Human Resource Community

On November 2, the Singapore government passed a bill to correct the Retirement and Re-employment Act, raising the retirement and re-business ages to 65 and 70, separately. The move will permit more seasoned individuals to work for additional years, however doesn’t compel them to do as such. It is altogether up to the actual specialists how long they wish to function prior to resigning. This correction comes after a suggestion by the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers in 2019, for the retirement and re-business ages to be expanded by three years, by 2030. As declared before, the legal retirement age and re-business age will be raised to 63 from 62 and from 67 to 68, individually, on Jul 1, 2022. The public area has effectively carried out it on Jul 1. Like in China, there will be a steady augmentation in these ages, in stages. The legal retirement age is, notwithstanding, needed to ensure against bosses firing matured workers. Bosses should propose to re-enlist laborers as old as 68 in a similar foundation. Managers who wish to permit their representatives to fill in as long as they wish will be free to do as such. The normal powerful retirement age has gone up quicker in Singapore than the Organization for Economic Co-activity and Development (OECD) normal. In ten years’ time, it is anticipated that one of every five residents of Singapore will be over 65, on account of the low fruitfulness rates and expanding future. Source: HRKatha

We have always heard the term that India is a ‘developing’ country. Is it really true? Well, with rapid advancements, increased social media use, knowledge exchange and digital education, the population is definitely adopting paradigm-shifting solutions. While some decisions are influenced by the wave of change in the West, some come as a result of mindset change and the evolution of people’s minds. In any country, equality, social change and multicultural advancements are some major parameters to consider before calling it modern or liberal. When it comes to women empowerment, India is still evolving. It has a long way to go. One of the most taboo subjects in India is to talk freely about menstruation. However, that is gradually changing in some parts of the country. In a revolutionary move, some companies in India have allowed women to have paid leaves during their menstrual cycle. How good is that? Also, India is not the only country to consider offering leaves to its female employees during their monthly cycle. Countries like Japan, South Korea and Italy have menstrual leave as a part of their female employee leave policy. Taking a foot forward in the same way, some companies in India are offering one or two leaves to their female staff members. Let’s get to know the companies that offer menstrual leaves. Swiggy – It is an online food delivery company in India that offers two days of monthly time off to their female food delivery staff members. Culture Machine – It is a Mumbai-based digital media startup that allows women to take a day off during the first day of their period. Mathrumbi – It is a Malayalam media organization that allows women to work from home or stay at home during the first day of their cycle. Magzter – It is a Chennai-based digital magazine platform that offers one day of paid leave to its women employees during their period. Wet and Dry – It is a Delhi-based feminine hygiene product maker that offers women two days off during their period. IndustryARC – It is a Hyderabad-based market research and consulting firm that allows women one or two days of paid leaves during their menstrual cycle. Zomato – It is a Gurugram-based food delivery company that allows its female staff members to take 10 days of paid leaves in a year during their period. Byju’s – It is India’s leading education app that grants women 12 period leaves in a year. In conclusion, it would be best to openly address issues and talks related to menstruation as it is a natural biological phenomenon. The notion of women being on their period should be normalized. Everyone should show empathy and respect for the changes that a woman is going through. Following the footsteps of the above mentioned companies, we look forward to more Indian and international companies offering paid leaves to women during their menstrual cycle to ensure their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Source: IndiaTimes

Google Bay view, the company’s newest campus, consists of three squat buildings structured near the San Fransisco Bay Shoreline a few miles east of its headquarters in Mountain View. Google has the embodiment of a grander ambition to run its operations completely carbon-free.  The new office will be opened with limited employees while keeping the pandemic in mind.  Last year Pichai had announced to run all its Google offices on electricity with a clean source of energy.  The goal has been set till 2030, considered to be the most ambitious corporate commitment for decarbonization.  Although aiming such bog targets for clean energy by Google is beyond typical corporate targets, Pichai is all set to make considerate sacrifices for reaching these targets. Source: ndtv.com

One of the leading companies in the IT sector, Wipro, has announced the launch of its ‘Begin Again’ program, for women professionals who had a break in their career of almost six months to one year or more than that, for jobs based in India. This ‘Begin Again’ program is a part of Wipro’s Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) initiative for women aspiring to re-launch their career after a break. Be it for motherhood, sabbatical, elderly care, passion, travel, or any other personal reasons. As per the company, “this initiative will allow talented women to explore opportunities that will enhance their potential and allow them to get back on track with the current demands of the industry.” Along with this new initiative, the company has also recruited 8,100 freshers from the last quarter. Wipro CEO claims to be well-positioned to hire 25000 freshers in the upcoming financial years as well. Source: livemint.com

A news turn point can be seen in startups’ efforts to build new employee-centric policies. Social Commerce startup Meesho has announced 30-week gender-neutral parental leave, and Snapdeal has rolled out wellness measures for women employees. Along with that, fintech startup Slice has introduced a three-day workweek. These new initiatives show a more employee-centric approach of startups that they believe can help build a better business relation. Experts believe this new shift of startup culture from being more workaholic and hectic to more employee-centric can positively impact the business building relationship with these new startups starting the recent trend of making their employees a priority. A unique and better example of employee-centric work culture is now approaching the Indian Startup market and will attract more people to the startups for employment. Source: Thehindubusinessline.com

As per the TeamLease Employment Outlook Report, companies “hiring percentage from October to December can be seen at the highest rate in the past one and half years.” As per the survey, 41 percent of companies are looking forward to hiring this quarter, which was just 38 percent in the July-September quarter.The survey covered 650 small, medium and large companies across 21 sectors. A high sense of positivity can be notices in the Indian White- and Blue-Collar Job Market, opined Rituparna Chakraborty, Executive Vice-President, TeamLease Services. As companies are now taking the initiative to call their employees back to the office, it is also a sort of assurance for the fact that businesses now are not expecting any significant disruption and if in case there will be a probability of the third wave, they will be prepared to handle it this time. In September, Manpower Group Employment Outlook Survey also expressed data that showed Indian Employers are all set to aggressive hiring in the October-December quarter, with 64 percent of employers forecasting an increase in payrolls, 20 percent anticipating a decrease, and 15 percent aren’t expecting any change at all. Source: peoplematters.in

The pandemic has made both employer and employee acknowledge the value of mental health and the need of taking some time off. In the last few months, global brands such as Nike, Bumble, LinkedIn and Hootsuite, announced a whole week off for their employees to overcome the hectic workload and feel fresh. Keeping in mind the mental well-being importance of employees, the newly Indian-minted unicorn, Meesho, also announced a 10-days off for its 1000 employees from November 4 to 14. Meesho’s Co-founder and CEO, Vidit Aatrey, made a statement on Twitter: “Announcing a 10 day Meesho-wide break to allow our team members to rejuvenate after the hectic festival season. As a part of decisions aligned with our company’s value of building a people-centric workplace.” Source: hindubusinessline.com