, the platform has over a 100 employees who are engaged in offering online cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and data courses for the professional development and career training of students. The new hires, it is hoped, will enhance the operations of the firm and help it deliver world-class training. In…

While 20 per cent of employees received promotions, they saw no appraisals. About 49 per cent were given incentives in the form of bonuses and employee stock option plans (ESOPs), but no appraisals. A significant 38 per cent were happy with the increment they got as it was up to their expectation. A good 52 per cent thought their appraisal was fair. A whopping 76 per cent plan to switch jobs on the basis of their current appraisal! What can keep employees from considering moving? Here are some insights from a recent appraisal trends survey. Most of the employees (30…

‘You’ve passed out from a tier-3 college? You will have to settle for the lesser-paying jobs”. This is what students from tier-3 colleges are told, because when it comes to placements and job opportunities, they end up with jobs that are left over after the students from tier-1 and 2 colleges have bagged the high-paying ones. So, are tier-3 students not good enough? Well, a recent survey suggests that 57 per cent of learners from tier-3 colleges are highly employable in non-technical roles. Also, their employability in critical thinking roles is very high. Let us take a look at the…

South Asia has the highest regional percentage of engaged employees reveals a survey report. Interestingly, the highest regional percentage of anger at work is also reported from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. According to a Gallup report, 33 per cent of employees in South Asia are thriving at work. That is, they are engaged at work. This brings us to the three types of employees in organisation: Thrivers: These employees, as the name suggests, are thriving at work. In other words, they like what they are doing, have found meaning in their job and are quite connected…

Did you know that the global economy pays a heavy price for disengaged or poorly engaged employees? In fact, low engagement costs $8.8 trillion, and is responsible for nine per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP)! Employees remain engaged at work, or not engaged at work, or actively disengaged at work due to various reasons. In all three situations, they may experience stress. For instance, even workers who are engaged at work may be so tired by the end of the day that they may have little energy left to sit down and converse with their family or…

They say India Inc. has become quite LGBTQ friendly. It may not be completely true though according to a report based on a study of 105 LGBTQ+ employees. Of the 63 who had experienced discriminatory incidents at the workplace, a whopping 73 per cent chose not to report the same. They chose silence over reporting, while 27 per cent reported the same either to higher management or to the human resource team. About 50 per cent of them were satisfied with the way their organisations managed to handle the matters that were brought to their notice. Most of the respondents…

When asked whether they would choose a job with health benefits and a formal agreement over one without a contract, a whopping 93 per cent admitted they would choose the former. Clearly, the new-collar workers have come to realise that a fixed income, along with security and benefits can actually improve their lifestyle. The importance of security and benefits has been driven home by the pandemic. So, who are these new-collar workers? Well, this generation of workers has aspirations similar to those of formal workers. The new-collar workers are beginning to prioritise security and benefits over daily wages. This cohort…

As a relatively young industry in terms of talent, the digital marketing landscape undergoes constant transformations with the emergence of novel tools and technologies. Amidst this ever-changing environment, one element remains unwavering — the clients. They remain at the centre of everything. Therefore, Pavan Ramchand, CHRO, Social Beat, emphasises that every aspect of the human resources function at the firm revolves around enabling the success of not just its clients but its internal team members. Throughout Ramchand’s tenure as the chief human resource officer, his focus has been on harnessing the inherent potential of the existing talent pool, while also…

With the pandemic resulting in greater flexibility being offered by employers, work has become rather convenient for employees. More and more people are able to work from home all the time or are required to go to office only few days a week. Some are even allowed to work from anywhere. When such flexibility is coupled with a fixed and regular source of income that comes with a permanent job, the attraction of gig work naturally lessens. While gig workers did enjoy the freedom of working at their own pace and being able to take up a variety of assignments…