HR News: 21 Nov, 2016

1.

UBS reinvents the workspace: Laptop free workstations

Employees can use these thin desks to log onto their virtual desktops on computers at any desk in the building or at home. 

In yet another setback for Cyrus Mistry, Tata Sons nominated Ishaat Hussain as chairman of the Tata Consultancy Services board. This was decided on Wednesday when Tata Sons called for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to remove Mistry as chairman of TCS. Hussain will be replacing Mistry as chairman until a permanent appointment will be made to the board.  

Hussain, a director of several Tata companies, including Tata Steel and air conditioning and engineering arm Voltas Ltd, currently serves as chairman of Voltas and satellite television provider Tata Sky. 

TCS said it has received a letter dated November 09, 2016 from Tata Sons Limited nominating Ishaat Hussain as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company in place of Cyrus P. Mistry with immediate effect. In view of this, Mistry has ceased to be the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company and Hussain is the new Chairman of the Company. The Company has been further informed that Hussain shall hold office as Chairman of the Company until a new Chairman is appointed in his place," said the statement. They have also informed Bombay Stock Exchange about Mistry’s removal.

2.

Spire, EdGE, Co Cubes & Exult make it to Deloitte’s Technology Fast50 in HR technology

Fast50 ranks the fastest growing technology companies in India based on their percentage revenue growth over the last three financial years.

Four HR technology companies have made it to the Deloitte Technology Fast50, a list of 50 fastest growing technology companies in the country based on their percentage revenue growth over the last three financial years.

These four HR technology companies include Spire Technologies, EdGe Networks, Co-Cubes and Exult Infosolutions.

Spire Technologies, a contextual artificial intelligence company ranks at No.6 among the chosen 50. It’s contextual intelligence (CI) technology is a versatile platform, which enhances revenue, reduces costs and improves margins when applied to any domain as demonstrated by its flagship, 

EdGE Networks, a Bangalore-based HR tech start-up, has also featured in the Technology Fast 50. The company offers artificial intelligence and data science-enabled solutions to solve workforce-related challenges. It has achieved 228 per cent of revenue growth over the last three years as mentioned by the Deloitte Fast 50 list.

Co-Cubes, the cross-browser, web-based, technology platform that runs in a majority of browsers including IE 7+, Firefox 4+, Chrome 10+, has recently been acquired by Aon Hewitt. It helps corporates assess and hire candidates from the campus and beyond.

Exult Infosolutions is a solution provider for e-learning, mobility and technology.

The Technology Fast50, a programme conducted by Deloitte India is part of a truly integrated Asia Pacific programme recognising India's fastest growing and most dynamic technology companies.

3.

Job creation at 7-year low: President Pranab Mukherjee

Addressing a conference of heads of educational institutions, he said jobs creation should be a priority.

President Pranab Mukherjee recently cautioned that a scenario opposite to job creation can spell disaster in the country. Addressing a conference of heads of educational institutions, he said job creation figures were the lowest in the past seven years, and creation of jobs should be a priority.

Citing incidents of student unrest in institutions, the President emphasised upon a harmonious and peaceful environment for students to pursue higher studies and asked the concerned government departments to facilitate academic leaders. Mukherjee said the country's institutions must become magnets for talent by shifting from ‘brain drain’ to ‘brain rain’.

The President expressed that a large part of India’s population is young, but to utilise its potential there need to be enough jobs in the country, and that should remain a priority. He further shared that the job creation figure of 1.35 lakh in 2015, is the lowest in seven years and is not encouraging at all.