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Layoff Tales: 'The boss is always right'
Some weeks ago, we asked Get Ahead readers to send us their layoff tales. We still get a lot of mail from employees belonging to different sectors of the Indian economy, indicating how difficult the employment scenario is out there.
In the 44th part of this series, young IT executive Sachin Gupta narrates how he is ruing his decision of coming back to India from Germany despite the advice of his friends to the contrary.
Name: Sachin Gupta
Company/Sector : IT
Background:
My name is Sachin Gupta. I am an IT professional by heart having 11 years of experience. I lost my job last year and till today I am jobless. And my biggest mistake is that I came back to India. I was in Germany on a Green Card. First time I lost my job in Germany during 2001 recession (dotcom bust). Thanks to the German government which paid me arbeitslosengeld (unemployment benefits) during my unemployment period and arbeitsamt (unemployment office) helped me in finding a new job and in two months I joined EU Research Lab and worked with them more than three years.
How I lost my job:
The real story begins now. My patriotism and my inner voice told me to come back to India and work for the country. At that time my friends who were working in Germany advised me not to go back to India but I decided as my uncle did the same (he left Chicago University and joined ISI Calcutta but now he is realising that he made a big mistake).
Here I joined an MNC software major in Chandigarh. Before joining this company my friends advised me not to join them since their past history is not good. But I joined them. At the time of joining the company there were almost 2,000 employees. By the time I left this company after four years of association there were only 250. They usually fired their employee twice a year.
Now, I made the second big mistake of my life. I always thought that I was working for the company not for the superiors. And I always commented if anything wass not good for my project or my company. I forgot that I was working in India and with Indians. Here in India, no matter what she/ he is saying, the boss is always the boss.
In 2007, my bad time started and I lost my unborn baby in March and the same day my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. So I used to visit Delhi every weekend for treatment of my father and I never thought of leaving this company. In January 2008, my father passed away and I went home for his funeral. When I came back, my senior called me and told me to get another job asap.
I started looking out for new assignments. But in March they called me and asked for my resignation. At that time I gave them one month's notice as per my contract. But they wanted my resignation immediately without any notice period and money. I talked to the MD of the company (he was native US citizen). When I told him my story he said that I was playing games with him and the company. This made me very uncomfortable and I stopped the discussion and resigned immediately.
Lesssons learnt:
So this is all that happened with me. Now the moral of this story is
Do you have a layoff tale to tell?
Have you lost your job? Do you know someone who has lost her/his job recently and is trying to come to terms with the situation?
If you, your friends or relatives have a layoff story to tell, to inform readers about the lessons that you have learnt, please write to us at getahead@rediff.co.in with the subject as 'The Layoff Tales'. Your name and identity will not be disclosed unless you want them to be..