Author: Maya Singh

Chennai-based real estate developer Casagrand has introduced an 8 AM to 4 PM work schedule for its employees, moving away from conventional office timings as part of its focus on employee wellbeing and work-life balance. The new workday is designed to help employees manage their professional responsibilities while creating more time for family, fitness and personal activities. The initiative brings an early-start, early-finish approach to the fast-paced real estate industry. New Office Timings Aim to Reduce Workday Stress Casagrand’s revised schedule gives employees an eight-hour working day, beginning at 8 AM and ending at 4 PM. The company’s approach is…

India’s white-collar recruitment market recorded a strong year-on-year improvement in August, with hiring activity rising 14 per cent, according to the latest Naukri JobSpeak Index. The growth was led by the automotive, healthcare and retail sectors, signalling broader momentum across the job market. The Naukri JobSpeak Index climbed to 3,028 in August 2026, compared with 2,664 in the same month last year. Hiring activity improved across both IT and non-IT industries, while demand increased across different experience levels. Auto, Healthcare and Retail Drive Hiring Growth The automotive sector recorded the strongest growth among major industries, with hiring increasing 19 per…

Pune, 10th September 2026: POWERCON Group, a global leader in renewable energy asset creation and management, has appointed Ravindra Chauhan as Senior Management Officer – Business Development. The appointment reinforces POWERCON’s commercial leadership as it expands across India’s fast-growing renewable energy sector. Ravindra brings 22 years of leadership experience in wind energy and engineering, spanning business development, strategic customer engagement, engineering services, and operations & maintenance. He has held senior roles at Suzlon, Senvion, and InoxWind, where he drove business growth and supported large-scale renewable energy portfolios. In his new role, Ravindra will support POWERCON’s business development function, working closely…

Microsoft is reportedly keeping a closer watch on employee use of artificial intelligence tools after internal data showed significant differences in monthly AI consumption across departments. The figures were reportedly collected through a voluntary spreadsheet in which employees share information including salaries, bonuses and AI usage. According to reports, around 600 US-based employees contributed to the spreadsheet, with approximately 350 providing details about their AI consumption. The median reported monthly AI usage was around $300, although spending varied considerably between teams. Employees in Microsoft’s CoreAI division recorded a median usage of about $975, followed by Security at $526, Microsoft AI…

New Delhi: Zomato has reportedly laid off around 240 employees following the closure of its customer-support operations in Hyderabad as the food delivery company restructures its customer service operations. The decision follows a review of Zomato’s customer-support model, with the company shifting a larger portion of support work to external partners. The remaining in-house customer-support operations will reportedly be consolidated in Gurugram, where Zomato’s product, technology and analytics teams are based. Zomato increases focus on AI and automation The restructuring comes amid a broader shift toward artificial intelligence (AI), automation and outsourced customer support across Zomato’s operations. Over the past…

Mumbai: Bank of Baroda has announced recruitment for 2,482 Local Bank Officer (LBO) positions in Junior Management Grade/Scale-I (JMG/S-I) across 20 states and Union Territories. The recruitment drive is aimed at strengthening the bank’s workforce in regional markets while creating career opportunities for banking professionals. The initiative is also expected to help the bank improve customer engagement by deploying officers with knowledge of local markets, languages and regional requirements. Officers to serve in their selected state A key feature of the recruitment is the location-based posting policy. Selected candidates will be posted in the state for which they applied for…

New Delhi: A two-minute improvement in the pre-shift routine at Perfetti Van Melle India’s manufacturing operations could potentially add 300 to 400 tonnes to annual production, highlighting how workforce data and operational analytics are increasingly influencing business decisions. The improvement came from examining what happens between the time a worker arrives at a factory and the start of the production shift. At one manufacturing plant, employees arriving by bus at around 1:50 pm for a 2 pm shift had to complete several activities, including checking in, changing, washing, handing over information and understanding the status of the production line. By…

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has upgraded its member portal to bring eight key provident fund services together online, allowing eligible members to complete several transactions without visiting regional offices. The revamped dashboard consolidates services that were previously available through different sections of the EPFO system. The changes are part of the organisation’s broader move towards a centralised digital service architecture. Eight PF services available online Under the upgraded system, members can access services including: The direct UAN allotment facility allows eligible individuals to generate a UAN without waiting for their employer to create one. Members can submit eligible…

PepsiCo is set to end insurance coverage for prescription weight-loss medications for some employees from October, as employers face rising costs associated with GLP-1 drugs. Employees were informed of the change through a communication from Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefits management business of Cigna Group. According to the communication, weight-loss medications have become one of the fastest-growing expenses within PepsiCo’s healthcare plans. The company said removing coverage would help maintain a healthcare programme that remains sustainable and affordable for employees. PepsiCo said employees who want to continue using the medications will have the option of paying for them outside the…

The Tamil Nadu government has decided to extend maternity leave for women government employees having a third child from 12 weeks to 365 days, bringing the benefit in line with the leave already available for the first two children. The decision was announced in the state Assembly by the Human Resources Management Minister. A detailed government order is expected to be issued to formally implement the change. One-year leave for third child Under the existing rules, women government employees with fewer than two surviving children are eligible for one year of maternity leave. Employees with two or more surviving children,…