Author: HR Talk

The soft glow of her laptop screen danced in Rhea’s eyes as she mindlessly scrolled through TikTok. At 24, freshly clocked out of her 9-to-5, she wasn’t really relaxing. Instead, an endless scroll of “5-to-9” videos filled her feed: perfectly whisked matcha, cozy late-night editing sessions under fairy lights, and toned bodies slipping into running shoes for an evening jog. The message was clear: your downtime should be just as productive—and just as aesthetic—as your workday. What started as a rebellion against hustle culture has quietly become hustle culture’s evening twin. Gen Z’s post-work hours are now filled with green…

German commercial vehicle giant Daimler Truck has announced plans to eliminate around 5,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 as part of a broader cost-reduction strategy aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and staying competitive in a rapidly evolving global automotive industry. The job cuts are part of Daimler Truck’s European cost-saving programme, with the company targeting more than €1 billion in savings by the end of the decade. The restructuring will impact various functions including production, development, management, sales, and administration. One of the most affected areas will be the Mercedes-Benz Trucks division, which has struggled with underperformance in recent quarters.…

NASA is undergoing a major internal restructuring, with more than 2,100 senior-ranking employees set to leave the agency in the coming months. This significant workforce reduction comes as part of a broader effort to align NASA’s operations with a tighter federal budget. Most of the departing employees fall within the GS-13 to GS-15 pay grades, representing some of NASA’s most experienced and senior-level professionals. The exits are being facilitated through a combination of voluntary early retirements, buyout offers, and deferred resignations. While not technically a mass layoff, the scale of attrition is considerable and signals a period of transition for…

A former senior executive at Citi has filed a lawsuit against the global bank in London, alleging wrongful dismissal following a controversial internal job interview. The executive, who previously held the role of Senior Vice President in Citi’s Finance Solutions Group, claims her termination was unjust and rooted in discrimination against her medical conditions and age. The dispute centers on a virtual job interview conducted in 2023. During the session, the executive was accused of making racially insensitive remarks about working with Indian colleagues. Citi alleges that her comments were inappropriate enough to warrant temporarily removing her from the virtual…

Intel announced last month that it would begin workforce reductions in July 2025 as part of a broader effort to restructure and streamline operations across its manufacturing units. The company planned to lay off 15% to 20% of its foundry workforce, impacting over 10,000 employees worldwide—about one-tenth of its global manufacturing staff. The layoffs have now begun, with job cuts set to start on July 15 at Intel’s Aloha and Hillsboro sites in Oregon. Reports indicate that more than 500 permanent positions will be eliminated in Oregon alone. Notably, Hillsboro is home to some of Intel’s largest factories and research…

The phone call seems like a lifeline. A fresh graduate, disheartened by months of unsuccessful job hunting, hears from a polished HR representative claiming to represent a leading company. The offer sounds perfect—great pay, full benefits, and career growth. There’s only one catch: a ₹9,000 “processing fee” to secure the role. Welcome to the dark side of India’s job market, where fraudsters prey on vulnerable candidates and have turned employment scams into a lucrative business. A Perfect Storm for Scams With rising competition and economic uncertainty, India’s job seekers—especially fresh graduates and mid-career professionals—are under immense pressure. Criminals exploit this…

Tata Steel has set an ambitious goal to achieve a 20% diverse workforce across all group operations by 2028, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to workplace inclusion through its MOSAIC initiative. Launched in 2015, MOSAIC is Tata Steel’s flagship diversity and inclusion (D&I) programme, focused on fostering equity and belonging for employees of all backgrounds—regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ability, or social identity. The initiative is built on five key pillars: recruitment, sensitisation, retention & development, infrastructure, and celebration. These pillars guide the company’s efforts to promote inclusion for women, persons with disabilities (PwDs), LGBTQIA+ individuals, and affirmative action groups. To…

Apple’s ambitious plans to expand manufacturing in India have encountered a critical talent shortage. Over 300 Chinese professionals, who were instrumental in running iPhone assembly plants operated by suppliers like Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron, have been recalled to China. Their departure leaves a significant skills gap at a crucial moment in Apple’s efforts to ramp up production in India. These weren’t just administrative personnel—they were key operational leaders responsible for supervising production, training local teams, and maintaining Apple’s stringent manufacturing standards. Their exit disrupts the crucial transfer of technical know-how that Apple depends on to ensure consistency and quality across…

Apple has filed a lawsuit against a former senior engineer, accusing him of stealing confidential data related to its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset before joining Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat. The lawsuit, filed on June 24, 2025, in California, alleges that Di Liu—who spent nearly seven years at Apple—downloaded thousands of sensitive documents during his notice period in 2024. Liu played a key role as a system product design engineer on the Vision Pro project, Apple’s flagship entry into spatial computing. According to the complaint, he transferred proprietary files to his personal cloud account while still using his Apple-issued…

OpenAI is facing a fresh wave of high-profile resignations as Meta intensifies its push to lead the race for artificial superintelligence. In recent weeks, at least eight senior AI researchers have reportedly left OpenAI to join Meta’s newly-formed superintelligence team. Notable among the departures are Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai, along with several other experts in advanced AI systems. These exits have prompted OpenAI’s leadership to step in with urgent measures to stabilise the situation. Senior executives are actively working to reassure remaining staff through emotionally charged internal communications, emphasizing values like loyalty, fairness, and shared long-term purpose.…