Beyond Layoff

At least nine people died when they consumed alcohol-based hand sanitizer in Indian state of Andhra in the last two days, the police said. The tragedy took place in Kurichedu town. The District Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddharth Kaushal was quoted saying "these people had consumed sanitiser due to non-availability of liquor as there was a lockdown in force in Kurichedu to contain the spread of Covid-19." The incident came to light when a beggar at a local temple complained of severe burning sensation in his stomach. He  while being taken to the hospital on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, two others collapsed due to severe stomach pain. The family members shifted them to the government hospital at Darsi town, but they succumbed late in the night. Six others, who were also admitted to the hospital with similar complaints, died on Friday morning. Mr. Kaushal said hand-sanitizers from all local shops were seized for lab tests. The police are trying to ascertai

In a recent interview, India's most respected business leader, Ratan Tata talked about sensitivity towards employees being crucial to survive and do well in the long run. Tata was quoted saying layoffs amid the COVID-19 pandemic was a knee-jerk reaction and shows lack of empathy among the top leadership. The respected industrialist and philanthropist was quoted saying in an interview  with Shradha Sharma, founder and CEO of YourStory  “Accept that you have to change in terms of what you consider is fair and necessary in order to survive. One cannot continue to do business in certain ways and one won’t survive if you are not sensitive to all your stakeholders. Working from home is one solution. Laying-off people will not help you solve your problems as you have responsibility to those employees.” Key highlights of the interview with Ratan Tata include It is impossible to survive as a company if one is not sensitive to its people.  Whatever your reasons may be, you ha

Amid surge in Covid-19 cases, Health Minister of the Indian state of Karnataka, B Sriramulu, on Wednesday expressed helplessness saying "only a God can save us."   Speaking to reporters in hi-tech capital Bengaluru (Bangalore), the minister was quoted saying, "The Covid-19 cases are proliferating rapidly. The situation is getting out of hand. Only God can save us." Responding to the allegations by the opposition party, Congress, about  financial anomalies in procuring medical equipment and safety gears, the Health minister said, "The virus is spreading fast. In such situation the Congress is indulging in cheap politics. The government is ready to face the consequences of its actions. But the Congress must stop making wild and baseless allegations"  Sriramulu said the Ayush and MBBS doctors should not strike work in crisis situation, "The government is ready to discuss their demands. A few private hospitals are bringing a bad repute to a

All of us are closely watching for the unfolding events as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact businesses, lives and careers around the world. We are all grappling with a barrage of news while trying to make sense of it. Corporate leaders, educationists, aspiring students and their parents are trying to make sense of two recent announcements coming from ICE and Harvard University that are likely to have far reaching consequences. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Monday that students on visas must leave US if their schools and universities go online-only. The announcement (link) highlights “Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States. The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students