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Business Standard
07-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Crafting total rewards that resonate with today's talent: Key takeaways from the panel
On June 19, we at Zoho People Plus hosted our first flagship HR event, HRizon by Zoho. It was an exclusive gathering at the J.W. Marriott in Bengaluru that brought CHROs and senior HR leaders together to discuss the future of work, explore new ideas, and network with HR professionals from diverse industries. In one of the panel discussions, we explored how organizations can develop a total rewards strategy that caters to the expectations of the modern workforce. Let's take a quick look at the key highlights from the session! Why it's essential to rethink total rewards Due to generational shifts and workplace disruptions, what employees expect from their organization in terms of rewards and recognition has evolved significantly. One-size-fits-all is no longer the way forward for rewards systems since employees now expect personalized rewards that are consistent with their diverse backgrounds, lifestyles, and experiences. Additionally, the pandemic has changed what matters to employees in many ways, allowing them to focus more on mental health, job security, and family time. They want real-time recognition that upholds fairness and equality. Organizations that recognize and adapt to these shifting expectations will gain a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining top talent. Key highlights from the panel discussion Understanding how total rewards are evolving Almost ten years back, how employees perceived total rewards was completely different. Back then, the focus was on what they were going to receive beyond their salary. However, today, hyper personalization has become an integral part of the total rewards strategy. Today's generation of employees expects rewards that cater to emotional, psychological, and lifestyle needs. The partnership between HR and finance teams Debasis Panigrahi, CHRO from Shriram Properties, noted that finance and HR teams are two engines that drive an organization. The relationship between the CHRO and CFO is not transactional; rather, it's strategic. Debasis described it as a shared journey of value creation from the perspective of price-to-equity (P/E) ratios. He added that research shows that up to 25% of the "price" side of that equation is influenced by leadership quality and human capital strength—areas that HR directly shapes. This leads to a powerful question: How do finance and HR jointly achieve this value impact? The answer lies in aligning on technology, processes, and a deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of a workforce that includes both younger and aging populations. The challenge—and opportunity—is to build systems that serve both ends of this spectrum, enabling the organization to give back more than it takes. Understanding the invisible rewards Uma Rao Ganduri, CHRO of Sekhmet Pharmaventures, added that one aspect with total rewards is that much of what's offered to employees remains invisible. She went on to say that with today's workforce, it's very tricky to identify what keeps employees motivated and ticking. Some want training programs, while others prefer to work independently without being micromanaged. For someone else, it could be something as specific as being posted in the same location as their spouse. In the era of hyper personalization, a cookie cutter approach does not work of offering standard solutions. Unless HR teams talk individually to each employee and get feedback from them, they cannot understand what keeps them engaged and motivated. HR teams also need to use AI technology to assist in hyper-personalization to address things quickly. Employees today are navigating challenges like moonlighting, mental health, and overall well-being. Organizations that acknowledge this complexity by offering support without unnecessary constraints, inflexible policies, and a hard nosed stand on resolving conflicts will build greater trust, loyalty, and long-term engagement. Adopting strategy over speed Dr. Varadharaju Janardhanan, CHRO of Supermoney, a Flipkart Group company, had some compelling insights about organizational strategy. In today's fast-paced world of work, leaders often want to achieve exceptional results within a very short frame of time. This often forces them to prioritize speed over strategy, which can do more harm than good over time. According to Dr. Janardhanan, strategy should define structure, and structure should shape people-related decisions across the organization. He emphasized that organizational structure should be the starting point. These days, skills are currency. And when hiring is guided by skill and aligned with capability, value, and purpose, organizations thrive. Four meaning levers associated with total rewards Varadharajan Sathyamurthy, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Micro Labs Limited, broke down the total rewards strategy into four important aspects. As Varadharajan aptly noted, the four important levers that drive engagement today are: How engaging is the job? What's the career path associated with the job? Are we prepared to let go of a few things while we climb up the career ladder? Instant recognition plans At each of these levels, wellness must be intentionally designed. More importantly, employees must know that they are being heard and that their needs, aspirations, and well-being are always kept at the heart of the organization's approach. Tech-powered total rewards Debasis touched upon one of the most important aspects of total rewards. He pointed out that technology should help organizations create a system that caters to employees with diverse aspirations, life stages, and skillsets—and do so equitably. Each employee is working towards receiving some kind of reward in return. The rewards can be financial or non-financial. The idea of a 'benefit basket' is becoming increasingly relevant. Technology can enable this by giving employees the flexibility and choice to pick what works best for them—from insurance coverage to wellness allowances to learning stipends. By adding a layer of intelligence, tech can also help analyze what's being used, how it's being used, and how much it's benefiting employees. He also emphasized that companies should adopt tech tools that prioritize the employee experience aspect of benefits management. Rethinking rewards for the gig economy Uma Rao Ganduri had a thought-provoking perspective on rewards and the gig economy. She said that with over 61 million people engaged in gig work, organizations are increasingly leaning toward on-demand workforces to manage fluctuating business needs, seasonal demands, and cost pressures. She added that organizations can no longer treat gig workers as secondary resources used solely for cost reduction. Since gig workers often possess niche-skills, they are very well aware of their worth. They have started expecting fair contracts, relevant benefits, and meaningful engagement. They might be willing to work just two days a week, or only for specific hours. And they'll ask for things many companies aren't prepared to offer: health benefits, wellness programs, employee assistance programs (EAPs), and more. And it's not stopping there. As the gig economy matures, we can expect the rise of gig worker unions, she added. Real-world examples Purpose-driven rewards: Combining volunteering and wellness Uma Rao Ganduri shared an excellent example of how they've included wellness with their volunteering program. They encouraged employees to get associated with a community and drive a wellness initiative, where they took the school children for a walk around a park. While it seemed like a simple activity, she added that the impact it brought was truly profound. It helped employees understand the idea of privilege and blended purpose, wellness, and engagement beautifully. Rethinking flexibility and leave policy In a regimented industry like manufacturing, offering the most sought-after benefit, flexibility, can be quite difficult due to shifts and operational requirements. In such cases, Uma went on to add that offering just a one-hour buffer can help employees be a little relaxed when they're running late. Similarly, she emphasized that employees may have to take leave for reasons that don't always fit into predefined leave categories. Taking into account this, their organization scrapped the sick leave policy and reassured employees that the organization would support them whenever a leave requirement arises. Wrapping up The panel discussion at HRizon by Zoho brought to light a crucial truth: total rewards are no longer just about compensation. They're about purpose, personalization, and care. Today's employees are seeking experiences that align with their personal values, life stages, and aspirations. Having an intuitive compensation management system can help organizations ensure fair and equitable pay and rewards to every employee!
Sydney Morning Herald
16-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Accused Bali bomber Hambali to face military trial after 22 years in detention
Minneapolis: Alleged Bali bombing mastermind Encep Nurjaman, better known as Hambali and once described as 'the Osama bin Laden of South-East Asia', will face trial in September for the first time since he was captured in 2003 and sent to the US's notorious Guantanamo Bay. The US Department of Defence announced pre-trial proceedings would take place against Nurjaman over two weeks. They will be conducted at the Expeditionary Legal Complex at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, by a military commission – a quasi-legal process established by then president George W. Bush for non-citizen terrorism suspects detained at Guantanamo. Nurjaman was captured in Thailand in 2003 along with two other terrorism suspects. The trio spent three years in the CIA's network of secret prisons known as 'black sites', commonly used for torture or 'enhanced interrogation', before being taken to Guantanamo Bay in 2006. The two other men, Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep and Mohammed Farik Bin Amin, were repatriated to Malaysia late last year after pleading guilty before the military commission to multiple offences and providing testimony against Nurjaman in a pre-trial agreement. Loading Nurjaman has been charged in connection with the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, and the 2003 bombing at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta, which left 12 people dead. According to the US Department of Defence, those charges include 'conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, terrorism, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, destruction of property, and accessory after the fact, all in violation of the law of war'. Nurjaman is alleged to be the former military commander of the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, which last year announced it was disbanding.
The Age
16-06-2025
- The Age
Accused Bali bomber Hambali to face military trial after 22 years in detention
Minneapolis: Alleged Bali bombing mastermind Encep Nurjaman, better known as Hambali and once described as 'the Osama bin Laden of South-East Asia', will face trial in September for the first time since he was captured in 2003 and sent to the US's notorious Guantanamo Bay. The US Department of Defence announced pre-trial proceedings would take place against Nurjaman over two weeks. They will be conducted at the Expeditionary Legal Complex at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, by a military commission – a quasi-legal process established by then president George W. Bush for non-citizen terrorism suspects detained at Guantanamo. Nurjaman was captured in Thailand in 2003 along with two other terrorism suspects. The trio spent three years in the CIA's network of secret prisons known as 'black sites', commonly used for torture or 'enhanced interrogation', before being taken to Guantanamo Bay in 2006. The two other men, Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep and Mohammed Farik Bin Amin, were repatriated to Malaysia late last year after pleading guilty before the military commission to multiple offences and providing testimony against Nurjaman in a pre-trial agreement. Loading Nurjaman has been charged in connection with the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, and the 2003 bombing at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta, which left 12 people dead. According to the US Department of Defence, those charges include 'conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, terrorism, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, destruction of property, and accessory after the fact, all in violation of the law of war'. Nurjaman is alleged to be the former military commander of the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, which last year announced it was disbanding.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Inside TikTok's Cannes Film Festival Takeover, From One-on-One Time With Tom Cruise to Reece Feldman's Short Film Premiere
TikTok creators got the surprise of their lives during the first week of Cannes Film Festival, when Tom Cruise showed up to give a talk on his new film 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' ahead of its premiere. The 34 film-centric creators, who TikTok invited to the festival from across the globe, thought they were just coming to the platform's festival hub at the J.W. Marriott for a content creation workshop — until Cruise came out of nowhere. In partnership with Paramount, Cruise gave a 20-minute fireside chat with creator Reece Feldman (@guywithamoviecamera on the platform) and then hung around for about an hour after to have one-on-one conversations with as many of the TikTokers as possible. More from Variety Jafar Panahi's Cannes Palme d'Or Is a 'Powerful Blow to the Machinery of Repression in the Islamic Republic,' Says 'Seed of the Sacred Fig' Director Mohammad Rasoulov (EXCLUSIVE) 'Militantropos' Review: Austere Anti-War Doc Employs Formal Control in an Impassioned Defense of Ukraine 'The Last One for the Road' Review: A Pleasant Italian Gem on Drinking Buddies, Aging and Wistful Flavors of Life 'I've never asked permission to create,' Cruise told the room. 'Actors and filmmakers and businessmen say, 'What should I do?' Do it. Learn it, apply it and don't wait to know everything. The only way to learn is to go jump in, and don't worry about making mistakes.' For TikTok's EMEA head of content operations Marlène Masure, the time with Cruise underlines just how valuable TikTok has become not just as an official partner of the festival, but within the film industry as a whole. 'Having two hours in Tom Cruise's agenda is a testament to the power of our movie community and how important they are,' she told Variety during the festival, adding: 'I hope that this will inspire other studios to give bigger access to creators to top talents.' Indeed, TikTok's presence at the festival this year felt larger than ever, with several events and activations taking place. The platform had its own party, an industry brunch where Feldman interviewed Daniel Kaluuya about redefining fandom, and hosted a premiere for Feldman's first short film, 'Wait, Your Car?.' For Feldman, who started posting videos on the platform in 2020 of his experience working on the set of 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' and now has 2.4 million followers, it was a pinch-me moment. 'That was always the dream,' he said of premiering his first project at Cannes. 'If I won the lottery at any point in my life, the first thing I was going to do was be like, 'Alright, let's sit down, let's choose one of the scripts I've written and let's get really practical about making this.'' Having been told about the opportunity in February, Feldman had roughly three months to write, cast, shoot, edit and deliver the short. 'Wait, Your Car?,' starring Whitney Peak, Ruby Cruz, Minnie Mills and Noa Fisher, follows four girls whose friendship is put to the test after one of them becomes convinced that her car is trying to kill her. The reception to the short in the Palais was glowing, with the screening room filled to standing-room only. Feldman plans to continue taking the short around the festival circuit in hopes that studios and production companies will take it as 'proof of style.' 'It's showing you how I like to shoot things, the tone, the timing, the tempo, the writing style, the humor,' he said. 'So that's the thing that I'm most excited for people to take away, like, 'That's the distinct voice of Reece.'' Masure sees the Cannes partnership, which started four years ago, as a way to give back to TikTok's thriving #FilmTok community and provide an inside look at the festival to those on the platform who may be discovering it for the first time. By the second week of the festival, 27,000 videos had been created on TikTok with the hashtag #Cannes2025, up from 22,000 last year, and posts from creators at the festival garnered over 26 million combined views. 'Cannes used to be a bit more restricted to a certain community of moviemakers in the movie industry,' Masure said. 'That's the whole purpose of what we do — provide more visibility to these talents. Everyone creating content on the platform can have a chance to become a great moviemaker.' Creator and presenter Zainab Jiwa (@zeewhatidid) has seen firsthand the growth in interest regarding the festival with her majority Gen-Z audience. 'It's been a great way to give them access into a space that seems exclusive in a way,' she said. 'What I've tried to do in every step of my journey is to take the audience with me, because I never had that growing up.' Jiwa, who went viral last fall for her playful junket interview with Denzel Washington in which he gave life advice, was on hand in the second week of the festival to be the platform's red carpet host for the premieres of Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Scheme,' Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest' and more. Though Jiwa may be holding a mic and talking to some of Hollywood's biggest stars, she acknowledges that her purpose is different than that of a journalist — many of whom have become frustrated in recent years with lack of access to talent at Cannes and other festivals. 'My aim in an interview in general isn't to get something out of them,' she said. 'I'm not here to find the scoop — my aim is to make them feel comfortable and to just have a chat because that's what my audience wants.' Both Jiwa and Feldman are also open about the fact that they partner with studios on many of their conversations. 'At the end of the day, I'm biased,' Feldman said. 'I'm being hired by these studios, so my opinion is, from the get-go, moot.' But that doesn't mean that they're only asking throwaway questions. In fact, Masure considers conversations between stars like Cruise and creators like Feldman to be more like peer discussions. 'He was very technical,' she said of Feldman's questions to Cruise, many of which centered around how he pulled off 'Mission: Impossible 8's' crazy stunt work. 'I mean, the guy has been working in movie production so he knows a great deal about this. It felt almost like a movie professional to another movie professional.' Overall, TikTok having a large presence at Cannes just makes practical sense to Feldman, as he sees the film industry and social media as now being 'intrinsically tied.' 'I think it's good to lean into the TikTok of it all,' he said. 'It doesn't mean having to ask talent to do dances — it could really just be hey, here's how you sign up for the festival.' He continued: 'Social doesn't have to be used in the most extreme of ways, and TikTok is a place where it's approachable. I do believe that it acts almost as a public sphere, and I think it's good that we're forced to confront voices outside of the ones that we just choose to hear.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Express Tribune
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Cannes Film Festival hit by major power outage, authorities suspect foul play
The city of Cannes experienced a large-scale power outage on Saturday morning, only hours before the Cannes Film Festival's highly anticipated closing ceremony. Despite the disruption, festival organizers confirmed the ceremony will 'proceed as planned,' with the Palais des Festivals now operating on an independent power supply. According to Variety, the blackout affected multiple parts of the city, including several festival screening venues where films were interrupted mid-showing. The incident also caused disruptions at restaurants, which either closed or operated on a cash-only basis due to ATM failures. Attendees sought stable power and internet access at places like the J.W. Marriott on the Croisette, though power there remained inconsistent. The outage began around 10:15 a.m. local time, just as a press conference was starting for director Kelly Reichardt's competition film, The Mastermind. Screen Daily was the first to report the power loss, which has significantly affected festival operations, particularly at the Cineum, where screenings were temporarily halted. Officials are investigating whether the blackout was the result of foul play. According to Franceinfo, the outage may be linked to two arson incidents reported overnight and the discovery of sawn-off power line pylons in the Alpes-Maritimes region. The French Ministry of the Interior has noted the possibility of 'malicious acts,' and the mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, stated that EDF, the national power company, is working to restore electricity. Karin Topin-Condomitti, director of services at Cannes city hall, acknowledged the growing media reports of suspected sabotage. 'In my opinion, this should be the subject of an ongoing investigation,' she said, noting that the public prosecutor's office would confirm the cause. 'In any case, we're taking action to deal with the consequences of this power cut as best we can.' Despite the challenges, the festival's awards ceremony is set to take place at 6:40 p.m. CET. Jury president Juliette Binoche will lead the panel in announcing this year's winners, including the prestigious Palme d'Or and top acting awards.
