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28-5-2013

Google plans to hire more female engineers

Search engine Google is aiming to increase the number of female computer engineers in order to reduce the gender gap in the industry.

Co-founder Larry Page in his address during the I/O conference, said that the company is focused on recruiting more women 'forever' so as to ensure that the company is not all male.

In a report by CNN, Page suggested that more young girls and women need to be directed towards technology, which will undoubtedly double the rate of progress.

Google Vice president Megan Smith said that visibility of technical women has always been the company's priority because in the past years women representation was low at the company's developer conference.

The report further added that Google held a Women Techmakers social for female I/O attendees before the conference to create projects using littleBits and arts and craft supplies.

Smith indicated that part of the problem of having less female presence in the technology sector is the poor PR because women didn't think the field is interesting or that they too can be good at it, the report said.

Source : TOI

5-8-2013

300 lose jobs as US firm shuts shop

HYDERABAD: About 300 employees of a US-based hardware company located in Madhapur have been rendered jobless after the company filed for bankruptcy and is all set to issue relieving letters to the staff next week.

Powerwave Technologies, a US-based multinational company located at Cyber Pearl in Madhapur, filed for bankruptcy in the USA in January this year. Now, the 300-odd employees working in the city have been intimated by the management to collect their relieving letters as the company is reportedly winding up its operations.

Employees of Powerwave, which is a listed company in NASDAQ, told TOI that they were asked to report on a particular day next week and collect their relieving letters by depositing the assets given to them by the company. "On Wednesday, we were informed that Thursday and Friday will be holidays and that the company will resume operations on Monday. However, on Thursday, I got a telephone call from our HR intimating us that I should come on Tuesday and collect my relieving letter," Ravula Thirumal, Senior Two Engineer in Powerwave, said. Similar was the case with most of the other employees. Ravula added that all the reporting heads of the company were informed that the company has decided to wind up its operations.

It was on January 29 that the bankruptcy suit was filed in Delaware State, USA, by the authorities of the MNC. Powerwave, which manufactures 2G and 3G hardware, started its operations in Hyderabad in early 2000.

Employees are worried that the company has not referred to its contractual obligations besides the payment of salary for the last 15 days. "As per the contract, the authorities of Powerwave are supposed to give a three months notice to employee besides giving three months salary while terminating the services of employees. But, when I questioned about the arrears and other contractual obligations, our HR said that they cannot make any commitment. All that they told us was to surrender the assets like laptops and other items given by the company," a reporting head of Powerwave, who requested for anonymity, told TOI.

When contacted, Rakesh Sinha, country head of Powerwave, told TOI that so far no one has been told to collect their relieving letters. "As of now the company is operational. So far we have not asked anyone to collect their relieving letters," Sinha said.

Source : TOI