Author: HR Talk

Amazon has laid off fewer than 100 employees from its Books division, including teams working on Goodreads and Kindle, marking the company’s fourth round of job cuts in 2025. The tech giant, which originally launched as an online bookstore, is continuing efforts to streamline operations across various units to improve efficiency and better align internal functions with business objectives. Earlier layoffs in 2025 affected Amazon’s devices and services unit, the Wondery podcast division, and the communications department. January saw cuts in communications roles aimed at speeding up operations and enhancing customer focus. In February, downsizing hit Wondery, followed by a…

An Indian IT professional who declined a job offer on his very first day of onboarding has become the center of a heated discussion after receiving a penalty notice demanding Rs 5 lakh from his employer. The company accused him of breaching the contract and absconding without serving the notice period, despite the fact that he had neither drawn a salary nor used any company resources. The incident came to light when the techie shared his experience anonymously on Reddit. After completing the recruitment and onboarding formalities, he decided not to join due to personal and professional reasons and promptly…

Procter & Gamble (P&G) plans to cut its global workforce by 15% by 2027, affecting approximately 7,000 non-manufacturing employees. This move aims to boost organisational efficiency and profitability. Known for its wide range of skincare, healthcare, beauty, personal grooming, and baby care products, P&G had around 108,000 employees worldwide as of 2024. The decision to reduce headcount follows a decline in quarterly sales reported in April, prompting the company to consider cost-cutting measures, including tariff management. To sharpen its focus, P&G is revising its product portfolio by phasing out less profitable offerings, adjusting prices, and concentrating on high-demand daily-use products.…

Google plans to grow its engineering workforce through 2026, reaffirming the importance of human talent in driving innovation alongside artificial intelligence (AI). This announcement was made by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, at a recent tech conference in San Francisco. While AI is reshaping job roles, Pichai stressed that engineers remain central to Google’s growth strategy. This move sets Google apart from other tech giants like Microsoft, which have recently implemented significant layoffs. Although Google has streamlined its resources over recent years, it now views expanding its engineering team as crucial to accelerating AI-driven innovation. Pichai highlighted that a larger…

Volkswagen is undertaking a major workforce restructuring in Germany, aiming to reduce 35,000 jobs over the next five years while avoiding compulsory layoffs. So far, 20,000 employees have voluntarily agreed to terminate their contracts early as part of this strategy. The company is revamping its Wolfsburg plant to focus exclusively on electric vehicle (EV) production within two years. This shift may also introduce a four-day work week at the plant. As part of cost-cutting measures agreed upon with workers’ unions in December 2024, the production of the combustion-engine Golf model is set to move from Wolfsburg to Mexico by 2027.…

In a significant relief for millions of workers across India, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has extended the deadline for Universal Account Number (UAN) activation and Aadhaar linking to 30 June 2025. This extension particularly benefits workers in the unorganised sector and contractual jobs who missed the earlier deadline of 31 May 2025. The extension allows more employees to access vital benefits under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme, which provides life insurance coverage up to ₹7 lakh to nominees if an employee dies during service. However, this benefit is contingent upon the employee’s UAN being active and…

As it readies for the 22nd edition of its End of Reason (EOR) sale from 31 May to 12 June 2025, Myntra is scaling up operations by onboarding 20,000 gig workers. This includes approximately 4,500 delivery partners, 1,000 customer-service agents, and additional personnel for logistics and last-mile delivery, ensuring smooth order fulfillment and enhanced customer satisfaction during the high-demand sale period. Myntra’s proactive hiring underscores its dual focus on delivering a seamless customer experience while creating short-term job opportunities. Notably, women constitute 22% of the warehouse workforce, playing a key role in grading, sorting, and packing at fulfilment centres in…

Infosys has rolled out a new incentive program aimed at rewarding senior employees for their involvement in lateral hiring interviews. Launched effective 1 January, the initiative recognizes the contributions of staff in the recruitment process and aims to uplift internal morale amid cautious hiring trends in the IT sector. Under this scheme, eligible employees will receive a cash reward of ₹700 for every interview they conduct. Notably, the program is retrospective, allowing participants to claim incentives for interviews conducted over the past five months. This marks the first time Infosys has introduced a financial reward system for interviewers. The incentive…

Nestlé India has launched a thoughtful new policy to support employees who bring a new pet into their homes. Blending employee wellbeing with a compassionate workplace culture, the initiative offers both practical assistance and dedicated leave for new pet parents. Under this policy, employees who adopt a puppy or kitten will receive a curated starter kit featuring premium pet food from Purina Petcare. The kit includes Supercoat and Pro Plan for puppies, and Friskies and Felix for kittens—ensuring that pets get a healthy start with quality nutrition. Adding a unique touch, Nestlé India is also offering two days of paid…

Used-car marketplace Cars24 is set to lay off 120 employees as part of a strategic restructuring aimed at streamlining operations and refocusing on core business areas. This follows a previous round of layoffs in April, where the Delhi NCR–based company let go of around 200 employees. The latest cuts primarily impact non-core business units. A major part of the restructuring involves the complete shutdown of Inspare, Cars24’s B2B vehicle spare parts pilot project, which failed to gain market traction. The closure will result in 80 job losses across cataloguing, procurement, sales, and operations. Affected employees have been advised to begin…