Would You Sacrifice Self-Respect for a Job? Seeking Advice on a Tough Decision

Dear HR People, A man gives up his job rather than lose his self-respect. Then, for 6 months, he remained unemployed and began to starve. Subsequently, he is willing to take his job back even at the price of losing his self-respect. Please help me regarding this case. Thank you.

It would be helpful to get accurate responses if you can provide the details of the case; otherwise, most suggestions could end up being impractical and inaccurate, which may not serve your main objective. Some of the reasons for this suggestion are:

1. The definition of 'self-respect' varies from person to person, and the response also varies from situation to situation. 'In what context' decides how the members of CiteHR can respond to your query.

2. You have mentioned only the facts, even though very briefly, of the case. What is your query?

Regards,
TS

Self-respect, honesty, and integrity all look good when it comes to giving advice, but when it's a question of feeding your stomach and living a simple life, then all these should go down the drain.

Yes, I agree with Mr. Ravi. There is nothing more important than family. An individual can fight for self-respect, but their dependents cannot. In this situation, if you can help him, please do; that's all we can say.

Please present the entire case for us to respond. There is no head & tail in this case. Also, there are some curious questions:

1. Gave his job for self-respect - what is the issue that has led to losing self-respect?
2. He gave his job for self-respect - did he not have the willpower to get a job in six months?
3. If he is not able to get one, what self-respect does he carry?
4. Now, just because he wants a job, will he lose his self-respect?
5. If he is ready to sacrifice self-respect just for a job, what else will he lose in the future for this job?
6. Job and money are just one or two parts of life; life is much more.

You have not mentioned the cause, so it is very difficult to give you the right suggestion. However, as far as I think, self-respect has no scale. Human life is not easy; we have a tendency to live and sacrifice for others (family), so most of the time, we compromise with situations or decisions because, apart from the job, one has to manage responsibilities at home as well. If you find him competent at his job, then go ahead with his wish.

What I understand is that the man resigned because he could not overcome his emotions. He did not use his head but rather decided to punish the management by resigning. This attitude does not work. Anyways, if he is regretting his decision, then he should contact his close associates or colleagues to trigger something that reminds management of his good work and contribution. Hence, a fresh initiative could be taken to contact him again to rejoin. This way, his so-called self-respect remains intact, and he regains his lost job. This will not happen overnight. It's time-consuming and needs lots of patience. The man has to maintain his cool.

I myself took a similar decision a couple of years back when I was transferred for no reason to an office 1800 KM from my city. It was a complete relocation. I resigned on the spot after a meeting with my senior. Though I was 100% right, I still relied more on my emotions. I suffered for a few months. My decision was firm not to rejoin again, despite calls from some seniors to resolve my issue.

Remember, every case is different, and the inside stories are difficult to understand.

• A man gives away a job for self-respect, remains unemployed for 6 months, and now he is willing to take up the same job back.
• One will have to decide between self-respect and hunger (life).
• Was his self-respect greater than his job, his livelihood?
• Is he really losing his self-respect by taking back a job?
• Has he really gained or lost his self-respect by leaving a job?
• First comes life, then self-respect.
• He is taking back the job he once left to survive. If he survives, he has a chance of winning self-respect.