Feeling Stuck: How Can I Get My Graduation Certificates Back After Leaving an MNC?

Dear All,

I have joined an Indian MNC by signing a bond for 4 years, and as per the agreement, I have to submit my original graduation certificates to them. However, due to dissatisfaction with my profile, I left after completing 1.5 years in the organization, resulting in my status being marked as Absconding.

I am now wondering how I can retrieve my original certificates. The condition is that I need to pay 1.6 L to get them back, which I feel is unnecessary. Can you please suggest some solutions or advice on how I can proceed in this situation?

Thank you.

Dear,

Holding a certificate like that is a criminal offense, and you can file an FIR against your employer. However, before doing so, you need to complete the formalities and submit a proper resignation.

I totally agree with you, Mr. Malik, but many don't do that. I heard from one of my friends that her colleague had the same problem, and in the end, she lodged a police complaint stating that she had lost her certificates. She joined another company as a fresher.

Thanks for the reply, Malik. Even if the proper formalities are done, the certificates only return if I pay nearly 1.6 L, which I feel is not legitimate. Can there be any other solution? Like Malini was suggesting, can duplicate certificates serve the purpose?

Hi Vijay,

Yes, duplicate certificates are useful, but what about your service and relieving letter from that company? Since that girl was an MCA fresher and only worked for 6 months at that company, she was ready to give up her experience and take up a job as a fresher in another company. However, the same doesn't apply to experienced candidates. If you do so, you will lose your 1.5 years of experience with that company.

Hi Malini,

I understand your point. But if I say that the next company which recruited me did not ask for any documentation (service letter and relieving), then what is your say? My point is whether I should prepare myself for duplicate certificates or turn to the company and request for certificates. I have not done so until now, which has been 2 years. What are your thoughts on this?

Thank you.

Hi all,

I am a Masters student from a reputed university in India. I recently joined a company as an Engineer and signed a bond for 3 years. I am required to pay 1.5 lakhs to break the bond. I signed a bond paper and submitted my original certificates as well. I have only worked for 6 months. Due to unavoidable reasons, I am unable to continue. I have submitted a resignation letter, but they are now asking for 1.2 lakhs. I am extremely stressed because of this situation. Can anyone please suggest what I should do? What would happen if I quit the company without informing them? How can I retrieve my original documents? Please help.

By,
Mathews

Hi,

I am also in the same problem as that of Vijay. I am a Master's student from a reputed university in India. I joined a company as an Engineer and signed a bond for 3 years. I have to pay 1.5 lakhs to break the bond. I have signed a bond paper and submitted my original certificates as well. I have worked for only 6 months. Due to some unavoidable reasons, I was not able to continue. I have submitted a resignation letter too, but they are now asking for 1.2 lakhs. I am in big stress because of this problem. Can anyone suggest what to do? What if I quit the company without informing?

By
Mathews

Hi People,

I have joined a company and have not submitted any documents to them. I have only signed a security bond of 1.5 lakhs for 1.6 years or 18 months. What would happen if I resign from the job while still in my probationary period, i.e., I am in the 5th month of progress? So, what might happen if I resign from this job?

Dear all,

HELP ME TOO, please.

I need your suggestion regarding the difficulty I am facing at my current organization. I have been given an appointment letter at the time of joining wherein it was mentioned that I am appointed as a trainee-Assistant Manager, and my probation would be for 6 months. However, I have completed 9 months here as of today, and I have not been given any confirmation letter nor been taken on the company's rolls. Additionally, I have signed a bond for 18 months here, but I want to quit due to a lack of learning opportunities and exposure. Kindly guide me on what might happen if I break the bond.

That's the reason I am looking for a change now. In other good companies, I can't show that appointment letter designated as 'trainee.' Here in the company, there's no HR; I am the only one handling the whole department. Kindly provide valuable suggestions so that I can get out of this situation.

Regards,
Priyanka Sharma

Dear Priyanka,

Greetings!

A bond has no legal sanctity until and unless the company has incurred some expenditure on your training. Even if you have received training, the penalty cannot be greater than the actual expenditure. The amount mentioned in bonds is nothing more than a piece of paper.

Secondly, hardly any company will ask you for an appointment letter. It is the relieving letter that matters. To obtain that, you should tender a proper resignation and serve the notice period. If the company fails to provide a relieving letter and demands the bond amount, you can seek redress from the labor court.

Regards,
Team GroupHR
consult@grouphronline.com

Dear all,

HELP ME TOO Please.

I need your suggestions regarding the difficulty I am facing at my current organization. I was given an appointment letter upon joining, stating that I am appointed as a Trainee-Assistant Manager and my probation would last for 6 months. However, I have completed 9 months here today and have not received any confirmation letter nor been put on the company's rolls. Additionally, I have signed an 18-month bond here, but I wish to leave due to limited learning opportunities. Could you kindly guide me on the potential consequences if I break the bond?

This is the reason I am currently seeking a change, but in other reputable companies, I cannot present the appointment letter designating me as a 'trainee.' In my current company, there is no HR department; I am the sole person managing the entire department. Please provide valuable suggestions so I can navigate this situation effectively.

Regards,
Priyanka Sharma

Dear,

The problem persists even if you complete the notice period because most companies do not comply with the rule that notice period completion is sufficient. The payment of the bond amount is a must; otherwise, the certificates will not be returned.

Approaching court should be the last option. Is there a governing law for this specific employment practice?

Hi,

Same is my case... please, somebody help...

I recently joined a small upcoming IT company. I was told they have a workforce of 40 members and are planning to expand to 80, so recruiting new manpower. I have 2 and a half years of experience in HR (recruitment). This being a generalist post I was very keen to join. They have a 1-year bond wherein I have to submit my original certificates as I am having an outstation (Gujarat) work experience. I agreed and joined.

Within 2 days, I got the actual picture about the company, and now I feel cheated. They have hardly 18 people working here. As said, no training is provided... forget training, I didn't get proper induction. According to the offer letter, the salary is paid on the 8th of every month. But today being the 10th, still, they are not even bothered to calculate the salary. All the employees are frustrated to the core and are simply coming, sitting, and going because everybody has submitted their certificates.

Is there any way we can get out of here... forget about them... now they don't care as they are used to this... but I being just 15 days old, can anything be done? I don't want to work here...

Can anybody please provide some useful information???

Please note that no company can confiscate your original documents since it amounts to a criminal offense. Do not submit your original documents to any company. In this case, you can speak with the HR and inform them that they need to return your documents, or else you will be forced to take legal action. Since the HR would know that they are, in fact, committing an illegal act, they would definitely comply.

Bonded labor has long been abolished, and hence, a service bond is not legal in India. No company can hold you to a service bond, even if it is on a stamp paper. However, a training bond is enforceable if the company has spent a considerable amount on your training. Even in that case, the company has to prove that they have invested money in your training, and you can resign after repaying the same.

In both cases, follow the proper procedure and send your resignation to the company through email. This can serve as proof later that you resigned on a certain date. Also, provide proper notice and then demand your documents back.

Hi Sandhya,

In your case, the notice period would be defined by your employment agreement/Company policy. You must have received an appointment letter. Please check the notice period requirement mentioned there and adhere to it. Alternatively, you can discuss the notice period with the HR department. This step is necessary if you require a relieving letter from the company. If you do not need a relieving letter or a final salary settlement, you can resign by giving a week's notice (commonly followed for employees under probation) and leave the company. By following this process, you can demonstrate that you have served the required notice period and then request your documents back.

Regards,

Hello everyone, I'm in big trouble. Please help me. I recently joined KGiSL. They gave me night shifts, and as I am alone, I could not take proper care of myself and got really sick. I was admitted to the hospital and then rejoined after 2 days. Now, I have Acute Gastritis, and I think I don't wish to continue my job. However, I have signed a bond for 1 year and submitted my originals. I need them back. What should I do?