How Can My Friend Navigate Unjust Termination by a New HR Manager and Preserve His Career?

One of my HR friends is working in a Manufacturing Company in Bangalore. He was reporting to an HR Manager who was engaging in all kinds of fraud in that company. The HR Manager used to take commissions from vendors and service providers. My friend works as a Senior HR Officer and reported his manager's illegal activities to the MD and VP. As a result, the HR Manager was terminated on the spot as it was against the company's ethics.

Later, my friend received a good offer as an HR Manager in another company. He decided to discuss his resignation with the VP. Due to his performance and good work, the VP promised him a good increment and promotion in his next appraisal and requested him to stay. My friend trusted the VP's words, withdrew his resignation, and chose to stay.

The management hired a new HR Manager, and my friend was made to report to him. From day one, the new manager tried to create problems in my friend's work and consistently complained that he was not satisfied with his reporting. After three months, the new HR Manager forced my friend to resign. When my friend refused, the manager gave him a termination letter citing non-performance and non-reporting as reasons without any prior warning.

When my friend asked for evidence of his non-performance, the new HR Manager couldn't provide any specific incidents. The termination was planned when the MD was out of the station for a week to prevent my friend from meeting the MD. When my friend approached the VP, he stated he couldn't intervene. This was surprising as the VP had previously retained my friend due to his good performance.

My friend wrote an email to the MD about the injustice but was accused of forging signatures by the new manager. This accusation was never raised earlier. My friend, with solid proof of his performance and reporting structure, is seeking a chance to meet the MD in person.

He later discovered that his former HR Manager, a close friend of the new manager, was behind his termination. Unfortunately, he lacks official proof to present to the management.

He seeks a graceful exit from the company and refuses to resign, which would imply accepting false accusations. He is ready to fight against his unprofessional manager to protect his career.

I kindly request suggestions on how my friend can navigate this situation and preserve his career, as he has faced adversity for speaking up against his former manager.

Thank you.

The case you have presented makes for sad reading. However, such unscrupulous persons do exist, and it is not surprising. As per your narration, your friend has knocked on all doors in vain. Maybe the fraud is being carried out at a much higher level, which could be the reason why the seniors are silent on the issue.

Your friend may attempt one more trial by writing to all the seniors, stating the facts. This could be one last action before calling it a day and looking for a job elsewhere. Continuing in the same company is futile, considering the many unpleasant developments that have already taken place.

Regards,
V. Raghunathan

Dear Latha, Your friend's story is very unfortunate. As you say, if he has proof of his innocence, then he can even pursue legal action if he is mentally and financially ready for it. However, one thing I should mention is that if your friend is from the HR field, he can directly join this forum and describe the facts in his own words clearly. If possible, he can discuss with some of the experts directly. Please tell him to join directly and describe the matter. Here, experts can provide direct assistance to him on this.

For those two HR Managers, if you are reading this and if you are the real culprits, please leave this HR field. This field is not for people like you.

Thanks for your prompt reply.

Shortly, my friend will join this group and post the complete story. He too has decided to file a legal case against his new HR Manager for his illegal termination.

Handling Bribery and Corruption in the Workplace

The story highlights the inadequate experience in handling bribery, illegal matters, and other crooked politics.

When something seems suspicious with a superior, one should not go directly and complain to the management. Instead, it's crucial to prepare a plan to ensure that management catches the superior in the act.

Management might have felt that even though the superior was demanding or receiving commissions from vendors, he was still able to manage his work. However, because an employee complained about him with evidence, they were forced to take action.

If the superior had been caught by management directly, they would have issued him a severe warning.

Management must have assessed that the individual could not handle the HR Manager position alone. The maturity he showed in the previous issue was not acceptable for a promotion. This might be the reason for appointing a new HR manager.

Similar Situations in Government Organizations

The same situation occurs in government organizations. If you report a bribery issue to the anti-corruption bureau and they arrest and dismiss the government official, you will get that particular work done quickly. However, when you approach them next time with new work, you may be treated poorly by the new official in that position. They will make you regret the previous incident.

Fighting Against Corruption

Fighting against corruption requires patience and a proper plan. Otherwise, you could end up being isolated. Try to work with them, and the plan you implement should lead them to be caught by their own actions.

It's admirable to see someone bold, but experience in handling such situations is necessary. You will learn from it. My advice is to request a 3-month extension from your MD, search for another job, and then leave. Begin a new chapter in your life.

First of all, seeking guidance or opinion from the learned members for somebody through this forum is not proper. I agree that you are concerned for your friend, but that does not mean that you represent his/her problem. Many things or related matters may not be known to you either directly or indirectly. Therefore, hypothetical questions and assumptions do not lead to a satisfactory opinion. This is an open forum. The person suffering or victimized can definitely seek opinions directly without intermediaries. In this forum, I always insist on representing or seeking opinions for oneself and not on behalf of somebody else.

However, our learned members have provided their opinions. In general, such situations are very common in companies or establishments where there is production or profit-making business. It is essential to handle the matter with care while ensuring the safety of their future. One more thing I would like to mention is "Tit for Tat." There is no point in fighting with top management against one's boss. Ultimately, your friend should survive. The options are either to compromise with the situation or leave the organization with goodwill.

Regards,
Adoni Suguresh

Sr. Executive (Personnel & Ind. Rels)

Labour Laws Consultant

To add to what others said, having traveled this far, maybe your friend can describe the complete story and send it to the personal addresses of all his Board of Directors if he can obtain them. Don't delay—proceed with filing a petition in the appropriate court or Labor Department if he is prepared to fight tooth and nail before the culprits realize. Ensure that he/she is armed with supportive documentary evidence to justify his/her previous good performances and instances where the previous HR Manager was exposed and terminated.