I am in urgent need of advice. I resigned on the 24th of a month, requesting to be relieved by the 28th of the subsequent month. Five days after my notice, I received an acceptance of resignation, stating that short notice pay will be recovered. This was when I got alarmed and checked my old appointment letter, only to find that the required notice period is 2 months. I had clearly overlooked it. Immediately, I sent out another letter stating that I had, by oversight, requested to be relieved in 1 month, and that the request stands canceled, and that I now request to be allowed to serve the full notice of 2 months.
The next shocker came soon, referring to all three previous correspondences, i.e., the Resignation Letter, Acceptance of Resignation, and My Letter Requesting to allow me to serve the full notice. It states: "As per Clause No. xxxx of the Company Personnel Manual related to the matter of relieving an employee prior to the completion of the full notice period following resignation, you will be relieved from the services of the company with effect from the closing hours of 9th Feb 2018, and your balance notice period has been waived off by the management."
HR referred me to the said clause, which states that the company can dispense with the services of an employee serving notice after resignation, before the completion of notice, with no salary or compensation payable to the employee for the remaining notice period. Such arbitrary clauses and manuals notwithstanding, my appointment letter has no reference to such a situation as mine, except that "You may tender resignation with two months' notice or notice pay in lieu. Failing your serving two months' notice AND failing your payment of notice pay in lieu, such amounts shall be deducted from monies payable."
My appointment letter has one clause: "You will be governed by the framework of the company's policies, circulars, and instructions which will be binding on you in addition to the terms of this appointment letter."
Question: Does the law protect me on this matter?
If the company has shortened my notice AFTER my resignation, can they afford NOT to pay me for the balance of the notice period, just because their company manual says so? I would be glad to have good advice and soon.
Regards
From India, Ghaziabad
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The next shocker came soon, referring to all three previous correspondences, i.e., the Resignation Letter, Acceptance of Resignation, and My Letter Requesting to allow me to serve the full notice. It states: "As per Clause No. xxxx of the Company Personnel Manual related to the matter of relieving an employee prior to the completion of the full notice period following resignation, you will be relieved from the services of the company with effect from the closing hours of 9th Feb 2018, and your balance notice period has been waived off by the management."
HR referred me to the said clause, which states that the company can dispense with the services of an employee serving notice after resignation, before the completion of notice, with no salary or compensation payable to the employee for the remaining notice period. Such arbitrary clauses and manuals notwithstanding, my appointment letter has no reference to such a situation as mine, except that "You may tender resignation with two months' notice or notice pay in lieu. Failing your serving two months' notice AND failing your payment of notice pay in lieu, such amounts shall be deducted from monies payable."
My appointment letter has one clause: "You will be governed by the framework of the company's policies, circulars, and instructions which will be binding on you in addition to the terms of this appointment letter."
Question: Does the law protect me on this matter?
If the company has shortened my notice AFTER my resignation, can they afford NOT to pay me for the balance of the notice period, just because their company manual says so? I would be glad to have good advice and soon.
Regards
From India, Ghaziabad
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The caveat clause: "You will be governed by the framework of the company's policies, circulars, and instructions which will be binding on you in addition to the terms of this appointment letter." is very crucial and is an inhibiting factor against your claim for observance of the notice period as per the offer of appointment.
The accepted position is that the offer of appointment cannot be exhaustive of all the terms and conditions of service, and the company's policies, circulars, and instructions will also be binding. But, here, there is a pertinent question that such company's policies, circulars, and instructions have to be brought to the knowledge of the employees before it is made mandatory. As per your version, they were not circulated among employees and it remained only in files. This is a point of fact and has to be proved by evidence.
There is a point of caution; it is presumed that all official acts are done in the proper way, and it is for the party alleging it to be not so to prove it to be otherwise. So, the proof that the rules were not in the knowledge of employees is to be proved by you, not an easy task. You can evaluate your chances based on the above said legal position.
From India, Mumbai
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1593The accepted position is that the offer of appointment cannot be exhaustive of all the terms and conditions of service, and the company's policies, circulars, and instructions will also be binding. But, here, there is a pertinent question that such company's policies, circulars, and instructions have to be brought to the knowledge of the employees before it is made mandatory. As per your version, they were not circulated among employees and it remained only in files. This is a point of fact and has to be proved by evidence.
There is a point of caution; it is presumed that all official acts are done in the proper way, and it is for the party alleging it to be not so to prove it to be otherwise. So, the proof that the rules were not in the knowledge of employees is to be proved by you, not an easy task. You can evaluate your chances based on the above said legal position.
From India, Mumbai
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Understanding Resignation and Notice Periods
How can you expect "good advice" from others when you've omitted to furnish the nature of your job, i.e., whether it is managerial or supervisory with a salary of more than Rs. 10,000 per month, or if you are an employee belonging to the workman cadre?
Coming to the point of acceptance of your resignation, whoever you are, by the employer after altering the notice period according to his discretion is quite illegal. The company manual may be a Holy Scripture to an HR without any legal bent of mind like the person you mentioned. In terms of substance and notification, it cannot run counter to the legal provisions of the law governing the contract of employment and legal norms laid down by case laws.
When the employee submits a resignation effective from a future date together with his willingness to serve the notice period of mistaken duration and the management accepts it with a modification of recovery of salary for the short notice period, it is correct to the extent of reality of the facts. But realizing his mistake, when the employee submits a fresh offer of serving the actual notice period, the employer has to comply with it since the resignation has not yet become effective. Even his refusal may be justifiable on the ground of alternative arrangement, if any made by the employer. However, he cannot relieve him before the date mentioned by the employee and accepted by him for it amounts to a counteroffer by the employer which requires the acceptance of the employee. Therefore, the employer has to pay the salary for the period of notice modified at his own discretion notwithstanding any condition in his manual. In some other thread, I had mentioned the case laws in this regard. Please search and find.
From India, Salem
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How can you expect "good advice" from others when you've omitted to furnish the nature of your job, i.e., whether it is managerial or supervisory with a salary of more than Rs. 10,000 per month, or if you are an employee belonging to the workman cadre?
Coming to the point of acceptance of your resignation, whoever you are, by the employer after altering the notice period according to his discretion is quite illegal. The company manual may be a Holy Scripture to an HR without any legal bent of mind like the person you mentioned. In terms of substance and notification, it cannot run counter to the legal provisions of the law governing the contract of employment and legal norms laid down by case laws.
When the employee submits a resignation effective from a future date together with his willingness to serve the notice period of mistaken duration and the management accepts it with a modification of recovery of salary for the short notice period, it is correct to the extent of reality of the facts. But realizing his mistake, when the employee submits a fresh offer of serving the actual notice period, the employer has to comply with it since the resignation has not yet become effective. Even his refusal may be justifiable on the ground of alternative arrangement, if any made by the employer. However, he cannot relieve him before the date mentioned by the employee and accepted by him for it amounts to a counteroffer by the employer which requires the acceptance of the employee. Therefore, the employer has to pay the salary for the period of notice modified at his own discretion notwithstanding any condition in his manual. In some other thread, I had mentioned the case laws in this regard. Please search and find.
From India, Salem
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Dear Sirs,
I am a senior management professional with 30 years of private sector experience. Your advice is valuable.
About the legal provisions that you mentioned as having posted elsewhere in this forum, should I be able to find using your username?
Again, many thanks.
From India, Ghaziabad
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I am a senior management professional with 30 years of private sector experience. Your advice is valuable.
About the legal provisions that you mentioned as having posted elsewhere in this forum, should I be able to find using your username?
Again, many thanks.
From India, Ghaziabad
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Company Letter for Completion 01 Month Notice.docx