Feeling Stuck in a Traditional Company: Should My Friend Quit Her HR Job?

Hello everyone,

I was urged to visit citehr after a long time. Really a ridiculous (rather strange) thing to share.

I spoke to a friend of mine, who was also my classmate, after quite a long time. She is in the field of HR (Don't want to disclose her name - shall use a part of her name: Rach). Rach was highly disappointed and sounded so low compared to her usual enthusiasm.

She used to come across as this HR with a lot of innovative ideas, very enthusiastic, and highly optimistic about everything. She used to have a "Can do" factor within her... but, the last time I spoke to her, she sounded so different.

Here it is - She works as an HR with a traditional company. Now the sister concerns of those units are highly reputed, and this group she works with is just trying to save an image by using the other sister concerns' name. Frankly speaking - they are yet to create a niche.

Now she is the first HR and was asked to streamline recruitment activities. She has completed almost a year and in this time she set up a good recruitment system, brought about a lot of ideas regarding performance appraisal, etc. But here is what she told me last week:

a) First - the company believes a lot in all pujas, vastu, etc. Every alternate night/evenings they have saints/poojaris visiting them, digging some land, planting some seeds, closing the path to specific areas... she herself had to change her seat direction many times.

b) They are planning to create a corporate office - where they will have international clients visiting them. The current office/though it is called a corporate office - the floor is frequently washed with cow dung, the computers belong to the first generation range. It is so dusty - etc. (she cried over this to me over the phone!)

c) Each time they give her an assignment - like create a signboard for the company, bring an interior designer - she used to struggle and get everything done for approval. But - because of cost and vastu, and pooja-related issues - they have denied everything.

d) The employees have not received their raises/increments. When she asked for her other employees - they somehow delay by saying that is not ready, this is not ready, etc.

e) The worst and the sure one I remember out of all the examples at work she cited - Their Marketing Head was asked to go to a particular temple, and circle a statue 9 times before he goes for any client meeting. And he is also supposed to tell what kind of vibrations he feels when he does that.

My friend was depressed... I suggested her to quit the job. Am I wrong?

Please share your opinion.

I think she should leave the job because an employer is not authorized to harm or torture you mentally or physically. For up-to-date performance, a good work environment is also a very important factor.

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Will such companies prosper?

Just out of curiosity - Has this company been rated as a "Good place to work" or anything like that to prove that all these astrological things, change of place, vastu will help in gaining profit, or any other recognition?

Hi HR Wonder,

It is happening in most of the Indian companies, but the level varies. If you want to know, I have many such cases. I was a consultant in India, and I have witnessed many such companies. The most recent one was with a renowned IT firm in Bangalore. Your friend does not need to leave the company but should try to work harder on her personal principles and beliefs. India needs people like her who are at least thinking that there is something wrong. Let the owner do his pujas/vastu, but ask her to focus on her personal learning from this situation. I think this is a great learning experience early in her professional life on how to handle such situations. This will help her in her future career because she will have to face more difficult situations than this in the future. I would love to employ your friend in my organization. I am searching for people who think more rationally. Unfortunately, there are not many in India because we don't get proper social education at home or school.

Shailesh

Dear hr_wonder,

I sincerely believe that this is ridiculous. The best thing for her to do is to quit once she gets another job.

Thank you.

Re: Does this happen elsewhere?

Ask your friend to quit the job and go for a better one where she can use her talents and efficiency for the welfare of the employees. A person should have a good atmosphere and good people at the working place to concentrate on the job.

Thanks and Regards,

Sudha S

Bro, quite strange, but it's reality in traditional organizations. I am working with almost the same atmosphere, but I can say that it's quite better than your friend's one. I have seen many companies performing poojas and believe in Vastu Shastra, but it's quite strange to hear that senior management people were forced to visit the temple. Well, it's difficult to change the mindset of promoters.

This is really something different - I heard, I am also an HR, and I never faced this kind of situation. The best suggestion you have given to her is that she can look for a job somewhere else.

Regards,
Amit

Hi there,

You are absolutely right. Why did they start the company - for Puja or for Vastu? I had a few words in my thoughts but here I cannot speak as this is a professional setting. If she can, please tell her to leave the holy place and join something else.

- Kumar

Dear Friend,

Wherever you go, such things are common in family-owned industries. You have to bear with the situation; otherwise, you may have to quit and look for new opportunities. This is the reality of the current scenario. There seems to be a lack of scope for professionalism.

Regards,
G.K. Manjunath
Manager - HR

Either your friend quits or starts to believe in vastu and poojas so that she integrates with the culture of an organization. All I can say is that every company has its own set of problems. We may not be able to run away from each and every situation.

Wishing your friend good luck from my end.

Regards,
Gayathri

Dear Friends,

Thanks for responding. Your views help me understand that such beliefs do exist in a few other companies too. I shared this link with Rach, and she felt a bit of relief to know that at least other people also acknowledge that it is a ridiculous act.

What's painful to learn is - despite such acts by the company, only God knows whether they are making any profit or loss. They literally squeeze the people. In my personal opinion - all of us have certain beliefs and we practice certain rituals for our benefit. That is fine - but it should "NOT" be to an extent that it disturbs another person's personal freedom to work.

If any good signs show, the employers think it is because of the pooja. Imagine - they changed the front gate direction of the company nearly four times in a year!

It seems they also dug some area and planted certain kinds of plants. They scolded two people of the company who used a different path to go to their plant (this was within the campus!). So many things, when Rach told me, I felt like laughing (it appeared silly to me!). But poor girl - I think she has lost her cool.

She is not worried much about all this as she tries to stay away, but she gets frustrated knowing that her new hires are feeling uncomfortable, creating a feeling that she made a mistake by asking them to join this company.

What to say - they are very different. Everyone from the cleaner to the VP will talk to them on issues and decisions. Senior people have called her and asked what their position is in the company.

Spoke to her last evening, and she told me that she is seriously thinking about her continuation - maybe in a week or so she might conclude what her next step is.

I feel she needs a break to relax and reassure herself that... She has reached a level where she is least bothered whether she has a job in hand or not. What to say - totally depressed.

After going through this bizarre incident, as an individual, I would suggest that since she already has years of experience and is one of the few people with a creative mindset and the determination to bring about change, it is purely mental torture for her to continue in that company. She should keep looking for a better opportunity where she can use her talent, and her potential is harnessed in the right direction. As soon as she finds something meaningful, she should quit this job!

Hi,

I am wonderstruck by this. But yes, typical small-time companies can have this kind of functioning. I empathize with your friend and wish her all the best in finding a good job soon.

Regards, Radhika
Manager - HR

I suppose she should quit the job when she herself is not satisfied, and her work is not being recognized. Everyone is binding her to work in restricted boundaries. I don't see her career growth in that environment. She should not waste her talent by staying there. So please, Rach, relax and simply quit the job. You will have many other good opportunities waiting for you because you are a very talented girl.

She should quit the job forthwith and look for a company that believes in Human Resources more than anything else!

Do let us know the name of that group at least. We will definitely ask a few sadhus begging to visit there and have a good meal.

Rajesh Yadav

Well, it's good to be spiritual, but anything overdone will get on your nerves, especially if you don't feel the same inclination to do so. From what you have told, this organization doesn't seem to be professional, and I find no reason for your friend to stick with it as it wouldn't provide any career growth for her. She should start looking out for better, promising prospects in her job. Even if her salary is good here, it would be better if she quits as soon as possible. This is because any individual who doesn't derive job satisfaction will not be able to give their 100%.

I also know a firm where the employer believed in all these things. But I would suggest that problems will always be there - one type or another. So the main thing is that the person should continue working until there is learning. The main focus should be your work area, and these things will look petty. If the boss is not approving things, let it be. But while doing the groundwork for those things, you are getting exposed to new things in the market. So, I think the focus should be on learning and on these things.

As per my view, there are a lot of other serious issues like sexual harassment and other horrible things in many companies. However, this issue is minor, and she can handle it wisely. She should focus solely on her career path and not get distracted by these small issues. Quitting her job is not the solution to this problem.

Regards,
Chitra

This is absolutely ridiculous... According to me, they are not running any corporate but they are trying for some spiritual fellowship, I believe... better quit the job... the same happened to me in one office and I did the same.

I replied to this posting, whatever I observed from it. Please don't take my views as against to any one or don't consider me as a supporter of superstition.

It seems that your friend is too elergitic to the prevailing company policies and hence exagerated the things. I don't think that any management of a company having international visitors will prefer to wash its office floors with cow dung.

No company having bussiness with MNC will have 1st generation computers. Even those computers will not work properly / faster to coop up with the present time requirements. Accumulation of dust on the office equipments is due to negligence / poor maintenance by HR & Admin officials.

As an employee, one should not object to the poojas, invitation to saints etc. by the employer, in to the premises. Even during 90s one of our Indian Presidents also believed in a lot of poojas / poojaris while in office.

If the Marketing Head does not like to do circles around the temple, then he should think for a route to escape. Others should not bother on it until any harassment by the employer is involved.

Regarding assignments / increments, it all depends upon the management and financial situation of the company.



My suggestion is that leaving a job is not an option. If we think that we are more advanced than others in any field, then we should implement these qualities in the practical field and try to educate others. It also can not be achieved over night, we should have patience for it.

Regards.

Hi,

It's all over our country at different percentages. You have to see through it. As one of our friends said here, it's a good experience for you, which helps you to face any worst situation in the future. Learn from it. Learn to be patient; time will change. Concentrate on your work area.

Regards,
Karthikeyan.

Work is worship, but too much of it will scare the gods also. It's good to quit, but first get something in hand and then quit.

I met the famous filmmaker Basu Bhattacharya at a friend's house some years back. He told us, my wife and I, a story about his early childhood.

His mother attributed everything good that happened to her to "Thakurji" and would offer obeisance to her deity on such "good events."

Basuda was a brilliant student, and every year he would top his class. When the results were announced, his mother would drag him and make him thank "Thakurji" because she was more than convinced that Basuda stood first in his class only because of her "Thakurji's" blessings. She wanted similar conviction in her son as well.

Basuda did not take his school final examination and, sure enough, failed. He then confronted his mother and asked her why her "Thakurji" did not help him clear the school examination.

She did not have any answer.

Basuda then dropped out of school and ran away to Mumbai and carved an envious place for himself in the Indian film industry.

He made films like "Teesri Kasam," "Awishkar," etc., which clearly demonstrated his inborn brilliance.

So, friend, the time has come for you to find an alternative job and run away to a new place where you can put your learnings to good use, learn more, and grow into a good HR practitioner. God only helps those who help themselves.

Best wishes,

Vasant Nair

Hi,
I think she should leave her job because this job is spoiling her skills, knowledge, and personality which she still has. Jumping to the new organization she can learn more and get a good opportunity or chance to develop her knowledge and personality which she did not get from her current org. Nowadays companies are so High-Tech. and the pattern which they use for work execution is really admirable (especially in HR). Rather than just wasting time in all Pooja and mantra, they should use their energy and mind to overcome its condition.

Dear HR_Wonder,

In my point of view, you should advise your friend to quit her current job. However, before she quits, she should make sure to secure a new job for herself. In the worst-case scenario, if there are any issues with leaving her current job, she should take some time to think about it calmly. She should consider whether she can handle any challenges that may arise in that job or not, and then make a decision. Given her experience, I believe she won't face significant difficulties in finding a new job. Remember, you have your support system with you. Friends always provide support.

Thank you.

I am really surprised that a country like India has such types of fanatic organizations. I am from Bangladesh; generally, people think that Bangladeshis are very conservative. However, being an HR professional for almost 20 years, I have not heard of any entrepreneur having this type of mentality in our country.

I feel that your friend should strongly put her foot down, express her dissatisfaction/frustration, and make them understand that whatever they are doing is not yielding any positive results for the organization. So, what is the point of doing all this! And then submit her resignation.