Author: HR Talk

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…

Walmart is set to create several hundred new positions across the United States and India as part of a broader restructuring effort designed to accelerate decision-making and simplify its corporate operations. The newly announced roles will also be available to employees affected by the recent round of layoffs. This development comes in the wake of Walmart’s global workforce reduction on May 21, which saw approximately 1,500 corporate employees impacted. The restructuring affects staff in various corporate offices, including those at the company’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in Bengaluru and Chennai. While Walmart employs about 1.6 million people globally—most of whom…

Global consulting giant McKinsey & Company has reduced its workforce by approximately 10%, bringing its employee count down from over 45,000 at the end of 2023 to around 40,000. The job cuts, spread across the past 18 months, mark the largest downsizing exercise in the firm’s history. The move comes as McKinsey grapples with slower revenue growth following the pandemic-era boom. During the COVID-19 period, the company rapidly expanded its headcount—growing by nearly two-thirds—to meet heightened demand. However, as that demand waned and voluntary attrition dropped to historic lows, sustaining the larger workforce became untenable. In response, McKinsey launched a…

Swedish automaker Volvo has announced plans to reduce its global workforce by approximately 7%, affecting around 3,000 employees. The move is part of a broader cost-cutting strategy aimed at improving cash flow and enhancing the company’s resilience amid ongoing challenges in the global automotive sector. Of the 3,000 roles being cut, about 1,000 are Sweden-based consultants. With over half of Volvo’s 43,800 employees located in Sweden, the job cuts will impact roughly 1,200 positions within the country. While an exact breakdown for other regions has not been disclosed, the company has begun consultations with labour unions and issued a formal…

What began as a quiet weekend trip to Coorg took an unexpected turn for an employee whose fabricated sick leave was exposed through a viral Instagram reel. Claiming to be unwell with a stomach flu, the employee had taken time off, only to be inadvertently caught in the background of a widely shared video shot at a popular homestay. Although the reel focused on someone dancing, the employee was clearly visible—an unfortunate coincidence that didn’t escape the attention of their manager. The manager responded with a pointedly sarcastic message inquiring about the employee’s “recovery.” While the employee has not faced…