Rajeshbhai Ramjibhai Purabiya, a sanitation worker for the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, found himself staring at a dark cloud – dismissal. The reason? Repeated absences. Rajeshbhai, however, felt wronged. He argued his absences were justified, and the dismissal, a bolt from the blue. Rajeshbhai marched to the Labour Court, claiming the corporation had violated his right to fair treatment, a legal concept known as ‘natural justice’. The court agreed, calling the dismissal harsh and ordering Rajeshbhai’s reinstatement with some back pay. The corporation felt unheard, unheard in the cacophony of ..read more

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the crown jewel of India’s IT industry, finds itself walking a tightrope. Its annual report for 2023-24 reveals two distinct trends, each posing unique challenges. While a small but undeniable rise in employee unionisation has emerged, the company is also grappling with an ageing workforce. The spectre of unions, though a mere 1.2 per cent of the massive 600,000 strong workforce, is a noteworthy shift. This flicker of change, a 0.01 per cent increase from the previous year, hints at a potential transformation in the dynamics between TCS and its employees. Inter ..read more

In a move sparking concerns among employees, Dell is implementing a system to closely monitor remote work. The company’s recently announced policy, requiring employees in hybrid roles to be physically present in the office for at least 39 days per quarter (roughly three days a week), will be enforced through badge tracking and VPN monitoring. Badge Tracking: A human capital management software will track employee badge swipes, assigning color-coded ratings based on office presence. Blue signifies consistent on-site work, green indicates regular presence, yellow shows limited on-site time, and ..read more

In the heart of India’s pharmaceutical industry, Alkem Laboratories stands tall. A giant on the global stage, 70 per cent of its revenue comes from its home turf. But unlike other titans built solely on products, Alkem’s success is fuelled by a powerful engine: its people. And within this engine, the salesforce acts as the lifeblood, a vibrant team that makes up 70 per cent of the company’s workforce. Now imagine keeping them sharp, skilled, and hungry for success in a dynamic, ever-changing market. That’s the challenge Alkem faces, and it’s a challenge they’re winning through a training strat ..read more

Central government employees will now have to follow the new rules for leave travel concession or LTC. Some changes have been brought about in the eligibility for the concession by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training (DopT). As per the new rules LTC Rules [Rule 1(3)&1(4)]: Subject to the provisions of sub-rule 1(4), will apply to all those employees appointed to civil services and civilian government posts in the Defence Services in connection with the affairs of the Union. The concession will also apply to state government employ ..read more

State Bank of India (SBI) is currently hiring almost 12,000 employees for various roles, including positions in information technology. The bank recently revealed its earnings for the fourth quarter at a press conference. While at least 11,000 general roles exist, the bank reportedly follows a system wherein a significant 85 per cent of the positions at associate and officer level go to engineers. These engineers are trained on banking and then assigned associate roles, with some even going into the information technology (IT) department. With an aim to develop its IT department, the bank inte ..read more

Air India Express, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, took swift action on 8 May, terminating 25 cabin crew members who called in sick as a form of protest against management policies. In a direct response to what the airline deemed a pre-planned disruption, the company cited breach of contract conditions and immediate termination of employment for the protesting crew. The terminated employees were accused of violating employment terms, which require crew members to be available for assigned duties and maintain high standards of conduct. The airline’s letter to employees outlined the severity of ..read more

Air India Express, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, took swift action on 8 May, terminating 25 cabin crew members who called in sick as a form of protest against management policies. In a direct response to what the airline deemed a pre-planned disruption, the company cited breach of contract conditions and immediate termination of employment for the protesting crew. The terminated employees were accused of violating employment terms, which require crew members to be available for assigned duties and maintain high standards of conduct. The airline’s letter to employees outlined the severity of ..read more

In a recent announcement, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) disclosed a significant surge in its workforce by 10 per cent over the past year, with nearly 8,000 new recruits in the fiscal year 2023-24. The engineering giant intends to sustain this momentum, with plans for continued expansion until 2025-26. During a post-earnings conference call after the company’s Q4FY24 earnings declaration, R Shankar Raman, chief financial officer, L&T, elaborated that despite a slowdown in international order inflow witnessed in the fourth quarter of 2023-24 and anticipated sluggishness in domestic orders fo ..read more

Saurabh Chaudhuri has joined Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) as its new global HR Centre of Excellence (CoE), talent, rewards and people processes, across all GCPL geographies. Prior to this, Chaudhuri was associated with udaan, a B2B e-Commerce startup, as its head-HR, managing human resources across a diverse range of categories. His role involved overseeing personnel matters across various sectors, ensuring effective staffing, talent management, and organisational development strategies are in place to support udaan’s dynamic businsess model and facilitate its growth in both B2B and B2C seg ..read more