Our Employable Graduates – A sad story

Sometimes, with some people, we fall into a dilemma on whether to feel pity on them or slap them hard. And when it comes to their laziness to check what is what, the second option is what comes to my mind.

Now a days, people graduate, get a job, have fun with friends. All is well right. But what baffles me is they care the least when it comes to manage their money. Few days back one of my team members had problem with his salary. He told me that what was given in his appointment order is different to what is getting credited to his account. This is serious, I thought. I asked him give me a copy of his salary slip and copy of his appointment letter to cross check with HR. Of course, I promised him that things like his salary would not be disclosed to anyone in the team. He was least bothered about it. When I got the required documents there was no need to go to HR at all.

The appointment letter clearly said that he would have a fixed pay as well as variable pay. The variable pay will be decided as per his performance. Our dude didnt care about anything. When he saw the sum at the end of the document, blindly signed it. I explained him this is the reason for why he is not getting what he is expected. He argued that fixed sum is only few hundred more than his previous salary. I was not able to tell anything. Particularly when I know that he had accepted and signed the dotted line. I asked him whether he had read the appointment letter carefully before signing it.

“It ran to four pages sir. Nobody has got time to read it”

I felt like slapping him. If he is going to spend at least an year or half of an year in a company, the least thing you can do is check the four page document and sign in agreement. Now-a-days, I see lot of people just signing it on the will. The worst of it is the HR documents which they are signing. Then I explained him, he can still earn more than his previous jobs, if he can put in some effort and achieve the incentive.

“Sir! It is like carrot and horse story. I want my fixed salary revised. That is all”

He could have at least tried it for few months and then asked about how he can improve. Now I cant even trust him to work for the money he is paid. I don’t know how people take it so easy when they have a job at hand. Is Indian job market booming like anything? I don’t think so.

I guess most of you would have known that there was amendments in IT law couple of years back and speaking ill about the company in social media may be held against the employee if at all the company is planning to sue him. And also about the Anti-harassment law. Even the girls who should know very well about their rights in such circumstances dont even read the document before signing it.

One of the companies in OMR closed down last year. My friend was working in the company. They had to give pink slips to the employees and needless to say they were miffed. Before the end of the tenure, the employees were asked to sign an agreement which, in first page stated that they will be effectively removed from the service on so and so date and they will given so and so benefits etc etc and the document ran to 12 pages. Nobody got time to read that and signed, while creating memes to post on the company’s official Facebook page. It was not until the HR executive explained to them that they will be sued and may even do time for it they didnt understand the seriousness. Apparently, they agreed that they would not do any such stuff in the agreement they just signed.

While some people are finding it really hard to get a job, the people who got jobs doesnt seem to respect it. At the end of the day, the place you work for gives you money to buy bread and butter, dhal and rice or whatever. One of the people in my team who got relieved few days back pinged me in Facebook last week. While we were having a general conversation, he asked whether he could come back to our company. I was happy that we were doing a good job and people want to come back again, I was just curious and asked him why. The reason he told completely baffled me. He was not able to take the pressure it seems. I just got into the details and came to know that his manager is not even in the country and nobody was breathing in his neck to get the job done. He thought the job would be interesting and pay was good. But he got bored eventually. Now I am really skeptical to take him back in my team.

People who got job or sustained in the jobs in BPO industry when there was this economic downturn in 2008 may have experienced this. We were made to slog 14 hour shifts day after day after day. We were worried that we would be sent home any day. We got into office everyday, not sure of whether we will be the employee in the organization when we go out. Needless to say, only the fittest survived and the temperament was put into tremendous test day after day. And I can say for sure, that was what shaped us.

Many people including me, who are not from B-School enjoy managerial positions today. We are thankful for the pressurized work environment back then. I am not saying you should stick to a job even if it means breaking down mentally. I am just saying that just know what your endurance is. If you are feeling pressurized while taking one hour break and working for six hours, then you need to rethink your decision to work in first place.

Life is not too easy. There were people to take care when you are in school and colleges. When you come out in open, you are all by yourself. As much as getting trained to your new job, the other aspects of where your money goes and what your rights in the company is also very important. If you have doubts, ask. Please don’t shy away. Think of losing 50 Rs per month because of your carelessness. If you are 23 and if you plan to work till 60, you will lose around 22 thousand flat while you finish your career. If you adjust that amount to inflation, it may result in some lakhs. You have to decide if that is a fair price to pay for carelessness.

P.S. See this