HR Articles: Dec-13 (Part-22)

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Bank of America shifts some projects back to US from India
Bank of America Corp., the second largest US lender by assets, has started to shift a small part of the projects it had awarded to India's software companies to local firms or its own centres to ward off political backlash against jobs being outsourced to India. Bank of America, which has given contracts worth millions of dollars to companies such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) and Infosys—India's top two software exporters—as well as Accenture, will bring back some of its information technology (IT) projects to service providers in the US or to their own centres, according to at least two people familiar with the development, who requested anonymity. The move comes at a time when North American and European clients of India's $108 billion IT industry are cutting spending on technology because of economic headwinds. For the year ended 31 March, Indian software exports revenue grew by 10.2%—the slowest since the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008 triggered a global financial meltdown.
Source : 14-05-13   Livemint   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Yahoo fears losing talent to start-ups
Start ups, rather than giants like Facebook or Google, provide tougher challenge in retaining and hiring talent says Yahoo's new HR head. Mr. Aniruddha Banerjee, who heads human resources of Yahoo! India, which is at present in the throes of a turbulent transition, told Business Line that with top talent turning entrepreneurs, it is increasingly becoming a challenge to retain them or hire new ones. "Therefore, we provide them opportunities similar to start ups in our organisation," according to Mr. Banerjee, who graduated from Queen's University in Canada, after having had HR stints in AOL and Dell. He said even though the work-from-home policy has been withdrawn, employees can in fact take advantage of flexi hours provided by the company to suit their needs. "Our policy on work-from-home does not reflect the industry view, but something that works best for Yahoo and flexi work options still exist," insists Mr. Banerjee. The India centre, which has around 2,000 employees, is the second largest development centre for Yahoo worldwide and works on almost all projects — whether on new devices such as smartphones or tablets to online advertising-related services. Yahoo has also rolled out initiatives like free smartphones, free food, medical insurance for India employees, sabbaticals, maternity leave and more ESOPs for top performers. These are some of the incentives doled out after Ms. Merissa Mayer took over as the CEO of the company last July, in addition to other perks such as childcare facility, a fully equipped health club and free snacks. This, while reducing attrition, would keep its employees from joining start-ups, the company hopes.
Source : 09-05-13   Thehindubusinessline.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Public sector banks stop recruitment from B-schools after court order
The Central Bank of India will appeal against a recent Bombay High Court order restricting campus recruitment for appointment of officers by the bank, said Mr. M V Tanksale, chairman and managing director of the Central Bank of India. Other public sector banks, which are also affected by the court order, are likely to join the appeal. Mr. Tanksale added the bank is picking up management graduates from campuses for specialised jobs under autonomy granted by the government. According to a top executive with a large public sector bank, while the high court verdict may be applicable a specific bank, it is going to have implications for other public sector banks as well. He added the issue will be taken up with the Indian Banks' Association. Management institutes are the most preferred destination to recruit talent for special posts in banks. With good talent available aplenty, banks prefer campus hiring. Students from the finance, marketing and strategy backgrounds are in demand. "Being listed entities, there is expectation to work with private sector efficiency. Public sector entities tend to get the residual talent from management campuses. So, for us, it is quite challenge to do a balancing act," said another public sector bank official.
Source : 15-05-13   Business-standard.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
After shortage, Mumbai lifts ban on hiring teachers in aided schools
The Mumbai state government has finally lifted the ban on recruiting teachers for aided schools across Maharashtra that had been imposed last year. The government had stopped new appointments of teachers last year as it believed that many schools had "surplus" teachers, after a state-wide school census carried out in October 2011 found lakhs of ''bogus'' pupils on schools' rolls, the circular stated. Many schools had been inflating the number of students on their rolls to get more grants. After students from higher classes were badly affected as schools were grappling with a shortage of teachers, secondary schools have been allowed to hire teachers for English, Science and Mathematics, from the academic year that starts in June. In the latest circular dated May 6, the school education and sports department has cancelled the government resolution issued in May last year that had banned new appointments. "The ban has been lifted for secondary sections. But in case of primary sections in private aided schools, the government will transfer 1,922 surplus teachers to the needy schools,'' reads the circular. The decision on primary sections in aided schools is still pending. Wrestling with a staff crunch, schools have welcomed the state government's decision. Schools across the state were falling short of over 10,000 teachers. Out of this, more than 300 vacancies were in schools in Mumbai. "The number could be more as many schools did not even approach us for approvals after the ban was announced last year,'' said Mr.BV Mane, education inspector of south zone and the western zone.
Source : 14-05-13   Hindustan Times   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Capgemini takes India route to growth
In April this year, when India's largest IT services provider, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), announced the acquisition of France-based Alti, it hinted towards the next area of focus for the industry: continental Europe. Europe, excluding the UK, is still an under-penetrated market for IT players. However, one company which has successfully leveraged its India offshore centre for clients in Europe is Paris-headquartered Capgemini. It's a rare feat as after Dublin-headquartered Accenture, which has over 80,000 employees in India, Capgemini is only the second European company to have set up a base in the country. Capgemini set foot in India in 2000 and since then there has been no looking back. Its focus on scaling up its India operations has been so aggressive that Mr. Paul Hermelin, the group's chairman and CEO and now also the French government's special representative to boost Indo-French economic relations, has been nicknamed "Mr India". That's not surprising as he has been the driving force behind the company's India focus. No doubt a foothold in the country has been beneficial for Capgemini. Its India centre has helped it become a global firm with delivery centres across several regions. It has over 41,900 employees in India of which 20-25 per cent cater to clients in Europe.
Source : 14-05-13   Business-standard.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Women, too, will pilot VAG Metro
Unlike the suburban railway system, in which women in charge of the rake may be a rarity, it is likely to be a routine sight on the city's first Metro corridor. MMOPL, a Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium, is training around 40 Metro pilots, a fair share of which are women. MMOPL, however, did not provide the number of men and women in training, saying the total could change depending on how many of them successfully complete the training. "The training is challenging. Almost every aspect is stringent and demanding. It is not a mundane job and a great avenue for me to inspire young people like me," said 25-year-old Ms. Srikala Nair, who hails from Ulhasnagar. The training — a mix of theory and experience on simulator —is being conducted by experienced Metro drivers who have received advanced driver training in India, South Korea and China. It also focuses management of crises, such as malfunctions or passenger emergencies. Over 6,000 people applied to be Metro pilots for Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro, which will be commissioned partially from Versova to the Airport road station by September and fully by year-end. A graduate degree in science with maths and physics as mandatory subjects was the minimum qualification that aspirants had to meet.
Source : 14-05-13   Indianexpress.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
US may impose penalty on Infosys for error in employees' details
India's second largest software exporter Infosys has disclosed that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is still looking into the eligibility of some of its employees working in the US. In a filing to the SEC, Infosys added that the DHS has found errors in a significant percentage of its employees' I-9 forms and may impose fines and penalties related to such alleged errors. "At this time, we cannot predict the outcome of the discussions with DHS or other governmental authority regarding the review of our I-9 forms," it added. WHAT IS I-9 FORM? I-9 form is an employment eligibility verification form provided by the Federal Government to companies that deploy non-American residents working in the US and every hired employee has to fill an I-9 form at the time of hiring. The grand jury is continuing its investigation and we remain in discussions with the US Attorney's Office regarding these matters, we are unable to make an estimate of the amount or range of loss that we expect to incur in connection with the resolution of these matters, Infosys added. The issue of visa irregularity came into light first in May 2011 when Infosys received a subpoena from a grand jury in a US District Court in connection with a lawsuit filed by Mr. Jack Palmer, one of its US-based employee. In his complaint, he accused Infosys managers of mistreating him after he blew the whistle accusing the company of visa irregularities. However, in August last year, a US court dismissed harassment charges filed by Mr. Palmer.
Source : 14-05-13   Thehindubusinessline.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Job aspirants now look for a flying start as more airlines take off
Thanks to the entry of new players such as the joint venture of Tata-AirAsia in the domestic aviation sector and foreign airlines forging new ties in India (Jet-Etihad), many aspiring candidates are now looking to give their careers a "flying" start. Institutes offering courses in aviation and hospitality have seen renewed vigour in placements and many have also introduced new courses. Faced with multiple headwinds in 2010-11, several airlines had cut jobs and stopped flights on many routes. "The aviation sector saw a dip of around 15 per cent in hiring during that period. But this year, the hiring sentiment is better," said Mr. Samir Valia, President, Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training. The institute has introduced two new courses this year – MBA in aviation, hospitality, travel and tourism and a three-year degree course in the same subjects. Recently, it conducted a recruitment drive in Bangalore for Tata-AirAsia, where 150 of its students were short-listed. The final letter of appointment is expected by July this year. The entry-level monthly salary packages for cabin crew in the domestic sector range from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 while for foreign airlines; it is between Rs 45,000 and Rs 1.3 lakh. For the ground staff, salary ranges between Rs 8,000 and Rs 15,000 for freshers. The highest salary package at Frankfinn Institute this year was Rs 1.2 lakh (monthly) offered by a foreign airline. The course fee ranges between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2.80 lakh, depending on the duration.
Source : 12-05-13   Thehindubusinessline.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
IT plans to earn more with fewer techies
Though information technology (IT) companies in India have been at the forefront of hiring activity, top IT firms this year have deepened their focus on growing non-linear practices in an attempt to wean away the time-tested link between revenues and headcount. The industry has been long dependent on human resources to ramp up revenues. However, these companies are now going the non-linear way to grow revenues. The term non-linearity refers to delinking a company's revenues from headcount and getting higher revenues with lesser dependence on raising employee strength. The IT industry in India is at a point where it faces major difficulties like the end of the tax holiday, competition from MNCs like IBM and Accenture and the traditional labour arbitrage model wearing thin. Industry analysts believe that the industry needs to reinvent itself in order to survive tough competition and a volatile demand economy.
Source : 13-05-13   Deccanherald.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Hand-holding CEOs beyond hiring
Get the job description from the client, trawl your database for candidates who hit the right checkboxes, place the person in the job and walk off with your search fee. If you thought that about describes the role of a recruitment or talent search firm, think again. Where the question of hiring a person for a top role in a company is concerned, it becomes a lot more complicated. Executive search firms today have to play a strategic role, working with clients to get an accurate fix on who - and more importantly, what - they need. However, the challenge for search firms nowadays doesn't end with just finding the right candidate to fill the top job - it extends beyond recruitment to actually helping the candidate settle into the job. Given the importance of the role that top-level managers, such as Chief Executive Officers, Vice-Presidents and others, play in the success of the company, recruiting in this is space is also seen as a high-risk business. And as such search firms' responsibility extends to a certain period after the hiring process has been completed. The first three to six months (and even up to a year in some cases) of a recruit's work life in a new organization are now seen as crucial and search firms continue to act as mentors for the candidates - helping the recruit and the company bond. Mr. Ronesh Puri, Managing Director at Executive Access, says that since head-hunting for top positions is a high-risk, high-returns job, they cannot leave anything to chance and as such Executive Access continuously hand-holds new recruits, and also ensure that they are in constant touch with the company for up to a year after the recruitment.
Source : 09-05-13   Thehindubusinessline.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Salary hike for govt school language teachers
Delhi Government on Monday hiked the monthly salary of over 280 school language teachers by up to hundred per cent, heeding to their long-pending demand to make their emoluments on par with their colleagues. The teachers were employed by language academies in government schools as a part of language development programme. The decision to hike their salary was taken at a cabinet meeting presided by chief minister Ms. Sheila Dikshit."Delhi Cabinet today (Monday) decided to hike monthly remuneration of 282 teachers deployed by Language Academies in government schools," Ms. Dikshit said later. As per the government decision, a post graduate teacher (PGT) will get a salary monthly salary of Rs.23, 265 instead of the current Rs. 13,160. The monthly salary of a trained graduate teacher (TGT) teacher has been fixed at Rs. 22,935 against current Rs. 11,140. The language teachers were appointed to teach students languages such as Punjabi, Sanskrit and Urdu. They were engaged on part-time basis in 2002 and in 2008 they were made full-time teachers. The Cabinet also allowed the retired teachers to retain government accommodation if they were again employed. Government had re-employed over 1,000 teachers last year for two years after superannuation of their services. These teachers will now be able to continue their stay in government accommodation.
Source : 15-05-13   Hindustan Times   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Rural jobs scheme has benefited women, unskilled labourers the most
MNREGS, the UPA government's flagship rural employment guarantee scheme, has benefited women and unskilled labourers the most, an official said Tuesday. The MNREGS has also had a positive impact on agricultural wages and wages in general in rural areas, which had been stagnant for a long time, the official said. MNREGS wages have been revised from April 1 to factor in inflation. A maximum wage of Rs.214 has been fixed for Haryana and a minimum of Rs.135 for the north-eastern states. The National Sample Survey Office's 66th round confirms that the MGNREGS has reduced the traditional gender wage discrimination, which was apparent in several states across the country, the officials said. Gains from the rise in wages are more for the poor and marginalised, including women. An average of five crore households have been given employment every year since 2008. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes account for 50 percent of the total person-days generated.
Source : 14-05-13   Newstrackindia.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
HSBC in cost-cutting drive, to slash 14,000 jobs
HSBC plans to cut annual costs by up to another $3billion and may axe a further 14,000 jobs as Europe's biggest bank strives to drive profits in the face of sluggish growth outside Asia. HSBC's new cost- cutting drive will be stretching out to 2016.
Source : 16-05-13   Hindustan Times   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Boost for OBCs; Centre set to relax creamy layer bar
More young people from the other backward classes (OBCs) will be entitled to a quota in jobs and education in government institutes with the Centre set to relax the creamy layer bar. The cabinet will Thursday consider a proposal to raise the bar to annual income of Rs. 6 lakh from the present Rs.4.5 lakh. The creamy layer bars the affluent among OBCs from reservation benefit on the basis of family income. The move is aimed at striking parity between increase in income (such as the 6th Pay Commission for central government employees), cost of living and scope of reservation. But ahead of elections 2014, it has the potential to act as a sop for the vast vote-bank of OBCs, who make up 41% of India's population. Raising the bar to Rs. 6 lakh would allow more OBCs to avail of the 27% quota in jobs and education. The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had initially recommended raising the bar to Rs. 12 lakh in urban and Rs. 9 lakh in rural areas. But due to sharp differences between ministers at an earlier cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh formed a group of ministers (GoM) led by finance minister Mr. P Chidambaram to give further recommendations. The GoM prescribed a uniform ceiling of Rs. 6 lakh. The creamy layer ceiling was introduced in 1993 at Rs. 1 lakh and subsequently revised to Rs. 4.50 lakh in 2008.
Source : 15-05-13   Hindustan Times   Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Labour shortage for India Inc projects
For many Indian chief executive officers (CEOs) planning to start new units, the only problems aren't land acquisition, environment clearances and fund raising. Getting labour at plant sites is fast becoming extremely difficult, as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is creating a labour shortage, they say. Take the Aditya Birla Group's UltraTech Cement, planning to spend Rs 12,000 crore in expanding its capacity. "We are facing an acute shortage of labour, which is impacting our expansion," says Mr. Adesh Gupta, chief financial officer of Grasim, the holding company of UltraTech. "As we go forward, we have decided to use a lot of machines in our plants to replace labour."NREGS, launched by the central government in 2005, offers 100 days of guaranteed work in a year to each rural household. The scheme is a hit among unskilled workers, as they needn't migrate to other areas in search of work. Apart from NREGS, the other government welfare schemes have also resulted in more rural incomes, encouraging labour to stay at home. "There is a growing shortage of labour," said Mr.Rahul Mehta, who has 30-odd years of experience in the apparel business and is president of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India, with nearly 2,000 manufacturer members and 15,000 members which are retailers. "The surplus labour situation that India was known for is fast-changing with schemes such as NREGS. Also, our outdated labour laws result in problems in employing contract labour."This shortage comes at a time when corporate India plans to restart work on new projects and expansion, after a prolonged slowdown. Many big companies - Reliance Industries, Steel Authority of India and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation - plan to spend hundreds of crores to expand capacity.
Source : 14-05-13   Business-standard.com   Compiled by Amresh Anjan

 

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