Quick Reads

Hr tEcHnoloGy HiBob raises $150 million Series D up-round led by General Atlantic

HiBob, the company behind Bob the HR platform, today announced it has raised an additional $150 million in growth funding, just ten months after raising a $150 million Series C in October 2021. Led by General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, and with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and other insiders, HiBob’s Series D round takes the company’s valuation to $2.45 billion and total funding

rEcruitMEnt Gartner: Fewer workers are on a job hunt

The number of workers in Australia actively looking for a new job has dropped for the first time in three quarters, a new study says. Research firm Gartner recently polled 855 employees as part of its Global Labor Market Survey. The company found that the number of workers in active job search has decreased to 17% in the second quarter of 2022. While the figure is only slightly lower compared to the 18% in 1Q22, it is the first time it has happened in three quarters. to $424 million since inception. This latest growth investment is intended to support HiBob in capitalising on its market leadership as the company continues to execute on key business priorities in the current market environment, the company said in a statement.

Google strengthens investments in Singapore with its third data center facility

Google announced that its third data centre facility in Singapore, the construction of which it announced in 2018, has been completed and is in operation, bringing the company’s long-term investments in Singapore data centres to US$850 million. Along with the development of infrastructure, the tech giant will enhance its skill training programme, known as Skills Ignition SG (SISG), which was launched in 2020. The programme has overseen 5,500 certifications. It will also extend 60 Singaporeans an enhanced traineeship programme with twelve months of full-time training in digital marketing or professional cloud architecture.

Performance management startup 15Five raises $52 million Series C

Performance management startup 15Five has raised $52 million in funding to accelerate growth and innovation. The Series C funding round is led by Quad Partners with additional funding from previous investors Next47, Origin Ventures, Edison Partners, Matrix Partners, Point Nine Capital, and New Ground Ventures. 15Five’s last raise was a B round of $30.7 million in 2019. The company will use this new round of funding to invest in R&D to further connect the ability to measure performance (via engagement surveys, performance reviews, and OKRs) and accelerate the integration of software with coaching, so managers can impact team performance more effectively and efficiently.

Telco giant Vodafone Idea to facilitate access to 40,000 jobs in Gujarat

Vodafone Idea [Vi] will facilitate access to 40,000 jobs in Gujarat with the job-seeking platform Apna, giving employment opportunities to Indian youth. These job opportunities have come up in the last three months as Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara markets experienced the highest interest in Sales & Marketing jobs from maximum applicants.

EMployEE ExpEriEncE Dial it down! Online meetings cause burnout

The Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) survey found that 46.2To protect workers against COVID-19, governments requested companies shift from an office setup to a remote one. Instead of face-to-face meetings, many employees attended virtual meetings using software such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. However, "Zoom fatigue" is real. Using video conferencing platforms daily during the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the exhaustion of employees by 50%, a new study in Singapore revealed.

Ford cuts 3,000 jobs in US, India as it pivots to a software future

AT&T employees "being forced" to go back to office

Work from home is a mandate that many organisations have picked up on in the new world of work. According to a tech talent outlook survey by job site SCIKEY, 82% of employees prefer to work from home rather than follow the primordial adage “work only happens in cubicles and office space”. Yet it does seem many companies are not exactly onboard with following the work-from-home solution to the tee. As per various media sources, telecommunications giant AT&T is breaking away from its WFH agreement, which was agreed upon In an effort to catch up to the competition for software-driven electric vehicles, Ford Motor says it will eliminate 3,000 salaried and contract positions worldwide, largely in North America and India. As the auto industry transitions toward electric vehicles and digital services, Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, has expressed his belief that the Dearborn, Michiganbased manufacturer employs too many people and does not have the skills it needs to succeed.

in light of COVID-19. As per the agreement, the company and workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) agreed to extend the work-fromhome solution until March 2023. Yet as per recent news reports, a lot of workers are being forced to return to the office sooner than decided. Also, some department managers have already forced their workers to be back in the office.

EMployEE ManaGEMEnt Google workers fear layoffs amid hiring freeze

Employees at Google could soon find themselves on the chopping block if their performance doesn't meet the company’s expectations soon. Last month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed the company’s plans to help improve the performance of its workers through its Simplicity Sprint program. Aside from Google’s stricter performance guidelines, the company also announced that it will freeze its hiring of new workers for two weeks. However, Google hasn’t lifted the measure even though the two-week period has already lapsed. This has left many workers in the company to fear about their job security.

Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah lays off five per cent of the company’s global workforce

Boston, Massachusetts-based e-commerce brand Wayfair has laid off 870 people, amounting to 5% of its global workforce. As per the various media sources, the major reason is the non-fruition of growth targets which were anticipated this year. Along with the layoffs, the company also said that it is in the process of making substantial reductions in its third-party labour costs.

NewsmAker oF the moNth

An icon of resilience - Serena Williams

By Jerry Moses

Serena Williams will end her stellar career with the US Open in 2022.

She’s won 23 singles grand slam championships, 14 doubles and two mixed slams, which makes her one of the most successful tennis players in the open era.

In her 27-year-long career, she broke numerous records. Williams is the only player (male or female) to win three of the four grand slams six times (US Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon).

Williams has spent 186 consecutive weeks as the topranked WTA player, jointmost with Steffi Graf. Her journey to tennis stardom is unparalleled in her generation.

But her journey wasn’t always bright. Her career is marked by ups and downs.

Biases and sport

It wasn’t always her play that made the news. Serena Williams boycotted the Indian Wells tournament for fourteen consecutive years when the crowd racially abused Williams and her family. She later noted that the experience haunted her for a long time.

In 2009, Williams abused a line judge in her semi-final match with Kim Clijsters; that incident put her on twoyear probation for “aggravated behaviour”. Many felt that similar outbursts by male players were often ignored.

A similar incident in 2018 led to conversations around the sexist attitudes at play. This year, when a male player smashed his racket at the Umpire's chair and received a six-week suspension, Serena was quick to point out the double standards in the sport.

Evolving outside

In an interview to Vouge, announcing her decision to resign from the sport, Serena said that she is evolving away from tennis. “ "Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution”, she noted. “I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.", said the tennis star. Over the years, Serena invested in 66 startups - 78 % of whose founders are women and people of colour. The movie based on her father’s life, “King Richard” earned six Oscar nominations last year.

Serena’s career and legacy hold many lessons in building resilience and fighting through bouts of adversity in one’s life.

WHirlpool corporation appointS HEMlata GoEl to lEad itS GloBal BacK officE and aSia Hr opErationS Global home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corporation has appointed Hemlata Goel as director of its global back office (GBO) and Asia HR operations. Based out of Gurugram, India, Goel will lead the support of global HR services. She brings over 18 years of diverse HR experience to Whirlpool, having worked extensively into HR transformation and integration during mergers and acquisitions, leading global shared services and HR operations. Previously, she has managed diverse portfolios and led HR teams across geographies at AxtriaIngenious Insights, SHL (Former Garter), Alcon, WNS Global Services and InterContinental Hotels amongst others.

apollo tyrES appointS dipanKar GHoSH aS Group HEad, Hr Dipankar Ghosh has joined Apollo Tyres as group head of human resources for the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) region. Ghosh comes with 25 years of diverse experience in leading FMCG, automobile and service industries, in the domain of HR business partnering, strategic human resource initiatives, talent assurance, policy making and employee relations. He joins Apollo Tyres from Bajaj Consumer Care, where he was the CHRO, leading the HR, ER and administration function of the FMCG company. Prior to that, he was with Diageo. He also spent a large part of his career with Tata Motors, managing multiple roles. vErtiv appointS cHEryl liM aS tHE nEW cHro Critical digital service provider Vertiv has announced the appointment of Cheryl Lim as the company’s new Chief Human Resources Officer. She will report directly to CEO Rob Johnson and lead the development and execution of HR strategy in support of Vertiv’s business goals. Lim brings more than two decades of experience leading human resources teams, supporting organisational transformation, and supplying data-driven insights for global HR operations in the manufacturing space. Prior to joining Vertiv, she spent more than 20 years holding various HR leadership positions at Honeywell and was most recently the vice president of Human Resources at ITT Inc.

inBrEW BEvEraGES appointS ManMoHan S KalSy aS cHro Global beverage company Inbrew Beverages has appointed Manmohan S Kalsy as Chief Human Resources Officer, reporting to the CEO and MD. A seasoned human resources professional with proven business partnering and organisation building capabilities across manufacturing, FMCG, telecom, technology and outsourcing industry at most admired workplaces, Kalsy last served as vice president and head of human resources at airline company Go First, reporting to the CEO. Previously, he was a member of Vodafone’s operations board on a global business transformation project. His earlier stints were with United Breweries ,Vodafone, Triveni Engineering & Industries, Bharti Airtel and PepsiCo among others.

HivEr naMES MEEna KuMari r aS cHiEf pEoplE officEr Customer service platform Hiver has appointed Meena Kumari R as its Chief People Officer. With over fifteen years of experience across various tech and SaaS startups, her areas of expertise include building and developing a fully remote and globally distributed team. Previously, Meena was the Global Human Resources Head at Airmeet, and before that she led the HR department at Circles.Life and was the head HRBP at Capillary Technologies. She is also the founder of a global HR community, The HR Folks.

Brillio appointS caMiE SHElMirE aS cHiEf pEoplE officEr Digital transformation services and solutions provider Brillio has appointed Camie Shelmire as Chief People Officer. A technology and consulting industry veteran who most recently served as chief client officer of Altran Americas and after its acquisition by Capgemini, executive vice president in the combined entity, Shelmire brings 20 years of leadership experience in talent, client strategy, and operations. Based in Dallas, TX, she will lead the company’s talent strategy. She will also serve on Brillio’s executive committee and report directly to its chairman, founder and CEO, Raj Mamodia.

accElEration partnErS appointS Suparna BaSuraviS aS cHiEf pEoplE officEr Global partnership marketing agency Acceleration Partners has appointed Suparna Basu-Ravis as its Chief People Officer and Global Head of Human Resources. The appointment has been effective since June 2022, but the role is a newly created one and was only announced in August. Basu-Ravis most recently served as Senior Vice President - Senior Human Resources Business Partner, Investor Services at Brown Brothers Harriman. She also served as Head of Human Resources for Service Delivery and Technology, and previously worked at Moody's, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley in various roles.

BraEMar appointS JoHn BEcKWitH aS Group dirEctor of HuMan rESourcES Global advisory firm Braemar has appointed John Beckwith as Group Director of Human Resources, responsible for leading HR strategies which will be adopted and followed by all the fourteen offices across the world. Beckwith is also an expert in M&A and restructuring, having been the people/HR subject-matter expert on multiple mergers, demergers, and acquisitions throughout his career. Before Braemar, he was the Head of HR at ED&F Man Capital Markets, based in London, UK. He also counts OEC Connection, Clarkson-Platou and MF Global as his previous employers.

Marriott intErnational naMES vinay JaSWal SEnior dirEctor Hr for SoutH aSia Marriott International has appointed Vinay Jaswal to the role of Senior Director HR for South Asia. Jaswal, who has close to two decades of working experience in the HR domain, previously served as HR Head-South-West Asia at IHG Hotels and Resorts. Known for business building and culture transformation, he has also served at Hughes Communications India Ltd, Aviva Life Insurance, iDiscoveri Education Pvt Ltd, InterGlobe Air Transport Limited, InterGlobe Hotels among others.