Feeling Trapped: How to Handle a Toxic Work Environment and Get My Certificates Back?

Hi all,

I would like to hear from you on your views on some of the issues that happened in my office environment. I work the night shift for a software company in South India. Every Friday around 2 in the midnight, my colleagues, around 5-7 guys in the office, get drunk in the backyard. Though they don't disturb, I feel it should not happen in the office. There are 3 girls in the office who work night shifts. In the absence of higher officials, this has been happening for nearly a month on every Friday. All the girls informed my immediate lead, but no action was taken. I noticed it happening again and again, so I raised this issue with the HR of the company.

He said he would talk to the concerned people after a couple of days and keep me posted. However, I never received a response on this. The following Friday, I heard from the office boy that even the concerned manager in the marketing team was drinking in the backyard. Since I neither saw nor smelled it, I did not take up this issue with HR. When discussing this with the other 2 girls on the team, they called me for a conference chat on Yahoo and obtained all the information from me. They took this chat information from my machine and raised the issue with HR, stating that I was creating unnecessary issues.

The next day, I was called and severely warned, with HR stating that I have an attitude problem and that I am exaggerating the issues. I was really disappointed with the way they handled the situation. The entire scenario was turned against me, making it seem like I was needlessly speaking badly about my colleagues.

Now, everyone in the office is against me, and I feel completely isolated. I am seriously considering quitting immediately for a fresh start in a work environment with good moral values. Despite my initial interest in the company, I am now in this state. The company holds my educational certificates, and I have an agreement period of 1 and a half years, of which I have completed one year. In this situation, I am advised to speak with the MD and VP of the company. I would like to know what steps I should take and how I can leave this office without any issues, ensuring the return of my certificates. HR managers, please assist me with this.

Thanks and Regards,
Gayathri 🤔

HR must terminate them. No messing around; being drunk on company time or property is unacceptable. Ignoring this issue will lead to serious problems. Make sure to gather evidence before discussing with senior managers. The HR representative should not be seen as anything less than professional.

Hi Gayathri,

It seems you are in deep trouble. Those people will not stop boozing in the office and may also create problems tomorrow. They should be stopped immediately. By the way, are you in HR? Then surely, everyone will hate you. Now, I think out of the total three girls, including you, the other two girls seem to have no objection to the drinking. So, they have fooled you by giving the chat details to the Marketing Manager. Your HR should have the brains to think, which is lacking in most HR professionals. Another mistake you made was submitting your certificates. Let me tell you one thing, if you are in HR, then surely you must know where your educational certificates are. Retrieve your certificates from your personal file immediately. And if they don't give them, threaten with all your friends, make it a big issue, and threaten the people with dire consequences outside the company.

Hi, I appreciate your immediate response to this message. Evidence... Huh. Hope you understand the delicacy of the issue. I can only smell the alcohol, and I saw them carrying the bottle back. But this seen evidence by me may not sound and hold good as evidence. Moreover, the marketing manager is over 8 years experienced in the same company, and the higher-ups are trying to put me down so that they won't lose them. This is what I think. Please shoot me with your suggestions...

Mr. Ravi,

Let me tell you one thing. I am working as an IT Recruiter for US clients in the NIGHT SHIFT, and I don't really have a chance to get into the HR department. So, I think I have no limits on taking back my certificates. Since I said the whole company is against me (night shift team members), I am held back with no clues to move forward. Please suggest.

Thanks,
Gayathri

Hi,

One thing I would like to suggest is that you should inform all HR personnel in writing that certain events will take place in their absence. If this approach is successful, that's fine. However, if it is not effective, you should directly inform the individuals that according to the Honorable Supreme Court, drinking during office hours is considered an offense. You must be firm in your approach and maintain your moral standards. Please keep me informed of the outcome after taking these steps.

Anurag Sharma