How Should We Handle an Employee Breaking a Service Bond with Unusual Tactics?

Hi All, Right now I am dealing with an interesting case. I need advice from my seniors on this.

Case Overview

We hired a girl in February with a one-year service bond, which was clearly communicated to her. She agreed, and the candidate looked smart, so we hired her. Work-wise, she was okay.

Resignation and Immediate Relieving

After two months, she submitted her resignation with immediate relieving, citing her marriage and her mother's health as reasons. Believing her conditions, we tried to help her and recommended a waiver on medical grounds. We asked for her mother's medical documents, on which she started arguing relentlessly and did not submit the papers. Interestingly, her marriage date (as she told us) was seven months ahead, and she was not ready to extend her stay even by one day. We requested an extension, as our process was very critical.

Offer to Waive Training Costs

With the intention of helping her, we asked her to pay just the training cost, and we would release her with proper documents. To our surprise, she replied that she didn't want any papers as she intended to join her fiancé's business. She started threatening to sue us in court.

Change of Intentions

As she was getting weirder, we asked her to leave for the day and deferred discussions for the next day. A complete U-turn from resignation to the intention of continuing. The next day, she asked for two months of "work from home," which was not possible.

Threats and Allegations

The same evening, we received a call from someone posing as a newspaper reporter, again threatening to publish news as harassment. Upon further investigation, we found that he was her fiancé (he only said so). We pardoned the act as being "kiddish." After three days, she wrote an email to the MD of the company with personal allegations. When we checked her emails, she was copying all her discussions with us to her personal IDs.

Please suggest the right course of action.

Regards, Yogita

Very kiddish indeed! Anyways, let's talk about the solutions here...

# Pardoning the act on grounds of being kiddish is not right on the part of the employer. If she is building up her case (as she is sending all her mails to her personal ID), then you need to act smart rather than just reacting to her behavioral problems.

# Communicate everything through emails and make sure there are no loopholes from your side while communicating. The best way is to stick to facts.

# Write an email asking her to provide medical documents of her mother's illness and state clearly that as she wants to leave the job before completing one year, she has to pay the cost of training, which is mentioned in clause no such and such. Also, inform her that the work-from-home facility is not available in your company.

# You did not write what was the content of the mail to the MD, what kind of personal allegation, and how did the MD react to such mails.

# Counsel her, be a friend, and ask her the reasons for such behavior and how such things can impact her in the future. If you cannot do it, involve someone who can.

# Issue a warning letter for the call from her fiancé.

# Last thing, do you think employees like her are a value addition to the company? Is she putting in her efforts and performing since all these discussions? There is no point in keeping her in the company. Address the issue verbally within closed walls with no cell phones and other gadgets.

Hope it will be of help....

Immediate Action Required for Employee Misconduct

Get rid of such individuals immediately. Forget the cost your company has incurred on her training. If you prolong her stay, she will cause more harm to the organization, including potential data transfer.

Regards,