Amazon Offers Full-Time Jobs to 125,000 Seasonal Workers
Amazon has recently announced plans to offer permanent jobs to 125,000 of 175,000 temporary workers it hired since March to meet demand amid a COVID-19-fueled surge. According to the company, it will be providing the opportunity for transferring 125,000 people to transition into a regular, full-time role beginning in June, as the pandemic-fueled push theoretically dies down. The rest of the 50,000 workers may choose to return to their previous job or stay at Amazon in seasonal or part-time roles. The move comes amid Amazon’s role growing in delivering goods for consumers facing lockdowns and restrictions around the world, through its e-commerce platform as well as its grocery operations. Amazon earlier announced to invest nearly $4 billion to keep its workforce safe.
Infosys to Eliminate Roles to Flatten Organisation
Infosys is undergoing a major restructuring at higher levels in order to flatten the organisation and expedite decision-making. As part of this process, the company will trim its workforce at job level (JL) 7 and above, those in the ranks of delivery managers, industry principal (the JL7 equivalent for consulting roles), AVPs, VPs, and SVPs. The effort is to break down a five-tiered structure into two. The thought is to fix larger responsibility and accountability on senior executives who are not billable resources. Currently, Infosys has over 30,000 workers in senior roles or what they name JL 6, 7 and eight. Around 13,000 workers are in JL7 ranges and above. The plan is to cut back, in a staggered method, 10%-15% of the individuals at JL7 and above, which might affect over 1,300 executives.
StanChart Medical Extends Benefits to LGBT+ Partners of Employees in India
British lender Standard Chartered Bank recently said that LGBT partners of its employees will now be able to avail medical cover under the Bank’s medical reimbursement policy. The declared partner will also get covered under the domestic relocation policy. The Bank has been taking successive steps in ensuring an inclusive, safe and open environment for all LGBT+ employees in the bank over the past year, starting with the launch of its Employee Resource Group (ERG) for LGBT+ & Allies called GLAD (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Allies and Advocates). The Bank also participated in the first LGBT+ job fair in Mumbai held last year and the Mumbai Pride this year.
Accenture Gives Bonuses and Promotions despite Lockdown & Coronavirus
In times when most companies and industries have deferred or suspended pay hikes and promotions, Accenture has paid bonuses and given promotions to a large section of its employees. Since the last few weeks, the company has been paying out bonuses to more than half its 2,00,000 employees in India, working across various domains, like technology, and business management centres. The company has also been honouring all the job offers made, while associated benefits are effective from the date of joining. Accenture is among the largest employers in the IT sector in India. It recorded hiring of about 2,500 people every month in the country, as of last year, on an average. The company has currently about 200,000 people in India.
Government Reduces EPF Contribution for Next 3 Months
The Ministry of Labour & Employment has implemented the decision to reduce employees’ provident fund (EPF) contributions to 10% from 12%, for three months till July. This move will help increase the take-home pay of employees. The government says that this move will provide relief to 6.5 lakh establishments and will provide Rs 6,750 crore worth of liquidity over the next three months. This will be applicable to all establishments except for those eligible for relief under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) and state-owned enterprises and organisations. The government is contributing employers and employees contributions of 24 percent of basic wages for those establishments that have up to 100 employees and 90 percent of whom earn under Rs 15,000 monthly wage since March.
61% of Indians Suffering from Mental Health Issues during Lockdown: Report
According to the ”Rebooting 2020: A Story of Covid-19, and Shifting Perceptions” survey by The Mavericks India, sixty-one percent Indians are experiencing mental health-related issues because of the uncertainty and looming financial crisis during the lockdown.
According to the study, Gen-Z and millennials have been impacted the most with 27 percent of Gen-Z and 19 percent of millennials expressing that the crisis has taken a significant toll on their mental health.
Baby boomers are least impacted or perhaps better experienced and prepared to handle the crisis. Furthermore, women are struggling more than men as their workload has increased significantly with them carrying multiple responsibilities without any assistance from domestic helpers, the survey added.
