Voda Idea clubs 22 telecom circles into 10 clusters; move may hit jobs

"...... In the past also, we have seen that over time, it is possible to accommodate most of the people against natural voluntary attrition that keeps happening," Voda said downplaying likely job cuts

Vodafone Idea has clubbed its business in 22 telecom circles into 10 clusters, ostensibly to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

This could hit some jobs, though a Vodafone Idea spokesperson has said: “The firm is committed to exploring meaningful opportunities and options for all employees. In the past also, we have seen that over time, it is possible to accommodate most of the people against natural voluntary attrition that keeps happening.”

“The new structure will create bigger, consolidated roles providing promotional opportunities to a large number of internal resources, and will actually lead to induction of some specialised skills from the external market,” the spokesperson said, adding that over the past 12-18 months most vacancies — including some senior positions — were filled internally through promotions.
 

According to an internal document seen by Business Standard, the company has said: “In an era when pricing was often unique, customer choices were more disparate, and competition was fragmented, this made imminent sense. However, in a more ubiquitous market scenario, where the market is far more integrated and players have consolidated, this approach needs a re-think. We have decided while we do all that needs to be done at a circle level from a regulatory standpoint, we shall create 10 large clusters for business operations.”

The firm said Delhi and Rajasthan are now a single cluster headed by Arvinder Sachdev. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh are one cluster, headed by Mukul Sharma. UP East and UP West has been clubbed and is headed by Pamesh Gupta. Assam & Northeast, Kolkata, rest of Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand are part of one cluster, headed Sivam Bhargava.
 

Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are one cluster, headed by Arvind Nevatia. Kerala and Tamil Nadu cluster will be header by Murali S, whereas Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh cluster is being headed by Kavita Nadkarni. Mumbai is a standalone cluster, and is headed by Rajendra Chourasia. Maharashtra and Goa will be another cluster headed by Puneet Krishanan. Gujarat is headed by Monishi Ghosh.
 

These heads will be based at cluster headquarters and will report to respective operations directors.